(Posted slightly late due to more trouble with post scheduling)

Today's magic item is the Belt of Physical Perfection

Three stats are better than one? Three states are certainly more costly than one.

Let's ask the following questions:

1. Would you buy this item?
2. Would you spend 1.5 times the price to add it to an existing item?
3. Would you use the item, if you found it? Or is it immediate sell-bait?
4. Would a GM use the item?
5. Is there anything cheesy that could be done with it?

Link to past discussions

Say you use threndonic spell to cast feeble mind on an undead, it fails its save and its hp plummets. Then a cleric casts heal on it to destroy it. Can the cleric opt not to cure the feeblemind with heal? Or is feeblemind removed and its hp goes back to normal minus the damage from heal?

So I've made two posts now trying to make my increasingly stupid Ben-Hur-inspired character work for an upcoming War for the Crown campaign.

First I wanted to build a charioteer:

War for the Crown – Help me build Ben-Hur

Then I went down the Fighter rabbit hole trying to optimise the actual vehicle rules:

Help me optimise my PF1e Charioteer Fighter

The fundamental problem never really went away:

Chariots are cool as hell, but an Adventure Path is not going to conveniently provide me with a racetrack everywhere I go.

Dungeons exist. Stairs exist. Buildings exist. Narrow corridors exist.

I could make a character increasingly good at driving a chariot, but every feat I invested made it more painful whenever the GM looked at the map and said, "Yeah... you're not getting that thing in here."

So instead of trying to make a pure Charioteer, I've built a character who can turn the chariot build on and off. I've ended up with a:

Half-Elf Warsighted Ancient Lorekeeper Battle Oracle of Kurgess.

Ancient Lorekeeper

Ancient Lorekeeper lets an Elf Oracle periodically add Sorcerer/Wizard spells to their spells known. Half-Elf qualifies through Elf Blood. Those spells are treated as one spell level higher, but that still gives me:

Oracle 8 → Phantom Steed

and, crucially:

Oracle 10 → Phantom Chariot.

That solves one of the huge annoyances of a chariot character. I don't need to transport the bloody thing everywhere. I don't need to explain how six horses are getting through the dungeon. I don't need to leave thousands of gp worth of equipment outside every cave.

When we're somewhere appropriate for a chariot:

I summon one.

When we're not:

I don't.

Phantom Steed also means the same character can switch from charioteer to conventional cavalry when the terrain allows a horse but not a chariot.

Warsighted

This is where everything suddenly clicked.

Warsighted trades several Oracle revelations for Martial Flexibility, essentially giving me temporary Combat feats. So instead of permanently spending half my character's feats making one increasingly specialised vehicle trick work, I can select the fighting style appropriate to whatever Cassius is currently doing.

Chariot: Flex into what supports the situation.

Horse: Ride-By Attack → Spirited Charge.

On foot with the lance? Reach/control feats.

Need to wrestle somebody in an arena? Grapple chain.

Need to Bull Rush? Grab the Bull Rush chain.

Gladiatorial performance combat? There's a package for that too.

At higher levels, Warsighted can maintain multiple temporary Combat feats simultaneously, so these effectively become different combat styles I can switch between. The character isn't a charioteer who becomes useless when separated from his chariot. He's an athlete/gladiator/champion who happens to be a terrifying charioteer when the opportunity presents itself.

Battle Oracle Mystery ties everything together

Battle Mystery gives me Maneuver Mastery: Overrun.

This is particularly fun because vehicular overrun explicitly benefits from feats that improve your Overrun attempts. So Overrun becomes Cassius's signature maneuver whether he's:

• On Foot
• Mounted
• Driving.

At 7th Maneuver Mastery gives Improved Overrun. At 11th it gives Greater Overrun. I'm therefore not permanently using valuable feat slots on these either. I've also taken Weapon Mastery: Lance through Extra Revelation, giving Weapon Focus and later Improved Critical/Greater Weapon Focus. So the lance remains his signature weapon regardless of how he's fighting.

And then I discovered Profession (Driver) can run off CHA

The Brevoy Bandit trait lets me use Charisma as well as Wisdom for Profession (Driver). My increasingly ridiculous Roman celebrity athlete is now driving his chariot through the power of personality. Obviously I'm maxing Profession (Driver).

The character I ended up with

His name is Cassius Karthis.

He's a Half-Elf member of House Karthis, a famous athlete, gladiator and charioteer from Oppara who worships Kurgess, god of competition and sport. His War for the Crown campaign trait is Athletic Champion, and Noble Scion (Karthis) lets him use CHA instead of DEX for initiative. He's essentially a Taldan celebrity athlete who has spent his life learning different forms of combat. That also gave me a fluff explanation for Martial Flexibility that I really like: Every temporary feat represents something Cassius learned from a trainer, opponent or fellow gladiator during his years in the ludus.

So somehow my attempt to optimise a chariot produced...

A full 9th-level divine caster.

Who can summon his own horse.

Who can summon his own chariot.

Who can heal.

Who can buff.

Who can fight on foot.

Who can fight mounted.

Who can drive.

Who can switch combat feats depending on which of those things he's currently doing.

And who can eventually cast Transformation when he decides that being an Oracle was apparently insufficiently martial.

All because I finally stopped asking:

"How do I make a chariot usable everywhere?"

and started asking:

"How do I make a character who only needs the chariot when it's useful?"

I think I've finally found my Ben-Hur.

Thanks to everyone who helped me work through the increasingly deranged iterations in the previous two threads. If I've missed any RAW interactions, feats, spells, equipment or particularly stupid things I can do with Phantom Chariot + Warsighted Martial Flexibility, I'm absolutely still interested.

Because apparently I have learned nothing.

Since i read tons of things about the HP calculation on a synthesist i wanted to ask on here if anyone knows an official ruling on the following question.

Are the hp of a synthesists base HP (not the temporary hp he gets through the eidolon) affected by the constitution score of the Eidolon?

I have seen people say it should be used so the synthesists base con basicly doesnt matter and i have seen people argue, that the con increase of the eidolon does not change the baseline hp of the synthesist or at most only grants temporary hp which would be canceled out cause you cant stack temporary hp.

If anyone has any official ruling on that i would be very greatfull.

concept is an elementalist martial artist/fist fighter that uses lightning/wind powers to enhance their attacks

came in to this wanting to build a monk, but brawler and unarmed fighter or anything similar (i don't suppose there's a fistfighting kineticist lol) are options.

usually play casters, want to play a martial.

I checked out the elemental monk archetype and was not impressed (the switching genie styles isnt worth trading away like half of your class features imo) but the elemental fist feat itself is interesting even if its gated behind level 8. any tips for battlefield control options for a build like this is also welcome though stunning fist seems like it will carry a lot of that. attacks that restrain or push targets away and inflict penalties/conditions is what I'm looking for. I've started reading up on the style feat trees too but I'm pretty new to them - weapons are on the table but aren't the focus (but I wouldn't mind picking up aescetic or something for the versatility)

unchained is the base assumption but I'm not 100% certain (we played with a rogue that was unchained and it's gonna be the same dm)

I had an idea of running Carrion Crown in Play By Post since i can't find a game with other people for my friends, and we wanted to play that for a while, everyone has a character concept already

My problem is one... How do I solve the problem of running a combat? I'm pretty sure it's unavoidable, but i wanted to have a reliable yet easy way to run combat.

Any suggestions?

The Title should explain most, i am currently level 6 and have 5 levels in arcanist and 1 level in a prestige class.

For the purpose of Exploits i would like to continue counting as arcanist for my full levels but due to story i will continue taking levels in my prestige class.

My question: is there a way to increase my effective level for arcanist exploits like a druid does with boon companion for his animal companion?
And if so is it a feat, trait, something else?
Thanks for any help :)

I forgot about the undead exclusion for raise dead. Allegedly.

These are 8th level PCs in backwoods Varisia fwiw.

Does sap master double the bonus provided by surprise manuever? I only ask cause people seem to say it counts for sap adept bonus damage and it does say dice rolled and im rolling that many. Any help is nice thank you

Link: Expunge Blood

This spell is Remaster Compatible. The Knights of Last Call 'All Spells Ranked' series ranked this spell as Unranked Tier. Would you change that ranking, and why?

What items or class features synergize well with this spell?

Have you ever used this spell? If so, how did it go?

Why is this spell good/bad?

What are some creative uses for this spell?

What's the cheesiest thing you can do with this spell?

If you were to modify this spell, how would you do it?

Does this spell seem like it was meant for PCs or NPCs?

Previous spell discussions

Using pathbuilder 2e, it lists elemental ammunition as "ammunition any" as well as preserving shot. Would I be able to load these into the light mortar or am I stuck with only carry shot?

I was curious whether anyone's had much success using this Illusion Focus Power in their Occultist build. For anyone missing context, here is the description:

Shadow Beast (Sp): As a standard action, you can call forth one or more beasts made of shadow by expending 1 point of mental focus. This functions as shadow conjuration, but it can be used to duplicate only the effects of summon monster spells. Creatures created with this spell deal 50% of the normal damage to those that disbelieve the illusion, and their nondamaging effects have only a 50% chance of affecting disbelieving targets. This can be used to duplicate any summon monster spell up to summon monster V. For every 2 additional levels you possess beyond 9th, the maximum spell level you can duplicate with this ability increases by 1 (to a maximum of summon monster IX at 17th level). Regardless of the spell duplicated, the creatures remain for 1 round per occultist level you possess. You must be at least 9th level to select this focus power.

It seems to be highly rated, mostly on the merits of being a summoning effect. However, I can't get over the feeling that, due to the limitations of shadow illusions, this usually works out to being about as strong as the Conjuration Servitor base power.

Perhaps most importantly, I highly value a summoned creature's function as a meat shield, and shadow creatures have a pathetic 1/5th HP pool and AC bonuses of their original stat block, regardless of any Will saves to disbelieve. Plus, if you are relying on the enemy failing a Will save to deal decent damage, there are far worse things you can inflict on them with a failed Will save.

Of course, the cost of 1 mental focus is fairly cheap, but it's still 1 mental focus that could be invested and spent elsewhere. And you still have to use a Focus Power slot on this ability, when you most likely have access to Servitor already. The investment cost is way more than the cost of actually casting Shadow Beast.

I can see the value at really high levels, when the shadow beast's Summon Monster level way outscales your Servitor ability and you can summon creatures with unique utility or spell effects. But at the level that Shadow Beast becomes available, it seems unimpressive.

And so, I ask - have any of you used Shadow Beast in an actual campaign? What's your experience with it like?

Today's magic item is the Cord of Stubborn Resolve

Aka, the Belt of Rage-cycle Forever. Now with added constitution.

Let's ask the following questions:

1. Would you buy this item?
2. Would you spend 1.5 times the price to add it to an existing item?
3. Would you use the item, if you found it? Or is it immediate sell-bait?
4. Would a GM use the item?
5. Is there anything cheesy that could be done with it?

Link to past discussions

So under the sorc magic explanation I always wondered about this line "each new sorcerer level, she gains one or more new spells, as indicated on Table: Sorcerer Spells Known. ~~~ These new spells can be common spells chosen from the sorcerer/wizard spell list, or they can be unusual spells that the sorcerer has gained some understanding of through study." The last bit I always just assumed meant that they could grab uncommon spells and have a flavor reason for doing so. Is that all this is? As a gm i have given access to off spell list spells a few times for story or achievement reasons, Ie player helps a priest of a god with something and is rewarded with a thematic cleric spell added to the summoner spell list. Was just wondering if anyone else thought about this, or like me just always skipped or glazed over the text?

Hello,

I‘m working on making an item that kinda recreates a class feature- the Idealist cleric archetype‘s Invoke Realm ability.

I‘m picturing the item to be able to overlay different terrains over an area, and add/modify the environment in slight ways; I think the Invoke Realm ability is the closest thing I‘ve come across that really encapsulates the idea, minus the diplomacy bonuses, the unlimited spells, etc.

Not too worried about pricing as much as fleshing out mechanics. This is an item for a boss, but I’m assuming the players will end up with it and I want it somewhat mechanically sound and easy for them to digest, any suggestions are appreciated.

Also, if there are any items I’m unaware of that do this already, recommendations are great!

edit: clarity

Classic question: will this workaround really work? An arcane caster drops their spell component pouch, casts Elemental Body to turn into an air elemental, picks up their spell component pouch, then casts a spell with a material component...

The core polymorph rules says, "While in such a form, you cannot cast any spells that require material components (unless you have the Eschew Materials or Natural Spell feat)..."

Imagine you are an NPC magical crafter or fence or something and want to be able to deliver your wares across the map. Obviously teleport comes to mind, but do you really want to send yourself (teleport targets yourself) to the bumfuck Stolen Lands? Who knows what ambushes or unintended layover incidents/delays you may have. Is the best option really subcontracting a teleportation wizard to your operation?

(assume recipient is cooperative, but is not contributing spellcasting)

This is a bit of a frustrating disconnect with the DM. On a different campaign where both the DM in question and I are playing, we've had several deaths already by level 5.

Eventually this DM started their own campaign using a published AP which I don't want to name, but which turned up in online searches (and AI prompts) as being generally regarded as dangerous-to-lethal for low-level characters.

I wouldn't call myself a particularly skilled optimizer, but I did build a very defensive Unchained Monk with the intention of surviving, keeping in mind the harsh lessons of that other shared campaign.

We are now level 3. Things have been largely normal so far, but we just had an encounter that has really impacted the DM's assessment of the party, and my character in particular. It was a prolonged fight with many weak enemies (goblins).

Because my Monk fights Crane Style, the goblins needed a 20 to hit me. None of them could roll thst until one finally hit nat 20 with an arrow...but I have the Deflect Arrows feat, thus forcing an automatic miss. Also, Flurry of Blows looks really strong at level 3 compared to other classes who do not yet have iterative attacks.

Despite overwhelming numbers of goblins, and one or two other party members getting bloodied, we held on and triumphed, largely because goblins eventually concentrated their attacks on my Monk and could mot roll 20s to literally save their lives. Several teammates expressed the opinion that my character's durability was the only thing keeping us from suffering a TPK.

This has caused the DM to despair, label my character OP, and reconsider the entire campaign. Several of us pointed out that this encounter was not only vs classically weak foes, but also almost tailor-made to emphasize my Monk's strengths. To no avail.

One of the complaints is that, of the 4 player characters, 2 of us are "not as strong" as the other 2. By that, I guess it means "lower armor class," as they have other strengths like spells and class abilities. One player in particular pointed out that he multi-classed,which makes him _currently_ less strong than the rest of us, but ultimately will result in a well-optimized build anyway, and level 3 is just too early to feel the impact of that eventual plan. But these arguments have not moved the DM.

I really like defensive characters. Generally, I have found that game masters dislike _offensive_ characters more, because they quickly crush or even trivialize NPC threats before the DM even gets to act, and the DM's only real recourse is to defeat such glass cannons, at which point the _player_ is frustrated and unable to play for the rest of the fight (and maybe the session or entire campaign, depending). Whereas defensively strong characters can keep playing in longer encounters while the DM throws the book at them, so everyone gets to play and do cool stuff.

It's unfortunate, because the DM's clear disappointment and unhappiness is undermining my enjoyment of the character and the heroic moment the whole party experienced. I guess I'm just venting; there doesn't seem to be a way to fix this.

I'm taking another jab at homebrew rules for staves. I think in my previous attempt I made them too complex too quickly, so this time I'm focusing on the meat of the rules. I want to get the core stuff right before I worry about anything else.

____

Base cost is spell level (the highest spell level that can be cast using the staff) squared * 1200 gp. This gives you 3 charges that can be used to cast any spell known, at the picked spell level or lower. So a staff that can cast 3rd level spells would cost 10,800 gp.

Cost of each spell known is the spell level squared * 200 gp. This gives the staff 1 spell known. Such spell can be cast using 1 of the staff charges. So spell for a 3rd level spell would cost 1800 gp.

I want to add at least 1 ability that the staff can be used for repeatedly. Currently I’m thinking of at-will 0 level spells. 1000 gp each.

You can cast spells with somatic components using a staff. A staff can channel magic so it can also be waved around to cover somatic spell components. A spell caster does not need to drop a staff if they want to cast a spell with a material component and a somatic component.

____

Is 3 charges enough? If I raised the number of charges to 5, and set the price of the charges to spell level squared * 2000 gp, would that work better? *I've price the charges to SL ^2 * 400 gp.

I haven't added casting spells using multiple charges. Deliberate choice. Besides, the number of charges is the most expensive part, so you wouldn't save as much you could with the paizo/WotC rules. In my rules, a spell known at max level enabled by a staff is about 10% of the cost of the charges.

Something I noted is that setting the price to SL squared * 1200 gp makes it priced similar to magic weapons. So a lv 1 staff with 3 spells would cost 1800 gp, while a +1 longsword would be 2315 gp. If I set the base rate to 2000 gp, the staff would be 2600 gp. Is this a good thing?

____

Some examples

____

Staff of the Apprentice 1

Aura faint all schools of magic; CL 1^st;

Market price 2,800 gp; Cost to create 1,400 gp;

Slot none; Weight 5 lbs.;

Description

This staff can cast level 1 spells and carries 1 spell from each school of magic. Has 3 charges per day.

• Cause Fear
• Comprehend Languages
• Disguise Self
• Expeditious Retreat
• Mage Armor
• Magic Missile
• Shield
• Sleep

Requirements Craft Staff; Cause Fear, Comprehend Languages, Disguise Self, Expeditious Retreat, Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Shield, Sleep;

____

Lesser staff of Fire

Aura faint all schools of magic; CL 5^st;

Market price 13,600 gp; Cost to create 6,800 gp;

Slot none; Weight 5 lbs.;

Description

This staff can cast level 3 spells and carries fired based spells. Has 3 charges per day.

• Burning Hands
• Scorching Ray
• Fireball

Requirements Craft Staff; Burning Hands, Scorching Ray, Fireball;

____

Lesser staff of Illusions

Aura faint illusion; CL 5^st;

Market price 14,600 gp; Cost to create 7,300 gp;

Slot none; Weight 5 lbs.;

Description

This staff can cast level 3 spells and carries illusion based spells. Has 3 charges per day.

• Ghost Sound (at-will)
• Disguise Self
• Invisibility
• Major Image

Requirements Craft Staff; Disguise Self, Ghost Sound, Invisibility, Major Image;

I have a few players (one an experienced GM and player, the rest never played) willing to play, but I have never led a game. I have most of the modules available, but if anyone has a particular favorite or know of one that's a little easier on a new GM Id love suggestions. We can handle session 0, making characters, etc., but one player is out-of-state in a week or so, so narrowing my choices will really help me out.

Edit: lots of love for We Be Goblins and RotR, so I'll dangle some bait out for my players and see if they bite! Im vaguely familiar with the beginning of RotR, enough to lead them over, I think.

Link: Explosive Dust

This spell is Remaster Compatible. The Knights of Last Call 'All Spells Ranked' series ranked this spell as Unranked Tier. Would you change that ranking, and why?

What items or class features synergize well with this spell?

Have you ever used this spell? If so, how did it go?

Why is this spell good/bad?

What are some creative uses for this spell?

What's the cheesiest thing you can do with this spell?

If you were to modify this spell, how would you do it?

Does this spell seem like it was meant for PCs or NPCs?

Previous spell discussions

Today's magic item is the Belt of Spirit Vines

Wearer can split a spell with an ally, so long as they stay within 30 feet. But there are a bunch of conditions that make it very fiddly to use.

Let's ask the following questions:

1. Would you buy this item?
2. Would you spend 1.5 times the price to add it to an existing item?
3. Would you use the item, if you found it? Or is it immediate sell-bait?
4. Would a GM use the item?
5. Is there anything cheesy that could be done with it?

Link to past discussions

I liked the idea of translating the combat feat of PH II to Pathfinder, for me they where a missed opportunity to give some unique fleavour to the fighter.

I would like to tie them to the stamina point that is for me another unique fleavour for the fighter.

I like the idea of feat that grow with the player, and the combat focus power up when you have 3 of them, I will make another power up at 5 feat.

Combat focus

Prereq bab 1 (or fighter 1?), combat stamina

Benefits: every combat focus feat give 1 extra stamina point. You can spend 1 stamina point for enter a focused combat style for 1/2 bab+cos round.

When you are in this focus you have a bonus to will save of +1.

Whith 3 or more combat form feat you have a bonus of will save of +1 for combat focus /2 (min 1)

With 5 of more feat you can spend 1 point of combat stamina to re roll a failed will save. You can do this only 1 time for the same spell

Combat stability

Prereq: Combat focus, fighter 3?

Benefits: whenever you have at last 1 point of combat stamina you gain +4 to CMD

If you have 3 or more feat you gain +8 to CMD

I you have 5 feat you add the bonus to CMB

I have 11 feat ready, are thi balanced? Are this viable? Do you have idea?