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

[AvatarVecna]

Q416

I'm having difficulty finding a rule I'm pretty sure exists. Is there a general rule stating that your effective Druid level for animal companion purposes is capped at your character level?

[ciopo]

A416

I don't know about a general rule, but both boon companion and beast rider, feats that increases "EDL", mentions the "up to character level" limit

Notably, huntmaster feat does NOT have that limitation, and allows you to be 1 "EDL" higher, unchained, so I don't think there's a general rule

Animal ally feat also doesn't esplictly forbid to go above HD, and esplicitly stack

[Kurald Galain]

A416 addendum

Animal ally feat also doesn't esplictly forbid to go above HD, and esplicitly stack

Animal Ally has as prerequisite that you do not have an animal companion, so that means it doesn't stack with any of the above.

[Rynjin]

A416 addendum 2 There is no general rule to that effect, and are in fact a few options that do not have the "up to your character level" clause. Nature Oracles who take the Elf or Aasimar Favored Class Bonus can exceed their character level for their Bonded Mount feature, for instance.

These effects are few and far between, but do exist.

[AvatarVecna]

A416 addendum


Animal Ally has as prerequisite that you do not have an animal companion, so that means it doesn't stack with any of the above.

It has a prerequisite that you don't already have one, but then it explicitly allows it to stack if you gain one through another method later.

Benefit: You gain an animal companion as if you were a druid of your character level –3 from the following list: badger, bird, camel, cat (small), dire rat, dog, horse, pony, snake (viper), or wolf. If you later gain an animal companion through another source (such as the Animal domain, divine bond, hunter’s bond, mount, or nature bond class features), the effective druid level granted by this feat stacks with that granted by other sources.

This is actually part of what prompted my question, because if you stack basically anything with Animal Ally, it all but guarantees that effective druid level will exceed character level, which I thought was illegal. But now I can't find any general rule actually forbidding it, just a few methods of getting ACs that explicitly say they can't stack at all or won't stack about CL (like VMC druid's animal companion can't stack with anything except a feat that just gives you +4 effective druid level?).

[Kurald Galain]

A416 more specifically

Turns out there is such a rule, but only within PFS. The "rule" is found in a forum post by one of the developers. It says they intend to add this as an official rule in the future, but it turns out they've never actually done that. This does clarify RAI, and such forum posts do count as RAW for PFS purposes. HTH.

[Draconi Redfir]

Q417:

Is there any arcane-equivalent version of the Divine Defiance feat?

Would like some extra protection against arcane spells, but can't find anything similar.

[ciopo]

A417

Superstitious trait, but it's +1 and not +2

There isn't a feat equivalent that I know of, but supposedly you can take additional trait for superstitious plussomething else

[Draconi Redfir]

Q418:

Godless healing ... What action is it to use in combat? It just says you can use it, but as an action? move action? free action? these are all very different things.
@V Herp, why did my eyes skip that part? thank you!

[Kurald Galain]

A418: "Once per day when you have half your total hit points or fewer, you may heal yourself of an amount of damage equal to 1d8 plus your total Hit Dice as a move action."

Otherwise, if an ability doesn't specify what action it uses, is takes a standard action (that is why it is called a "standard action").

[Elvensilver]

*Q419*: Can a creature with truespeech communicate with somebody who uses sign language?

[Cieyrin]

A 419 Sign Language is a language, so truespeech should work, yes.

[ciopo]

Q420

The feat signature skill, when applied to knowledge, is it to "all" knowledges, or a single one?

[Cieyrin]

A 420

If your chosen skill is Craft, Knowledge, Perform, or Profession, you gain the listed powers only for one category of that skill, such as Craft (bows).

You have to pick category, as quoted from your feat.

[ciopo]

Q421
Does ascetic form allow the user to flurry of blows with the chosen weapon?

[Rynjin]

Q421
Does ascetic form allow the user to flurry of blows with the chosen weapon?

A421: Technically, no...because you can already use Flurry of Blows with all weapons that qualify for Ascetic Style/Form. The Monk weapon property just means it can be used with Flurry.

Typically (and sadly, IMO), using Flurry with one of these weapons (like a Temple Sword) is optimal compared to using unarmed strikes for this reason.

Monk: A weapon can be placed in the monk group only if it gains the monk weapon feature (see below).

...

Monk: A monk weapon can be used by a monk to perform a flurry of blows

[Maat Mons]

Q 422: Okay, so I’m slightly confused by the Mnemostiller archetype for Alchemist.

A mnemostiller uses his Charisma score in place of his Intelligence score for the purpose of extracts and bonus extracts. A mnemostiller still uses his Intelligence score to learn new formulae.

As I’m understanding it, that means the following.

Bonus Extracts per Day: Charisma
Minimum Ability Score to Learn Formula: Intelligence
Minimum Ability Score to Prepare Extract: Charisma
Extract Save DC: Charisma
Formulae Know at 1st level: ???
Spellcraft Check to Learn Formula: Intelligence

Do formulae known at 1st level count as “learning new formulae?”

[Kurald Galain]

A 422: No, “learning new formulae” refers to the process of copying a formula from a found or borrowed formula book.

[Maat Mons]

Okay, so the ability scores apply as follows?

Bonus Extracts per Day: Charisma
Minimum Ability Score to Learn Formula: Intelligence
Minimum Ability Score to Prepare Extract: Charisma
Extract Save DC: Charisma
Formulae Know at 1st level: Charisma
Spellcraft Check to Learn Formula: Intelligence

[Rynjin]

I think the only thing that remains Int based is the Spellcraft check. This is essentially a find and replace the word Intelligence for Charisma in the Alchemy class feature, but it has a stipulation that it does not change the text in the Magic Rules section of the rulebook.

[ciopo]

Q423

Alchemist, extracts, silence spell. How do they interact? I tried googling and there's frustatingly little digital ink on the matter of using silence against alchemists

[Cieyrin]

A 423 Extracts aren't spells, you can't apply metamagic feats to them. Not to mention:

An extract is “cast” by drinking it, as if imbibing a potion

There isn't a verbal component to remove.

[Kurald Galain]

A424: That depends. If the feat you're looking for is a ranger combat style, or a maneuver feat, or a style feat, then there's ways to grab these without their prereqs (respectively, ranger or slayer or nature fang druid; maneuver master monk or blood conduit bloodrager; and unarmed fighter or many styles monk). There's probably a few other examples if you can be more specific as to what you're looking for.

[Rynjin]

A424: That depends. If the feat you're looking for is a ranger combat style, or a maneuver feat, or a style feat, then there's ways to grab these without their prereqs (respectively, ranger or slayer or nature fang druid; maneuver master monk or blood conduit bloodrager; and unarmed fighter or many styles monk). There's probably a few other examples if you can be more specific as to what you're looking for.

Did somebody delete their question?

[Draconi Redfir]

Did somebody delete their question?

yes, i was asking if there was a way to qualify for feats that require power attack, without actually getting power attack. After a day or two of no responses, i figured "ehh, this is a silly question anyways" and deleted it so someone else could get the question in and the thread didn't get hung up on one silly question.

Guess Kurald had the thread open from before i deleted it, sorry about that!

[Rynjin]

yes, i was asking if there was a way to qualify for feats that require power attack, without actually getting power attack. After a day or two of no responses, i figured "ehh, this is a silly question anyways" and deleted it so someone else could get the question in and the thread didn't get hung up on one silly question.

Guess Kurald had the thread open from before i deleted it, sorry about that!

Ahhh, right. I remember seeing that, but didn't have the time to do a ton of research on it. I had thought there might be a Feat equivalent to Dirty Fighting for Power Attack, but I don't think it actually exists in a broad sense. Guarded Charge works if you specifically want to Bull Rush?


But Kurald Galain is correct in that your best bet is probably to figure out what EXACT Feats you want and start looking for ways to ignore the prereqs on those Feats specifically, or ask your GM for some leeway given you're already nerfing yourself a bit by not taking Power Attack.

[ciopo]

Q425

Total defense states it can't be used with combat expertise, but can combat expertise be used with fightning defensively? and/or the crane style feats

[Rynjin]

Q425

Total defense states it can't be used with combat expertise, but can combat expertise be used with fightning defensively? and/or the crane style feats

A425 Yes, to all of the above. With the exception of Total Defense, all three of the other things can be used at the same time.

[Elvensilver]

Q 426:
Looking at reincarnate, I am not sure what happens to age related mental ability score increases. While the creature does get reincarnated into the body of a young adult, the spell only specifies how the bodily ability scores change, and I would think that mental ability score increases come from experiences and longevity rather than the body?

[...]The magic of the spell creates an entirely new young adult body for the soul to inhabit from the natural elements at hand. This process takes 1 hour to complete. When the body is ready, the subject is reincarnated.

A reincarnated creature recalls the majority of its former life and form. It retains any class abilities, feats, or skill ranks it formerly possessed. Its class, base attack bonus, base save bonuses, and hit points are unchanged. Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores depend partly on the new body. First eliminate the subject’s racial adjustments (since it is no longer necessarily of his previous race) and then apply the adjustments found below to its remaining ability scores[...]The reincarnated creature gains all abilities associated with its new form, including forms of movement and speeds, natural armor, natural attacks, extraordinary abilities, and the like, but it doesn’t automatically speak the language of the new form.[...]

So what happens to the mental ability score adjustments of middle aged or older reincarnated creatures?

[Seto]

A426: The mental ability scores of a reincarnated creature remain unchanged (including increases due to age if applicable). As mentioned by the spell, the only modification comes from removing racial adjustments to physical ability scores, then applying racial adjustments to physical ability scores for the new race.
You didn't specifically ask, but that also means that mental racial adjustments are retained. An old Elf reincarnated into a young adult Orc keeps their +2 racial bonus to INT, loses their +2 racial bonus to DEX and gains a +4 racial bonus to STR for being an Orc. On top of that, they lose their -3 malus to STR, DEX and CON due to age, but keep the +2 increase to INT, WIS and CHA due to age.