Pathfinder:Rules

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This article contains common rules clarifications. These are all RAW for Pathfinder. None of these are House Rules.

The Pathfinder d20 SRD and the PRD at paizo.com are both considered reliable sources for up-to-date rules with errata.

Class Abilities

Rogue

You do not need trapfinding in Pathfinder to locate a trap. You only need it to disable a magical trap with disable device. Anyone can make a perception check to find a trap, even a magical one. (Aside: Trapfinding does not automatically find you traps. You have to be actively searching unless you have the Trap Spotter talent.) (Exception: To use a perception check for "symbol" spells such as Symbol of Death, the PC needs trapfinding.)

Core Rulebook pg. 417

Sneak Attack, Criticals, and Flanking

You can't sneak attack, critical, or flank:

  • Creatures with Ooze Traits (they have no clear anatomy)
  • Creatures with Elemental Subtype (they have no clear anatomy)
  • Creatures with Swarm Subtype (they have no vital anatomy)
  • Incorporeal creatures without a ghost touch weapon
  • Creatures with the Amorphous special quality (they have no static anatomy)

Special cases:

  • Aeon subtype makes the creature immune to critical hits only. (SA and flanking still work)
  • Protean subtype gives the creature a 50% chance to ignore sneak attack or critical hits. (flanking still works)

Unless specifically stated otherwise, all other creatures, such as Undead, Animated Objects, Constructs, and Plants can be sneak attacked and affected by critical hits.

Bestiary pg. 306-313

Bard

Bardic performance is a free action to maintain and does not inhibit any other actions the character may wish to perform while doing so, which includes bardic performances like dancing or acting, except if the character wishes to start another bardic performance, in which case the previously maintained performance immediately ends. Classes with inspire courage can also perform bardic performances even if they don't have ranks in the appropriate perform skill, but not necessarily other bardic performances.

Core Rulebook pg. 35-38

Spells

Summoning

A summoned creature is NOT created wholecloth from nothing. It is a creature that is metaphysically transported from only location to another. Its experiences are "real" in the sense that the creature really does experience them. Most summon spells summon creatures from Outer Planes, which are vast. Therefore, there is no reason to assume the same creature is summoned every time, but all the creatures are unique, real individuals.

Illusions vs. Mindless Creatures

Mindless creatures can be affected by certain illusion magic such as shadow spells (like shadow conjuration), figments (like silent image and mirror image), and glamers (like blur and invisibility), but not patterns (like color spray) and phantasms (like phantasmal killer).

Core Rulebook pp.210-211

Knowing About Targets

A creature that successfully saves against a spell that has no obvious physical effects feels a hostile force or a tingle, but cannot deduce the exact nature of the attack. Likewise, if a creature's saving throw succeeds against a targeted spell, you sense that the spell has failed. You do not sense when creatures succeed on saves against effect and area spells

Core Rulebook pg. 216

Voluntarily Failing Saving Throws

RAW, you can only voluntarily fail saving throws against spells. You cannot, for example, intentionally succumb to poison or to the kiss of a succubus.

Core Rulebook pg. 217

1 Round Casting Times

A spell with a one-round casting time begins being cast as a full round action, and completes its casting immediately before you take your next turn. You choose the target(s) at that time.

Spell Lists and Triggers

Spell trigger items, like wands, can be used by characters who have the spell in question on their spell list but cannot yet cast spells, for example rangers and paladins that are below level 4. This holds true even if they will never be able to cast the spell, such as a Ranger with only 10 Wisdom.

Wands

Wands do not reduce the casting time of spells that have a casting time greater than a standard action. Wands DO increase the casting time of any spell less than a standard action (I.E. move action, swift action, immediate action, free action) to a standard action. This rule also applies to scrolls.

This means that a wand of feather fall is considerably less useful than having the spell prepared.

Core Rulebook pg. 490

Actions

Casting in a Grapple

If you cast a spell while grappled, you must make a concentration check (DC 10 + the grappler's CMB + the level of the spell you're casting) or lose the spell. This is regardless of the presence of absence of somatic or verbal components.

Core Rulebook pg. 206

Crawling

If you are prone, you can 5 foot crawl as a move action (not full-round action). This provokes attacks of opportunity.

Drawing Weapons

If you have at least a +1 BAB, you may draw weapons as part of another move action. You can pull out two light or one-handed weapons in the time it takes to pull out one if you have the two-weapon fighting feat. If you have +1 BAB and the two-weapon fighting feat, you can pull out two such weapons as part of one move action.

Partial Charge

There is no "partial charge" in Pathfinder. You can charge as a standard action ONLY if you are denied having a full round action for that turn, such as a surprise round or being staggered. When charging as a standard action, you can only move up to your full speed instead of double full speed, and you cannot draw a weapon as a part of the standard action charge even with a +1 BAB or greater (you can still Quick Draw).

Core Rulebook pg. 198

Skills

Taking 10

You can take 10 any time you are not in a time of distraction or stress (like combat) on any skill. You may also take 20 on a skill (taking 20 times as long) to take a check if there is no penalty for failure. You cannot take 20's on skills with no retries. Note: An exception to this is the Use Magic Device skill, which does not allow taking 10 or 20.

Taking 10 represents putting forth a reasonable effort in a calm environment. Taking 20 represents trying as many times as necessary for the best possible result.

Core Rulebook pg. 86

Concentration and Taking 10

You cannot take 10 on spellcraft checks to identify magic items when using detect magic. Concentrating on a spell counts as strenuous activity.

Fly

You cannot take ranks in the Fly skill without a natural means of flight or gliding. Creatures can also take ranks in Fly if they possess a reliable means of flying every day (either through a spell or other special ability).

Core Rulebook pg. 96

Use Magic Device

When using Use Magic Device to activate something, you do not automatically fail on a natural 1 (just like any other skill). If you do fail the check and roll a natural 1, then you cannot activate the item using Use Magic Device for 24 hours.

Core Rulebook pg. 109

Swift Actions

You can take swift actions during a surprise round or while staggered. You can take it in the surprise round because you can take free actions in the surprise round, and you can take swift actions whenever you can take a free action.

Core Rulebook pg. 568, pg. 178 & pg. 188

Free Actions

Unless otherwise specified, you cannot take free actions when it is not your turn. Speaking, for example, specifies that it is a free action that you can perform at any time.

Core Rulebook pg. 188

Ability Penalties

An ability penalty (such as from exhaustion or touch of idiocy) can not reduce an ability score below 1. This does not apply to ability drain or damage, however.

Animal Companions and Familiars

Most animal companions can only wear barding and neck slot items. Wondrous Items work if it makes sense with anatomy. You can give them a magical ring if you purchase a Hand of Glory. Humanoid animal companions and familiars, such as monkeys, apes, and imps, have all the slots a human would. Ioun stones do not work on companions that are the animal type.

Obviously, where the text allows for exceptions, these are possible.

Threatening

Reach

When you have a 10 ft. reach, you do not threaten the square that is 2 diagonally from you because technically it is 15 ft. reach. However, if someone passes from the 15 ft. away square to the 5 ft. away square and would normally threaten for passing through a threatened area, they do (or vice versa moving the other way). If you do a combat maneuver that stops movement such as trip and succeed, they remain in the square they were previously.

Note: Interpreting this as stated means that you cannot make a diagonal 5-foot step from the corner of a creature with reach without provoking an AoO. This is, of course, absurd.

Sean K. Reynolds Post

Attacks

Natural 1 and 20

If you attack is valid, a natural 20 always hits. A natural 1 misses. As an example, if I have a BAB of +0, a -4 Dex Penalty, and I fire my longbow 1000 feet through an arrow sized hole at a creature with AC 45, I would need to roll a 77 on 1d20 to hit, but a natural 20 still hits because the attack is, in all other respects, valid.

Cover and Attacks of Opportunity

From CRB:

Rule One: To determine whether your target has cover from your ranged attack, choose a corner of your square. If any line from this corner to any corner of the target's square passes through a square or border that blocks line of effect or provides cover, or through a square occupied by a creature, the target has cover (+4 to AC).

Rule Two: When making a melee attack against an adjacent target, your target has cover if any line from any corner of your square to the target's square goes through a wall (including a low wall). When making a melee attack against a target that isn't adjacent to you (such as with a reach weapon), use the rules for determining cover from ranged attacks.

Rule Three: You can’t execute an attack of opportunity against an opponent with cover relative to you.

This is a very important rule combo. There are a few sneaky gotcha's hidden here.

Most obviously, melee combat around corners with non-reach weapons is always through cover, while ranged and reach combat around corners does not have this issue.

Therefore, ranged combat around corners, even at melee ranges, does not provoke attacks of opportunity from foes without reach.

This is a rule clarification, not a House Rule. If you play with someone and they do not allow this, they are doing it wrong.

Soft Cover and Reach

Soft cover is not an exception to the rule of providing cover for attacks of opportunity with reach attacks. In other words, if there's soft cover involved when determining attacks of opportunity, it acts the same as normal hard cover and does not allow an attack of opportunity. This means that an ally standing between you and an enemy blocks AoO.

Core Rulebook pg. 195