What did the old skill Use Rope get folded into, Survival?

Removed entirely, CMB is used instead:

( from PFSRD )

"Tie Up"

If you have your target pinned, otherwise restrained, or unconscious, you can use rope to tie him up. This works like a pin effect, but the DC to escape the bonds is equal to 20 + your Combat Maneuver Bonus (instead of your CMD). The ropes do not need to make a check every round to maintain the pin. If you are grappling the target, you can attempt to tie him up in ropes, but doing so requires a combat maneuver check at a –10 penalty. If the DC to escape from these bindings is higher than 20 + the target's CMB, the target cannot escape from the bonds, even with a natural 20 on the check.


A nice improvement if you ask me.

Yeah. I never did think that was a terribly useful skill to put points into.

  Does PF still have that feat for multiclass caster types that increases your caster level (not spells known or per day) by x amount, not to exceed your character level?  If so, what is it called?  The version I recall from 3.5 was for psions and I think it was "Practiced Manifester," but I'm pretty sure there was a magic version as well.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:20, Sun 18 Dec 2011.

There's a trait called Magical Knack: http://www.d20pfsrd.com/traits...traits/magical-knack

  That is even better, thank you!  I'm statting out a dragon disciple that goes up to level 8, which leaves him excatly 2 caster levels short.

LOL.  That's why I knew of it.  A player in my game is a Draconic sorcerer / Dragon disciple.  As the GM, I was a little leery of having a trait give 2 caster levels, especially because a lot of his spells are a (d6+1) times caster level.  But they're only 7th level now, so it is only giving him one level, so far.  It's not until 10th level until it gives another.

Or were you saying that you're an 8th level dragon disciple?  ... which would mean at least a 13th level character overall.

PRacticed Caster has so far been allowed every time I've asked for it, that being every time I've played a Mystic Theurge, or Eldritch Knight that invests a little more into fighter(3 levels instead of 1)

  Oh, the char is a long way away from even 8th; I'm just doing a rough outline of feats and ability progression so I don't paint myself into a corner, as it were.  I hate getting to level 10 or 11 only to find out I've picked a build that has nowhere to go.  I just specified 8 since I don't intend to take levels 9 or 10 in the prestige class, which would leave me 3 caster levels short of a regular build, with no access to 9th level spells.

  On that note, what exactly from the base draconic bloodline progresses as Dragon Disciple?  So far, I think it's:
  Claws, Dragon Resistance, Breath Weapon, Wings, and Power of Wyrms continue.  (Total natural armor +7?)
  Bonus Spells the wording is kinda ambiguous, but I think yes.
  Bonus feats do not (but are supplemented by the prestige class itself).

  Is that correct?
This message was last edited by the player at 11:32, Sun 18 Dec 2011.

Don't exactly have the pdf to check at the moment, but I hace made a dragon disciple before and that sounds right. Progress bloodline abilities, granted spells and such with the class, but no feats.

Note that I believe all it does is affect the caster level, meaning those spells that the individual has from their class level, when they cast the spell, their effective level is considered one or two levels higher.

It is similar to the Gifted Adept trait, and uses the same description of the bonus (minus the cap imposed by Knack).  http://www.d20pfsrd.com/traits...-traits/gifted-adept

Note, if you look at Mystic Theurge is specifically mentions spells per day and adding to the Class Level, not caster level.  I believe caster level is an aspect of how spells manifest themselves, not of what spells they have available.

I know that probably isn't what you want to hear, but that was how it was handled the one time I had used it.  (I guess I didn't push for a more liberal interpretation though either)
This message was last updated by the player at 22:53, Mon 19 Dec 2011.

True, LG, but caster level is a big deal with spells like Fireball, since the damage is d6 x caster level (or in Salil's case, where it is (d6+1) x caster level).

  Actually, it's exactly what I wanted to hear.

  Beyond that, I was wondering if anyone knew how Intensify Spell works in conjunctions with Empower or Maximize Spell?  While the latter two don't stack in effect, if someone Intensified a Fireball to 15d6 then used Maximize, how would it work?  I'm leaning towards saying the Intensified spell would then be Maximized in total due to the base damage cap being increased, rather than the damage being multiplied in some way.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:56, Tue 20 Dec 2011.

At CL 15: An Intensified Maximized Fireball would do 90 fire damage.  An Intensified Empowered Fireball would do 15d6 x1.5 fire damage.

  Hi!  Me again, who'd have guessed?

  So...Inquisitors.  I never expect inquisitors, regardless of nationality, but suddenly it looks like I'll be playing one.  A couple questions.

  1.  Channel Scourge.  This feat requires the Inquisitor channel energy class feature.  I can't seem to find any reference to inquisitors being able to channel energy, even in the archetypes.  Is it somewhere blindingly obvious that I'm missing?

  2.  Judgment bonuses.  It states under Slayer that an inquisitor can select one judgment to grant its maximum bonus from the first round of combat and says if it's changed, the bonus resets "as normal."  I don't see anything under the judgment section that details what level of bonus they normally start at, or really anything related other than the progression of judgments based on level.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:53, Sun 01 Jan 2012.

In reply to Jarilye (msg #20):

Inquisitors don't channel.

Max bonus to a judgement relates to the way judgements worked in the beta.  They removed the complexity in the final version.

  So...No one can ever take Channel Scourge?

  EDIT: Channeling Scourge is found in Ultimate Combat for those seeking detailed wording.

  Someone rMailed me that it's been erratta'd.  Now, it's Inquisitor level 1, Channel energy class feature.  Seems a bit overpowered that a single dip level in cleric and a feat gives you such a powerful attack.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:15, Sun 01 Jan 2012.

  Shield Mastery states that "You do not take any penalties on attack rolls made with a shield while you are wielding another weapon."

  In game terms, I'm trying to figure out exactly what that means.  Do you take no penalties beyond the normal TWF ones, or literally zero penalty?  Do you still take full penalties when rolling your other weapon's attack?  If you're using a heavy shield and longsword, does that mean -4 to hit with the longsword?

  For example, let's say I'm a level 6 ranger with +2 Str taking sword and shield style.  Normally I have a +8 on a single attack roll.  What would my bonus be attacking with both longsword and heavy shield?

  If I am taking a -4 to hit with the longsword, are there any feat in the TWF chain that might help reduce that?

Channeling Scourge isn't terribly powerful unless you are putting in a lot of effort- then it should be decent as it fits the cost.

If you get positive energy, you can do a burst of 1d6 * 1/2 level to undead only a couple times a day.  And since the save DC is based off of Charisma (not your strong stat), they will likely make a saving throw.  So at 10th level you are looking at something like 17 damage (9 if they save) against undead that are surrounding you for your standard action.  Not terribly overpowering.

If you get negative energy, you are blowing at least one more feat so your party doesn't hate you.  Selective Channeling to do 9-17 damage to living things still isn't impressive.  Now Channel Smite might be an interesting option.  With the right judgements up, a +9-17 points of extra damage on a couple of key attacks per day isn't bad.  But still, we are looking at a level delay in Inquisitor, and a two feat investment.

As for Shield Master, the feat is written poorly.  But the intent is that you don't take any TWF penalties with your shield attacks.  That's it.  So in your example, if we assume your base attack with a longsword and heavy shield is each +8, then when TWF your attack routine could look like this: Longsword +4/-1 (1d8+x), Heavy Shield +4 (1d4+y).  With Shield Master, your attack routine would then be: Longsword +4/-1 (1d8+x), Heavy Shield +8 (1d4+y).

As a side note, TWF with a Heavy Shield is probably a bad idea.  If you fight with a Light Shield instead, you give up 1 point of AC and a fraction of damage, but you only take a -2/-2 TWF penalty, instead of -4/-4.

  So I think I recall that in 3.5, acid usually bypassed most objects' hardness.  Is this still the case in PF?  The closest I could find was a note under object hardness about energy attacks, saying they typically dealt half damage before applying the object's hardness, with the addendum that in certain GM-fiat cases (fire vs. paper, sonic vs. crystal or glass), it can deal full damage before hardness.

  The GM in the relevant game is also on these forums, so I'm sure I'll also hear his perspective, but having references for the future might be handy.  ;)

I couldn't find anything about it either. It seems all energy follows the same rules except for the special cases you mentioned.

Doesn't sonic ignore all hardness and deal full damage?

Acid/Fire dealt half damage before hardness

Electric/Cold dealt 1/4 damage before hardness

Force dealt no damage to inanimate objects, like if you used magic missile on a chair nothing would happen, might be special cases, but can't think of any off the top of my head.

Digging up the 3.5 PHB (p 165), I'm looking at the following:
  Acid and sonic deal full damage.
  Fire and electricity deal half before hardness.
  Cold deals one quarter before hardness.

  All this, though, is pretty irrelevant other than to explain my preconception.  I guess PF may have just done a blanket simplification without realizing that it was one of the main utilities of sonic and acid, and that it makes sense in many instances that such damage would bypass an object's hardness.  If anyone sees a direct reference to such things in PF, just lemme know.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:40, Thu 19 Jan 2012.

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/equipm...s#TOC-Energy-Attacks

Seems they just did a blanket conversion, leaving most of it up to GMs. I for one would always allow acid/sonic to deal full damage and ignore hardness, aside from special cases such as blueshine(dur) or alchemically treated materials.

  I have a player with a cleric/paladin aiming for holy vindicator.  The wording of their Channel Energy feature seems a little nebulous.  Normally when a class feature's progression is continued, it's only one class, but this feature says, "The vindicator’s class level stacks with levels in any other class that grants the channel energy ability."

  My experience in 3.5 and PF lead me to interpret the any (as opposed to say, all) in that sentence as being singular, but the player seems to think it's both.  Is anyone familiar with similar wordings and how they've been ruled?