Pathfinder

[TiaC]

Wisdom in the Flesh (religious trait) select a str, dex or con skill use wisdom instead, and it becomes a class skill.

[Archmage Joda]

I have a pathfinder question of my own: which is typically a better approach: to sacrifice 2 low level feat slots to reduce MAD, or to take the MAD, and keep those feat slots open? For example, I'm wondering which is the better approach for a magus, be it str-based for melee, or dex-based using the Dervish Dance feat.

[Axebird]

In that specific case, it's really more of an early access thing. The magus eventually get the ability to wear and cast in medium and then heavy armor anyway, and Str gets you improved damage when you two hand your weapon (and allows access to Power Attack). Your AC will suck at low levels as a Str magus unless you heavily use shield and keep a stock of shield scrolls or a wand.

But going into Dervish Dance at low levels lets you be pretty solid starting at 3rd level, and you can more safely take archetypes that trade out the heavy armor proficiency like Kensai.

[rasmuswagner]

What are some generically good traits to have? The general idea seems that they're worth half of a feat, but, a lot of them seem as good as a feat or even better than a feat. Like that one trait that allows conjuration specialist wizards to cast summon monster spells as a standard action.

I have a guide up for that.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jAc ... p2lyWyOnI/

[Archmage Joda]

So, for a character who is an arcane mage who is also skilled with a sword, would I be better served with a Magus or an Eldritch Knight with some manner of early entry?

[TiaC]

So, for a character who is an arcane mage who is also skilled with a sword, would I be better served with a Magus or an Eldritch Knight with some manner of early entry?

Magus is pretty limited in its abilities and really falls off at higher levels. However, Spell Combat and Spellstrike are nice.

The Eldritch Knight can be entered at level three (two if outsider keep their proficiencies) if you want, but makes it harder to blend magic and swording. Magus 1/Wizard (scryer) 1/EK X will get you spell combat, but you can only use it on Magus-list spells still.

Half-Elf Synthesist summoner also works well here. They can pick up the proficiency through their race.

This PrC is also decent for the concept.

[Lago PARANOIA]

Once the EK capstone comes into play (which can be as low as level 12, thanks Pathfinder FAQ! ) the Magus becomes almost complete obsolete. You can just grab a Glove of Storing and dual-wield a 18-20x2 weapon with your choice of Improved Critical or Keen. By level 12, you'll have at least seven attacks of 15-20 crit range if you grab a haste item plus the TWF feat chain. There's your fucking full attack + spell action right there.

[Silent Wayfarer]

The Eldritch Knight can be entered at level three (two if outsider keep their proficiencies) if you want, but makes it harder to blend magic and swording.

Wat. How?

[Lago PARANOIA]

http://paizo.com/paizo/faq/v5748nruor1fm#v5748eaic9r95

Spell-Like Abilities, Casting, and Prerequisites: Does a creature with a spell-like ability count as being able to cast that spell for the purpose of prerequisites or requirements?

Yes.
For example, the Dimensional Agility feat (Ultimate Combat) has "ability to use the abundant step class feature or cast dimension door" as a prerequisite; a barghest has dimension door as a spell-like ability, so the barghest meets the "able to cast dimension door prerequisite for that feat.

Edit 7/12/13: The design team is aware that the above answer means that certain races can gain access to some spellcaster prestige classes earlier than the default minimum (character level 6). Given that prestige classes are usually a sub-optimal character choice (especially for spellcasters), the design team is allowing this FAQ ruling for prestige classes. If there is in-play evidence that this ruling is creating characters that are too powerful, the design team may revisit whether or not to allow spell-like abilities to count for prestige class requirements.

[Axebird]

Note that whether or not you can do that is dependent on if your GM subscribes to Paizo's insane FAQ = Errata stance, or just laughs at the obviously incorrect FAQ.

[Silent Wayfarer]

http://paizo.com/paizo/faq/v5748nruor1fm#v5748eaic9r95

Spell-Like Abilities, Casting, and Prerequisites: Does a creature with a spell-like ability count as being able to cast that spell for the purpose of prerequisites or requirements?

Yes.
For example, the Dimensional Agility feat (Ultimate Combat) has "ability to use the abundant step class feature or cast dimension door" as a prerequisite; a barghest has dimension door as a spell-like ability, so the barghest meets the "able to cast dimension door prerequisite for that feat.

Edit 7/12/13: The design team is aware that the above answer means that certain races can gain access to some spellcaster prestige classes earlier than the default minimum (character level 6). Given that prestige classes are usually a sub-optimal character choice (especially for spellcasters), the design team is allowing this FAQ ruling for prestige classes. If there is in-play evidence that this ruling is creating characters that are too powerful, the design team may revisit whether or not to allow spell-like abilities to count for prestige class requirements.

Intredasting. So I just need to find a race with level 3 spells as SLAs...

[K]

Drow. Use the Advanced Race Guide rules and take Drow Nobility as your 1st level feat and Improved Drow Nobility as your 3rd level feat.

[animea90]

So, for a character who is an arcane mage who is also skilled with a sword, would I be better served with a Magus or an Eldritch Knight with some manner of early entry?

Magus is pretty limited in its abilities and really falls off at higher levels. However, Spell Combat and Spellstrike are nice.

The Eldritch Knight can be entered at level three (two if outsider keep their proficiencies) if you want, but makes it harder to blend magic and swording. Magus 1/Wizard (scryer) 1/EK X will get you spell combat, but you can only use it on Magus-list spells still.

Half-Elf Synthesist summoner also works well here. They can pick up the proficiency through their race.

This PrC is also decent for the concept.

Most campaigns end by the time the Magus falls off.

And your GM is naive if he lets anyone pick summoner.

[Lago PARANOIA]

Or you could just be an elf and get that stupid racial trait that gives you Dream as a SLA.

Dammit, there has to be a way to get third-level SLAs at level one without having to be a elf or gnome or some other obscure race.

[Silent Wayfarer]

Svirfneblin get nondetection as a racial, I think. I think the problem is that it asks for 3rd level arcane spells (plural), so just one SLA prolly won't cut it.

EDIT: Drow Noble race is probably the best option, Suggestion and Dispel Magic are level 3 arcane spells. Then run it off I dunno, Eldritch Knight + Arcane Archer?

[Dean]

And your GM is naive if he lets anyone pick summoner.

What's your problem with the only good thing the Pathfinder staff has ever made? Any person running Pathfinder should only have summoners cause it's the only interesting original content they've ever produced.

[Lago PARANOIA]

I think the problem is that it asks for 3rd level arcane spells (plural), so just one SLA prolly won't cut it.

That would just fuck 'honest' sorcerer builds in the ass even more.

Can't say that that interpretation wouldn't be fully in sync with the Pathfinder Touch, though -- screw over 95% of groups affected by this tortured interpretation just to teach those 5% of tables with powergaming munchkins a lesson.

[Kaelik]

Svirfneblin get nondetection as a racial, I think. I think the problem is that it asks for 3rd level arcane spells (plural), so just one SLA prolly won't cut it.

People have been arguing this for years about 3e, and it was dumb then. A level 5 Wizard and a level 6 Sorcerer can both only cast one 3rd level spell before attribute bonuses with the Wizard, but they clearly qualify.

A level 1 Elf can cast Dream, and then cast Dream the next day, and that is two spells that are both level 3.

[Jeff W]

Dream is a 5th level spell, so RAW it doesn't qualify. You specifically need a 3rd level spell.

[ishy]

I think the problem is that it asks for 3rd level arcane spells (plural), so just one SLA prolly won't cut it.

So if I ask you how many hamburgers you want, you can't reply 1 (since hamburgers is plural)?

Even Paizo disagrees with you though.

[Lago PARANOIA]

Fuck everything then. Scryer Wizards for everyone. Yaay.

[Silent Wayfarer]

So if I ask you how many hamburgers you want, you can't reply 1 (since hamburgers is plural)?

Even Paizo disagrees with you though.

Oh, good then. I'll remember this for future use.

[tussock]

"3rd level spells" is a term of art. They're things in your spell list, under the heading "3rd level $class spells".

Being able to cast Fireball as an 8th level Sorcerer, as a spell-like ability, that's what you call a grey area. For monsters it's fine because they're only cut-down PCs anyway, the only reasons they're not an actual Sorcerer is ancient tradition and usability.

For a PC who grabs a cheap spell-like entry to a nice class with a feat at 1st level, that's stupid. It's stupid because there's a feat giving you a 3rd level spell at 1st level, and then it's stupid all over again by getting you a bunch of early access. But it's Pathfinder, so that's just gunna keep happening.

[Lago PARANOIA]

The FAQ is right, though. While this ruling does prioritize certain classes and races over each other for PrC access, it's not actually all that overpowering. I mean, taking Eldritch Knight as your 2nd or 3rd level PrC is much better than any scheme in 3.5E but you still end up sucking dog ass.

And Pathfinder doesn't really do frontloading for its PrCs. I mean it. Not least because of the favored class fuckery. Go to www.d20pfsrd.com and go through that huge list of PrCs. Even if you are able to mix and match, is Fighter/Samurai/Inquisitor/Paladin/etc. really that worse off compared to a Fighter/PrC A/PrC B/PrC C? Hell, after level 5 you can pretty much do any mixing and matching you want anyway.

[ishy]

It really highlights how terrible PrC requirements actually are.
Hopefully (naive I know) it'll lead to better PrC write-ups in the future.