Rules That Don't Make Sense

[Qwertystop]

How long you can walk for depends on your Constitution score, hit point total, and natural healing rate. How long you can jog for depends on your hit point total and natural healing rate, but not on your Constitution score. How long you can run for depends only on your Constitution score.

The difference between the run and walk checks can be partially accounted for by the fact that it's incredibly unlikely you could manage to run for nine hours, unless you've boosted your Constitution to NI. Also, it doesn't say how long you have to stop running for - while at first that sounds like a really stupid RAW loophole, on second glance it could mean that the check to stop running just means you have to stop for a round and take a short breather.

I also saw reasoning somewhere as follows:
The entries under "Forced March" and "Hustle" relate to long-term walking. The entry under "Run" relates to short-term movement. Attempting to run over the long-term requires pausing and moving slowly short-term, averaging to a hustle.

Can't remember where I saw that.

[Milo v3]

The entries under "Forced March" and "Hustle" relate to long-term walking. The entry under "Run" relates to short-term movement. Attempting to run over the long-term requires pausing and moving slowly short-term, averaging to a hustle.

Can't remember where I saw that.

You saw it in the section about tactical, local, and overland movement which says:

Run: A character can't run for an extended period of time. Attempts to run and rest in cycles effectively work out to a hustle.

in the overland section.

[Lord_Gareth]

Illithid heritage comes from Illithids playing Dr. Moreau with 'lesser' species, and trying to uplift them into Illithidian magnificence, not through 'mammalian reproduction'.

Since this contradicts all canonical information about Illithids, Illithid reproduction, and how they treat non-Illithid species, I'm gonna go ahead and say it has no accuracy or veracity whatsoever.

[atemu1234]

A druid can't wear metal armor, but you can turn your animal companion into a metal-coated tank with no penalty.

To quote myself:

National Druid Association
Protecting your right to arm bears since 115.

[Andezzar]

A druid can't wear metal armor, but you can turn your animal companion into a metal-coated tank with no penalty.

Maybe the writers just did not write the penalty down because the animal companion does not have any spellcasting to lose.

[Dalebert]

I just discovered one from the PF Q&A thread. Strictly RAW (and probably a sloppy mistake) Improved Familiars can get dumber by virtue of being a familiar. Ex: A very young faerie dragon has a 16 Int normally and starts out speaking multiple languages. As a familiar, it goes by the chart for familiars which means if you get one at 7th (the minimum level reqt), it has a 9 Int. You have a learning-challenged faerie dragon!

[Andezzar]

Having a faerie dragon as familiar is strictly a houserule. How such a houserule is worded is up to the individual DM.

[Gemini476]

Having a faerie dragon as familiar is strictly a houserule. How such a houserule is worded is up to the individual DM.

"Faerie dragons sometimes ally with spellcasters, serving as curious, occasionally reckless, but always true familiars. An arcane spellcaster of at least 7th level with an alignment within 1 step of chaotic good who has the Improved Familiar feat may select a faerie dragon as a familiar."

[Andezzar]

Oh I wasn't aware they were available in PF. I was talking about 3.5.

[Gemini476]

Oh I wasn't aware they were available in PF. I was talking about 3.5.

Well, 3.5 has the same issue. Psuedodragons have an Int of 10, so until you reach level 9 your Psuedodragon familiar will have its intelligence lowered to 9. And you get access to Psuedodragons at level 7. Yeah.

Imps and Quasits have the same problem, and that's just for the core list.

[Andezzar]

That's indeed kind of weird but you can justify it:

A sorcerer can obtain a familiar. Doing so takes 24 hours and uses up magical materials that cost 100 gp. A familiar is a magical beast that resembles a small animal and is unusually tough and intelligent.

You do not transform an existing creature into a familiar but you create it from magical materials. As such a low level wizard simply is not capable of creating such intelligent creatures.

Probably it is just an oversight in the Improved Familiar feat because normally the base for a familiar is an animal (INT<3).

[Divayth Fyr]

That's indeed kind of weird but you can justify it:You do not transform an existing creature into a familiar but you create it from magical materials. As such a low level wizard simply is not capable of creating such intelligent creatures.

You can't, because your idea doesn't work with what is written in the Familiar section:

A familiar is a normal animal that gains new powers and becomes a magical beast when summoned to service by a sorcerer or wizard. It retains the appearance, Hit Dice, base attack bonus, base save bonuses, skills, and feats of the normal animal it once was, but it is treated as a magical beast instead of an animal for the purpose of any effect that depends on its type. Only a normal, unmodified animal may become a familiar. An animal companion cannot also function as a familiar.

You use the materials to summon the creature to your side and bind it to yourself, not to create a new creature.

[Extra Anchovies]

(INT<3).

I love Intelligence too!

[ShurikVch]

Since this contradicts all canonical information about Illithids, Illithid reproduction, and how they treat non-Illithid species, I'm gonna go ahead and say it has no accuracy or veracity whatsoever.

Illithid biology:

Occasionally, ceremorphosis can partially fail. Sometimes the larva does not contain enough chemicals to complete the process, sometimes there is psionic interference. Whatever the reason, it has happened that ceremorphosis has ended after the internal restructuring, resulting in a human body with an illithid's brain, personality and digestive tract. These unfortunates must still consume brains, typically by cutting open heads (as they lack the requisite tentacles). These beings are often used as spies, where they easily blend in with their respective host types.

If some of them have family with normal humanoids...

[The Random NPC]

I got another one, Brain Golems being made by Illithids. Who looks at their food and thinks, "that would make a great golem."

[Venger]

I got another one, Brain Golems being made by Illithids. Who looks at their food and thinks, "that would make a great golem."

Well, the rest of us make flesh golems, which no one thinks is weird.

[georgie_leech]

Well, the rest of us make flesh golems, which no one thinks is weird.

I certainly hope you wouldn't look at what goes into a flash golem and go "Mm, tasty!"

[Telok]

I fought a beer golem once.

[dascarletm]

I think that mindflayers are not immune to the effects of devilweed.

I think I know where this came from....

I1: Hey Joshulhu, I just had a brilliant idea, squid-bro.
I2: Like um what is it Cthad?
Cthad: Like we should totally make a golem.... out of brains.
Joshulhu: Woaah. That's like so smart... this is giving me the extracties, pass me that drow.

[Inevitability]

We'll just have to wait for a bunch of Intelligence-Boosted Rust Monsters to drop by and show us the iron golem they just made and then we can enjoy the beauty of the biofuel discussion in a pseudo-medieval setting.

[torrasque666]

I1: Hey Joshulhu, I just had a brilliant idea, squid-bro.
I2: Like um what is it Cthad?
Cthad: Like we should totally make a golem.... out of brains.
Joshulhu: Woaah. That's like so smart... this is giving me the extracties, pass me that drow.

totes quotes man.

[Jeff the Green]

I got another one, Brain Golems being made by Illithids. Who looks at their food and thinks, "that would make a great golem."

Isn't there a calzone golem somewhere?

[Gemini476]

I certainly hope you wouldn't look at what goes into a flash golem and go "Mm, tasty!"

A flesh golem is made out of meat. Humans eat meat. A brain golem is made out of brain matter. An Illithid eats brain matter.

Who's to say that the brain matter that brain golems are made out of is more appetizing to them than the meat of a flesh golem would be to a human? I know that the head used to be from Elder Brains, for instance, although that might have been retconned since their introduction.


(A more accurate counterexample might be something like undead livestock, though. Why would you zombiefy a horse when it has so much edible meat and marrow and useful skin etc.?)

[Smegskull]

Falling object damage is nuts a rain drop can in the rules kill a pc when it lands on thair head

[Venger]

A flesh golem is made out of meat. Humans eat meat. A brain golem is made out of brain matter. An Illithid eats brain matter.

Who's to say that the brain matter that brain golems are made out of is more appetizing to them than the meat of a flesh golem would be to a human? I know that the head used to be from Elder Brains, for instance, although that might have been retconned since their introduction.


(A more accurate counterexample might be something like undead livestock, though. Why would you zombiefy a horse when it has so much edible meat and marrow and useful skin etc.?)

Exactly.

The brain golem being made with a stem from the elder brain is still, as far as I know, canon.

Maybe that culture doesn't eat horses on purpose, like contemporary Americans. there's even more cultures in D&D, so maybe they eat horse in Thay, but not in Breland, for example.

[Gemini476]

Falling object damage is nuts a rain drop can in the rules kill a pc when it lands on thair head

Objects weighing less than 1 pound do not deal damage to those they land upon, no matter how far they have fallen.

[dascarletm]

Drop a single arrow from 1000ft onto peasant. Watch as he takes no damage.

[Qwertystop]

Drop a single arrow from 1000ft onto peasant. Watch as he takes no damage.

If it's dropped, it's probably tumbling. Little or no issue here.

[Sartharina]

(A more accurate counterexample might be something like undead livestock, though. Why would you zombiefy a horse when it has so much edible meat and marrow and useful skin etc.?)

Because:
1. It takes a lot of effort to turn a horse into edible meat and marrow and useful skin.
2. We have cows for meat, marrow, and useful skin. Horses are for riding, not eating (As decreed in The Only Culture That Matters^TM.

Brain Golems would make sense if they're made from deceased Elder Brains, but not if they're from normal brains.

Humans only eat certain types of meat, and only after it's been processed to the point of unidentifiability, unless they're Evil^TM

Drop a single arrow from 1000ft onto peasant. Watch as he takes no damage.

Same effect as if you dropped any other stick on him.

[georgie_leech]

If it's dropped, it's probably tumbling. Little or no issue here.

Eh... while that would normally be the case, arrows are designed to fly straight, unless there are pretty egregious flaws that would make you wonder why anyone would ever try to use it as an arrow. They're pretty likely to fall point first.