Questions Thread

[Fwog]

On 11/13/2023 at 8:59 PM, Kylia Quilor said:

Ask any and all questions about the game, character creation or the Forgotten Realms setting (While I expect some familiarity, I'm not expecting intimate memorization) here.

Here are a few questions I'm anticipating being asked, answered ahead of time.

• 3rd Party Content or Homebrew? As alluded to in other posts, 3rd party content and homebrew content for PF and 3.5 will be allowed on a case by case basis, as long as I can legally access it or have the book/source (for instance, I have most old issues of Dungeon and Dragon magazine). I intend to be fairly generous, and even encourage digging obscure 3rd party content out of some dark corner of the d20pfsrd. That said, some things may need to be tweaked. As one note, Path of War and Spheres are not allowed. Neither is Akashic.
• Why Not PoW or Spheres? I know both are wildly popular here on the 'weave. However, both are fundamentally new rulesets tacked onto the existing game, and they present such a new tactical paradigm that creating a fair challenge for PoW/Spheres characters without the GM also using PoW/Spheres has proven to be - in my experience - exceedingly hard. As I cannot really learn a whole system just from an SRD (I've tried), I'd need to read the relevant books. I don't have the money to spare rn to buy even the pdfs of the relevant books. The same currently holds true for Akashic.
• Is DSP Psionics Allowed? Yes.
• EITR Eliminated a Prereq for...? If the Feat Tax Rules eliminated a feat that served as prerequisite for another feat or for a prestige class, it is not required anymore. With the exceptions of Improved Dirty Trick, Improved Disarm, Improved Feint, Improved Steal and Improved Trip (all covered by Deft Maneuvers, so any preqreq that lists them now requires Deft Maneuvers) and Improved Bull Rush, Improved Drag, Improved Overrun and Improved Sunder (All covered by Powerful Maneuvers, so any prereq that lists them now requires Powerful Maneuvers) and Improved Grapple and Improved Unarmed Strike (All covered by Unarmed Combatant, so any prereq that lists them now requires Unarmed Combatant)
• Pregame Crafting? No. There will be downtime to craft between and sometimes during adventures, however, if you so desire. If your Archetype or class has a core gimmick that relies on crafting somehow, we can discuss it.
• Favored Enemies? Quite a diverse range, but in terms of types and subtypes, orcs, goblinoids, dark elves (the evil ones), humans (ones hostile to Cormanthyr), evil outsiders, undead and constructs are likely to be the most common ones. In terms of organizations, Zhentarim, Silver Ravens, Lolthites, Vhaerunites and servants of the city of Shade will be the most likely to be relevant.
• What do you think of...? If you'd like to run a basic concept by me or something like that, please do.
• How to Apply? Make your application as a separate thread in this thread group, and please have your character as the first post. Include name, age, appearance (or picture), race, class, a link to their sheet, at least a basic discussion of their personality and a backstory in the application. You can use whatever application format you want, as long as it is readable and has all that information. Whenever your application is complete, make a post in said thread letting me know it is.
• Technology Guide? Yeah, nothing from the Technology Guide is allowed.
• Guns? No guns, no guns of any kind.
• Questions about Regions: Your 'Region' is meant to be more emblematic of your cultural context and upbringing. While they are sorted by race for your convenience, a human could take an 'elf' region if raised in the right context, or vice-versa. If you're unsure which regions might apply to your character, ask. As an additional note, the 'Cormanthor' region, for maddening reasons, is meant to be for dark elves who were raised on or lived extensively on the surface. Surface elves raised in Cormanthor Forest or in that cultural milieu can be better represented by the Elven Court Region. For Dark Elves (of whatever alignment or religious confession now) who were raised in the underdark, use the 'Menzoberranyr' region.
• Aasimar and Tieflings: You absolutely can take the alternate heritages and alternate traits as you see fit (just make clear what you're doing.) What you cannot do is use the d100 chart labeled 'Variant Abilities' as that is not a thing we're doing in this game.
• Alternate Race Traits: The ones that let you swap out X for Y, etc. You can do those. Just let me know somewhere in your app.
• Existing Party: We have an Arcanist, a Vigilante and an Investigator. What the party needs from a balance perspective is a divine caster/healer/type, but party balance is not the only thing I care about. I won't deny that a divine caster/healer will have a slight edge in getting picked for at least one of the two slots, but it is by no means a guarantee.
• Number of People I'm looking for: One or Two people

Thank you so much for this! My question though, do you accept someone who is completely new to the system? I'm familiar with DnD and Faerun, but never actually played a Pathfinder game, I have some concepts in my mind but I might need a lil bit of help filling my first character sheet.

[Kylia Quilor]

6 hours ago, Fwog said:

Thank you so much for this! My question though, do you accept someone who is completely new to the system? I'm familiar with DnD and Faerun, but never actually played a Pathfinder game, I have some concepts in my mind but I might need a lil bit of help filling my first character sheet.

I am up for people who are new to Pathfinder 1e, and happy to answer questions you have.

 

[Fwog]

16 hours ago, Kylia Quilor said:

I am up for people who are new to Pathfinder 1e, and happy to answer questions you have.

 

So I would like to play an aasimar, either a paladin or a cleric, and focus mostly on support/healing. What's your stance on aasimars? And which of the two classes would you prefer?

Also, can i ask you about how to fill my sheet when we come to that?

[Dhurgan1652413069]

I am getting a weird idea for a character: a dhampir unchained rogue or slayer. The child of a vampire and an elf noblewoman, the child could not simply be slain at birth, but was born under the ministrations of the noble house and a priesthood which allowed for the dhampir to be Dayborn. As the child grew, it channeled its energies to hunt down the undead.

 

Please let me know your thoughts if this is a feasible angle to pursue.

[Laird_Thorne]

@Kylia Quilor - regarding the Blackened Oracle Curse - Would a soulknife’s Soul Blade or a Mindblade Magus’ blade take the -4 to hit? I believe some clarification has been that the penalty is supposed to only apply to Manufactured weapons…

[Kylia Quilor]

8 hours ago, Fwog said:

So I would like to play an aasimar, either a paladin or a cleric, and focus mostly on support/healing. What's your stance on aasimars? And which of the two classes would you prefer?

Also, can i ask you about how to fill my sheet when we come to that?

Aasimars are perfectly fine. Either one is fine, I care more about the *character* you play, and avoiding Cheese in your build, than what class you take or feats you choose (as long as it isn't Cheese). so either/or. And yes, I'll be happy to work with you the filling out of the sheet part.

 

2 hours ago, Dhurgan1652413069 said:

Please let me know your thoughts if this is a feasible angle to pursue.

Seems like an interesting concept.

1 hour ago, Laird_Thorne said:

@Kylia Quilor - regarding the Blackened Oracle Curse - Would a soulknife’s Soul Blade or a Mindblade Magus’ blade take the -4 to hit? I believe some clarification has been that the penalty is supposed to only apply to Manufactured weapons…

Logically it would make sense that the Curse doesn't apply to those "weapons". Tentatively saying as such, I'll see if I can do some googling to see if there's a ruling, but if I don't come back and overturn my tentative ruling here, assume we can do it that way.

[Fwog]

5 hours ago, Kylia Quilor said:

Aasimars are perfectly fine. Either one is fine, I care more about the *character* you play, and avoiding Cheese in your build, than what class you take or feats you choose (as long as it isn't Cheese). so either/or. And yes, I'll be happy to work with you the filling out of the sheet part.

 

Seems like an interesting concept.

Logically it would make sense that the Curse doesn't apply to those "weapons". Tentatively saying as such, I'll see if I can do some googling to see if there's a ruling, but if I don't come back and overturn my tentative ruling here, assume we can do it that way.

I'm going to play the paladin then

My concept is a Goliath born aasimar who used to be a criminal/burglar, until he was met by two young children whom he slowly formed a bond with, and it was the headstart for him to start his journey of redemption.

It tooks years, but he was finally fit to swear his paladin oath, and the day he did, his holy ancestry was revealed to him in a dream, he could be the guardian angel for the two children, a *true* angel, but he would have to pursue that dream, and that is what made him pick up his weapon and go adventuring.

As for feats, I honestly have no idea how they work, or anything for that matter, so I don't think i would be able to "Cheese".

Now where do I generate my stats and etc? And can I use an outside source?

 

Edited November 20, 2023 by Fwog (see edit history)

[TheRedGoat]

Welp, I let myself get lost for like 5 hours browsing PF1 pages so I might as well ask at this point

I have several ideas bouncing around that I am curious if they'd make the cut (and if I'm being honest the needless obsession over meeting the stated standards is probably my root cause of insomnia right now but that's on me).

Notably, I was considering one idea for representing a seemingly average warrior of various hidden skills through two subclasses: Skirmisher and Steelbound Fighter.
Also notably, two variations on what the Steelbound fighter does with an "awakened blade" you mention banning. Is that the trouble of the archetypes brought up or are the other two just needlessly complex in how they handle giving a player a sentient weapon?

*(edit) Mind you, I can work this character idea without the Steelbound aspect at all. I just liked the working the character around that aspect and can functionally roleplay them the same regardless of whether I use the idea or not.

Edited November 20, 2023 by TheRedGoat (see edit history)

[Kylia Quilor]

16 hours ago, Fwog said:

Now where do I generate my stats and etc?

In your app thread

16 hours ago, Fwog said:

And can I use an outside source?

Only within the parameters I've already set for 3rd party sources.

13 hours ago, TheRedGoat said:

Also notably, two variations on what the Steelbound fighter does with an "awakened blade" you mention banning. Is that the trouble of the archetypes brought up or are the other two just needlessly complex in how they handle giving a player a sentient weapon?

The intelligent weapon is a big part of the problem. What is with all these archetypes that have intelligent weapons I've somehow never heard of? Yeesh. So yeah, that's banned. I appreciate you checking.

Edited November 20, 2023 by Kylia Quilor (see edit history)

[droobles]

So, after trying to solve AC problems (I was ending up with just a measly 21), then I found Nocticula (redeemed) and it meshes really well with a hellbred.

Would Eilistrae be a good counterpart for Nocticula?

[Kylia Quilor]

34 minutes ago, droobles said:

So, after trying to solve AC problems (I was ending up with just a measly 21), then I found Nocticula (redeemed) and it meshes really well with a hellbred.

Would Eilistrae be a good counterpart for Nocticula?

I think if you're looking for a redeemed version of Nocticula, you'd be better off with Sharess. But what does Nocticula do for your AC?

Thematically, Eilistraee could be good for a Hellbred, but so too could Ilmatar, or even Tyr.

[droobles]

34 minutes ago, Kylia Quilor said:

I think if you're looking for a redeemed version of Nocticula, you'd be better off with Sharess. But what does Nocticula do for your AC?

Thematically, Eilistraee could be good for a Hellbred, but so too could Ilmatar, or even Tyr.

Nocticula deific obedience gives morale to AC.

 

I didn't see Sharess before because she is classified as a Demigod.

I think any redemption god could work mechanic wise, but lorewise the obedience required by the deific obedience would work better with Eilistraee.

 

For reference:

Show this

Obedience

Spend an hour in a secluded location while crafting a work of art. If your hour of work begins at, ends at, or includes the stroke of midnight, then the subject of your art is up to you. Otherwise, your art must include the concept of midnight in some way. When you aren’t adjacent to an ally, gain a +1 morale bonus to your AC and on all saving throws

 

Edited November 22, 2023 by droobles (see edit history)

[Kylia Quilor]

Eilistraee isn't necessarily an artist deity, though I suppose you could say dance counts for this purpose.

Yeah, I'll allow it.

[OnceUponAnAxe]

Ok.

1) So I’m thinking of applying with a Rashemi Berseker of the on his Dajemma. He has a twin sister on her own journey to adulthood. They travelled together until she disappeared during the conflict in Cormanthyr. They fought as mercenaries for the elves looking to test themselves against the various evils that plagued the woods.

Mechanically a Human Slayer focused on demoralizing and dirty tricks.

2) Im not super literate in Pathfinder mechanics, does Dreadful Wrath regional feat need any adjusting?

3) what Berseker lodge would be a good fit for that fighting style? Wolf? Maybe something new…Raccoon?

4) How much would it cost to have a wand chamber added to a weapon or shield? I’m interested in a wand key ring and wand usage for a ranged attack option on a predominantly melee based character.

 

[TheRedGoat]

So I've done some more digging around and may have had to abandon my Skirmisher fighter concept, but I have learned my lesson here for now (I think).

It seems that I had been using an entirely different website than everyone else here, and between d20pfsrd, realsmhelps, and archive of nethys (the site I was using), then there is a veritable trove of 3rd party and mainline stuff that isn't the same or shared across the sites. Overall, it all is a terrible maze of a rabbit hole to find yourself in at 2 AM when you know you suffer in from ADHD/OCD tendencies about making something "just right".

So, just to help guide me out of the enormous vacuum I've been building within, can you clarify for me whether rolls should be made through a posted character application or somewhere else more official? That part has held me up a bit in being decisive about how to build, and at this point I would enjoy giving a proper character application to you after all the homework I've given myself.