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I'm just wondering if anyone know's a spell or feat that allows for fine control manipulation of objects e.g. turning a key in a lock, making a meal or the like? Mage hand just lets you move things slowly and telekinesis is pretty much brute force combat. I'm looking for something that would allow you to make a meal using telekinetic powers e.g. cutting meat, stirring dishes, lighting a fire, seasoning food, opening and closing containers, etc.
arcane trickster has the:
I'd say if it can disable devices and pick pockets the slight of hands part can also be used to cut a salad or mix a bowl of ingredients. and turning a key in lock should be obvious.
The Telekinetic Finesse wild talent upgrade to the Aether kineticist Basic Telekinesis offers even more options than Ranged Legerdemain. More so when combined with the extended range talent.
Also Telekinetic Finesse allows you to do ANY sort of fine manipulation within close range. Basic Telekinesis can also move magical items, hold liquids, and function as the open/close cantrip and lift 5lbs/level as well. Telekinetic Haul increases this to 100lbs/level.
Mage hand states you can move the object, but does not give any detail or limitations on how you can move the object. Prestidigitation also allows you to do a lot of things Open/close will allow you to open and close objects of up to 30 pounds. Spark can be used to light fires.
Check with your GM about using cantrips for what you want to do. You might need a few cantrips to do everything you want, but I personally would not have a problem if one of my players wanted to do so.
you know, thinking about it there is already a level 1spell to do just what you asked:
-it's not alive but a force willed by the caster to move around and do stuff. it's basically the embodiment of his will doing his bidding under his manipulation. the fact it fade away when it's too far away from the caster even prove it. i'd like to think that the subconscious of the caster is what keep track of it (so as long as it's near it can work even when one sleeps, but once the distance is too great the mind can't keep the force together and it's disperse.
it already mention opening doors for you, as for cooking, as long as you are the one giving direct orders ('chop that onion, put it in the frying pan' etc) I don't see any reason that the skill check should default to it. it can use skills untrained up to dc 10 on it's own, but here it's just moving exactly as you order it without using it's own 'mind' (again what i would like to think as your subconscious guiding it)
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Mage hand states you can move the object, but does not give any detail or limitations on how you can move the object. Prestidigitation also allows you to do a lot of things Open/close will allow you to open and close objects of up to 30 pounds. Spark can be used to light fires.
Check with your GM about using cantrips for what you want to do. You might need a few cantrips to do everything you want, but I personally would not have a problem if one of my players wanted to do so.
You point your finger at an object and [b]can lift it and move it at will from a distance[b]. As a move action, you can propel the object as far as 15 feet in any direction, though the spell ends if the distance between you and the object ever exceeds the spell's range.
The spell says that you lift and move. Not "manipulate". It is a very limited tractor/pressor beam, nothing more.
Unseen servant is what you want for fine manipulation that doesn't require a skill. There are a couple of versions that create a servant with a specific skill, so researching an "Unseen Cook" or an "Unseen Thief" is possible (but I would limit them to the skill rank the spellcaster has in the relevant skill).
it can do skills checks, but only up to dc 10 of skills that can be done untrained, which is why with craft(cooking) or profession (chef) i stated it need to be the character who cook and only order it to do simple errands that the skill check shouldn't count on, without relaying on it's 'skills'.
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it can do skills checks, but only up to dc 10 of skills that can be done untrained, which is why with craft(cooking) or profession (chef) i stated it need to be the character who cook and only order it to do simple errands that the skill check shouldn't count on, without relaying on it's 'skills'.
Which is my problem I want a mage to come home sore and tired and use psychic power to prepare dinner rather than doing it themselves and there doesn't seem to be anything for a mage (Kineticists and rogues yes) to allow that. As said above mage hand is only push/pull/lift/lower, telekinesis is brute force hit and cantrips like open/close do require you prepare them in advance and would require too many to be viable. Even unseen servant can't use the casters skills to do things or it would be a nice choice. I don't need it to do things the mage can't just do things they can do but with magic rather than physical labour.
get a valet monkey familiar?
they get all your crafting feats and skills (also super useful for crafting via cooperative crafting) they get at will Prestidigitation and mage hand.
you're assuming being tired makes psychic preparation of food easier then manual, but arcane casters from the get-go shouldn't be doing anything too tiring to begin with. when i'm to tired to cook it's mostly a mental fatigue more then physical one.
let the unseen servant read your cook-book and he can use the craft skill untrained.
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it can do skills checks, but only up to dc 10 of skills that can be done untrained, which is why with craft(cooking) or profession (chef) i stated it need to be the character who cook and only order it to do simple errands that the skill check shouldn't count on, without relaying on it's 'skills'.
Cooking can be done without rank in the skill. An Unseen Servant taking 10 can do it (I don't see anything saying that it can't). It would be an average meal, but nothing terrible.
RAW a Commoner has 2 skill points + INT bonus (3 if human). I doubt that the typical commoner has 1 rank in a craft or profession (to earn his money), 1 in Profession Cook (to cook his/her meals), 1 in Profession Baker to cook his bread, and 1 in Profession Maid (to keep the house in order). Almost certainly he will take 10 for all of them (or roll a dice and burn water one time in twenty). A person with a rank in a skill is as a minimum a well-trained apprentice for it, not the average guy doing it at home.
Prestidigitations are minor tricks that novice spellcasters use for practice. Once cast, a prestidigitation spell enables you to perform simple magical effects for 1 hour. The effects are minor and have severe limitations. A prestidigitation can slowly lift 1 pound of material. It can color, clean, or soil items in a 1-foot cube each round. It can chill, warm, or flavor 1 pound of nonliving material. It cannot deal damage or affect the concentration of spellcasters. Prestidigitation can create small objects, but they look crude and artificial. The materials created by a prestidigitation spell are extremely fragile, and they cannot be used as tools, weapons, or spell components. Finally, prestidigitation lacks the power to duplicate any other spell effects. Any actual change to an object (beyond just moving, cleaning, or soiling it) persists only 1 hour.
I think that too much emphasis is being put on mage hand and telekinesis. If what you want is to prepare a decent meal using prestidigitation can allow you to heat up some leftovers and even alter the taste of the meal. It may only be oatmeal or soup, but it can taste like anything you want. You just have to eat the food within an hour, or it goes back to tasting like what it really is. Talk to the GM about this and they may allow a little more leeway like changing the texture of the food. What is it really going to hurt to allow a character to do change dried meat to something that resembles steak? The effects will be obvious but does not mean it cannot still affect the experience of eating food in a positive way.
I have had several characters use prestidigitation to alter the taste of trail rations into something more pleasant.
You can take the magic trick feat for unseen servant. Then you just have to meet the prerequisites
Unseen Assistant (Craft [any], Perform [any], or Profession [any] 3 ranks): You infuse your servant with the spirit of creativity. It can assist you as if successfully using the aid another action with a single Craft, Profession, or Perform skill in which you have 3 or more ranks. Alternatively, it can use any of these skills itself, using half of your total bonus for that skill.
There are other options with their own prerequisites, but I didn't list those to be brief.
That's kind of a costly investment for "flavor", but it is what you seem to want, and it's available as soon as level 3.
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There's a difference between mental and physical fatigue. If your mentally tired you can still be fine for something physical and mindless, if your physically sore (after say a gym class that leaves your shoulders aching) you can still be mentally fresh and of course you can be both. I just like having options.
I'll need to look into that magic trick, I admit the tricks (combat and the like) aren't something I've never considered.
EDIT
Curious mage hand has options to lift more weight, do sleight of hand and other things but not fine manipulation.