Pathfinder

I gave players the following loadout for stats: 18 16 14 12 10 8.

These numbers were randomly assigned by dice roll to each ability.

So, I died in pathfinder! :D I'm happy.

Same here, but here's the story behind it.

Rise of the Runelords.

We just found the first Runewell just a little ways away from Sandpoint, and we clean it out. But we don't do anything about the runewell as none of us know anything about it.

Then my Barbarian gets an idea. He really dislikes the sinspawn we've been killing so far, and the runewell seems to be the source of them.

So to mock the entities behind it all...he walks up and takes a piss in the water. Which leads a Sinspawn to spawning in the well and leaping up and critical hitting a part of my barbarian which is...very sensitive.

Which leads my barbarian to rage and attempt to drown the sinspawn in the well itself...and that didn't go over too well.

I just had used Treasure Stitching to put a boulder in a sheet, then used my ring of telekinesis to put it over the boss and let go. Instant chunky salsa.

The DM ruled afterwards that the boss' legs were the only thing crushed, and it managed to throw it back onto me before dying.

So I'm playing a Druid for the first time in an upcoming Pathfinder game run by Baelfyre. I'm looking to providing healing and crowd control via a combination of CC spells and strategic placement of Animal Companion.

I've already selected an Allosaurus as my Animal Companion (or, as my Druid's people calls them, Cold Ones due to its balanced physical stats and it's 7th level upgrades giving it both grab and pounce.

What I'm wondering is what spells should I plan on keeping on hand to buff the Animal Companion? Picking CC spells by themselves I can do, having played Wizard and Sorcerer before and knowing what I'm looking for in regards to such things. But eventually I plan on Crafting a Staff with some Share Spells-compatible buff spells that I can use on the Companion at a moment's notice without having them take up my spell slots (since as a Druid I get fewer than a Cleric or Wizard of an equivalent level; I plan on also using Scrolls and Wands for the majority of healing I do).

I figure Animal Growth will be a given, and Strongjaw as well, but those are both high-level buffs. What are my options for low-levels?

Is this the Allosaurus named Joe?

edited 9th Jul '14 6:53:00 AM by Rosvo1

Yes, this is the Allosaurus named Joe. The name, by the way, is a reference to Beast Wars era Megatron.

I know Megatron was a Tyrannosaurus in Beast Wars, but pounce is just too good an ability to ever pass up.

Transformers?

Really?

YYYEEEEESSSSSSSSSSS!

Now begone, I need my question answered.

As you wish, my liege.

Well for low level buffs. Magic Fang, Bull's Strength, Barkskin, Especially if you pair it with Bristle, which lets you trade some Natural Armor bonus to AC for a damage bonus. Lockjaw until you reach level 7 and it gets Grab naturally. All seem like good companion buffs.

Bristle becomes more valuable at higher levels, where natural armor (and armor in general, really) fades in usefulness. Depending on what builds you're doing, bear's endurance may also help (especially if Joe is tanking). I'm also fond of situational use of certain grip - particularly if foes think they can just combat maneuver to take out Joe, that +4 CMD can be a life-saver (also, said bonus to Acrobatics and Climb - the idea of an allosaur chasing folks up trees is hilarious). Maybe not as one of your earlier spells, but later on, it might be useful to have a scroll or two of it onhand.

Well, like I said, I plan on mostly using Joe for strategic crowd control, seeing as he's basically a permanently summoned wall/flanking partner/bottleneck that turns into a mount and hold Medium or Small monster spell with teeth at 7th level. Any spells I tack onto him will just increase other monsters' "don't go near that thing" reaction in my book.

So I was definitely going to cast one of the Druid spells that provide 60 ft Fly Speed with Perfect Maneuverability, because a flying hold Medium or Small monster spell with teeth is just terrifying.

If I can find a way, he's getting Flyby Attack.

edited 9th Jul '14 12:22:31 PM by Frishman

Nice, but keep in mind, the 'hold' part doesn't have to wait till level 7, that's what the lockjaw spell is for till then. Gives any natural attack the 'grab' ability.

edited 9th Jul '14 12:39:29 PM by Seraphem

Yeeeeessssss...

Also, Atavism is a nice little +2 to all rolls, +4 to AC and CMD and can only be applied to an animal. Not bad.

All bonuses untyped? Oh, yes, we're going to have fun with you, little 4th level spell...

Granted, it removes all tricks that the animal knows other than "Attack," but Joe has an Intelligence of 5 so...

Hey, I have a weird mount question.

Can you use a fellow party member as a mount? Here's the scenario. We got a human barbarian who is almost broken with his ridiculous movement speed.

Could we have a small fighter (say a Halfling Dragoon Fighter) ride around on his back if he had a suitable backpack and otherwise treat our giant human battering ram as a mount so he could leap off of him and impale a target a good distance away?

I'd use the rules Ponyfinder has for this. Replace "Pony" with "uber-fast person"

"If push comes to shove, ponies can act as mounts for small or smaller riders, and this follows the usual mount rules. A rider should be wary if they have it in mind to push their intelligent mount. Employing whips or spurs rapidly gains enmity with a pony. Further, mounts that have and bring up ethical issues with their rider's actions grow tiresome."

"GM Note We do not recommend allowing rangers, paladins, druids, etc., to take a pony as a mount or animal companion(besides, they're fey, not animals). If a PC pony desires to serve as mount for another PC, follow mount rules as normal, though any PC mount can always choose to disregard any given order."

edited 9th Jul '14 9:43:18 PM by RhymeBeat

Reviewing the Ride skill...There's a -5 penalty for a mount unsuited for riding and a separate -5 penalty for riding bareback. And looking at the entry for Pegasus, you still need to make a Ride check to attack on the same turn as your mount, even if the mount is Int 10 or thereabout.

So if you've got the bonus to be able to hit a DC 20 Ride check every time you both want to attack, and a DC 25 check if you want to do something fancy, I'd say go for it. Edit: Also, if you can get an exotic saddle made to fit Conan and convince him to wear it, go the fuck for that, too.

edited 9th Jul '14 9:48:12 PM by rikalous

And if you do manage to rig it up, you absolutely have to at some point say "Master Blaster runs Barter Town!"

Apparently someone's running Ponyfinder at this con I'm going to this weekend.

Just started playing the game. I play a former necromancer.

Former? Quitter.

What's 'e now, if not necromancer?

Conjurer. He only swapped schools because of how the story my GM came up with goes.

Eh, not that far off. Used to be, before they were Conjuration, the Cure spells were part of the Necromancy school.

They were? We talking 3rd, 3.5, or Beta test? I'll have to go back and check.

Honestly, I think healing spells should be Necromancy. Necromancy is supposed to cover Biomancy as well, life and death. Taking out healing spells makes the difference between Necromancy and other schools vague. Every other school has clear effects and definitions on how they work, while Necromancy is more often than not where spells with a certain 'feel' go, rather than based on if they project energy, enchant the target, or what-not.