Want to spitball builds and backstories? Here's the place to do it.

So I have a character that I want to play, I haven't found a campaign to play him in and because it uses 3pp content I probably won't find one for a while. In short it is an undead who hunts undead. In slightly more detail he is an Obitu and I would build towards the Grim Reaper Prestige class(maybe 3 levels), probably through a paladin(probably a Righteous Flame Acolyte). What I am wondering is what would be the earliest entry into the prestige class and also if anyone would have a game that I could play him in, preferably an undead heavy game where the populace have a highly anti undead prejudice.

Looking at the class it looks like 6th would be the barebones minimum unless you find a 3rd party base class that provides better spell progression then the Ranger AND full BAB.

Basically you can take straight cleric or ranger to 6th level and meet the requirements. I don't see any tricks or feats that would get you to BAB +5 AND ability to cast 1st divine spells AND turn undead or favored enemy...

I have an idea I like. Basicly, a Catfolk Monk who uses his Claws. With a few feats, theoretically, I can dish out some real pain, though it would depend on how the GM rules on how feats stacks.
The story would, in a quick nutshell, he's a Snow Leopard who was raised in a Lion village, and as such, studied and trained as a Monk to even up his disadvantage of strength.

I have gotten inspiration for any number of characters to play but one that came up recently was from the anime "Overlord".  I thought it would be entertaining to build a character based off of Albedo, she hot, dangerous, and completely infatuated with another PC to whom she is absolutely loyal.  I'm not sure the class I would use since it would depend on the particular game and allowed alignments.  While Albedo as she exists in the show would be a LE version of a paladin/anti-paladin, I don't feel that has to be the case to run the character.  I would prefer the game to be adult as that's one of the reasons I enjoy this site, but that wouldn't be a requirement.

That would be kinda cool, she'd probably turn out closer to the show if it was a gestalt game, because she is more a fighty sorceress than a paladin.... I probably would have suggested bloodrager, but she doesn't really rage....

Might be able to build her off of a magus as single class, or do an early entry eldritch knight as well.

I've used a similar idea in some solo parties I've (tried) to play. Basically an evil character believes in a prophecy or what-not that aligns them to another PC.

So what you have is a LE character looking to inflict pain and misery and dispose of the weak but essentially 'forced' to go along with the goody-two-shoes rest of the party, grumbling and complaining the whole time.

The "Jayne" or the "Belkar" essentially.


As for Albedo, another thing to keep in mind is that everyone in that show is evil so it's inherently tough to align to a "good" party. Similar to Disgaea,  it might be a worthwhile character to pitch for an all-evil game where being LE would fit right in...

Yeah, I figure as much, though I think having her align with a "good" party because of the source of her infatuation being a riot.  I could also make her LN and not lose much if I had to, it would work, just not quite as well.

With a pseudo-Yandere I like it better when there is a direct conflict of alignment.

Hell, you could make her CE for zany wackiness as long as you walk that line and don't piss the party off. Put the fun back into dysfunctional :P

 I didn't know where to post this, but I have a few Character ideas just looking for games to play them in. This is a little bit of an AD, but also a chance to discuss and refine the ideas:

 1. Chez Saire: A Chaotic/Neutral Catfolk Illusionist modeled off of The Cheshire Cat, reveling in pulling pranks on and confusing all around him, although is "Calmer" around those he considers his friends.

 2. Quoth: A Tengu Rogue. Speaks in Rhyme. I haven't gotten far of the planning stage, I just thought it'd be fun to be able to "Sneak Attack" with a Greatsword.

 3. Rex Gorrot: Half-Orc Bard, specializing in comedy, specifically sock puppetry. Talks to his Sock puppet partner "Lefty" (On the right hand) as if he is another person.

Those are the ones I have the most complete, but I have all sorts of thoughts and there just are not enough games to fully flex my creative muscle the way I'd like. Anyway, thoughts? Suggestions? Open games? I'd love to hear all about them.

#2 reminds me of The Gamers movie where through a loophole in the rules they sneak attack an enemy with a siege weapon.

Ahhh, a handy dandy youtube link:
(warning slight swearing in the audio)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTccvj0gc58
This message was last edited by the player at 03:02, Sat 05 Dec 2015.

For number 3, I'm in a game at the moment where we've already got 2 half-orcs who didn't dump charisma and actually have some of the best social skills in the group, it's actually really fun :)

Link is here if you want to take a look, another one wouldn't go astray.
link to a message in another game

Greetings!

While I do enjoy the Paizo website for knowledge gain, or time-wasting in the Advice area.  I was wondering: Any Brilliant Character designers our there whom could examine my Fighter?

Originally, I constructed him for a basic City-Guard at Level 4 with a standard 20-point build.  However, construction was completed a long long ago... My goal: I'd like to update him from my original build - however, I am stuck with my original build: Sword & Board.  And after reading the Advice forums, not a whole lot there.  You've got your basic items, but nothing unique...
Therefore, I thought maybe you guys could come-up with something interesting to play, but still a Fighter.  Also, I would-be open to Multi-classing during the rebuild - that is something I have little experience with and would LOVE to learn more about.

Thank you in advance!

Here's the Character Output: (If you need more information, just ask!)
Rolen Atwenti
Male Human Fighter 4
LN Medium humanoid (human)
Init +7; Senses Perception -1
--------------------
Defense
--------------------
AC 23, touch 13, flat-footed 20 (+7 armor, +3 shield, +3 Dex)
hp 48 (4d10+8)
Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +0 (+1 vs. fear)
Defensive Abilities bravery +1
--------------------
Offense
--------------------
Speed 30 ft.
Melee heavy shield bash +8 (1d4+4) and
. . +1 warhammer +10 (1d8+5/×3) and
. . light hammer +8 (1d4+4)
Ranged composite longbow +5 (1d8+4/×3)
--------------------
Statistics
--------------------
Str 19, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 11, Wis 8, Cha 11
Base Atk +4; CMB +8; CMD 21
Feats Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Improved Shield Bash, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (warhammer)
Skills Intimidate +7, Ride +6, Survival +6 (+8 to avoid becoming lost when using this)
Languages Common
SQ armor training 1
Combat Gear potion of cure moderate wounds (3), potion of cure moderate wounds, potion of cure serious wounds; Other Gear +1 lamellar (steel) armor, +1 heavy steel shield, +1 warhammer, arrows (20), composite longbow, light hammer (2), bracers of armor +1, backpack, masterwork, bedroll, belt pouch, chalk, cold weather outfit, compass, flint and steel, grappling arrow, silk rope, torch (4), trail rations (4), trail rations, waterskin, 81 gp, 3 sp, 5 cp
--------------------
Special Abilities
--------------------
Bravery +1 (Ex) +1 to Will save vs. Fear
Cleave If you hit a foe, attack an adjacent target at the same attack bonus but take -2 AC.
Cold weather outfit +5 Fort save vs. cold weather.
Combat Reflexes (4 AoO/round) Can make extra attacks of opportunity/rd, and even when flat-footed.
Compass +2 circumstance for Survival or Knowledge (Dungeoneering) to avoid becoming lost.
Improved Shield Bash You still get your shield bonus while using Shield Bash.
Power Attack -2/+4 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.

Well, I would highly suggest you do not use wisdom as a dump stat on a fighter.  Failing charm in every combat is not a good way to ingratiate the party to you

But she's soo pretty...

---

Edit:
Whoops!  Hit enter a bit too soon!
When I was building the character, I mistakenly reversed the two stats; it's one of the reasons I am rebuilding.
Also, I was thinking about moving or attempting to build a Dragoon...thoughts?
This message was last edited by the player at 21:30, Tue 08 Dec 2015.

If you want true min/max-y style advice I would make Int a dump stat (you get so few skill points anyways, if it's important select it as a level bonus occasionally) and none of your key skills key off of Int either.

So I would even out those odds and give you a WIS of 12, CHA of 10, INT of 8.

You're street smart, not book smart :)

If you want to excel in your role as a front-line guardian and warrior without leaving Fighter, your best and most satisfying option is to take the Myrmidon archetype https://docs.google.com/docume...6cdv7_44J8w564s/edit here. Iron Tortoise is an entire discipline devoted to shield-fighting, full of bashes and defensive options, and Piercing Thunder and Scarlet Throne work as excellent compliments, favoring powerful single blows and leaping strikes. Piercing Thunder isn't hugely hammer friendly - it's for playing something between a phalanx spartan, Achilles, and a Final Fantasy Dragoon - but you can take Weapon Group Adaptation to make any class of weapons part of all your disciplines. Primal Fury is all about charging gloriously and smashing up bad guys, and Golden Lion is for the tactical Fighter who wants to lead and coordinate allies while crunching troll noses with the broad side of his shield.

If you have no chance of getting third-party content allowed and still want to be a fighter, you know the drill: run at things that look like spellcasters or stand in front of your own spellcasters and keep your fingers crossed. As noted, dumping Wisdom is a really terrible idea. I'd consider lowering Dexterity to 14 for at least Constitution 14, and doing whatever you have to to get Wisdom to 12. Cleave isn't great; I'd swap it out for Dazzling Display so you can make some use of your Intimidate, or anything else, really.

One thing I've always found works well with fighters is a reach trip weapon, and the Improved Trip line of feats.

Yes, this means you can't dump INT, but being able to stop almost anything around you from being able to move is worth it, I think.

Alternatively, for those who really really want a stat to dump, a 1 level dip in Brawler will let you get Combat Expertise without pre-reqs.

Cleave is good at low level, and as long as you take it as a fighter bonus feat you can retrain it later to something more useful at higher levels. Going for Improved Shield Bash and Weapon Focus (warhammer), however, is not very helpful, as you can still only use one of them to attack (unless you are willing to accept some truly awful penalties to use two one handed weapons without any of the feat that mitigate those penalties).

Oh, and about your equipment: bracers of armor do not stack with actual armor, you should go with a ring of protection or an amulet of natural armor instead.

---

Dragoon: there is one glaring weakness to dragoons, and it is the horse. Unlike a cavalier, your horse does not improve with level, which means that it is extremely fragile at high level. Unless you intend to graduate to more exotic mounts, it will likely be very frustrating. Even if you do, there are always places where your mount can't go.

That does not mean you shouldn't consider mounted combat, as a fighter you have enough feats to devote a few to it if you want. Horse might not last long at higher levels, but they are also cheap at those levels. Just don't make it your whole concept.

---

One thing you can do is to just concentrate on wielding a weapon very, very well, and on doing lots of damage with it. You'll be surprised at how much damage you can do if your really try. You'll have plenty of feats left over: that's when you can think about going into combat maneuvers, or to invest in critical feats, or mounted combat... but as long as you can do a decent amount of damage, with a reliability that wizards or rogue will never match, you can make sure your enemies won't just ignore you.

It is cheesy as hell but you can also double up in shields and go two-weapon fighting and shield bash. You can get very high AC and decent damage on a full round attack with spiked shields.

Thank you for all the feedback!
From what I am gathering and reading from all the sources available - Sounding a lot like Fighters are as PraguePride mentioned:  Smack with Weapon and wear a lot of armor.

---

As for the 'cheese', I would but! I am in another game with a few of the same Players and they groan a bit about my character in that:  Halfling Barbarian (Titan Mauler)
Talk about cheese...

I'm building a natural attack barbarian, Ragebred skinwalker, beast totem rage powers.  Is she able to take imp natural attack, http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/...roved-natural-attack , or multiattack feats. Even though she does not have her natural attacks always active?

From what I could garner, I'd say: Yes.  My thinking is around the lines of: Unarmed attack would fall under the wordings or Natural attack.  However, I do know a few DMs that may say: In the description it does not contain the word: Unarmed.  Therefore, it would-not count.

Yet..
If you'd like, send me a sample character sheet; I could use my Hero-Labs to build it. That program does an amazing job with: "Double-checking" oddities.

---

And just for fun...
Here is my Cheese Character:

Udofire Milltall
Halfling barbarian (titan mauler) 1 (Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Combat 30)
CG Small humanoid (halfling)
Init +3; Senses Perception +3
--------------------
Defense
--------------------
AC 17, touch 15, flat-footed 13 (+2 armor, +3 Dex, +1 dodge, +1 size)
hp 14 (1d12+2)
Fort +4, Ref +3 (+1 bonus vs. trample attacks), Will -1; +2 vs. fear
Defensive Abilities underfoot; Resist underfoot
--------------------
Offense
--------------------
Speed 20 ft.
Melee dagger +4 (1d3+2/19-20) or
   horsechopper +4 (1d8+3/×3) or
   longsword +4 (1d6+2/19-20)
Special Attacks low blow, rage (6 rounds/day)
--------------------
Statistics
--------------------
Str 15, Dex 16, Con 15, Int 8, Wis 8, Cha 11
Base Atk +1; CMB +2; CMD 16
Feats Dodge
Traits bully, dirty fighter
Skills Acrobatics +9 (+5 to jump), Climb +8, Intimidate +5, Perception +3; Racial Modifiers +2 Acrobatics, +2 Climb
Languages Common, Halfling
SQ big game hunter
Other Gear lamellar cuirass[UC], dagger (5), horsechopper[ARG], longsword, backpack, bandolier[UE], bedroll, belt pouch, fishhook (2), flint and steel, mug/tankard, sewing needle, signal whistle, string or twine[APG], thread (50 ft.), trail rations (7), waterskin, whetstone, 88 gp, 1 sp, 5 cp
--------------------
Special Abilities
--------------------
Big Game Hunter (Ex) +1 to hit and +1 dodge bonus to AC vs. foes larger than self.
Dirty Fighter +1 damage when flanking.
Fearless +2 racial bonus on all saving throws against fear. This bonus stacks with the bonus granted by halfling luck.
Low Blow +1 to critical confirmation rolls against larger creatures.
Rage (6 rounds/day) (Ex) +4 Str, +4 Con, +2 to Will saves, -2 to AC when enraged.
Underfoot +1 AC vs. larger opponents and +1 save vs. trample

Hey, folks. I've been toying with the idea of a poison-using character. I've got a general grasp on what constitutes a good poison to use and how to go with a poisoner route (Poison Focus, Treacherous Toxin, Master Alchemist, Toxicological Timing feats etc.) but was wondering if any of y'all had some experience with a poisoner that you'd like to chime in with. I know poison isn't really a route that's worth it for the adventuring PC, but with praguepride's new, less 'adventure' and more intrigue-heavy game, I thought this might be the perfect chance to see what a poisoner can do, if not just manufacture poisons for someone else to use.

Well the first question is do you understand the Poison Unchained rules?

It greatly changes the lethality of poisons as instead of just doing ability damage, each poison has a set track that it follows. This means that minor poisons are no longer deadly even against targets with poor ability scores but deadly poisons can be deadly even if you have a high ability score if you roll poorly on your saving throws.

Not that I have any foresight as to what you will be facing...

Black Lotus is the deadliest as it is DC 20 and skips several states so you can kill a target in as quick as 4 rounds.

Charisma poisons become interesting because of the Pliable state where opponents pretty much auto-succeed at Bluff/Intimidate/Diplomacy checks.

Int/Wis poisons are useful against skilled adversaries. Mages and Clerics especially are vulnerable because it also impacts their spell DC's.

Str/Dex poisons are useful in combat again because it impacts their combat stats.


All in all I would say from my experience and observation is that poisons are great against commoners/low-level NPCs but don't expect much from them against higher level enemies. I mean sure it's possible but even DC 20+enhancements isn't too bad to hit for a 10th level fighter, and that's assuming they don't have magical means against the poison.

Instead I would view poisons as a subtle buff/debuff, a gamble to put stuff in your favor as you pursue another avenue of approach rather then an end in and of itself.

Unchained poisons definitely changes the game, but for the intrigue-heavy setting, confabulating powder ( http://www.archivesofnethys.co...nfabulation%20powder ) was the most interesting.

I've signed up to a Hell's Rebels game and I have gone for a member of a noble house, taking the Child of Kintargo trait and Noble Scion feat.
However, I'm not sure what to spend the 200gp on from Child of Kintargo.

It can only be on a singular, non-magical item, which makes it hard to decide on.

I'm playing a human bard archivist, so I don't need to go for anything such as armour, I could go for a Composite Shortbow with a Str +1 bonus, as currently my range weapon is a sling (I'm cheap, sue me!), knowing that I'll get better as the game progresses.
I'm not looking at going down the crafting route, as otherwise something like an Alchemist's Lab would be perfect.
Would a Forger's Kit get used enough to warrant picking?

Hmm. You could get a masterwork instrument for 100gp. That's only halfway there, but might be worth it depending on your perform skills.

Alternatively, you could just get a piece of jewelry valued at 200gp. Nobles rarely wear things less than 100gp.

Well met, all. I am new to this board so I figured I would jump right and get some input on a character idea of mine.  I am playing it in Pathfinder Society play, so there are restrictions, but the gist of it is I want to play a swift, Tengu swordsman. Presently he is still level one so I can tweak him if need be.

  I initially went with Unchained Rogue because of their Finesse Training at 3rd level which let's them add DEX to damage with one finesse weapon (plus sneak attack damage is nice) and he is using an Elven Curve Blade (1d10,18-20/x2, 2-handed but can be used with Finesse). And since Tengu are proficient with all sword-like weapons, being a rogue doesn't hamper this choice.

  Alternatively, I found a feat in the Advanced Class Guide that let's you treat a 1-handed slashing weapon as a piercing weapon and also apply DEX to damage. Weapon Focus and Weapon Finesse are prereqs.

 So do you think it would be better to go Fighter and spend all of my initial feats into getting the DEX damage early on (as well as better BAB and HP), or stick with U. Rogue for more skills and sneak attack damage?

This one's somewhat tricky since we don't know your regular playstyle. If you're looking for which one is mechanically better, I'm sure someone else can answer that better than I. However, if you're looking for which one better fits your description of "swift, Tengu swordsman", it's a toss up.

If you want a 1 or 2 handed weapon master who is combat focused, I'd probably go the fighter route. The extra BAB and feats will give you a nice edge in terms of using your sword better, and they tend to fit the flavour of best combatant with their chosen weapon better.

At the same time, sneak attack and rogue talents (as well as extra skills) might give the rogue some nice combat advantages in terms of damage/status effects, as well as some more flexibility out of combat. I'd probably go this route if I wanted to be an awesome duelist but not necessarily the exemplary swordsman.

  Aye, I would say I am leaning more "awesome duelist" as well.  I know there are going to be fighers or barbarians or what have you that out damage me, but this seems a little more unique than the traditional "sneaky rogue".  I have never been the min-max sort, so the skills appeal to me as a method to sort of...balance out or otherwise flesh out the character.  Turn him into an interesting sell-sword rather than another murder hobo.

Is this PFS legal? http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classe...types/martial-master

  I believe so, its from the Advanced Class Guide.

Unchained Rogue by a long shot. Your all-around efficacy is much higher in and out of combat, and while you won't see the same damage numbers the Fighter's lead is not significant enough to warrant consideration.

Don't worry about optimization, Unchained Rogue gets you half of the way just by itself, which is why it's nice - I know Paizo gets a ton of flak for its whole martials-are-garbage philosophy and I know they're pretty much categorically entrenched against touching the core problems with melee combat in Pathfinder, but Unchained Rogue is honestly okay. They do their thing well and it's a fun thing to do.

Just wrote up a mock bibliography for a fetchling alchemist/rogue character. I'd love to hear some feedback on it.

• Musculoskeletal Degeneration In Victims of Skiabiological-related Incidents
• Testing Modalities for Material Arcanozoology
• Sunlight Deprivation in Diurnal Humanoids
• Resurrection Consequence: Alchemical Cadaver Preservation
• Tangible Shadow Animation and Effects on Material Humanoid Physiology
• Kayal Pigmentation Modification and Efficacy on Material Plane
• Efficacious Application of Conjured Quasi-real Skiamaterials
• Extraplanar Adaptation to Light-Absent Environments
• Drow Physiology and Quasi-thaumaturgical Illumination Manipulation
• Coercion Modalities Utilizing Cordyceps-like Variant of Derro Fungi

This message was last edited by the player at 06:33, Sun 21 Aug 2016.

After seeing the anime "ViVid Strike!", I want to make a Magical Child Vigilante that fights unarmed. As much as I build characters, I still don't know how to make an unarmed combatant that can pull through on damage without being a Monk. Any advice?

How about the Brawler class?

I just said I wanted to make a Magical Child Vigilante and I do not like multiclassing. This isn't 3.5 anymore; I like seeing a class from 1-20.

Is 3rd party material allowed, because from memory there are a few nice unarmed feats in Path of War?

In reply to MrBojab (msg # 40):

I also do not like using third-party material. It can be a little aggrevating how much of a Paizo-purist I am.

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/hybrid-classes/brawler

While it may be a hybrid class, it is also fairly well thought out.  However, many apologies for wasting your time by trying to suggest something to you.

In reply to metulmonkee (msg # 42):

It's a valid suggestion; I don't consider it wasting my time. The core of the concept, though, is to make a Magical Child Vigilante (link below) that relies on unarmed strike. I'm taking a look at Style Feats currently and the most logical route seems to be Crane Style to help with AC. Sure, I'll have Mage Armor for my familiar and Shield for myself (as well as using Light Armor), but I'm not sure about spell selection and other feats that may help out with the unarmed combat route. Grease, obviously, will help against being grappled, and Enlarge Person and Long Arm can help with reach and damage. The kicker would be overcoming DR.

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classe...zo-inc/magical-child
This message was last edited by the player at 16:50, Mon 31 Oct 2016.

Well then, a style feat chain, probably Dragon Style, Belier's Bite and then something else. Can you pick up the fist of the avenger vigilante talent? I haven't looked into the archetype to see if you would still get the opportunity?

In reply to MrBojab (msg # 44):

Sadly, the Magical Child archetype replaces vigilante specialization so Fist of the Avenger is unavailable to me. The best choice will probably be Human so I can pick up IUS and Dodge at first level, which will get me started on the Crane Style path.

EDIT: Dragon Style, even at the first of the tree, is awesome but requires Stunning Fist which I wouldn't be able to get until 11th Level
This message was last edited by the player at 16:52, Mon 31 Oct 2016.

Well then, take bellier's bite as it's an extra d4 damage a turn, then get an amulet of mighty fists and stick some elemental damage on it. A monks robe will increase your unarmed damage and get a serpentine tattoo. That would mean that you are hitting for d8 + d4 + d6 + Str and three times per day you can make do a dirty trick for free. So you'd average 4+Str blunt damage, 2 bleed and 4 elemental per blow.

That is without taking into account what else you could get a bonus from. Also if it is a vigilante campaign and mainly in a city you could consider Street Style though it is very feat intensive.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:16, Mon 31 Oct 2016.

What are people's thoughts regarding character concepts that involve a one level dip?

I've got an idea for a character that starts off with a single level of Fighter for the proficiencies and extra feat, and then continues all their remaining levels as an Alchemist.
The idea of this armoured monstrosity with a vestigial arm holding a shield, whilst their real arms smacking enemies from a short distance with a lucerne hammer, throwing bombs at anything that tries to stay away (or in advance to soften them up in the way).

But if such a thing was expressed in advance, would others be accepting of such a character? Or is dipping and being a level behind for the class seen as using the game in a way that is rules over style, and not likely to be accepted?

Depends on what you are trying to do. I have a build kind of like yours (Grenadier 6/Lore Warden 1) but no arms just yet. I took the dip in order to pick up an extra feat at 3rd level (Point blank and precise shot so it was easier to hit things when they were in melee). You could say that he was a soldier that got moved to the alchemists to help protect them. After a while, they found that you were not an idiot and put you to work, learning the ropes in the process.

A dip is fine for certain classes but not Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer or Wizards that have access to 9th level spells.

A dip, ok.  More than a couple...then I would take a close look at the synergy between them.

Well, this seems like a good place to voice my question.  A player wants to play an Arcanist who dips once into Wiz (Manipulator) and once into Sor (Impossible).  If they take the School Understanding Exploit and the Bloodline Development Exploit am I correct in my understanding that they would get all of the Manipulator Arcane school abilities (as they leveled) AND all the Impossible Bloodline powers but none of the other class feature of the Wiz and Sor?

Hey, I've hit a predicament in a character idea. I have a heavy Dex Stat block, with decent Con. I'm wanting to build a Dhampir Fighter with the Phalanx Soldier Archetype. My road block from this becoming pretty much what I want is that I don't know, or can't figure out, if there is a way to get Weapon Finesse to work with a Halberd. I figured there'd be a way with Feats and/or Magic Enhancements, but I can't seem to figure it out. I know the Archetype allows me to consider any Polearm as a one-handed weapon. So, I'm just trying to figure out how to make a one-handed weapon count as a light, cause then it'll work.

Use the glaive, there was a feat for Shelyn worshipers recently called bladed brush that allows you to treat a glaive as a one handed light slashing weapon and allows you to use weapon finesse.  Must be a worshiper of Shelyn, have weapon focus glaive, and a few ranks in craft painting as I recall.

That works. Using the Glaive cuts out one of the Phalanx's abilities, since the Glaive doesn't have Brace, but if I just shove Transformative on it then it'll work out. Thanks. ^_^

Hmm, interesting thought, not sure the feat would work then technically since I don't think it would be considered a glaive when transformed like that.  Not to familiar with that enchanment.  Likely should check with the gm first to see if they'll allow it.

Correct. The enchantment allows a melee weapon to shift to any weapon, at users command, that is similar in shape and size. For example, a Long Spear and a Glaive.

So, I'd assume it'd be a swift to change it in combat. So, a turn breakdown would be thus: Swift from whatever polearm with brace into Glaive. Attack, then swift back into whatever polearm with brace. While it's a Glaive, I'd gain the bonus of Weapon Finesse. While not a Glaive, and is something with Brace, then if I get charged, can immediate into Ready Pike ability.

Can't do two swift actions in a round unfortunately since you only get a single swift or immediate action per round baring something that let's you get around that restriction.

I am messing around with a shield champion build, working on a weapon to eventually purchase.

Heavy Darkwood Shield (257gp)(cheaper than mithral and no ACP)
Throwing (50gp) (swift action to go from melee to range)
Bashing (4,000gp)(+1 & bashing)
Here is where I am unsure
Masterwork weapon (300gp)
Bane, Vicious (18,000gp) (+1 & enchants)

Total of 22,607gp

I know shield spikes are cheaper than bashing but throwing calls out they do not work but shield champ ability says they do who wins?

Any other ideas are appreciated

From <a href="http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/hybrid-classes/brawler/archetypes/paizo---brawler-archetypes/shield-champion">the d20PFsrd</a>


Throw Shield


Throwing Shield


I would say that it depends on HOW you are throwing the shield. Are you throwing the shield as part of the class ability that specifically allows shield spikes to be used or are you throwing the shield based upon the shield's own magic enchantment which doesn't allow it. That is your answer, you get to pick if you have both.

To summarize:
If you throw it as a swift action as per magical enchantment then you don't get the spike bonuses (justify it that a quick throw like that doesn't let you ensure that the spikes hit the target).
If you throw it as a standard action as per the class ability then you do get the spike bonuses
(justify it that you can take your time to make sure the spikey side hits the target).
This message was last edited by the player at 21:44, Fri 03 Feb 2017.

Character build advice needed!

I'm playing a rise of the runelords game, most characters are 15 point buy (including mine). My Gontlebart is a gnome and will go into arcane trickster on level 8! On the way there, I'm taking Sorcerer (Fire Elemental) 4, Unchained Ninja 3 (linking to the class description below). Currently at level 2. Relevant ability mods: Dex +2, Int -1, Cha +3. Magical Knack keeps my CL good. We use fractional bonuses from multiclassing, so I got BAB: lvl2 +1, lvl 4 +2, lvl 5 +3, lvl 7 +4. Pyromaniac racial trait.

Impression so far: The most versatile and fun character I've played! I use bows, short swords, throw daggers, use SLA cantrips (confusing other players to the point where they thought I was a sorcerer at level 1, when I was a ninja), and now I even cast spells!
My fears: (which is why I write here) Becoming irrelevant. With a slower BAB progression than a rogue, and a Dex modifier I'll get to +3 at level 4, I will have a hard time hitting the enemies. 1d3+3 will be my standard damage, 2d6 sneak attack. My spell DCs are low, but my shocking grasp damage is high (3d6+3 at level 2).

What do you think, do I fear too much? Is RotRL built for weak enough characters that my low to-hit bonuses will be enough? Will I hit well anyway with my swift action invisibility sneak attacks and my touch spells?

I've been hoping to get both belt of dexterity +2 and headband of charisma +2, and even thought I could get craft wondrous item and make them. But DC18 to craft them, and loss of money on a failed roll makes me quite hesitant. +5 spellcraft at level 3, I'd probably need to pick skill focus and the spells needed for the items to craft them somewhat safely at level 5-6.
Other ideas for feats I could take: arcane armor training (I currently don't wear any armor), greater spell focus (evocation; even though I currently don't have any evocation spells with saves I most likely will later), spell penetration, expanded arcana,



Unchained ninja: http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classe...ing-unchained-ninja/
This message was last edited by the player at 21:40, Tue 08 Aug 2017.

For crafting the items, are you factoring in the +3 for it being a class skill? That will get you to 18, if you take 10. If you are short a point or two, pick up something to boost your spellcraft, like the cheaters sleeve from UE.

As for the build, what are the stats after factoring in the racial mods? Did you drop Strength to 8 since it sounds like you are using magic for the sneak attacks?

In reply to Kegdrainer (msg # 60):

Not using magic for sneak attacks, using ninja trick stealth and finesse training etc.
The +5 spellcraft is actually at level 3, not 5. But take 10 is a great idea! I could just hold on to that feat for two levels, craft something easier for my ranger mate meanwhile, and then take 10!
Stats are 10, 15, 12, 9, 10, 16 everything included. I actually kept my strength at 10 (12 before racial) which might have been a mistake considering I'll have dex to damage at level 4... But it's nice to be able to carry something, too! Oh, and I would get that -str to all my ranged attacks.

Can't find a cheater's sleeve though!

Sorry, Cheat sheath is from Advanced Class Guide. 100 gp.

Hello! I'm busy developing a character for a game I'm applying to, please take a look at the level one sheet below and give me your opinions.

I'm trying to make him a well educated and wise leader, basically a face of the party.

https://drive.google.com/file/...Ek/view?usp=drivesdk

He is built using the standard elite array, which is 15,14,13,12,10,8.  This is equivalent to a 15 point buy.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:51, Mon 21 Aug 2017.

I personally wouldnt follow someone as a leader who is physically feeble. One of the biggest tricks that I've learned is that you don't need an 18 in intelligence or wisdom to play the sage.  If you want too, that's straight. Most games don't last long enough to matter when it comes to your mental attributes. You can make up for not having 18s by -playing smarter- than everyone else. Does that make sense?

You can't disguise being sickly and frail. But you can disguise your intelligence and wisdom by having good ideas, being direct and forceful, and being right.

That said... its just my opinion and I am biased against low ability scores. People with low ability scores don't become the champions and heroes of their stories. I had that conversation with somebody last week. Was Jon Snow, Hercules, Spartacus, or Cleopatra just average or below averag? Or did they knock it out of the park? Were they level 20 masters or were they naturally talented?

Sure, Cersei Lannister might have a 10 in strength, but she moves gracefully. After 3 children and still being in the condition she is in, her constitution is good. She's obviously brilliant, and while twisted, has the sense to read into things properly. And her charisama is through the roof.

It really depends on cboice and how you plan to play/interact. I think your character will be a feeble but genuine old man. Is that what you were going for? Does it help?

In reply to JediMaster007 (msg # 64):

He's a genuine old man and is regal and domineering in bearing.  Sure, he doesn't have a mountain of muscle on him, but he doesn't need it. As far as him having weak ability scores, those are just place holders till I know the stat generation method.  He was made with the standard elite array, same as iconics. Till I know how stats will be determined in the game.

His strongest abilities is the strength to draw and enrile a crowd to go pummel someone for him.  He is very knowledgeable in several fields, helping him in his leadership of his people.

It's a partial kingdom building game.

While Jedimaster makes several valid arguments, I have to agree that the old, domineering person is very respectable despite physical weakness. I was born by the end of Thatcher's time in office, so I don't know much about her, but what I do know is not much I'd associate with physical strength. Leading with an iron (or at least firm!) fist does not demand that I think... Or rather, in that regard I'd hold constitution far above strength and dexterity, and say that constitution is of importance. A leader in military-like situations should not be afraid of danger - smart enough to stay out of danger, but not afraid. And in a pathfinder party, the leader that gets knocked out whenever combat strategies break down and the giant rhino charges into the spellcasters, will not be a leader for long. Because the party will need another leader.
Physical weakness can be compensated for with magic of course, but that makes it more complicated :)

Can you -play- someone that masters language and can rally a crowd to pummel that face? And can you pull off that knowledge, or will you be going, "diplomacy check. Bluff check. Diplomacy check please. Do I have the lore to know X? Can I make another diplomacy check?"

I'm not suggesting that you can't, or shouldn't try. I am just curious. I post examples all the time of gamer fails for trying to play something they are incapable of pulling off. Its kind of funny and when they come to my games I can usually spot it well in advance. Its most obvious with people who are wallflowers trying to play faces. The face role is one of my personal favorites. :D

If I was on the A-Team, I would want to be Face or Faceman. Oh! Speaking of which...

Might want to re-check your history on that statement.   Most of the US & the world didn't know FDR had polio as the press didn't harp on it and for most public appearances the forums appeared seated so as not to draw attention to him.

A sickly or non-physical leader could have all means of communicating another image of himself.  (A further example would be a certain tyrant who took over Germany and threatened most of the world in the 30s and 40s.)

One of the greatest weaknesses of pathfinder imo, how a well developed character of old age sworn to defeat all things undead in the name of Pharasma could roll a total of 9 on their knowledge religion and not have anything to share on how to defeat simple skeletons. Playing such a mentally strong character is of course a challenge regardless of the rules system, but I feel like it's hard to skip over rolls when the rules are in place for most things there are to do...

@BB: They didn't go out and adventure did they?  Which is the point of playing an adventurer isn't it?  Now he did say it was Kingmaker stuff, so it's less necessary.  But if you are playing an adventurer willingly doing dangerous, often suicidal things, then there isn't a good reason to ever take on a physical handicap.

@Vent: Well said.  Both times.  Though common sense should tell you to club a skeleton, not shoot it with arrows.  :D

This is what I am working with as a character.  There are some spots that aren't completely finished yet.  I'll refrain from posting the sheet because the game -will- at some point be opening up to new players.

link to another game=
This message was last edited by the player at 12:55, Mon 21 Aug 2017.

While I'm not sure the word "heroic" is really accurate, Raistlin certainly suffered physical frailty, yet he became a literal god thanks to his mental prowess. I think physical might is over-rated (depending on the situation). To paraphrase Darth Vader, the ability to crush a dragon's skull in your hands a planet is insignificant next to the power of the mind.

Depends on the timeframe in their lives that you're talking about, but no, in generally they convinced/inspired other, more capable (but overall expendable - ie: Adventurers) people to do the dangerous stuff to further their goals.

And hand-picked leaders for those expeditions who were capable, but generally loyal to them or shared their ideals.  :)

(Granted, I have never looked at anything Kingmaker, so really don't have a point of reference other than the previous statements.  And Literature is full of stories of heroes who overcame some sort of shortcoming or handicap..non-violent and vertically-challenged hobbits saving the world from an evil Wizard-God anyone?)

Raistlin would have been dead numerous times over were it not for Caramon. His physical weaknesses were a liability to the companions time and again which ultimately led to him being even more bitter, turning on them, and being cast into the abyss. And in spite of Darth Vader's power he became more machine than man which proved his own death at the hands of Palpatine.

Look at it from a tactical perspective first. Would you put a team together that was obviously frail and expect it to succeed?

And then consider this... how many of those mentioned names were the leader or main character? As I recall it, Tanis was the party face. So was Han Solo.

Hmm, I'm fairly sure that I can pull off any character I set my mind to play.

Maybe, but I still think a brain is just as important as an arm. The brain just needs to work to his strength which, as a brain he should be able to do. The heroes you mentioned tell us more about Western society than it does about what makes a hero.

In reply to Big Brother (msg # 75):

A brain is more important than an arm. On the other hand, without an arm, the brain isn't going to accomplish much, which was the point.
As for the Western Society vs Heroics, not really. He's telling you the exact same thing I said, just in a different way. A hero, of any proportion, while fully capable of having one attribute that is more significant than others, who consistently puts others in danger due to their failings is not acting heroically. After all, if they were heroic, and putting others in danger, they step back. That's a mental state of hero's.

In reply to CrazyUncleZed (msg # 51):

I would have made the weapon out of mithral or darkwood.

Bingo. What LJ said.

As Zoe points out in Serenity... "Do you know what the definition of a hero is? Somebody who gets other people killed."

It isn't about culture at all. It's the reality check. If anything, culturally speaking, the stories are stories that portray a severe underdog as a champion. The reason David vs Goliath is biblical is because it's a biblical miracle. Hobbits saving the world is an inspiration to the little guy. And what it does is convince people that should be a norm in a story. On the other hand, Jack Reacher is so awesome because he's the guy the big baddies are scared of. They don't dismiss him with maniacal laughter and long monologues telling their evil plan.

It is different preferences, of course. You may want to be the hobbit that is peaceful and underestimated at every turn and saves the world with wits. I prefer James Bond and his Fonz Factor.

I prefer low magic, low tech, dark humor with medium fantasy - Game of Thrones. What do you prefer?

I've followed your advice and made some revisions:
https://drive.google.com/file/...zg/view?usp=drivesdk

Are you taking age penalties? That might me what is throwing me off.

Yup, that's why my physical stats aren't all that great

I don't want to weigh in too heavily as I don't like discussions about "X person cannot be a hero because of Y' because ultimately that makes for an improper mindset.

I think that with the right situation anyone can be a hero, the question is can they be a hero who can actually enact change. One Punch Man had the BIKER FOR JUSTICE who was considered the bravest hero of the lot, but he had zero power and would constantly be put on life support but he always stepped up and people respected him for that. In DBZ Krillin (and most of the other non-Saiyan heroes) were clearly outclassed by most opponents both mentally and physically but they stepped up and tried which made them heroes. Short lived heroes but heroes still.

THAT BEING SAID in reality the power of a ruler like a king isn't from his own abilities but from the ability to make other people enact his will. In theory you could be viewed as an amazing ruler with 6's across the board but if your advisors and agents had straight 18's then congrats, you're a figurehead but that gets lost to history...

So, a ruler has to be able to make other people act to his desires and that means flexing power. Power funadmentally comes from the physical realm. Taking/saving lives, taking/giving food etc. In Pathfinder you can do this three ways:
1) Through physical strength. The Khal Drogo's of the world if you like your Game of Thrones
2) Through charisma and cunning. The Cersei/Daneyres/Jon Snows and most traditional rulers.
3) Through magical abilities. I could have 6's in strength and constitution but if I'm a 20th level archmage with a 30 INT then you better believe everyone is going to listen to what I say before I unmake their entire family lineage from history with my Mythic Familicide spell.

In First Edition the simplest definition of "Hero" was, and deliberately, so Anyone with Class Levels.

The difference..
between a 90 year old ex-merc archer with 2hp and 15 "ranks" in "profession" Archer..
and a 90 year old NPC Warrior "archer" of 7th level.
 Turns a First Level "Hero" into 'Nothing much'.

I suspect at some point someone in Pathfinder realized something like this because they came up with Mythic Adventure rules.  That way you can start out PCs marked out as Heroes from first level if you choose with out relying on the existence of 0-LvLs to underline it.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:00, Sat 26 Aug 2017.

So, utilizing the Dreamscarred Press Pseudodragon rules, the following concept is something I would LOVE to use somewhere...

Main Character: A Wyrmwitch (No familiar, gains her spells from a personal treasure hoard)
Minimum Playable Level: 7 (Feat Requirement: Leadership for Cohort)

She styles herself as an arcane gunslinger, from attire to equipment (save for armor, meeting Witch standards, but she looks the part), and even wears shooter glasses (possibly enchanted) However, her holster is a familiar satchel, and its contents are her cohort...

A 5th Level Pseudodragon 2/Kineticist (Elemental Annihilator) 3 with the Familiarity and Mystic Mimicry feats, and a focus on constitution. The 'Gunslinger Witch's "gun" is actually this cohort, who has his or her own imitative (though often remains perched on the witch) and utilizes kineticist abilities most of the time... when it needs to break out the heavy artillery, though, it can utilize its Force Breath (30ft cone or 60ft line) attack granted by the Mystic Mimicry feat - see, the way that is reloaded is that the dragon has to succeed at a saving throw, and when it does so, it can choose to store power = the level of the spell for effects which duplicate a spell ... or the HD of the source creature, if it doesn't duplicate a spell.

The witch reloads her dragon-cannon by simply glaring at it with Evil Eye until it succeeds at saves - the short duration of the effect combined with the effect that it can apply three separate effects separately (each of which can be saved against separately) and the fact that Evil Eye can be used an unlimited number of times per day (plus most of the failed saves really don't have long-term consequences)

In battle, the witch normally casts hexes or spells, while the familiar often uses move actions to gather power (and rides on the witch's shoulder or arm) and standard actions to attack. When nearby enemies provoke, it's the Dragon who actually makes AoO's, snapping the  tail(with reach), which is also poisoned and can cause sleep.

Dragon can eventually pick up Flyby Attack, and the Village Burner and Humanoid Form feats from Dreamscarred's 'True Dragon' monster class book, allowing it to take on a human form for certain tasks and allowing it to make strafing runs...

Key element for the for flavor of their cohort/familiar-ishness, is that the Dragonling wants to be a real dragon, but it can't manage its own hoard, so it shares the wyrmwitch hoard with its companion.

Arcanist

Question: Help me pick out my level 5 Arcane Exploit!

Short concept: In exile from Razmiran, this half-elf was born a descendant of the noble family dethroned by Razmir. He was raised to be a leader and a hero, and he was all of that - until captured and put through mental and physical torture for months. When his family and the rebels they led came to free him, the resulting fight with the Razmiran's led to death for all of them. Without anything left in life but the guidance of the god of his (now dead) community, Erastil, this arcanist travels to Varisia where he did his wizard studies and decides to join in building and defending the community of Sandpoint (RotRL).

Build: Quite min-maxed attributes. His tortured body is weak and stale... But he has a huge INT and a great CHA. At level five he'll be at +10 initiative, I have Quick Study and Rift Fog for exploits this far. I try to focus on buffing and on battle field control with my spells. A former leader of militant rebels, he knows not to go easily into a combat, I use false life for self-buffing atm to keep him strong... But I am still afraid he'll get killed or taken out of a fight easily once the GM focuses something on him.
As a half-elf, he'll paragon surge and gain metamagic feats at higher levels.

Exploit ideas:
Arcane Barrier - great with a swift action activation, and with false life this will keep him alive until the others have died. Short duration though, relative to false life.
Spell Resistance is viable due to my +4 charisma. I'll get it eventually, so I can get the greater one, but the question is - now or later? I'm thinking the SR6+lvl will help against a) big bad spellcasters with racial hit dice, bringing their CL down; b) mooks with spells; c) supporting casters and perhaps other spell effects such as traps. With rrrreaaallllyyy crappy saves, the arcanist is going to need some extra resistance against effects.
Dimensional Slide will be handy, but I really don't think it's the thing I should take when I feel I want one more thing for protection. Or should I? Is it too situational to be regarded as a defensive tool?
Counterspell surely is too situational...

What are your thoughts? I'm not interested in what's "objectively best", I'm interested in what will both feel effective and be fun.
Experiences, thoughts, and completely different suggestions than what I've thought up so far are much appreciated.

edit: He is also slightly bent towards necromancy atm, in part as a result of the catastrophic loss and the darkness that followed, and in part because he got ahold of the Book of the Grave. So that's a theme that helps make choices and exploits (such as Rift Fog) fun, too.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:20, Fri 10 Nov 2017.

In reply to Ventrikel (msg # 85):

My vote is for Dimensional Slide.
Being able to teleport might seem be situational, but this allows you to keep changing the battlefield. Even in small encounters, just being where the enemy does not want you to be or where you are needed most will force them to change their strategy to counter that. As this is done as part of movement you were already going to do, it doesn't cost you anything action wise. In essence, it gives you more options for tactical movement. You can also use yourself as bait, drawing the enemy out for a quick blow before slipping away behind your trap or ambush. I could go on about this for a long time, but instantaneous movement that will allow you to open or close distances suddenly will give you a host of new tactics. Just watch out for any kind of dimensional anchoring.

In reply to dragonrider912 (msg # 86):

Thanks! Will probably be tactically useful... :)

My ultimate "I GO FIRST" build:

Elven Wizard (Divination)

Before you even apply stats:
+1 from dex, +4 from improve initiative, +2 from familiar + 2 from elven initiative trait + 1/2 levels from divination school = +10 initiative bonus before you even put points into Dex and that scales up with levels.

Depending on Familiar, it can be up to +12.  Dodo or Comp gives you +4 to Init

Toss in Reactionary trait for an extra +2

In reply to praguepride (msg # 88):

+ Grab two levels of Inquisitor if you have any wisdom bonus :)

lol that's' what I get for going off the top of my head, yeah that should be a +4 bonus from famililiar.

Reactionary and Warrior of Old don't stack, both are trait bonuses.

The two level dip of Inquisitor isn’t worth it.
If you can go Mythic, after Tier two you add your Tier to initiative. Then you can get Mythic Improved Initiative which lets you add your Tier to your Improved Initiative bonus as well.

Yeah, hard to beat the diviner! I love Noble Scion of War though, enables you to get huge initiative with a CHA-based character the same way you could if you were a DEX-based character :)
This message was last edited by the player at 09:08, Wed 13 Dec 2017.

What's actually different with unchained barbarians compared to the old version? From what I understand, there's been a little bit of rebalancing (better trapsense thingy), better wording of some rage powers etc, and rage has become easier to use. But are the updates actually good stuff?



The rage gives a +2 bonus to hit and damage, and a barbarian with two-handed weapons would if using the standard rage strength bonus get +2 to hit and +3 to damage... Also, the strength bonus would give the raging barbarian a bonus to breaking doors, pulling up someone hanging by a rope from a cliff, pushing a heavy rock out of the way, swimming, climbing etc.
But then... The temporary HP is a life saver.

What do you guys think, what are the pros of the unchained barbarian?

In reply to Ventrikel (msg # 95):

You don't die when your rage runs out.   Happened to one of mine.

In reply to Hunter (msg # 96):

Yeah, with the temporary HP... But is there anything else to it, than fixing a bug? :P

The perfect Rage ability would be a Str bonus with the bonus to will saves and temporary hit points.

The Attack and Damage bonus of the Unchained Rage ability is great for sword and board or TWF builds, but two-handler builds are screwed since the damage bonus doesn’t get the x1 1/2 damage multiplier with 2-H weapons.

The big advantage of Unchained Barbarian is it makes for easier book keeping (does specific bonuses instead of boosting stats) and the unchained barbarian powers are quite a bit better balanced and easier to keep track of.

In addition, as mentioned, you don't die when rage ends.

Finally Unchained added cool Stance rage powers that provide specific bonuses during every rage with the cost of taking up a rage power slot and only being able to use one stance per. These are totally usable for a regular barbarian though, just stuff that was added to the unchained one.

The disadvantage of the Unchained barbarian is that you lose out on a lot of side perks that directly modifying your stats did. No more bumps to fortitude or CMD due to rage.

All in all it wasn't necessarily a nerf or even a rebalance but a way to make barbarians less book-keeping intensive. In theory the kinds of people who are attracted to Barbarians probably don't want to have to maintain two different versions of their sheets to remember what pre/ragae/post characters look like.

It was my understanding the changes were primarily intended to simplify stat-blocks so you aren't having to recalculate things regarding your STR and CON and not gaining and losing access to feats that have certain stat requirements.

I guess it hadn't occurred to me, but with the new Rage, you couldn't qualify to use a STR bow to get extra strength damage.

I believe they changed the way the Rage powers worked as well however, I think it turned some powers that were usable once per rage to either weaker ability usable all the time, or switching them to doing per day.

Honestly, I don't know that the intent of the change to range was to hurt two-handers.  I'd imagine that having it do +3 damage for two handed weapons would probably not be a giant deal-breaker. (nor making the damage boost 1/2 for off weapons, but it is a lot easier to give than take)  They might have intentionally not mentioned the 1 and 1/2 bonus for two handed weapons though because of the focus of simplification however.

For some reason I thought that they got +2 bonus on STR related skills/checks, but obviously that was not actually included in the list, so I misread/understood that.

One of the reasons I would switch the Attack/Damage Bonus back to a Strength increase. It adds some utility to Rage outside of a fight.

Simplification and less book-keeping sure is worth it, I guess if I would play a barbarian myself I'd try and negotiate a combo with my GM - +STR instead of +#, but temporary HP instead of +CON :) Got a semi-new player looking at creating a barbarian in a game with me as GM, it will for sure help to not have to recalculate CMD etc every time, that's hard enough to keep track of as a new player anyway...

That is why they introduced a bunch of rage powers that do give you huge bonuses on strength based stats.

Unexpected perk is that you can now do a Dex Weapon Finesse barbarian and still get the bonus damage.

Note: just allow the Rage to grant a bonus to STR based checks.  You don't NEED to bump your str, just get the bonus you would have gotten from the extra STR.  Not having your STR change means you don't open up new feats and things, but that primarily keep you from having feats you don't qualify for during times you don't qualify for them.  [keeping multiple stat blocks]

You are right about the fact they seemed to primarily only concern themselves with combat use of Rage.  I like the idea of there being more than just combat purposes for rage.  While I wasn't against the idea of allowing someone to get a feat or equipment they could use only when raged, I admit losing that ability for greater simplicity isn't a horrible trade-off.  However, I can see offering the +2 be extended to STR based checks.  [I could even see offering it to CON based checks, but that would primarily be FORT checks]

Totally unrelated to anything, I just wanted to get in here and snag the 1000th post.

In reply to praguepride (msg # 103):

In Oriental Adventures, the Sohei class could Frenzy which was similar to Rage, but granted bonuses to Str, Dex, and Speed. I always liked that ability.

Easiest fix to the Unchained Rage is applying the Attack/Damage bonus to Strength Ability and Skill checks as well as multiplying it by 1.5 with two-handed weapons. That would be excellent.

General consensus is unchained barb's are bettwer at TWF while regulars are better at 2H fighting.

imo...
Unchained Summoners and Rogues are practically necessary for game balance.
Unchained Barbarians vs. regular ones aren't too different power level wise, just one is more streamlined then the other.

This is accurate. If you House Rule the Unchained Barbarian Rage abilty as I suggest above, which isn’t game breaking, then the Unchained Barbarian is good for any Barb build.

So.... Sylvan Trickster Rogues... So fun-looking!

I'm making a bolt ace build that focuses on the heavy repeating crossbow

This build uses 20 point buy

Full build (breakdown): http://pathbuilder.x10host.com/fluid.php?id=5152

Level 1 (sheet): https://drive.google.com/file/...f6/view?usp=drivesdk

Thoughts?

imo a ranged character 'NEEDS' precise shot as quickly as possible. To put it another way, would you take a feat if it just said +4 to hit?

In reply to praguepride (msg # 111):

I agree, but if it's a true loner who doesn't think of the possibility of hitting the wrong target in melee, I could see it not being taken.

Personally, I normally try to get it first so I can support allies who are in melee.  Otherwise the ranged character should only target those not engaged.

I have played those characters and found them very frustrating to play at low levels. Unless you KNOW ahead of time that you'll have long sight lines, it is rough to play at it.

For example, had a loner (assassin) but his target was in a street fight with someone else. Every time he would deck his opponent someone else would engage him before I could get off a shot and at low levels, that -4 KILLS. Basically wiped out almost my entire to hit so it was just pure dice rolling.

That +4 bonus represents an extra 20% chance to hit which is big and because of the long gap between 1st level and 3rd it can be very frustrating to have to sit around and underperform because enemies keep getting into melee too early.

I agree, that -4 for firing into melee and the +4 to a.c. for soft cover makes firing into melee a nightmare.  With that said, this is a gun slinger,  so he can spend a grit point to shoot touch AC.

True but grit is a very valuable resource that can be sticky to recover. Given how many abilities rely on grit, having to rely on it to hit is troubling.

I have never played a gunslinger at any length but the gunslinger in my Skulls & Shackles game is terrified of using too much grit. He also has had terrible luck where he spends it and misses or he hits but doesn't kill and he is often left with only a single grit point that he has to hold on to for other abilities.


Also look at what you're getting in exchange in this build: Rapid Shot. Rapid shot at low levels just means you can miss twice as much. I mean seriously you're looking at a total of -6 to hit for 2 shots. Given an average level 1 ac of 14 and a reasonable to hit of +4 that means that what should be a 50% hit chance now becomes a 25% hit chance. Doing the maths means you have a 56% chance of missing on both so the bottom line is that you are now either making a single ranged attack at half the "to hit" as normal for a standard action or taking two ranged attacks at a net of -5%.

It's small, equivalent to a single +1 but over three levels I'm worried you'll end up being frustrated with how you're not really hitting anything. Characters that miss all the time aren't fun to play, imo.

In my experience as a GM and player, most of the time missile users will be supporting melee types. One must get Precise Shot ASAP.

In reply to Coridan (msg # 116):

You can fire into melee without taking the -4 penalty.   But I doubt the fighter will appreciate the arrow in the back.

So I'm looking at making a witch, because it's one of the few classes I haven't made a character for yet, and I noticed this little archetype - Ashiftah, from the Qadira, Jewel of the East supplement. This in particular caught my eye-

Ghostwalk (Su): Starting at 2nd level, as a move action after using a hex, an ashiftah can become invisible as per vanish and can then take a 5-foot step. Using ghostwalk doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity.

This ability replaces the hex gained at 2nd level.

How insane is this? I feel like it's insane, given that hexes are at-will, right? Most have a 24-hour clause on people who save, but otherwise it's just unlimited invisibility, no resource cost, level 2, if you get a utility hex. You're just going to be walking slow until you bump your CL.

Vanish lasts a maximum of 5 rounds, so it's not quite as broken as you think.

That's still infinite invis if you spend every 5th round casting some utility hex for a standard action.

There is no small number of hexes that are not subject to this rule; Ward. Swamp's Grasp, Swamp Lung to name a few.  In general, things like invisibility on a whim at level 2 are pretty broken, such as the Ninja's Vanishing Trick (Quickened Invisibility for 1 round/level for 1 Ki point).

Why do I keep having ideas about playing a Gathlain Sorcerer.  Draconic, with the Linnorm wild blood archetype...

In reply to dybbuk67 (msg # 122):

Because the crazier the idea the more we like it?

Why. just to stack NA? there are better ways to do that, my friend.

In reply to ColinBeck (msg # 124):

Actually, it was more thematically than build.  I like the idea of a twisted little flying fire or acid spitter... And with the linnorms being closer to the First World, it is actually one of the bloodlines that makes sense for a Gathlain.

Not everything is about most efficient build.

Lies and slander!

And here I sit wanting to play a goblin bloodrager with the fire elemental bloodline.  LOL, the one chance I have had so far has been in a game that I didn't know would allow Goblins....:(

In reply to PCO.Spvnky (msg # 127):

Catfolk female bard using a brillant energy shortsword.  *whistles innocently*

*giggles maniacally*

Tabletop crew is currently prepping to run a weird game...

GM was going to allow using  a certain selection of monsters as bases, recieving CR boosting templates to get it up to CR 3 as a base, then do class levels from there...

I asked to go with a Drow Noble - he let me treat it as a CR1 monster... While I don't get monster HD like the other players... well...

This is what I have before I even put my CLASSES together:

Drow Noble + Smoke Creature + Fortune-Favored

Fortune Favored is boosted with the Fate's Favored Trait (increasing all luck bonuses I have by 1 each) Classwise, we're doing 2nd level Gestalt...

I'm a Polymath Investigator (Swapping Solar Wind for Cursed Razor with Unorthodox Method trait) / Sylvan Trickster Unchained Rogue.

With Evil Eye.


Also worth noting: Our GM has a house-rule that allows purchase of feats for  1/7th the price of your next level...

:3 this is going to be fun...

Oh dear god... the horrors!!! :P

edit: Don't get me wrong, evil eye is incredibly versatile but after GMing a hex-focused witch I cannot TELL you how powerful Misfortune is. I know it's a Save or Suck and that's the point but damn when it lands...


I guess you don't get cackle (depending on level) so that's not really effective

edit: I would make a half-umbral dragon necromancer. Not only do you get all the perks of being part dragon but 1/day you can heal your minions 6d8 negative energy!
This message was last edited by the player at 23:27, Thu 18 Jan 2018.

So I am building an 11th level Human Necromancer.  I'm going to bar myself from Illusion and Enchantment.  My Ability Scores are 14, 16, 14, 20, 16, & 16.  I'm using Spectral Hand + Touch spells and Ranged Touch spells.  My Feats so far are Point Blank Shot, Empower Spell, and Weapon Focus (Touch) + Scribe Scroll for free.  I'm leaning on Undead Creation as well.  I've got about 175k worth of gold to spend.

Suggestions on Feats and Spells?

So far my Spell list is; Spectral Hand, Vampiric Touch, Shocking Grasp, Ghoul Touch, Animate Dead, Create Undead, & Bestow Curse.

In reply to praguepride (msg # 130):

Nice!

Yeah, GM's basically officially running with the ' witch hexes are curses for the purpose of cursed razor' interpretation, and I do plan to nab misfortune and cackle...

Having played a Cartomancer Witch to 7, I concur that Evil Eye and Cackle will be your bread and butter but Misfortune rocks too.

Precise shot is effectively a +4 to hit for a feat.

Touch spells tend to be a lot of "save or suck" so anything to boost your DC (spell focus and some situational racial abilities) or pull down your opponents (as mentioned Evil Eye is a great way for a save or suck caster to butter up an opponent by giving them -2 to saving throws).

Don't forget that your familiar, you grab one, can also deliver touch spells after level 3. Some people get very conservative about using them but most familiars have insane stealth checks due to racial abilities and small size. Given that they operate on a different turn structure it isn't too hard to get them to deliver a touch spell or two on your behalf and their tiny size gives them pretty decent to-hits.

Also for spells don't focus too much on just touch spells. There are some great debuffing spells like Ray of Enfeeblement (cast that on the big beefy armored tank and see him get crippled by his own encumbrance :P)  Ray of Exhaustion likewise shuts down physical attackers. Smack that on a barbarian and laugh as he tries to lift is own sword.

Finally Animate Undead is the biggest reason to go Necromancer. Try and get a way to cast Desecrate if you can. If you can UMD it on a scroll or wand otherwise bribe a cleric?



So you can do 44 HD of undead. Even more if you take feat Undead Master. Threnodic Spell allows you to cast mind-affecting spells on undead but that is better for clerics who can then "bless" their undead hordes :P

Some of that seems like pretty good ideas. This is what I ended up with.

https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1463453

Thoughts? Besides I had too much gold, etc.

In a tabletop campaign I created a halfling drug dealer.

Alchemist with infusions charging the rest of his party for uppers (enlarge person), downers (reduce person), jumpers (monkey fish), roids (bull's strength) etc.

Joined the party with a "first taste is free..." push :D

That is beautiful.

Need some advice for (two versions of) a build. Last session I was playing an arcanist, he turned cowardly evil and left the group after a climactic battle against a bbeg, so now I need a new character, at level 7. The group consists of:
a) bow ranger
b) large-size companion wolf
c) human barbarian
d) large-size companion cat
e) paladin using really big weapons

With two large and two medium creatures battling for close combat space, and three characters dealing big damage with physical attacks, I've tried to steer away from those paths and at least make something with quite different function and feel. I didn't want another crowd controlling, party buffing arcanist though. I really like the idea of mysterious, mischievous forest-living fey, which is what these ideas build on:

Gnome Sorcerer (Fey bloodline)
Her main spell will be suggestion, which will be boosted with at least +4 to DC after ability and spell level, possibly with double spell penetration feats too to really get through the enemies defenses. That's going to help give her a really fey feel: with a mysterious voice, when she wants to, tell others right what they are to do - and see them do it. Then I'll add some illusion spells for more common situations, and then some general backup spells. Fun spells and then compulsion spells as the top weapon for the worst situations, that's the build...
Q: What do I do during the slow rounds fighting small mobs and pretty much noone?
Stock up on wands (any suggestions on cheap spells?) etc? Have the character flat-out refuse to do anything in those combats, claiming it's no fun or it's not in her interest - then cast a couple of tricky illusion spells in the fights that turn out to be of medium difficulty? (Does in character refusing to fight get old?)

---

Gnome Sorcerer (Sylvan/fey bloodline)
Companion and share spells is the key of this build. You might've seen me done it in the pathfinder arena, transforming my salamander companion into a behemoth hippopotamus - great fun! I love this bloodline for the sorcerer/wizard self-buffs that can be applied to a creature. But we already have a lot of creatures/players wanting to stand up in front. So I've been thinking, if I make a companion who can easily get into a really good position, before I (using a rod of reach) transform it into a Shoggoth and keep buffing it.
Q: What are good companions of Medium size with somewhat high strength, and good movement options?
It's extra cool if I can ride it. But with permanent reduce person on me, maybe even a small companion would work? Polymorphing something larger than medium (if you want strength) isn't worth much. Not falling for the medium birds, I've started considering taking a giant frog and cast jump on it in the beginning of combat :P :P Setting is around Magnimar/Sandpoint (RotRL), so a bonus if it fits that somewhat.

In reply to Ventrikel (msg # 138):

At 7th level a Roc becomes a large size animal companion and is considered large enough to be a mount even for medium characters.  That would give the benefit of not have to worry as much about crowding in some circumstances (since you can rise above).  Wolves, stags and moose would also somewhat fit that setting given the relatively nearby forests.  The moose at 7th level would be large size as would the wolf, while the stag would remain medium.

In reply to bottleface (msg # 139):

Cool - but with a Gnome (perhaps permanently reduced) I think I can fly something smaller? Also, large creatures lose strength when polymorphing, so it won’t be a big benefit - probably not big enough to outweigh the trouble of bringing yet another large creature to the field... except the roc, I’ll have to consider that :)

I suspect with training you should be able to use a smaller flying animal as a mount?  Also, I figured the large size wouldn't be desirable, that's why I specified that.  Admittedly I've only dipped my toe into classes with animal companions so there's a lot of potential I haven't thought of, though the idea of a Roc as an animal companion is something I've been wanting for a while.

I have a Wayang Hunter that rides a Roc as medium size. If you take a look at the top of page 53 in the Core book, you have the option of increasing its Dex and Con by 2 rather that increasing its size when it has a size increase at 4th or 7th. I do have to hit it Ant Haul to help make sure it can fly but it is also easier to get around while it is medium size rather than large in a dungeon.

I do like the roc idea - even though it’s not mysteriously foresty (more like mountainy), it’s sure cooler than a big raven (which would feel too urban). Good thing you pointed out ant haul, I haven’t figured out what limits flying and riding, but carrying does of course!

Pick up a buff spell or two to make your crazy meleers even more effective at cutting the chaff. Haste is an obvious choice, but you also have heroism and greater heroism, which fit well with your enchanter build. You can also have fun with magic missiles, perhaps with a rod of toppling for extra pleasure: as a sorcerer you won't miss a few level one slots.

I picked up a wand of CL3 magic missile. 2d4+2 that can be split is decent damage and on a wand by the time you run out you can easily buy a CL5 or higher version.

The wand might be a good choice, because it’s the sometimes 7 rounds of a non-challenging encounter that I don’t want to stand idle without a reason :)

The wand is really nice for "high AC tricky monsters" that the party just wails on over and over again but can't seem to hit.

Force damage is great against ghosts and other incorporeals... yep very happy with that as a back up for when I don't want to burn slots buffing or striking.

CL1 wand is 750 (15gp per missile)
CL3 wand is 2,250 (22.5gp per missile)
CL5 wand is 3,750 (25gp per missile)
CL7 wand is 5,250 (26.25gp per missile)
CL9 wand is 6,750 (27gp per missile)

So from a GP efficiency standpoint it's not terrible I think...

Alternatively scrolls of magic missile go like this:
CL1 Scroll is 25 (25gp per missile)
CL3 Scroll is 75 (37.5gp per missile)
CL5 Scroll is 125 (41.7gp per missile)
CL7 Scroll is 175 (43.8gp per missile)
CL9 Scroll is 225 (45gp per missile)

So depending on how good your caster level check is, you could pick up CL 9  magic missile scrolls early, you could buy 3-4 for around the same price as a CL1 wand. It's really a question of how much damage do you want to do vs. how often are you standing around without something to cast?

For the toughest ones I’ll rely on suggestion for better or for worse, CL+5 vs SR, DC25 (and will later be heightening if it turns out to be fun) - pretty good I think, at level 7. Powerful, versatile, fits the mischievous concept. CL3 wand will be great for having something to do in the small battles!

So if anyone here happens to know that the final bosses of rise of the runelords books 3,4,5&6 are immune to mind affecting... Well, you may snicker in solitude at my future fails! I’m sure it’ll be good development for the character, and at least I will have a rare few other spells :p

Its less that a given BBEG is immune and more that there is a decent amount of undead throughout the books. Plus oozes and constructs and vermin will all make it difficult.

That being said off the top of my head there shouldnt be an entire book you get shut down on. The first half of book 2 is the heaviest concentration of immune bad guys and after that it should just be a fight or two a dungeon you cant pull it off on.

Ok... so... I've been wanting to play this race and this class.

https://www.d20pfsrd.com/races...hing/dragon-taninim/

https://www.d20pfsrd.com/class...g/draconic-exemplar/

I think it will be dope.

I'd love to play a dragon that is basically a cat-lady... but instead of a lady he's a dude and instead of cats its humans.

He just loves the little guys. Thinks they are absolutely adorable!

>little guys
>Small till 4th level

In reply to Sleeping Darkness (msg # 152):

Well yeah, I think if it was a game where he started off at level 1 we'd start off with why he found them fascinating, and then yeah, the "little guys" would be a more appropriate reference. :p

Until they decide they want to ride the dragon. :D

I've always wanted to play a red dragon. They're the best. :D

Yeah, a red probably wouldn't go for it, lol. But I too have been REALLY wanting to play a dragon, and this seems like a good route to go.

Hey there; I'm currently in the harrowing process of building a level 20 Arcanist gish, and the accompanying 17th level back-up (basically a ranged Inquisitor).  The rub is I have to also use my starting gold on henchman's costs.  Thankfully, weapons are pretty much covered.

Does anyone have suggestions regarding gear and spells I should prioritize?  Anything Paizo on d20PFSRD is go, no third party stuff at all.

Any games around that could use an extra player?

@Buck


Here is an Arcanist build guide that was put together:

https://rpgbot.net/pathfinder/...rs/classes/arcanist/

Any advice on doing a hex blade in Pathfinder?  I've taken over a previous mismash that is supposedly a hex blade.  Now I need to level up and I'm not sure how to approach things.

Never played one before but Fortune is probably one of the best buffs and Misfortune or Evil Eye are wicked debuffs. I'm not the biggest fan of anything that takes away standard actions for a Magus though. A magus is at his best when he is spellstriking for a bonus second attack but if you have a round to Fortune yourself first that is a great way to deliver a high probability shocking grasp...buuut the same could be done with True Strike so YMMV.

Delivering bestow curse is a cool ability via spellstrike.

https://hobbylark.com/tabletop...ter-Magus-Pathfinder

Not my first choice for a character concept but I picked it up and am enjoying the character so far.  The guide is great, thank you!!!!

This message was deleted by the player at 08:08, Wed 09 Sept 2020.

I'd like to find a game for my Drow Paladin to participate in.   I'm hoping for the level 7-11 range, no preference on setting but I'm not really familiar with anything but Golarion.