Spheres of Power Ask Me Anything #2

[TheIronGolem]

Q347 (Battlemage's Handbook): The rogue talent "A Pact Made In Shadows" does not specify that it can be taken more than once, but the clause "until you create another mandate with this ability" seems to imply that it can. Am I correct to assume it can?

[Adam Meyers]

@Lirya: That bard is making out with more talents than he probably should (1 talent per bab/caster level would be more approriate), but otherwise off the top of my head I see no big issues with it.

A347: I would believe so.

[Lirya]

@Lirya: That bard is making out with more talents than he probably should (1 talent per bab/caster level would be more approriate), but otherwise off the top of my head I see no big issues with it.

I know that is more than the default is supposed to be. But classes like the Prodigy and Mystic [magus archetype] use the same progression and I don't think bard class features are any stronger than those classes. They certainly don't have the same synergy when it comes to combining combat and magic talents.

The other main option I am considering would be to give them a choice of either Illusion Sphere or Mind Sphere for free at 1st level, and full CL with those two spheres.

[A.J.Gibson]

Q347 (Battlemage's Handbook): The rogue talent "A Pact Made In Shadows" does not specify that it can be taken more than once, but the clause "until you create another mandate with this ability" seems to imply that it can. Am I correct to assume it can?

A347: You can only take it once, though in retrospect, being able to take it multiple times probably would have been okay. The pact lasts one round per rogue level, or until you make the same pact with someone else. Under mandate rules, you can't be in the same mandate with multiple people (though you can be in different mandates with different people).

[PandorasBox]

Q348) Are the Hedgewitch Amateur *Tradition* secrets intended to allow access to normal secrets only or are they also intended to allow access to grand secrets at an appropriate level? I've made an assumption, but I'd like a more official interpretation as it matters a great deal for one of my players.

[rs2excelsior]

Q349: is there a general guideline as to whether "weapon" includes natural weapons?

The two specific cases I am looking at:
--The Energy Weapon talent in the Enhancement sphere. Based on the wording of the Natural Enhancement talent, I would think you cannot use the talent on natural weapons, unless you have the natural enhancement talent.
--The Energy Blade talent in the Destruction sphere. Could you use that talent to make a natural weapon attack with the destructive blast?

EDIT:

Q350: Can you apply multiple enhancement talents with one action when using the enhancement sphere? Or does each require its own action?

[Danielxxi]

Q351:The vancian spell casting service cost is Caster level × spell level × 10 gp plus any expensive component.

Whats the spell casting service cost in SoP?
In SoP the spell level is computed as ½ caster level. Hence I could assume that the hiring cost is Caster level × ½ caster level × 10 gp plus any expensive component.
Is that right? Because it does not take into account the number of magic talent required to cast the spell?

[AlienFromBeyond]

Q352: If I use destructive blast with a blast type that does bleed damage (such as Shrapnel Blast) with the Energy Blade shape, would the bleed from the blast stack with that of the weapon attack (for example, a Rogue's Bleeding Attack), since it's all one hit? If not, would using the Improved Energy Blade feat with Energy Blade, both using bleed blasts, stack the bleed from the two blasts? This would be similar to if you used a flaming weapon with a fire damage Energy Blade and whether fire resistance applies to them as a whole or flaming and the blast separately, ditto for a double energy blade attack using improved feat + talent.

[Dromuthra]

Q353: What counts as "on her person" for the Personal Refinement ability of the Whitesmith? This question got asked earlier but never answered.

Q354: If sheathed weapons are "on her person," What's to stop a Whitesmith from applying the Elemental Weapon enhancement 4 times to a single weapon?

[RedMop]

Q355: I'm a level 1 War Sphere caster with no additional talents. I'm on a moving ship. I drop a totem and maintain it via a spell point or concentration. Does the totem stay with the ship, or does it slide off as the ship moves?

[A.J.Gibson]

Q355: I'm a level 1 War Sphere caster with no additional talents. I'm on a moving ship. I drop a totem and maintain it via a spell point or concentration. Does the totem stay with the ship, or does it slide off as the ship moves?

A355: I would say that if the totem can fit entirely within the ship, it can probably move with the ship, but I can't be more official than that.

[RedMop]

A355: I would say that if the totem can fit entirely within the ship, it can probably move with the ship, but I can't be more official than that.

A totem won't fit on most ships. Skull and Shackles book 1 ships are 6 squares across. Naval combat rules say a square is 30 feet, and all ships are 1 square wide. Totems start at 50 ft radius, so they won't ever fit.

[stack]

This is not official, but I recommend that mutliple uses of energy weapon for different energy types overlap rather than stack, just to prevent excessive damage numbers. Doing 10 extra damage that counts as acid/cold/fire/ and electrical is more sane than dealing 40 extra damage.

[Slavezero]

A totem won't fit on most ships. Skull and Shackles book 1 ships are 6 squares across. Naval combat rules say a square is 30 feet, and all ships are 1 square wide. Totems start at 50 ft radius, so they won't ever fit.

they should be able to be anchored to the spot you summon them in from the sounds of the talent

[AlienFromBeyond]

Q354: If sheathed weapons are "on her person," What's to stop a Whitesmith from applying the Elemental Weapon enhancement 4 times to a single weapon?

RAW nothing. There's a reason why I've mentioned Whitesmith as having some absurd early level power.

[Civmaster]

Q356:

so since generally every sphere effect is SR=yes, what happens to conjuration companions? what happens with the weather sphere?

as far as i understand a failed SR check from your companion would mean it disperses

[stack]

Q356:

so since generally every sphere effect is SR=yes, what happens to conjuration companions? what happens with the weather sphere?

as far as i understand a failed SR check from your companion would mean it disperses

In my understanding, Conjuration companions are a (summoning) effect, thus act like any other summoned creature in regards to SR. Which is to say, they don't care about it (unless casting an effect subject to SR).

I am guessing the intent on weather is that you are using magic to change the natural weather, so would bypass SR, but that isn't founded on any special insight on my part.

Neither of these thoughts are by any means definitive.

[Rezialn]

Regarding Spell Resistance.

Like spells, spheres require levels in a magic-using class. Using a sphere ability provokes an attack of opportunity (unless cast defensively), requires a concentration check in difficult situations, ceases to function in an anti-magic field, and is subject to spell resistance.

The people on the Pathfinder Reddit Discord believe fervently that this means that things such as:

A conjured creature from the conjuration sphere making an attack
A person shapeshifted by the alteration sphere making an attack
Weather effects such as high winds and extreme temperature

Are all subject to spell resistance. This seems absurd to me. Who is right?

[Civmaster]

In my understanding, Conjuration companions are a (summoning) effect, thus act like any other summoned creature in regards to SR. Which is to say, they don't care about it (unless casting an effect subject to SR).

they main problem is that the pathfinder normal summon spells are explicitly SR=NO, but this one is actually SR=yes. unless you have access to rules i havent found yet

[EldritchWeaver]

Regarding Spell Resistance.

Like spells, spheres require levels in a magic-using class. Using a sphere ability provokes an attack of opportunity (unless cast defensively), requires a concentration check in difficult situations, ceases to function in an anti-magic field, and is subject to spell resistance.

The people on the Pathfinder Reddit Discord believe fervently that this means that things such as:

A conjured creature from the conjuration sphere making an attack
A person shapeshifted by the alteration sphere making an attack
Weather effects such as high winds and extreme temperature

Are all subject to spell resistance. This seems absurd to me. Who is right?

A creature with spell resistance can avoid the effects of spells and spell-like abilities that directly affect it.

The keyword is "directly affect it". A summoned creature is the direct effect of the spell, anything else is an indirect effect. After all, the spell doesn't harm someone as its effect.

[stack]

they main problem is that the pathfinder normal summon spells are explicitly SR=NO, but this one is actually SR=yes. unless you have access to rules i havent found yet

The Convoker's handbook currently in playtest clarifies that SR does not effect companion natural and weapon attacks, though that has not been cleared with Adam Meyer and is subject to his decision prior to publishing.

[AmberVael]

Q353: What counts as "on her person" for the Personal Refinement ability of the Whitesmith? This question got asked earlier but never answered.

Q354: If sheathed weapons are "on her person," What's to stop a Whitesmith from applying the Elemental Weapon enhancement 4 times to a single weapon?

A353: An item worn or held, generally, but it might also mean something in your pockets or otherwise readily accessible. If you have to dig through your backpack to get it out, it probably doesn't count, but if it is close at hand, it's on your person.
This isn't strictly defined terminology, mind. It'd be reasonable to say that ioun stones are on your person, despite the fact that they fly around your head.

A354: Rules on combining magical effects.

Same Effect with Differing Results

The same spell can sometimes produce varying effects if applied to the same recipient more than once. Usually the last spell in the series trumps the others. None of the previous spells are actually removed or dispelled, but their effects become irrelevant while the final spell in the series lasts.

By RAW, only the latest Elemental Weapon will be active. The others will still technically exist, but won't be useful unless the currently active one gets dispelled or something.

[AlienFromBeyond]

Q357: Given the wording on the Pharmakon's Iatrogen ability, I take it you can apply Mass Restore when using it to affect multiple enemies? What about metamagic?

Q358: Do caster level boosts work for Iatrogens that work like certain talents, such as Syncope (Iatrogen doesn't say if it uses your class level as caster level or if you use regular caster level)? If so, would Syncope for example count as Death or Life sphere?

[Mehangel]

While I am not the author of the Vivomancer's Handbook, I did write the Pharmakon archetype, and as such I am answering these two questions.

Q357: Given the wording on the Pharmakon's Iatrogen ability, I take it you can apply Mass Restore when using it to affect multiple enemies? What about metamagic?

A357: Yes, you can use the Mass Restore talent and metamagic with the Pharmakon's Iatrogen. Just remember, that Iatrogens use Channel Energy uses instead of spell points.

Q358: Do caster level boosts work for Iatrogens that work like certain talents, such as Syncope (Iatrogen doesn't say if it uses your class level as caster level or if you use regular caster level)? If so, would Syncope for example count as Death or Life sphere?

A358: The pharmakon was not intended to use caster level in any of it's Iatrogens. It was the intention that for Iatrogens like Syncope to use their Pharmakon level instead of caster level.

[RedMop]

Q348) Are the Hedgewitch Amateur *Tradition* secrets intended to allow access to normal secrets only or are they also intended to allow access to grand secrets at an appropriate level? I've made an assumption, but I'd like a more official interpretation as it matters a great deal for one of my players.

I'd like to know this one too.

[Mehangel]

Q359: The Incanter sub-specialization for Divination has an SU ability called Share Information. Pasting it below just to make things easy. My question is, lets say I use Divine Future talent (divination) from the Divination sphere, can I then use this ability (Share Information) to allow my allies that are affected by Share Information to gain the same ability that Divine Future gives me (the caster- add 1D4, +1 per 5 CL as an immediate to a qualifying roll) ? If it does, do we "share" the uses remaining (IE if I had taken this ability twice for 2 uses per casting) between all targets that received Divine Future via the Share Senses ability?

A359: Share Information was not intended to be used with the 'Divine Future talent', but rather for (divine) talents which actually give the caster new information via concentration. Note how Share Information mentions that the benefits last as long as you maintain concentration on the talent (coincidentally, you don't 'concentrate' for 'Divine Future').

[RedMop]

Q360: Telekinesis and Easy Focus: How do they interact? Specifically, Telekinetic Maneuver. Telekinetic Maneuver says standard action. Easy Focus says I can concentrate as a move action. Does Easy Focus let me do the Telekinetic Maneuver Standard Action during my move action concentrate, letting me use my standard action for whatever, maybe another Telekinetic Maneuver?

Q361: Does Grapple even work with Telekinetic Maneuvers? It has no option mentioned to concentrate, so that could mean that is instantaneous, and thus, the grapple does nothing. The target would be grappled during the time you are actually doing the maneuver, but it ends right after that.

[Ualaa]

Q360: Telekinesis and Easy Focus: How do they interact? Specifically, Telekinetic Maneuver. Telekinetic Maneuver says standard action. Easy Focus says I can concentrate as a move action. Does Easy Focus let me do the Telekinetic Maneuver Standard Action during my move action concentrate, letting me use my standard action for whatever, maybe another Telekinetic Maneuver?

A360: Easy focus allows you to extend an effect with a duration of concentratation, as a move action. It does not allow you to initiate a maneuver or sphere effect. Once the effect has been created, by whatever action that effect requires, in subsequent rounds when you would have to maintain it, you can do so as a move action. With Easy Focus, you could maintain two effects which both require concentration.

[RedMop]

A360: Easy focus allows you to extend an effect with a duration of concentratation, as a move action. It does not allow you to initiate a maneuver or sphere effect. Once the effect has been created, by whatever action that effect requires, in subsequent rounds when you would have to maintain it, you can do so as a move action. With Easy Focus, you could maintain two effects which both require concentration.

Perfect. That is plenty reasonable.

How about Q361? Does Telekinetic Maneuver to grapple do anything besides use up a standard action? If so, can I concentrate on that as a move action to maintain?

[Slavezero]

Q362 with the Deathful Magic boon does non-lethal damage such as the damage caused by the Draining Casting drawback give you the bonus to caster level?

Q363 how long does the fatigued and exhausted conditions from the Overcharge boon last?

also what was the ruling for Draining Casting when healing from the non-lethal? can't remember if you have it heal like normal non-lethal's 1 per level per hour or if you guys decided to make it last till you rest