[Discussion] FFA discussion thread

[SorO_Lost]

FFA, teaching you how to farm XP since 1987.

[phaedrusxy]

I just looked at the Screeching Roc spellshaping circle. It has a couple of standard action, low level formulas that are not tied to your spellshape attack, and which are actually quite good. I am thinking of changing to that instead of Nature's Balance.

Check these out:

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Harmonious Hum
Screeching Roc (Major) [Sonic]
Level: Spellshaper 1
Shaping Action: 1 standard action
Range: 40 ft.
Area: 40-ft.-radius emanation centered on you
Duration: 5 rounds
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

Clapping your hands together, you create a hum of harmony that attunes you and your allies to nearby vibrations.

This formula allows you to surround yourself and your allies with a hum of sonic energy.  You and all of your allies within the formula's area gain tremorsense out to 15 feet.  In addition, this formula imposes a 10% miss chance on all attacks against you and affected allies and deals 1d6 points of sonic damage to enemies that miss affected creatures with melee attacks due to this miss chance.  An ally does not need to be able to hear you in order to gain these bonuses; so long as he is within 40 ft. of you, he will be included in the harmony.

Dizzying Pulse
Screeching Roc (Major) [Sonic]
Level: Spellshaper 2
Prerequisite: One Screeching Roc formula
Shaping Action: 1 standard action
Range: Sonorous pulse attack
Target: One creature
Duration: 3 rounds
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates
Spell Resistance: As spellshape

Releasing a blast of cacophonous noise, you disorient your target and throw him off-balance.

As a part of shaping this formula, you make a single sonorous pulse attack that deals an extra 2d6 points of damage.  If it hits, your target must make a Fortitude save or have its balance be disrupted for 3 rounds.  An affected creature must make a Balance check (DC 12 + your spellshaping ability modifier) at the beginning of its turn each round or be forced to move at half speed.  In addition, all of the creature's attacks suffer a 20% miss chance, even on a successful check.
   Creatures that are not subject to critical hits are immune to the effects of this formulae, but not the extra damage.

The first one is pretty damned amazing, I think. 10% miss chance on all attacks against us, we all get tremorsense 15', and anyone who hits us takes 2d6 sonic damage... I think it's definitely worth a standard action in combat to get those benefits for 5 rounds...

This would also let me refresh White Raven Tactics during the rounds my breath weapon is recharging. This stuff also thematically fits my character a lot better, I think.

Also, later on I can pick up Percussive Blast to add a 3 round dazing effect to my breath weapon.

[Sohala]

Um...the first one only deals 1d6 damage when they MISS due to the miss chance granted by the ability.

The second one looks tied to your attack form.

[Zionpopsickle]

Sohala is right about how they function, but I will agree that these are better than natures balance and are way more thematic for a mage hunter since pretty much all of them fuck up verbal spell casting.

[sirpercival]

Remember that anyone who has to make a Balance check is flatfooted if they have fewer than 5 ranks in Balance.  Anyone have Iaijutsu Focus or Sneak Attack?

[phaedrusxy]

Um...the first one only deals 1d6 damage when they MISS due to the miss chance granted by the ability.

The second one looks tied to your attack form.

Yeah, I knew the second one was tied to my attack form. I'd missed that about the first one, but I still think it is great. Tremorsense for the whole party is awesome. It might not be something worth using in every fight, though.

There is another one that is tied to my breath weapon which causes creatures hit by it to save or be unable to speak for several rounds if they fail a Will save. I want to pick that up, but can't decide what to swap out for it. It is a major formula. I was thinking of just dropping Embrace of the Flame, and not having any minor formulae at all, since I'll probably be trying to use my swift action every round for White Raven Tactics, anyway. Thoughts?

[skydragonknight]

Those with the most to lose from not speaking (casters) have the highest Will Save. And there's an entire affiliation based around not speaking, so guess how many of their casters have Silent Spell

If we have ways to penalize their saves, it could be worth it though. And it would make you a target, enabling the whole 'sticky tank' thing. So it might be worth it just for that.

Yeah, a lot of my responses are mixed and not helpful, I know.

[phaedrusxy]

Those with the most to lose from not speaking (casters) have the highest Will Save. And there's an entire affiliation based around not speaking, so guess how many of their casters have Silent Spell

If we have ways to penalize their saves, it could be worth it though. And it would make you a target, enabling the whole 'sticky tank' thing. So it might be worth it just for that.

Yeah, a lot of my responses are mixed and not helpful, I know.

I have two other breath weapon-modifying formulas that penalize saves by -2 each (one by applying the Sickened condition). One is a Fort save and the other is Reflex. Of course... with a 1d4 round refresh rate, the odds of being able to land all 3 before the fight is over are slim.

Maybe I should take Recover Breath... It's going to have to wait till 9th, though, because I can't really imagine trading out any of my feats for it... I guess I could maybe buy Iron Will via the Otyugh Hole, if I could peel off 3k worth of items...

Edit: Could I get some kind of flight spell from one of you gents as needed? My most expensive item is just to get flight 1/encounter. If so, Otyugh Hole here I come!

Edit2: Or... dare I say, any way I could get discounted items via our Artificer friend? I know I'm opening a can of worms here...

[VennDygrem]

Sorry to hijack your thread (but you did it to my team's, so we're even ).

But I had the exact same issue as you with wanting to take Recover Breath but having neither the feat slot nor the money to spend on Otyugh Hole. I'm beginning to sense a trend with DhA's.

Except the money I've spent was mostly so I could increase my base bw damage by +2d6 and the save dc by +1... >_>   <_<

[phaedrusxy]

I'm trying to see if I can squeeze in Recover Breath as a feat (so I can debuff more frequently via my BW), and was wondering if:

Edit: Could I get some kind of flight spell from one of you gents as needed? My most expensive item is just to get flight 1/encounter. If so, Otyugh Hole here I come!

Edit2: Or... dare I say, any way I could get discounted items via our Artificer friend? I know I'm opening a can of worms here...

Or should I stick with my flight item?

[phaedrusxy]

OK... I didn't realize just how low level the "Psionic Save Game Trick" is. You can actually pull that shit off at our level, which is awesome! I think SorO's character could probably do this whole thing by himself, if he has a familiar, since he can emulate/learn psi-powers, right?

Now... assuming you don't get to keep the knowledge of the time that was "rewound", we should find a way to do that... Some kind of quick-action "data dump" to transfer knowledge into an object/creature covered in Quintessence, or something like that...

[Sohala]

Added the imp to my character post, will take suggestions on either one. At present I have the next four levels plan for the imp, unsure past that.

[SorO_Lost]

I think SorO's character could probably do this whole thing by himself, if he has a familiar, since he can emulate/learn psi-powers, right?

Quick answer, nope. Incarnum and Psionics both have transparency rules, but they are not spells per se.

An adaptation for a recharging power point system could be made for powers, assuming you hard cap the maximum available PP like I capped slots you'd honestly be a better balanced psion than any other given the number of infinite PP tricks out there. Which is kind of sad when you think about it.

[Sohala]

I'm trying to see if I can squeeze in Recover Breath as a feat (so I can debuff more frequently via my BW), and was wondering if:

Edit: Could I get some kind of flight spell from one of you gents as needed? My most expensive item is just to get flight 1/encounter. If so, Otyugh Hole here I come!

Edit2: Or... dare I say, any way I could get discounted items via our Artificer friend? I know I'm opening a can of worms here...

Or should I stick with my flight item?

No fly spell here, sorry.

[TheAbyssDragon]

I could certainly craft a wondrous item for you, at just over half cost (I'm outta xp to spend) and an IOU.

[SorO_Lost]

You know, I'd pay out of my own pocket if you'll craft everything for me. Because seriously, if you award a player for things like Magical, Extraordinary & Legendary Artisan (otherwise why waste feat slots?) you break the crap out of WBL.

For example, take my CL 7 Wand of Righteous Aura, its 420gp per charge per base price (750*4*7/50).
Crafting cost is 12k & 960xp, reducing costs to 50% thats 168gp per charge ( ((12,000/2)+((960/2)*5))/50 ).
That's 40% of the normal cost.

More than double the entire team's wealth so we basically have 32,500gp to spend? Yes please.

[Sohala]

Wait, we can buy xp for crafting?

[SorO_Lost]

Wait, we can buy xp for crafting?

Sort of.

• Pregame crafting: Comes out of WBL, at the rate of 1xp = 5gp.

Hence the ((960/2)*5), it's the XP cost, -50%, then to gp conversion.

[Sohala]

  ... ... The craftbot appears to be lacking the reduction feats, so 80% instead of 40% (might be 70%)?

[sirpercival]

Wait, we can buy xp for crafting?

Sort of.

• Pregame crafting: Comes out of WBL, at the rate of 1xp = 5gp.

Hence the ((960/2)*5), it's the XP cost, -50%, then to gp conversion.

That's not how I meant it, actually -- what I meant is, calculate your cost for crafting, and the XP you would have spent; then deduct the number of XP times 5 gp from your WBL.  No double-dipping for cost reduction.