[Drop Dead Studios] Spheres of Might Open Playtest

[stack]

Small question:

For classes that gain Blended Training, and therefore have both Spheres of Might + Spheres of Power casting, they can take drawbacks and boons, right? And their CAM counts as their Practitioner Modifier, right?

So how does this interact with the Fortified Casting boon?


If your CAM counts as your PAM, then you could conceivably make any of the classes that get a casting archetype have Constitution-based SoM progression, Mystic Magus, Dreadlord Commander, Vector Symbiat, Martial Shifter, those four come to mind immediately.

What about the Spell Dabbler conscript specialization that grants them low-casting on a separate track from their main SoM talents? It says it uses their INT/WIS/CHA as their CAM, but assuming they can take drawbacks + boons as all low-casters can, why does it not say that their CAM = their PAM?

If you have fortified casting and use your CAM as your PAM, you have CON as your PAM. Not a big deal, since the blacksmith does this by default. When going the other direction, we did not have archetypes use their PAM as their CAM since that would open up CON-based casting without the fortified casting boon, which we chose to avoid. If you get a casting tradition, Fortified casting overwrites your default CAM, so a conscript could have CON based casting with the right tradition.

Any word on whether Fighting Defensively is possible with any attack action?

I believe so, though the text in the CRB muddies the waters a bit given the way its written, since it says 'fighting defensively as a standard action'. Not sure if there have been updates or clarifications to that, but for the purposes of SoM, yes, you are intended to be able to fight defensively with an attack action.

about prodigy can i use destructive blast when i attack with conductive weapon like magus?

Neither spells nor sphere abilities are spell-like or supernatural (as required by conductive), so conductive doesn't help a magus or a prodigy.

[Tariyan Draegr]

Did you take down the playtest for CotS? I've been told I'm not allowed to access the document as it violates the Terms of Service

[stack]

Did you take down the playtest for CotS? I've been told I'm not allowed to access the document as it violates the Terms of Service

To my knowledge it is still up.

Huh, worked earlier but google is definitely blocking it now.

[RedMop]

To my knowledge it is still up.

Huh, worked earlier but google is definitely blocking it now.

I have a backup of it if it's needed.

[stack]

I have a backup of it if it's needed.

Hopefully we can sort it out. In the event that it is needed, does your copy have the comments? Our working drafts are all intact, its only the playtest that got taken down.

[Adam Meyers]

I'm not even sure how something gets flagged as 'inappropriate', but apparently someone did that to our google doc. I still have access to it including all the comments, but i am not allowed to share it until the the company can review the claim, which they say could take several days.

[Ssalarn]

is there an eta on when the changes and updates will be added to the pdf?

As soon as possible, but we're trying to make sure we've covered all the feedback since the update will immediately precede the print run.

[RedMop]

Hopefully we can sort it out. In the event that it is needed, does your copy have the comments? Our working drafts are all intact, its only the playtest that got taken down.

Yes, it has comments. I snagged it last night at around 2a MDT. My drive is backed up locally in the Microsoft format every night. It would have missed the couple from this morning though.

[EldritchWeaver]

So I really enjoyed reading Spheres of Might, but I'm curious on the Poison package of the Alchemy sphere. What was the reasoning behind it scaling with BAB rather than with your Craft (Alchemy)?

According to a comment on the DDS forum, it is intended that spheres with an associated skill can use that skill instead of BAB. Obviously it hasn't been included.

BTW, please check if all usages of special sphere abilities like "challenge" are italicized. I noticed at least one instance, where it wasn't like this.

[digiman619]

Does the Armor Training combat specialization allow the "move at normal speed in medium armor' bit at level 1? it seems like the rest of the specialization is level locked, but as someone who is dipping Consript solely to get Gear Training, I want to know if I will get any benefit for taking armor training.

[Adam Meyers]

Direct question, can someone be under the effect of more than one Shout or Tactic from the Warleader sphere at the same time? My friend just got rather worried at the idea of an all-Commander 10 person troupe, each using Troop Volley until the group gets 100 shots out in a single round O.o

Troop Volley wouldn't work that way. Troop Volley requires the Commander to spend an attack action and each other creature to spend an immediate action, which limits how much you can get out of someone via a Commander.

So basically, you can benefit from multiple tactics and shouts, but they all have their own non-stacking bonus types or specific action requirements so the ability to actually stack them up is limited by the natural restrictions of the system.

[Eldaran]

According to a comment on the DDS forum, it is intended that spheres with an associated skill can use that skill instead of BAB. Obviously it hasn't been included.

BTW, please check if all usages of special sphere abilities like "challenge" are italicized. I noticed at least one instance, where it wasn't like this.

Strange that Poison explicitly calls out that it uses the normal DCs based off BAB then, hopefully that gets fixed in errata.

[Kaouse]

I believe so, though the text in the CRB muddies the waters a bit given the way its written, since it says 'fighting defensively as a standard action'. Not sure if there have been updates or clarifications to that, but for the purposes of SoM, yes, you are intended to be able to fight defensively with an attack action.

This should be adequate enough for my purposes, thank you for answering my question.

[Ualaa]

I made a Drow Conscript as an opponent in my spheres game and it was devastating for the party. He had sneak attack, dual wielding and fencing sphere. Fast Feint -> Move Adjacent -> Feint Strike (Dual Opportunity) -> Attack Action for 4 attacks with sneak attack, two of them also with extra fencing dice was just plain brutal. Trust me, fencing and dual wielding has plenty of synergy without acquiring more ways to feint easily.

I wouldn't have allowed that at my table.

Feint Strike allows an attack as a Swift action -OR- as an attack of opportunity (if you expend focus). It never says you can do both a Swift action and then expend your focus for another attack as an attack of opportunity.

The rest of the combo stands, and being able to close the distance on a target, achieve a feint, and deal two attacks, possibly retaining your Swift action in the process...

That's a strong combination, as it sits.


*Edit*

Re-reading your post... you said four attacks, as the attack action.

You could get the four attacks.
Two of those would be from the aforementioned Feint combination.
And then two of those from the attack action.

So yes, four attacks...
Pretty nice option.

[Lirya]

I wouldn't have allowed that at my table.

Feint Strike allows an attack as a Swift action -OR- as an attack of opportunity (if you expend focus). It never says you can do both a Swift action and then expend your focus for another attack as an attack of opportunity.

The rest of the combo stands, and being able to close the distance on a target, achieve a feint, and deal two attacks, possibly retaining your Swift action in the process...

That's a strong combination, as it sits.

Sorry I didn't explain what the synergy was properly.

The Drow had Fencing Sphere, Fast Feint, Feint Strike, Focusing Feint, Verbal Feint, Dual Wielding Sphere, Dual Opportunity, Mercurial Flow, and Great Focus.

First he used Fast Feint (move action, expend 1st focus) to feint a PC and move adjacent. Then he used Feint Strike (AoO, expend 2nd focus) to get an AoO and Dual Opportunity to also attack with off-hand weapon. Next Focusing Feint (Swift Action) regained the 2nd focus. Finally the Attack Action allowed both main-hand and off-hand attacks for a total of 4 attacks. With Sneak Attack and Sphere Specialization [Dual Wielding] this became 4 attacks at full bab with a fair amount of extra d6. My main point is that there is plenty of synergy between the extra attacks granted by Dual Wielding, the Fencing Sphere's ability to generate opportunity attacks, and any source of extra damage you can leverage.

[Cybershark]

I'm not even sure how something gets flagged as 'inappropriate', but apparently someone did that to our google doc. I still have access to it including all the comments, but i am not allowed to share it until the the company can review the claim, which they say could take several days.

I've read that there's a bug going around wherein users are locked out of their own, seemingly harmless files, because of an AI scanning the documents and flagging it as "abusive". Most of it has to do with reporters getting their stories locked while they're working on them. This is the first time I've seen it happen with something as harmless as a playtest for a 3pp book for Pathfinder, though.

Spoiler: The real reason

Show

Maybe the Magus archetype was so controversial Google had to step in and lock the document, perhaps?

[Wartex1]

According to a comment on the DDS forum, it is intended that spheres with an associated skill can use that skill instead of BAB. Obviously it hasn't been included.

BTW, please check if all usages of special sphere abilities like "challenge" are italicized. I noticed at least one instance, where it wasn't like this.

Is that just for DCs or for spheres that scale in effect with BAB?

[Makiru]

Also, do you have to prepare specific Alchemy poisons of a certain type and vector at the beginning of the day, or do you pick what type when you use it?

Bumping for reply. I'd love to give Scholar a go, but this doesn't make complete sense to me, especially since the only example of an Alchemy user in the bestiary just makes 11 fatigue poisons.

[N. Jolly]

Bumping for reply. I'd love to give Scholar a go, but this doesn't make complete sense to me, especially since the only example of an Alchemy user in the bestiary just makes 11 fatigue poisons.

We're clarifying that you can choose when the poison's applied to a weapon or creature, as well as clarifying the DC issue with poisons. You can also now draw and apply a poison with a move action.

[AlienFromBeyond]

The Duelist sphere's bleeding states that "this stacks with any other bleed damage you are capable of dealing". Is this only referring to additional bleed damage that attack may have from other sources, or is it saying that the bleed from two separate attacks that benefit from Duelist's bleed stack (letting you bleed an enemy more and more as the fight goes on)?

[Ssalarn]

The Duelist sphere's bleeding states that "this stacks with any other bleed damage you are capable of dealing". Is this only referring to additional bleed damage that attack may have from other sources, or is it saying that the bleed from two separate attacks that benefit from Duelist's bleed stack (letting you bleed an enemy more and more as the fight goes on)?

It's referring to any other bleed damage you can apply to the attack. That's why it specifies stacking with other bleed damage you are capable of dealing instead of with any bleed damage the target is currently taking.

[AlienFromBeyond]

It's referring to any other bleed damage you can apply to the attack. That's why it specifies stacking with other bleed damage you are capable of dealing instead of with any bleed damage the target is currently taking.

Okay, that's what I thought as well. That's a good point on the difference of wording used, I'll have to keep that one in mind.

[Makiru]

We're clarifying that you can choose when the poison's applied to a weapon or creature, as well as clarifying the DC issue with poisons. You can also now draw and apply a poison with a move action.

Excellent! It might just be because there's so much more content at once than SoP, but I've been having a harder time wrapping my head around this stuff, so it's great that you guys are on call cutting through the legalese.

[Dr_Dinosaur]

So it’s probably a bit early for this, but I noticed notes on the wiki for using SoM in Starfinder and was wondering if anyone has tried running Spheres Starfinder yet. If so, how’s it been working out? I don’t think my group could go back to Vancian now so we’ll at least be using SoP if/when we try the system.

[AlienFromBeyond]

How come Slickened Grip works off of the total bleed damage the target is suffering from, instead of the bleed damage amount for the attack it is applying to? If you have some source of stackable bleed damage on attacks, you can use whatever (bleed) talent you want (Iai Slash is pretty good for this combo) for most of your attacks and then use Slickened Grip on the last one to apply a massive CMD penalty to the enemy. Use a Brute combat maneuver with the Hammer talent and smash them ridiculously hard as followup if you wish.

[legomaster00156]

Specialized Venom

You select 1 creature type (or subtype) from the ranger favored enemy list; your poisons may affect creatures of that type even if they would normally be immune to poison (or ignore any racial bonuses they may possess to saving throws against poison). For every 4 ranks in Craft (alchemy) you possess, you may select another creature type (or subtype).

Does this only ignore racial bonuses/immunities? What if the immunity comes from a temporary effect, class feature, or magical item?

[Triskavanski]

I'm trying to figure out something here.

Mortal Chemist gets the Packages of Formula and Poison, but do they actually gain the Alchemy Sphere? And for that matter, does this do anything for them or do they have to wait or spend a feat to pick up a talent that actually does something with Formula and Poison?

[Ssalarn]

I'm trying to figure out something here.

Mortal Chemist gets the Packages of Formula and Poison, but do they actually gain the Alchemy Sphere? And for that matter, does this do anything for them or do they have to wait or spend a feat to pick up a talent that actually does something with Formula and Poison?

Yes, they have the Alchemy sphere, and they get both packages. That means that you can create a poison and that you can select one formulae talent per the normal rules for gaining the Formulae package.

[Triskavanski]

Ah. I totally missed the little bit of what the packages actually do. Okay, One other thing with it, does the Brew Potion thing it has allow you to make potions past level 3 or is it still stuck in the rules of Brew potion?

[N. Jolly]

Does this only ignore racial bonuses/immunities? What if the immunity comes from a temporary effect, class feature, or magical item?

The intent is that it ignores all immunities, regardless of source.