Spheres of Power Ask Me Anything #2

[Hal0Badger]

Q.246: If I use Mass Command feat (Squad Feats) on creating a mandate, can I include all my squad in the mandate with an additional spell point?

[EldritchWeaver]

Sphere talents are said to follow the same retraining rules as feats. In this case, is a drawback treated as a class feature, and a bonus talent gained from a drawback treated as a bonus feat gained from a class feature? If so, could one nonetheless spend the bonus sphere-specific talent to access the same sphere twice? Then when either talent meets the prerequisite of the drawback, this would free up the base talent to be retrained?

Apologies if I'm being really persistent on this issue, I just want the answer to be as comprehensive as possible. Because there are methods in other rules for a feature to effectively satisfy its own prerequisites.

To make sure, I understand this correctly: If for example you take Alteration with Lycanthropic, then you want to be able to take Alteration again with the bonus feat? You can generally only take a particular talent only once, unless it states that can be taken more than once. Base spheres never can be taken twice, so your construct of providing its prerequisite is impossible to realize and even if it were, would be disallowed in my game for the simple reason that with this trick you could get access to all spheres for no cost.

[digiman619]

To make sure, I understand this correctly: If for example you take Alteration with Lycanthropic, then you want to be able to take Alteration again with the bonus feat? You can generally only take a particular talent only once, unless it states that can be taken more than once. Base spheres never can be taken twice, so your construct of providing its prerequisite is impossible to realize and even if it were, would be disallowed in my game for the simple reason that with this trick you could get access to all spheres for no cost.

Just like feats, you can't retrain a talent if it is a prerequisite for something else, and the base spehere is obviously a prerequisite fot any of its talents, so if you wanted to train out of a sphere, you'd have to reatrain all of the talents you "bought" within it before you could do so. Once you have only the base sphere and any bonus talents from sphere-specific drawbacks for that sphere (as you can't use them anywhere else), you can retrain the sphere into something else. Yes, this means that if you took a bunch of sphere-specific drawbacks and you train out of the sphere, you lose the bonus talents it provides, just like you'd lose the bonus feats if retrained out of Fighter levels.

[A.J.Gibson]

Q.246: If I use Mass Command feat (Squad Feats) on creating a mandate, can I include all my squad in the mandate with an additional spell point?

A246: The wording of Mass Command is:

"You may spend an additional spell point when using a sphere ability that targets a willing creature to affect any number of targets in your squadron. All targets must be within range."

Mandates target pairs of creatures, so as written, it shouldn't be compatible, but I think it would be fine to use Mass Command to let you create multiple mandates of the same type. The rules for mandates don't change, however: two people to a mandate and the no one can have the same mandate multiple times, so you would have to pair off everyone in your squad. So if you had a squad with 7 people in it, you could create 3 mandates each with two different squad members, and one person gets nothing.

[Omnificer]

Q.247: Is there any reason to believe that when using the creation sphere you can create part of something in one casting and the rest in another? Or spend multiple rounds casting to create a larger object? Or simply spend more spell points with Larger Creation to continue doubling?

Otherwise, it does not seem feasible to ever create a whole tavern.

[Dell_the_Engie]

Q239 At 2nd level, the fighter gains the ability to awaken a weapon and make it intelligent. The weapon gains a Wisdom, Intelligence, and Charisma score of 10. Does the intelligent weapon gain any other benefits from being an intelligent item?

A tentative A239 to my own question. From what I can tell, there are two likely possibilities. The first is that a spirit-wielder's awakened weapon is treated as an intelligent item in the conventional sense: it is a creature of the construct type, has ordinary senses out to 30ft, understands Common and possesses only empathic communication, and creatures with a different alignment gain one negative level if they attempt to wield it.

The other possibility is that it is an intelligent item in the sense of Bestow Intelligence: it still is an intelligent item in the conventional sense, but additionally has ordinary senses out to 60ft, and understands and speaks one language.

So then the question is, which is it, or is the awakened weapon something else entirely?

[Civmaster]

Q248:
uh, so i have been looking at it but what does the payment of 1spell point to keep an effect running entail?
does the effect act as if he was under concentration?
as does the protection barrier thing refill its hp each round?
if it does so would lingering allow the extension of the effect lifetime?

[Mehangel]

Q248:
uh, so i have been looking at it but what does the payment of 1spell point to keep an effect running entail?
does the effect act as if he was under concentration?
as does the protection barrier thing refill its hp each round?
if it does so would lingering allow the extension of the effect lifetime?

A248: In regards to spending a spell point to maintain a Protection sphere barrier without concentration; the ability explicitly calls out that maintaining the barrier via concentration will restore its hit points each round, which seems to me to infer that it only regains hit points if maintained via concentration. This is further confirmed when one takes a look at Greater Barrier, which states "The barrier's hit points do not replenish, even if maintained through concentration."

Sphere abilities maintained via concentration can be interrupted/stopped by forcing the caster to make concentration checks. Whereas sphere abilities that are not maintained via concentration (which is normally accomplished with the expenditure of additional spell points), can only be interrupted/stopped on the turn of casting; Once a sphere ability maintained without concentration has been cast, it will normally remain in effect for the ability's duration.

[Dell_the_Engie]

More questions about spirit-wielder, this time in regard to casting traditions and Focus Casting.

Q249 A spirit-wielder's awakened weapon may select a casting tradition. Any drawback the awakened weapon cannot satisfy on its own must instead be fulfilled by its wielder. Can an awakened weapon fulfill the Focus Casting, Galvanized, Center of Power, or Emotional Casting drawbacks on its own? If the weapon can speak, as the intelligent item feature, can it fulfill the Verbal Casting drawback on its own? Can the weapon choose its wielder as a casting focus? Can the spirit-wielder choose the awakened weapon or weapon-spirit as their casting focus, meaning whichever weapon they have taken the time to awaken and bond with is their casting focus?

[A.J.Gibson]

More questions about spirit-wielder, this time in regard to casting traditions and Focus Casting.

Q249 A spirit-wielder's awakened weapon may select a casting tradition. Any drawback the awakened weapon cannot satisfy on its own must instead be fulfilled by its wielder. Can an awakened weapon fulfill the Focus Casting, Galvanized, Center of Power, or Emotional Casting drawbacks on its own? If the weapon can speak, as the intelligent item feature, can it fulfill the Verbal Casting drawback on its own? Can the weapon choose its wielder as a casting focus? Can the spirit-wielder choose the awakened weapon or weapon-spirit as their casting focus, meaning whichever weapon they have taken the time to awaken and bond with is their casting focus?

C249 Why would you want the weapon to have drawbacks? The weapon has a spell pool equal to it's CAM, it doesn't gain spell points per level, so drawbacks won't actually grant any additional spell points.

[Dell_the_Engie]

C249 Why would you want the weapon to have drawbacks? The weapon has a spell pool equal to it's CAM, it doesn't gain spell points per level, so drawbacks won't actually grant any additional spell points.

Instead of gaining bonus spell points, you can select a "boon" for every two general drawbacks you possess. Boons have numerous benefits, such as elevating caster level, or maintaining concentration as a move action. Since awakened weapons can have a casting tradition, they can also gain boons. Not only do these make awakened weapons more useful, this is indeed the only use that general drawbacks have for awakened weapons, since as you mentioned, they do not have a conventional spell pool.

This highly limited spell pool can be used to one's advantage however. Drawbacks like Prepared Casting and Strenuous have negligible effects, while the boon Empowered Abilities grants a +2 caster level bonus so long as you have 0 spell points, quite easy for an awakened weapon.

[TheIronGolem]

Q210: Staunch Resistance (Enhancer's Handbook) - The math from the talent description doesn't add up; it says the bonus begins at +2 and goes up by +1 per 5 caster levels, to a max of +5 at 20th level. But that would add up to +6. Should +6 be the actual cap, should it start at +1, or something else?

A211: Adam answered this for me in an email. The maximum bonus is +6.

[Dell_the_Engie]

I had one of those questions I ended up answering in the process of asking it, but it might still help to put it out there anyway for people looking at the Destruction sphere, and if I'm wrong about my assumptions, I'd like to be corrected.

Q250 How does the "Shape Focus" drawback interact with the "Destructive Touch" drawback?

A250 Destructive Touch limits you to melee touch attacks with your default destructive blast, forbids several blast shapes, and places restrictions on several others, but Shape Focus restricts you to using only one blast shape at all, and the bonus blast shape talent gained from Shape Focus must regard all of the restrictions set by Destructive Touch.

[SangoProduction]

Q251: The Doomblade's (Mageknight) Destructive Blade says to make touch attacks. Given that it does not give a range, I assume this is a melee touch attack?

Q252: Since he is armed with the Destructive Blade, and it "can be augmented like any other destructive blast [except for blade shape or damage boost]." It can have Air Blast or Battering Blast. Can 2 Doomblades with Greater Bullrush, and Combat Reflexes just continually shuffle someone between themselves (at least until they run out of AoOs)?

I just imagine a squad of Doomblades trapping enemies in tornados of death (well...unconsciousness at least).

Q253: Does this blade count as a manufactured weapon? (For purposes of natural attacks, magic that targets manufactured weapons, and so on.) It seems to imply that you can make normal iterative attacks with it.

[khadgar567]

Q254: Can some one with conjuration sphere contract himself?
question is for spheres of might class.

[stack]

Q251: The Doomblade's (Mageknight) Destructive Blade says to make touch attacks. Given that it does not give a range, I assume this is a melee touch attack?

Q252: Since he is armed with the Destructive Blade, and it "can be augmented like any other destructive blast [except for blade shape or damage boost]." It can have Air Blast or Battering Blast. Can 2 Doomblades with Greater Bullrush, and Combat Reflexes just continually shuffle someone between themselves (at least until they run out of AoOs)?

I just imagine a squad of Doomblades trapping enemies in tornados of death (well...unconsciousness at least).

Q253: Does this blade count as a manufactured weapon? (For purposes of natural attacks, magic that targets manufactured weapons, and so on.) It seems to imply that you can make normal iterative attacks with it.

A251: Yes, melee.
A252: If if you manage the setup and roll well, you can play pingpong, yes. Hard to abuse in practice I think, or at least abuse more than energy wall with the same types.
A253: it's a sphere effect that you may make attacks with, not a manufactured weapon.

Q254: Can some one with conjuration sphere contract himself?
question is for spheres of might class.

I don't understand the question. Please rephrase and elaborate.

[pfm1995]

Q. 255 Can the Arcane Strike feat, whether taken normally or through the Mystic Combat class feature, be applied to the Doomblade's Destructive Blade? I assume no, but given how useful it would be if it could I figured I'd ask anyway.

[khadgar567]

I don't understand the question. Please rephrase and elaborate.

Q254: well question is for troubadour using two of his personalities as summoned companion by virtue of each of them are separate persons and that's the where the question comes can this be legal since lingering greater summoning companion they can keep each persona out for all day except 6 seconds where you summon each of them

[stack]

Q. 255 Can the Arcane Strike feat, whether taken normally or through the Mystic Combat class feature, be applied to the Doomblade's Destructive Blade? I assume no, but given how useful it would be if it could I figured I'd ask anyway.

A255: it would fall under weapon like spells. I dont think arcane strike works on, say, flame blade, so the same applies to the destructive blade.

[pfm1995]

A255: it would fall under weapon like spells. I dont think arcane strike works on, say, flame blade, so the same applies to the destructive blade.

Arcane Strike actually does work on Flame Blade, see the FAQ here.

[stack]

Arcane Strike actually does work on Flame Blade, see the FAQ here.

Cool. Arcane strike doomblade is a go. Note that you probably want to take the mystic combat rather than the feat since then it scales on mageknight level rather than caster level. Unless multiclassing a bunch of course.

[SangoProduction]

Q256: Can you concentrate on an effect, then stop concentrating on it to do something else (if you have an effect that persists it after you stop concentrating), and then pick up on concentrating on it again?

[A.J.Gibson]

Q256: Can you concentrate on an effect, then stop concentrating on it to do something else (if you have an effect that persists it after you stop concentrating), and then pick up on concentrating on it again?

A256: Concentrating on an effect makes it last one more round, and requires a standard action. If you fail to concentrate on your turn, the effect ends (I think at the end of your turn), so I don't think there's a way you can concentrate on something else and then switch back, though easy focus allows you to concentrate as a move action.

[stack]

Several abilities allow an effect to persist beyond the round you stop concentrating, so it's a good question. I think it's been asked before, but I don't know the answer.

[Dell_the_Engie]

A256: Concentrating on an effect makes it last one more round, and requires a standard action. If you fail to concentrate on your turn, the effect ends (I think at the end of your turn), so I don't think there's a way you can concentrate on something else and then switch back, though easy focus allows you to concentrate as a move action.

I believe their question was referring to when an effect persists after you stop concentrating on it, there are a few examples of that. To add on to that question...

Q257 Many, if not most abilities allow you to choose between concentrating to maintain the ability or spending a spell point to give it a duration. Sometimes the decision to spend a spell point this way is described as a free action. If I were to cast a sphere ability and not spend a spell point, so that I was concentrating on it, can I later choose to spend a spell point as a free action and give that ability a duration? That's meant to be distinct from simply recasting the ability and spending a spell point on it. Or may I only choose when I first cast the ability whether or not to spend the spell point?

[Mehangel]

In regards to Q256

Several abilities allow an effect to persist beyond the round you stop concentrating, so it's a good question. I think it's been asked before, but I don't know the answer.

I found it, the question posed by Mithril Leaf:

Can one resume concentration on an effect that you have stopped concentrating on, assuming you have some form of Lingering talent? For example, you enhance a dagger while possessing Lingering Enhancement, throw the dagger, pick it up the next round. Would you be able to pick up where you left off?

Adam Meyer's Response:

Re-concentrating: I'd say yes and no; if you had to spend spellpoints to create the effect, then you'd have to spend spell points again. Otherwise, there's really no mechanical difference between re-concentrating on the old effect and starting a new one, so I'd call it just re-concentrating if it became an issue in some circumstance.

[stack]

There are mechanical differences Adam's response overlooks, foremost the case of differing action costs. His response is fair enough for standard action casting and standard action concentration, but full round casting or move action concentrating make the distinction between recasting and concentrating significant. Also, casting provokes, concentrating does not.

[Dell_the_Engie]

In other words, the actions are the same, and the spell-point costs are the same as recasting it, but you could "re-concentrate" on an ability. That might matter in cases of fluctuating CL, specifically temporary boosts to CL, so that's good to know.

Edit: Good points about Easy Focus and AoO. So there are some notable functional distinctions between "re-concentrating" and recasting, and I wonder if that changes the answer on the matter.

[A.J.Gibson]

If you can re-concentrate on something because you have Lingering Whatever, can you next round cease concentration to get the linger benefit again?

[Mehangel]

If you can re-concentrate on something because you have Lingering Whatever, can you next round cease concentration to get the linger benefit again?

If you could, it would probably just result in someone concentrating once every other round, which is sort've ineffective unless you have the Easy Focus boon.