[Pathfinder] Dreamscarred Press FAQ

[Kaouse]

Ceradon's Eternity is from Akashic Trinity, this question goes in the lost spheres thread.

Akashic Mysteries, The Rajah, and upcoming Akashic War are DSP

Akashic Trinity and Zodiac are Lost Spheres Publishing.

Okay, thanks. That still leaves the question about essence burn though.

[ghanjrho]

Okay, thanks. That still leaves the question about essence burn though.

Recovers at a rate of 1/minute spent in meditation.

[Val666]

Since a 4th level Rajah/Batal can bind titles/veils to the Belt, Body, Chest, Feet, Hands, Head, Headband, Neck, Shoulders, and Wrists slots, that means they could get a +5 Essence Born Weapon starting at level 4? I mean, it actually would be like a +10 weapon at level 4? With enough essence to invest obviously.

[AlienFromBeyond]

Since a 4th level Rajah/Batal can bind titles/veils

No they can't, they can only bind title veils specifically, not regular veils. I don't even know of an "Essence Born" weapon special ability, the only thing I know of by that name is the racial trait the akashic races have.

[Ssalarn]

No they can't, they can only bind title veils specifically, not regular veils. I don't even know of an "Essence Born" weapon special ability, the only thing I know of by that name is the racial trait the akashic races have.

Essence forged (which works as they describe) is a type of magic weapon from Akashic Mysteries whose scaling properties are based on the wielder's ability to bind to certain slots but doesn't actually require you to bind it.

Technically speaking, RAW yes, the batal could unlock those options (assuming they have the essence capacity) since they only require being able to bind to the referenced slots (Hands, Wrists, Shoulders), which the batal can do, but Akashic Mysteries was written with the intent that binds would only be available in certain level ranges and that "able to bind to X chakra" would be more or less synonymous with "unlocking your X chakra bind" (temporary spells or effects which briefly unlock the bind being a potential exception). Being able to permanently bind to your Shoulders prior to 10th level and without actually unlocking your Shoulders chakra isn't a situation that essence born weapons were ever expected to interact with. That's also true of feats and abilities like Pistolero's Bind, Treewalker, View Energy, and anything else that has "able to bind to X chakra" as part of its description or prerequisites.

[AlienFromBeyond]

It's a type of magic weapon from Akashic Mysteries whose scaling properties are based on the wielder's ability to bind to certain slots but doesn't actually require you to bind it.

Do you mean the Essence Forged weapon special ability? While it does potentially give up to +5 of "free" enhancements it also requires essence investment, so the full +5 isn't even available for a Batal until 12th level. It's mostly cost effective with regards to WBL, but certainly doesn't come out of nowhere or nothing.

[Ssalarn]

Do you mean the Essence Forged weapon special ability? While it does potentially give up to +5 of "free" enhancements it also requires essence investment, so the full +5 isn't even available for a Batal until 12th level. It's mostly cost effective with regards to WBL, but certainly doesn't come out of nowhere or nothing.

It's not coming out of "nowhere", no, but +8 weapons at 7th level weren't something essence forged weapons were intended to give either. I can't speak as to the intent of the rajah, but the weapons themselves don't expect that kind of scaling.

[upho]

Since a 4th level Rajah/Batal can bind titles/veils to the Belt, Body, Chest, Feet, Hands, Head, Headband, Neck, Shoulders, and Wrists slots, that means they could get a +5 Essence Born Weapon starting at level 4? I mean, it actually would be like a +10 weapon at level 4? With enough essence to invest obviously.

No, as an essence forged weapon is still subject to the same essence capacity limits as all other receptacles (veils, feats, racial traits etc.) So a 4th level Rajah/Batal could at the very most gain a +2 weapon with magic weapon special abilities of a cost equivalent to +2, assuming they have the Enhanced Capacity feat. Strictly RAW, this is still an absolutely absurd advantage for most Rajahs, as it grants the equivalent of a magic weapon with a normal market price of up to 32,000 gp, a net gain of up to 27,000 gp and way outside the normal WBL limits.

In addition, as the relative difference between the price of an essence forged weapon and that of an equivalent weapon scales dramatically with the level dependent receptacle limits, while the relative essence investment most likely remains the same (due to additional essence from Radiant Dawn maneuvers), this absurd advantage just grows. For example, at the cost of 5,000 gp, a feat and 3 invested essence (= 1/3 of total pool), a 6th level Rajah could wield an essence forged weapon equivalent to a +6 weapon, which normally costs a whopping 72,000 gp. Put in perspective, that is by itself no less than 4.5 times the normal 16,000 gp total WBL of a 6th level PC, and about equal to the expected cost of the weapons wielded by a 17th level PC!

In short, this was very clearly not intended, and I'd urge you and anyone else who plays or GMs for a Rajah to alter the rules so that the Rajah is at the very least bound to the same essence forged level limits as one of the original veilweavers from AM (probably the Vizier). And considering the high power level of the Rajah, it may be preferable to instead simply rule that the empowered titles feature (and archetype equivalents) doesn't count at all for the purpose of gaining essence forged special magic weapon abilities, forcing the Rajah to invest into Access Chakra Slot feats, just like most other initiators will gladly do.

While it does potentially give up to +5 of "free" enhancements it also requires essence investment, so the full +5 isn't even available for a Batal until 12th level. It's mostly cost effective with regards to WBL, but certainly doesn't come out of nowhere or nothing.

It's not nothing, but it's darn close to it considering the potential gains. Looking at my examples above, during nearly all levels I can't think of anything which would give you even remotely as much for the same relative amount of invested essence and 5k.

It's not coming out of "nowhere", no, but +8 weapons at 7th level weren't something essence forged weapons were intended to give either. I can't speak as to the intent of the rajah, but the weapons themselves don't expect that kind of scaling.

Yeah, I think that's pretty clear, as is the fact the Rajah's author missed/underestimated the potential. I mean, essence forged is great even in a game without PoW, and the Radiant Dawn discipline itself makes essence forged a near no-brainer also for most other initiators no later than the early teen levels, despite them having to make considerably greater investments than the Rajah. Which makes the Rajah's unique advantage even more ridiculous IMO.

[Ninjaxenomorph]

Huh, I always thought the special abilities came from the actual bonus from the essence itself.

[upho]

Huh, I always thought the special abilities came from the actual bonus from the essence itself.

They do. It's just that the invested essence maximum and thus enhancement bonus maximum is limited by the level-dependent receptacle limits, while the special abilities maximum is also dependent on which slots the wielder is able to bind to:

"Essence forged weapons... ...gain an enhancement bonus to attack and damage equal to the amount of essence invested in them (maximum +5)."

"A wielder capable of binding to the hands chakra may access +1 enhancement bonus worth of these abilities, a wielder capable of binding to the wrists chakra may access up to +3, and a character capable of binding to the shoulders chakra may access up to +5. The weapon must have an amount of essence invested equal to the total enhancement bonus of any accessed abilities for those to be used (for example, an akashic warrior able to bind to his shoulders chakra and wielding an essence forged weapon with the speed property would need to have at least 3 points of essence invested)."

So if the character in the above example from the item description had instead wielded an essence forged weapon with say one +4 and one +1 special ability, their 3 invested essence would've only granted them a +3 weapon with the +1 special ability.

[CactusAir]

So if I use the Swarm Master (archetype) Dread's ability to form a swarm from it's Pestilence Cloak Veil, do I lose the usual benefits of the Veil while the swarm is active?

I can't remember if i asked this before...

[Llyarden]

In the PoW errata, the Zweihander Sentinel's alteration to the 'Maneuvers' class feature means that it is no longer incompatible with other archetypes that also alter the 'Maneuvers' class feature. The Dervish Defender, however, didn't get this change and is thus still incompatible with almost every other Warder archetype. Was this an oversight or is the disparity intended?

[Althrion]

regarding the Dread Swarmmaster Archetype.
The Pestilence Swarm lacks a few pieces of information.
-What is the AC?
-What is are the saves?
-How large are the creatures in the swarm? Tiny, fine, Diminutive?

[Manyasone]

regarding the Dread Swarmmaster Archetype.
The Pestilence Swarm lacks a few pieces of information.
-What is the AC?
-What is are the saves?
-How large are the creatures in the swarm? Tiny, fine, Diminutive?

Cloak doesn't give AC, it gives concealment. The DC is as per rules, 10 plus cha modifier plus essence invested.
And this swarm creature size doesn't matter

[upho]

So if I use the Swarm Master (archetype) Dread's ability to form a swarm from it's Pestilence Cloak Veil, do I lose the usual benefits of the Veil while the swarm is active?

I can't remember if i asked this before...

This isn't explicitly spelled out anywhere AFAICT, but it seems pretty darn obvious from the description that the "swarm-cloak-veil" is not longer "worn" by you and therefore doesn't grant you any of its normal benefits. I can't interpret the description in any other way than that it becomes its own creature instead of an effect on you. Hopefully Ssalarn will pop by here and confirm this is the case, but I'd be surprised if he were to say the intent was any different.

In the PoW errata, the Zweihander Sentinel's alteration to the 'Maneuvers' class feature means that it is no longer incompatible with other archetypes that also alter the 'Maneuvers' class feature. The Dervish Defender, however, didn't get this change and is thus still incompatible with almost every other Warder archetype. Was this an oversight or is the disparity intended?

No archetype which alters the maneuvers feature is incompatible with another which also does so, unless both trade out the same discipline(s). So for example the ZS and the DD trade out different disciplines and thus aren't incompatible because they both alter the maneuver feature, but because they both also alter the warder's weapon and armor proficiencies. Likewise, for example the Fiendbound Marauder and the Ordained Defender archetypes are compatible, even though they both alter the maneuver feature.

A search should turn up more detailed answers from the authors here, plus additional examples.

[Ssalarn]

This isn't explicitly spelled out anywhere AFAICT, but it seems pretty darn obvious from the description that the "swarm-cloak-veil" is not longer "worn" by you and therefore doesn't grant you any of its normal benefits. I can't interpret the description in any other way than that it becomes its own creature instead of an effect on you. Hopefully Ssalarn will pop by here and confirm this is the case, but I'd be surprised if he were to say the intent was any different.

No reason to be surprised. You're correct.

[Val666]

I use Divide and Conquer Strike from Radiant Dawn against and adjacent enemy with lets say...2 point of essence invested, thus creating 3 effigies around me. The effigies last until the end of my next turn, so next turn I use Circle of Razor Feathers from Black Seraph, dealing 8d6 damage to all foes around 30 ft. of me. This combo would deal 32d6 to the foe I created effigies from? With multiple saves to reduce damage by half per instance of Razor Feathers damage? And also 4 saves or become sickened for multiple rounds?

[Althrion]

Cloak doesn't give AC, it gives concealment. The DC is as per rules, 10 plus cha modifier plus essence invested.
And this swarm creature size doesn't matter

Sorry, i haven´t been clear enough.
The Swarm Master Archetype is capable of seperating the cloak, creating a swarm in the process.
And as soon as the swarm becomes a thing with Hp 10 times essence invested all those things listed matter.

[upho]

regarding the Dread Swarmmaster Archetype.
The Pestilence Swarm lacks a few pieces of information.
-What is the AC?
-What is are the saves?
-How large are the creatures in the swarm? Tiny, fine, Diminutive?

You're quite correct this info is needed, and I agree it's darn hard to tell from the rules.

1. Seems AC could very well be irrelevant, because judging by the Pestilence Cloak veil description - "...swarm of flies and cockroaches... ...swarm of illusory insects..." - it appears the insects are at most Diminutive size. And I can't think of any attacks which target AC which the swarm wouldn't also be immune to.

2. The saves seem to be far less clear, actually. But I think the most reasonable extrapolation of the rules is that since the swarm is actually still a veil, it's still also treated as a magic item, likely of a CL equal to you veilweaver level (even though that is actually never spelled out for anything other than dispel effects etc., and the CL equivalent isn't mentioned at all). Akashic Mysteries says:

"Veils have a Hardness score equal to the veilweaver’s level and gain a bonus to saves vs. targeted effects equal to the amount of essence currently invested. Veils can also be targeted by dispel magic, mage’s disjunction, or similar spells effects, and are treated as a magic item when determining the effects."

And "Damaging Objects" general rules say:

"Magical Items: Magic items always get saving throws. A magic item’s Fortitude, Reflex, and Will save bonuses are equal to 2 + half its caster level. An attended magic item either makes saving throws as its owner or uses its own saving throw bonus, whichever is better."

Although I guess it's also far from impossible it was actually intended that the swarm should use the same saves as a Dread's normal phantom would.

No reason to be surprised. You're correct.

'Course I am. You know, I've read such huge amounts of PF rules text you've written I can now also read your mind like an open book...

...And unsurprisingly, your mind does read pretty much exactly like an open PF rules book.

And of course, seems we've now run into a far less easily solved issue with the Swarm Master and really need your help...

[Danielxxi]

I'd like to bump this question too.

I'd like to bump this question, since I'm wondering the same thing and it still doesn't have an answer:

Monster Classes:

If I am understanding everything correctly does the Deathless Ghost not have any carrying capacity? If it does not then how does the feat Selective Tangibility work?

Is it safe to asumme that it work like Amulet of Grasping Souls?

When an incorporeal creature wears the amulet, it can interact with it surroundings. Any item in its possession becomes incorporeal, allowing the incorporeal creature to take items and phase through objects with them. An incorporeal creature without a Strength score uses its Charisma score to determine how much it can carry.

Of course, except for armors, since the feat explicit says that do no work with armors.

[AncientSpark]

For the Eternal Guardian's Stance of the Infinite Warrior, which allows any squares you threaten to remain threatened until the end of your next turn:

Lets suppose I'm in the stance and I move during my turn. Clearly, any squares I threatened from my starting location are still threatened by the stance. Any squares I threaten in my new square are obviously threatened. But what about squares in my reach *during the move itself*. Can I just create a giant line of threatened squares? Or are squares around the starting and ending locations the only ones considered threatened?

Basically, I'm not sure if you have a reach while you're moving or not because you're mid action.

[Elricaltovilla]

For the Eternal Guardian's Stance of the Infinite Warrior, which allows any squares you threaten to remain threatened until the end of your next turn:

Can I just create a giant line of threatened squares?

It's this one. You can, hypothetically, make AOOs during your own movement, so those squares you threaten as you move are still retained as part of the stance.

[CactusAir]

Rajah question:

Titles don't have the text that Share Veil feat has indicating that the target creature has to have the corresponding magic item slot.

Is this an oversight or can I actually put The Nightmare on my Snake Animal Companion?

[upho]

Rajah question:

Titles don't have the text that Share Veil feat has indicating that the target creature has to have the corresponding magic item slot.

Is this an oversight or can I actually put The Nightmare on my Snake Animal Companion?

Yes, you can absolutely make your snake entitled (from "Titles" description and sidebar):

"Titles do not occupy veil slots (neither shaping nor binding), and there is no limit to the amount of Titles a creature can have shaped or bound onto them."

Though Titles do not occupy veil slots, there is still a slot listed in each Title’s description. Rajahs can always bind their Titles to gain their chakra effect so long as they have the empowered titles class feature, but any other character who gains access to Titles must be able to bind veils to the Title’s associated slot in order to bind it for the chakra’s effect. As they do not occupy veil slots, title veils are not affected by Akashic catalysts."

A snake AC would however work very poorly as a Buraq AC if your game uses the magic item slots for animals suggested in Familiar Folio.

You should of course still be careful not to spoil your slithering friend with too many veil benefits, or they'll likely develop a serious "entitlement problem"...

[Rynjin]

So, Iron Tortoise Maneuvers. Are the "opposed attack roll" Counters as low as they sound?

Ex, Iron Shell:

The initiator makes an opposed attack roll as if making a shield bash attempt at his full base attack bonus plus his shield bonus to AC against his enemy’s attack roll

So is this JUST my BaB plus Shield Bonus, or do you add everything else you'd normally add to a shield bash attack, but also add your shield bonus to AC?

I'm rolling up against a creature with a +29 attack bonus, and I'm wondering whether I even have a chance of Iron Dfeender's Riposte doing anything to save an otherwise dead ally.

[Elricaltovilla]

The maneuver specifies "as if making a shield bash," therefore you would use all the normal modifiers for a shield bash attack plus your shield bonus to AC.

[AncientSpark]

Tempest Gale Style's wording is as follows:

"You can make bull rush, dirty trick, disarm, and trip attempts using a ranged weapon against any target within your first range increment. Attempting a combat maneuver in this way is a standard action..."

This wording seems to imply that Tempest Gale Style doesn't allow you to use the mentioned maneuvers at ranged if, say, someone gave you an opportunity to perform any combat maneuver as a free action. Is that right?

[exelsisxax]

Tempest Gale Style's wording is as follows:

"You can make bull rush, dirty trick, disarm, and trip attempts using a ranged weapon against any target within your first range increment. Attempting a combat maneuver in this way is a standard action..."

This wording seems to imply that Tempest Gale Style doesn't allow you to use the mentioned maneuvers at ranged if, say, someone gave you an opportunity to perform any combat maneuver as a free action. Is that right?

Correct. However, tempest gale maneuvers that grant you combat maneuvers do not use the same language, and are (usually) free actions. Tempest gale style is for using combat maneuvers outside expending TG maneuvers.

[upho]

This wording seems to imply that Tempest Gale Style doesn't allow you to use the mentioned maneuvers at ranged if, say, someone gave you an opportunity to perform any combat maneuver as a free action. Is that right?

Might be worth noting that this can still be very useful with long range weapons, especially in combination with a boosted sniping ability.

And note also that you can actually perform granted free action combat maneuvers at range by becoming Captain Andoran taking 7 levels of Shield Champion brawler. This allows you to make most combat maneuvers in all ways as if in melee using ranged shield bashes. Which can of course be made very powerful despite the limited range of throwing shields (especially with feats like Ki Throw and Akashic Mysteries feats like Powerful Throw and Shape Veil (Ei's Utterdark Shield), not to mention awesome magic weapon combos like Dueling (PSFG/psionic) and Leveraging weapon abilities on a Maelstrom or Tempest Shield). Although this is of course not a great fit with Tempest Gale maneuvers unless you also go for a typically somewhat more costly/limited Dex based route.

[Elricaltovilla]

It's EL's Utterdark Shield. As in my Utterdark Shield... Muahahahahaha. Sorry, don't know what came over me there.