"Well-Rounded" Rarely Works in Pathfinder

There is a desire among a lot of players (and particularly among newer players) to try to build a character that's "well-rounded" when they sit down at a Pathfinder table. They want to put a skill point into Handle Animal, for example, or they want to take 2-3 different classes just so they "have options" when it comes to what they can and can't do in game.

And I get that urge. I do. However, I would like to try to save my fellow players as much frustration as possible, since I had to learn this lesson the hard way over several campaigns between 3.5 and Pathfinder. That is, in short, that the game does not, generally speaking, reward spreading your resources wider and thinner. That's why you have a party.

No one is meant to be able to do everything on their own.

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Increased Challenge Requires Focus To Succeed

As anyone who has played Pathfinder can tell you, as the game proceeds, everything about it gets harder. The difficulty checks for skills get higher, the armor class for enemies goes up, enemy saving throws get better, and so on, and so forth. So while you can sometimes succeed at lower levels with nothing more than a good roll and a higher-than-average attribute, that isn't going to cut it past level 4-5. After that you need to start stacking bonuses from various sources if you expect to succeed.

I put one rank in Intimidate... I should still be able to do this, right?

As an example, say you want your barbarian to be able to move around silently. They're a hunter, after all, so you put a skill rank into Stealth. That's not an inherently bad idea... however, a Stealth check is always going to be opposed by an enemy's Perception roll. And at lower levels that's often going to be a toss up as to whether they hear/see you or not. But if you just leave that one rank in Stealth? Or if you didn't make it a class skill by taking an appropriate background trait? And if there are no magic items, spells, etc. giving it a boost? Well, at level one having a +4 to Stealth means you've got a decent shot of not being seen or heard if you roll well. At level 8 or 10, that +4 to Stealth is nowhere near as good when your opponent has a +12 or more to their Perception score.

You can apply this to a lot of different aspects of the game. For example, identifying monsters and their abilities is a Knowledge roll, but that difficulty goes up with the monster's CR. Intimidating a creature gets harder the more hit dice they have. Traps get more difficult to bypass, spells become harder to resist, enemies get more difficult to hit, and they gain more and more hit points.

So if you want this thing you're putting resources into to be something your character is actually going to succeed at, you need to make the necessary investment to pull it off.

In short, Pathfinder is a game that rewards focused builds. You should be good at more than one thing, but generally speaking any given character is going to have a small handful of things they can be really, truly good at that they should expect to succeed at more often than not. And if you're good at a particular thing, there's a trade off for it elsewhere. It's why full casters don't get a full base attack bonus, it's why skill monkey builds tend to have lower hit points, and so on, and so forth.

End of The Day, You're All Part of a Team

The logic behind this structure is that a party is assembled with the intention that you're all filling necessary roles, and covering certain tasks. For example, the barbarian is here to tank damage, dish out the harshness, Intimidate the enemy (or those who annoy them in social situations), and perhaps one other sub-specialty depending on resources and expenditures. The paladin is here to fight evil foes, but they can also act as a diplomat during social situations due to their class skills and necessary attributes. The wizard is here to provide arcane insight, and to use their spells to provide solutions for their comrades. The rogue is the one capable of disabling magical traps, spotting ambushes, and doing Stealth reconnaissance.

Swap the roles around as your build sees fit.

Now, while the examples given are the stereotypical roles for these character classes, one of the great advantages of Pathfinder is that it gives you a lot of flexibility in which classes can be made to fit which roles. For example, you could make a long-ranged, Stealth-based paladin who can sneak around and provide fire support, while also smiting demons. You could make a rogue who favors a greatclub over daggers, and who runs in bellowing a battle cry when initiative is rolled, dealing out damage on par with many fighters. You can make a bard who's just as adept at dealing with dungeon crawls as a rogue, or a wizard who focuses their skill set on diplomacy and social skills.

However, even when you step outside of class stereotypes, you still have to deal with the fact that every character regardless of the class or classes they take levels in, has a set amount of resources. They only have so many skill points to distribute, so many feats to take, and so much gold to buy magic items with. And if you spread them around to a bunch of disparate, unconnected skills or abilities, then you're going to find that you aren't keeping pace with the challenges you're facing.

Everyone Gets a Turn

A common issue a lot of players run into is they want to be able to participate (if not to shine) in every, single situation. However, Pathfinder is a game where a lot of the time players need to work together to assist one another, handing off the spotlight as one character's skill set comes into focus. Those with Knowledge skills are the ones who discover lore and shout out a monster's weaknesses, those with melee skill engage the enemy to keep them back from their allies, spellcasters utilize their magic to end threats, etc.

While you can build a character to be effective at nearly any task you set, as a lot of people have pointed out, unless you want to keep investing in that ability as you level (increasing your skill ranks, increasing your caster level, increasing your combat prowess, etc.) you are going to fall behind until something you were reliably good at in the start of the game is something that will require a natural 20 to succeed by the time your level hits double digits.

In Other News...

For those who've been following my Sundara: Dawn of a New Age RPG setting, a completely new installment dropped today! This month we take a break from exploring the physical locations we saw in the Cities of Sundara series, with Gods of Sundara, a book that delves into the metaphysical workings of this setting, and what makes it different from more traditional DND and Pathfinder settings.

It only gets stranger from here on out.

For those who haven't been tuned-in, though, Sundara has done away with alignment completely and utterly. There is no divinely mandated good and evil... but this also means there are no angels, no demons, no devils, and so on, and so forth. There is also no huge nexus of the planes as we're used to seeing... there is only the physical, material world and the strange, impossible realm of the Prim beyond it. The place where all magic is drawn from, which is also the realm of the gods. And in Sundara there is not one pantheon, but many, with faiths and religions often unknowingly venerating different Masks of the same god.

So if you'd like to see a more organic take on the development of faiths and deities, or you'd just like to see what tieflings and aasimar were replaced with in this setting, pick up your copy of Gods of Sundara for Pathfinder, or Gods of Sundara for DND 5th Edition today!

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That's all for this week's Crunch topic! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio! Or if you'd like to read some of my books, like my alley cat noir novel Marked Territory, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well! And if you'd like to help support me and my work, consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron! Even a little bit of help can go a long way, trust me on that one.

How Long Does It Take For Your Character To Go From 0-60?

There is a trend I've seen more and more over the years that I tend to call white rooming. In short, it is a tendency for players to create an ideal character build in a blank room, using optimal conditions, and assuming that the way it works in their head is the way it's going to work when they bring that character into game.

And as a spoiler alert, just because something works great under laboratory conditions that doesn't mean it's going to hold up when you put it out for a field test.

I don't understand... it worked PERFECTLY in simulations!

One of the most consistently overlooked aspects of character design is how long is takes them to go from 0-60. Because if you have half a dozen minutes to layer on protective spells, activate magic items, and strap on all your bells and whistles, then obviously you're going to be piloting a wrecking ball when it comes time to sneak through a fortress, break the back of the enemy, or whatever else your character was designed to do.

But what happens when you don't get that prep time? If you're caught with your pants down, so to speak, can you still get the job done?

Also, before continuing, I want to remind my regular readers to sign up for my newsletter in order to get my weekly rundown of all the fresh content, news, and other fun happenings!

Action Economy And You

Action economy, for those who didn't read Understanding Action Economy (And Why You Need It), is basically making sure that you take the most efficient actions to get you to your end results quickly. And when it comes to revving up your character, it's often something we forget about, until we find ourselves in the middle of a life-or-death fight and we no longer have 5 rounds to get our game faces on.

He's coming right at you!

One of the best examples of going 0-60, in my opinion, is barbarian rage in Pathfinder. You can only do it for a certain number of rounds per day, but when it's your turn you can flip it on like a switch as a free action and just go. You now gain all the bonuses of this condition (which get bigger as you gain levels in the class), you can use all your Rage Powers, and it took no time at all to turn on. You just declared it, and moved on with your turn.

For all the complaints about barbarians, they are a class that can go from 0-60 quite rapidly.

However, say you had other things you wanted to add onto your character. Maybe you wanted to two-fist potions of bull's strength and bear's endurance to give yourself a little boost for the fight. Or perhaps you wanted to chug down a potion of barkskin. Drinking a potion takes a standard action, and you only get one of those per turn, which is going to slow your progress way down. Especially when you consider that potions need to be drawn, which is typically a move action.

So how do you deal with this? Do you just reserve your potion chugging for situations where you are going to ambush an enemy, or the bad guy is lost in a monologue, allowing you to fully hulk out? Well, that's one option. You could also take the Drunken Brute barbarian archetype, which allows you to drink potions (or alcohol) as a move action while you're raging. You could also keep a potion in a spring-loaded wrist sheathe, thus allowing you to draw it as a swift action. This would allow you to activate your Rage for free, pop the sheathe as a swift, drink the potion as your move action, and then leave a standard action to do something else. Drink another potion? Smash a bottle over somebody's head? There are all sorts of possibilities!

Another strategy is to focus on buffs and abilities that are either constantly active, or which last a particularly long time. Mage armor, for example, lasts hours per caster level, so if it's part of your monk's strategy for ensuring they have a huge AC, they can just reapply it from a wand once per hour (or have it cast on them by the party wizard at the start of the dungeon), and it will be ready to go if something happens. Many feats grant permanent abilities, and class features like a ranger's favored enemy are considered always on, which can make them more reliable since you don't need to spend your first few turns powering up. The drawback, of course, is these abilities are often situational. So if you're in the proper situation they're quite powerful, but otherwise they grant you no benefit at all.

Your Greatest Weapon is Your Allies

I said this back in Vulgar Displays of Power: Tips For Getting The Most Out of Your Magic in Pathfinder, but I feel it bears repeating. Your allies are going to be one of the best ways for you to rev yourself up quickly, because teamwork is a serious force multiplier.

Never underestimate the power of a helping hand.

Take this scenario. There's a big, angry giant coming the party's way and the barbarian needs to protect their companions. Instead of trying to balance self-buffing and engaging, though, their fellow party members take up some of the slack. The bard whips out a wand, and hits them with a bear's endurance. The transmuter casts enlarge person. Then on their turn, the barbarian activates their rage and charges.

The selfless actions of the other party members allowed them to act as corner men for their warrior, getting him ready to jump into the ring swinging hard. It also means that what would have taken the barbarian at least 2 turns to accomplish on their own was done before their initiative even came up on the first turn.

Teamwork is often key to making sure a character can go from 0-60 as quickly as possible. It's often not a glorious feeling, and it can be something that a lot of players resist because they'd rather be the one dunking the ball than providing the assist. But if you're all focused on overcoming the current challenge you're facing, it's important to make sure everyone shares in the credit, and recognizes how much they helped.

Because a party is so much more than the sum of its parts.

Looking For More?

I specifically mentioned that feats often give you odd abilities and strange wooge that can either be activated quickly, or which is always on. I've worked on a lot of these feats myself, which is why I'd recommend checking out some of the following if you want to help rev up your character's engine.

- Letters From The Flaming Crab: Inspired By Heraldry: A big collection of totemic feats that grant you (often permanent) abilities, I had entirely too much fun with this one.

- Feats of Legend: 20 Story Feats: Story feats are one of my favorite mechanics, and this is one of my best-reviewed installments in the entire Feats of Legend series. Highly recommend giving it a look if you just want more of these.

- Feats of Legend: 20 Orc Feats: While a little specific with the heritage of characters who can take and use them, I figured that folks who love playing orcs and half-orcs could use a bit of a treat.

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That's all for this week's Crunch topic! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio! Or if you'd like to read some of my books, like my alley cat noir novel Marked Territory, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well! And if you'd like to help support me and my work, consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron! Even a little bit of help can go a long way, trust me on that one.

Some of The Best Magic Tattoos in Pathfinder

 I've been holding off a little while on this entry, but I figured this week would be an appropriate time for it since my supplement 100 Fantasy Tattoos (And The Meaning Behind Them) just dropped from Azukail Games! So this week I thought I'd talk about the unique mechanic of magic tattoos in Pathfinder, and which ones I think you should consider checking out.

And remember, when it comes to tattoos, you get what you pay for.

While the following entries will be wondrous items, feats, and spells, I won't be including class feature magic tattoos in this list. Though if folks like this initial step into this under-utilized mechanic, I might write a follow-up for some of those as well.

Lastly, if I missed some of your favorites, make sure to leave it in the comments along with why you think that particular magic tattoo is so good!

#1: Potion Tattoo

Pick your poison!

Speaking of spells that give you tattoos, this one out of Inner Sea Magic has some serious strategic implications. This spell, available to alchemists, sorcerers, wizards, witches, and bards, allows you to mix special inks into a potion, and drink it. Once you've drunk it, the potion appears on your chest as a tattoo, ready to be used.

What makes this spell so useful is that the potion is there permanently. While it could be dispelled, it can't be stolen, you don't have to spend an action to draw it, and enemies can't take an attack of opportunity to slap it out of your hand. It's a little pricey at 500 gold for the components, and you can only have one at a time, but it's a nice little ace in the hole.

#2: Runeward Tattoo

Little protection never hurt anybody.

Found in the supplement Magical Marketplace, Runeward tattoos seem pretty blase on their face. Each of these tattoos is geared toward a particular school of magic, and they give you the ability to use detect magic at-will for that school of magic. The helpful thing, though, is that they give you a +1 bonus to saves against spells and spell-like abilities of that school, and you always know when a spell of that type is cast within 60 feet of you.

These tattoos are fairly cheap, at only 1k (assuming you don't take Inscribe Magic Tattoo and do it yourself), and if you're going to be facing a particular type of magic fairly often then this is going to be a godsend. Whether it's keeping the fighter from falling under enchantment effects, or so that you always know when someone casts an illusion spell in your vicinity, it can be a lovely heads-up warning that won't break your budget.

#3: Animal Totem Tattoo

Deadly ink!

Another feat, this one also found in Magical Marketplace, animal totem tattoo grants the bearer the 5th-level totem transformation ability of the appropriate animal shaman druid type. Which, for those who select bat, dragon, or eagle, means you have a fly speed for 5 minutes per day that goes everywhere with you! The other animal types offer other benefits, of course, but for my money flight trumps them every time.

It's pretty expensive at 12k, but if you have someone in the party who's taken the Inscribe Magic Tattoo feat then 6k and a lot of nights spent with your shirt off by the campfire is not a bad price to pay for something that can come in quite handy.

#4: Tattoo Transformation

Open your mind... absorb my power!

Another feat worth considering is Tattoo Transformation, out of the Monster Summoner's Handbook. This feat requires you to first take Tattoo Attunement, which allows you to absorb creatures you've summoned into your body as tattoos. This suspends their duration, keeping them present for a number of hours equal to your caster level. It's a standard action to release them, and the idea is that this allows you to get full use out of your summon monster spells.

Tattoo Transformation, however, allows you to absorb some of the summoned creature's protections. If they have energy resistance, you can make use of it as if it was yours (though you only get 1 category if they have multiple resistances). If the creature has an energy immunity, you gain a resistance of 20 in that category. If you're going to be summoning monsters anyway, this is a great way to keep a menagerie up your sleeve, and help stop yourself from getting blasted by an evoker while you're at it.

#5: Weapon Tattoo

Where was I keeping that? Wouldn't you like to know.

 

Found in the Dirty Tactics Toolbox, this unique tattoo allows someone to store a single weapon sized for them in a magical space on one forearm (though the tattoo prevents the other forearm from being used as a space, even though it only stores one weapon). When stored, the weapon appears sheathed on the forearm, and it can be drawn as a swift action, appearing in the hand it's tattooed near. It takes a full-round action to put away, of course, but it's the ultimate in clandestine armaments and back-up weapons for the adventurer who doesn't want to appear strapped.

It is extremely expensive, at 10k gold pieces, but again if you've got someone in the party crafting it for you 5k isn't too bad for a weapon that goes wherever you go. Especially since this is a tattoo that can be used all the time, and it's ideal for those sneaky, undercover missions where you can't go in armed to the teeth.

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That's all for this week's Crunch topic! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio! Or if you'd like to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well! And if you'd like to help support me and my work, consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron! Even a little bit of help can go a long way, trust me on that one.

5 Ways to Multiclass Barbarian and Monk in Pathfinder

If I had to pick one thing I've fielded more complaints about than any other aspect of the game regarding Pathfinder, it's how certain classes have alignment restrictions placed on them. While I'm in favor of them existing (as your alignment is sort of pointless if it doesn't have teeth, but that's another post for another day), I also know that if you flip through enough of the books that you'll always find a way to get around supposedly ironclad rules.

That's one thing I love about Pathfinder... it's practically guaranteed there's a way to make the character you want happen, if you dig a bit; and that is true for all the barbarian/monk lovers out there.

A crushing ab routine, killer mantras, and a fury that could sunder mountains...

Whether you just want to mix these two classes together for a low-level one shot, or you're building your ultimate epic-level PC for a years-long campaign, there are several ways to accomplish this goal. I've laid out the most common ones below, but there may be one or two that I missed, so leave them in the comments if you know of one I didn't cover!

Also, if this subject is close to your heart, then you might want to check out the following previous posts.

- 5 Tips For Playing Better Barbarians
- 5 Tips For Playing Better Monks
- 5 Barbarian Multiclass Concepts Your Table Won't See Coming

#1: Enlightened Warrior Aasimar Trait

I walk a different path.

 This trait, found in the Blood of Angels Player Companion, is the one a majority of people will use to make barbarian and monk play nice together. This trait, at its most basic, allows you to take monk levels while maintaining a neutral or neutral good alignment. Ideal if you can get the okay for an aasimar PC, and it gives you the freedom to get as weird or wild as you want with your archetype options on both sides of the fence.

Also, if you're worried about falling into stereotypes with this one, browse through 5 Tips For Playing Better Tieflings and Aasimar to see if inspiration strikes you!

#2: Elemental Monk Archetype

Earth, fire, wind, water...

 

One of the more common methods of subverting the monk's required lawful alignment is to go for the elemental monk archetype, found in Disciple's Doctrine. This archetype shifts the monk's requirements into true neutral, and gives you access to feats and abilities that make your attacks elemental. The handy thing about your features is that, unlike characters who normally take these fighting style and elemental strike feats, an elemental monk can cycle between the different elements like some kind of prize-fighting Avatar. Handy when you've been focusing on fire, but you really need acid to deal major hurt to the current enemy.

#3: Karmic Monk Archetype

Oh you ought not to have done that...

 The karmic monk archetype, found in Occult Adventures, allows you to be truly neutral. An instrument of karma, you are cause and effect personified, and a lot of your abilities fit this theme. Your unarmed strikes can overcome pretty much any alignment-based DR, and you get bonuses when you attack those who attacked you first. Fun little package, and a nice twist on the traditional monk.

#4: Martial Artist Monk Archetype

There is no shame in tapping out, my son.

A completely different kind of monk archetype, the martial artist is found in Ultimate Combat. This one strips out most of the wuxia-style powers we're used to monks having, giving them the ability to analyze a target from a combat perspective, and to gain bonuses to hit, hurt, and dodge them accordingly. They also gain immunity to fatigue at level 5, which can pair nicely with a Rage-cycling build. And, best of all, martial artists can be of any alignment.

#5: Geminate Invoker Barbarian Archetype

This spirits call to me, brother.

The geminate invoker archetype, found in Adventurer's Guide, is an extremely unique kind of barbarian. They must have a neutral aspect to their alignment, but can be lawful, and they have the ability to put themselves into a kind of trance. This calls powerful spirits into their bodies, allowing them to cycle through the totem Rage Powers without committing to any one of them. A deadly combination, if you know which spirits to call on in which fight.

Be Careful When Mixing These Elements

As I said in The Barbarian Samurai, it's important to remember that a lot of a barbarian's potency is determined by the number of barbarian levels they have. The same is definitely true for monks. And combining these two elements together might allow you to do some truly silly things (such as an Aasimar combining monk with the Savage Barbarian archetype to see just how silly their armor class can get), it's important to keep your end goal firmly in mind, and to be realistic about what your character will and won't be able to accomplish.

Like any potent concoction, make sure you know what you're dipping into, and what you're going to put a majority of your levels in. Because a bonus to AC and some sweet unarmed damage is great if your barbarian's got a LOT of really good stats. The ability to fly into a frenzy and boost up your attacks and damage (even your dodge if you combine monk with Savage Technologist, which ups your Dexterity and Strength with no AC penalty when you Rage) is also a nice addition to have on a monk. But there's also a lot of potential that you won't get as much out of this combo as you would either class taken straight, so multiclass responsibly.

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That's all for this week's Crunch topic! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio! Or if you'd like to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well! And if you'd like to help support me and my work, consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron! Even a little bit of help can go a long way, trust me on that one.

Bucklers Are A Lot More Useful Than Most Folks Give Them Credit For (in Pathfinder)

Bucklers are one of those items that tend to get overlooked in Pathfinder. After all, if you're a character who's going to use a shield at all, chances are you're going to go for something a bit heftier, like a heavy steel shield, or even a tower shield. However, those who read the fine print on a buckler may be surprised at just how useful these items can be... especially if you put a little bit of magic or class features into them.

Don't let its size fool you... this can be a life saver.

Also, if you're looking for more fun uses for an often-ignored piece of equipment, check out my other post In Defense of The Humble Sling (in Pathfinder).

What A Buckler Is (And What It Does)

While there are a lot of arguments about what a buckler is or isn't among historical combat enthusiasts, in terms of Pathfinder a buckler is just a small, metal shield that straps to the user's forearm. It leaves the hand free to hold items, and it provides a +1 shield bonus to the user's armor class. That's half of what you get from a larger wooden or steel shield, but as many players will tell you, a +1 is a +1, and it can make a difference. There is an armor check penalty of -1 for using it, though, and a 5% arcane spell failure chance, if you're an arcane caster. A buckler cannot be used to shield bash with, unless one has the proper feats or class features that specifically give you this ability.

The numbers check out.

There are other advantages to bucklers if you read the fine print, though. For example, though you incur a -1 penalty for using your shield arm to wield a two-handed weapon, or to make an attack with your off-hand using two-weapon fighting (in addition to losing the shield's AC bonus for that round) this is not the case if you're using a bow or a crossbow. So if you're an archer who wants a little added insurance, you can strap on a buckler and just add a little boost to your AC.

The other useful thing about a buckler is that you can use your free hand to cast spells with somatic components. Doing so means you lose the shield's benefit to your AC for the round, but you take no other penalty for this action.

What's The Big Deal About a +1 Bonus?

As with so many other things in Pathfinder, that buckler's bonus to your AC is only a +1 if you do absolutely nothing else to boost it up. And that's not nothing, but it's hardly a big, impressive number. But with all of the options you have to include this handy device in your character's makeup, there are a variety of options you could pursue.

All right, let's see just how potent we can get this brew...

The most obvious benefits are going to be for specific classes that can spontaneously boost their shields with class features, like the Skirnir magus archetype in Ultimate Combat, or the Holy Vindicator prestige class in the Advanced Player's Guide. Both of these classes can spontaneously boost their shields (with the Skirnir actually getting to add bonus magic abilities), and given that they tend to have access to both spellcasting and melee capabilities, a buckler could go a long way in their hands.

However, you don't need the power to spontaneously boost a buckler's abilities to get some solid use out of it. Any enchanted buckler is going to provide an enhancement bonus to its total value, and you can often stack on useful abilities you might have trouble getting in other ways. Arrow Deflection, for example, is an ideal way to make sure that enemy archers have to work a little harder to really hurt you. Mirrored bucklers might be a combination signal mirror and medusa repellent, and a channeling buckler improves the amount of a channel for any wearer, while protecting them from their opposite energy type.

List goes on... point is, a lot of shield special abilities are very useful, and putting them onto a smaller, more versatile shield doesn't diminish that capability. And when you add in the special materials a buckler can be made from (mithril, darkwood, adamantine, etc.), as well as the feats and archetypes surrounding the buckler's use (like the buckler duelist in Inner Sea Primer, the thunderstriker in Ultimate Combat, or the falcata swashbuckler in Weapon Master's Handbook) it grows more and more useful.

With all of that said, the most realistic bonus you could get from your buckler is still fairly low. An enhancement bonus of +2 or +3 is expensive in and of itself, and even augmented with a +1 from a feat like Shield Specialization, you're only going to have a slightly better bonus than if you were using a tower shield. You could pour on the bonuses from specialized classes and feats to add utility, but a buckler isn't going to make or break your build.

But it can provide a surprising amount of protection, often with no additional armor check penalty. That could be just the thing for those who've taken a level dip, and find themselves with a shield proficiency that really isn't something they feel they can get the most out of. Or for those whose main weapon fires arrows or bolts.

Just something worth thinking about!

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That's all for this week's Crunch topic! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio! Or if you'd like to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well! And if you'd like to help support me and my work, consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron! Even a little bit of help can go a long way, trust me on that one.

Warrior Spirit, A Fun Trick For The Pathfinder Fighter's Advanced Weapon Training

Fighters are one of my favorite classes because there are so many different ways to play them. Are you a tactician, using placement and teamwork to enhance your battle plan? Are you a brute, swinging the biggest weapon you can and leaving a trail of bodies? A nimble fencer who relies on pinpoint precision over power? An archer? A one-man barricade behind your tower shield?

The list goes on.

And let's not forget the prize fighters!

I thought I'd seen most of the tricks you could pull off with fighters. However, there's always a combination out there that surprises me. That's why I thought I'd share this one with all the other folks who enjoy this class as much as I do.

Unlocking Your Warrior Spirit!

Weapon training is something of a fighter's bread and butter. The ability to be extra dangerous with a particular group of weapons is a lot of where both your flavor and functionality come from. Normally when you hit level 9 you can opt to choose an additional group of weapons you're skilled with... but you also have the option to take an advanced weapon training special ability. This ability typically applies to any weapon in the group(s) you already wield, and they allow you to bend (and sometimes break) the rules for what a warrior should be capable of.

That's where the advanced weapon training option Warrior Spirit comes into the picture.

You ready to do this?

Warrior Spirit allows a fighter to pick any weapon from one of his weapon training groups, and unlock its true potential via a spiritual bond. Every day he can select one such weapon, and bond with it. The fighter gains a number of points equal to his weapon training bonus +1. While wielding that weapon the fighter may choose to spend one of those points to add an enhancement to his weapon equal to his weapon training bonus. These enhancement bonuses stack up to a +5 with any bonuses the weapon already has, and the fighter may choose instead to add one magic ability to his weapon in exchange for an appropriate amount of his bonus. The weapon must already have an enhancement bonus of at least +1 for that to work. This ability lasts for 1 minute.

What does that mean in common speech? Well, say that your fighter is 9th level, and picks up a regular old longsword, a weapon that is in their weapon training group. So in addition to their normal attack and damage bonuses they get with that weapon, they also have 3 points per day to activate this ability. So they can choose to spend one of their points to make that regular longsword a +2 longsword, or they could make it a +1 flaming longsword spending one enhancement bonus point to add a +1 magic ability to a weapon.

But what if the fighter already had a magic longsword? Well, then he could, say, make it a keen longsword by cashing in his enhancement bonus for that +2 magic ability. Or he could make it a holy longsword. Or add a +1 to the enhancement, and pick a +1 magic ability like shock, keen, flaming, etc.

In short, it allows the fighter to enhance their weapon the same way a paladin's holy bond or a magus's arcane pool would. However, unlike those classes, the fighter can add any weapon property they want, instead of picking off a specific list. Which is handy... but that isn't where this particular trick ends.

A Little Extra

This trick works best if you're going to focus on a single weapon group. Or, if you want to pick only a single weapon by taking the Weapon Master archetype, that works too.

So what you do is, as soon as you gain weapon training (5th level for standard fighters), you also take the feat Advanced Weapon Training. This allows you to add Warrior Spirit to your character at 5th level instead of 9th level, where you're going to get a lot more bang for your buck. If you're a Weapon Master, you can take this feat at 4th level.

If you want to add a little extra damage to your swings, you should also invest a few of your skill points into Use Magic Device (and if you're going to sling wands and scrolls, consider taking the background trait Dangerously Curious, too, to make it a class skill and to get a +1 trait bonus on your checks). Then at your next opportunity, take Weapon Evoker Mastery. This item mastery feat allows you to supercharge any elemental damage a weapon you wield deals. You spend a swift action to activate the feat, and then for the next round you add 1d4 of elemental damage to every successful strike (the element in question corresponding to whether your weapon deals acid, cold, fire, electricity, or sonic damage). The sheer number of attacks you can make as a fighter (and the number of types of elemental damage you can have on your weapon) can quickly add up... even if an enemy isn't weak against a particular element.

A Handy Trick

As with a lot of the mechanical tricks I have here in the Crunch section, this isn't something that will completely re-invent the fighter. And, at least by itself, it won't destroy an encounter. However, the ability to spontaneously alter your weapon to have the abilities you really need it to have when the chips are down is something that can pull your bacon out of the fire. Especially if you combine this trick with an already-solid build geared toward a particular fighting style.

Just a little food for thought!

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, or head over to my Gamers profile to see only my tabletop articles. And if you'd like to check out some of the videos I've put together with other gamers, stop in and have a listen to the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter! If you'd like to help support me you can give me one-time tips by Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or if you'd rather become a regular, monthly contributor you can sign up at The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page. Lastly, you could also support me by going to My Amazon Author Page to buy some of my books... like my new fantasy novel Crier's Knife!

Look Upon Me And Despair: The Most Striking Changeling Build

I've been doing a lot of Pathfinder articles. A lot. So this week I thought I'd take a break from Golarion and poke about in the second most popular setting on the market, White Wolf's World of Darkness. Specifically I'd like to draw people's attention to Changeling: The Lost, which is one of my favorite games ever. Players who are big fans of characters who use their social skills and attributes to open doors and solve plot are going to enjoy this week's little bit of crunch.

I call it the Striking Looks Sledge. So, let's get started shall we?

Seeming and Kith

For those who haven't played Changeling before, you are a mortal who was stolen by a pan-dimensional being of alien intelligence and god-like power. Your soul was ripped from your body, and the holes were filled in with Fae magic that changed the very nature of who and what you are. That magic's reaction with the role you were given in the place you were kidnapped to gives you strange powers, and some of the aspects of the creatures who stole you in the first place.

The Fairest, changelings who have taken on aspects of the hauntingly, inhumanly beautiful creatures that kept them, are the best Seeming for this build. You can use a Darkling if you want, but Fairest are the heavy-hitters when it comes to social builds.

Beauty is a weapon, if put into the wrong hands.

Rather than taking a Fairest kith though (for the uninitiated, your Seeming is like being American. The kith is a more specific variety, like folks from Indiana; they are both things, and get benefits from both areas), you want to pair the Fairest with the Illes (pronounced eels) which is a Darkling kith found in Winter Masques, page 108.

This kith gives you the ability Shadow Beauty. Once per day you can spend a point of glamour to gain a bonus equivalent to the four-dot version of Striking Looks, which provides a +2 on all social checks against members of the opposite sex (or against those who find you attractive if we want to be more inclusive of gender and sexuality). This benefit lasts for one hour.

How Striking Are Your Looks?

In addition to the Shadow Beauty ability you should also get your Fairest the four-dot Striking Looks merit. This means that once per day for about an hour you have the equivalent of an 8-dot version of striking looks. Considering that the 4-dot version says you are angelic and that it's nearly impossible for people to forget your face, the 8-dot version is kind of like smashing a nine pound hammer into someone's heart.

This is what your smile looks like.

It gets worse for your enemies. As a Fairest you have access to the Contracts of Vainglory. Most purely social characters will buy the first 4 dots of this contract, but it's the third dot we're concerned about; Splendor of the Envoy's Protection, page 147 of Changeling: the Lost. This ability, once invoked, means that mortals cannot harm the individual in any way, and that supernatural creatures must succeed on a willpower check to attack the individual as long as he or she takes no harmful actions (giving orders to underlings is considered peaceful for these purposes).

It also gives you a bonus equivalent to the 4-dot version of Striking Looks while it's in effect.

That Can't Stack!

The World of Darkness is very lax about which abilities provide bonuses, and whether one bonus supersedes another or if they stack. The general rule of thumb though is that as long as the abilities come from different sources, they stack. Since one bonus comes from a merit, one comes from a kith ability, and one comes from a contract, all three of them can turn you into something out of legend if you activate all three of them at once.

Additional Touches

While a 12-dot version of Striking Looks is pretty impressive (and according to one storyteller would be enough to act under the same rules for the mechanic Incite Bedlam on page 185 of Changeling: the Lost), it's just one trick. It's a hell of a trick, but you don't want to be left out in the cold if your big gun doesn't work. So here are some other things that might make solid, additional touches.

Oh god, there's more?

Oh is there.

Dual Kith: Found on page 98 of Winter Masques, Dual Kith is a merit that allows a character to possess two kiths, and to get the benefits of both. A solid addition to the Illes is the Shadowsoul or the Flamesiren (both on page 108 of Winter Masques). They provide bonus to wyrd on all intimidate checks, or an aura that requires a resolve+composure check not to be sucked in and distracted by respectively.

Siren Song: Found on page 97 of Rites of Spring, Siren Song grants the character an unearthly, enchanting voice that causes a -2 penalty to those listening as it enraptures them. It has no off-button though, unless someone uses an electronic device to filter out the magic.

Rigid Mask: On page 96 of Rites of Spring, Rigid Mask takes a character from being a good liar to being a stone-faced tale teller. For players who are going to use falsehood as a weapon, this is an absolute necessity.

Gentrified Bearing: While not a requirement, this handy little merit found on page 92 of Rites of Spring makes it so that hobgoblins often mistake a character for one of the Gentry. Even the True Fae themselves might be fooled if they only see a character from a distance, which can be quite the feat for those who want to get away through nothing more than strength of presence.


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