Simple RAW for Pathfinder Thread V: Golarion Strikes Back

[Psyren]

A430: Both versions (the spell and the feat, which works like control undead) rely only on verbal commands. Sound needs neither line of sight nor effect, so neither do they.

[upho]

A 426 The RAW give no clear answer to this. (I'd personally grant the slam attack to make the listed Emotional Focuses other than Hatred viable, but nothing else. And just in case it matters, in Owen K.C. Steven's opinion and according to PFS house rules, they gain none of the abilities of the phantom, only those from the selected Emotional Focus which are applicable, meaning that all slam related Emotional Focus abilities actually are useless for all Id Ragers who don't gain a slam through other means).

A 427 RAW, the archetype only gains the medium’s spirit and spirit surge abilities. However, since spirit surge does absolutely nothing without spirit bonus strictly according to RAW, it seems reasonable to assume the intent is the archetype can use spirit surge on rolls which would have been affected by a medium's spirit bonus, even though no such bonus is actually granted. (Which is how I personally rule it in my games.)

[Concrete]

Q 431

One of my players want his character (size medium, humanoid) to carry a construct on his shoulder to inject him with potions (Iron Cobra, size small). He argues that because a Medium creature can ride a Large creature, there should be no problem, while I believe that since he is not two size categories larger than the construct, they cannot occupy the same square. Is either of us right?

Edit: realized that its described ability to deliver potions as well as poisons was just part of the fluff text, and that its actual ability said nothing about the matter. Still curious about carrying a small creature though.

[Psyren]

A431: It's a bit moot because you can't really use potions that way in the first place:

A potion is a magic liquid that produces its effect when imbibed.

Thus injecting them or delivering them by bite doesn't do anything.

Assuming you're actually okay with potions being injected, I would sidestep the issue entirely by letting him craft a Tiny version of the Cobra instead for the same price. (Remind him that Small is the size of a gnome, halfling or pre-teen child - a bit big to fit on a Medium shoulder.)

[Draconi Redfir]

Q:432: Okay so just need some quick clarification on something here.

Bard Sound Striker Archetype,

Wordstrike (Su): At 3rd level, the sound striker bard can spend 1 round of bardic performance as a standard action to direct a burst of sonically charged words at a creature or object. This performance deals 1d4 points of damage plus the bard’s level to an object, or half this damage to a living creature. This performance replaces inspire competence.

So as a 3rd level bard, in order to start using Wordstrike i need to spend a standard action on one turn to activate Wordstrike as a bardic performance, consuming one charge of bardic performance but not being able to do any damage. Then on my NEXT turn (2nd bardic performance round) i can use my standard action to do the 1d4+lvl damage correct? so i always need a one-turn chargeup time to activate the ability before i can use it's primary function?

Shouldn't be an issue at a higher level, as setting the performance becomes a move action at 7th level, but for now at least is my understanding right?

[zergling.exe]

A 432

No. Wordstrike deals damage instead of activating another effect. As a standard action you deal 1d4 + Bard level damage. The performance doesn't last more than 1 turn, and it always takes at least a standard action to perform. Think of it like magic missile, for 1 round of Bardic performance you cast a spell that deals damage.

[Draconi Redfir]

A 432

No. Wordstrike deals damage instead of activating another effect. As a standard action you deal 1d4 + Bard level damage. The performance doesn't last more than 1 turn, and it always takes at least a standard action to perform. Think of it like magic missile, for 1 round of Bardic performance you cast a spell that deals damage.

Oh okay, so it's not so much a bardic performance itself as it is interrupting an existing performance to deal some damage and then picking up the original performance again?

[zergling.exe]

Oh okay, so it's not so much a bardic performance itself as it is interrupting an existing performance to deal some damage and then picking up the original performance again?

No. You use a standard action, expend 1 round of Bardic Performance, and deal damage. It doesn't require using a Bardic Performance already. It is an alternate use for it, just like every other performance option. You are burning a resource, that's all the using rounds of Bardic Performance is. Some just allow you to continue a single performance for multiple rounds. Wordstrike is a one and done.

[Draconi Redfir]

No. You use a standard action, expend 1 round of Bardic Performance, and deal damage. It doesn't require using a Bardic Performance already. It is an alternate use for it, just like every other performance option. You are burning a resource, that's all the using rounds of Bardic Performance is. Some just allow you to continue a single performance for multiple rounds. Wordstrike is a one and done.

okay so just any time at all then i can do it at the price of a round of performance, like a spell or an attack. gotcha.

and suppose to keep this thing on track.

Q:433:

Wordstrike says it replaces inspire competence as part of it's archetype, but a bard also gets inspire competence at level 7. Would a sound striker bard not get this ability at all at level seven then? usually in cases like this it's specified that it either takes only the one level's variant and has other things to replace the variant of other levels, or states that it gets more powerful with each replacement. would wordstrike bards just get no inspire competence at all, or only get inspire competence at +3 at 7th level and no sooner?

[AvatarVecna]

Q434

Are there any rules for determining how fast a character can read a book?

[grarrrg]

Q433 the archetype just says "replaces Inspire Competence" with no other riders or wording, so it would replace the entire ability

[lord pringle]

Q435
Can ghosts and other incorporeal beings use non-weapon magic items, like a headband of intellect?

[Psyren]

A434: Not to my knowledge - generally the reading would be part of another task (e.g. crafting, research, or spell preparation) and follow the timing rules for that activity. For example, a high-level wizard preparing dozens of spells would presumably need to read through their spellbook for all of those, yet take no longer doing so than a low-level wizard preparing only a handful, so the reading time itself would vary even if the parent activity does not.

A435: Ghosts are actually a special case as they can use just about any item at all if they were attached to it in life. From the ghost entry:

When a ghost is created, it retains incorporeal “copies” of any items that it particularly valued in life (provided the originals are not in another creature’s possession). The equipment works normally for the ghost but passes harmlessly through material objects or creatures.

Other incorporeal creatures lack this benefit. There is a 3.5 feat you can give to other incorporeal undead that let them use non-weapon/non-armor corporeal magic items, but I don't believe PF has an equivalent.

[Cieyrin]

Q 436 Does a Picaroon with Two-Weapon Grace get 1/2 Dex to damage with their one-handed firearm?

Q 437 Do Picaroons or Rondolero Swashbucklers have to choose between using more than one weapon and using Precise Strike? Does Rondolero Flexibility change this at all?

[Psyren]

A436: Unfortunately, TWG gets you 1/2 Dex to damage instead of Strength, so if you weren't getting any Strength to damage in the first place (as with most firearms) you wouldn't get dex either.

If you were somehow able to get the Gunslinger's Gun Training class feature (e.g. via a 5-level dip), you could get Dex to damage with firearms that way.

A437: Yes you can combine these - and in fact, the Rondolero's Falcata Emphasis and Buckler Bash features are specifically designed so that Precise Strike will apply to each, getting you the bonus damage as expected.

[TheFamilarRaven]

A436 addendum Also, while it is poorly worded, I believe the intention of Two Weapon Grace was to only replace STR with DEX on the offhand provided you were using the same weapon you have weapon focus with from the previous grace feat (i.e slashing, piercing, starry). Also also, 3 levels of Trench Fighter will net you DEX to damage with a firearm.

A 347 Contention The wording from Precise Strike is "...cannot make an attack with a weapon in her other hand". Therefore, a picaroon or a Rondolero has to choose between using precise strike, or making all of their attacks. There is no wording in Rondelero Flexibility that suggests otherwise. I agree that the archetype allows bucklers and falcatas to be used with precise strikes, but you only can attack with one weapon for precise strike to work.

[Psyren]

A 347 Contention The wording from Precise Strike is "...cannot make an attack with a weapon in her other hand". Therefore, a picaroon or a Rondolero has to choose between using precise strike, or making all of their attacks. There is no wording in Rondelero Flexibility that suggests otherwise. I agree that the archetype allows bucklers and falcatas to be used with precise strikes, but you only can attack with one weapon for precise strike to work.

Rereading Rondolero Flexibility, I agree with this contention. It specifically disables all your bonus attacks from TWF, so even if you could combine/mix weapons you wouldn't be getting any benefit from using both, so the intent appears to be picking one or the other to attack with.

[killem2]

Q. 438 Is it true you can increase the DC of magic item creation (ring, constructs, armor and so on) by +5 for every magic spell not available to cast at the time you make it? I have seen this mentioned often when researching but I can't find clear RAW on it.

[Psyren]

A438: Mostly yes. You cannot do this when creating spell trigger items (e.g. wands/staves), spell completion items (e.g. scrolls) or potions, but for the other item types like wondrous, arms/armor, rings, rods etc., bypassing the spell requirement is legal.

The specific RAW is here:

Note that all items have prerequisites in their descriptions. These prerequisites must be met for the item to be created. Most of the time, they take the form of spells that must be known by the item’s creator (although access through another magic item or spellcaster is allowed). The DC to create a magic item increases by 5 for each prerequisite the caster does not meet. The only exception to this is the requisite item creation feat, which is mandatory. In addition, you cannot create potions, spell-trigger, or spell-completion magic items without meeting its prerequisites.

Note also the "must have the crafting feat" prerequisite - pretty much all the crafting feats require a minimum caster level, so even if you bypass the caster level needed by the item itself, you'll still need at least the one for the associated crafting feat. For characters without caster levels (e.g. many martial classes), this forces them to take Master Craftsman as a feat tax, and that limits the kinds of items they can create to just Wondrous, Arms & Armor.

[Draconi Redfir]

Q439: How important are perform checks for bards? at level 3 now (Multiclass, character level six) and i haven't really seen much use in making Perform checks. Used to have an archetype (that i dropped) that allowed me to make a perform check to hide the fact that i was casting spells, but other then that i haven't seen any ability or situations that require my bard to make perform checks.

[Psyren]

A439: "How important" is a subjective/value-judgement question and thus beyond the scope of this thread. The main benefit to keeping Perform high on a vanilla bard is for their Versatile Performance feature, which lets you use Perform in place of other associated skills; another good use is to learn Masterpieces. There are various other uses out there but those are the "built-in" ones.

[Cieyrin]

A439: "How important" is a subjective/value-judgement question and thus beyond the scope of this thread. The main benefit to keeping Perform high on a vanilla bard is for their Versatile Performance feature, which lets you use Perform in place of other associated skills; another good use is to learn Masterpieces. There are various other uses out there but those are the "built-in" ones.

Also Countersong and Distraction are based on Perform in place of the saves you and your party are making and generally skill modifiers will be higher than saves. So depending on how often you come across the effects those performances combat, they can keep your party from TPKing from a mass disabling effect.

[xkaliburr]

Q440- Would detect magic be able to detect a dragon in disguise? I am figuring it would detect the magic altering the dragon, but as dragons are arcane creatures, would it be able to detect the dragon itself? Also, how would the aura register for the dragon?

[Cieyrin]

A 440 Dragons don't automatically detect as magic anymore than undead and constructs do, even though the latter often use magic in their creation. Depending on the method used to disguise it, it may not detect as magic. If it used Change Shape, which is typically supernatural, then there'd be a moderate transmutation aura, since it works as Polymorph. If it uses the Disguise skill to disguise itself as a linnorm or something, it wouldn't Detect at all.

Q 441 If you use an Emei Piercer, do you use the weapon stats or does your unarmed strike change to Piercing with a 19-20/x2 crit range? It says it modifies unarmed strikes to piercing but the stats are the damage for an untrained unarmed strike, so it seems intended to at least change it to piercing.

[Psyren]

A440 addendum: Arcane Sight might help instead - this spell tells you whether the target has any SLAs, which most dragons do, as well as the strength of the strongest one. The dragon can fool this by disguising themselves as a spellcaster, but if they're disguised as something that doesn't usually have magical abilities you might get a clue that something is fishy. Generally you'll want True Seeing to defeat magical disguises though.

A441: You use the weapon stats. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your viewpoint), when UE was released, they removed the line that said brass knuckles inherited monk IUS damage. SKR then clarified in various places that the nerf was intentional for BK, and similar weapons (like the EP) inherited the updated language that purposefully omits the buff.

Now, having said all that - there are various ways to get unarmed damage on an Emei Piercer anyway. The Brawler's Close Weapon Mastery feature is an easy one (EP is in that category) and Ascetic Style/Ascetic Strike will get it onto other classes (since EP is also in the "monk" category.) Without such a damage-augmenting/replacing feature though, you would do the 1d3.

[Mongoose19]

Q442: if I take levels in the Homunculist alchemist archtype can I apply an archtype to my familliar such as the figment? If so how would my evolution pool be affected?

[Psyren]

A442a: Yes, your familiar works just like a normal one and thus can take archetypes. (You can also just use a tumor familiar discovery on any other alchemist the same way.)

A442b: It wouldn't? Not sure I understand the second question. You get a pool of evolution points that you can spend on some abilities as though the familiar were an eidolon.

[Mongoose19]

A442a: Yes, your familiar works just like a normal one and thus can take archetypes. (You can also just use a tumor familiar discovery on any other alchemist the same way.)

A442b: It wouldn't? Not sure I understand the second question. You get a pool of evolution points that you can spend on some abilities as though the familiar were an eidolon.

Thank you! In regards to part b it says in the Homunculist archtype that the evolution points specifically stack with the evolved familliar feat not mentioning other sources of extra evolutions. I was just checking as I didn't want to inadvertently cheat.

[flamewolf393]

Q443

Is an evil cleric harmed by their own channel negative energy?

[Psyren]

Thank you! In regards to part b it says in the Homunculist archtype that the evolution points specifically stack with the evolved familliar feat not mentioning other sources of extra evolutions. I was just checking as I didn't want to inadvertently cheat.

What other sources of evolutions did you have in mind?

Q443

Is an evil cleric harmed by their own channel negative energy?

A443: Only if they want to be:

"A cleric can choose whether or not to include herself in this effect."