Even MORE Rules Pathfinder Players Keep Forgetting

As has been noted by countless gamers on both sides of a DM screen Pathfinder has a lot of rules. I mean a lot of rules. Rarely does a session go by without at least one serious discussion over rules that sends a player to the library to better understand that little-known text on page 117. Even with all of these available rules though there are some that may be more important to your game than others. The series currently consists of over 25 rules, and the full list of updates includes:

- Playing By The Book: Some Pathfinder Rules That Players Keep Forgetting
- MORE Rules Pathfinder Players Keep Forgetting
- Even MORE Rules Pathfinder Players Keep Forgetting
- Still More Rules Pathfinder Players Keep Forgetting
- 5 More Rules Pathfinder Players Keep Forgetting

Some of these rules will be truly obscure. Some of them will be things you already know, because you read the book. But presented here are more rules players are likely to either not know, or have forgotten about (sometimes in a suspiciously convenient way).

#1: You Can't Put on Full Plate Alone

Full plate is the ultimate in medieval body armor. It turns any fighter into an unstoppable colossus, able to wade through the sword strokes of lesser men to arise victorious at the end of a battle. But there's a reason that knights have squires; you can't get the full armor bonus if you put the suit on by yourself.

Isn't it great having squires? Verily.

When donning either half plate or full plate according to the rules on page 153 of the Core Rulebook you need at least one other person to help you. Otherwise the armor is considered to have been donned hastily, which reduces its effectiveness by -1.

I told you some of these were obscure, didn't I?

#2: You Can't Win Arguments With PCs Via Diplomacy

The diplomacy skill, detailed on page 93 of the Core Rulebook is the bread and butter of certain builds. Sly rogues use this skill to open doors, and charismatic bards use it to make friends in every tavern and court they play. It's useful for the urban ranger gathering information, the paladin adjudicating a case, and dozens of other characters besides. It's even a key part of my Tyrion Lannister character build. But there's something you can't do with diplomacy, and that's convince the rest of the party to like you.

No matter how many NPCs adore you.

For everyone who's still angry that the DM let a diplomacy check affect your character's opinion toward the party bard, well you're rightly pissed. Diplomacy is specifically allowed only on NPCs. If you can't actually roleplay your way into your party-mates hearts then there's nothing you can do about it no matter how high your charisma is or how amazingly charming your dice say you are. It is a PC's prerogative to hate you if he or she feels like it.

#3: Almost Everything Takes Precision Damage

In Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 one of the biggest frustrations that came with playing a rogue was that so many enemies simply didn't take precision damage. No sneak attack, no critical hits, no nothing. Pathfinder changed that up significantly, but a lot of the old rules get mixed up with the new rules in players' heads when it comes to just how useful a rogue is in combat.

Everybody chill out; I got this.

Under the old rules everything from constructs and undead to plants and outsiders got to give rogues the finger. In Pathfinder though everything takes precision damage unless it says otherwise. That means undead, constructs, plants, devils, demons, barkeeps, and everything else you can sneak up behind.

There are still some things that are immune to precision damage. Oozes are one of the best examples, but anything that's incorporeal is also immune to your kidney-stabbing. There are other creatures immune to precision damage, but before you decide to preemptively not roll those extra 5d6 of sneak attack you've got you should ask the DM whether or not this thing is immune to your sneak attack.

#4: Perception Can Be Used To Identify Potions

Perception is one of those skills that you should always invest in. It's great for detecting ambushes, finding secret doors, locating traps, hearing invisible assassins, not getting your pocket picked, and the list goes on and on. Characters with extremely high perceptions can be a pain (which is why DMs should remember there's a -1 penalty for every 10 feet away from the source a character is, and that there are all sorts of negative modifiers that can be applied to this skill check), but they also have a nearly magic power.

They can identify a potion's powers by its taste.

Pick your poison! No, I'm serious, they're all poison. Don't drink them.

According to the chart on page 102 of the Core Rulebook a player can make a perception check of 15 + the potion's caster level to identify what its powers are by taste. It doesn't say the whole thing has to be drunk to make the check, but there might be some negatives for even tasting a given potion. On the one hand this encourages players other than spellcasters to get in on the action, and it can make for some interesting roleplay. It's also a good chance to throw a curve ball at players who test the safety of everything with their mouths.

#5: Being Flat-Footed Is A Thing

Also on the list of rogue problems is being caught flat-footed. Detailed on page 178 of the Core Rulebook the flat-footed condition is what you're suffering from in that first round of combat when you haven't gotten to act yet. You can't take attacks of opportunity, and you can't apply your dexterity modifier to your armor class. You also lose dodge bonuses, and a slew of class abilities and feats are adversely affected by this condition.

Most people know what being caught flat-footed is. At the same time it's the most commonly overlooked or conveniently forgotten rule in Pathfinder combat.

Ah hell... was that initiative?

Being flat-footed is something that's a minor inconvenience to a lot of PCs. To some though, such as the dancing rogue or the whirling dervish, it can mean being utterly vulnerable for a round. When it's the players going first though knowing that your enemy hasn't had time to fully react to combat can make a big difference in your strategy.

#6: Yes You Can Critical With Spells

If you confirm a critical hit with a spell that has an attack roll and does damage then it will do two times as much damage. If a spell does ability drain or damage then the drain or damage is doubled according to page 184 in the Core Rulebook. Lots of players forget this rule, but it's one reason that a critical hit with a spell like chill touch can leave enemies with more than a few d6 of extra pain.

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How to Top The Initiative Order (Almost) Every Time

When I first started this blog I asked the question "Who takes Improved Initiative?" I'm quoting the Gamers II, but it's a legitimate question. Many players are so concerned with having the highest strength, the deadliest weapon, or the most destructive spells that they forget one of the first rules of combat; the guy who throws the first punch is often the one who wins the fight.

Stop for a moment, and think about all of the times that going after the bad guy turned a challenging battle into an uphill slog through mud and blood. Sometimes it's a single spell, a single alchemical item, or a single sneak attack that can set the tone for a battle and completely change the tone of a fight. If the bad guy goes first it's a fireball, a color spray, a thunderstone, or any of a dozen other nasty surprises that can tilt a fight in the opponent's favor. The same rules apply to the party. Catching the villain flat-footed is a field day for rogues, spellcasters and gunslingers are more likely to hit, and it provides a peachy opportunity to move around as you please while the enemy can't take attacks of opportunity. Now that I've belabored the point about why Initiative is so important though, it's time for a laundry list for making your score the best it can be.

Traits

First man to go is often the last man standing.

Your initiative score starts with your dexterity modifier, but that doesn't mean that a low dex will doom you to always go last. Taking the right traits can give you a +2 straight out of the gate. While there are at least 4 traits that provide an initiative bonus, you can only use one of them; there's no trait stacking for a bigger bump. These traits are:

- Reactionary (Combat): You grew up bullied and constantly fighting: +2 initiative.
- Warrior of Old (Racial, Elf): You've been practicing war for more than some creatures' lifetimes: +2 initiative.
- Outlander (Rise of the Rune Lords, Exile Option): You were cast out of your homeland, and have been keeping one eye on your back trail ever since: +2 initiative.
- On Guard (Quadira, Gateway to the East): You are always ready. +1 initiative, and if you can act during the surprise round you may draw a weapon as a free action.

In addition to these traits, elves have an alternate racial trait they can take called Fleet-Footed. This takes away Keen Senses and Weapon Familiarity, but these elves gain Run as a feat, in addition to a racial +2 to initiative. Handy.

The Ifrit has a racial alternative that can help out as well. Wildfire Heart provides a +4 racial bonus to initiative, but it strips away the natural fire resistance that Ifrit receive. Tough choice.

Feats

There are not a lot of feats that deal with a character's Initiative, unfortunately. If there were then there would be a lot of players who always went first, regardless of what the rest of the party rolled. However, there are at least two feats those concerned with their standings in the initiative order should keep in mind.

Really, do you take black over white?

- Improved Initiative: The most common feat for those who want to go first, this feat gives the character a +4 bonus to all initiative checks (Core Rulebook 127).
- Noble Scion: Your character is a member of a proud, noble family. If you select Scion of War then you may use your charisma modifier instead of your dexterity modifier to determine your initiative (The Inner Sea World Guide 288).

Class Abilities

This is where the numbers start to really perk up for characters looking to go before anyone else. A number of classes provide initiative bonuses at fairly early levels, and that should be taken into consideration.

I'd do something quick, before it takes a deep breath.

Gunslinger Well-known for being fast on the draw, gunslingers get a +2 to their initiative at level 3, as long as they have at least 1 point of grit remaining. Just to add insult to injury, if the gunslinger in question also has Quick Draw and empty hands then the character may draw a weapon as part of the initiative check. Just picture how fast that is.

A particularly feared type of gunslinger is the Grand Marshal (Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Paths of Prestige). These law enforcement officers gain a number of abilities, but at second level they gain Danger Sense. Grand Marshals always act during the surprise round, and gain 1/2 their level as an initiative bonus.

Inquisitor No one knows the value of striking the first blow like the inquisitor. At second level these fanatics gain Cunning Initiative, adding their wisdom modifiers as a bonus to their initiatives. Additionally, with the feat Grant Initiative (Ultimate Magic 151) an Inquisitor may choose to transfer this bonus to an ally before initiative is rolled. An inquisitor's paranoia is infectious.

For those who take the Tactics Inquisition, 8th level is when you get the ability Grant the Initiative. This adds the inquisitor's wisdom modifier to all party members within 30 feet, as well as to the inquisitor. This effectively doubles the bonus received from Cunning Initiative.

Ranger Not to be outdone, the ranger has an initiative bonus as well. Provided, of course, that the ranger is within one of his or her favored terrains. A +2 bonus always applies due to the ranger's sheer familiarity with what the sights, sounds, and smells in an area should be, providing a nearly supernatural quickness when trouble breaks out.

Druid The druid World Walker (Ultimate Combat 43) gains the ranger ability mentioned above. Useful for those who are looking to get those terrain-altering spells off before the bad guys step out of the brush.

Duelist While a prestige class, the duelist gains Improved Reaction at level two. This ability provides a flat +2 initiative bonus, which increases to +4 at level 8. This is particularly helpful for these canny fighters, because going first allows them to set up a Parry, which is also gained at level two.

Wizard Wizards who specialize in the divination school gain the supernatural ability Forewarned. This allows them to always act in the surprise round. They also gain an initiative bonus equal to half their wizard level. At level 20 these wizards are considered to have always rolled a natural 20 on initiative.

Sohei A monk variant, the Sohei (Ultimate Combat 60) are soldiers and devoted horse masters. These characters may always act in the surprise round, and they gain a bonus to their initiative equal to half their character levels. At 20th level, every initiative check is considered a natural 20. This is the exact same ability that wizards who specialize as diviners get, but Sohei are much more martially inclined.

Cleric Some battle clerics specialize in planning and execution over magic. The Divine Strategist (Ultimate Combat 40) always acts in the surprise round, and gains an initiative bonus equal to half his or her cleric level. At level 20 the Divine Strategist is considered to have rolled a natural 20, but what's more allies who can see and hear the Divine Strategist gain a bonus on their initiative checks equal to 1/4 the strategist's cleric level. This replaces channel energy though, which is a hefty price to pay.

Fighter The battlefield is where most fighters feel at home, but some of them can always figure a way to turn terrain to their advantage. The Tactician variant (Ultimate Combat 47) exchanges Bravery for Tactical Awareness at level 2, gaining a +1 to Initiative instead of a bonus on saves against fear at second level and every four levels thereafter.

Oracle Oracles are one of the most variable classes, and their abilities manifest in a dozen different ways. Several types of oracles gain initiative bonuses via their mysteries.

Juju and nature oracles both get access to Natural Divination. This ability has multiple uses, but once every 24 hours it provides a +4 bonus on a single initiative check. Use of this bonus must be declared beforehand.

Battle oracles have access to the ability War Sight. These oracles always act in the surprise round, and may roll twice for initiative (three times at level 11) and take the best result. If these oracles fail to notice the ambush with the proper check though, they still go last in the surprise round regardless of their initiative checks.

Paladin Paladins are rarely shy about being the first into the fray, but the Sword of Valor (Inner Sea Magic) is renowned for her ability to always react first to ambushes. These characters gain the ability First Into Battle, which replaces Divine Grace. They add their charisma as a bonus on initiative checks, and for the cost of a single smite evil or lay on hands usage these paladins may act in the surprise round.

Witch Not to be left out, witches gain access to the compsognathus, which is a small dinosaur familiar. This familiar, in addition to its poisonous bite, grants its master a +4 initiative bonus.

Alchemist The mad scientist's mutagen provides a solid dexterity bonus, if one selects a dex-based formula. At lower levels it might not be feasible, but higher level alchemists have mutagens that can last for nearly an hour or more. That will keep you on your toes.

Magus The magus is everyone's favorite caster; one part wizard, one part fighter. The Kensai variant (Ultimate Combat 55) focuses more heavily on the fighter aspect, but it also provides some handy abilities. At 7th level the Kensai gains Iajutsu, which adds the magus's intelligence modifier to initiative as well as dexterity. The kensai may make attacks of opportunity while flat-footed, and may draw a weapon as part of taking an attack of opportunity. At 13th level the kensai may always act in the surprise round in addition to drawing a weapon as a swift action, and at 19th level is considered to have always rolled a natural 20 on initiative.

Rogue While rogues gain the most from taking actions while everyone else is flat footed, there are no abilities that allow them to take actions during the surprise round. The bandit archetype (Ultimate Combat 71) does allow 4th level rogues to take a full action during the surprise round, rather than a move or a standard action. That's a move, a standard, and a swift, which isn't too shabby when combined with other options.

Magic Bonuses

There's always a way to squeeze out another few points here or there when it comes to a score, and magic is traditionally the way that gets done in Pathfinder. For those who want to be absolutely sure their characters get to kick evil in the balls as soon as it finishes its monologue (if not before it starts) here are a few extra ideas.

And I'm taking my action before you do.

Dueling Weapons Dueling weapons, found in both the Advanced Players Guide and Ultimate Equipment, have a slew of abilities. One of them is providing a +4 bonus to initiative checks if the weapon, which must be something that can be used with the Weapon Finesse feat, is in hand. A cheap way to do this is to get a dueling spiked gauntlet or cestus, which can be worn and is considered drawn at all times.

Spells As with most other areas of the game, spells are a little light when it comes to initiative checks. However the first-level spell Anticipate Peril adds +1 per caster level to a maximum of +5 to the next initiative check someone has to make. The spell lasts for 1 minute per level though, so it's much better at higher levels. Less useful, though helpful all the same, is Cat's Grace. Providing a simple dexterity bonus for minutes per level can be very helpful right before kicking in the door, and it also ups one's finesse attacks and armor class at the same time. This won't stack with a stat-enhancing magic item though, so make sure you don't perform a convenient math error.

Making it All Make Sense

It's possible to tweak a character's initiative to ridiculous levels, particularly if a player takes one thing out of every category above and applies it all to a single person. It is then the player's job to explain to the DM, as well as to the rest of the party, where this ridiculous number came from.

This isn't as hard to do as many players think it is. For instance, a hunted gunslinger whose hands are faster than her mouth may have been looking over her shoulder for years. Perhaps she can't sleep peacefully, and even the slightest noises put iron in her hands. She might suffer from tics, or post-traumatic stress. Play that up. Alternatively say that an elven inquisitor is 400 years old, and he's fought in more wars than some families have generations. He's sensitive to the ebb and flow of body language, the movement of his opponents and the environment around him. Like any truly experienced professional he sees signs that most people miss, and he can prepare his reactions beforehand. If you know in your bones an ambush is coming, you can react much more quickly when it comes. Whatever your reason, don't just bulk up a stat and leave it sitting there like a massive elephant in the middle of the table that's blocking the map along with the Cheetos bowl.

Backstory is important. We aren't just going to roll with this.

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The Bullyboy

Normally I end every article with a request for readers to help support Improved Initiative by spreading links to the articles here, and by remembering all of our funding comes from Google AdSense. This week I thought I'd try putting that at the top to see if more people saw it.

Now without further ado let us present this week's crunchy little build, The Bullyboy.

He said "what" again.

When it's time to roll initiative most skill checks go right out the window. Except for acrobatics to avoid attacks of opportunity, or the occasional bluff check to feint or hide, most players focus on swinging swords or slinging spells. The Bullyboy though is a character who uses personality like a hammer, leaving enemies unsure of themselves and flat-footed against incoming assaults.

Did You Say Flat-Footed?

I heard all the rogues in the audience squirming in their seats. Yes, the ultimate goal of the Bullyboy is to render as many enemies as possible flat-footed against your attacks. This makes the rogue a natural choice, but spellcasters and gunslingers (who use touch attacks almost exclusively) might find this strategy useful as well. This is especially true for multiclass mongrels like fighter/rogues, barbarian/rogues, etc.

What's The Trick?

The feat you're building up to is Shatter Defenses (Core Rulebook 133). It requires the character to have Weapon Focus (Core Rulebook 136), Dazzling Display (Core Rulebook 120), a base attack bonus of +6, and proficiency with the weapon you're wielding.

The way Shatter Defenses works is that any opponent you hit who is shaken, frightened, or panicked is considered flat-footed against you until the end of your next turn. In case you were wondering yes, if you have two attacks that means your enemy is flat-footed against your second attack as well as your entire next round. Take note that you don't have to use the weapon for which you have Weapon Focus, but if you took the feat for a +1 to hit, why not use it?

Crank Your Intimidate

The Bullyboy has a pretty simple, two-round setup. The first round you make your enemies afraid of you. The next round, while they're still shaken, frightened, or panicked, you attack. Once you land even a single hit on a scared enemy, regardless of your weapon, you've got an entire round where that target is flat-footed. That means a lower armor class (most times), and an inability to take attacks of opportunity against you. Unless you've got mind-affecting magic or a class ability that lets you cause a fear effect though, you're going to have to roll your intimidate check. For that roll you're aiming to get higher than the target's hit dice+Wis modifier+10. Not an easy task.

Traits

Your focus on fear should start at character creation. You get to pick two traits, and one of those should be a trait that gives you a +1 on intimidate, and which makes intimidate a class skill for you. Bully is the most popular, but others like Viking Blood have the same affect for characters that want a different background.

Recommended Feats

-Dazzling Display: This feat is required for the build to work, but it's also the easiest way to demoralize all enemies within 30 feet of you. Generally speaking, unless you're only fighting a single enemy, this is going to be the feat you lead off combat with.
-Skill Focus (Core Rulebook 134): This feat gives you a +3 on a skill, and a +6 when you have more than 10 ranks in it. That's a good place to start (hint: half-elves get this feat for free at creation).
-Intimidating Prowess (Core Rulebook 128): This feat allows you to add your Strength and Charisma modifiers both to the die roll, which is a big bonus for characters playing bruisers who might not be comfortable putting a really big stat in Charisma.
- Gory Finish (Ultimate Combat 102): This feat allows you to take an attack action (a standard action) at your highest base attack bonus. If you knock your enemy into negatives you can take a swift action to intimidate all enemies who saw and heard what you did within 30 feet. Not a necessary feat, but it is a quick and dirty way to kill two birds with one stone.
- Persuasive (Core Rulebook 131): This feat adds a +2 to your Intimidate and Diplomacy checks. If you have more than 10 ranks in these skills, it adds a +4.
- Enforcer (Advanced Player's Guide): This feat allows you to make an Intimidate check any time you deal subdual damage to an enemy with a melee weapon, and it leaves them shaken for a number of rounds equal to the damage dealt if the intimidate is successful. Best when used with high-damage weapons.

Classes and Abilities

There are a lot of class combinations that can be used to make the Bullyboy work. Some of them are more effective than others though. Here are a couple of suggestions.

Barbarian
This is the obvious choice for the bullyboy. Barbarians are big, mean, uncouth, and often naturally thuggish when it comes to battlefield tactics. They also reach the +6 base attack bonus quite quickly. With the increase to Strength provided by Rage providing a slight boost to those who take Intimidating Prowess, and the benefits of Rage Powers like Intimidating Glare (Core Rulebook 33) which leaves an opponent shaken for a number of rounds equal to 1d4+1 per every 5 by which the barbarian exceeded the check by, they're a natural fit.

Rogue
Rogues are masters of misdirection and nuanced untruth, but the best variant fit for the Bullyboy is the Thug (Advanced Players Guide). The Thug starts off strong right out of the gate with its first-level ability, Frightening. This automatically increases the duration of any shaken effect caused by the Thug by 1 round, meaning that enemies are shaken for a minimum of 2 rounds with a successful intimidate. Additionally, if the target is shaken for 4 or more rounds, the player can upgrade the effect to frightened. The rogue trick Strong Impression grants the character the feat Intimidating Prowess.

Other Classes
Other classes can have the Bullyboy's build applied to them. Sorcerers, for instance, have high charisma in addition to spells that cause fear. Fighters willing to take advantage of psychological warfare are another option. Alchemists who specialize in the feral mutagen and the beastly bonuses it offers might like to soften their opponents up mentally. Even gunslingers, whose strange, deadly weapons are a terror all by themselves (and who at higher levels can use abilities like Menacing Shot to cause fear) might find some use out of this build. Remember though, just because you can doesn't mean you should.

Keep The End Goal in Mind

As with any other build trick, the important thing with the Bullyboy is not to lose sight of the end goal; namely to knock enemies flat-footed after the first round of combat and to keep them flat-footed (in addition to shaken) for as long as possible. It is just as important to ask yourself what you're going to do once your enemies are where you want them, however.

The most obvious answer is to sneak attack them. When combined with the Thug's ability, sneak attacking any intimidated opponent is a slam dunk. That's not the only benefit of having an enemy flat-footed though. It means their armor class goes down significantly, and if one is using a touch attack from spells or firearms, then the player is likely aiming for a 10+deflection modifiers. It also means the enemy's Combat Maneuver Defense goes down, which is a blessing for those who use maneuvers to control an enemy's effectiveness. That said, you need to look at what you can do, and what that ability means in terms of effectiveness on the battlefield.

Lastly, remember that for every trick there's a counter. Constructs, undead, mindless creatures, demons, devils, paladins, and others are all immune to fear of any sort. If you find yourself fighting these creatures then you're going to have to dig deeper into your bag of tricks, because scaring them off simply is not an option for you.

Don't Forget to Roleplay

When you get too caught up in numbers it's easy to forget you still have to roleplay. So you've got to ask yourself one question; how are you intimidating?

There's a multitude of ways to do it. Do you draw your rapier and make an elaborate bow which shows off your extreme skill with the razor-sharp steel? Do you sock the head of your mace into your open palm, idly looking at which of your enemies is getting his skull cracked first? Do you smile beatifically and explain who you're going to kill and in what order? Or do you give a long speech of all the fiends who came before this sorry group of adversaries, and who ended their lives stretched dead at your feet? Ask yourself how your character is intimidating, and in what way, before you throw that die. Who knows, if you put in a good performance your storyteller might even give you a roleplaying bonus on the attempt.


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