In Defense of The Humble Sling (in Pathfinder)

Every now and again I'll see someone claim that a class, a spell, or a weapon in Pathfinder is useless. "Why would anyone waste their time with this thing?" is the typical question, and it's led me to write posts like Aid Another in Pathfinder is More Powerful Than You Think (one of my highest-viewed posts, by the by) in defense of certain aspects of the game. Recently I came across a post of someone bad-mouthing the sling. Why would anyone use such a stupid weapon when crossbows and longbows are available?

Well, ask a stupid question...

Since I hadn't used a sling as a PC before, I figured I'd look into this complaint and see how valid I thought it was. And hoo boy do I have some new character plans after doing this bit of research.

What's The Big Deal About A Sling?

All right, we'll begin at the beginning. A sling is a simple weapon that has a 50 foot range, and it can be fired (though not loaded) with one hand. You can apply your Strength modifier to damage with a sling, which gets a lot of folks' ears to perk up. It takes a move action to load, too, which is where a lot of players start edging away from it. It has no crit range and only does 1d4 damage for a Medium sling, and 1d3 damage for a Small sling. Not great, but the ease of use means it's something any character can pick up and use when they need a ranged weapon.

Most of the time a character has a sling on them as a back-up weapon, or as something cheap to use at low levels when they had no gold left after hitting the armor shop.

Of course, there are ways to make it better.

The big benefit to a sling is, of course, that you can add your Strength modifier to your damage. The negatives are its relative lack of oomph when it comes to damage, and the reloading time. So before we get to the first concern, let's address the second one.

When it comes to re-loading a sling, there are two major solutions:

- Warslinger halfling trait: This halfling trait lets you reload a sling as a free action. It replaces sure-footed, but reloading still takes 2 hands, and provokes an attack of opportunity.

- Ammo Drop and Juggle Ammo: Ammo Drop allows you to load a sling or one end of a double sling as a swift or move action using only one hand. Juggle Ammo lets you reload as a free action, giving you full rate of fire with a sling.

Both of these options might seem like a lot of work to get the most out of a weapon that only deals 1d3 or 1d4 damage, depending on your character's size. However, if you're willing to invest in them, you then have the task of figuring out how to get the most out of your sling.

Beefing Up The Sling

If you want your sling to do more damage, the first thing you need to do is to take the usual battery of ranged attack feats. Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, etc. Rapid Shot is something that will take some work to get off, but you could also use it with a stone bow if that's your jam. That one is a fun weapon too, and worth looking into if you like bullets but don't want to deal with the restrictions of the sling itself.

Your class features are going to be one of the big ways you beef up your sling damage. Fighters can choose the sling's group as a favored weapon, increasing their damage and accuracy with it. The barbarian archetype Savage Technologist alters your Rage to boost your Strength and your Dexterity, which makes it a lovely dip for slingers who want you really put their shoulder into a shot (though higher level abilities are meant more for firearms). A rogue's sneak attack can be devastating when delivered with a sling, as well.

You didn't see that coming, did you?

The other thing to consider with the sling is how you can modify its damage with magic (either magic used by someone in the party, or from a handy magic item). Some of the spells and magic items that I recommend for a slinger include:

- Magic Stone: A low-level spell that lasts for half an hour, it makes 3 pieces of ammo into +1 weapons that deal 1d6 points of damage. 2d6+2 against undead, which can get heinous if you can rocket off all three shots in one turn against that lich.

- Alchemist's Bullet: This +1 magic bullet can be merged with an alchemical item, and both items hit at once. Useful for when you want to deal additional damage with alchemist's fire or acid over and above the normal bullet. Bonus, if you miss with this item, you can retrieve it and use it again later!

- Boulder Bullet: A shrunken piece of artillery, as soon as it's fired, these bullets grow to be significantly bigger. Like Ant-Man, the joke never gets old!

- Soakstone Sling Bullets: These porous stones can be filled with poison or lamp oil. If the former, a hit delivers the contact poison. If the latter, they deal 1d2 fire damage on a hit. Not great, but hey, every little bit counts!

- Frostbite Sling: A +1 frost sling that, 3 times per day, lets you fling a magic snowball that does subdual damage, and makes the target fatigued. A handy little debuff.

These are just a few of the handy things I came across when tricking out a sling. The major problems, aside of course from cost, are that lots of feats and spells that normally increase the damage on ranged attacks (Rapid Shot, Gravity Bow, things like that) just don't apply to slings. On the other hand, feats like Sling Flail allow you to make melee attacks with a loaded sling, dealing whatever the damage of the enchanted ammunition was in addition to treating it as a flail. A handy feat for pinch-hitting fighters, if that's what you're built around.

Useless? No. Great? Eh...

If you want to build your character around using a sling, it is totally possible for you to do that. With the right feats, enchantments, magic ammunition, and other stuff, you can even do some seriously impressive damage with a sling (boost your strength score, enchant the bullets, get a magic sling, use class features to do more flat damage, etc.). However, wielding a sling takes a lot of resources and dedication; it's not something you're going to slay with right out of the gate, contrary to what David would tell you.

Then again, if you're a half-orc with a medium-sized sling and a +5 Strength score, then then 1d4 from the bullet is just gravy, really. And if you add in weapon training and other bonuses, it will be pretty respectable by the time you hit double digit levels.

Just know there's a long road ahead of you on this one.

Final Thoughts

Building a sling-based character is already a little unusual... but consider all the possibilities you could explore with it! Rather than your usual shepherds and local, small-town heroes, perhaps ask if he used to be a pirate (particularly with the burning bullets mentioned above)? Was your slinger part of a mercenary legion, using this unexpected weapon to devastating effect? Or perhaps he used to be a bandit, carrying such a common weapon to make sure no one could pick him out of a local crowd?

If any of those sound appealing, you should check out:

- 100 Pirates to Encounter

- 100 Random Mercenary Companies

- 100 Random Bandits to Meet

Each of these supplements is by yours truly, and they're full of NPCs you could tie your character and background to, helping you fully flesh out an adventurer with such an unexpected weapon of choice.

Just a thought!

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5 Ways to Make Up For Small-Sized Damage in Pathfinder

Playing a small-sized race, like a gnome, halfling, or even a goblin, can be a lot of fun. These races are truly unusual, and they lend themselves to concepts and roleplay that simply don't work with more standard, human-sized races. However, one of the biggest issues that has dogged small-sized characters is that it's harder to dole out the harshness when you're barely over three feet tall.

Harder, but far from impossible.

All we grow here is pain.

If you're looking to start busting some kneecaps, here are some methods you should keep in mind.

Method #1: Magic

Magic has a lot of benefits in Pathfinder, but the primary benefit for a small-sized spellcaster is that your height has nothing to do with the size of your spells. So, whether you're a halfling evoker, a gnome sorcerer, or even a ratfolk bard, your magic is the same size it would be if it were cast by a medium, or larger, character.

Dynamite comes in small packages.

Additionally, if you're looking to get more bang for your buck, it's important to read through racial archetypes and bonuses. Gnomes have access to the pyromaniac trait, which increases their caster level for spells which deal fire damage. Kobold sorcerers can take a favored class bonus that increases damage done with elemental spells. And there are always options like Spell Focus, Varisian Tattoo, and other feats that will make your magic even more potent, despite your stature. If you want to make sure you have the best possible advantage, you might want to take a look at How To Increase Spells DCs in Pathfinder before you start making your spell list.

Alternatively, if you don't want to be a damage dealer, then you can use Some of The Best Debuff Spells in Pathfinder to take your enemies down a peg.

Method #2: Sneak Attack

There are several reasons people associate halflings with the rogue class. Part of it is the influence of Tolkien on fantasy, and part of it is that in older editions of Dungeons and Dragons halflings had rogue as a favored class. But one of the most practical reasons that halflings end up as rogues is that sneak attack is one of the best methods for overcoming short stature, and wielding small-sized weapons.

Oooh... that's gonna leave a mark.

Whether you choose to use a rogue, a ninja, a vivisectionist alchemist, an investigator, or any other class that deals precision damage, it's a great way to even the odds in your favor. Particularly given that in Pathfinder, unlike in Dungeons and Dragons 3.5, creatures who are immune to precision damage tend to be fairly few and far between. Best of all, though, creatures who have damage reduction still take your precision damage; it goes off as part of the attack, as opposed to being something that only happens if you penetrate a foe's DR beforehand.

Precision damage isn't a solution that always works, though. You need a flank, or to catch your enemies flat-footed, in order to drive your damage home. Which is why you should make friends with the other melee heavies in the party, and possibly check out How To Top The Initiative Order (Almost) Every Time to make sure you get at least one good shot in on the opposition before they have a chance to react. If you can get control of a second character (animal companion, cohort, etc.) that makes it easier to get flanks, and if you can use magic items or cast a spell, and your target is flat-footed and within 30 feet, you can bring some serious pain. Even a low-level wand can have a devastating impact when there's 5d6 of precision damage backing the small ray it shoots.

Method #3: Mounted Combat

Mounted combat is devastating, under the right circumstances. A martial character with a lance and a clear route for a charge, deals double weapon damage on that charge, and a whole lot more on a critical hit. Most characters find their mounts are too big for a dungeon crawl, though... but small-sized characters ride medium creatures, so even narrow hallways and cramped caverns are ideal for pint-sized paladins and hip-high cavaliers.

Never underestimate the damage a determined halfling can do.

So what do these numbers look like? Well, as I pointed out in Calling in The Cavalry: Mounted Mayhem in Paizo's Pathfinder, you can do a lot of damage from the back of a mount. If you are wielding a small-sized lance, you're doing 1d8 points of damage, and 2d8 points of damage on a charge. That's out of the gate, right at level 1. If you take the Spirited Charge feat, then you're dealing 3d8 points of damage on a charge with your mount. Add Ride-By Attack to that, and you can stick and move all day long. Then you add in Power Attack (with your two-handed weapon), and Furious Focus (since you're making a single attack), and you have a small-sized character who's dropping some major damage on the enemy.

The key to making a mounted character work is getting your charge in, and making all the necessary Ride checks. Cavaliers, Shining Knight paladins, and the Roughrider fighter archetype never apply their armor check penalties to Ride checks, which makes them ideal candidates. You want a mount that increases in power along with you, though, and if your DM will allow you to take Leadership in order to get a special mount, then you might have creatures that can fly, teleport, or which have additional abilities you can add to your already damaging charge.

Method #4: Damage-Increasing Class Features

Certain classes are just better at doling out the harshness, especially when it comes to particular kinds of enemies. Rangers have their favored enemy, paladins can smite evil creatures (and deal stupid amounts of damage to undead, evil dragons, and evil outsiders), and certain cavalier orders (Order of the Cockatrice, for example) gain bonuses to damage against subjects of their Challenge ability. The key, when it comes to these class features, is to know what you're good against, and when to let the rest of the party take the lead.

Everybody chill out. I got this.

The more narrowly focused your damage-increasing class features are, the more of an advantage they'll give you in certain situations. A paladin's smite is the perfect example. If you're in a situation where you're facing down hordes of demons, or a red great wyrm is laying waste to the countryside, then a paladin is walking into this fight loaded for bear, even if he's barely four feet tall. If your enemies are just low-rent thugs, or if you're fighting elementals or other neutral creatures, then the paladin is going to have to rely on grit and martial skill, instead of the big bonuses provided by smite.

On the other hand, class features like a slayer's studied target, or an investigator's studied combat, may not be as large, but they can be used against any foe. That's the trade-off; greater power comes with a more specific purpose. Not unlike character building in general.

Method #5: Don't Rely on Your Strength

There's no rule that says a small-sized character can't have a colossal strength score. However, all small races take a -2 to their Strength score, and their small stature means it's more difficult for them to succeed on Intimidate checks, combat maneuvers, and other strategies that bigger, hulking warriors take for granted. Add that to the fact that small-sized weapons deal less damage than their medium equivalents, and you're facing an uphill battle.

What you do get, though, is a bonus to your Dexterity score. Use that to your advantage.

And cut your opponents down to size.

For example, a gnome gunslinger is using what most people would consider little more than pocket pistols. However, at 5th level, that gunslinger adds her Dexterity to the damage those shots deal. If you add the bonus damage from Point Blank Shot, Deadly Aim, and other feats that increase the damage you do with ranged weapons, then the 1d6 your pistol deals is just gravy. It's all the bonuses you add after the dice are rolled that let you do double-digit damage, even when you roll a 1.

Melee fighters can get in on this action, too. A kobold who favors the scimitar can wield it using Weapon Finesse, adding his Dexterity to his attacks instead of his Strength. If he takes Weapon Focus, then he can take Slashing Grace to add his Dexterity to the damage, as well. If said kobold is a swashbuckler, or a duelist, then he'll gain bonus damage to damage based on his level, and he can increase that damage even further with feats like Weapon Specialization, and even Power Attack. If you're using a rapier or a scimitar, then you could also take the Fencing Grace and Dervish Dance feats respectively in order to add your Dexterity modifier to your damage dealt. The end result is that, just like the ranged game, the damage die for your weapon is not the main focus; it's how many other bonuses you can stack onto the damage you're dealing. And, for small-sized characters, your Dexterity is often the linchpin that holds this strategy together.

Greater Than The Sum of Their Parts

Characters don't have to be just one thing, which is why it's important not to constrain your thinking when it comes to building a small-sized damage dealer. For example, you might choose to make a halfling with levels of rogue and sorcerer, both to get into the arcane trickster prestige class, and so you can use ray spells to get your ranged sneak attack off. You might decide to mix a few levels of swashbuckler with a few levels of paladin, using the Swashbuckler Finesse class feature, the Slashing Grace feat, and the paladin's smite to deliver some truly devastating hits.

How you go about it is up to you. But, if you're frustrated that the usual strategy of pumping up your strength and swinging a two-handed weapon isn't doing it for your tiny powerhouse, then the above alternatives might be what you've been looking for.

As always, thanks for stopping by this week's Crunch topic. If you'd like to see more content like this, then spread the word, leave some feedback, or stop by The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to leave some bread in my jar. All it takes is $1 a month to help me keep the lights on, and the ideas flowing. Lastly, if you haven't done so yet, why not follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter?

Aid Another in Pathfinder is More Useful Than You Think

When I published my blog entry on 5 Rules Pathfinder Players Keep Forgetting there was a lot of positive feedback. There was one constant criticism though, and that was that the "Aid Another" action shouldn't have been on the list. Why? To paraphrase, "It's just useless. What's a +2 bonus worth anyway?"

My answer to all of those who don't think that Aid Another is worth looking at is to take a second look using this week's guide. You might be surprised at what you find.

What Is The Aid Another Action?

Quick, while he's not looking at you!

The Aid Another action, for those who don't want to look it up, is a standard action where one character helps another achieve a certain task. In combat a player and the target of the aid must both be in melee with an enemy; the player rolls an attack against an AC 10, and if he hits may grant the target a +2 to hit, or a +2 to armor class against the target they both threaten. Details for this action are on page 197 of the Core Rulebook.

The other way someone can use Aid Another is on page 86. It states that if two characters are making a skill check then one can aid the other. Simply roll the die, and if the character hits a DC 10 then he helps his companion with a +2 bonus. The bonus from Aid Another is untyped, and as such it stacks with everything. That's going to be important later on in this article.

The Complaint

The big complaint seems to be that sure, at level 1 or 2 a +2 to AC or to an attack is a nice bonus. The higher in level a party becomes though, the less useful such a bonus is. Even if the whole party goes in to give the fighter with the specialized weapon a big boost, that's only a +6 (assuming a 4 person party). It's nice, but how often will the whole party sacrifice their actions to give even this mediocre a bonus?

More often than you think, less often than you'd believe.

I'm not going to disagree that giving even a level 6 character, much less a level 10 or 12 character, a +2 is a pretty paltry use of one's turn. That said, Aid Another can be made a lot more powerful if you're actually planning on using it.

Traits

As with any other bit of mechanical wooge it's important to start stacking the numbers right from character creation. If a character is a halfling then he or she can take the helpful trait, which says that whenever the character successfully uses the Aid Another action that the bonus is a +4 instead of a +2. If a character is not a halfling then there's a universal helpful trait that allows them to provide a +3 instead of a +2.

Pro Tip: If you're willing to get creative with your backstory you can take adopted, which gives you access to traits for races you don't possess, and then take the helpful version that is usually only available for halflings. Adopted is in this case a placeholder, allowing you to pick the better version of helpful.

This is just the tip of the ice berg, my friends.

Classes and Prestige Classes

A surprising number of classes and prestige classes offer a bonus to the Aid Another action. Some are bigger than others, which is why it's important to keep your character's final destination in mind. Is this character a battlefield commander, helping his troops achieve victory, or is she someone who knows when she's out of her league and isn't shy about assisting others in getting the glory some of the time?

Something to think about.

Cavalier

Cavaliers (Advanced Player's Guide) are an often-underutilized class (lots of players aren't willing to bring mounted characters into a game that so traditionally is full of dungeon crawling), but one of the most under-utilized abilities is the bonus to Aid Another granted by the Order of the Dragon. Starting at level 2 the cavalier can provide an additional +1 when using the Aid Another action to assist allies with armor class, attacks, saving throws, or skill checks. For a cavalier with one of the two helpful traits that's either a +4 or +5 bonus at level 2. Not too shabby. This bonus increases by +1 at level 8 and every 6 levels after.

Cleric

Surely an Aid Another bonus in a class as popular (and let's face it, necessary) as the cleric would have been noticed by now? Not exactly; you see the bonus comes from variant channeling (Ultimate Magic), which is something not a lot of players use. For clerics who take the Strategy option for variant channeling, and who channel positive energy, all Aid Another actions used by her allies during the turn add the cleric's channel bonus (+1 at level 1, +2 at level five, and increasing by another +1 every five levels) to the usual Aid Another bonus delivered. Certainly not something to sneeze at.

Pathfinder Chronicler

The very rarely played prestige class of the Pathfinder Chronicler (Core Rulebook 388) reflects the idea of a scribe, scholar, and tale-teller who accompanies great heroes and records their deeds. These Chroniclers also pitch in when needed, and that's where their improved aid ability comes from. At level 3 a Pathfinder Chronicler provides a +4 bonus when using the Aid Another action.

Steel Falcons

Andoran's Eagle Knights are famed far and wide for reasons that are alternatively good and bad. Because they must act together as a unit, particularly when facing slavers and other enemies of freedom, the Steel Falcons (Pathfinder Companion: Andoran, Spirit of Liberty) gain superior aid at level 2. This ability allows them to grant a +4 instead of a +2 on Aid Another actions.

Battle Herald

While it's out of order alphabetically, the Battle Herald (Advanced Player's Guide) is a class that is geared almost expressly toward helping the party achieve its full potential. A combination bard/cavalier (Order of the Dragon is a good base to work with, as well), the Battle Herald gains the Inspiring Command ability. While there's a laundry list of commands it's the Teamwork command that applies to this guide. This ability provides anyone using the Aid Another action with a competence bonus equal to the Battle Herald's inspiring command bonus, and if the ally is successful then the Aid Another bonus also increases by the Battle Herald's inspiring command bonus. That's an additional +1 at first level, and another +1 for every 3 levels after.

Magic Items

Seriously, just kiss it. It gives you a bonus.

Normally the meat of any build comes from feats, but in this case if someone really wants to add some solid numbers to their Aid Another the bonuses tend to come from magic items (and the above class features). The two items you're going to want on your side are:

Benevolent

This +1 enchantment (found in Ultimate Equipment) can be placed on both weapons and armor. When placed on a weapon it adds the weapon's numerical bonus to the Aid Another bonus that's provided on attacks. When placed on armor it has the same effect, but only for Aid Another actions meant to increase someone's armor class.

Ring of Tactical Precision

While it's hugely expensive, the ring of tactical precision provides a +1 to the bonus anyone wearing it provides through the Aid Another action. It also provides a +5 on profession (soldier) checks, and it allows a teamwork feat to be stored inside of it. 11k still seems a hefty price to pay, but if you find it in a horde you might not want to just pawn it at the local emporium glorium, sight unseen.

Gloves of Arcane Striking

While not typically used unless one is a straight caster, the gloves of arcane striking are useful for bards, magi, and others who intend to be using Aid Another. These gloves allow the user to transfer the bonus from the arcane strike feat as a bonus to Aid Another. That's a +1 for every 5 caster levels the user possesses, to a maximum of +5.

It All Adds Up

So how much of a bonus can you really give another player with the Aid Another action? What do the numbers really look like? Well, here's an example using the above rules and focusing on combat bonuses.

Let's begin with a halfling character who takes the helpful halfling trait. Right out of the gate he can provide a +4 bonus to his allies.

Take 3 levels of bard.

At level 6 take a level of Battle Herald. Learn the Teamwork Command for a +5 on Aid Another. This goes up to +6 at 10th level and +7 at 13th level.

Purchase a benevolent weapon (preferably a lance or whip so you can aid from a distance). If you have a +1 weapon at level 6 it provides a +6 bonus. If you advance this weapon to a +3 item then at level 10 you can provide a +9 bonus to your allies in combat. If you use your arcane strike to add onto your aid another bonus, that's more than a +10.

I cannot think of a single level where a +10 bonus to either attack or armor class is not a major game changer.

Post Edit Suggestion: Bodyguard

I continually thought this was part of the guide, but apparently it wasn't. The Bodyguard feat (Advanced Player's Guide) allows you to use attacks of opportunity to provide an aid another action to a party member you're adjacent to. Since the prerequisite is Combat Reflexes it's entirely possible that you can save the entire front line from a world of hurt without even taking up your actual action during the round.

You can also add Harrying Partners, which says once given, your aid another bonus lasts for a round instead of that single action.

Who's useless now?

As always, thanks for stopping by Improved Intiative's crunch section! If you'd like other helpful guides then check out this list of alchemical items every party should have. If you want to keep up to date with Improved Initiative and all of my other projects then feel free to follow me on Facebook and Tumblr, or to plug your email address into the box on the top right. If you'd like to help keep this blog going toss a tip into the jar by clicking the "Bribe the DM" button, or going to my Patreon page and becoming a patron today!