Simple RAW for Pathfinder Thread V: Golarion Strikes Back

[Psyren]

I could swear that in one of the Bestiary updates that Paizo published, they clarified that Undead can go into rage if they want to, and that the bonus to Constitution should be applied to Charisma instead. Can anyone verify this for me? I can't seem to find it anymore

A331: The text you're looking for is in Monster Codex, under the "Vampire Savage" (MC pg. 241). I'll quote it here:

"Undead Barbarian: An undead creature with the ability to enter a rage gains the morale bonuses from rage despite being immune to morale effects. The bonus to Constitution from the rage applies to an undead creature’s Charisma instead."

[Calthropstu]

Q332: If multiple grapplers hold a spellcaster, does he need to make a concentration check against each one, A single one, or a single one at a higher difficulty as if getting aid another?

[Psyren]

A332: The last one - in PF, only one creature is considered to be the "grappler", but the Aid Another bonuses they got from the others will count towards the CMB that needs to be beaten by the target. (Whether they are breaking the grapple normally or wriggling out via Escape Artist.)

[Boggartbae]

Q333 Can I choose an item to not meld with my new form as part of a transmutation effect?

[Cieyrin]

A 333 Unless you take it off first before you use a polymorph effect, if you change into the form of an animal, dragon, elemental, magical beast, plant, or vermin, all your equipment merges with your new form for the duration of the effect. 3rd Edition had Wilding Clasps for letting you keep the item it's attached to from merging with a druid's wild shaped form and remain functional but I don't believe there's a PF equivalent.

[Psyren]

A333 Addendum: In PF, the Wild attribute lets you keep this for melded armor. Most non-armor items also continue to function, e.g. ring of protection or luckstone.

[Calthropstu]

Q335: Flesh to stone is cast on a pc, then animate object. Stone to flesh is then cast. Then flesh to stone again.
Does the statue of the pc turn around and attack the party?
Edited because I forgot the number, used 335 to avoid confusion.

[heavyfuel]

Q334

How do I, as DM, distribute XP for players with different levels?

Is there a calculator somewhere?

[Psyren]

A334: XP is based on CR, which is a function of Average Party Level and the desired difficulty of your encounter. Because it is based on an average, the XP award is generally divided equally among the players regardless of their level. There is no need to award different XP amounts to different players even if they're not the same level; the math works out such that the lower ones will naturally catch up in levels eventually, because advancing through lower levels needs less XP than through higher ones. And since XP isn't used for anything in PF, the totals between levels don't matter much. You could actually do away with XP entirely and do plot-based levelling if you wanted to without affecting anything.

A335: When the Stone to Flesh was cast, the PC ceased to be a legal target for Animate Objects, but whether that means the spell "falls off" or not depends on your GM as there is no hard RAW for that, IIRC.

[dascarletm]

Q336 If I am a Two-Handed Fighter and have both Overhand Chop and Backswing, and perform a greater cleave which attacks get the double str damage bonus?

[Cieyrin]

A 336 None, as Overhand Chop specifies an attack action or charge, Backswing specifies full attack. Cleave and Great Cleave are not any of those.

[Calthropstu]

Q337: Does casting dispel magic break invisibility?

Q338: If I have a silence spell between me and my targets in a hallway (silence covers the whole hallway at 1 point) and am invisible, do my targets get a perception check to notice me?

[Psyren]

A337: If you hit an enemy with it yes, otherwise no.

A338: They always get a check, but if silence and invisibility both apply it will be an extremely difficult one. Are you yourself inside/affected by the silence area, or are you outside it?

[Calthropstu]

A337: If you hit an enemy with it yes, otherwise no.

A338: They always get a check, but if silence and invisibility both apply it will be an extremely difficult one. Are you yourself inside/affected by the silence area, or are you outside it?

Q338 clarification: outside.

[Psyren]

So long as it fills the hallway at some point, it should be able to block the noise you make:

..no noise whatsoever issues from, enters, or passes through the area.

Again, this won't stop an enemy from being entitled to a check, but unless they have exceptionally (or magically) sharpened senses, it will likely be futile.

[Ilmarë]

Q 339.

Shelyn's second Sentinel boon reads

Your passionate devotion to Shelyn grants you extra prowess in your battles against evil, allowing you to see and root out the ugliness at the heart of your foe. When you use your smite evil class feature, you gain double your Charisma bonus on attack rolls and your Charisma bonus + your paladin level on damage rolls. This replaces the normal bonuses for using smite evil. If you don’t have access to smite evil, you instead gain a +2 bonus on weapon attack rolls against evil targets.

and smite evil reads

Once per day, a paladin can call out to the powers of good to aid her in her struggle against evil. As a swift action, the paladin chooses one target within sight to smite. If this target is evil, the paladin adds her Cha bonus (if any) to her attack rolls and adds her paladin level to all damage rolls made against the target of her smite. If the target of smite evil is an outsider with the evil subtype, an evil-aligned dragon, or an undead creature, the bonus to damage on the first successful attack increases to 2 points of damage per level the paladin possesses. Regardless of the target, smite evil attacks automatically bypass any DR the creature might possess.
In addition, while smite evil is in effect, the paladin gains a deflection bonus equal to her Charisma modifier (if any) to her AC against attacks made by the target of the smite. If the paladin targets a creature that is not evil, the smite is wasted with no effect.

Exactly what bonuses does a Paladin X / Sentinel of Shelyn 6 get while smiting evil?

[Calthropstu]

A339:
The ones from the first block openly states the bonuses replace those of smite evil. So the bonuses from smite is irrelevant. It is up to the gm as to whether or not certain wording applies as "bonus" and is negated such as bypassing dr because it is not included in the wording, but as far as damage and hit bonuses it's clear cut: block a replaces block b.

[Psyren]

A339: As written, the Sentinel levels would not stack with Paladin when determining the strength of your smite. This could result in a weaker smite than just staying Paladin, which may or may not have been the intent.

For your specific example - Cha*2 to attack, X+Cha to damage. A full paladin meanwhile would have gotten Cha to attack, X+6 to damage.

[Ilmarë]

It is up to the gm as to whether or not certain wording applies as "bonus" and is negated such as bypassing dr because it is not included in the wording, but as far as damage and hit bonuses it's clear cut: block a replaces block b.

Q339 followup. Yeah, that's sort of the problem. The debate's about if bypassing DR is one of the bonuses, and thus lost, or if it's a natural feature of smite attacks, and thus still applies.

[KillianHawkeye]

Q339 followup. Yeah, that's sort of the problem. The debate's about if bypassing DR is one of the bonuses, and thus lost, or if it's a natural feature of smite attacks, and thus still applies.

Re: 339

There shouldn't be any debate over that. In the game, a bonus refers to a number added to a roll. Ignoring DR isn't a bonus, it's just an effect of Smite Evil. And the ability as it was quoted above includes the line "When you use your smite evil class feature...", so we know it's only modifying the normal bonuses of Smite Evil and not replacing it outright.

In other words, it would have to specifically say that you no longer ignore DR when smiting for that to be the case.

[Psyren]

Killian is correct. CRB 15: "A positive modifier is called a bonus, and a negative modifier is called a penalty." That's all the terms mean. Smite bypassing DR is an effect, not a bonus (in the game sense.)

[Cieyrin]

Q 340 Does the Strength requirement of the Butchering Axe scale with size outside Small and Medium? Does a Tiny Butchering Axe require Strength 15 to not be penalized for wielding it? Would a Large Butchering Axe require Strength 21?

[Psyren]

A340a: The 17 is for "Small or smaller," so as written even a Tiny or Diminutive axe would require STR 17 to avoid the penalty.
A340b: With no line given about larger sizes to accompany the line about smaller ones, it appears that the larger sizes don't need anything additional/higher.

[Fenryr]

Q341


What kind of action is activating Adaptation?

Using an extraordinary ability is usually not an action because most extraordinary abilities automatically happen in a reactive fashion. Those extraordinary abilities that are actions are usually standard actions that cannot be disrupted, do not require concentration, and do not provoke attacks of opportunity.

But this is not explicitly an standard action. So is it free 'cause it gives me a second ability? It's no action at all? Is it standard?

[Cieyrin]

A 341 You do need to activate it, as it works in 10 minute increments. As your quoted text for extraordinary abilities notes, given Adaptation doesn't note an action type otherwise, it defaults to a standard action to activate what Adaptation you're taking for that time increment.

[TheFamilarRaven]

Q 342: Do dead characters lose any permanent effects? In other words, if one add permanent Arcane Sight, or was afflicted by the Insanity spell, would they go away upon death? After reading the passage on the Dead condition my gut reaction is "no", but I was wondering if there is any errata or other source that says otherwise.

[Psyren]

A342: There is nothing explicit. The best you could argue is that your corpse ceases to be a creature and becomes an object, so those spells would have illegal targets and "fall off", MTG style.

Having said that, the only time this is really relevant is when the creature is being raised. Raise dead states that "magical diseases and poisons remain." This would work as an argument that it doesn't interfere with active magic, but again, unclear.

[Calthropstu]

Q343: I manifest true mindswitch into a person created from a pebble using polymorph any object hen out into another body. When PaO ends, what happens?

[Psyren]

A343: Ask your DM.

[Draconi Redfir]

Q344: Can i use meta-magic feats like "quicken" or whatnot on spell-like abilities? or only class-spells?