New OOTS products from CafePress
New OOTS t-shirts, ornaments, mugs, bags, and more
Page 24 of 37 FirstFirst ... 141516171819202122232425262728293031323334 ... LastLast
Results 691 to 720 of 1103
  1. - Top - End - #691
    Orc in the Playground
    Join Date
    Oct 2009

    Default Re: Myrrh, Frankincense, and Steel: Kurald Galain's Guide to the Magus

    Quote Originally Posted by upho View Post
    This has already been thoroughly discussed elsewhere more than a year ago. But in short, there is no need for the word "size". The only time the word "step" refers to one step in the table in the FAQ, is when mentioned by the FAQ entry itself, never in the actual rules text of related abilities/effects etc. In the case of such options, "one step" means exactly the same thing as "as if increased by one size category". The FAQ below the one with the table makes it obvious that for all intents and purposes related to damage die, the following language (and similar) are all "effective size increases" (and explicitly do not stack):

    "increase the damage die by one step"
    "increase the damage die size by one step"
    "increase the damage die type by one step"
    "increase the damage as if you were increasing in size by one category"


    But again, there's no need for repeating this discussion. Instead, I suggest you google the unchained summoner eidolon Improved Damage evo, which uses exactly the same relevant language as Daisho Expertise:

    "Select one natural attack form and increase the damage die by one step."

    (If you don't feel like looking it up yourself, you'll have to trust me that at least all the more recent discussions on the subject come to the same conclusion, see for example here and here.)
    Except this isn't a Paizo produced product. Given that every other effect in PoW designed to increase your effective size explicitly mentions size increase (as if one size larger), it's not a size increase, but rather, exactly what it says: one dice step increase.

  2. - Top - End - #692
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    upho's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Stockholm, Sweden
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Myrrh, Frankincense, and Steel: Kurald Galain's Guide to the Magus

    Quote Originally Posted by Kitsuneymg View Post
    Except this isn't a Paizo produced product. Given that every other effect in PoW designed to increase your effective size explicitly mentions size increase (as if one size larger), it's not a size increase, but rather, exactly what it says: one dice step increase.
    Short simple answer: Whether it's 3PP or not is irrelevant. If the Improved Damage evo increases the effective size of the damage die per RAW, then so does DE per RAW.

    Long answer: If there is a precedent set by Paizo which uses a specific wording, whatever is true for that precedent is also true in the case of any other option/rules item made for the PF system which also use that same wording, including 3PP options. Note also that in this case, an actual precedent made by Paizo isn't even necessary, as their next FAQ entry also use the exact same wording as an example in of what constitutes an effective size increase.

    Of course, all DSP content adheres to the rules of the system it was written for, meaning the RAW of at the very least the PF CRB and (Paizo's) related FAQ entries apply unless otherwise specifically mentioned in the DSP content in question. And while an exception could perhaps be made if the rule in question was changed/clarified by Paizo after DSP's content was released, in this case both relevant FAQ entries were published (and thoroughly discussed) in March 2015, months before DE was even released for play testing, and a year before PoW:E was released.

    In conclusion, if the intent of DE was to increase the damage die to 1d10, then the feat would have to explicitly say so. Likewise, if this damage die change were intended to stack with that of effective size increases, the feat would also have to at the very least use a different wording. (Like say: "The base damage die of a katana you wield becomes 1d10 (if Medium size, 1d8 if Small). This change stacks with that of damage die size increases.")

    As is, the RAW of DE is that the damage die becomes 2d6 and that this increase does not stack with any other effective size increases. And as is, the only way around this would be to house rule the feat.

    RAI? You'd have to ask Elricaltovilla who wrote the feat. (And if he says that the intent was 1d10 and he cannot see how the feat's RAW could be read in any other way, please be a nice guy and refer him to this post so that he may better understand the issue.)

  3. - Top - End - #693
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Kurald Galain's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jun 2007

    Default Re: Myrrh, Frankincense, and Steel: Kurald Galain's Guide to the Magus

    While that's a fascinating discussion, it has very little to do with the Magus class. Perhaps you could take it to another thread? Thanks.
    Guide to the Magus, the Pathfinder Gish class.

    "I would really like to see a game made by Obryn, Kurald Galain, and Knaight from these forums. I'm not joking one bit. I would buy the hell out of that." -- ChubbyRain
    Crystal Shard Studios - Freeware games designed by Kurald and others!

  4. - Top - End - #694
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Coventry's Avatar

    Join Date
    Oct 2010

    Default Re: Myrrh, Frankincense, and Steel: Kurald Galain's Guide to the Magus

    Has the Star Cinder from the Daughters of the Fury module come up as an item to include in the Gear and Magic items list?

    At 50,000 gold and the use of the neck slot, the price is a bit steep ... but it still has value to the Magus even if someone else in the party happens be wearing it and triggers the suppression of immunity to electricity.

  5. - Top - End - #695
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Kurald Galain's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jun 2007

    Default Re: Myrrh, Frankincense, and Steel: Kurald Galain's Guide to the Magus

    I was asked over PM to comment on third-party archetype the Spiderhawk. This is a Magus / rogue hybrid with spontaneous casting; it could be some literary allusion that I'm not familiar with. The archetype is a straight upgrade of the regular Magus, giving a sizeable damage boost and new arcana with no real downside.

    However, the archetype suffers from poor editing. It appears the author intended to balance it with drawbacks, but these have little or no effect. In particular, restricting a Magus to "only" one martial weapon and "only" three pool enchantments is pretty meaningless, as normally you wouldn't use more anyway. The sentence that sneak attack doesn't work with "spell combat criticals" is poorly worded, and depending on interpretation is somewhere between "not really a drawback" and "completely irrelevant". You do lose spell recall, but pearls runestones of power can cover for that.

    Out of the new arcana, evasion and swift-action teleports are real gems; the rest are not very good. Also, the knowledge pool ability is vastly boosted for this archetype. The best rogue talents are either tacking debuffs or self-buffs on top of your sneak attacks, or swapping them back for combat feats; most other rogue talents are pretty weak. Obviously you want the accomplished sneak attacker feat on this build.

    So this gets an easy BLUE rating and is arguably unbalanced.

    Quote Originally Posted by Coventry View Post
    Has the Star Cinder from the Daughters of the Fury module come up as an item to include in the Gear and Magic items list?
    Thanks for the tip, but I can't really recommend an item that expensive and from a source unlikely to be allowed in most campaigns.
    Last edited by Kurald Galain; 2017-09-22 at 01:36 PM.
    Guide to the Magus, the Pathfinder Gish class.

    "I would really like to see a game made by Obryn, Kurald Galain, and Knaight from these forums. I'm not joking one bit. I would buy the hell out of that." -- ChubbyRain
    Crystal Shard Studios - Freeware games designed by Kurald and others!

  6. - Top - End - #696
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Powerdork's Avatar

    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Canadia
    Gender
    Female

    Default Re: Myrrh, Frankincense, and Steel: Kurald Galain's Guide to the Magus

    Quote Originally Posted by Kurald Galain View Post
    Magus / rogue hybrid with spontaneous casting

    You do lose spell recall, but pearls of power can cover for that.
    You mean something else, right?
    Last edited by Powerdork; 2017-09-22 at 01:37 PM.
    The future is bright.

  7. - Top - End - #697
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Kurald Galain's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jun 2007

    Default Re: Myrrh, Frankincense, and Steel: Kurald Galain's Guide to the Magus

    Quote Originally Posted by Metool View Post
    You mean something else, right?
    Right. Runestones, not pearls.
    Guide to the Magus, the Pathfinder Gish class.

    "I would really like to see a game made by Obryn, Kurald Galain, and Knaight from these forums. I'm not joking one bit. I would buy the hell out of that." -- ChubbyRain
    Crystal Shard Studios - Freeware games designed by Kurald and others!

  8. - Top - End - #698
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Powerdork's Avatar

    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Canadia
    Gender
    Female

    Default Re: Myrrh, Frankincense, and Steel: Kurald Galain's Guide to the Magus

    Plus, spontaneous spellcasting in the first place, so keeping that spell you just cast is a basic part of casting.
    The future is bright.

  9. - Top - End - #699
    Orc in the Playground
     
    Chimera

    Join Date
    Oct 2015

    Default Re: Myrrh, Frankincense, and Steel: Kurald Galain's Guide to the Magus

    Thank you for the response on the archetype Kurald (also, I'm a malazan fan, so i appreciate that too :P )

    A question about runestones though; the wording on them seems to me they would not be eligible for use with spellstrike, am I off base on that? The loss of spell recall would be a sizable hit to spells/day.

    There may be a workaround, or a misinterpretation on my part, but the switch to spontaneous will hurt Spellscars Arcana quite a bit, as well as the inability to couple metamagic with spellstrike. Are these just non-issues relative to the power gained from the archetype? (spontaneous metafocus being 1 spell only, and also having a CHA requirement while Spiderhawk is a INT spontaneous caster)
    Last edited by Syll; 2017-09-27 at 08:23 PM.

  10. - Top - End - #700
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Kurald Galain's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jun 2007

    Default Re: Myrrh, Frankincense, and Steel: Kurald Galain's Guide to the Magus

    Quote Originally Posted by Syll View Post
    A question about runestones though; the wording on them seems to me they would not be eligible for use with spellstrike, am I off base on that?
    The runestone specifies it's part of spellcasting, not a distinct standard action. So yes, it works.

    There may be a workaround, or a misinterpretation on my part, but the switch to spontaneous will hurt Spellscars Arcana quite a bit, as well as the inability to couple metamagic with spellstrike.
    The point of spell-scars is to use scrolls without having to draw them. That it functions as a backup spellbook isn't really important. As you've mentioned, spont.metafocus covers for using metamagic in spellstrike; there's usually only one or spells you want to use metamagic with, anyway.

    But what you haven't actually mentioned is why you want a spiderhawk. You're looking at a poorly-written archetype and then concluding that it has issues. And indeed it does; so why not play another archetype that boosts damage, such as the Bladebound? Or if you want to be spontaneous, how about the Eldritch Scion?
    Last edited by Kurald Galain; 2017-09-28 at 01:23 AM.
    Guide to the Magus, the Pathfinder Gish class.

    "I would really like to see a game made by Obryn, Kurald Galain, and Knaight from these forums. I'm not joking one bit. I would buy the hell out of that." -- ChubbyRain
    Crystal Shard Studios - Freeware games designed by Kurald and others!

  11. - Top - End - #701
    Orc in the Playground
     
    Chimera

    Join Date
    Oct 2015

    Default Re: Myrrh, Frankincense, and Steel: Kurald Galain's Guide to the Magus

    Quote Originally Posted by Kurald Galain View Post

    The point of spell-scars is to use scrolls without having to draw them. That it functions as a backup spellbook isn't really important. As you've mentioned, spont.metafocus covers for using metamagic in spellstrike; there's usually only one or spells you want to use metamagic with, anyway.
    My default assumption is that I will be unable to shop for scrolls, and the ones I do find will be randomly generated; spell scars would be my only reliable means of having scrolls. I'm not convinced I'll be able nab runestones either, for that matter

    And I was saying spont. Metafocus was Not viable, because of the Cha pre-req.

    Quote Originally Posted by Kurald Galain View Post
    But what you haven't actually mentioned is why you want a spiderhawk. You're looking at a poorly-written archetype and then concluding that it has issues. And indeed it does; so why not play another archetype that boosts damage, such as the Bladebound? Or if you want to be spontaneous, how about the Eldritch Scion?
    Swift action teleports, far better class skill list, evasion, full access to rogue talents & swift action teleports. Sneak Attack's not bad either. Also they stay int based, unlike eldritch scion.

    Would you still consider spiderhawk an upgrade without assumed access to scrolls/runestones?

    We rolled stats; spont. Metafocus isn't an option.

  12. - Top - End - #702
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Kurald Galain's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jun 2007

    Default Re: Myrrh, Frankincense, and Steel: Kurald Galain's Guide to the Magus

    Quote Originally Posted by Syll View Post
    My default assumption is that I will be unable to shop for scrolls, and the ones I do find will be randomly generated; spell scars would be my only reliable means of having scrolls.
    Or you could take the scribe scroll feat. Spell-scars is better for a Magus, but comes online a few levels later.

    Would you still consider spiderhawk an upgrade without assumed access to scrolls/runestones?
    Yes, because lack of magical items and consumables hurts every Magus build, not just this one.
    Guide to the Magus, the Pathfinder Gish class.

    "I would really like to see a game made by Obryn, Kurald Galain, and Knaight from these forums. I'm not joking one bit. I would buy the hell out of that." -- ChubbyRain
    Crystal Shard Studios - Freeware games designed by Kurald and others!

  13. - Top - End - #703
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Kurald Galain's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jun 2007

    Default Re: Myrrh, Frankincense, and Steel: Kurald Galain's Guide to the Magus

    PFS update. Predictably, the flamefire rage feat isn't going to be legal. Neither are nimble armor and, surprisingly, spring-loaded scroll cases. Also surprising is that wildblood concoction is legal now, making it a great pick for any melee character.
    Guide to the Magus, the Pathfinder Gish class.

    "I would really like to see a game made by Obryn, Kurald Galain, and Knaight from these forums. I'm not joking one bit. I would buy the hell out of that." -- ChubbyRain
    Crystal Shard Studios - Freeware games designed by Kurald and others!

  14. - Top - End - #704
    Pixie in the Playground
     
    DwarfFighterGuy

    Join Date
    Sep 2017

    Default Re: Myrrh, Frankincense, and Steel: Kurald Galain's Guide to the Magus

    Hello, I have a sort of random question. I have used your guide for a bit for quick references, so thank you and great job on that!

    So question time, I am playing a mindblade magus coming up. I am looking for a endgame goal of two weapon fighting with multiple charge spells for flavor. I know its not 100% max damage output or what have you but its more a RP campaign than a combat campaign. Is there any way other than a multiple charge touch spell to apply spellstrike on both weapons? Like say casting a spell holding a charge, and then on the next round apply it with one strike then cast another touch spell after its discharged to discharge two in one round? I am assuming know due to action economy but didn't no if there was a way to quicken or do anything odd with it.
    Last edited by narvosa; 2017-09-29 at 12:03 PM.

  15. - Top - End - #705
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Kurald Galain's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jun 2007

    Default Re: Myrrh, Frankincense, and Steel: Kurald Galain's Guide to the Magus

    Quote Originally Posted by narvosa View Post
    Like say casting a spell holding a charge, and then on the next round apply it with one strike then cast another touch spell after its discharged to discharge two in one round?
    Yes, that's legal. For instance, round one cast Frostbite and make four attacks with it (spell combat, regular, haste, iterative); then next round first make three attacks with frostbite (regular, haste, iterative) then cast another spell.

    Another way of doing this is Quicken Spell, although that's a very late-game option. Yet another way is spellstoring weapons.
    Guide to the Magus, the Pathfinder Gish class.

    "I would really like to see a game made by Obryn, Kurald Galain, and Knaight from these forums. I'm not joking one bit. I would buy the hell out of that." -- ChubbyRain
    Crystal Shard Studios - Freeware games designed by Kurald and others!

  16. - Top - End - #706
    Pixie in the Playground
     
    DwarfFighterGuy

    Join Date
    Sep 2017

    Default Re: Myrrh, Frankincense, and Steel: Kurald Galain's Guide to the Magus

    Awesome thanks! That is exactly what I wanted!

  17. - Top - End - #707
    Barbarian in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jan 2012

    Default Re: Myrrh, Frankincense, and Steel: Kurald Galain's Guide to the Magus

    Quote Originally Posted by Kurald Galain View Post
    PFS update. Predictably, the flamefire rage feat isn't going to be legal. Neither are nimble armor and, surprisingly, spring-loaded scroll cases. Also surprising is that wildblood concoction is legal now, making it a great pick for any melee character.
    Sorry to take us off on another tangent, but while the subject's relatively fresh, does anyone know if there's a way to adjudicate by RAW whether the nimble enchantment's extra weight is added before or after adjusting weight for a special material? E.g., if you make your masterwork breastplate (normally 30 lb.) out of mithral (divide weight in half) and give it the nimble property (+5 lb.), would it weigh 17.5 lb. or 20 lb.?
    Last edited by Ellrin; 2017-09-29 at 05:58 PM.

  18. - Top - End - #708
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    upho's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Stockholm, Sweden
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Myrrh, Frankincense, and Steel: Kurald Galain's Guide to the Magus

    Quote Originally Posted by Ellrin View Post
    Sorry to take us off on another tangent, but while the subject's relatively fresh, does anyone know if there's a way to adjudicate by RAW whether the nimble enchantment's extra weight is added before or after adjusting weight for a special material? E.g., if you make your masterwork breastplate (normally 30 lb.) out of mithral (divide weight in half) and give it the nimble property (+5 lb.), would it weigh 17.5 lb. or 20 lb.?
    The enchantment's weight adjustment is made after that of the special material, since you need to have an actual armor (which has a certain weight) before you can enchant said armor. You cannot start with a certain enchanted steel armor and then transform it into being made of mithral instead. Hence, a nimble mithral breastplate weighs 20 lb.

  19. - Top - End - #709
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Kurald Galain's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jun 2007

    Default Re: Myrrh, Frankincense, and Steel: Kurald Galain's Guide to the Magus

    Quote Originally Posted by upho View Post
    The enchantment's weight adjustment
    "Nimble" is not an enchantment, but an armor modification.
    Guide to the Magus, the Pathfinder Gish class.

    "I would really like to see a game made by Obryn, Kurald Galain, and Knaight from these forums. I'm not joking one bit. I would buy the hell out of that." -- ChubbyRain
    Crystal Shard Studios - Freeware games designed by Kurald and others!

  20. - Top - End - #710
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    upho's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Stockholm, Sweden
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Myrrh, Frankincense, and Steel: Kurald Galain's Guide to the Magus

    Quote Originally Posted by Kurald Galain View Post
    "Nimble" is not an enchantment, but an armor modification.
    Ouch, sorry. Totally brainderped.

    Anyhow, strictly according to RAW, it appears what I wrote in my previous post still applies though (my emphasis):

    "While these modifications add to the price (and often the weight) of the modified armor... ...These modifications are added to mundane armor after creation at the listed cost."

    The modifications due to special materials are however added when the armor is created, not after. So in other words, mods cannot be made in special materials. Their cost and any changes are independent of any alterations caused by special materials and stack with those alterations.

  21. - Top - End - #711
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Kurald Galain's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jun 2007

    Default Re: Myrrh, Frankincense, and Steel: Kurald Galain's Guide to the Magus

    From Ultimate Wilderness, added the Nature Bound archetype (whose main point is getting druid spells; other than that it doesn't really do anything and it does lose Arcane Pool of all things...) and downgraded the Snowball spell since it's been errata'ed to no longer bypass SR.
    Guide to the Magus, the Pathfinder Gish class.

    "I would really like to see a game made by Obryn, Kurald Galain, and Knaight from these forums. I'm not joking one bit. I would buy the hell out of that." -- ChubbyRain
    Crystal Shard Studios - Freeware games designed by Kurald and others!

  22. - Top - End - #712
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    Planetar

    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    San Antonio.
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Myrrh, Frankincense, and Steel: Kurald Galain's Guide to the Magus

    Blood of the Coven has a new archetype for magus, as well as a handful of new curse spells (one of which the magus gets natively).

    The Hexbreaker suffers from a narrow focus, but I think it does actually get the job done effectively. It loses spell recall for the ability to spend an arcane pool point as an immediate action to remove a curse spell or curse-like effect such as a hex, as per Remove Curse. They also add Remove Curse and Break Enchantment to their spell list. Instead of improved spell recall, they can spend an additional two points when successful to reflect it back onto the caster. It comes with two arcana options, one for spending multiple points to get bonuses on the dispel check for Remove Curse (though it also makes the first point do it at +2), and another that makes it when you remove any spell with Remove Curse, Break Enchantment, or Dispel Magic, you can spend a point to deal 1d4/level of the spell.

  23. - Top - End - #713
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Kurald Galain's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jun 2007

    Default Re: Myrrh, Frankincense, and Steel: Kurald Galain's Guide to the Magus

    Quote Originally Posted by Ninjaxenomorph View Post
    Blood of the Coven has a new archetype for magus, as well as a handful of new curse spells (one of which the magus gets natively).
    Interesting, I had missed that one.

    The main problem of the hexbreaker is the extreme rarity of curse effects. You can basically play through an entire campaign without encountering one, even if your GM is very lenient on the otherwise-undefined "curse-style effect". And even when the hexbreaker's counter is triggered, it has about a 50% chance to fail.

    However, the archetype doesn't give up much to gain this effect, so it falls under "sure, why not?" At least it doesn't lose spell combat or arcane pool this time, right? Of course the two new arcana are entirely pointless.

    The new air curse spell has the problem that at lower levels, it's unlikely to do much (if it doesn't force the enemy to land it's basically wasted) whereas at higher levels the party can probably fly by themselves, so it's not very good. The water curse is pretty decent in a ship-based campaign, but otherwise aquatic opponents are likely capable of waterbreathing anyway.
    Last edited by Kurald Galain; 2017-11-15 at 09:22 AM.
    Guide to the Magus, the Pathfinder Gish class.

    "I would really like to see a game made by Obryn, Kurald Galain, and Knaight from these forums. I'm not joking one bit. I would buy the hell out of that." -- ChubbyRain
    Crystal Shard Studios - Freeware games designed by Kurald and others!

  24. - Top - End - #714
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    Planetar

    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    San Antonio.
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Myrrh, Frankincense, and Steel: Kurald Galain's Guide to the Magus

    It's very campaign-specific. I'm running Reign of Winter, and the PCs would KILL for easy curse removal at the level the hexbreaker gets it.

  25. - Top - End - #715
    Pixie in the Playground
    Join Date
    Nov 2017

    Default Re: Myrrh, Frankincense, and Steel: Kurald Galain's Guide to the Magus

    Hello everyone!

    First off, thanks for the guide! It's so great and I've used it to help design a Magus for the current campaign I'm playing. I'm really just getting into Pathfinder, this is only my second campaign, and it's really helped me with the mechanics of building my character this time around.

    I do have a question about the mechanics of spellstrike. I've seen lots of posts and threads on this topic, including this one, and the general consensus is that after casting Frostbite casting another spell overrides the charges left from the casting of FB, which RAW seems to be the way it is. However, I found this comment from one of the creative directors of Paizo on a old FAQ page (2012, and nothing on the matter officially since, that I can find anyway) and was wondering how it effected the rules on this (if at all). The post I'm referencing is this:

    "Diego Rossi wrote:
    'A question about chill touch and similar spells with an instantaneous duration and multiple touches.
    The touches after the first round count as held charges and so disappear if you cast any other spell?'

    Chill touch is a weird spell. The touch attacks it grants do not function as "held charges." They don't disappear if you cast another spell, and the spell is pretty vague on how long the effects last—in theory, you could cast the spell on a Tuesday and still have some touches left over on Friday, for example, as long as you haven't made more touches than your level. Re-casting the spell when you still have charges left doesn't add to the existing charges—it merely resets your total available touches to its maximum."



    This seems to imply that in fact another spell could be cast after Frostbite and the "charges" would still be there to use. Am I missing something, or is it just that most people apply the RAW for held charges and override the touches leftover when another spell is cast, in order to preserve balance? Which way would be RAI given the above quote?
    Last edited by Jim41; 2017-11-19 at 01:20 AM.

  26. - Top - End - #716
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Kurald Galain's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jun 2007

    Default Re: Myrrh, Frankincense, and Steel: Kurald Galain's Guide to the Magus

    Quote Originally Posted by Jim41 View Post
    I do have a question about the mechanics of spellstrike. I've seen lots of posts and threads on this topic, including this one, and the general consensus is that after casting Frostbite casting another spell overrides the charges left from the casting of FB, which RAW seems to be the way it is.
    Yes. The way to work with this is, on turn one, to cast Frostbite and make all your attacks; then on turn two, first make all your iteratives and then cast another spell. Spell combat works both ways.

    However, I found this comment from one of the creative directors of Paizo on a old FAQ page
    Sorry, but comment posts from creative directors are just not an official rules source. I have no idea where this guy is coming from when he says they don't function as held charges, because the FAQ spells out that they totally do.

    He's right that neither FB nor CT have a duration, so you could technically cast the spell last tuesday and still have it active. However, by RAW, touching pretty much anything will deliver a charge of the spell. I hope you like your food frosty!
    Guide to the Magus, the Pathfinder Gish class.

    "I would really like to see a game made by Obryn, Kurald Galain, and Knaight from these forums. I'm not joking one bit. I would buy the hell out of that." -- ChubbyRain
    Crystal Shard Studios - Freeware games designed by Kurald and others!

  27. - Top - End - #717
    Pixie in the Playground
    Join Date
    Nov 2017

    Default Re: Myrrh, Frankincense, and Steel: Kurald Galain's Guide to the Magus

    Thanks for the reply! That helped clear things up for me.

  28. - Top - End - #718
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Kurald Galain's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jun 2007

    Default Re: Myrrh, Frankincense, and Steel: Kurald Galain's Guide to the Magus

    For the Nature-bounded archetype, added Cheetah's Sprint, Flame Blade, Free Spirit, and Wave Form spells. Added Agent of Chance trait, Collar of Sacrifice item, Tamer's Lash spell.

    Does anyone see any good forms for the new Fey Form and Ooze Form spells? Ooze form strikes me as a rather horrible idea for a Magus, but Fey form may have potential. I'm considering the Pouncing Fury spell but it strikes me as not worth it (compared to e.g. Bladed Dash) unless you somehow get more than two claw attacks. I like the concept of the Flowering Lattice familiar, but providing a single goodberry per week just doesn't help. The new feats and familiar archetypes don't strike me as useful for the Magus.
    Guide to the Magus, the Pathfinder Gish class.

    "I would really like to see a game made by Obryn, Kurald Galain, and Knaight from these forums. I'm not joking one bit. I would buy the hell out of that." -- ChubbyRain
    Crystal Shard Studios - Freeware games designed by Kurald and others!

  29. - Top - End - #719
    Pixie in the Playground
    Join Date
    Nov 2017

    Default Re: Myrrh, Frankincense, and Steel: Kurald Galain's Guide to the Magus

    Huge fan of your guide, Mr. Galain. I'm still in the midst of my first Pathfinder campaign, but I've really gotten invested in the whole system, and your guide has made my initial experiences most enjoyable.

    Anyway, I've been looking into a lot of possibilities with the new Ultimate Wilderness book, and I thought I'd quit lurking for a bit to mention some possible options for Fey Form, once you mentioned you were looking for suggestions. Forgive me if a few (if not most) of them are largely useless or done better with other options, as I'm still a bit of a novice, and even moreso when it comes to shapeshifting options -- I'll do my best to keep things relevant and concise.

    So far, Fey Form seems particularly fantastic for a Natural Attack Magus, especially a sneaky one, as many of them have Invisibility as a spell-like option. A few of these are derived from Bestiary entries with really high CR, so there may be some standouts -- though again, I'm not 100% sure if these all translate into Fey Form. The spell caveat that transforms your items into those needed for certain abilities seems a bit odd, and may come down to GM discretion. I imagine it would apply to Fey that use weapons to apply their poisons.

    This was just a quick blitz through the Fey listings under d20pfsrd's Bestiary. (Edit: Originally included links, but as this is my first post, I can't provide URLs. I'll edit and update this post when I'm not such a newbie here.)

    Spoiler: Fey Options
    Show
    The Ankou is a Large fey (5 ft. reach, sadly) that's got Blindsense, 60 ft. flight (good), a whopping 5 natural attacks (3 with a 2d6 bleed effect), and DR 2/Cold Iron.

    The Boggart is small, and doesn't deal notable damage. However, it's got a 10 ft. reach and the Abduct ability. I'm unsure if the Psychic Magic available to it allows for the spell-like ability caveat in Fey Form, but if so, it's got access to Invisiblity.

    The Boggle is small, has a climb speed, 4 natural attacks, DR 2/Cold Iron, and spell-like ability access to Invisibility and Dimension Door (unlike other fey options I've seen thusfar, this Dimension Door is not limited to self-only). Constant Greater Magic Fang as well, if you've done some Spell Blending.

    The Cold Rider has got Darkvision, a decent natural attack, and icewalking. It's also got a pretty hefty list of weaknesses, though.

    The Ekekeh is a Large Aquatic form that's got darkvision, high swim speed, DR 2/Cold Iron, and a rather "ouch-worthy" natural attack that includes electricity damage, on top of the spell-like option for Lightning Bolt. A cursory glance at standard aquatic baddies showed a few results for electricity vulnerability, so I thought that might be worth mentioning.

    The Fey Giant Toad is a Large frog that has scent, swim and fly(?) speeds, DR 2/Cold Iron, and a natural attack with grab and 10 ft. reach. It can also Glitterdust as a spell-like. Unsure if its Poison Skin falls under "poison" listed in Fey Form II. I'm guessing not, but there it is.

    The Fey Wolverine has darkvision, scent, burrow and climb speeds, and 3 natural attacks.

    The Glaistig has... A lot of stuff that I'm not sure what to make of. It's CR 21 and Mythic 10 -- I'm not really sure how many, if any, of its attacks would translate into Fey Form. If any of them do, however, it would be rather stupidly powerful.

    The Grig seems great for stealth and scouting. Tiny, decent flight, ability to cast invisibility on itself.

    The Grimm is Large, has 10 ft. reach, and a trio of very painful natural attacks (2 claws for 2d8 each). Notably, it does not benefit from the usual DR, as it's against silver/good.

    The Grimstalker is medium, has a climb speed, and has a couple natural attacks, but both apply Dex poison that requires multiple saves to cleanse.

    The Huldra has darkvision, scent, and two natural attacks -- one of which, interestingly, does Charisma damage. It's listed under the attack, but also as a special ability, so I'm not sure if it applies.

    The Ijiraq is a solid natural attacker that can, finally, be used with Fey Form I, as it's medium. 4 natural attacks (a pair of 2d4s and 2d6s, each), and the ability to use Fly, Dimension Door, and Sleet Storm as spell-likes. No speed or senses worth writing home about, though.

    The Kamaitachi is medium, has scent, a fly speed, and 4 natural attacks -- All of which have a 19-20 crit range for x3 damage, in addition to applying bleed. Ouch. (This might be a candidate for Pouncing Fury -- all four of those are claw attacks)

    The Lurker in Light is largely unremarkable, save for its poison, which has STR drain going for it, on top of STR damage.

    The Nereid has a poison that can target touch AC, at melee or range. It's got a high save DC, and inflicts Con damage and blindness.

    The Oceanid is an aquatic that has a high swim speed, darkvision, tremorsense (in water), and a particularly damaging ranged natural attack (7d6).

    The Pooka is unremarkable beyond its poison, which damages both WIS and CHA at the same time. Or, it can make its target drunk.

    The Remacera is Large, has reach, and has a bite attack that does decent damage -- including sonic damage.

    The Rusalka is Medium, has 4 painful natural attacks that each have 15 ft. reach and come with grab, and the constrict ability.

    The Sangoi is Small, has 3 natural attacks that all come with bleed, and Blood Rage.

    The Stroke Lad has a natural attack that comes with 1d6 DEX drain.

    The Vilderavn is medium, has See in Darkness, high land and fly speeds, and some solid natural attacks -- all of which have bleed, and the bite attack has a crit range of 15-20.

    The Whisperer is Large and normally CR 20 -- See in Darkness, top-notch flight, and 6 natural attacks that hit for 3d10 each, against touch AC, with a 19-20 crit range.

    The Wild Hunt Horse is Large, has reach, high speed and 3 natural attacks, two of which have bleed. Can possibly be ridden, for maximum ridiculousness?

    The Wild Hunt Hound is medium, comes with almost every sense you'd ever need (scent, blindsense, see in darkness), has a decent speed, and three natural attacks. The bite attack trips.


    I hope this was at least a bit helpful, and not ill-formatted. 'Tis my first post here. Apologies for any incidental social faux pas.

    Regardless, thanks again for all the effort you've put into this guide!
    Last edited by BornFlunky; 2017-11-21 at 07:41 AM.

  30. - Top - End - #720
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Kurald Galain's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jun 2007

    Default Re: Myrrh, Frankincense, and Steel: Kurald Galain's Guide to the Magus

    Quote Originally Posted by BornFlunky View Post
    Anyway, I've been looking into a lot of possibilities with the new Ultimate Wilderness book, and I thought I'd quit lurking for a bit to mention some possible options for Fey Form, once you mentioned you were looking for suggestions. Forgive me if a few (if not most) of them are largely useless or done better with other options, as I'm still a bit of a novice, and even moreso when it comes to shapeshifting options -- I'll do my best to keep things relevant and concise.
    Thank you for your suggestions. The main issue is that Fey Form does not give you the spell-like abilities of the form you take. So no free invisibility to go around. Fey Form II does give a metric ton of abilities, although you only get that spell at level sixteen...
    Guide to the Magus, the Pathfinder Gish class.

    "I would really like to see a game made by Obryn, Kurald Galain, and Knaight from these forums. I'm not joking one bit. I would buy the hell out of that." -- ChubbyRain
    Crystal Shard Studios - Freeware games designed by Kurald and others!

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •