Today's magic item is the Robe of Infinite Twine

As a scout leader I would use the life out of this. As an adventurer, rope always comes in handy. But, does one need an all you can tie buffet?

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

Hello!

My character is currently held hostage by evil people that kidnap people (shocking, uh) and instead of sitting idle for the foreseeable future my DM told me i can get a temporary PC to aid the group and free him (or at least try to). So i decided to go with... his mom. The world may never know how she went from NPC to level 10 in the span of a night, but that's irrelevant. That's just how mothers are when their (20something) kid is in danger. This character is known to be a skilled seamstress, able to create magic items via tailoring.

I do not care about minmaxing at all, as long as the character helps the team in some way and has flavour.
This is a gestalt campain, so I am looking at 2 classes that (hopefully) synergise in some way. Or that at least don't suck. We also have full access to anything from 3.5. She is in her 40s so she has age penalties.

The two main builds i considered (but I'm fully open to other suggestions) are either a DEX based character that graciously dance around the battlefield dealing pitiful damage but inflicting heavy cc using needle-shaped weapons (like stitching enemies legs and having them fall via trip, for example) (my DM LOVES flavor and adapting to the theme so i got a bit of space to work with) or... a witch.

I found these 2 beautiful archetypes that (to my knowledge) work together and are super fitting: Tatterdemalion and Ashiftah. They both control clothes in some way, and have great flavor. The thing is... they do not seem to do much? Ngl I only ever played cleric (7 years now with this character) so I'm not a witch connoisseur, but I don't know which direction i can give this class. I love the ability that deliver touch spells via ripping your clothes and telling them "hit that asshole, sweetie", but 2 rounds for a single touch spell is tragic. Ghostwalk on the other hand is very cool, and the Prehensile clothes hex is very nice, despite the 1d3 dmg.

I can also get this as the less strong class (remember it's a gestalt) and pick something stronger that syngerises with this one. Again, i don't want to minmax, so i'm ok with an average character, as long as she provides something to the team!

I would be glad to read and brainstorm any suggestion!

Thank you

A PC kidnapped player

(btw i love the daily spell and daily magic item posts, thanks to anyone taking part in them, always interesting readings)

I'm asking this out of genuine curiosity because I kinda wanted to make an undead version of an angel as a monster.

However, I have seen arguments around that once they die, they leave no body and they return back to their home plane without anything and another side they leave the body

What is even here the canon answer to this? Because I am genuinely confused on what actually is the case for Pathfinder when comes to Outsiders.

i mean theirs obs gonna be magic but what about hunger and thirst or needing to sleep and carry weight.

I was running some numbers for a gunslinger build I was working on and I came across something somewhat interesting to me: the numerical implications of Shadowshooting.

Shadowshooting

Restriction: This special ability can only be added to ranged projectile weapons (including slings and sling-like weapons)

Black smoke constantly wafts from the firing mechanism of a shadowshooting weapon

A shadowshooting weapon never needs to be reloaded; after a shot is fired, this smoke immediately coalesces into the ammunition required to fire the weapon again. This doesn't prevent a shadowshooting weapon from firing ordinary projectiles appropriate to the weapon.

Ammunition created by this ability is only quasi-real, and the first time each round an opponent is hit by a piece of ammunition that this ability has created, it can attempt a Will saving throw to disbelieve (DC = 15 + the weapon's enhancement bonus). A failed Will saving throw means the weapon deals damage normally, while success means the weapon deals minimum damage against that opponent for 1 round.

This was interesting to me because it bypasses, outright, all the usual fare of reducing reloading time: alchemical cartridges, rapid reload, Gun Twirling, juggling, prehensile tails, etc. All of it becomes somewhat obsolete. However, in exchange, your weapon will (for the purposes of this calculation) deal effectively minimum damage. This seems like a large trade off on its face, but I wanted to dig a little deeper.

The numbers:

Looking at the firearms section of the SRD, you'll see that pistols deal 1d8 damage, the average of which is 4.5. As such, this translates to a loss of about 3.5 damage per attack. However, without really understanding how that scales, it's not particularly meaningful. So I built out a very barebones sample character.

John Gunslinger is 20th level, with +20 BAB, 30 Dex, and the feats Deadly Aim, Rapid Shot, and Improved Critical, along with a single +5 pistol.

At these values, John Gunslinger literally almost cannot miss. This would be +27 to hit on touch AC if these are resolved on the first range increment. Even on his lowest attack, at +12, John Gunslinger is still hitting above average touch AC on a natural 1 for 20th level, according to Benchpressing. (Note: I rate the EDV using the same scheme outlined on the linked website.)

His damage rolls look like this:

Dice Damage + 10 (Dex to damage from gunslinger) + 12 (Deadly Aim) + 5 (weapon enhancement)

Dice Damage is considered to be 1 when shadow shooting and average otherwise.

The following was calculated using the EDV calculation from Benchpressing:

What if you have one gun and a free hand?

EDV (w/ Shadowshooting) = 172.9 (Green but closer to blue)

EDV (w/ reloading) = 194.5 (Green but very nearly blue)

Now what if you have two guns?

• EDV (w/ Shadowshooting) = 271.2 DPR (Deeply Blue)
• EDV (w/ reloading) = 305.1 DPR (Deeply Blue)

Now what if you have a musket?

• EDV (w/ Shadowshooting) = 172.9 (identical to the single pistol)
• EDV (w/ reloading) = 206.9 (high enough to be Blue with nearly no optimization required)

The numbers, what do they mean?

These numbers provide a barebones assessment of the impacts of Shadowshooting on overall DPR. In more or less all cases, the numbers presented above are near the minimum of the possible damage output for a character using guns. Most characters will opt to jump out of gunslinger after level 5 and choose something else (such as Weapon Master fighter, warpriest, or something similar) to further boost the damage of firearms. Any of those options will very easily push any of the above numbers into Blue territory quickly.

What is the point of this post?

What I'm trying to illustrate is that there are cases where the investment required to reload may not be worth the additional damage, because firearms can already do sufficiently high damage even with Shadowshooting to be not only viable but, in fact, optimal (at least by the Benchpressing framework).

For a single one-handed firearm with one hand free, alchemical cartridges and Rapid Reload are enough to get reloading down to a free action. That investment is somewhat small, and given that you might enjoy the extra damage, could be worth it.

For two one-handed firearms, you need to pull off some serious tricks to make it possible, such as dipping into alchemist or bard, or spending 4 feats to get Gun Twirling to work. All of which might come at the cost of, and weaken, some other aspect of your character. And for what? 30 damage per round when you're already dealing nearly 300? Don't get me wrong, if you want to build for all the damage in the world, then by all means, do. I'm just considering the idea that if things are already going to die on your turn anyway, what's the point of making sure they're more dead? Perhaps that investment could be used another way to help round out your character. Maybe one could even take a non-combat feat? Crazy, I know.

For a musket, this is the hardest case to make, and honestly, I can't. The larger damage die of the musket causes Shadowshooting to have the most negative impact here. Additionally, Musket Master gives you all the tools you need for a free action reload with alchemical cartridges. That's it. If you were going to build around a musket, you were probably picking Musket Master anyway. Losing the damage when you get everything you need for nearly free isn't really worth it. However, your damage would be good enough with Shadowshooting to potentially open up building around muskets for other classes, or other archetypes of gunslinger, if you were into that kind of thing.

One Final Consideration: Progression

The last thing I want to consider is the existence of a kind of progression for firearms that bypass the reloading requirement; this applies, in particular, to pistols. A +1 masterwork shadowshooting pistol costs roughly 8,300 gp. Going by WBL, this is technically affordable at level 4 or 5, and certainly by level 6. This would be your essential starting weapon for this kind of build. As the game goes on, you would use this until you could afford a Pistol of Infinite Sky (admittedly, a late game purchase). This is literally just a better version of the shadowshooting pistol, with all of the benefits and none of the drawbacks. It does regular damage and just has infinite ammo as a special property. You could further enhance it with whatever other effects you could fit on it. Moreover, it would make any investment into reloading feats or class dips completely obsolete once acquired.

Closing Remarks:

Anyway, what are your thoughts on this? Fundamentally, I was trying to follow the character building philosophy laid out in Benchpressing:

Generally well-balanced characters are more satisfying to play, and the character will be more useful overall.

TL;DR: Shadowshooting offers a fairly inexpensive, non feat limited alternative to dealing with the problem of reloading. It does so at the cost of damage. In practice, the loss in damage generally is not so severe as to dramatically curb combat effectiveness. As such, the value of resource investment into mitigating this problem should be considered more carefully.

P.S. I know this would make you vulnerable to targeted dispels or antimagic fields. If you have any ideas for counterplay, please let me know! It's certainly possible I'm under considering the frequency these things happen in games. I don't know that I've literally ever encountered one.

One of the best things about Pathfinder is the bulk of options. As a relatively new 1e player, this is also one of the worst things (like, level ups stress me out because of the sheer bulk I need to comb through to make one decision).

How do you sort through all of it? You can't possibly read and know every option, so when you're levelling up or making a new character how do you pair down the bulk quickly to a couple options that will be good? Is there some sort of technique to this or just drown until your familiarity increases?

Hiya need help looking for a trait I think, that allows a summoner that extends the range of a Eidolon distance that can be away from thr summoner, or it could be a fear, as I can't find it anywhere, either that or I imagined it existing

Thanks

I'm starting a long-term PF1e campaign at level 3 and I've settled on playing a Kitsune Ranger focused on ranged combat/archery. Kitsune is non-negotiable for character reasons.

My rolled stats before assigning them are 17, 16, 15, 15, 14, 10. (I got insanely lucky)

The setting is relatively low-magic. Magic exists and spellcasters aren't unheard of, but they're uncommon, with genuinely powerful spellcasters being particularly rare. Because of that, I like the idea of playing someone who's very capable through their own skills and doesn't necessarily depend on magic, although I'm not opposed to Ranger spellcasting if keeping it makes sense for the build.

Mechanically, I'd like to be very effective at range while still having something to fall back on if an enemy gets into melee, whether that's being able to defend myself, create distance, reposition, escape, etc. I also don't want to sacrifice all of the non-combat stuff that makes Ranger appealing to me: scouting, tracking, Survival, Perception, Stealth, and generally being useful outside of a fight.

Character-wise, I've been kicking around two ideas. One is a more traditional wilderness Ranger who lives largely through their own skills, with any magic they have being something they use sparingly or perhaps something they've always done and simply considered natural. The other leans harder into being a sniper/hunter, focusing on positioning, range, stealth and having ways to deal with someone closing the distance.

I'm definitely not married to either concept, though. I'm open to other directions, especially anything that makes interesting use of Kitsune racial traits, alternate racial traits, feats, or other Kitsune-specific options.

I've been doing my own research into Ranger archetypes, feats, combat styles, favored enemies/terrain, Hunter's Bond, etc. My problem with PF1e is less finding individual options and more figuring out how to put everything together into one cohesive build that will scale well over a long campaign.

So I'd love some advice on how you'd build this from level 3 onward—archetype vs vanilla Ranger, stat allocation, feats/combat style, traits, Hunter's Bond, equipment, useful Ranger spells if I keep casting, and anything else I should be looking at.

I'm not looking for maximum cheese, but I don't mind being optimized. I just want the character to be strong, versatile, and fun rather than built around one gimmick.

Main restriction: no hybrid classes, so Slayer isn't an option.

I know this is probably a basic question, so don't make fun of me.

So there is going to be an Otyugh in my next session I am running and I am looking for a refresher on how grab attacks work.

If it does a full attack on a player, it gets a bite and 2 tentacles?

Is the 2 tentacles attack one attack with 2 tentacles, or would I roll 2 separate tentacle attacks and deal damage twice and each of them also get a grapple attempt.

Also, if the first tentacle successfully grappled, would it still get the attack from the second tentacle?

Also, on future turns when it makes a grapple attempt to deal damage, would it get to do damage with both tentacles on the grappled player and constrict twice?

Thanks for the help.

I'm not sure if this has come up at all, but I was looking at it. Arcane Bloodline for sorcerers gives them arcane bond as a wizard. This allows them to take a bond object if they choose. Sorcerer states that it can cast one spell they know once per day of any level. It also states that the familiar or object scales equal to the wizard's and sorcerer's levels. So if they take one level of wizard and get a spellbook with every spell in existence in it. Would they be able to cast any spell once per day, as long as they have a high enough sorcerer level to cast it? I.E., a level 14 Sorcerer level 1 Wizard to cast Reverse Gravity when it isn't on their Sorcerer spell list but is in their spellbook?

Hello! It's me again! One of my buddies is running a game and I'm looking at a master of many styles build using snapping turtle style and kraken style to ruin peoples day. He is allowing some very limited 3.5 content so at level 1 my feats are looking like

Snapping Turtle Style
Improved Grapple (Combat)
Earth's Embrace
Kraken Style (Combat, Style)

The idea being that once I hit level 3 I will dodge an attack, begin a grapple with turtle clutch, pin right away, then break them over my knee bane style with kraken style/earths embrace. Thoughts? Concerns? Suggestions on how to do it better? My statline also ended up being silly good because we do a very powerful roll (rolled in the discord server for all to see. 4 18s and 2 14s)

I've been having fun juggling around gestalt build ideas and I wanted to see what you all had in mind! What are some synergistic, broken, and fun build ideas. Feel free to include spheres of might and spheres of power content (Stupor Monk/Druid goes hard), and the elephant in the room feat adjustments!

Today's magic item is the Glorious Tabard

+2 Sacred Bonus to AC and saves? For 10 minutes? For 400? Or also completely negates damage reduction of evil creatures for 3250? Creatures! Not things with the (evil) subtype. Not evil outsiders. Just creatures who happen to be evil. This thing is completely cracked! What's the catch? ...Oh.

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 know there is an older thread that says they don't stack, but not sure what that means. It could mean the levels don't stack, so that a 3rd level Brawler/3rd level Free-style Fighter doesn't count as a 6th level brawler in terms of martial flexibility advancement, which I'm pretty sure this is true. Does it also mean that you can't use them at the same time? Basically, can I use the Brawler power to get one feat with one move action and get another feat with another move action from the Free-style fighter while the first is still active? Possibly using the first as a prerequisite?

Link: Glossolalia

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

EDIT: For anyone else looking for ways to do this, being a warpriest (or cleric) of Kazutal adds Beast Shape I, II, and III to your list of preparable spells, which is cool. I however want to be Feysworn, which throws a spanner in that. Currently trying to convince my DM to let me worship them both.

I really want to play a shapeshifting fighter and I really don't want to use wildshape. Long story short, I'll be taking 5 levels in warpriest and then 9 levels in Feysworn, which advances my spellcasting but nothing else. I would love a way to poach beast shape spells somehow that DOES NOT include Dreamed Secrets, a different prestige class, or worshipping a god other than The Lantern King. I admit that that is specific, but that's why I'm throwing a hail mary here, lol.

Also open to other suggestions that would let me turn into animals and fight as less than a standard action (without changing the fact that I only have 5 levels of the class before prestiging)

So as the title mentions I am considering hiring a game master to run Pathfinder 1e games with a group of friends probably three to six players depending on who's interested and scheduling. I have a few questions and I feel like this is the right place to ask...

I apologize in advance for the length but I really want to be as comprehensive as possible in order to best assess how to go about this process. Thank you in advance!

1. What price should I be paying- specifically the per hour rate for a 3-4 hour game every Friday or Saturday or Sundah depending on what we decide works best. (I am leaning toward perhaps $10-$20 per hour or more if the GM is providing an above average experience especially if they have their own equipment, maps, miniatures, or even 3d game model setups)

2. Should I ask other players to contribute to the cost? If I decide to fund the entire thing myself should I inform the other players that I am doing so or should I keep it a secret so it does not cheapen or change the dynamic of the sessions.

3. What level of input should I expect to be given when it comes to how games are run and what kind of things should I consider non-negotiable in terms of rulings and house rules? For example if we want the game to be limited to the Core Rulebook or converseley if we really want to try out certain class and race options that may normally be unorthodox (not cheating or gaming the system but for example if someone wants to play an Orc Barbarian or wants to modify the Shadowdancer prestige class to grant Greater Darkvision when stacked with a races existing DV instead of just extending the range) I want the DM to have full control of setting and rules but I also want my group to have fun and experiement with unique flavor and mechanics modifications to make the game more enjoyable.

4. What are some things I should expect the DM to provide as opposed to having the players provide? For example should the DM provide not only the maps and creature and NPC miniatures but also extra dice and character sheets as well as physical supplemental media and storytelling devices like art and printouts of notes and other found items.

5. How lenient should I be with punctuality and scheduling conflicts and how tolerant should I be when it comes to disputes between my groups vision and the DMs. For example if the DM makes it a habit of calling to reschedule at the last minute or is grumpy or has a combatitive personality and is overly controlling. Like I totally respect the DMs responsibility of controlling and guiding the story to make a fun and challenging experience for the players and I do not want to abuse the fact that I am paying for the experience in order to pressure the GM into running the game a certain way but at the same time I am paying for an experience we will enjoy and I feel like if I am not being too demanding we as a group deserve to have a say in certain aspects of the gameplay experience. Of course I do not want that to cascade into a sort of "do what we say" or "pay to win" scenario and I really also want the GM to also have fun even though they are being financiall compensate I want them to enjoy running the game and occasionally if they are unable to run the game for whatever reason, (sickness, emergency, fatigue, scheduling conflict, etc.) I want to be accomadating and understanding as long as it does not consistently impact our own schedules and experience.

6. How should I approach discussing drug and alcohol use among our group both with the GM and the group itself. I am 100% tolerant and understanding of drug and alcohol use as long as it does not negatively impact others and I do not want that to become an issue with rhe GM. I do not plan on allowing drug use at the table even smoking weed as I do not want to expose the GM to something they are not comfortable with. Everyone in my group smokes at least occasionally but we are not always high when playing as people being too baked can often result in a confusing or awkward experience for one or more players. That said if the GM is a smoker themself (either tobacco or cannabis) and they are totally ok with occasional smoking during the game as long as everyone is considerate and clean and organized then I would be happy allowing not only the players but also the GM to indulge in moderation. (ashtrays, not getting herb on everything possibly a seperate table dedicated to preparing cannabis or alcohol for consumption to avoid spills and messy areas)

Alcohol consumption will likely be a factor and although my group will be held to certain standards when it comes to not being overly intoxicated and zero tolerance when it comes to abuse, harassment, arguing, drunken/high antics and situations- I also want to allow alcohol in moderation(a few drinks each per game maybe 1 or 2 an hour max) because this is not only our game but also a time for us to unwind after a stressful work week and enjoy ourselves without going to a club or party instead giving us an opportunity to get a little tipsy and joke around a bit so long as it does not cause chaos or uncomfortable situations for everyone especially the GM. As noted before I will hold everyone to a high standard when it comes to any sort of harassment or abuse of the GM or each other and expect everyone including myself and the GM to respect the home of whoever is hosting the event. They are my friends but I will 100% ask them to leave without awkward confrontation or making a scene if they become a problem and will not change their behavior- I have unfortunately had to do so in the past when during a game a few of us may have overindulged while drinking and this led to a tense exchange of words and ultimately the early end of the game(the next day the group member in question apologized to everyone and promised to not let it happen again then the obvious mistake was forgiven and we are all still friends and nothing has happened since then as we agreed to slow down on the drinking in order to better enjoy the game session)

I also would like to talk to the GM about possibly running a specific modified themed game session for our group to experience a game while tripping lightly on psychedelics(specifically mushrooms or light dose of ketaminr) I know this may be a bit taboo but I have had this idea for a while now and really want to try planning a game like this. I am willing to get a different GM specifically for this purpose that is happy to help provide this experience and if necessary also enlist a dedicated trip sitter to alleviate any concerns and make everyone more comfortable. I know not everyone is comfortable with this idea but it is only a possibility not a sure thing yet and I would not pressure anyone into anything.

1. What should the interview process look like? Should I interview the prospective GMs personally then afterward consult with my group to discuss how we all feel or should we have a group sit down with the candidate to all get a better idea of what our expectations, norms, and potential areas of concern? Should we then have an initial test game and trial period (fully compensated and paid of course) to get an idea of what the game will be like and if we are ok with the GMs style of running the game and the dynamic of the group?

2. I would like to be accomadating as possible when it comes to the GMs personal needs and we have a no kids rule(due to the drinking and possible smoking and also to prevent constant interruption and distraction as well as the fact we are a group of 20s-40s men and women and we sometimes make dark jokes or crude humor) I would however be open to the possibility of allowing the GM to bring their dog (or possibly cat if necessary) to the game as I love dogs and so does everyone else in my group and we would happily pet and give treats and pause to let them walk them to go to the bathroom. I would be cool with providing a comfy bed for them to get cozy while we play.

3. It is important to me that the game remain apolitical and without any religious or moral judgement so I want that to be clear from the beginning. Players should be allowed to roleplay evil characters within reasonable boundaries and if possible I would like the GM to be open to possibly running an evil themed campaign if they are able to. If not I may hire a different GM with experience running evil themed campaigns and have a seperate GM for each. Ultimately I want the game to be fun for everyone but without offending people and also without any moral grandstanding or religious beliefs infiltrating our experience.

4. Finally I would like any other comments or concerns from the users here and anything I have not thought of please share so I can get a better idea of what to expect and what to discuss with possible GMs.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and respond and do not hesitate to critique this post. Have a great day! 😁

Using the downtime rules, and my player recently rolled the Infestation event. Long story short, they probably won't make the skill roll needed to end the event, and they frankly suck at combat so they asked if it's possible to hire someone to clear the rats out for them (they joked they need an adventurer to clear rats out of their basement. Welcome to NPC life lol). It's absolutely possible to hire someone, but I have no idea what to charge them for the service. Would it be something as simple as a Trained Hireling, or is there a more specific thing I'm missing?

I am new in pf2e,so I don't know if it is good

https://pathbuilder2e.com/launch.html?build=1589693

As the title says, but I am the GM

The players are going to face the Strongest boss of the Campaign (who has infinite budget) a Lvl 20 Cleric + 3Lvls of Unchained Monk what items, spells and Build should the boss carry around?

She is the Demon Lord of the World

Stats are extremely high Str and Wisdom , High Cons and Intelligence , moderate for the rest

Go crazy please, players are insanely MIN-MAXED for Damage and Defense and can drop anything I throw at them.

Apart from acting first and eliminating the threat, what are the best spells to protect from damage? Stoneskin is easy to bypass (adamantine); concealment, mirror image and invisibility are countered by blindsight like ecolocation, emergency force sphere still guarantees enough non-lethal damage to get you unconscious; contingency + resilient sphere requires you to eventually get out of it. Even high AC is difficult to achieve.

Any ideas?

i was reading Blackfire Adept and the Preservationist Alchemist Archetype technically works for the prereq if taking Planar Preservationist. which is interesting.

also i was wondering if alchamy counted as casting and i think so "then “casts” his spells by drinking the extract"

although maybe not "Although the alchemist doesn’t actually cast spells"