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View Full Version : Pathfinder A neat trick for Stalker and Spellcasting Vigilantes.



StygianRose
2016-04-24, 06:30 PM
So, I was mostly interested in this for a Psychometrist Vigilante, but potentially any Stalker might find it useful.

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/vigilante/archetypes/vigilante-archetypes---paizo-inc/psychometrist

So, in Ultimate Intrigue there is an item called 'Deck of Doors'.

DECK OF DOORS
PRICE 12,150 GP
SLOT none CL 9th WEIGHT —
AURA moderate transmutation
This set of 54 cards is adorned with designs reminiscent of doors and gates. As a standard action, the user can press a card from the deck against a 5-foot section of a wall. The wall must be nonmagical, can be up to 2 feet thick, and must have hardness 8 or lower. In a flash of silvery light, the card grows into a good wooden door (hardness 5, 15 hp) and embeds itself in the wall for 5 rounds, its appearance matching the style of the surrounding architecture. If the user presses two cards against a wall at the same time, the cards instead turn into a double door for 10 rounds. The door can be opened from either side, allowing passage through the affected section of the wall. When the duration ends, the door peels off
the wall and withers into a blank, nonmagical card, leaving the wall intact. When used in an urban chase encounter (Pathfinder RPG GameMastery Guide 232), a card from the deck lowers the DC of any one Strength- or Dexterity-based obstacle by 5 for 5 rounds (or 10 rounds if two cards are used).
CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS COST 6,075 GP
Craft Wondrous Item, minor creation, passwall

Now, a Stalker vigilante can select 'Rogue Talent' as a Vigilante Talent - this allows them to collect the all-important Card Sharp to gain Deadly Dealer. For a spellcasting vigilante, you can just grab Arcane Strike and Deadly Dealer verbatim with no hoops.

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/rogue/rogue-talents/paizo---rogue-talents/card-sharp-su

However, once you reach 14th level, the real fun begins as you can select Returning Weapon and never run out of cards as they are - magical, and treated as ammunition.

Returning Weapon (Ex): The vigilante has a signature type of thrown weapon that returns to him. Choose a type of thrown weapon, such as throwing axes. Whenever the vigilante uses that type of weapon, it automatically returns as if it had the returning property. At 14th level, if the vigilante chose a type of thrown weapon that is treated as ammunition, such as shuriken, and buys a set of 50 magic ammunition of that type, he automatically replenishes them at no cost and never runs out. If he chose a non-ammunition thrown weapon instead, he can apply the magical properties of the first weapon he throws in a round to any non-magical thrown weapons of that type he throws that round. This allows him to make a full attack with the benefits of his magical thrown weapon, even though it only returns next round.

So now, you can spontaneously summon doors on any wall - useful for a sneak.

Legowarrior
2016-04-26, 02:19 PM
Isn't the problem that the card is destroyed once it is thrown?

StygianRose
2016-04-26, 02:30 PM
Normally, yes - but the 14th level upgrade of the talent makes it so even if you destroy it the talent replenishes a new one. So you can throw the cards ad infinium and/or use the door effect while never running out of cards.

Gallowglass
2016-04-26, 02:44 PM
Its as valid a RAW (meaning Rules as you choose to read them) loophole trick as any. It has the benefit of using one of the neatest and most under-utilized mechanics with the card-sharp/deadly dealer stack. (I say under-utilized, but I'm sure there are a number of Gambit fanboys out there throwing exploding cards with every character they make).

You should work it into one of the RAW character build threads sometime.

I don't think you'll find many actual games that let you use it though. And if you tried to insist that it actually works the way you are RAWing it, I'd just say that the specific rule for the deck of doors that each card is left nonfunctional after use overrules the general rules for how the 14th level Returning weapon interacts with normal and magical ammunition. That is further endorsed by how the text says card sharp deals with Harrow Decks.

That being said, I guess if we are talking about playing a game with 14th level or higher PCs, generally we're beyond the point where infinite free doors in walls break the game as I can think of a dozen ways to do the same things with other simpler skills. So maybe I would allow it depending on what the campaign was and who the other players were playing.