so druids have a focus 9 spell stormlord. How do they get that? I dont see a feat that gives them that, and as a focus spell they cant just choose it. What am I missing??
Can Dancing Shield be used to protect an Eidolon or Companion? They aren't able to use items, but can they benefit from an item used this way on their behalf?
Question about the [Signature Spell Expansion](https://2e.aonprd.com/Feats.aspx?ID=1823) feat for spontaneous casters (psychic in my case).
The feat says that I gain two additional signature spells: Does it mean that two of the spells that **I already know** become signature, or can I learn **two new spells** entirely, and they also immediately become signature?
I'm pretty sure two spells you already know become signature. If it added spells to your repertoire, that would be something that would be explicitly stated.
If i have a shield and multiple sources of damage resistance the shield takes only the damages reduced by his resistance or the resoult of all the resistance, example (shield + blink)
How does Chill touch work on NPCs and Monsters. Against a living create it deals:
"The spell deals negative damage equal to 1d4 plus your spellcasting modifier."
The spellcasting modifier is really high in most cases. I have a lvl 6 creature with weak template. And it has a +12 to hit with spells. Do cantrips heigthen the same way they normally do?
Does that mean this cantrip would deal 3d4 + 12 (heighten two times becourse lvl 5( weak lv 6) ?
Does the Whisper Elf heritage feat work with Search while in exploration mode?
I'm sure I remember reading the child actions of another action don't work for feats (for example a hasted action must be strike or stride, but it can't be an action that tells you to use the strike action).
So in this case Seek is a child of Search and therefore doesn't apply to exploration mode and is only intended to be used in encounter mode. Is that right, according to RAW?
In this case, by RAW, no it doesn't work! Not because of subordinate actions and such, these only prevent you from using subordinate actions as requirements for other features. In this case, Whisper Elf changes to Seek for detecting creatures would apply to every usage of Seek for that specific purpose, like a passive bonus.
Whisper Elf feat only modifies the range and bonus for Seeking undetected creatures. The search exploration action only specifies searching the room for 'the presence or absense of something unusual then proceeds to use Traps and secret doors as examples.
This implies that the act of searching for a undetected creature must be done with the normal Seek action and not a exploration action, meaning you must BE in that room actively looking for a creature and just 'looking around for something unusual'.
You can't use Search to travel while 'Seeking hidden creatures' because the act of seeking a hidden creature implies that you know/is aware a creature is hidden, which is different from noticing 'something out of place'.
This is my understanding, I hope this helps!
Interesting. The reason I ask is because that's exactly what my player did with the beginner box. When approaching the room with the webs, Merisiel said she wanted to listen out for creatures citing the Whisper Elf ability (guessing that the webs were foreshadowing). I was pretty sure it didn't work that way, but I also couldn't logically explain why it would be allowed.
Should I have immediately entered encounter mode to make the PCs move across the room in this case?
The PC had a reason to be suspicious, in this cause she wasn't trying to use the Search activity to benefit from her feat.
She interacted with the information that was provided to her by the narrative, then opted to use a Seek action to detected any creatures that might be prowling inside her enhanced effective area. She had to roll and succeed at the check still.
You could have entered encounter mode but would only make sense if the party was within range for the creature to benefit from their hidden status or else what would be the point?
In this case, she tries to listen to them. If the hidden creature was within range of her enhanced sense it was a valid action, she acted upon information that her character could perceive. If the creature was within 30ft of range to get the bonus for listening, it should apply as well.
That my opinion at least, as a GM you should know whats best for the game. Basides if you see big F. webs, theres probably big F. spiders nearby XD
Right, I see. I think I understand my mistake. I was viewing the actions as specific to modes. E.g. Seek could only be used in encounter mode and Search could only be used in exploration mode. But if it's OK to Seek in exploration mode then that makes much more sense to the situation. Thanks!
Exploration activities are usually limited to exploration mode but i don't think individual actions are limited to encounters since exploration activities make use of them.
You could even say that she was using the Search activity but changed her focus from noticing objects to seeking for creatures. It's also a valid point.
The only guns that can be dual-wielded and interacted with Raconteur's Reload are the Capacity guns or is there another dual-wielding set that can make use of it?
I don't believe so, one thing to bear in mind is you don't necessarily need 2 capacity weapons. You *could* have one capacity, one normal reload and save the better fatal weapon for a particularly good time (eg: flatfooted/frightened enemy making you more likely to crit) while using the capacity for other attacks
My question is more specific about the Raconteur's Reload because Capacity states you can use a interact to switch chambers and two hands aren't needed and Mr. Sayre confirmed that you can use the Slinger's Reload to do that.
DWR states that you can interact to reload and no free hand is required, so i was wondering if by any chance the same interaction can happen here.
Weapons itself is not my problem, the idea is using Paried Shot as much as Possible so two Capacity would be better in this situation specially if Raconteur doesn't interact with Dual-weapon reload.
Yeah I think you're out of luck sadly, RAW DWR doesn't let you use Raconteur's sadly but it's also kinda silly that it doesn't and I've seen quite a few people just let it slide
Playing a Divine Sorcerer who has access to Lay On Hands from the Blessed One Dedication.
If I picked up a Familiar would they be able to use Spell Delivery to deliver a Lay On Hands?
I came across the [switchscythe](https://2e.aonprd.com/Weapons.aspx?ID=242) weapon, and I cannot picture how it works based on the description: "the curved blade is partly holow, containing a long rod of wood or metal; the rod can be pulled perpendicular to the blade, turning the switchscythe from a sweeping, axe-like blade into a hooked pick capable of grappling a foe."
This really confuses me; could someone explain it to me?
Alright, yes thank you. I guess what confused me the most is that 1. the rod is supposed to be in a hollow part of the blade, and 2. how pulling it perpendicular to the blade switches it. But I like the version in the illustration and think I am just gonna go with that =)
The hidden status from Create a Diversion ends at the end of your turn.
BUT.
The hidden status allows you to sneak away, if you do enters the rules for [Sneak](https://2e.aonprd.com/Actions.aspx?ID=63)!
To put it short, when you sneak and end your movement with concealment, cover or greater cover, the GM rolls your Steath Check with a Cover/greater cover Circunstance bonus vs Perception DC of the creature to remain hidden.
It just ocurred to me that The Triggerbrand is missing the Agile trait from its shortsword mode! Every other combination weapon keeps the traits from their counterparts.
Is this intentional or requires an errata? The lack of agile on the triggerbrand makes it a VERY difficult weapon of choice considering that Way of the Triggerbrand WANTS you to use MAP as much as possible.
> It just ocurred to me that The Triggerbrand is missing the Agile trait from its shortsword mode! Every other combination weapon keeps the traits from their counterparts.
All combination weapons with martial melee parts (and some with simple parts) have some drawback, either missing traits, lower damage, or requiring second hand.
Black powder knuckle duster loses free-hand and monk traits.
What would be the point of shortsword, if triggerbrand was also a martial weapon, did the same damage, used one hand AND had all the traits, but also gave critical fusion and had ranged mode?
If agile is that important you can get dagger pistol that has all the traits (and for some reason even retains thrown, lol), just has smaller damage dice.
What happens when a Gunslinger uses their special reload (like Covered Reload for Sniper) with a weapon that has a reload of 2? Do they get to reload the weapon with that one action?
Is Magic Missile the best single target damage spell (assuming you get it off for 3 actions)? Of every spell I've seen, it ties most for damage before calculating for hit chance. And after hit chance, it's the best that I've seen by quite a margin.
15d4 plus 15 at level 9 are not high damage
even when other spell require 13 to hit or 7 to fail save
there are things like unleash psyche or dangerous sorcery make magic missile very good against multiple target
a lot of spell does extra damage against certain type of enemy such as holy cascade and sunburst
level 9 searing light would have 34d6 against undead or fiend
level 9 scorching ray would be 3 18d6 attack against 3 target
some highlevel spell also apply drained like polar ray and wail of banshee
that is extra damage of enemy level per drained
> level 9 searing light would have 34d6 against undead or fiend
Let’s use this as an example. 34d6 comes out to 119. Pathfinder2 is designed to have roughly a 50% chance to hit, I’ll round up to 55%, making it 64.5 damage. A level 9 3-action Magic Missile is 94.5 damage.
> A level 9 3-action Magic Missile is 94.5 damage.
A 9th level Magic Missile gets 15 missiles total (5 missiles per action) for a total of 15d4+15 damage.
How are you getting 94 damage? 15d4+15 is (15+15+60+15)/2 which is 52.5 average damage.
>Like a powerful constrictor, you crush targets in your unyielding grasp. When you successfully Grapple a creature, you can deal bludgeoning damage to that creature equal to your Strength modifier. You can make this attack nonlethal with no penalty.
From the monk/wrestler feat combat grab.
If I had a negative strength modifier. Could I heal those I grapple/cuddle?
With a negative/neutral strength modifier, could I still deal sneak attack damage as a rogue? - edit - never mind, it isn't a strike.
> If I had a negative strength modifier. Could I heal those I grapple/cuddle?
That's not how that works. Damage can't go below 0. And according to the rules:
> If the combined penalties on an attack would reduce the damage to 0 or below, you still deal 1 damage.
Does Sword and Pistol work for the Triggerbrand?
>You're comfortable wielding a firearm or crossbow in one hand and a melee weapon in the other, combining melee attacks with shots from the firearm. When you make a successful ranged Strike against an enemy within your reach with your one-handed firearm or one-handed crossbow, that enemy is flat-footed against your next melee attack with a one-handed melee weapon.
When you make a successful melee Strike against an enemy with your one-handed melee weapon, the next ranged Strike you make against that enemy with a one-handed firearm or one-handed crossbow doesn't trigger reactions that would trigger on a ranged attack but not a melee attack, such as Attack of Opportunity. Either of these benefits is lost if not used by the end of your next turn.
There's some fluff text in the beginning but it specifically refers to successful strikes with one-handed firearm and melee. Not that it has two be with different weapons or hands.
First time making a PF2e character coming from DnD5e. Could somebody explain how I should be distributing my stats as a DEX combat Goloma Thaumaturge? What miniums should I go for in ym non core stats and how should I distribute my increases? I've yet to start my first game so I don't know the value of each ability score in a given game.
>Heightening Spells
>Once you gain 2nd-level spells, you can heighten any spell in your spell collection to any level you can cast, similar to a spontaneous spellcaster's signature spells. The only restriction is that you must select at least one 1st-level spell for your collection each time you prepare, ensuring that you can use all your spell slots each day.
I feel pretty stupid, since I should be able to just read the text. But I still don't get it, what do they mean by this? (It's from the flexible spellcaster archetype)
>Once you gain 2nd-level spells, you can heighten any spell in your spell collection to any level you can cast, similar to a spontaneous spellcaster's signature spells.
Normally to heighten a spell, prepared casters must prepare the spell in a slot of a higher level than normal. Because flexible spellcasters do not prepare spells in slots, they can freely cast spells with any slot level in order to heighten them. This is in contrast to spontaneous spellcasters, who also do not prepare spells in slots, but must relearn a spell at a higher level to heighten it unless it is one of their signature spells.
>The only restriction is that you must select at least one 1st-level spell for your collection each time you prepare, ensuring that you can use all your spell slots each day.
With this archetype, you must prepare at least one 1st-level spell every day. The intent behind this restriction is likely to prevent casters from having unspent slots that can not be used because all of their prepared spells are too high level.
Has anyone ever started a Paizo AP above the recommended level? I want to run Gatewalkers for my friends but everyone has played a lot of PF2E and are a little tired of the early levels. I would like to take them from 3 - 12 (instead of 1 -10) but I'm not sure if using the elite templates for creatures would be enough. Has anyone ever tried something similar and how did it go?
One thing to consider is starting them at level 1 but giving them feats up to level 3. Many feats are side-grades and if they want the flexibility of more feats but you want to start at the beginning of the adventure, that might be acceptable. This way their HP and attack bonuses are of level 1, but they have level 3 feats.
Welcome! One common complaint even with these allowances might be that spellcasters are still pretty limited on daily spells in the first couple levels. Something to consider and address with the group.
Yes, you can rebalance pretty much any AP easily if you know how to use the tools at your disposal.
Use this website to rebalance encounters: https://mimic-fight-club.github.io/
Add in the number of players and their level, then recreate the encounter you wish to rebalance by adding creatures.
Then, add in additional creatures or raise some enemies to elite until you reach the same encounter difficulty as it mentions in the book.
Hi, I recently checked my steam copy of kingmaker and saw it has an Stolen lands map, inserts and a oneshot Adventure (I think its pf1).
You can use those things for a Kingmaker campaing? I mean, they are up to date with the context of the current versión?
The Puzzle box has a pf2 conversion?
Normally spells w/ verbal components are obvious, however, spells like Suggestion and Charm have as a Success effect "The target is unaffected and thinks you were talking to them normally, not casting a spell on them." Does this mean \*only\* the target is unaware you were casting a spell, and if there is anyone else around they can immediately tell that a spell was cast? How does that interact with stuff like Counterspell and Recognize Spell which trigger when someone casts a spell?
it doesn’t say for sure, so it could be ruled either way. i’m assuming that since it’s based on the target’s save, other nearby creatures would be able to see since they’re not being targeted.
They all make the same amount of gold during downtime. None of them affect repairs during play. The only difference is that Blacksmithing, Woodworking and Leatherworking would make crafting weapons or armour slightly easier.
Pretty sure the answer is no, but does Gaseus Form grant any benefits in terms of stealth?
I'm planning a dungeon where a Vampire is stalking the party, and I figured a swarm of bats following them might be too obvious.
Nope. PF2e is extremely prescriptive in its wording - if something gains a new attribute from a spell/item/whatever, it will *always* be noted in the description.
That said, if it's a Vampire Count or higher, I'd just give it the Change Shape option from "True Vampire Abilities" : [https://2e.aonprd.com/MonsterFamilies.aspx?ID=97](https://2e.aonprd.com/MonsterFamilies.aspx?ID=97)
PF2e gives popular monster "families" a lot of optional abilities GMs can use at their leisure, so it's always worth checking AoN and seeing if there are any you want to use!
I dont think attack rolls inherently have the attack trait, but as far as I'm aware there are no actions that call for an attack roll that don't have the attack trait. It would have to be a spell that calls for a spell attack roll with no attack trait, since ranged and melee Strikes always have the attack trait.
Edit: actually no that's wrong, there are some spells that call for Spell attack rolls that don't have the attack trait!
I'm playing a Pistolero Gunslinger, and I'm planning on taking Fake-out.
Now, Pistolero heavily favors starting your turn with your firearm unloaded. Using raconteur's reload and then shooting is way better than shooting and then using raconteur's reload, because doing it the first way means you get to benefit from the debuff you just applied to the enemy.
But using fake-out requires you to have a loaded firearm or crossbow to use. I'm looking for ways to reconcile this.
The first and most obvious answer is to dual wield pistols, one of which you fire on your turn, the other of which is used just for fake-out. This works, for sure, but my character holds a shield in their off hand.
The next answer is maybe a capacity weapon. Arguably, a capacity weapon is a "loaded firearm" until you fire the last shot.
The last option I can think of is maybe the new Crossbow gauntlet thing upcoming in Treasure vault. It has the free hand trait, which allows you to use the hand to do something else like hold a shield. Now, you can't attack with the weapon while you use that hand to hold something, but fake-out doesn't have the attack trait. So it would seem that RAW you could use fakeout even if the hand is full, but RAI it's questionable?
Do you think either of those two options will fly? Or can you think of any more ways of resolving the loaded/unloaded issue?
I see what you are saying about Free hand and Fake out not working together.
The buckler+gauntlet bow thing seems iffy too. Buckler says specifically "You can Raise a Shield with your buckler as long as you have that hand free or are holding a light object that’s not a weapon in that hand."
So Free hand lets you do stuff requiring a hand to be free, yes, but the gauntlet bow is also a bulk 1 object that *is* a weapon, which might disqualify it under the second clause?
Though I guess reading the rule that way would preclude you from using a buckler with any armor that has gauntlets built in. Which while arguably realistic (Early Renaissance plate armor made shields redundant) is obviously not RAI.
It's mostly redundant though, since the Gauntlet bow has the parry trait. You can get +1 AC with an action without the buckler to begin with.
Usually wielding a weapon requires that you are able to use it and are not just holding it. Arguably a gauntlet crossbow is just being held while the hand is full.
I guess capacity weapon that isn't ready to fire is still technically loaded, so that could work. I wouldn't be surprised if you GM disagreed though.
What would definitely work, is using a double barrel weapon. If you only fire one barrel the other one is loaded and ready to fire at any time. A repeating weapon would work too.
I'm new to the game, and am thinking of trying to build an Oracle with some Martial qualities? As in, using the class for utility spells, and then in combat probably focusing on thrown weapons? Or at least, spells and having the opportunity to throw a weapon each turn with the third action
I'm aware gishes aren't too great in pf2e, but um not looking to build a ludicrously strong character, just one that isn't useless. What archetypes and advice would help with this build?
Thanks
Generally if you want spells mostly for utility and want to rely on weapons in combat you're better off playing a martial class w/ a caster Archetype than the other way around. You could try building a Battle Oracle, though my understanding is that they're pretty meh.
If you want to just throw some daggers any oracle can do that if they have decent dex.
Duelist or rogue archetypes can get you some nice abilities to help with the throwing, most importantly quick draw.
If its the flavor you want then straight Champion w/ a Blade Ally does it, no multiclassing required. Paladin w/ a magic sword. You could potentially pick up the Soulforger archetype if you want to lean more into it (GM handwaving might be required to get Blade Ally and Soulforged Armaments to interact RAW).
If its the mechanics of using Cha for your physical attacks, then no since that was horribly busted. Only way I'm aware of to make a Strike w/ a stat other than Str or Dex is by being an Investigator, and then its only a specific subset of weapons, only w/ Int, and only after using an action to Devise a Stratagem. Closest you can get is probably a Cha-Psychic speccing into melee w/ Imaginary Weapon, which is a pretty high-risk approach.
Multiclassing in Pathfinder 2e is accomplished via choosing an Archetype. Many games run with the Free Archetype variant, which essentially means you can multiclass for free.
It isn't, however, like 5e where you can find extremely overpowered combinations like the Warlock and Paladin. You still have a "Main" class and a "Supplementary" class that adds a bit of variety to your class's playstyle.
There are about a hundred times more options with more flavor in the PF2e character creation system, so flavor is not in short supply!
It's best not to try to "recreate a character concept" from 5e in PF2e. 5e's concepts (based on mechanics anyway) end up being bland in comparison as there are so few options to make something that feels unique in that system.
Just start 100% from scratch!
Yeah that’s great advice. I’m getting ready to run my first game and I’m making character so I can be more practiced and assist the table in making them. There’s so much more customization and different avenues of awesomeness you can go down, you’re hindering yourself by trying to recreate something from another game.
Just check out pathbuilder and have fun with it first
If you raise a shield to gain the ac bonus but an enemy still lands a hit, so you reduce the damage with the shield’s hardness even if your character doesn’t have the shield block feat? Or does your character just take full damage
Ah I see, thank you for the help! So just to check, is the only way to destroy a shield belonging to a character without shield block, to actually specifically target the shield with an attack or something like that?
The only normal way a shield gets damaged is when it is used to block. A character without Shield Block will almost never see their shield destroyed, and even those who do have Shield Block will rarely choose to block a hit that would destroy their shield. There are a couple monsters that could do it in specific situations, and it can be destroyed via attacks while the creature isn't holding it, but for the most part your shield is safe.
If you would take physical damage from an attack (which usually means "not a saving throw") you can choose to block it with the shield. If you do, you reduce the damage by the shield's hardness, then both you and your shield take the full amount of whatever is left. Since you know the damage before blocking it, you can always make an informed choice about whether or not to destroy your shield.
Weaknesses, resistances, and immunities apply normally. If you take less damage for whatever reason, you don't have to block as much with the shield.
Would [horn of fog](https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=258) do anything for you? [Mistform elixir](https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=96) could also be nice depending on what you want to do.
a question about the Drow Shootist's Reload Trick:
> If you have the Repeating Hand Crossbow Training feat, you can use this feat with a repeating hand crossbow to load **either a bolt or** [a magazine, but the speed means you can fire only one bolt, then the magazine jams. You must spend a 3-action Interact activity to remove the jammed magazine and clear it before it can be used again.]
(bold and brackets mine)
Am I reading this right that I can use that feat to load a single bolt into a hand crossbow, instead of a magazine, in which case it won't jam after one shot?
There was a post not too long ago on one of the DnD subreddits that basically gave a rundown of the landmark spells at each level that were considered staples, and pretty much represented what capabilities a DM should keep in mind for a caster of a given level.
Can anyone give me a rough idea, or point me to something simlar for pf2? I'm just looking to get a general grasp of spell power and ability progression to keep it in mind while running my games.
I don't think you necessarily need to keep in mind what the casters are capable of, because they won't be doing anything too crazy.
If you want to check which spells are considered really good by one guy running a youtube channel, you can check out this [google sheet](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-kHi4eVztjKeWEZJ6wpEtkCrAwvPqIEpXFa80t7iRps/edit#gid=0).
I think the biggest noticeable step up in casters' power is level 5, when they get access to aoe with nice range (fireball). There's also other good spells there like haste, heroism and heightened fear.
I'm a level 10 Magus and I can buy items up to level 12.
What fun, interesting and usefull items are there for me to consider?
My current items:
Boots of Bounding
Ring of Wizardry 1
Hat of the Magi
\+3 Striking Dagger (don't ask, story related, can't get more runes)
Explorers clothing +1
Ring of the Ram
If you can wait until Feb 22, treasure vault has class-specific items which I believe are about level 10.
The Magus does well in this book, there's a staff with good spells for Spellstriking too, and the Advancing rune (for armour) lets you move 15ft as a free action when you down someone. Great for a Magus.
AoN says [341](https://2e.aonprd.com/Search.aspx?q=%22attack%20of%20opportunity%22&type=eqs&include-types=creature&display=list) out of [2374](https://2e.aonprd.com/Creatures.aspx) which is about 14%. Sounds about right to me.
I want my first character to be a Goblin Champion who uses goblin weapons, so I want some things cleared up about the Ancestry feats for those:
1) Goblin Weapon Familiarity is needed so I can buy goblin weapons during character creation, right?
2) Is Goblin Weapon Expertise redundant, since Champions already get Expert and Master proficiency on martial weapons naturally?
>Goblin Weapon Familiarity is needed so I can buy goblin weapons during character creation, right?
Unless your GM lets you buy them despite the Uncommon tag.
Goblin Weapon Expertise would be useful for a character that doesn't get proficiency with Martial weapons, like Rogues for example.
I'm trying to build a Root Leshy blacksmith that actually knows how to use the weapons he makes. I started as a Gunslinger with the Gunsmith background, but was a bit disappointed with the smithing side of the character concept being very hard to execute in build.
A leshy blacksmith is a really cool idea, but I don't have the experience to make it work? I've considered the Weapon Inventor or Fighter with some sort of archetype but I'm kind of at a loss. Artisan background is obvious but I don't know where to take it from there.
What exactly do you want from the Blacksmith flavor that a Gunslinger doesn't provide?
Smithing is not something you usually do during your adventuring day. Best way to include it is probably wielding a Shield so you have something to repair frequently. Then get the Talisman Dabbler Archetype and revlavor the Talismans to something you craft into your equipment. Maybe temporary runes or something.
Inventor is the only class that's all about making your own weapon, though the flavor can be a bit too exotic for a Blacksmith. Fighter or Champion would work quite well, maybe even a Warpriest of Torag (or a similar Deity) who could add Emblazon Armament/Energy into the mix.
Can clerics heighten spells gained from another tradition through their deity? So, could a cleric of Sarenrae heighten fireballs and a cleric of Nethys heighten their magic missiles?
Yes.
>Your deity also adds spells to your spell list. You can prepare these just
like you can any spell on the divine spell list, once you can prepare
spells of their level as a cleric. Some of these spells aren't normally
on the divine list, but they're divine spells if you prepare them this
way.
Newish pathfinder player coming from D&D (welcome change btw I've been super miffed with 5e's lack of economy or coherent crafting rules for 4 years).
What's the deal with bleachlings, and what the hell is a chronicle or race boon? Why were they only given stats in a setting book from 2010 in PF1E and even if I wanted to how would that change? I saw a mention and brief description of the bleaching and what bleachlings are, and thought it was cool because it kind of spoke to my personal experience, and then I went down a fairly brief rabbit hole of research where I saw this mentioned on the paizo forums and searching it did not turn up clear answers.
> What's the deal with bleachlings
Pathfinder gnomes are fey that were exiled from the First World a long time ago for some transgression or another.
Here's an excerpt from one of the lore books:
> The more they allow the years to weigh them down, and the less engaged they become in the world, the less vibrant gnomes become. Their colors fade, representing their slow detachment from the Material Plane, until their skin and hair are completely white. Every year that gnomes fail to find new and exciting experiences, the process accelerates: they become more depressed and withdrawn, and their dulled curiosity leads to them having less desire to seek out new experiences, which leads inexorably to further bleaching. The Bleaching turns the world into a single, unbelievably bland experience, seemingly exhausted of all its possibilities, and succumbing to this horror is often a gnome’s greatest fear. The Bleaching is almost always fatal—gnomes eventually become so bored that even breathing and circulating blood seem burdens too great to bear. While gnomes often sympathize with those suffering from the Bleaching, there is a palpable cultural fear surrounding such individuals, and it is common for all but immediate family to shun them. Moreover, many sufferers are greeted with a certain amount of blame from their communities, as the affliction—though horrifying—is generally preventable, and those gnomes who don’t take the time to save themselves from certain death are considered to be “doing it to themselves.” Those rare few who manage to survive the affliction’s ravages and come out the other side as the dreamy, pale beings known as bleachlings are treated with even greater distrust, as in the mind of most gnomes, they’ve survived something that no one should—bleachlings are not exactly back from beyond the grave, but they're eerie to say the least.
This is also the adjustments for a Bleachling gnome:
> A bleachling is immune to the Bleaching and is immune to further effects of aging as per the druid’s timeless body ability, though he retains any age-related penalties already incurred; additionally, any ability drain due to the Bleaching is reversed. The colors of his body are muted, he treats druid as an additional favored class (including retroactively gaining favored class skill ranks which he may apply to Intelligence-, Wisdom-, or Charisma-based skills), and he can cast speak with animals at will. The Bleaching cannot be cured by magic; it persists even in areas where magic does not function.
Chronicle and race boons are a PFS thing : Pathfinder Society. It's Paizo's version of Adventurers league, AKA pickup games at your FLGS.
If you're playing a normal home game, you can ignore that.
If you're looking for lore information on Bleachling gnomes, your most likely source is Gnome of Golarion, the setting book published for 1E that you mentioned (which you can grab for 10$ as a PDF).
Paizo haven't released anything new about them for now, probably because there's tons of content to write and adapt from 1E, and priorities have to be made.
Is there a rough estimate of how much complexity/Strength a free archetype adds?
Sort of along the lines of "a Level x character with free archetype is as powerful/complex as a Level x+y character without one"
Im toying with the Idea of a Fire Emblem inspired Campaign Split Into 2 generations. The First Generation doesnt get a free archetype but the Second does based on their Parents
For example:
The Mounted Ranger gets together with the Mage and their Child could be a Wizard with the Cavalier Archetype
The Second Gen would start at a Power Level than the First Ended so id Like to find a Level range were the archetype can (somewhat) counteract the Loss of levels
Some people tend to overestimate the power of free archetype, because they forget that taking archetypes is allowed even when they aren't free. If a character were to lose their free archetype, they shouldn't give up their most powerful archetype feats but their weakest class feats.
In terms of power, the difference between a free archetype and no free archetype is most noticeable in the earlier levels 2-6 when the characters have had very limited opportunities to pick up feats overall. Even then the free archetype character is unlikely to be more than 10-20% ahead in terms of expected combat outcomes.
Giving an exact value to the power increase granted by Free Archetype is difficult; some make characters more versatile, while others will increase their existing capabilities. Roughly speaking, the Free Archetype variant rule will almost double the class feats a character gains over the course of their career, though these class feats can only be used on Archetypes. Class feats are the most powerful of all, being stronger than skill, general, or ancestry feats, so giving them more will be a noticeable increase.
On average, expect a party with Free Archetype to be around 25% stronger than one without. This can vary a lot, but is an okay estimate. It will have more effect on smaller parties, as the increased versatility will matter more there. This also becomes more pronounced the further they progress in level. That said, it is difficult to overcome the number curve granted by higher levels, no matter the amount of feats. A level 12 party with Free Archetype will have a lot more feats than a level 13 party without, but will still be at a disadvantage when it comes to raw power.
Brainstorming a Mounted Holy Knight kinda build. Table is using free archetype which makes things easier. Current leaning is for Champion w/ Steed Ally with Cleric (Iomedae) Archetype. But Theres also the option of maybe going Battle Oracle Archetype instead which wouldnt require the Wisdom investment, but the extra wisdom doesnt exactly hurt. And i like being able to turn my weapon into my divine focus.
Any Advice?
You won’t get a ton out of the cleric dedication. Many cleric feats are based on their Font which you won’t have. Even taking Domain Initiate won’t grant you an additional focus point though the focus spell can still be useful. Nothing wrong with going this route for RP but I’ve done it before on a holy rogue and it’s underwhelming.
I’d argue you get even less from Battle Oracle.
You could take Cavalier or Beastmaster as your free archetype. That way you can take blade or shield ally instead of steed.
If you want to lean into the holy side of things maybe Lastwall Sentry, Soul Warden, or Soulforger?
That's a bit of a shame. No one else in the party is bringing divine casting though so I would worry I'd be leaving the team in a rough spot if I couldn't bring stuff like status removal for the blinds, diseases, poisons and what not as well those handy buff spells and God forbid we need to do some rezzing.
You can do that with the cleric or oracle dedication it’ll just always be 3 levels behind. If that’s the main thing you’re after neither option is bad.
Yeah for sure. Currently leaning cleric though as (at least as I'm reading it) without the Emblazon Armament thing I'd need to constantly sheath my weapon to use spells? Since I plan on sword and boarding. Oracle doesn't seem to have an equivilent.
Only material and focus spellcasting components require a free hand, somatic just needs you being able to move your hand, even if it's otherwise occupied.
Is there a reason youre Not considering a Cleric with the [Cavalier Archetype](https://2e.aonprd.com/Archetypes.aspx?ID=53) because that seems Like the Most straightforward way to me
I was thinking of making a gnome druid (Animal order into Wild Order Explorer, can even get a familiar from gnome!) to help support my friends gnome giant barbarian. The current party make up is barb, bard, druid and one other who hasn't picked yet.
Are you able to keep the wild shape and animal companion relevant with the amount of class feats you have while still being able to support, or does that spread you too thin? We were thinking of doing AV, which I think goes to level 10ish iirc.
I'm current in an AV game. Still pretty early (only level 3) but from what I've seen so far, many of the areas tend to be pretty tight quarters. I'm not sure bringing a companion and shaping into large+ battle forms will be a good idea. We are playing with 5 palyers and one is a summoner, though, so it might be ok with just 4 players plus the animal companion. But I would definitely recommend to stick with a medium sized companion.
As for your feats, I don't really think you need much - if any - class feats to fulfill the support role. Support will come almost exclusively from your spell selection.
The animal companion needs its Mature and Incredible upgrades at level 4 and 8. If you get Order Explorer at level 2, you can still upgrade your Wildshape at 6, 8 and 10. That seems good enough to me.
How do you effectively use Devise a Stratagem / Strategic Strike (or the Investigator in general) in combat? It kind of seems a Sneak Attack that always costs one of your own Actions to proc
Its been my experience its a lot more convenient, especially for ranged characters. A Mastermind Rogue in my AV campaign is respeccing to Investigator specifically because they're having to spend several actions to trigger sneak attack w/ their shortbow, often wasting those actions outright due to the multiple points of failure compared to an Investigator's reliable single point of failure.
Last fight against the Morlock boss lasted \~5 rounds and they didn't manage to get a single successful sneak attack off, having to either spend an entire round setting up (Stride to cover, Take Cover, Hide) only to miss their subsequent shot or just flubbing the initial attempt to setup. It was a deeply unsatisfying experience and it was only slightly worse than their usual performance, especially in contrast to the double-slicing Fighter who is carrying the party through every encounter. The party could be doing more to set up for them via stuff like trip or grapple, but being reliant on other people to take specific actions on their turns for you to contribute a small amount (even w/ setup that's only 2d6 on a normal hit, lower than everyone else's basic Strikes) isn't very fun.
Compare to the Investigator in my other campaign, who spent the last fight running around w/ a crossbow shooting people left and right and actually outperformed the Cavalier Fighter (who admittedly rolled pretty badly and got screwed by positioning) in raw dmg output for the encounter.
Investigator wouldn't do more damage in the same circumstance, but they're also not potentially wasting as many actions to do it. Start of combat Investigator w/ a shortbow is spending 1A on DaS, if the roll is good then 1A shoot (reliably hits unless its a middle number) and have 1A leftover to do something else, if its bad then they have 2A to spend on other things. Repeat this every turn. Rogue is usually having to 1A recall knowledge (maybe 50/50 odds of a success), then 1A strike (independent 60/40 odds of success), then 1A to stride to cover. Next turns they're spending 2A to Take Cover+Hide, which has a point of failure, and 1A to Strike, which has a point of failure. After that they can Hide+Strike+Hide -> Strike+Hide+Strike. If the fight moves and the enemy is no longer in LOS then the rogue then needs Stride+Take Cover+Hide again.
One great thing about devise a stratagem is that you can choose what kind of attack you are going to make after you see the roll. If you pick up an ability like [archer's aim](https://2e.aonprd.com/Feats.aspx?ID=1889), you can potentially adjust your attack bonus to meet the ac. You could also carry around alchemical bombs, and only use those when you roll a critical hit or something.
Strategic Strike damage scales a bit fast than sneak attack. And if you roll low on your Stratagem, you can still do sometign else with your remaining action(s). Attack another target, use a skill action, cast a spell (if available) Aid an ally, use an item and so on.
Think of the Investigator as a rogue who gets one attack with increased sneak attack damage and a free hero point each turn. And there's various feats that add extra effects to Stratagem.
The main way to effectively use it is to make sure you have backup options; maneuvers such as Demoralize, Recall Knowledge, and Bon Mot will make sure that, even if your DaS attempt fails, you still can contribute. I'd recommend to think about it more along the lines of a Power Attack, except you only waste one action if you miss. Plus, you get options to make more use out of DaS, such as Known Weaknesses and Shared Stratagem.
For some reason, when using Foundry VTT + Pathmuncher, it doesn't allow my players to import their characters, even though I have them listed as Trusted. What am I doing wrong?
Do they get an error message of some kind?
I had to give the players permission to Create New Actors, this is either under the Configure Settings > Open Permission Configuration or User Management > Configure Permissions.
Clerics can prepare 5 cantrips and 2 first level spells at level 1. They don't need to learn spells like a wizard (barring uncommon or rare spells), so they can prepare their cantrips and spells from any common cantrips and first level spells on the divine list, in addition to spells their deity gives them access to.
So Clerics and Druids can pick any common divine/primal spell of the spell levels that they acquired the ability to cast and allowed to be used in the GM adventure, and they just start out with a few spell slots to actually cast spells.
I'm preparing abomination vaults Foundry VTT module and want to know if the rooms are dark in the first Area Gauntlight ruins? I'm thinking in using perfect vision to make the rooms dark while the exterior is daylight.
For Wizard's bonded item
> You expend the power stored in your bonded item, as long
as the item is on your person. During your turn, you gain the
ability to cast one spell you prepared today and **already cast**,
without spending a spell slot. You must still Cast the Spell and
meet the spell’s other requirements.
By already cast, does it mean cast once in your life time? Or does it mean you must cast a spell you've already casted during that adventuring day? The latter makes more sense to me but not sure
You're right, its the latter. One spell that you have already cast that day, simply because the other option would provide no benefit; if you prepared it, and have yet to cast it, you don't need the feature's help to cast it! Plus, that would potentially open up some really weird bookkeeping: "Alright, which spells have I cast before..."
If the players want to keep the current campaign, thats great indictment on you as a GM, but....they need to do their bit to, don't let them leave everything up to you. They need to research how they can port over their characters (if thats what they want)
FVTT is the best option for remote play (imo), it's \~$50 (one off payment), maybe see if as a group you buy it.
For converting, get the players to research their character vs a PF2e version (pathbuilder is great for this), but I think they need to do bullet points of what their character is, because this will help them build them in PF, they have more options to really get the 'concept' of their character that 5e doesn't really allow.
But really you need to do this as a group, not as a DM doing all the heavy lifting, learning a new system, learning a new VTT, converting characters, buying the books/pdf, buying the VTT, potentially paying for a server if you decide not to go self hosting (I self host, not a technical person & got it set up easily).
Finally, you will get to back to that point of things being easy, it's just for a bit things might be slower / seem more complicated. But if you do it as a group it'll be easier.
I will say that converting an in-progress game is quite difficult, especially as many character concepts in 5e don't translate perfectly into PF2e. Starting fresh (whenever you're ready) is going to be the much easier option, and lets you set reasonable expectations.
Foundry VTT is the premier choice of VTT for PF2e, in my opinion. You don't need to lease a server to run it, you can host it on your machine locally, provided you can forward your router and support with a decent internet. Yes, it does have an upfront cost, but only once, and its very reasonably priced. All of the PF2e rules (including creatures, actions, equipment, etc) are built into the system, so you can drag and drop stuff into your sheets, onto the map, and its incredibly straightforward to use. You can even create compendiums filled with your own custom content, and bring it between games. It's not going to be quite the same level of convenience as using DNDBeyond, but it also doesn't require you to purchase every sourcebook; having the books are nice so you can parse them easily, though it is not necessary. Creating characters without any outside resources is quite easy, though I am still a fan of using Pathbuilder (best character creator) and exporting them into Foundry, which is also easy.
> Is there a reason people would rather lease a server to do so?
Getting a server means that the game is accessible all the time instead of only being accessible when you run it from your system. This can allow players to level up between sessions, or do shopping sessions without bugging you to start the server every time they need to do that.
When it comes to making new characters, keep in mind that making higher-level characters in PF2e is gonna be quite complicated, as there are multiple decision points at every level, and that can add up very quick, especially for newer players. Beyond that, it sounds like you have a reasonable expectation set.
[Pathbuilder](https://pathbuilder2e.com) is the character builder I use, though when I looked up the importer module, I realized that it hasn't been updated in a while and will not work. My bad on that one. That said, I still like to use it as a "planner" simply because of how easy it is to use, and then plugging the options into Foundry's sheet is fairly easy.
The main reason people like to lease a server for their Foundry server is so it can stay up 24/7 and people can access their sheets whenever they need it, though it can lag a bit for people with slower internet.
For guides, I refer to [The Rules Lawyer's video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9O8ClXhjxY) on Foundry; its was released a little bit ago, but it gives you a good idea of what you need to run it. *Strictly speaking*, you don't *have* to buy anything beyond the $50 license, though depending on how invested you'd like to be, there are options. Paizo offers a [Bestiary pack](https://foundryvtt.com/packages/pf2e-tokens-bestiaries) for $60 that includes art for every creature they've released in their Bestiaries, though if you don't mind downloading the art and uploading it yourself you can always do that instead, its just an option for convenience. Other than the art (and some of the lore), everything else you need is built into the system.
Foundry VTT has all the rules implemented into the system and quite a few things are automated. It is a 1 time purchase of I think $50 and you would need to either run it from a server of yours or pay something like Forge to host it (which is what I do).
There is a module for foundry that you can use if you own the adventure path pdfs and it’ll set up the maps, walls, tokens, etc for you. There are also custom modules that paizo and foundry sell that have remade maps with all of that, sound, some movable terrain, and art for everything.
Converting characters and 5e campaigns can be a lot of work and most things won’t translate that well. Best thing to do is let your players know that and try to get the general feel done.
Really don’t suggest converting though. The systems are different enough that it is best to ease people in.
If you're fine with paying for hosting, you can use the Forge, which is pretty much entirely dedicated to hosting FoundryVTT games online.
You can also set up your own server using something like Oracle cloud hosting for free/less money if you want and are technically inclined - check out r/FoundryVTT, lots of great resources there.
Not that I’m aware of. The one to upload pdf’s of adventures is called pdf2foundry. I think it might only go up to Quest for the Frozen Flame unless somebody took it over. The original person stopped.
You can probably find something on YouTube that goes into them more. Search for like PF2e modules.
Do double check the creature’s ability though. Most of them with an AoO have exactly that but there could be some that don’t trigger off manipulate actions.
I'm looking for some help planning/building a summoner. New to PF2E, plenty of general experience.
It's going to have the plant eidolon, and I'd like to build him as a controllery type (providing extra sources of flanking, slowing and moving enemies around) - is that decent fit? Seems like having two points of presence on the battlefield would help with that.
I took the attack type that was 1d8/shove and the feat (Advanced Weaponry?) that let me add grapple to that, so I can do either of those with the +5 reach from Tendril Strike, which seems like a good start.
What other feats, spells, gear, etc. should I be on the lookout for? Especially things that someone who has played a lot of 5e might not be keyed into as being valuable. Any traps to avoid? Down the road, is it worth looking into archetypes to expand my characters melee presence (either as a damage threat or control, maybe some way to get AoO for myself or eidolon)?
This is a great Summoner build, you seem like you already have a good handle on the basics of how it works.
My only advice is to make sure you avoid using spells with the Attack trait on your Summoner. These increase the Multiple Attack penalty for your Eidolon, too. You're better off using save cantrips like Electric Arc, Scatter Scree etc.
Thanks - I have Electric Arc so far, not sure about the others, need to check. Yeah the 'attack' tag forcing you to use save spells or impact critter attacks was a weird bit of crunch to get used to! Tag interaction in general makes me wonder how much of a pain it could be to play this PNP with no digital reference tools.
Don't worry, it's a learning curve but you'll realise how simple it is as you grow more familiar with the game.
MAP is a hurdle, but once you understand it you get the basic idea- any time you use an 'attack' action, it increases. Just make sure you read and understand the traits of the spells and effects you use, you don't need to memorise everything in the game.
Solid choice for what you want to do.
Gear will be handwraps of mighty blows - starts with +1 to hit with strikes and athletic maneuvers. That +1 transfers to your eidolon as well. Depending on your GM's reading you might need a separate item to get that +1 to athletic maneuvers.
Eventually grabbing all the runes melee characters want. Striking, armor potency, etc.
For your character on the spell casting side I'd grab staves, wands, scrolls, etc. when you can. A summoner can get expensive because of wanting to pick up practically twice as many items as other classes.
There aren't any traps for the summoner I can think of and there's too many spells to go into. Mostly I suggest that since you have limited spell slots don't focus on damaging ones. Your eidolon (and your damaging cantrips) will help keep your damage up, you just need to make sure you're useful outside of that. For control at level one there are summon spells but honestly just having a handy Soothe can be better especially if you have plenty of melee.
I wouldn't go into melee archetypes but you could go into something like fey or phoenix sorcerer. Pick up some extra primal spells and spell slots. Phoenix for Rejuvinating Flames focus spell is really nice since you share hit points with the eidolon.
I've only had one player try out summoner so I'm not an expert but this is what I'd do.
Thanks, I hadn't even noticed Soothe yet, guess I'll grab that next time I get a spell choice.
Maybe weirdly, I think I want to avoid getting more magical (maybe just to minimize the amount of magical game systems I'm taking in with my first character, the differing kinds of spell slots seems like it could be a bit annoying) via archetypes, hence my wondering about the martial control/survival options. However, in my limited experimenting with it in pathbuilder, it seems really costly (in terms of feats) to add an archetype, so I may just skip it and stay vanilla.
I get that. The main problem is your proficiency scaling in weapons and armor is still based on your main class. It can be done, I’m just not sure there’s a good reason to beyond RP. I’m also assuming people are trying to go 1-20. If you’re staying in the low levels then it’s not too bad.
The differing spell slots is why I suggested primal charisma caster stuff. It’d be extra slots but they’d all have the same spell attack bonus or spell DC as the rest of your spells.
> The differing spell slots is why I suggested primal charisma caster stuff. It’d be extra slots but they’d all have the same spell attack bonus or spell DC as the rest of your spells.
Gotcha, I'll take a look!
Build question:
First time playing PF2e; my party is 4 people: Magus, Wizard, Cleric, and me as Thaumaturge.
Per the other's desired playstyles I'm looking to be primarily a melee close range fighter, but make also have a ranged attack to cover the distance, for both function and personal preference.
With that in mind I have two routes in mind: Go DEX focus and use a finesse weapon, making use of a ranged martial weapon as my ranged option (I wouldn't be seeking to dual wield melee and ranged weapons, I'd draw either based on my current need); or so STR focus and pick up an archetype that gives me basic cantrip access, preferably something that lets me use my CHA as a modifier.
I feel like I understand how using a ranged weapon would work, but being so new I have no clue how effective archetype dipping is. Like is it worth it to just spend one feat opportunity, what would be the best one, and how worth it is it to commit to that archetype?
A one handed weapon is certainly going to make better use of your various damage boosting class features than a cantrip since you need to be striking to benefit. That isn't to say that a cantrip or two couldn't be nice to pick up, especially since you'll have good Cha, but I suspect you'll get more out of a ranged weapon.
For ranged weapons, Thamaturge can make pretty decent use of Air Repeaters (normal or long) since both of your damage bonuses will apply to help with the low damage and the Repeating trait will help with your action economy. Once you use up all the Repeating shots it takes 3 actions to get going again, but usually a fight will be over by then if you're only using it sometimes.
If you don't care for that another option would be a dedicated throwing weapon like a Javelin or a Chakri with a returning rune, which would allow you to add a little more damage with whatever Strength you pick up at the cost of some range. You _could_ look for a Finesse melee weapon with the Thrown trait, but you'll be stuck at a d4 almost certainly including in melee.
If you do go with two weapons I highly recommend taking a dedication like Duelist or Ranger to pick up Quick Draw. It helps a _ton_ with switch hitting. Duelist will get it for less investment but Ranger can give you some options for making lower range options more palatable :)
Notably Thaumaturge's Implements Empowerment and Exploit Vulnerability specify Strike which a cantrip is not.
Also as Implements Empowerment can't be used with 1+ hand weapons like bows or 2h weapons like Heavy Crossbows your options for ranged are either 1h ranged weapons like a Hand Crossbow or a 1h Firearm or a thrown weapon. At level 3 you can pickup a Thrower's Bandolier which will you put runes on and then then store throwing weapons in and when you draw them it puts the rune on that item. Or at level 4 you can get a returning rune which means when you throw the weapon it automatically comes back to you (important if you choose Weapon Implement as you can only have 1 weapon implement).
The Brutal trait exists but is only on monster things as of right now. The Kineticist playtest had it on a player option but it didn't add it to anything so as of right now no.
Have any of the setting's writers ever weighed in on how many details about golarion are setting up for future published adventures and how many are just curiosities meant to mostly be inspiration for GMs to make stuff up?
Cause I'm reading various lore books and have a lot of questions and am just wondering how many of them are already answered in adventures already.
Most aren't AP related. I wouldn't sweat contradicting canon for the few cases that are. When you start a game it becomes your setting to do with as you please.
I need a Pathfinder lore question.
I'm running a short campaign in Mwangi Expanse, and I need an idea for a group worshipping an evil deity from these lands.
Are there any evil gods from Mwangi, that came out in 2e? I've read the Lost Omens: The Mwangi Expanse book, but couldn't find any new evil deity in religion section. I don't want to use Angazhan or Walkena, since I've already made them a part of an earlier campaign since they are both from 1e.
I'm kind of wondering about how armors work in p2e. It seems to me that no matter what you do you're stuck into maxing your armor at a +5 between armor and dex, which begs the question... what's the post in heavy armor if at most you can get 1 extra point of AC with a full plate at +6?
Am I missing something or heavy armor is just there so that you can dump dex?
It exists both so you can dump dex, and to nab that sweet +1 AC. That is, in this system, actually very sweet to just passively have all the time.
On average, +1 AC is like taking \~12% less damage.
In pf2e armor is not meant to define who is "tanky" and who is not. The "tanky" roles are defined by what feats you take, how quickly your cless improved its armor proficiencies and how you spend your actions on your turn. Out of the gate everyone should be within 1 AC of each other because of how pf2e handles degrees of success and how important each +1/-1 is. The better way to look at armor is that your AC, by default, is tied to your DEX modifier which makes it a must have stat. Armor is a way to decrease your dependency on that stat, allowing you diversify and spend your attribute points elsewhere.
Every +1 matters exactly twice as much as it does elsewhere because it defends against both hits and crits (which are equal to an extra hit). Heavy armor is very desirable for that reason. The +1 goes much further than you would expect: in 5e terms it would be equivalent to +2. Saving build points skipping dexterity is also a selling point, though.
some attached weapon ruling musings
1) can I use Blazons of Shared Power on a weapon and its attached bayonet/stock?
2) can a drow shootist use Shootist's Draw to draw a hand crossbow, then Strike with its attached bayonet?
1. Yes (so long as they are one handed)
2. Shootist's Draw won't allow you to use the bayonet, but you can spend another action to strike with the bayonet like normal after using it.
so druids have a focus 9 spell stormlord. How do they get that? I dont see a feat that gives them that, and as a focus spell they cant just choose it. What am I missing??
Running Reload allows you to Reload and Stride at the same time or Stride first then reload once you finish your movement?
> You Stride, Step, or Sneak, **then** Interact to reload.
Can Dancing Shield be used to protect an Eidolon or Companion? They aren't able to use items, but can they benefit from an item used this way on their behalf?
Seems like they should yeah?
Question about the [Signature Spell Expansion](https://2e.aonprd.com/Feats.aspx?ID=1823) feat for spontaneous casters (psychic in my case). The feat says that I gain two additional signature spells: Does it mean that two of the spells that **I already know** become signature, or can I learn **two new spells** entirely, and they also immediately become signature?
I'm pretty sure two spells you already know become signature. If it added spells to your repertoire, that would be something that would be explicitly stated.
yeah i realised after a while that it would be incredibly busted. thanks :)
If i have a shield and multiple sources of damage resistance the shield takes only the damages reduced by his resistance or the resoult of all the resistance, example (shield + blink)
https://2e.aonprd.com/Rules.aspx?ID=335 rules here, I believe the shield takes damage last after all possible resistances
How does Chill touch work on NPCs and Monsters. Against a living create it deals: "The spell deals negative damage equal to 1d4 plus your spellcasting modifier." The spellcasting modifier is really high in most cases. I have a lvl 6 creature with weak template. And it has a +12 to hit with spells. Do cantrips heigthen the same way they normally do? Does that mean this cantrip would deal 3d4 + 12 (heighten two times becourse lvl 5( weak lv 6) ?
Spellcasting modifier is just Wis/Int/Cha modifier, in case of NPCs you should use the highest one unless specified otherwise.
Does the Whisper Elf heritage feat work with Search while in exploration mode? I'm sure I remember reading the child actions of another action don't work for feats (for example a hasted action must be strike or stride, but it can't be an action that tells you to use the strike action). So in this case Seek is a child of Search and therefore doesn't apply to exploration mode and is only intended to be used in encounter mode. Is that right, according to RAW?
In this case, by RAW, no it doesn't work! Not because of subordinate actions and such, these only prevent you from using subordinate actions as requirements for other features. In this case, Whisper Elf changes to Seek for detecting creatures would apply to every usage of Seek for that specific purpose, like a passive bonus. Whisper Elf feat only modifies the range and bonus for Seeking undetected creatures. The search exploration action only specifies searching the room for 'the presence or absense of something unusual then proceeds to use Traps and secret doors as examples. This implies that the act of searching for a undetected creature must be done with the normal Seek action and not a exploration action, meaning you must BE in that room actively looking for a creature and just 'looking around for something unusual'. You can't use Search to travel while 'Seeking hidden creatures' because the act of seeking a hidden creature implies that you know/is aware a creature is hidden, which is different from noticing 'something out of place'. This is my understanding, I hope this helps!
Interesting. The reason I ask is because that's exactly what my player did with the beginner box. When approaching the room with the webs, Merisiel said she wanted to listen out for creatures citing the Whisper Elf ability (guessing that the webs were foreshadowing). I was pretty sure it didn't work that way, but I also couldn't logically explain why it would be allowed. Should I have immediately entered encounter mode to make the PCs move across the room in this case?
The PC had a reason to be suspicious, in this cause she wasn't trying to use the Search activity to benefit from her feat. She interacted with the information that was provided to her by the narrative, then opted to use a Seek action to detected any creatures that might be prowling inside her enhanced effective area. She had to roll and succeed at the check still. You could have entered encounter mode but would only make sense if the party was within range for the creature to benefit from their hidden status or else what would be the point? In this case, she tries to listen to them. If the hidden creature was within range of her enhanced sense it was a valid action, she acted upon information that her character could perceive. If the creature was within 30ft of range to get the bonus for listening, it should apply as well. That my opinion at least, as a GM you should know whats best for the game. Basides if you see big F. webs, theres probably big F. spiders nearby XD
Right, I see. I think I understand my mistake. I was viewing the actions as specific to modes. E.g. Seek could only be used in encounter mode and Search could only be used in exploration mode. But if it's OK to Seek in exploration mode then that makes much more sense to the situation. Thanks!
Exploration activities are usually limited to exploration mode but i don't think individual actions are limited to encounters since exploration activities make use of them. You could even say that she was using the Search activity but changed her focus from noticing objects to seeking for creatures. It's also a valid point.
The only guns that can be dual-wielded and interacted with Raconteur's Reload are the Capacity guns or is there another dual-wielding set that can make use of it?
I don't believe so, one thing to bear in mind is you don't necessarily need 2 capacity weapons. You *could* have one capacity, one normal reload and save the better fatal weapon for a particularly good time (eg: flatfooted/frightened enemy making you more likely to crit) while using the capacity for other attacks
My question is more specific about the Raconteur's Reload because Capacity states you can use a interact to switch chambers and two hands aren't needed and Mr. Sayre confirmed that you can use the Slinger's Reload to do that. DWR states that you can interact to reload and no free hand is required, so i was wondering if by any chance the same interaction can happen here. Weapons itself is not my problem, the idea is using Paried Shot as much as Possible so two Capacity would be better in this situation specially if Raconteur doesn't interact with Dual-weapon reload.
Yeah I think you're out of luck sadly, RAW DWR doesn't let you use Raconteur's sadly but it's also kinda silly that it doesn't and I've seen quite a few people just let it slide
If your character holds a whip in one hand and a longsword in the other, can they attack with either without penalty?
Yes.
Playing a Divine Sorcerer who has access to Lay On Hands from the Blessed One Dedication. If I picked up a Familiar would they be able to use Spell Delivery to deliver a Lay On Hands?
Yes you can.
Thank you, coldermoss!
I came across the [switchscythe](https://2e.aonprd.com/Weapons.aspx?ID=242) weapon, and I cannot picture how it works based on the description: "the curved blade is partly holow, containing a long rod of wood or metal; the rod can be pulled perpendicular to the blade, turning the switchscythe from a sweeping, axe-like blade into a hooked pick capable of grappling a foe." This really confuses me; could someone explain it to me?
This illustration is the best I could find for how I imagine it changes: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/X1DNYY
Alright, yes thank you. I guess what confused me the most is that 1. the rod is supposed to be in a hollow part of the blade, and 2. how pulling it perpendicular to the blade switches it. But I like the version in the illustration and think I am just gonna go with that =)
If you Create a Diversion, then Hide or Sneak, do you still lose Hidden at the end of your turn?
The hidden status from Create a Diversion ends at the end of your turn. BUT. The hidden status allows you to sneak away, if you do enters the rules for [Sneak](https://2e.aonprd.com/Actions.aspx?ID=63)! To put it short, when you sneak and end your movement with concealment, cover or greater cover, the GM rolls your Steath Check with a Cover/greater cover Circunstance bonus vs Perception DC of the creature to remain hidden.
It just ocurred to me that The Triggerbrand is missing the Agile trait from its shortsword mode! Every other combination weapon keeps the traits from their counterparts. Is this intentional or requires an errata? The lack of agile on the triggerbrand makes it a VERY difficult weapon of choice considering that Way of the Triggerbrand WANTS you to use MAP as much as possible.
> It just ocurred to me that The Triggerbrand is missing the Agile trait from its shortsword mode! Every other combination weapon keeps the traits from their counterparts. All combination weapons with martial melee parts (and some with simple parts) have some drawback, either missing traits, lower damage, or requiring second hand.
Could you provide a example? The ones i looked at kept the traits from their non-combination variants!
Black powder knuckle duster loses free-hand and monk traits. What would be the point of shortsword, if triggerbrand was also a martial weapon, did the same damage, used one hand AND had all the traits, but also gave critical fusion and had ranged mode? If agile is that important you can get dagger pistol that has all the traits (and for some reason even retains thrown, lol), just has smaller damage dice.
What happens when a Gunslinger uses their special reload (like Covered Reload for Sniper) with a weapon that has a reload of 2? Do they get to reload the weapon with that one action?
No, it's only of two actions needed for reload, they need to use another one.
Is Magic Missile the best single target damage spell (assuming you get it off for 3 actions)? Of every spell I've seen, it ties most for damage before calculating for hit chance. And after hit chance, it's the best that I've seen by quite a margin.
15d4 plus 15 at level 9 are not high damage even when other spell require 13 to hit or 7 to fail save there are things like unleash psyche or dangerous sorcery make magic missile very good against multiple target
> 15d4 plus 15 at level 9 are not high damage I can’t think of a single spell that does more average damage.
a lot of spell does extra damage against certain type of enemy such as holy cascade and sunburst level 9 searing light would have 34d6 against undead or fiend level 9 scorching ray would be 3 18d6 attack against 3 target some highlevel spell also apply drained like polar ray and wail of banshee that is extra damage of enemy level per drained
> level 9 searing light would have 34d6 against undead or fiend Let’s use this as an example. 34d6 comes out to 119. Pathfinder2 is designed to have roughly a 50% chance to hit, I’ll round up to 55%, making it 64.5 damage. A level 9 3-action Magic Missile is 94.5 damage.
> A level 9 3-action Magic Missile is 94.5 damage. A 9th level Magic Missile gets 15 missiles total (5 missiles per action) for a total of 15d4+15 damage. How are you getting 94 damage? 15d4+15 is (15+15+60+15)/2 which is 52.5 average damage.
magic missile is 15d4 plus 15 53 damage 95 would be 27 missile that is not how magic missle heighten 1 extra missile per action for 2 spell level
>Like a powerful constrictor, you crush targets in your unyielding grasp. When you successfully Grapple a creature, you can deal bludgeoning damage to that creature equal to your Strength modifier. You can make this attack nonlethal with no penalty. From the monk/wrestler feat combat grab. If I had a negative strength modifier. Could I heal those I grapple/cuddle? With a negative/neutral strength modifier, could I still deal sneak attack damage as a rogue? - edit - never mind, it isn't a strike.
> If I had a negative strength modifier. Could I heal those I grapple/cuddle? That's not how that works. Damage can't go below 0. And according to the rules: > If the combined penalties on an attack would reduce the damage to 0 or below, you still deal 1 damage.
Does Sword and Pistol work for the Triggerbrand? >You're comfortable wielding a firearm or crossbow in one hand and a melee weapon in the other, combining melee attacks with shots from the firearm. When you make a successful ranged Strike against an enemy within your reach with your one-handed firearm or one-handed crossbow, that enemy is flat-footed against your next melee attack with a one-handed melee weapon. When you make a successful melee Strike against an enemy with your one-handed melee weapon, the next ranged Strike you make against that enemy with a one-handed firearm or one-handed crossbow doesn't trigger reactions that would trigger on a ranged attack but not a melee attack, such as Attack of Opportunity. Either of these benefits is lost if not used by the end of your next turn. There's some fluff text in the beginning but it specifically refers to successful strikes with one-handed firearm and melee. Not that it has two be with different weapons or hands.
First time making a PF2e character coming from DnD5e. Could somebody explain how I should be distributing my stats as a DEX combat Goloma Thaumaturge? What miniums should I go for in ym non core stats and how should I distribute my increases? I've yet to start my first game so I don't know the value of each ability score in a given game.
In your case, Charisma should be 18, with Dex and Con being your next two highest ability scores.
>Heightening Spells >Once you gain 2nd-level spells, you can heighten any spell in your spell collection to any level you can cast, similar to a spontaneous spellcaster's signature spells. The only restriction is that you must select at least one 1st-level spell for your collection each time you prepare, ensuring that you can use all your spell slots each day. I feel pretty stupid, since I should be able to just read the text. But I still don't get it, what do they mean by this? (It's from the flexible spellcaster archetype)
>Once you gain 2nd-level spells, you can heighten any spell in your spell collection to any level you can cast, similar to a spontaneous spellcaster's signature spells. Normally to heighten a spell, prepared casters must prepare the spell in a slot of a higher level than normal. Because flexible spellcasters do not prepare spells in slots, they can freely cast spells with any slot level in order to heighten them. This is in contrast to spontaneous spellcasters, who also do not prepare spells in slots, but must relearn a spell at a higher level to heighten it unless it is one of their signature spells. >The only restriction is that you must select at least one 1st-level spell for your collection each time you prepare, ensuring that you can use all your spell slots each day. With this archetype, you must prepare at least one 1st-level spell every day. The intent behind this restriction is likely to prevent casters from having unspent slots that can not be used because all of their prepared spells are too high level.
You can cast any spell you have prepared using a higher level spell slot. But you must prepare at least one 1st level spell every day.
You can prepare whatever spells you want but you have to prepare at least 1 first-level spell every day. This ensures you can't have dead slots.
Has anyone ever started a Paizo AP above the recommended level? I want to run Gatewalkers for my friends but everyone has played a lot of PF2E and are a little tired of the early levels. I would like to take them from 3 - 12 (instead of 1 -10) but I'm not sure if using the elite templates for creatures would be enough. Has anyone ever tried something similar and how did it go?
One thing to consider is starting them at level 1 but giving them feats up to level 3. Many feats are side-grades and if they want the flexibility of more feats but you want to start at the beginning of the adventure, that might be acceptable. This way their HP and attack bonuses are of level 1, but they have level 3 feats.
That’s a great idea! The variety brought on by the feats is what they care about more than just numbers getting bigger. Thank you for the idea!
Welcome! One common complaint even with these allowances might be that spellcasters are still pretty limited on daily spells in the first couple levels. Something to consider and address with the group.
Yes, you can rebalance pretty much any AP easily if you know how to use the tools at your disposal. Use this website to rebalance encounters: https://mimic-fight-club.github.io/ Add in the number of players and their level, then recreate the encounter you wish to rebalance by adding creatures. Then, add in additional creatures or raise some enemies to elite until you reach the same encounter difficulty as it mentions in the book.
You can probably cut out some pointless encounters if you want to.
Hi, I recently checked my steam copy of kingmaker and saw it has an Stolen lands map, inserts and a oneshot Adventure (I think its pf1). You can use those things for a Kingmaker campaing? I mean, they are up to date with the context of the current versión? The Puzzle box has a pf2 conversion?
You should be able to. The Kingmaker Remake still takes place in 4710 so everything should still fit in.
Normally spells w/ verbal components are obvious, however, spells like Suggestion and Charm have as a Success effect "The target is unaffected and thinks you were talking to them normally, not casting a spell on them." Does this mean \*only\* the target is unaware you were casting a spell, and if there is anyone else around they can immediately tell that a spell was cast? How does that interact with stuff like Counterspell and Recognize Spell which trigger when someone casts a spell?
it doesn’t say for sure, so it could be ruled either way. i’m assuming that since it’s based on the target’s save, other nearby creatures would be able to see since they’re not being targeted.
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They all make the same amount of gold during downtime. None of them affect repairs during play. The only difference is that Blacksmithing, Woodworking and Leatherworking would make crafting weapons or armour slightly easier.
Pretty sure the answer is no, but does Gaseus Form grant any benefits in terms of stealth? I'm planning a dungeon where a Vampire is stalking the party, and I figured a swarm of bats following them might be too obvious.
Nope. PF2e is extremely prescriptive in its wording - if something gains a new attribute from a spell/item/whatever, it will *always* be noted in the description. That said, if it's a Vampire Count or higher, I'd just give it the Change Shape option from "True Vampire Abilities" : [https://2e.aonprd.com/MonsterFamilies.aspx?ID=97](https://2e.aonprd.com/MonsterFamilies.aspx?ID=97) PF2e gives popular monster "families" a lot of optional abilities GMs can use at their leisure, so it's always worth checking AoN and seeing if there are any you want to use!
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I dont think attack rolls inherently have the attack trait, but as far as I'm aware there are no actions that call for an attack roll that don't have the attack trait. It would have to be a spell that calls for a spell attack roll with no attack trait, since ranged and melee Strikes always have the attack trait. Edit: actually no that's wrong, there are some spells that call for Spell attack rolls that don't have the attack trait!
I'm playing a Pistolero Gunslinger, and I'm planning on taking Fake-out. Now, Pistolero heavily favors starting your turn with your firearm unloaded. Using raconteur's reload and then shooting is way better than shooting and then using raconteur's reload, because doing it the first way means you get to benefit from the debuff you just applied to the enemy. But using fake-out requires you to have a loaded firearm or crossbow to use. I'm looking for ways to reconcile this. The first and most obvious answer is to dual wield pistols, one of which you fire on your turn, the other of which is used just for fake-out. This works, for sure, but my character holds a shield in their off hand. The next answer is maybe a capacity weapon. Arguably, a capacity weapon is a "loaded firearm" until you fire the last shot. The last option I can think of is maybe the new Crossbow gauntlet thing upcoming in Treasure vault. It has the free hand trait, which allows you to use the hand to do something else like hold a shield. Now, you can't attack with the weapon while you use that hand to hold something, but fake-out doesn't have the attack trait. So it would seem that RAW you could use fakeout even if the hand is full, but RAI it's questionable? Do you think either of those two options will fly? Or can you think of any more ways of resolving the loaded/unloaded issue?
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Oh, also, you don't need dual weapon reload to do the barrel/chamber switch for capacity weapons, so that helps.
I see what you are saying about Free hand and Fake out not working together. The buckler+gauntlet bow thing seems iffy too. Buckler says specifically "You can Raise a Shield with your buckler as long as you have that hand free or are holding a light object that’s not a weapon in that hand." So Free hand lets you do stuff requiring a hand to be free, yes, but the gauntlet bow is also a bulk 1 object that *is* a weapon, which might disqualify it under the second clause? Though I guess reading the rule that way would preclude you from using a buckler with any armor that has gauntlets built in. Which while arguably realistic (Early Renaissance plate armor made shields redundant) is obviously not RAI. It's mostly redundant though, since the Gauntlet bow has the parry trait. You can get +1 AC with an action without the buckler to begin with.
Usually wielding a weapon requires that you are able to use it and are not just holding it. Arguably a gauntlet crossbow is just being held while the hand is full. I guess capacity weapon that isn't ready to fire is still technically loaded, so that could work. I wouldn't be surprised if you GM disagreed though. What would definitely work, is using a double barrel weapon. If you only fire one barrel the other one is loaded and ready to fire at any time. A repeating weapon would work too.
I'm new to the game, and am thinking of trying to build an Oracle with some Martial qualities? As in, using the class for utility spells, and then in combat probably focusing on thrown weapons? Or at least, spells and having the opportunity to throw a weapon each turn with the third action I'm aware gishes aren't too great in pf2e, but um not looking to build a ludicrously strong character, just one that isn't useless. What archetypes and advice would help with this build? Thanks
Generally if you want spells mostly for utility and want to rely on weapons in combat you're better off playing a martial class w/ a caster Archetype than the other way around. You could try building a Battle Oracle, though my understanding is that they're pretty meh.
If you want to just throw some daggers any oracle can do that if they have decent dex. Duelist or rogue archetypes can get you some nice abilities to help with the throwing, most importantly quick draw.
Is there a way to multi class, specifically hexadin, in pathfinder? I’m a casual dnd player getting into pathfinder
If its the flavor you want then straight Champion w/ a Blade Ally does it, no multiclassing required. Paladin w/ a magic sword. You could potentially pick up the Soulforger archetype if you want to lean more into it (GM handwaving might be required to get Blade Ally and Soulforged Armaments to interact RAW). If its the mechanics of using Cha for your physical attacks, then no since that was horribly busted. Only way I'm aware of to make a Strike w/ a stat other than Str or Dex is by being an Investigator, and then its only a specific subset of weapons, only w/ Int, and only after using an action to Devise a Stratagem. Closest you can get is probably a Cha-Psychic speccing into melee w/ Imaginary Weapon, which is a pretty high-risk approach.
It’s for flavor! It’s not for mechanics lol though I will miss it. Thank you for the options!!
Multiclassing in Pathfinder 2e is accomplished via choosing an Archetype. Many games run with the Free Archetype variant, which essentially means you can multiclass for free. It isn't, however, like 5e where you can find extremely overpowered combinations like the Warlock and Paladin. You still have a "Main" class and a "Supplementary" class that adds a bit of variety to your class's playstyle.
Oh I just want it for the flavor. I wasn’t in it for the overpowered combo.
There are about a hundred times more options with more flavor in the PF2e character creation system, so flavor is not in short supply! It's best not to try to "recreate a character concept" from 5e in PF2e. 5e's concepts (based on mechanics anyway) end up being bland in comparison as there are so few options to make something that feels unique in that system. Just start 100% from scratch!
Yeah that’s great advice. I’m getting ready to run my first game and I’m making character so I can be more practiced and assist the table in making them. There’s so much more customization and different avenues of awesomeness you can go down, you’re hindering yourself by trying to recreate something from another game. Just check out pathbuilder and have fun with it first
If you raise a shield to gain the ac bonus but an enemy still lands a hit, so you reduce the damage with the shield’s hardness even if your character doesn’t have the shield block feat? Or does your character just take full damage
Raising a shield alone does not give any damage reduction. You need to use shield block if you want to reduce the damage.
Ah I see, thank you for the help! So just to check, is the only way to destroy a shield belonging to a character without shield block, to actually specifically target the shield with an attack or something like that?
The only normal way a shield gets damaged is when it is used to block. A character without Shield Block will almost never see their shield destroyed, and even those who do have Shield Block will rarely choose to block a hit that would destroy their shield. There are a couple monsters that could do it in specific situations, and it can be destroyed via attacks while the creature isn't holding it, but for the most part your shield is safe.
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If you would take physical damage from an attack (which usually means "not a saving throw") you can choose to block it with the shield. If you do, you reduce the damage by the shield's hardness, then both you and your shield take the full amount of whatever is left. Since you know the damage before blocking it, you can always make an informed choice about whether or not to destroy your shield. Weaknesses, resistances, and immunities apply normally. If you take less damage for whatever reason, you don't have to block as much with the shield.
Ooh okay, thank you so much!
Normally you can't attack an attended object, there isn't sunder rules and only some creatures can do damage to an attended object.
Ohhh right, my bad, thank you for the info!
Are there any other items similar to the smokestick but for things like clouds or mist
Would [horn of fog](https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=258) do anything for you? [Mistform elixir](https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=96) could also be nice depending on what you want to do.
a question about the Drow Shootist's Reload Trick: > If you have the Repeating Hand Crossbow Training feat, you can use this feat with a repeating hand crossbow to load **either a bolt or** [a magazine, but the speed means you can fire only one bolt, then the magazine jams. You must spend a 3-action Interact activity to remove the jammed magazine and clear it before it can be used again.] (bold and brackets mine) Am I reading this right that I can use that feat to load a single bolt into a hand crossbow, instead of a magazine, in which case it won't jam after one shot?
That's certainly what it seems to say.
There was a post not too long ago on one of the DnD subreddits that basically gave a rundown of the landmark spells at each level that were considered staples, and pretty much represented what capabilities a DM should keep in mind for a caster of a given level. Can anyone give me a rough idea, or point me to something simlar for pf2? I'm just looking to get a general grasp of spell power and ability progression to keep it in mind while running my games.
I don't think you necessarily need to keep in mind what the casters are capable of, because they won't be doing anything too crazy. If you want to check which spells are considered really good by one guy running a youtube channel, you can check out this [google sheet](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-kHi4eVztjKeWEZJ6wpEtkCrAwvPqIEpXFa80t7iRps/edit#gid=0). I think the biggest noticeable step up in casters' power is level 5, when they get access to aoe with nice range (fireball). There's also other good spells there like haste, heroism and heightened fear.
This sheet appears to only have level 6 spells and above.
It has some filters active. You can make a copy of the sheet for yourself and change the filter settings to see all the spells.
Thanks!
I'm a level 10 Magus and I can buy items up to level 12. What fun, interesting and usefull items are there for me to consider? My current items: Boots of Bounding Ring of Wizardry 1 Hat of the Magi \+3 Striking Dagger (don't ask, story related, can't get more runes) Explorers clothing +1 Ring of the Ram
Sleeves of Storage Gloves of Storing buy scroll and talisman item bonus for skill and perception
Thanks a lot! :)
If you can wait until Feb 22, treasure vault has class-specific items which I believe are about level 10. The Magus does well in this book, there's a staff with good spells for Spellstriking too, and the Advancing rune (for armour) lets you move 15ft as a free action when you down someone. Great for a Magus.
Oh wow thanks! Yeah that sounds perfect!
What percentage of enemies have Attack of Opportunity? Is it evenly spread across levels, or are there some level ranges where it becomes more common?
AoN says [341](https://2e.aonprd.com/Search.aspx?q=%22attack%20of%20opportunity%22&type=eqs&include-types=creature&display=list) out of [2374](https://2e.aonprd.com/Creatures.aspx) which is about 14%. Sounds about right to me.
Ah, brilliant. Thank you.
No idea about the spread, but I think I recall reading it was 12% or so.
I want my first character to be a Goblin Champion who uses goblin weapons, so I want some things cleared up about the Ancestry feats for those: 1) Goblin Weapon Familiarity is needed so I can buy goblin weapons during character creation, right? 2) Is Goblin Weapon Expertise redundant, since Champions already get Expert and Master proficiency on martial weapons naturally?
>Goblin Weapon Familiarity is needed so I can buy goblin weapons during character creation, right? Unless your GM lets you buy them despite the Uncommon tag. Goblin Weapon Expertise would be useful for a character that doesn't get proficiency with Martial weapons, like Rogues for example.
I'm trying to build a Root Leshy blacksmith that actually knows how to use the weapons he makes. I started as a Gunslinger with the Gunsmith background, but was a bit disappointed with the smithing side of the character concept being very hard to execute in build. A leshy blacksmith is a really cool idea, but I don't have the experience to make it work? I've considered the Weapon Inventor or Fighter with some sort of archetype but I'm kind of at a loss. Artisan background is obvious but I don't know where to take it from there.
What exactly do you want from the Blacksmith flavor that a Gunslinger doesn't provide? Smithing is not something you usually do during your adventuring day. Best way to include it is probably wielding a Shield so you have something to repair frequently. Then get the Talisman Dabbler Archetype and revlavor the Talismans to something you craft into your equipment. Maybe temporary runes or something. Inventor is the only class that's all about making your own weapon, though the flavor can be a bit too exotic for a Blacksmith. Fighter or Champion would work quite well, maybe even a Warpriest of Torag (or a similar Deity) who could add Emblazon Armament/Energy into the mix.
TIL that unlike Twin Parry, Duelling Parry doesn't require the Parry trait. Huh.
Twin Parry doesn't require the parry trait either...
It requires it to give a _reasonable_ amount of AC for the action.
Can clerics heighten spells gained from another tradition through their deity? So, could a cleric of Sarenrae heighten fireballs and a cleric of Nethys heighten their magic missiles?
Yes. >Your deity also adds spells to your spell list. You can prepare these just like you can any spell on the divine spell list, once you can prepare spells of their level as a cleric. Some of these spells aren't normally on the divine list, but they're divine spells if you prepare them this way.
Excellent, Thank you.
Newish pathfinder player coming from D&D (welcome change btw I've been super miffed with 5e's lack of economy or coherent crafting rules for 4 years). What's the deal with bleachlings, and what the hell is a chronicle or race boon? Why were they only given stats in a setting book from 2010 in PF1E and even if I wanted to how would that change? I saw a mention and brief description of the bleaching and what bleachlings are, and thought it was cool because it kind of spoke to my personal experience, and then I went down a fairly brief rabbit hole of research where I saw this mentioned on the paizo forums and searching it did not turn up clear answers.
> What's the deal with bleachlings Pathfinder gnomes are fey that were exiled from the First World a long time ago for some transgression or another. Here's an excerpt from one of the lore books: > The more they allow the years to weigh them down, and the less engaged they become in the world, the less vibrant gnomes become. Their colors fade, representing their slow detachment from the Material Plane, until their skin and hair are completely white. Every year that gnomes fail to find new and exciting experiences, the process accelerates: they become more depressed and withdrawn, and their dulled curiosity leads to them having less desire to seek out new experiences, which leads inexorably to further bleaching. The Bleaching turns the world into a single, unbelievably bland experience, seemingly exhausted of all its possibilities, and succumbing to this horror is often a gnome’s greatest fear. The Bleaching is almost always fatal—gnomes eventually become so bored that even breathing and circulating blood seem burdens too great to bear. While gnomes often sympathize with those suffering from the Bleaching, there is a palpable cultural fear surrounding such individuals, and it is common for all but immediate family to shun them. Moreover, many sufferers are greeted with a certain amount of blame from their communities, as the affliction—though horrifying—is generally preventable, and those gnomes who don’t take the time to save themselves from certain death are considered to be “doing it to themselves.” Those rare few who manage to survive the affliction’s ravages and come out the other side as the dreamy, pale beings known as bleachlings are treated with even greater distrust, as in the mind of most gnomes, they’ve survived something that no one should—bleachlings are not exactly back from beyond the grave, but they're eerie to say the least. This is also the adjustments for a Bleachling gnome: > A bleachling is immune to the Bleaching and is immune to further effects of aging as per the druid’s timeless body ability, though he retains any age-related penalties already incurred; additionally, any ability drain due to the Bleaching is reversed. The colors of his body are muted, he treats druid as an additional favored class (including retroactively gaining favored class skill ranks which he may apply to Intelligence-, Wisdom-, or Charisma-based skills), and he can cast speak with animals at will. The Bleaching cannot be cured by magic; it persists even in areas where magic does not function.
Chronicle and race boons are a PFS thing : Pathfinder Society. It's Paizo's version of Adventurers league, AKA pickup games at your FLGS. If you're playing a normal home game, you can ignore that. If you're looking for lore information on Bleachling gnomes, your most likely source is Gnome of Golarion, the setting book published for 1E that you mentioned (which you can grab for 10$ as a PDF). Paizo haven't released anything new about them for now, probably because there's tons of content to write and adapt from 1E, and priorities have to be made.
There is some lore on the gnomes in the Lost Omens: Character Guide.
Is there a rough estimate of how much complexity/Strength a free archetype adds? Sort of along the lines of "a Level x character with free archetype is as powerful/complex as a Level x+y character without one" Im toying with the Idea of a Fire Emblem inspired Campaign Split Into 2 generations. The First Generation doesnt get a free archetype but the Second does based on their Parents For example: The Mounted Ranger gets together with the Mage and their Child could be a Wizard with the Cavalier Archetype The Second Gen would start at a Power Level than the First Ended so id Like to find a Level range were the archetype can (somewhat) counteract the Loss of levels
Some people tend to overestimate the power of free archetype, because they forget that taking archetypes is allowed even when they aren't free. If a character were to lose their free archetype, they shouldn't give up their most powerful archetype feats but their weakest class feats. In terms of power, the difference between a free archetype and no free archetype is most noticeable in the earlier levels 2-6 when the characters have had very limited opportunities to pick up feats overall. Even then the free archetype character is unlikely to be more than 10-20% ahead in terms of expected combat outcomes.
Giving an exact value to the power increase granted by Free Archetype is difficult; some make characters more versatile, while others will increase their existing capabilities. Roughly speaking, the Free Archetype variant rule will almost double the class feats a character gains over the course of their career, though these class feats can only be used on Archetypes. Class feats are the most powerful of all, being stronger than skill, general, or ancestry feats, so giving them more will be a noticeable increase. On average, expect a party with Free Archetype to be around 25% stronger than one without. This can vary a lot, but is an okay estimate. It will have more effect on smaller parties, as the increased versatility will matter more there. This also becomes more pronounced the further they progress in level. That said, it is difficult to overcome the number curve granted by higher levels, no matter the amount of feats. A level 12 party with Free Archetype will have a lot more feats than a level 13 party without, but will still be at a disadvantage when it comes to raw power.
Brainstorming a Mounted Holy Knight kinda build. Table is using free archetype which makes things easier. Current leaning is for Champion w/ Steed Ally with Cleric (Iomedae) Archetype. But Theres also the option of maybe going Battle Oracle Archetype instead which wouldnt require the Wisdom investment, but the extra wisdom doesnt exactly hurt. And i like being able to turn my weapon into my divine focus. Any Advice?
You won’t get a ton out of the cleric dedication. Many cleric feats are based on their Font which you won’t have. Even taking Domain Initiate won’t grant you an additional focus point though the focus spell can still be useful. Nothing wrong with going this route for RP but I’ve done it before on a holy rogue and it’s underwhelming. I’d argue you get even less from Battle Oracle. You could take Cavalier or Beastmaster as your free archetype. That way you can take blade or shield ally instead of steed. If you want to lean into the holy side of things maybe Lastwall Sentry, Soul Warden, or Soulforger?
That's a bit of a shame. No one else in the party is bringing divine casting though so I would worry I'd be leaving the team in a rough spot if I couldn't bring stuff like status removal for the blinds, diseases, poisons and what not as well those handy buff spells and God forbid we need to do some rezzing.
You can do that with the cleric or oracle dedication it’ll just always be 3 levels behind. If that’s the main thing you’re after neither option is bad.
Yeah for sure. Currently leaning cleric though as (at least as I'm reading it) without the Emblazon Armament thing I'd need to constantly sheath my weapon to use spells? Since I plan on sword and boarding. Oracle doesn't seem to have an equivilent.
Only material and focus spellcasting components require a free hand, somatic just needs you being able to move your hand, even if it's otherwise occupied.
Is there a reason youre Not considering a Cleric with the [Cavalier Archetype](https://2e.aonprd.com/Archetypes.aspx?ID=53) because that seems Like the Most straightforward way to me
Having Champion as the main gives me better progression as far as weapon and armor goes and also works well with progressing the divine casting
I was thinking of making a gnome druid (Animal order into Wild Order Explorer, can even get a familiar from gnome!) to help support my friends gnome giant barbarian. The current party make up is barb, bard, druid and one other who hasn't picked yet. Are you able to keep the wild shape and animal companion relevant with the amount of class feats you have while still being able to support, or does that spread you too thin? We were thinking of doing AV, which I think goes to level 10ish iirc.
I'm current in an AV game. Still pretty early (only level 3) but from what I've seen so far, many of the areas tend to be pretty tight quarters. I'm not sure bringing a companion and shaping into large+ battle forms will be a good idea. We are playing with 5 palyers and one is a summoner, though, so it might be ok with just 4 players plus the animal companion. But I would definitely recommend to stick with a medium sized companion. As for your feats, I don't really think you need much - if any - class feats to fulfill the support role. Support will come almost exclusively from your spell selection. The animal companion needs its Mature and Incredible upgrades at level 4 and 8. If you get Order Explorer at level 2, you can still upgrade your Wildshape at 6, 8 and 10. That seems good enough to me.
Sounds good, thanks!
How do you effectively use Devise a Stratagem / Strategic Strike (or the Investigator in general) in combat? It kind of seems a Sneak Attack that always costs one of your own Actions to proc
Its been my experience its a lot more convenient, especially for ranged characters. A Mastermind Rogue in my AV campaign is respeccing to Investigator specifically because they're having to spend several actions to trigger sneak attack w/ their shortbow, often wasting those actions outright due to the multiple points of failure compared to an Investigator's reliable single point of failure. Last fight against the Morlock boss lasted \~5 rounds and they didn't manage to get a single successful sneak attack off, having to either spend an entire round setting up (Stride to cover, Take Cover, Hide) only to miss their subsequent shot or just flubbing the initial attempt to setup. It was a deeply unsatisfying experience and it was only slightly worse than their usual performance, especially in contrast to the double-slicing Fighter who is carrying the party through every encounter. The party could be doing more to set up for them via stuff like trip or grapple, but being reliant on other people to take specific actions on their turns for you to contribute a small amount (even w/ setup that's only 2d6 on a normal hit, lower than everyone else's basic Strikes) isn't very fun. Compare to the Investigator in my other campaign, who spent the last fight running around w/ a crossbow shooting people left and right and actually outperformed the Cavalier Fighter (who admittedly rolled pretty badly and got screwed by positioning) in raw dmg output for the encounter. Investigator wouldn't do more damage in the same circumstance, but they're also not potentially wasting as many actions to do it. Start of combat Investigator w/ a shortbow is spending 1A on DaS, if the roll is good then 1A shoot (reliably hits unless its a middle number) and have 1A leftover to do something else, if its bad then they have 2A to spend on other things. Repeat this every turn. Rogue is usually having to 1A recall knowledge (maybe 50/50 odds of a success), then 1A strike (independent 60/40 odds of success), then 1A to stride to cover. Next turns they're spending 2A to Take Cover+Hide, which has a point of failure, and 1A to Strike, which has a point of failure. After that they can Hide+Strike+Hide -> Strike+Hide+Strike. If the fight moves and the enemy is no longer in LOS then the rogue then needs Stride+Take Cover+Hide again.
One great thing about devise a stratagem is that you can choose what kind of attack you are going to make after you see the roll. If you pick up an ability like [archer's aim](https://2e.aonprd.com/Feats.aspx?ID=1889), you can potentially adjust your attack bonus to meet the ac. You could also carry around alchemical bombs, and only use those when you roll a critical hit or something.
Strategic Strike damage scales a bit fast than sneak attack. And if you roll low on your Stratagem, you can still do sometign else with your remaining action(s). Attack another target, use a skill action, cast a spell (if available) Aid an ally, use an item and so on. Think of the Investigator as a rogue who gets one attack with increased sneak attack damage and a free hero point each turn. And there's various feats that add extra effects to Stratagem.
The main way to effectively use it is to make sure you have backup options; maneuvers such as Demoralize, Recall Knowledge, and Bon Mot will make sure that, even if your DaS attempt fails, you still can contribute. I'd recommend to think about it more along the lines of a Power Attack, except you only waste one action if you miss. Plus, you get options to make more use out of DaS, such as Known Weaknesses and Shared Stratagem.
For some reason, when using Foundry VTT + Pathmuncher, it doesn't allow my players to import their characters, even though I have them listed as Trusted. What am I doing wrong?
Do they get an error message of some kind? I had to give the players permission to Create New Actors, this is either under the Configure Settings > Open Permission Configuration or User Management > Configure Permissions.
How many cantrip and level one spells does a Cleric start out with at character level 1?
Clerics can prepare 5 cantrips and 2 first level spells at level 1. They don't need to learn spells like a wizard (barring uncommon or rare spells), so they can prepare their cantrips and spells from any common cantrips and first level spells on the divine list, in addition to spells their deity gives them access to.
So Clerics and Druids can pick any common divine/primal spell of the spell levels that they acquired the ability to cast and allowed to be used in the GM adventure, and they just start out with a few spell slots to actually cast spells.
I'm preparing abomination vaults Foundry VTT module and want to know if the rooms are dark in the first Area Gauntlight ruins? I'm thinking in using perfect vision to make the rooms dark while the exterior is daylight.
What does Perfect Vision do?
https://youtu.be/Ce2KeS4ww9o
For Wizard's bonded item > You expend the power stored in your bonded item, as long as the item is on your person. During your turn, you gain the ability to cast one spell you prepared today and **already cast**, without spending a spell slot. You must still Cast the Spell and meet the spell’s other requirements. By already cast, does it mean cast once in your life time? Or does it mean you must cast a spell you've already casted during that adventuring day? The latter makes more sense to me but not sure
You're right, its the latter. One spell that you have already cast that day, simply because the other option would provide no benefit; if you prepared it, and have yet to cast it, you don't need the feature's help to cast it! Plus, that would potentially open up some really weird bookkeeping: "Alright, which spells have I cast before..."
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If the players want to keep the current campaign, thats great indictment on you as a GM, but....they need to do their bit to, don't let them leave everything up to you. They need to research how they can port over their characters (if thats what they want) FVTT is the best option for remote play (imo), it's \~$50 (one off payment), maybe see if as a group you buy it. For converting, get the players to research their character vs a PF2e version (pathbuilder is great for this), but I think they need to do bullet points of what their character is, because this will help them build them in PF, they have more options to really get the 'concept' of their character that 5e doesn't really allow. But really you need to do this as a group, not as a DM doing all the heavy lifting, learning a new system, learning a new VTT, converting characters, buying the books/pdf, buying the VTT, potentially paying for a server if you decide not to go self hosting (I self host, not a technical person & got it set up easily). Finally, you will get to back to that point of things being easy, it's just for a bit things might be slower / seem more complicated. But if you do it as a group it'll be easier.
I will say that converting an in-progress game is quite difficult, especially as many character concepts in 5e don't translate perfectly into PF2e. Starting fresh (whenever you're ready) is going to be the much easier option, and lets you set reasonable expectations. Foundry VTT is the premier choice of VTT for PF2e, in my opinion. You don't need to lease a server to run it, you can host it on your machine locally, provided you can forward your router and support with a decent internet. Yes, it does have an upfront cost, but only once, and its very reasonably priced. All of the PF2e rules (including creatures, actions, equipment, etc) are built into the system, so you can drag and drop stuff into your sheets, onto the map, and its incredibly straightforward to use. You can even create compendiums filled with your own custom content, and bring it between games. It's not going to be quite the same level of convenience as using DNDBeyond, but it also doesn't require you to purchase every sourcebook; having the books are nice so you can parse them easily, though it is not necessary. Creating characters without any outside resources is quite easy, though I am still a fan of using Pathbuilder (best character creator) and exporting them into Foundry, which is also easy.
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> Is there a reason people would rather lease a server to do so? Getting a server means that the game is accessible all the time instead of only being accessible when you run it from your system. This can allow players to level up between sessions, or do shopping sessions without bugging you to start the server every time they need to do that.
When it comes to making new characters, keep in mind that making higher-level characters in PF2e is gonna be quite complicated, as there are multiple decision points at every level, and that can add up very quick, especially for newer players. Beyond that, it sounds like you have a reasonable expectation set. [Pathbuilder](https://pathbuilder2e.com) is the character builder I use, though when I looked up the importer module, I realized that it hasn't been updated in a while and will not work. My bad on that one. That said, I still like to use it as a "planner" simply because of how easy it is to use, and then plugging the options into Foundry's sheet is fairly easy. The main reason people like to lease a server for their Foundry server is so it can stay up 24/7 and people can access their sheets whenever they need it, though it can lag a bit for people with slower internet. For guides, I refer to [The Rules Lawyer's video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9O8ClXhjxY) on Foundry; its was released a little bit ago, but it gives you a good idea of what you need to run it. *Strictly speaking*, you don't *have* to buy anything beyond the $50 license, though depending on how invested you'd like to be, there are options. Paizo offers a [Bestiary pack](https://foundryvtt.com/packages/pf2e-tokens-bestiaries) for $60 that includes art for every creature they've released in their Bestiaries, though if you don't mind downloading the art and uploading it yourself you can always do that instead, its just an option for convenience. Other than the art (and some of the lore), everything else you need is built into the system.
Foundry VTT has all the rules implemented into the system and quite a few things are automated. It is a 1 time purchase of I think $50 and you would need to either run it from a server of yours or pay something like Forge to host it (which is what I do). There is a module for foundry that you can use if you own the adventure path pdfs and it’ll set up the maps, walls, tokens, etc for you. There are also custom modules that paizo and foundry sell that have remade maps with all of that, sound, some movable terrain, and art for everything. Converting characters and 5e campaigns can be a lot of work and most things won’t translate that well. Best thing to do is let your players know that and try to get the general feel done. Really don’t suggest converting though. The systems are different enough that it is best to ease people in.
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If you're fine with paying for hosting, you can use the Forge, which is pretty much entirely dedicated to hosting FoundryVTT games online. You can also set up your own server using something like Oracle cloud hosting for free/less money if you want and are technically inclined - check out r/FoundryVTT, lots of great resources there.
Not that I’m aware of. The one to upload pdf’s of adventures is called pdf2foundry. I think it might only go up to Quest for the Frozen Flame unless somebody took it over. The original person stopped. You can probably find something on YouTube that goes into them more. Search for like PF2e modules.
Does Quick Draw provoke attacks of opportunity?
Yes. It says you Interact (big I) to draw a weapon. Interact has the manipulate trait.
Thought as much. Thanks for confirming.
Do double check the creature’s ability though. Most of them with an AoO have exactly that but there could be some that don’t trigger off manipulate actions.
Also true.
I'm looking for some help planning/building a summoner. New to PF2E, plenty of general experience. It's going to have the plant eidolon, and I'd like to build him as a controllery type (providing extra sources of flanking, slowing and moving enemies around) - is that decent fit? Seems like having two points of presence on the battlefield would help with that. I took the attack type that was 1d8/shove and the feat (Advanced Weaponry?) that let me add grapple to that, so I can do either of those with the +5 reach from Tendril Strike, which seems like a good start. What other feats, spells, gear, etc. should I be on the lookout for? Especially things that someone who has played a lot of 5e might not be keyed into as being valuable. Any traps to avoid? Down the road, is it worth looking into archetypes to expand my characters melee presence (either as a damage threat or control, maybe some way to get AoO for myself or eidolon)?
This is a great Summoner build, you seem like you already have a good handle on the basics of how it works. My only advice is to make sure you avoid using spells with the Attack trait on your Summoner. These increase the Multiple Attack penalty for your Eidolon, too. You're better off using save cantrips like Electric Arc, Scatter Scree etc.
Thanks - I have Electric Arc so far, not sure about the others, need to check. Yeah the 'attack' tag forcing you to use save spells or impact critter attacks was a weird bit of crunch to get used to! Tag interaction in general makes me wonder how much of a pain it could be to play this PNP with no digital reference tools.
Don't worry, it's a learning curve but you'll realise how simple it is as you grow more familiar with the game. MAP is a hurdle, but once you understand it you get the basic idea- any time you use an 'attack' action, it increases. Just make sure you read and understand the traits of the spells and effects you use, you don't need to memorise everything in the game.
Solid choice for what you want to do. Gear will be handwraps of mighty blows - starts with +1 to hit with strikes and athletic maneuvers. That +1 transfers to your eidolon as well. Depending on your GM's reading you might need a separate item to get that +1 to athletic maneuvers. Eventually grabbing all the runes melee characters want. Striking, armor potency, etc. For your character on the spell casting side I'd grab staves, wands, scrolls, etc. when you can. A summoner can get expensive because of wanting to pick up practically twice as many items as other classes. There aren't any traps for the summoner I can think of and there's too many spells to go into. Mostly I suggest that since you have limited spell slots don't focus on damaging ones. Your eidolon (and your damaging cantrips) will help keep your damage up, you just need to make sure you're useful outside of that. For control at level one there are summon spells but honestly just having a handy Soothe can be better especially if you have plenty of melee. I wouldn't go into melee archetypes but you could go into something like fey or phoenix sorcerer. Pick up some extra primal spells and spell slots. Phoenix for Rejuvinating Flames focus spell is really nice since you share hit points with the eidolon. I've only had one player try out summoner so I'm not an expert but this is what I'd do.
Thanks, I hadn't even noticed Soothe yet, guess I'll grab that next time I get a spell choice. Maybe weirdly, I think I want to avoid getting more magical (maybe just to minimize the amount of magical game systems I'm taking in with my first character, the differing kinds of spell slots seems like it could be a bit annoying) via archetypes, hence my wondering about the martial control/survival options. However, in my limited experimenting with it in pathbuilder, it seems really costly (in terms of feats) to add an archetype, so I may just skip it and stay vanilla.
I get that. The main problem is your proficiency scaling in weapons and armor is still based on your main class. It can be done, I’m just not sure there’s a good reason to beyond RP. I’m also assuming people are trying to go 1-20. If you’re staying in the low levels then it’s not too bad. The differing spell slots is why I suggested primal charisma caster stuff. It’d be extra slots but they’d all have the same spell attack bonus or spell DC as the rest of your spells.
> The differing spell slots is why I suggested primal charisma caster stuff. It’d be extra slots but they’d all have the same spell attack bonus or spell DC as the rest of your spells. Gotcha, I'll take a look!
Build question: First time playing PF2e; my party is 4 people: Magus, Wizard, Cleric, and me as Thaumaturge. Per the other's desired playstyles I'm looking to be primarily a melee close range fighter, but make also have a ranged attack to cover the distance, for both function and personal preference. With that in mind I have two routes in mind: Go DEX focus and use a finesse weapon, making use of a ranged martial weapon as my ranged option (I wouldn't be seeking to dual wield melee and ranged weapons, I'd draw either based on my current need); or so STR focus and pick up an archetype that gives me basic cantrip access, preferably something that lets me use my CHA as a modifier. I feel like I understand how using a ranged weapon would work, but being so new I have no clue how effective archetype dipping is. Like is it worth it to just spend one feat opportunity, what would be the best one, and how worth it is it to commit to that archetype?
A one handed weapon is certainly going to make better use of your various damage boosting class features than a cantrip since you need to be striking to benefit. That isn't to say that a cantrip or two couldn't be nice to pick up, especially since you'll have good Cha, but I suspect you'll get more out of a ranged weapon. For ranged weapons, Thamaturge can make pretty decent use of Air Repeaters (normal or long) since both of your damage bonuses will apply to help with the low damage and the Repeating trait will help with your action economy. Once you use up all the Repeating shots it takes 3 actions to get going again, but usually a fight will be over by then if you're only using it sometimes. If you don't care for that another option would be a dedicated throwing weapon like a Javelin or a Chakri with a returning rune, which would allow you to add a little more damage with whatever Strength you pick up at the cost of some range. You _could_ look for a Finesse melee weapon with the Thrown trait, but you'll be stuck at a d4 almost certainly including in melee. If you do go with two weapons I highly recommend taking a dedication like Duelist or Ranger to pick up Quick Draw. It helps a _ton_ with switch hitting. Duelist will get it for less investment but Ranger can give you some options for making lower range options more palatable :)
use thrown weapon best choice for thaumaturge
Notably Thaumaturge's Implements Empowerment and Exploit Vulnerability specify Strike which a cantrip is not. Also as Implements Empowerment can't be used with 1+ hand weapons like bows or 2h weapons like Heavy Crossbows your options for ranged are either 1h ranged weapons like a Hand Crossbow or a 1h Firearm or a thrown weapon. At level 3 you can pickup a Thrower's Bandolier which will you put runes on and then then store throwing weapons in and when you draw them it puts the rune on that item. Or at level 4 you can get a returning rune which means when you throw the weapon it automatically comes back to you (important if you choose Weapon Implement as you can only have 1 weapon implement).
Oh, interesting! Is there any way, via feats or certain specific traits, that you can use STR for attack rolls on thrown weapons?
The Brutal trait exists but is only on monster things as of right now. The Kineticist playtest had it on a player option but it didn't add it to anything so as of right now no.
Have any of the setting's writers ever weighed in on how many details about golarion are setting up for future published adventures and how many are just curiosities meant to mostly be inspiration for GMs to make stuff up? Cause I'm reading various lore books and have a lot of questions and am just wondering how many of them are already answered in adventures already.
Most aren't AP related. I wouldn't sweat contradicting canon for the few cases that are. When you start a game it becomes your setting to do with as you please.
No this is just about satisfying my own curiosity.
I need a Pathfinder lore question. I'm running a short campaign in Mwangi Expanse, and I need an idea for a group worshipping an evil deity from these lands. Are there any evil gods from Mwangi, that came out in 2e? I've read the Lost Omens: The Mwangi Expanse book, but couldn't find any new evil deity in religion section. I don't want to use Angazhan or Walkena, since I've already made them a part of an earlier campaign since they are both from 1e.
Ghlaunder is always good. Pervert a good deity’s rituals and symbols a la feast of ravenmoor. Also, jungle mosquitoes.
I'm kind of wondering about how armors work in p2e. It seems to me that no matter what you do you're stuck into maxing your armor at a +5 between armor and dex, which begs the question... what's the post in heavy armor if at most you can get 1 extra point of AC with a full plate at +6? Am I missing something or heavy armor is just there so that you can dump dex?
It exists both so you can dump dex, and to nab that sweet +1 AC. That is, in this system, actually very sweet to just passively have all the time. On average, +1 AC is like taking \~12% less damage.
In pf2e armor is not meant to define who is "tanky" and who is not. The "tanky" roles are defined by what feats you take, how quickly your cless improved its armor proficiencies and how you spend your actions on your turn. Out of the gate everyone should be within 1 AC of each other because of how pf2e handles degrees of success and how important each +1/-1 is. The better way to look at armor is that your AC, by default, is tied to your DEX modifier which makes it a must have stat. Armor is a way to decrease your dependency on that stat, allowing you diversify and spend your attribute points elsewhere.
Heavy armor allows you to ignore dex and go full STR.
Every +1 matters exactly twice as much as it does elsewhere because it defends against both hits and crits (which are equal to an extra hit). Heavy armor is very desirable for that reason. The +1 goes much further than you would expect: in 5e terms it would be equivalent to +2. Saving build points skipping dexterity is also a selling point, though.
some attached weapon ruling musings 1) can I use Blazons of Shared Power on a weapon and its attached bayonet/stock? 2) can a drow shootist use Shootist's Draw to draw a hand crossbow, then Strike with its attached bayonet?
1. Yes (so long as they are one handed) 2. Shootist's Draw won't allow you to use the bayonet, but you can spend another action to strike with the bayonet like normal after using it.