Spheres of Power Ask Me Anything #2

[Aipaca]

Just a bump about the Creator's Handbook?

[kkplx]

Just a bump about the Creator's Handbook?

It's out, what's the question?

Also, reposting my question for elemental transformation:

Q 417

When using alteration to assume the form of an earth elemental, you gain earth glide. This lets you "can pass through stone, dirt, or almost any other sort of earth except metal as easily as a fish swims through water."

In regards to water combat, it says the following:

"Attacks from Land: Characters swimming, floating, or treading water on the surface, or wading in water at least chest deep, have improved cover (+8 bonus to AC, +4 bonus on Reflex saves) from opponents on land."

Does that mean by declaring yourself floating while in this form, you effectively benefit from improved cover at almost all times? (whenever you're on ground that supports earth glide, which is basically everything)
w

[Aipaca]

Not on Paizo, which was my question earlier in the thread.

[Mehangel]

Q 417

When using alteration to assume the form of an earth elemental, you gain earth glide. This lets you "can pass through stone, dirt, or almost any other sort of earth except metal as easily as a fish swims through water."

In regards to water combat, it says the following:

"Attacks from Land: Characters swimming, floating, or treading water on the surface, or wading in water at least chest deep, have improved cover (+8 bonus to AC, +4 bonus on Reflex saves) from opponents on land."

Does that mean by declaring yourself floating while in this form, you effectively benefit from improved cover at almost all times? (whenever you're on ground that supports earth glide, which is basically everything)

I think that the answer provided by Sam C. might as well be the official one:

That would be a question for Paizo, not DDS, as the Elemental Body line of spells provides the same benefit. Whatever Paizo rules would apply here.

[kkplx]

All I see is a fresh account commenting on 2 of my spheres questions in a row in different threads - makes me suspicious.
Is he part of the authors then?

[Mehangel]

All I see is a fresh account commenting on 2 of my spheres questions in a row in different threads - makes me suspicious.
Is he part of the authors then?

No, but he isn't wrong. It would be inappropriate for DDS to answer that question when it needs to be answered by Paizo.

[Hellpyre]

The reason it's unclear as to if equipment merges is that the feat specifically mentions extra arms not being able to activate magic items (amongst other equipment related things) - under the normal Alteration rules, there'd be no reason to mention this, because while transformed, those items would be merged with you, and thus you wouldn't be able to activate them with any limb, added or otherwise.

You can still be handed a magic item after being transformed. The feat in question prevents that (although that may not have been the intent behind the restriction).

[sonsofsigmar]

I don't know if Spheres of Might questions are being answered here but I'm curious if the is a stance on the Conscripts Armor Training Specialization. The bonus/penalty reduction to Max Dex and ACP is explicitly capped at +/-4 but it levels up by 1 five times in total. So is the 18th level extraneous?

[mrguymiah]

It has had a significant amount written for some time. I do not know when the author plans to call it playtest ready.

[I know the post I'm quoting is a month old, but it was the most recent information I have found on the Death Sphere handbook.]

I was curious if there would be a better way to keep tabs on this development other than occasionally asking in this thread? This is easily the handbook I'm most excited for since Alteration.

Beyond that, please let them know that at least this fan of Spheres is glad they're taking their time and we'll wait till they feel it's ready.

[AlienFromBeyond]

Q419: What would you say to someone who is arguing that the sphere conversion archetypes (such as Sphere Wizard) still have access to their cantrips/orisons because they are actually a separate class feature from the spells class feature and none of the archetypes actually touch cantrips/orisons? This seems like it's technically correct, but I was arguing that the existence of the Cantrips feat clearly indicates the intent of the archetypes against this.

[Gobliin]

Is it too late to give some idea for the conjurer handbook?

[stack]

Is it too late to give some idea for the conjurer handbook?

It is in final edits, so unless there is a functional issue suggestions are unlikely to be incorporated.

[Halinn]

What would you say to someone who is arguing that the sphere conversion archetypes (such as Sphere Wizard) still have access to their cantrips/orisons because they are actually a separate class feature from the spells class feature and none of the archetypes actually touch cantrips/orisons? This seems like it's technically correct, but I was arguing that the existence of the Cantrips feat clearly indicates the intent of the archetypes against this.

I'd give them the Cantrips feat instead of regular cantrips/orisons. I like casters having easy access to those small effects, and the one that probably has the biggest effect on actual gameplay, Detect Magic, isn't included in the feat.

[Roadie]

Given the broadness of its effect, should the Eliciter's Persuasive DC bonus also apply to other Enchantment spell effects used by the character, or only Mind abilities? For example: a kitsune with several Magical Tail feats who thus has charm person and suggestion as SLAs.

[SwordChucks]

Q: Can the Insanity advanced talent be combined with another talent, such as Courage, with spellcrafting to make a permanent morale bonus?

Follow up question: How many books should be thrown at the player attempting this?

[AlienFromBeyond]

Q421 (I think?): For the Telekinesis sphere, if I have the Flair talent, can I then apply relevant feats to the drag maneuvers done by the Gravity Well talent? The kind of vaguely general way Flair is written seems like it would allow it (as Gravity Well mentions telekinesis as in the ability), but I'm not sure the Gravity Well interaction is intended.

[Hal0Badger]

Q: Can you use invigorate on someone who is at full health to activate one of the vitality talents?

[EldritchWeaver]

Q: Can you use invigorate on someone who is at full health to activate one of the vitality talents?

A:

A creature can benefit from a vitality talent attached to a Life ability, even if they don’t actually gain anything from the Life ability (such as using cure on a creature at full hit points).

Ignore these words.

[AlienFromBeyond]

Q423: How exactly does the Weird Radiance nimbus talent interact with the bright light from a glow that is benefiting from Glory (as Glory doesn't have text preventing combining it with a nimbus talent)? Beam and Illuminate seem straightforward by just having their quadrupling/doubling range work on the reduced radius Glory has, and Trail doesn't seem to need any adjusting, but Weird Radiance makes the glow create light totally independent of the way it normally would, which by a very RAW reading would seem to indicate it overwrites Glory's reduced area entirely.

[Gobliin]

What is the best way to submit homebrew project so that it became official?

Also, there is a shifter archetype that use the Path of war rules. Do you need special permission to publish cross over material like that?

[khadgar567]

What is the best way to submit homebrew project so that it became official?

Also, there is a shifter archetype that use the Path of war rules. Do you need special permission to publish cross over material like that?

I need answer to this question to.

[EldritchWeaver]

What is the best way to submit homebrew project so that it became official?

Since Adam Meyers is heading DDS, you need to talk to him about any project DDS is supposed to publish. I do know that the other authors discuss their respective projects with each other, so expect feedback. After all, your homebrew will be likely sold to recoup the costs.

Also, there is a shifter archetype that use the Path of war rules. Do you need special permission to publish cross over material like that?

Generally speaking, you can use anything under the OGL without requiring additional permission, as long you reference the source correctly. But I believe people do ask for permission nonetheless.

I need answer to this question to.

If your command of English as displayed in your posts is indicative of the quality of your homebrew, then please don't.

[A.J.Gibson]

Q: Can you use invigorate on someone who is at full health to activate one of the vitality talents?

As weaver said, yes.

[AlienFromBeyond]

Q424: What's the justification behind changing what each item creation feat does in SoP, making the names of the feats and the items they create completely confusing and even more arbitrary than what regular Pathfinder does? Forge Ring suddenly becoming the old equivalent of Craft Wondrous Item for the various numbers boost items means crafters have to wait from level 3 to level 7, more than twice as long! Or that Craft Staff being used unaltered for SoP staves a PC can't actually make any until level 11, despite the fact that the costs and item caster levels are the same as magic weapons so the player will have been buying and upgrading through Ye Olde Magick Shoppe that happens to exist for half of the level cap. The system should have stuck closer to regular Pathfinder to ease transition and use, or gone all the way with creating whole new feats properly made for it. The assumption of just happening to have a way to get magic item upgrades with your gold breaks immersion bad enough as it is, but waiting so long for some of the most basic stuff exacerbates it badly in a way that I think hurts the system and reception towards it.

[AmberVael]

I have a few questions/ideas about Telekinesis

1: Limited Telekinesis: What would you rule on taking Limited Telekinesis and going for either Flesh or Metal to get the Flight talent (Flesh being self explanatory and metal saying you simply give someone's metal armor flight)

2: A Personal Telekinesis Flaw: Kinda obvious saying that you can only use telekinesis on yourself. this seems like an absolutely terrible flaw I admit just because of the fact that fly would be the only real option. but I have some ideas regarding that that I'll go over in part 3

3: Equipment traits: Admittedly maybe this is stepping on enhancement's toes but here's an idea. Various forms of telekinesis that let you give passive buffs to certain abilities based on your casting modifier (with a maximum of half your caster level to balance it out) at the cost of a spell point, letting you use it for
Reflex saves (using telekinesis to pull friends out of the way)
Attack or damage (but not both at one time)
Strength for carrying capacity (replicating Telekinetic Muscle from a certain third party Kineticist book)
dodge bonus to AC (same as reflex saves reason)

1. I don't have any problem with Flesh or Metal as a limited telekinesis material. Technically though, only flesh is going to be able to give flight to creatures made of flesh. Since the Flight talent grants a flight speed rather than just telekinetically flinging the target around, hitting someone's armor with it isn't going to be very effective. Their armor would gain a flight speed, but that's probably won't be useful unless the armor has the capacity to use it somehow, like if it was an intelligent item or something (and even then it might be more like riding a mount than flying yourself, but as a GM I'd probably give a pass there). In short, probably stick with Flesh if you want to make people fly, it's just less rules dubious.

2. I did consider publishing a Personal Telekinesis flaw, but I figured it was pretty redundant with Limited Telekinesis. And I wasn't keen on the idea of being able to stack them. If you wanted to go Limited Telekinesis: Self Only I'd have no problems with it though.

3. This is a lot like the idea I pursued with the protokinesis feat, Telekinetic Exoskeleton. That's probably as close to the idea as I want to go.

Q421 (I think?): For the Telekinesis sphere, if I have the Flair talent, can I then apply relevant feats to the drag maneuvers done by the Gravity Well talent? The kind of vaguely general way Flair is written seems like it would allow it (as Gravity Well mentions telekinesis as in the ability), but I'm not sure the Gravity Well interaction is intended.

A (maybe) 421
Gravity Well isn't actually a use of the telekinesis ability, as written. Its functions are linked to telekinesis in a few ways (range, max size affected), but other than those few traits it won't be impacted by things that benefit your telekinesis, like Flair.

Q423: How exactly does the Weird Radiance nimbus talent interact with the bright light from a glow that is benefiting from Glory (as Glory doesn't have text preventing combining it with a nimbus talent)? Beam and Illuminate seem straightforward by just having their quadrupling/doubling range work on the reduced radius Glory has, and Trail doesn't seem to need any adjusting, but Weird Radiance makes the glow create light totally independent of the way it normally would, which by a very RAW reading would seem to indicate it overwrites Glory's reduced area entirely.

A 423
My intention was that Glory would not be impacted by Nimbus talents.
I thiiiink that holds true by the rules, but its certainly not as clear as I would like it to be, looking back. But the basic idea is that Glory replaces whatever area the glow normally has, rather than simply shortening it. Regardless of what the glow was before Glory is applied, afterwards its just a 5-ft radius around you.

What is the best way to submit homebrew project so that it became official?

Also, there is a shifter archetype that use the Path of war rules. Do you need special permission to publish cross over material like that?

This has prompted a ramble from me that I really want to share but that I realized basically has no bearing on your question. So I'm going to spoiler it below in case anyone is interested and then get to actually answering what you asked.

Basically, just talk to Adam about it. Send him an email, maybe get in contact with him via Skype or Facebook. My personal suggestions are as follows:
1. Have a good outline of what you plan to do. Doesn't have to be overboard, just think of it like a table of contents with a summary for each section.
2. Have some example work. Preferably, around 500 to 1000 words of whatever you're proposing. If you wanted to make a Sphere Handbook for example, a good handful of completed talents and some other mechanics would be a great sample piece to display what you can do.
3. Explain how your work fits into the work of Drop Dead Studios. Point out where it fits in and that you understand what DDS is about.

Keep in mind, these are just my suggestions. I think its really handy (for you and the publisher) to have these things, but they're not necessary. I got started writing with an ignorant and enthusiastic offer over GitP PM that contained none of the above.

On Path of War, I'm pretty sure you don't need permission since it (and practically all pathfinder stuff excepting setting content) is published under the OGL. But to me at least, it would feel kinda rude not to ask the original author. You can be impolite without breaking any actual rules, you know? So pretty much everyone in the 3rd party scene I'm aware of asks each other for permission.

Now, rambling.

Spoiler

Show

I feel like one of the biggest misconceptions of how this industry works is the idea that most books are pitched by an author. It kinda makes sense, I guess. A lot of traditional authors work that way, writing what they want and then trying their best to get a publisher interested in buying it.

For TTRPG publishers though, a lot of them already know what they want to publish; they have clear product lines, systems, and settings they tend to work within. In the TTRPG industry, the general contents of a given book are often outlined before the writer is even known. Now, how detailed this gets can vary wildly. Sometimes its "make a book about Light magic for the Spheres magic system" and sometimes its "So here is a 1000 word outline on ten demiplanes detailing their natures, planar mechanics, and what mechanical content we want alongside them, please take this outline and fill it out into an actual product." But in both of these cases, the book idea still came from the publisher, not the writer.

There are cases where authors pitch stuff to TTRPG publishers, but from what I've seen they're in the minority. There's only one product I've published that was wholly my idea, and even that fit within the framework of a publisher's existing stuff. (I'm talking about Spheres Apocrypha, by the way).

Anyway, I just suspect most people misunderstand how things are really working behind the scenes. They think "I want to be a writer!" and then put together some great big manuscript with the idea that someone will publish it. But most often, publishers are the ones with the visions, and the writers are the ones that make those visions reality.

Note: Don't take this as discouragement from pitching ideas or wanting to make a book. There are absolutely avenues to make that a reality, and pitching is even one of them. You just have to find the publishers actually interested in that sort of thing, or get into self-publishing. I believe Meyers is open to pitches too, especially spheres stuff, so definitely don't take this is as discouragement here.

[AlienFromBeyond]

A 423
My intention was that Glory would not be impacted by Nimbus talents.
I thiiiink that holds true by the rules, but its certainly not as clear as I would like it to be, looking back. But the basic idea is that Glory replaces whatever area the glow normally has, rather than simply shortening it. Regardless of what the glow was before Glory is applied, afterwards its just a 5-ft radius around you.

Thanks for the clarification, as because of the whole rules that let you apply and de-apply nimbus talents to a glow all throughout its duration my follow-up was going to ask about applying a nimbus after applying Glory, but it seems you beat me to it.

[Aipaca]

Q325: Does the target of an ability such as Read Mind (lesser) know that they have been targeted by that ability is the caster doesn't have any drawbacks such as vocal casting? It's not really clear, but the existence of the Subtlety talent implies not.

[Crake]

Q326 I feel like the answer to this one is obvious, but I want to double check anyway. If I multiclass into two different classes that have set abilities, I pick which casting ability modifier to use, that part I understand. However, for their spell points, do I still add both abilities to the spell pool? I can't find anything saying that you don't, since these aren't explicitly called out as casting ability modifiers. I suspect they ARE meant to represent the casting ability modifier, and hence you only add the one you use as your casting ability modifier.

A more specific example is if you have a magus/cleric. Magus says it's spellpool is level + int mod, cleric says it's spellpool is level + wis mod. Is their combined spell pool cleric level + magus level + int mod + wis mod? Or just cleric level + magus level + casting ability modifier

[EldritchWeaver]

Q326 I feel like the answer to this one is obvious, but I want to double check anyway. If I multiclass into two different classes that have set abilities, I pick which casting ability modifier to use, that part I understand. However, for their spell points, do I still add both abilities to the spell pool? I can't find anything saying that you don't, since these aren't explicitly called out as casting ability modifiers. I suspect they ARE meant to represent the casting ability modifier, and hence you only add the one you use as your casting ability modifier.

A more specific example is if you have a magus/cleric. Magus says it's spellpool is level + int mod, cleric says it's spellpool is level + wis mod. Is their combined spell pool cleric level + magus level + int mod + wis mod? Or just cleric level + magus level + casting ability modifier

I don't see where this can be ambiguous:

Each caster gains a pool of spell points equal to their class level plus their casting ability modifier.

So it is just the current CAM.

[stack]

Unless using the variant (which makes caster level from different classes not stack, locks talents into classes, segregates SP based on source, and allows multiple traditions), you only ever have a single CAM, so only one stat supplying SP.