So Kinetecist blasts have somatic components then? Like spells?
Mechanically the two are distinct and the fluff is slightly different. However, in effect the idea is the same. So, kinda.
Fluff wise somatic components are much more measured and ritualistic. While the movements for a kinetic blast are just kinda a "go here" instruction for your element. Mechanically, you can use Kinetic Blasts in armor and wouldn't gain benefits from something that calls out somatic components.
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So Kinetecist blasts have somatic components then? Like spells?Easy answer, they don't!
Kinetic Blasts and Gather Power require you to have free hands, they do not however, require you to use those hands as your Kinetic Blast source.
Gather Power requires you to have all your body free to guide the elements in a similar way to Avatar. You are using your motions to guide the elements. It doesn't mean your hands are the source of that power.
In a similar way you only need one hand free to "guide" Kinetic Blasts. That doesn't mean you can't shoot fire out of your feet or do immature pee jokes. It just means you need a hand free to direct the stream. It could be holding two fingers up to your head, rough miming, or martial arts. Regardless of if that martial art is heavy into kicking.
It's heavily implied by the fact that you need free hands to use your blasts and gather power.
hmm, while I can see where you're coming from, it still makes little in game sense to me.
If it's a component of the "spell", then there should be a way to use the "spell" without it. Just like you can with normal spells.
If the actual gesture doesn't matter and it's just guiding the blast by pointing, then other body parts can work just as well. (From personal experience asian mothers are extremely adept at pointing out what they want you to get using just the lower lip and a nod...)
Edit: Also, blasts and talents are spell like abilities which do not normally require components of any kind. Only the kineticist needs to use gestures.
Well, part of that is balance reasons. The other part could be that the Kineticist has had all of 1 book for feats. (Since the second material was taken up by two new elements.) Maybe later on they will be able to use Kinetic Blasts without the gesture, but then there should be some cost to doing so because frankly there needs to be.
Also, a hand gesture is a much more engaged and obvious form of direction. It's not nearly as vague as nodding. It's more flamboyant and striking.
But SLAs, which Kinetic Blast is, aren't spells (there is a FAQ on that). Because they aren't spells, they don't require spell components, such as somatic components. However, the rules text of Kinetic Blast says they must have a hand free to use the blast, so that's the rule. Thematically it could go either way. Aim with your hand, your fingers, your toes, your lip, that little hair that always sticks out, other things. Doesn't matter. The rule written out in the Kinetic Blast text says you mat have a hand free for the ability. But it is not considered a somatic component.
The kineticists have to have something to do because idle hands are Asmodeus's playthings.
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For all anyone knows (or probably cares) maybe you do your kinetic blasts like the main character from Yu Yu Hakasho and mine firing a gun with your fingers. Or perhaps you're just having to hold your hand out (possibly with the arm muscles tensed in effort) while you control the elemental matter you're pulling forth. Or you might be doing tai chi :)
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The kineticists have to have something to do because idle hands are Asmodeus's playthings.
That claim has never been substantiated.
Please cease and desist before we are forced to take legal action. With swords.
For all anyone knows (or probably cares) maybe you do your kinetic blasts like the main character from Yu Yu Hakasho and mine firing a gun with your fingers. Or perhaps you're just having to hold your hand out (possibly with the arm muscles tensed in effort) while you control the elemental matter you're pulling forth. Or you might be doing tai chi :)
I prefer to Hadoken with my blasts, or if I'm doing a fancy blast I sometimes take a page from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure with the Emeraldo Splash method.
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For all anyone knows (or probably cares) maybe you do your kinetic blasts like the main character from Yu Yu Hakasho and mine firing a gun with your fingers. Or perhaps you're just having to hold your hand out (possibly with the arm muscles tensed in effort) while you control the elemental matter you're pulling forth. Or you might be doing tai chi :)Or make sweeping gestures with your staff/glider while holding it in both hands like Aang?
Need a free hand :) Sorry, Aang couldn't airbend while gliding if he got shifted into the Pathfinder setting :)
Pathfinder ain't avatar. Remember Sparky Sparky Boom Man doesn't need hands to firebend. F#+~er cheats with Still Blast.
Needing hands free doesn't imply channeling through your hands. As so.
This is how I decree it. You need a free hand to gather energy, but as you have that and the relevant blasts, there is no particular reason you couldn't consume your enemies with fireballs from your eyes and bolts of lightning from your arse.
Need a free hand :) Sorry, Aang couldn't airbend while gliding if he got shifted into the Pathfinder setting :)For all anyone knows (or probably cares) maybe you do your kinetic blasts like the main character from Yu Yu Hakasho and mine firing a gun with your fingers. Or perhaps you're just having to hold your hand out (possibly with the arm muscles tensed in effort) while you control the elemental matter you're pulling forth. Or you might be doing tai chi :)Or make sweeping gestures with your staff/glider while holding it in both hands like Aang?
Aang can airbend. Wild talents are fair game. He just can't use kinetic blasts. Except that he can totally use Kinetic Fist with help from the monk focused Ascetic Form. That doesn't exactly seem out of place with how his abilities were depicted in Avatar.
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While I am one to like Avatar references and comparisons, I am going to remind people that kineticists are not benders so the rules in their world don't necessarily apply here. Yes there is a lot of inspiration from there but that doesn't mean it is a 100% carbon copy. Just because a bender could do it doesn't mean a kinny should too. After all, only one two benders have been able to master true flight while an air kinny gets it at level 6 and guffaws at gravity for the rest of his/her life.
Also, Sparky Sparky Boom Man was clearly using a homebrew kineticist fire diadem that allowed him to blast from it.
Gather energy
If she has both hands free (or all of her prehensile appendages free, for unusual kineticists), a kineticist can gather energy or elemental matter as a move action.
So all kineticists just need to take 2 levels in bard first, with the juggler archetype, so they can get the combat juggling ability:
At 2nd level, a juggler can hold and wield (in other words, “juggle”) up to three items or weapons in his hands. The juggler must be able to hold and wield an object in one hand in order to juggle it.
This ability doesn't grant the juggler additional attacks, though it does allow him to use different weapons as part of a full attack. As long as he is juggling fewer than three objects, the juggler is considered to have a free hand (for the purposes of drawing a weapon, using somatic components, using Deflect Arrows, and so on). At 6th level and every 4 levels thereafter, the maximum number of objects the juggler can juggle increases by one, to a maximum of seven objects at 18th level.
If the juggler is affected by any action or condition that would require a concentration check while he is juggling, he must attempt a Sleight of Hand check to continue juggling and avoid losing concentration. The check's DC is the same as a concentration check, treating the spell level as twice the number of objects being juggled.
If the juggler fails his Sleight of Hand check, he drops all juggled objects but one, determined randomly.
This ability replaces versatile performance.
boom, now you can gather and attack and what have you all at the same time (i have no idea how kineticists work)
The only reason a bender can do something that a kineticist can't is because that ability or feat has not created yet;) But I do agree that kineticist are not benders and benders are only one of the many inspirations behind this awesome class.
Gather energy
If she has both hands free (or all of her prehensile appendages free, for unusual kineticists), a kineticist can gather energy or elemental matter as a move action.So all kineticists just need to take 2 levels in bard first, with the juggler archetype, so they can get the combat juggling ability:
boom, now you can gather and attack and what have you all at the same time (i have no idea how kineticists work)At 2nd level, a juggler can hold and wield (in other words, “juggle”) up to three items or weapons in his hands. The juggler must be able to hold and wield an object in one hand in order to juggle it.
This ability doesn't grant the juggler additional attacks, though it does allow him to use different weapons as part of a full attack. As long as he is juggling fewer than three objects, the juggler is considered to have a free hand (for the purposes of drawing a weapon, using somatic components, using Deflect Arrows, and so on). At 6th level and every 4 levels thereafter, the maximum number of objects the juggler can juggle increases by one, to a maximum of seven objects at 18th level.
If the juggler is affected by any action or condition that would require a concentration check while he is juggling, he must attempt a Sleight of Hand check to continue juggling and avoid losing concentration. The check's DC is the same as a concentration check, treating the spell level as twice the number of objects being juggled.
If the juggler fails his Sleight of Hand check, he drops all juggled objects but one, determined randomly.
This ability replaces versatile performance.
That ability doesn't give you both(or even two) hands free.
oh, it does say "in his hands" doesnt it? i totally thought you could do it with 1 hand, my b
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Needing hands free doesn't imply channeling through your hands. As so.This is how I decree it. You need a free hand to gather energy, but as you have that and the relevant blasts, there is no particular reason you couldn't consume your enemies with fireballs from your eyes and bolts of lightning from your arse.
Katelyn the Kineticist: People like you are the reason the Kineticists' Guild was formed. >=(