Reducing Arcane Spell Failure in Pathfinder?

[Yogibear41]

Might be getting into a pathfinder game soon and have only ever played 3.5, exploring my options of things to play and was wondering if there was anything in pathfinder that reduces arcane spell failure percentage like spell-sword or the twilight armor enchantment does in 3.5

[Naomi Li]

There's mithral, darkleaf cloth (minimum 5% ASFC), and the feats arcane armor training and arcane armor mastery. The feats involve spending a swift action to reduce ASFC by 10% and 20% respectively. (The latter has the former as a prerequisite)

[Spore]

Twilight Armor still exists and Magi can cast spells even in heavy armor after some time (mostly blasts and utility spells tho).

[Yogibear41]

Are there any meta-magic cost reducing feats where I could take still spell with its +1 adjustment reduce it by 1 to 0 and effectively apply it to every spell for free?

Probably not but would be really awesome if I could! :smallsmile:

[Naomi Li]

I do not believe there are, outside of third party (maybe) or ported in from 3.5. As always, ask your GM.

[grarrrg]

An Armored Kilt (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/equipment---final/armor/armored-kilt) is Light Armor with 0% Spell Failure.
Same with the Haramaki and Silken Ceremonial (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/equipment---final/armor/eastern-armor-and-shields) armors.

The Arcane Armor Mastery (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat-feats/arcane-armor-mastery-combat) feats drop Failure by up to 20% over 2 feats.

Metal Armor made of Mithral (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/equipment---final/special-materials#TOC-Mithral) reduces the spell failure by 10%. There are other materials with various effects, as well as various magic items with lower than normal failure rates.

Dwarves (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/races/core-races/dwarf) and Duergar (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/races/other-races/uncommon-races/arg-duergar) Bards can reduce spell failure by 1% per level (Alternate Favored Class bonus).

The Magus (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/magus) class (and most of its archetypes) ignores all Spell Failure with Light armor at level 1, all Spell Failure with Medium Armor at level 7, and all Spell Failure from Heavy Armor at level 13. This does NOTHING to help them with Shields however (Skirnir (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/magus/archetypes/paizo---magus-archetypes/skirnir) archetype ignores spell failure with shields as well, but the trade-off may not be worth it).

Hellknight Signifier (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/prestige-classes/other-paizo/e-h/hellknight-signifer) PrC decreases failure by 5% at level 3, and another 5% at level 8 (requires Arcane Armor Mastery as a Pre-Req feat).


Are there any meta-magic cost reducing feats where I could take still spell with its +1 adjustment reduce it by 1 to 0 and effectively apply it to every spell for free?

The few reducers available either have very limited uses/day, or only apply to a specific spell, the best 2 are:
Magical Lineage (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/traits/magic-traits/magical-lineage) Trait
Wayang Spell Hunter (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/traits/regional-traits/wayang-spellhunter-minata) Trait (which is a REGIONAL trait, not a Magical one, so you could take both an apply them to the same spell).

This one isn't what you're looking for, but a 1 level of Deaf Curse (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/oracle/oracle-curses) Oracle gets free _Silent_ metamagic on all of his spells.

[avr]

Rods of Still Spell exist. 3/day each.

Or, of course, you could always play a divine caster of a type which gets a bunch of arcane-style spells in its domain/mystery etc., or if Dreamscarred Press's psionics is in use it can look a lot like arcane magic.

[Belial_the_Leveler]

Meh. A celestial mithral armor or celestial mithral breastplate has 0% spell failure, 0 armor check penalty, maximum dexterity bonus of +8, can be worn under normal clothing and provides an armor bonus of +9 (it's a +3 armor).


Anyone can wear it without any proficiencies.

[Yogibear41]

I probably should have mentioned this earlier, but I'm actually looking at a race of constructs with built in armor similar to warfored, so I'm basically looking at AFC of around 40-50% that I will always have.

[Eldest]

I probably should have mentioned this earlier, but I'm actually looking at a race of constructs with built in armor similar to warfored, so I'm basically looking at AFC of around 40-50% that I will always have.

Yeah... look at porting Unarmored Body to them, maybe, or go psionic?

[Yogibear41]

Nah, I want that massive armor bonus! Making things difficult is fun! :smallsmile:

[Occasional Sage]

Meh. A celestial mithral armor or celestial mithral breastplate has 0% spell failure, 0 armor check penalty, maximum dexterity bonus of +8, can be worn under normal clothing and provides an armor bonus of +9 (it's a +3 armor).


Anyone can wear it without any proficiencies.

Are you reverse-engineering the effects of the "celestial" enchantment, or is there a non-SRD- source you're using?

[Belial_the_Leveler]

No, I'm just changing the material into mithril. The base armor comes in two versions -chain and plate- both of which are metal, thus making them mithral for a further reduction to ASF, ACP and weight, and an increase in max dexterity bonus is OK.

[StreamOfTheSky]

Rods of Still Spell exist. 3/day each.

Actually, they don't. Neither in 3.5 *nor* Pathfinder. Check the PRD (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/ultimateEquipment/ringsRodsStaves/rods.html) if you don't believe me.

I noticed this many years ago when I had a polymorph-using caster who was often in forms which had no hands and would have wanted a still spell rod (in 3E, you don't need to hold it to use it, just have it on your person). And was furious when I found out it does not exist.

I guess the designers figured that if you need still spell, you're probably unable to hold / wave a rod around, and thus it's self-defeating. Or something. I don't know, it's really dumb.

[Da'Shain]

Actually, they don't. Neither in 3.5 *nor* Pathfinder. Check the PRD (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/ultimateEquipment/ringsRodsStaves/rods.html) if you don't believe me.

I noticed this many years ago when I had a polymorph-using caster who was often in forms which had no hands and would have wanted a still spell rod (in 3E, you don't need to hold it to use it, just have it on your person). And was furious when I found out it does not exist.

I guess the designers figured that if you need still spell, you're probably unable to hold / wave a rod around, and thus it's self-defeating. Or something. I don't know, it's really dumb.Uh, wouldn't Still Spell be covered under the Rods of Metamagic +1 spell level?

[StreamOfTheSky]

Uh, wouldn't Still Spell be covered under the Rods of Metamagic +1 spell level?

It is not listed as a metamagic rod.

You could easily enough create one using other +1 metamagic rods as guidance for price, with DM permission.

But it does not actually exist in the rules.