Simple RAW for Pathfinder Thread VI: Return of the Red Die

[Lord of Shadows]

A170:As the rule states, when you rise as a spawned ghoul you come out as a vanilla version from the Bestiary. You can then level normally (if you're still a PC - most spawn are NPC monsters under the GM's control.) You don't keep any of the skill points, allocations or abilities you had in life, rather you start over from scratch and get to allocate them normally as you gain class levels.

Alternatively, your GM can let you keep your starting stats (minus Con of course) and then apply ghoul adjustments. To reverse-engineer these, simply take the ghoul entry from the bestiary, subtract 10 from all the even scores and 11 from all the odd ones, and apply the result to your rolled stats. This approach gives your Ghoul the following adjustments: +2 Str, +4 Dex, +2 Int, +4 Wis, +4 Cha. Finally, note that at CR 1, your ghoul will lag one level behind the party much like a Noble Drow would.

This is exactly what I was needing, thank you. I was having a hard time reverse engineering the example Ghouls with Class levels that I was seeing. This is going to be an NPC encounter so lagging behind is not an issue.

[Psyren]

Wow, those are some really ridiculous prereqs for the benefit. Thanks for the heads up!

Yeah, Brawlers and Warpriests have a much easier time getting higher damage dice to their non-IUS weapons; Monks meanwhile have a few more hoops to jump through.

[Seto]

Q172: The Druid's "Animal companion" class feature states that: "Animal companions with an Intelligence of 3 or higher can select any feat they are physically capable of using.".
That seems to imply that it's... somehow not the case for regular animals? What is this based on? Sure, a wild horse or dog with INT 2 isn't gonna be using Combat Expertise anytime soon, but what about Power Attack? Improved Overrun? Vital Strike? All of that if they have enough HD? Is there a section that I've missed that clarifies which feats an animal can and cannot take?
(P.S. I'm the GM so I'll get the final say on that anyway, but I'd rather stick to the rules).

[Cieyrin]

A 172 The Animal Feats section only applies to companions, not animals in general regarding Intelligence. The listed feats are what creatures of animal intelligence should be generally capable of understanding how to do (which incidentally lists Power Attack and Improved Overrun; Combat Expertise has a requirement of Int 13, so I'd be impressed to see an animal with it). Any other creature statblock can have any feats it qualifies for or is granted as a bonus feat (which typically ignore prerequisites).

[Aotrs Commander]

Q173: Sonic Thrust. Am I correct in reading this that you can throw a creature 400 + 40 ft/lvl if it fails a Will save (and it only takes D6 damage if it impacts a solid surface). The distance seems excessive - looking at the referenced violent thrust in Telekinesis, it has a limitation of 10 feet per level of the objects (which could originate from any point in long range and which seems more plausible). Would be correct to assume that Sonic Thrust should work under that limitation?

[Lord of Shadows]

Q173: Sonic Thrust. Am I correct in reading this that you can throw a creature 400 + 40 ft/lvl if it fails a Will save (and it only takes D6 damage if it impacts a solid surface). The distance seems excessive - looking at the referenced violent thrust in Telekinesis, it has a limitation of 10 feet per level of the objects (which could originate from any point in long range and which seems more plausible). Would be correct to assume that Sonic Thrust should work under that limitation?

A173 The 400 ft + 4- ft/level is the range to the target. Sonic Thrust specifies that it works "like the violent thrust version of telekinesis."

Refer to the Telekinesis spell and you will find the information you need.

Briefly: You can hurl one object or creature per caster level (maximum 15) that are within range and all within 10 feet of each other toward any target within 10 feet per level of all the objects. You can hurl up to a total weight of 25 pounds per caster level (maximum 375 pounds at 15th level).

[Selion]

Q174

Does an antimagic field (or a similar spell) wear off if the caster dies? What if he's unconscious?

Q175

How does interact emergency force sphere with antimagic field? Does it keep its effect like a force wall? Being antimagic field an emanation area, would it be confined inside the force emisphere?

[Khedrac]

A 174 No. Spells with a duration last until the duration expires. Unless the spell description specifically says otherwise the status of the caster (alive, dead, asleep) has no effect on the spells they have cast.

The exception to this would be if the spell emanates from the caster and the caster is destroyed - in this case the emanation source for the spell is removed so the spell ends.

[Lord of Shadows]

Q 176 I have a 1st level Cleric with an 18 Wisdom (+4) who is taking the Looking for Work Campaign Trait in order to get Perception as a Class Skill. Looking for Work grants a +1 trait bonus in Perception and makes it a class skill. Perception can be used untrained.

Question: is the Perception total 5 (1 bonus+4 Wis mod) or 8 (1 bonus+3 for class skill+4 Wis mod)?

Thanks.

[Psyren]

A176: It's actually 9, because to get the class skill bonus you need to put 1 rank in. So the total bonus to your roll is 1 rank + 4 from Wis + 3 class skill + 1 trait .

[Powerdork]

Q 176 I have a 1st level Cleric with an 18 Wisdom (+4) who is taking the Looking for Work Campaign Trait in order to get Perception as a Class Skill. Looking for Work grants a +1 trait bonus in Perception and makes it a class skill. Perception can be used untrained.

Question: is the Perception total 5 (1 bonus+4 Wis mod) or 8 (1 bonus+3 for class skill+4 Wis mod)?

Thanks.

A176: It's +5 untrained (as you have it), or +9 with the addition of a single rank.

[Kris Moonhand]

Q177: [Psionics, Path of War] The Aegis customization "Initiator's Soul" gives 3 maneuvers known and readied, like the archetype table for non-initiators, but doesn't reference the table at all. Instead, you need to take additional customizations to learn and ready additional maneuvers. Does this mean that that the Aegis is not restricted to 6th level maneuvers (and slowed progression for when they become available), like archetyped non-initiators, and can go up to 9th level maneuvers?

[Powerdork]

Q177: [Psionics, Path of War] The Aegis customization "Initiator's Soul" gives 3 maneuvers known and readied, like the archetype table for non-initiators, but doesn't reference the table at all. Instead, you need to take additional customizations to learn and ready additional maneuvers. Does this mean that that the Aegis is not restricted to 6th level maneuvers (and slowed progression for when they become available), like archetyped non-initiators, and can go up to 9th level maneuvers?

A177: The Aegis section in Path of War: Expanded that introduces these customizations (pg. 35, New Aegis Customizations) also opens by saying "The maximum levels of maneuvers and stances gained through aegis customizations is limited by those listed on Table 2-1: Archetype Maneuver Progression, although this restriction does not apply to maneuvers added to his maneuvers known through other methods, such as prestige classes or the Advanced Study feat."

[Kris Moonhand]

So it does. In fact, that text is on the Library. Apparently I'm just blind. Thank you.

[unseenmage]

Q178
What is the CR of an Artificial Intelligence with 20 class levels?
So far I'm thinking Alchemist but I'm curious how a mundane class affects the CR too.

[Psyren]

A178: Unknown - it's not a template, rather you're building a custom monster from scratch. You'll have to compare its abilities to similar monsters with class levels and make a best guess estimate.

If you're looking for general guidance, I would probably start by building an alchemist 20 robot, figure out the CR for that, then have the AI download itself into the shell and determine how the AI's abilities affect the CR from there.

[geekintheground]

Q 179: the Path of War's warder defensive focus increases their threatened area, is this different than their reach? for example, at level 5 their threatened area is increased by 10', if if a medium warder is wielding a non-reach weapon, would they be able to stand in place to make attacks of opportunity? or is this why there is a clause allowing movement?

[Powerdork]

Q 179: the Path of War's warder defensive focus increases their threatened area, is this different than their reach? for example, at level 5 their threatened area is increased by 10', if if a medium warder is wielding a non-reach weapon, would they be able to stand in place to make attacks of opportunity? or is this why there is a clause allowing movement?

A179: Yes, this is why movement is allowed. Effectively, it's a more involved version of readying a move action to intercept someone who passes nearby, because it's a little more open-ended, it allows more discrete uses, and it increases the DC of the Acrobatics check to tumble past.

[geekintheground]

A179: Yes, this is why movement is allowed. Effectively, it's a more involved version of readying a move action to intercept someone who passes nearby, because it's a little more open-ended, it allows more discrete uses, and it increases the DC of the Acrobatics check to tumble past.

ok, so to be clear, "threatened area" and "reach" are two separate things? that makes so much more sense xD

[unseenmage]

Q180
Say you've built a magic item where when you push the button your Genesis demiplane can be expanded.

Say you go into Time Stop and mash the button..
Do you get a bunch of nigh simultaneous expansions after exiting Time Stop?

[Psyren]

Q180
Say you've built a magic item where when you push the button your Genesis demiplane can be expanded.

Say you go into Time Stop and mash the button..
Do you get a bunch of nigh simultaneous expansions after exiting Time Stop?

FYI Genesis is a 3.5 spell, even though they included it on the PFSRD for some reason. Did you mean Create Greater Demiplane? The "expand" use of that has a duration so multiple castings likely wouldn't stack.

[unseenmage]

FYI Genesis is a 3.5 spell, even though they included it on the PFSRD for some reason. Did you mean Create Greater Demiplane? The "expand" use of that has a duration so multiple castings likely wouldn't stack.

Yes that's what I meant. They all get tagged as Genesis in the brainspace, apologies.

Can you say whye exactly they wouldnt stack?

[upho]

A179 addendum/clarification:

ok, so to be clear, "threatened area" and "reach" are two separate things? that makes so much more sense xD

In a rare few cases they are separate things, but normally they're not. That is, the general RAW make the distinction have no mechanical impact whatsoever outside those rules items which explicitly mentions moving, such as the warder's defensive focus or the Combat Patrol feat (which defensive focus borrowed the wording for this particular part of its effect from).

For all intents and purposes, the general rule can be summarized as:

1. If a square is within the reach of a melee weapon you're armed with¹, it means...
2. you can make melee attacks with that weapon against targets in that square, and therefore...
3. you threaten that square², and...
4. creatures in that square provoke an AoO from you using that weapon for each separate specific triggering action/event³

Importantly, outside explicitly mentioned exceptions⁴, these four points are mutually inclusive; whenever one or more of the points are true, all the other points are also true.

For a comparison relevant to defensive focus, look at the Intruder's End counter. During its one round duration, if the maneuver increases your threatened area it also increases your reach for all your melee attacks, not only AoOs, and unlike defensive focus you never actually need to spend movement or change your position (even though the [teleportation] tag also means a dimensional anchor shuts it down, implying the in-game reason your threatened area increases is because you can zip back and forth as necessary). Same goes for the Haft Strike feat in that it allows you to make also non-AoO attacks with a reach weapon against targets in adjacent squares.

I hope this helps rather than add further confusion.


¹ This is anything listed as a melee weapon on the weapon and natural attack tables, or anything described to function as a melee weapon, which you wield as required (using the appropriate number of hands etc). See also the common exception in note 2 below.

² The one general exception to this is that you don't threaten any squares with unarmed strikes if you don't have the Improved Unarmed Strike feat or wear gauntlets/similar which allow you to be treated as "armed" with unarmed strikes.

³ For example when a creature is about to: leave the square using non-teleport movement or due to being moved by your ally's Greater Bull Rush/Drag/Reposition, make a ranged attack, cast a spell, or reload a firearm; or when you succeed on a trip CMB check against the target and you have Greater Trip, or when the target falls prone adjacent to you and you have Vicious Stomp, etc, etc.

⁴ For example when the target is invisible or you've already made all the AoOs you can make during a round, you can't perform an AoO even though the target still technically provokes. This can matter, for example if a target is invisible to you but visible to an ally and you both have the Paired Opportunist teamwork feat, even if the target would only provoke from without the feat you and you can't make the AoO, the target still also provokes from your ally who can make an AoO (assuming you both meet the demands described in the teamwork feat of course).

[Psyren]

Yes that's what I meant. They all get tagged as Genesis in the brainspace, apologies.

Can you say whye exactly they wouldnt stack?

Nothing concrete because stacking rules are poorly defined. For me, because the size increase usage has a duration instead of being instantaneous like the rest of the spell, I don't think the intent was for you to be able to pile as much mass as you want into one - rather the "base plane" that you're expanding doesn't actually change.

[Dr_Dinosaur]

Q181: Is there a faster way to determine the HP/hardness of a weapon (or worse, projectile) than determining its overall thickness and consulting the materials page? An upcoming character in a Spheres game has an ability that damages attackers' weapons and manually calculating it every time seems like a pain

[TheFamilarRaven]

A181: Yes. The Damaging Objects page on the PFSRD has a table that provides the hardness and HP for several types of objects, and also has supplementary tables for when different types of materials are used.

[Psyren]

A181 addendum: I'll add that if you're GMing a game for a character that makes heavy use of sunder, calculating the hardness of the enemies' weapons probably makes sense to do ahead of time while you're designing the encounter - just like if one of your PCs is a dispeller so you probably want to figure out the caster level of any enemy buffs ahead of time.

[Dr_Dinosaur]

A181: Yes. The Damaging Objects page on the PFSRD has a table that provides the hardness and HP for several types of objects, and also has supplementary tables for when different types of materials are used.

I'll add that if you're GMing a game for a character that makes heavy use of sunder, calculating the hardness of the enemies' weapons probably makes sense to do ahead of time while you're designing the encounter - just like if one of your PCs is a dispeller so you probably want to figure out the caster level of any enemy buffs ahead of time.

How does that chart interact with materials other than (I assume) steel, as seen on the lower chart?

Q182: Is an Air Elemental immune to weapon attacks while in Whirlwind Form? If so, how can that be bypassed?

[Cieyrin]

A 182 The Whirlwind ability does not change a creature's defenses, only its form, attacks and threatened area. They're just as vulnerable to weapon attacks as they normally are; their AC does not change.

[TheFamilarRaven]

How does that chart interact with materials other than (I assume) steel, as seen on the lower chart?

A181 Followup: As per the chart linked, the only type of object that is any different depending on what kind of material it is made from is armor. And even then, only the hardness of the object is altered. You are correct in that armor is typically assumed to made from iron or steel (or leather/hide or cloth for lighter armors) unless otherwise noted. So a suit of Fullplate has a hardness of 10, and 45 (9*5 as per the chart) hit points. Whereas a suit of leather armor has a hardness of 2 and 10 hit points. However, a suit of adamantium fullplate has a hardness of 20 as per the chart, but still only has 45 hitpoints.

There is a separate page containing all the special materials in the game in case you sport enemies with unusual armor and weapons. It includes their properties, but (most important to your question) their hardness.

To reiterate, you only need to worry about calculating the hardness and HP per inch of thickness if your player is going to be routinely smashing things other than weapons, armor, or items like rope and doors.