Simple RAW for Pathfinder Thread V: Golarion Strikes Back

[Zhentarim]

Q133 Does Fighter Armor Training apply to Tower Shields?

[Cieyrin]

A 132 1/day each, as that's the general text used for any of the racial spell-likes.

A 133 RAW, no. Armor Training only applies to the armor you're wearing. Tower Shield Specialists specifically do get greater reductions when using tower shields.

However, I've never seen a GM who wouldn't let you reduce the armor check penalty of a shield via Armor Training, as it's kinda silly otherwise.

[Sayt]

Q134: If a character's mount uses an ability which ends it's turn, is the mounted character's turn also ended?

For instance, a paladin is riding his mount, which makes a charge attack (With the paladin not doing so), and then activates it's swift-runner's shirt to make a move, can the paladin then still act?

[Psyren]

However, I've never seen a GM who wouldn't let you reduce the armor check penalty of a shield via Armor Training, as it's kinda silly otherwise.

Armor Master's Handbook has a number of ways to reduce this penalty as well if it's proving troublesome.

A134: Mounts and other companions get their own turns, the only thing they share with the master is his/her initiative. Similarly, your mount getting staggered or knocked out would not restrict your own actions.

[Calthropstu]

Thanks for the response Psyren.

I had not seen that in the Ultimate Intrigue, and this may well have been before that was published anyways. As for the detect magic... (actually permanent arcane sight) It ALWAYS registered magic. And all the doorways had magic in front of them... they had gotten used to it all being illusion. He had stopped asking at every door.

This got them good. If that trap hadn't gotten them, I had several more truly nasty surprises waiting for them.

[Psyren]

He had stopped asking at every door.

I don't want to belabor this here as it probably deserves its own thread, but this is more than a little unfair. The player may not have thought to ask, but his character would have noticed the change in spell school - especially since he was using Arcane Sight rather than Detect Magic, which means he would have noticed the errant abjuration aura instantly without even needing to concentrate. At a minimum you should have rolled Spellcraft on his behalf, and even had he failed, that would have told him there was an aura on the doorway that he didn't recognize - a stark contrast to the illusion auras he had already spotted that were slathered over everything.

A "gotcha" moment like this might be fun once, but were I a player at your table, I'd be sure to punish you by asking a hundred questions every time I stepped into a new square, since that is effectively what you'd be training me to do if I want my character to survive.

[Calthropstu]

Fair enough... I'll start a thread on it tomorrow. I really don't feel like starting that conversation tonight.

*makes mental note* Anyways, thanks for the answers.

[Tuvarkz]

A133 Addendum- The Tower Shield Specialist Shield Mastery feat in Armor Master's Handbook (Yes, it has the same name as the archetype) does also allow you to apply Armor Training to Tower Shields (on top of a baseline reduction of their ACP by 3)

[Palanan]

Q135: Does casting Memory Lapse or Fumbletongue count as an attack for the purpose of breaking Invisibility?

.

[Psyren]

A135: Those are spells that directly target foes, so yes, both would break your invisibility.

You could make a case for needing to cast Memory Lapse on an ally though, e.g. to remove an intimidation effect from them, and this would not break your invisibility. For example, an enemy minotaur causes your Psychic ally to become shaken, interfering with her emotion components - if you are nearby and invisible, you could have her forget her fear and thus be able to cast.

[Palanan]

Okay, thank you.

To follow on from this—if you cast Memory Lapse while invisible, and thus break the spell, can you make a Hide check that same round?

This would be a situation in which the caster is motionless and already in cover, casting the spell and then trying to hide to remain undetected.

[Psyren]

Okay, thank you.

To follow on from this—if you cast Memory Lapse while invisible, and thus break the spell, can you make a Hide check that same round?

This would be a situation in which the caster is motionless and already in cover, casting the spell and then trying to hide to remain undetected.

A136: The regular stealth rules would apply - as long as you meet the conditions, you can try to hide. The enemy would get a check to notice you, particularly if your spell tips them off in some way (typically, verbal components.) Remember, Perception uses all 5 senses, and you have to speak in a clear voice to use a verbal component unless you're using Conceal Spellcasting, so depending on how close you are they could get a hefty bonus on their perception check. Thus, even if they can't see you clearly due to the cover, they could easily end up realizing what square you're in, and losing your invisibility would negate concealment.

[inuyasha]

Q137a: If you possess both the Body Bludgeon rage power and the Hurling rage power, can you effectively throw your enemies as improvised weapons?

Q137b: Do you even need the Hurling rage power to do so if you already possess Body Bludgeon?

[Morphic tide]

Q137a: If you possess both the Body Bludgeon rage power and the Hurling rage power, can you effectively throw your enemies as improvised weapons?

Q137b: Do you even need the Hurling rage power to do so if you already possess Body Bludgeon?

The relevant RAW quotes:

As a full-round action while raging, the barbarian can lift and hurl an object up to one size category smaller than herself with both hands or two size categories smaller with one hand as an improvised weapon with a range increment of 10 feet.

This inflicts damage as a falling object plus the barbarian’s Strength bonus. This damage is halved if the object is not made of stone, metal, or similar material.

While raging, if the barbarian pins an opponent that is smaller than her, she can then use that opponent as a two-handed improvised weapon that deals 1d8 points of bludgeoning damage, assuming the opponent is sized Small.

The barbarian can make a single attack using the pinned opponent as part of the action she uses to maintain the grapple, using her highest attack bonus.

If Improvised Weapons always count as objects, then you might be able to. It's stated that it's a full-round action to do the Hurler thing, but you need to keep the opponent Pinned to use Body Bludgeon, so there may be action economy issues relating to both maintaining the Pin and having a full round action to Hurl them.

However, it does not specify the type of attack, so you can throw the opponent with Body Bludgeon alone, using the rules for throwing normal weapons. But Hurler does damage based on the fall damage, reduced by half if the object is not a hard, stiff material, which will usually be larger, so you'd deal less damage.

Overall, you may have stumbled onto a hilarious Barbarian Grappler build. Not only do you beat an enemy with another enemy, you also do so by Grappling them and then throwing them.

[Fenryr]

Q138

Does Steadfast Personality feat stacks with Divine Grace?

[Sayt]

A138: No, untyped ability bonuses from the same ability score do not stack. A good way to think about it is that untyped ability score bonuses/modifiers are now typed per the source ability modifier.

[Cieyrin]

Q 139 For Psionic Critical, what's the point of expending your psionic focus? You deal the same extra damage whether you maintain or expend, unless you have 2 focuses, one for each, I suppose.

[Tuvarkz]

A139
You're reading it wrongly.
Basically, via flowchart
You score a critical
a) You don't have psionic focus. No effect
b) You have psionic focus, but decide not to expend it. +1d8 damage
c) You have psionic focus and expend it. +2d8 damage

[Zhentarim]

A133 Addendum- The Tower Shield Specialist Shield Mastery feat in Armor Master's Handbook (Yes, it has the same name as the archetype) does also allow you to apply Armor Training to Tower Shields (on top of a baseline reduction of their ACP by 3)

I might need that, then!

[Deaxsa]

Q 140

Can you take an iterative attack before your primary (highest BAB) attack? (change the order of your attacks)

The situation: I am a level 6 fighter with quick dirty trick, a desire to disarm, and twf (just basic). If I quick dirty trick first, I can make a disarm check against a foe with penalties to their CMD. If I do that, I wouldn't mind using the lower bab attack to do a disarm (preventing counters such as duelist's opportune parry an riposte on the final third attack), leaving my final attack with my main hand for a normal attack.

[Cieyrin]

A139
You're reading it wrongly.
Basically, via flowchart
You score a critical
a) You don't have psionic focus. No effect
b) You have psionic focus, but decide not to expend it. +1d8 damage
c) You have psionic focus and expend it. +2d8 damage

I thought that might be the case but I wasn't sure, given Psionic Fist or Shot does an either/or if you maintain or expend.

A 140

If you get multiple attacks because your base attack bonus is high enough, you must make the attacks in order from highest bonus to lowest.

[Deaxsa]

Q 141a

Does a rope dart count as a melee weapon (opportunity attacks ahoy) or a thrown weapon (hello, point blank shot tree)?

Edit:
Q141b
Is a rope dart a light weapon/usable with twf?

[Psyren]

A141a: It's a ranged weapon (UC 132 / UE 21) that happens to have a fixed maximum range.

A141b: You can TWF with it like any other thrown weapon. However, with nothing specifying that it is a light weapon, it would take the larger 1H penalties.

[Morphic tide]

Sounds like someone wants to be a 2e Fighter. Get Returning darts like a REAL Dart-Fighter!

[Psyren]

Note that the Rope Dart's biggest advantages are (a) the rope itself, allowing one to keep throwing it without needing the Returning feature, and (b) the "monk" special quality which makes it a flurry weapon.

That last part is actually superior to TWF, since it means the dart can get an identical number of attacks to TWF (and even exceed them, with ki) but with lower penalties, lower cost, and fewer feats.

[Hate9]

Q142

Is there any way to gain a Ki Pool (even a tiny one) without taking levels of any specific class?

[Psyren]

A142: There's a few:

- Specific archetypes of various classes get ki pools directly, so depending on the one you're interested in you can probably get one without multiclassing.
- Other classes/archetypes get access to Rogue Talents, one of which is "Ki Pool."
- Variant Multiclassing (either VMC Monk to get one directly, or VMC Magus + Ki Arcana to turn their arcane pool into a ki pool indirectly.)

[Segrain]

A142 cont.

It can also be done with a feat or two.

[Hate9]

- redacted due to links which I can't post -

Those were exactly the thing I was looking for. Thanks.

[Morphic tide]

A142 cont.

It can also be done with a feat or two.

...one of those stacks with Monk, giving them a significant boost to their Ki pool.