Sorry for asking such a simple couple of questions, but I am relatively new to pathfinder fresh from the beginner box and was needing some help figuring out these rules from the core rule book.
So first is touch ac. When calculating touch ac is it basically just my dex modifier and then any additional modifiers from feats? Do I get the +10 that I get on my regular ac?
Second is spell lists. I know I get quite a few spells I can prepare each day, but can I just use any of those I want anytime or can I only use the ones I pick to fill those spots. For instance if I get 4 spells for lvl 1 and pick 4 spells from the lvl 1 group can I not use any others or how does that work out?
I've read it over and over, but it really just doesn't make sense to me.
If you mean does your touch AC start off at 10 and then get modifiers added like normal AC, the answer is yes. No form of AC starts at zero.
The +10 he is talking about is the base 10 AC all things get to all AC.
The easiest ways to calculate the different AC's is to calculate the normal AC and then subtract the things that don't count
Thanks guys that pretty much covers it, but my questions becomes then could say a wizard use any lvl 1 spells in that spot say day one I take burning hands magic missile and something else, but day two I want magic missile, but don't want the others can I just pick different spells?
Thanks guys that pretty much covers it, but my questions becomes then could say a wizard use any lvl 1 spells in that spot say day one I take burning hands magic missile and something else, but day two I want magic missile, but don't want the others can I just pick different spells?
If you are playing a wizard, be aware that you can only prepare those spells which are in your spellbook. Generally, wizards do not have ALL of the spells of any given level in their spellbook (except for level 0 cantrips). Effectively, you have two spell lists. The first is your spellbook, which is a record of all spells you are currently capable of memorizing. The second is your list of prepared spells, which can only be filled with spells that are in your spellbook. As you gain levels (or gold), you can add to the spellbook whenever you are able. Your prepared spells are strictly limited by your level and your bonus spells for your high Int.
Different casters get different numbers of "spells known". For a wizard they get a free amount of spells in their spell book.
From day to day they can pick any spell they "know" or is in their book to prepare for that day.
So let's say you know 6 lvl 1 spells.
Today you could prep spell 1 2 3 from the book. Tomorrow you prep 4 5 6. Day after you prep 2 4 1.
Does that help?
Casters like clerics for example know all the spells on their list but can still only prep a certain amount.
I hope that helps
Yeah that makes a lot of sense. Seems kind of unfair that the cleric can know all the spells, but a wizard can't, and I intend to Gm some other new players so where I might not play a wizard I do need to know this stuff in case I get asked a question about it. I basically am working toward being a walking rule book, so I appreciate the help.
I feel like there's a way to do this (a Rahadoum way to hide your symbol?), but I can't find it.
Well, if you are GMing, you can change what you want, though I'd be careful making any changes if you are just starting out.
Especially changing things in favor of arcane casters... these boards abound with tales of woe about how the RAW wizard outperforms everyone even without changes.
I do feel impelled to mention spontaneous casters.
I personally strongly recommend spontaneous casters (like sorcerers, oracles, & hunters) over prepared casters (like wizards, clerics, & druids) for new players.
There are a ton of people here who will tell you how much more powerful the prepared kind are, and I don't intend to argue with them about it. But when you're trying to get to know a vast list of spells from scratch, prepared casting is so bewildering. You have to go through that vast list every game-day and try to figure out what you'll need. And then when things get horrible, you have to go through what you picked item by item to see if anything applies -- every turn!
A spontaneous caster generally gets more slots per day to cast, at the expense of knowing very few spells. This lack of flexibility is a huge asset for the new player. Sure, at level-up (at home, when no one is waiting on you), you still have to comb through that vast list and figure out what you think you'll need. Not for one day at a time, but for levels to come. It's tough, and you may make mistakes. It's all right though, because then you'll know exactly what you have at your disposal. And if true strike never comes up, but magic missile does over and over, well, you've got as many magic missiles as you have 1st level slots. You see, spontaneous casters don't actually fill slots. They simply expend a slot as they pick a spell out of their personal, very small list. The best spell from that list for the occasion. Intrigued? Willing to intrigue your friends?
To Newsmalls:
As soon as I went to bed last night, I started re-thinking my recommendation to you. Not for spontaneous casters over prepared, oh no. But I failed utterly to mention where these classes are from, and to caution you. I wantonly pulled two classes out of extra books besides Core! You can (and I believe should) offer those two base classes to your players, without adding any of the other material from those books to your beginning game.
The Core Rulebook does offer one prepared spellcaster without an easy conversion to a spontaneous caster, the paladin. Paladins are knights -- mostly martial. They don't get spells until 4th level, and can do a whole lot during a turn even if they selected the wrong spells for the day. But for the rest...
If someone wants a spontaneous wizard type, you can recommend sorcerer right out of the Core Rulebook. Easy.
If a player wants a spontaneous cleric type, however, they're going to have to go to the PRD here and print out the pages for the oracle class from the Advanced Player's Guide. Oracles get cleric spells (which you can limit to those in Core), and a handful of spells named under each mystery. Those marked with an asterisk, I'm afraid, are also from the Advanced Player's Guide. These would have to get printed out when the character leveled up to the point of needing a specific one. It won't be many, in any case, and that's all you need from that book.
Alternatively, the Core Rulebook has a second spontaneous caster, the bard. The bard is interesting... Playing a bard is one way to provide some healing for the party on a spontaneous basis, and get some wizardly spells, too. (They have a very limited spell-list that mixes arcane & divine magic.) The problem is that a great bard is more of a support character than many oracles. If you have a player who's happy making the other people at the table shine, however, you might not need to introduce the oracle class.
If a player wants a spontaneous druid or ranger type, they're going to have to print out the pages for the hunter class from the Advanced Class Guide in the PRD. Luckily, hunters simply get all of the druid & ranger spells, which again you can limit to those in Core. Warning: a player primarily interested in wild-shape will need to play a druid, while one primarily interested in the various feats & bonuses that a ranger gets will want a ranger. Hunters specialize in the animal companion feature of both classes, as well as cast spells available to either class spontaneously. If a player is interested, all you need from that book is the base hunter class description.
(In case you're squeamish: Paizo publishes all of the stuff in the PRD under their Open Gaming License from WoTC, which means that you can legally print it out for your & your players' personal use.)
I hope this helps, and above all, I hope you and your fledgling group have a lot of fun!