Simple Q&A for Pathfinder 3: Find With a Vengeance

[Yanisa]

A199
No. If you constitution increases, even temporary, your familiar gets half of the hit points that you gained from that constitution increase.
The familiar should get 33 HP (67/2 rounded down).

From Ability Score: Constitution

Temporary Bonuses: Temporary increases to your Constitution score give you a bonus on your Fortitude saving throws. In addition, multiply your total Hit Dice by this bonus and add that amount to your current and total hit points. When the bonus ends, remove this total from your current and total hit points.

From Witch Familiar Basics

Hit Points: The familiar has half the master's total hit points (not including temporary hit points), rounded down, regardless of its actual Hit Dice.

The temporary constitution adds the hit points to your total hit points, thus the familiar benefits from it

And to extra confirm it, here is a quote from James Jacobs.

A familiar's hp are equal to half its master's hp. This number—the master's hp—is the number that results from rolling HD as the master gains levels.

Effects that raise or lower Constitution (like the casting of a bear's endurance spell or suffering Constitution drain but NOT Constitution damage) will alter your familiar's maximum hp as well, because you and your familiar kind of share the same life force. This will indeed result in some situations where a particularly low hp caster will have an improved familiar with an unusually low hp total. This is what happens when a low hp caster bonds his life force to a creature. And since the caster's hp continue increasing as he gains levels, it won't stay unusually low for the familiar forever.

As for why the clause that lets a familiar keep his own hp if they were higher was removed, I actually can't say for sure. My guess: It enforces the fact that the master and familiar have a linked lifeline if the familiar doesn't have that out-clause. Or perhaps it was just made to simplify the rule.

P.S. You were right on false life and temporary hit points.

[Dalebert]

A199 b
Keep in mind, you can also cast False Life on your familiar if you want.

Q 200
I've long been under the impression that igniting webs from a Web Spell caused the entire mass to go up in flames. A recent reading of the description has me confused. Do you have to ignite each 5ft section of webs? For instance, if I toss a campfire bead in and activate it, does it only burn away the one square it's in or does the rest of the web eventually burn away as well? Does it spread to adjacent squares each round? Why doesn't a flaming sword ignite at least an entire square?

[Yanisa]

A200
This has been vague since 3.5 and both edition lack a clarification on this subject. And there are two interpretation on it.

1) The spell specifically calls out a 5-foot square burns away and has no rules for fire spreading, thus fire doesn't spread to adjacent squares.
2) The spell specifically calls out that any fire can set the webs alight, including the fire from a burning 5-foot square, thus each round the fire spreads to adjacent squares.

By the way, the "any fire" is a dangerous line, but that also means Flaming Swords could and would set the web ablaze, seeing as they are covered in flames.

[Barstro]

A200

Real world (for what it's worth), webs are easily destroyed by fire, since they are so fine, but they do not catch fire. So waving a torch in front of you will clear a path, but only where the torch directly touched the webbing.

Unless the mystery novel I read 30 years ago lied about that.

[Odessa333]

Q201

Would a Mithral Shield gain a DEX bonus? The mithral property says it does, but doesn't that fall under 'no adding your DEX to your armor twice' rule? For sake of numbers, say I'm wearing a breastplate and a mithral heavy steel shield, DEX bonus of +3. Would the DEX apply to both armor and shield? Or would that only be useful if I had like, a +6 DEX bonus?

[Dalebert]

A 201 Your dex bonus applies to your character; not your armor. The rating on the armor refers to how much it limits that bonus. A character wearing heavy armor can't move around as freely. Mithril armor is less limiting because it's lighter. So let's say your dex is 16 for a +3 bonus to AC. That bonus adds to your AC (it means you're good at dodging). Your armor might reduce it but it will never make it higher. That means a mithril shield will allow up to +6 to AC from your DEX but your character would still only have +3 due to 16 DEX. A character with a DEX of 24 who would normally get a +7 bonus to AC would only get +6 if using a mithril shield and lower still if they were also wearing armor with a lower limit.

[jackbrownii]

Q202. Acrobatics and avoiding AoO. The core rule book states:

In addition, you can move through a threatened square without provoking an attack of opportunity from an enemy by using Acrobatics.

Does is mean that you would need to roll for each square you move through, or, one roll for the entire move action?

[Yanisa]

A202
You roll once, for each enemy that you provoke an AoO from, with your move action.

The logic being that each action can only trigger one AoO from one opponent. So the same move action cannot provoke twice from the same opponent. Although that is not very clearly stated in the rules, but we have a FAQ entry clearing it up.

Acrobatics: How does Acrobatics work when you use it to avoid attacks of opportunity? When do you make checks? How many do you make?

Acrobatics allows you to make checks to move through the threatened area of foes without provoking attacks of opportunity. You must make a check the moment you attempt to leave a square threatened by an enemy, but only once per foe. The DC (which is based of the Combat Maneuver Defense of each foe), increases by +2 for each foe after the first in one round. The DC also increases by +5 if you attempt to move through a foe. In the case of moving out of the threatened square of two foes at the same time, the moving character decides which check to make first.

For example, a rogue is flanked by a meek goblin and a terrifying antipaladin. The rogue move away from both of them, provoking an attack of opportunity from both, but uses Acrobatics to attempt to negate them. She must move at half speed while threatened by these foes and can choose which to check against first. If she fails a check, she provokes an attack of opportunity from that foe. If she makes it, she does not provoke from moving through that foe's threatened space this turn.

[Odessa333]

Q203

Can you get a critical and/or automatic success with a combat maneuver (trip, grapple, disarm, etc)? What would it's critical range be dependent on (natural 20, or use your weapon's crit range if using a weapon?)


Q204

If you have a Keen weapon with a critical range of 15-20, does a 15-19 become automatic hits? Say you're fighting some epic monster with AC of 80 or something crazy, and your +10 to hit is no match. You roll a 15, roll to confirm, and you do not. Is it still an automatic hit? I've seen some confusion on 'only a natural 20 is an automatic hit.' Argument goes that if only a natural 20 hits, you roll you a 15 and fail to confirm the critical, the attack is resolved normally... as in, if it wouldn't hit, it doesn't hit. True?

Q205

In the above example of a monster with an 80 AC, what would happen if you rolled a natural 20 to threaten, and then rolled a natural 20 to confirm? Can you crit the attempt to critical, or if failing to confirm would it just be a normal hit?


EDIT: One more:

Q206
If you have a 'once a day' item like a Jingasa of the Fortunate soldier, could you use it's ability on one, and then switch to another? Opponents turn strikes me, I negate his critical. My turn, I five foot step away, I spend a move action to fetch my other Jingasa, and Standard I switch the two. Can I now use it's powers again?

[Segrain]

A203

Rolling a natural 20 while attempting a combat maneuver is always a success (except when attempting to escape from bonds), while rolling a natural 1 is always a failure.

As for Q204 and Q205,

A natural 1 (the d20 comes up 1) on an attack roll is always a miss. A natural 20 (the d20 comes up 20) is always a hit. A natural 20 is also a threat—a possible critical hit (see the attack action).

When you make an attack roll and get a natural 20 (the d20 shows 20), you hit regardless of your target's Armor Class, and you have scored a "threat," meaning the hit might be a critical hit (or "crit"). To find out if it's a critical hit, you immediately make an attempt to "confirm" the critical hit—another attack roll with all the same modifiers as the attack roll you just made. If the confirmation roll also results in a hit against the target's AC, your original hit is a critical hit. (The critical roll just needs to hit to give you a crit, it doesn't need to come up 20 again.) If the confirmation roll is a miss, then your hit is just a regular hit.

Sometimes your threat range is greater than 20. That is, you can score a threat on a lower number. In such cases, a roll of lower than 20 is not an automatic hit. Any attack roll that doesn't result in a hit is not a threat.

Thus,
A204
Roll of 15-19 is not automatical hit, and if it does not hit, it is not a threat, and if it is not a threat, confirmation roll is not made.
A205
Rolling to confirm is an attack roll, attack roll of natural 20 is an automatical hit, and since confirmation roll is a hit, attack is threated as confirmed critical. Rolling anything else on confirmation roll against such AC is not a hit, thus a failure to confirm, attack is treated as a regular hit. There is no rule for critting on confirmation roll.

[Odessa333]

Awesome! That 'not being able to escape bonds' thing on a natural 20 really makes my grappling character happy. And just in case the edit wasn't seen, I'll repost:


Q206
If you have a 'once a day' item like a Jingasa of the Fortunate soldier, could you use it's ability on one, and then switch to another? Opponents turn he strikes me, I negate his critical. My turn, I five foot step away, I spend a move action to fetch my other Jingasa, and Standard I switch the two. Can I now use it's powers again?

[Yanisa]

A206
Yes. The second hat is a second different magical item with its own use, the ability is not tied to the character in any way. Just like wands, spending 50 charges out of a wand doesn't prevent you from using a different wand with the same spell.

[Dalebert]

My turn, I five foot step away, I spend a move action to fetch my other Jingasa, and Standard I switch the two. Can I now use it's powers again?

Better yet, have an unseen servant carrying your extra hat and have him switch it for you.

Q 207 Any reason that wouldn't be viable?

[Yanisa]

A207
The sort answer, you would always need DM permission because most of this isn't covered by the rules.

The problem you run into is that there are no rules about equipping items, and how much time it takes. Because these are generally not done in combat. There are even less vague clues about how to equip an item to someone else. I figure the simple things like helmets wouldn't go beyond a move action, but again no rules.

Have a quote from Sean K Reynolds wherein he states that switching between two amulets is two move actions. And seeing has most amulet have annoying hooks to prevent them from falling off which takes me more then 3 seconds on average, I suspect most simple equipment falls under the move action. (Gloves, bracer's, boots, helmets, goggles, masks, etc). Things like robes and vestments are probably more like a full round action or two.

At the unseen servant side you run into a similar problem. It has a large list of things it cannot do, but non of these even remotely compare to equipping items on someone else. I do feel that putting helmets on people fits within the scope of the unseen servant, unless it has some detailed fastening system (Some Jingasa have a rope to prevent the helmet from falling off). Other magic items are a bigger question mark and to be fair putting stuff on someone in the middle of combat sounds like a hassle... But how that works in rules is unclear, its solely up to the DM how they want to deal with it, I don't see a single rule that even helps. (In general there is a strong lack of player interaction in the rules, just giving an item to someone else isn't covered by the rules, let alone the more complex things.)

[Genth]

Q208

How does optimistic gambler (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/traits/campa...mistic-gambler) work with rage?

Do I roll a d4 every time I rage and get that much 'free' rage?

Do I get fatigued including the amount of extra rage I rolled?

Am I fatigued -during- the 1d4 extra rage?

If not, then can't I abuse it by going, for example, start rage, roll 1d4, end rage, start rage after the roll rounds and essentially get an incredible amount of rage (at MINIMUM twice the number of rage rounds I have?)

[Spore]

A208 Optimistic Gambler starts working after you drop your rage. By RAW you're fatigued during your "extra rage" but if you drop out of rage because the fight is nearly won anyway this doesn't matter that much. You do not get fatigued for the extra rage. The feat elongates your morale bonusses not your penalties or your actual rage (this means you loose your AC penalty and you can use Dex/Int/Cha skills again).

Friendly note: Please check by your DM. There's always RAW and there's your DM's interpretation. This is a case where the DM's opinion might differ from RAW (since RAW in that case is very very odd).

[Odessa333]

Q209

I have a Lavender and Green Ellipsoid Ioun Stone that absorbs spells. Wizard gets annoyed by me absorbing his spells, and casts Greater Dispel Magic to stop/suppress this magic effect. What happens?

[Dalebert]

A 209
It appears to behave the same as dispel magic with regard to magic items.

If the object that you target is a magic item, you make a dispel check against the item's caster level (DC = 11 + the item's caster level). If you succeed, all the item's magical properties are suppressed for 1d4 rounds, after which the item recovers its magical properties. A suppressed item becomes nonmagical for the duration of the effect. An interdimensional opening (such as a bag of holding) is temporarily closed.

Q 210
Does Beast Shape not give you any attacks? For instance, if you turn into a grizzly bear, do you not get claws and/or a bite? The text is confusing because the mythic text implies that the regular versions do give the basic attacks but the spell appears to limit any benefits to the specific things listed.

[Spore]

A209 I disagree respectfully. If the surpression where the case then EVERY instantaneous spell effect would work instead of being absorbed. The item effect has to come before the actual spell effect or else the item would be useless.

A210 The changes are listed in the rules for Magic: Polymorph in the magic chapter of the CRB.

Spoiler

Show

Polymorph: A polymorph spell transforms your physical body to take on the shape of another creature. While these spells make you appear to be the creature, granting you a +10 bonus on Disguise skill checks, they do not grant you all of the abilities and powers of the creature. Each polymorph spell allows you to assume the form of a creature of a specific type, granting you a number of bonuses to your ability scores and a bonus to your natural armor. In addition, each polymorph spell can grant you a number of other benefits, including movement types, resistances, and senses. If the form you choose grants these benefits, or a greater ability of the same type, you gain the listed benefit. If the form grants a lesser ability of the same type, you gain the lesser ability instead. Your base speed changes to match that of the form you assume. If the form grants a swim or burrow speed, you maintain the ability to breathe if you are swimming or burrowing. The DC for any of these abilities equals your DC for the polymorph spell used to change you into that form.

In addition to these benefits, you gain any of the natural attacks of the base creature, including proficiency in those attacks. These attacks are based on your base attack bonus, modified by your Strength or Dexterity as appropriate, and use your Strength modifier for determining damage bonuses.

If a polymorph spell causes you to change size, apply the size modifiers appropriately, changing your armor class, attack bonus, Combat Maneuver Bonus, and Stealth skill modifiers. Your ability scores are not modified by this change unless noted by the spell.

Unless otherwise noted, polymorph spells cannot be used to change into specific individuals. Although many of the fine details can be controlled, your appearance is always that of a generic member of that creature's type. Polymorph spells cannot be used to assume the form of a creature with a template or an advanced version of a creature.

When you cast a polymorph spell that changes you into a creature of the animal, dragon, elemental, magical beast, plant, or vermin type, all of your gear melds into your body. Items that provide constant bonuses and do not need to be activated continue to function while melded in this way (with the exception of armor and shield bonuses, which cease to function). Items that require activation cannot be used while you maintain that form. While in such a form, you cannot cast any spells that require material components (unless you have the Eschew Materials or Natural Spell feat), and can only cast spells with somatic or verbal components if the form you choose has the capability to make such movements or speak, such as a dragon. Other polymorph spells might be subject to this restriction as well, if they change you into a form that is unlike your original form (subject to GM discretion). If your new form does not cause your equipment to meld into your form, the equipment resizes to match your new size.

While under the effects of a polymorph spell, you lose all extraordinary and supernatural abilities that depend on your original form (such as keen senses, scent, and darkvision), as well as any natural attacks and movement types possessed by your original form. You also lose any class features that depend upon form, but those that allow you to add features (such as sorcerers that can grow claws) still function. While most of these should be obvious, the GM is the final arbiter of what abilities depend on form and are lost when a new form is assumed. Your new form might restore a number of these abilities if they are possessed by the new form.

You can only be affected by one polymorph spell at a time. If a new polymorph spell is cast on you (or you activate a polymorph effect, such as wild shape), you can decide whether or not to allow it to affect you, taking the place of the old spell. In addition, other spells that change your size have no effect on you while you are under the effects of a polymorph spell.

If a polymorph spell is cast on a creature that is smaller than Small or larger than Medium, first adjust its ability scores to one of these two sizes using the following table before applying the bonuses granted by the polymorph spell.

Q211 If I have three natural attacks (two claws, one bite) is one of them (either the pairs of claws or the bite) considered secondary?

Q212 As I have understood it you only get the 1,5x STR mod when you only use one natural attack, right? Like in an standard action attack?

[Yanisa]

A211
Nope. Natural Attacks are set in their category, they are either primary or secondary. Having two primary attacks doesn't change one of them into a secondary attack, they both keep being primary.

There are two exceptions
The most famous is when you use a weapon in addition to natural attacks, then all natural attacks, regardless of their previous type, become secondary attacks.
The other one is when you only posses one type of natural attack, then that one is always primary, regardless of what its normal type was.

A212
No.

If a creature has only one natural attack, it is always made using the creature’s full base attack bonus and adds 1-1/2 times the creature’s Strength bonus on damage rolls. This increase does not apply if the creature has multiple attacks but only takes one.

So you only get the 1.5x strength when you have one natural attack total.

[JesusCraig]

Q213:
What are the best non-dinosaur wild shape forms at level 4 for combat?

[Dalebert]

A209 I disagree respectfully. If the surpression where the case then EVERY instantaneous spell effect would work instead of being absorbed. The item effect has to come before the actual spell effect or else the item would be useless.

Oh, derp. I completely missed the point of the question, that these were two conflicting effects. I agree. The point of the magic item is to absorb a spell effect BEFORE it has a chance to work on the user, or their items. I think the item would absorb the GDM as long as it targeted either the user or their items (including the stone itself). And it wouldn't matter if casst on the area since that doesn't suppress items.

[Larsen]

Q214 If i cast several Holy aura on my ally, when an ennemy is hitting him, does he needs to pass multiple saves not to be blind ?

(since summoning an Astral Deva allows to spam this spell at will, it could be quite broken...)

[Dalebert]

A 214
I would say no. Generally multiples of the same effects from the same spell or even from different spells do not stack per the section "Stacking Effects" on this page.

[Ceaon]

Q 215: Would a Monk using the mythic Archmage ability Enduring Armor still get to add his wisdom and ac bonus to his armor class, or does the summoned armor of force count as actual armor?

[VeggieWombat]

Q216: Does Cayden Cailean have the Liberation domain ? (Rulebook says no, wikia says yes...)

[Platymus Pus]

Q217: is there a way to use an acrobatics check and apply it to damage, such as a feat, item, or class?

[Dalebert]

A 215
It appears to be very similar to mage armor and I believe that doesn't prevent a monk from getting their wisdom bonus. They aren't "wearing armor" or encumbered by it just as a mage doesn't have their spells impeded by it.

A 217
It's not much but a search of "acrobatic" turned up Lethal Acrobatics and Acrobatic Charge.

[Yanisa]

A213

Between the two handbooks I found, it seems a toss up between Leopard, Cheetah and Wolverine. Where wolverine does the most damage and cheetahs are faster. Leopards have more potential when you reach higher levels, but start of with better climb speed then wolverines and have the same damage as cheetahs. (At level 6, Leopards get grab, pounce and rake. Which is nice for a medium creature)

Spoiler: Full Comparison

Show

Cheetah
Low-light vision
Speed 50 ft.
Melee bite (1d6), 2 claws (1d3)

Leopard
Low-light vision
Speed 30 ft., climb 20 ft.
Melee bite (1d6), 2 claws (1d3)

Wolverine
Low-light vision
Speed 30 ft., climb 10 ft.
Melee 2 claws (1d6), bite (1d4)

Btw the handbook links:
Wild Shape Options - A druid oriented handbook, has a nice list of stats, but sadly is only written with Bestiary one.
Polymorphamory - The Love of Changing Form (A guide to shapeshifting) -> Beast Shape Sections although this gudie only focuses on the best forms. Also lacks Bestiary four, but has most other books.

A216
Not anymore, I guess. Although it's not unreasonable to house rule in, its very fitting.

From one of the wiki's I found this:

Domain

Liberation domain seems not to be listed in later sources. As most deities have 5 domains and this is his sixth, this may be the reason for the change.

The most recent list of Cayden Cailean's domains does not list Liberation, therefore it's been removed. --Brandingopportunity (talk) 05:43, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

So it sounds like in some early book he had Liberation, but lost it because some arbitrary rule demands gods only to have 5 domains.

[unseenmage]

Q218
When building SLAs into Homunculus can any spell be used or are offensive spells off limits?
How about terrain/objects modifying spells like Stone Shape or Masterwork Transformation? Would these just be oils instead of potions proper?


Q219
On this Mythweavers character sheet what is MAB, CMB, RAB?
(My apologies if this is basic stuff, my first time converting to PF.)