Rules (Apath)

Unofficial rules compendium

Character Rules

Skills

All characters gain an additional two skill points per level.

Some skills have gained additional uses.

• Appraise
• Acrobatics
• Craft
• Linguistics
• Profession - Gambling

Skills can get critical success; on a roll of 20 you can roll again (much like when verifying a critical hit) and of the second roll would have been a success against the DC of the original task, it somehow succeeds spectacularly well.

Increasing Abilities by Level

As long as you use your level-granted ability increase (normally gained at levels 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20) for an ability increase resulting in a score of 15 or less, you get two ability improvements, neither of which can give you an attribute score exceeding 15. You can apply both improvements to the same ability score, as long as your final score ends up at 15 or less.

Racial and inherent attribute modifiers are considered part of the ability score for this rule; it does not matter if you arrived at the score trough a racial or inherent modifier.

Magic Rules

Metamagic

Forget the original metamagic rules except when creating magic items.

Applying metamagic is a free action for all classes, and it is never prepared in advance. You can apply metamagic that brings the effective spell level of a spell up to the highest spell level you can cast, for free. You can apply the same metamagic feat several times to the same spell, with cumulative effects.

Multi Class Caster Level

A muticlass spellcaster always bases his caster level on character level, not class level. Some classes still have a penalty on caster level (notably paladins and rangers).

The same applies to the game statistics of mounts, familiars, animal companions, and eidolons - but not to the special abilities they gain by level, such as evolutions.

Combat Rules

Attacks of Opportunity

Combat in three dimensions is fast and fluid

Creatures that are not standing stable on the ground - such as when standing on a slippery or tight surface, riding, flying, swimming, or climbing - do not get to make any attacks of opportunity triggered by movement.

Combat Maneuvers

Bull Rush

You can make a bull rush as a standard action or as part of a charge, in place of the melee attack. You can only bull rush an opponent who is no more than one size category larger than you. A bull rush attempts to push an opponent straight back without doing any harm. If you do not have the Improved Bull Rush feat, or a similar ability, initiating a bull rush provokes an attack of opportunity from the target of your maneuver.

If your attack is successful, your target is pushed back 5 feet. For every 5 by which your attack exceeds your opponent's CMD you can push the target back an additional 5 feet. You can move with the target if you wish but you must have the available movement to do so. If your attack fails, your movement ends in front of the target.

An enemy being moved by a bull rush does not provoke an attack of opportunity because of the movement unless you possess the Greater Bull Rush feat. You cannot bull rush a creature into a square that is occupied by a solid object or obstacle. If there is another creature in the way of your bull rush, you must immediately make a combat maneuver check to bull rush that creature. You take a –4 penalty on this check for each creature being pushed beyond the first. If you are successful, you can continue to push the creatures a distance equal to the lesser result. For example, if a fighter bull rushes a goblin for a total of 15 feet, but there is another goblin 5 feet behind the first, he must make another combat maneuver check against the second goblin after having pushed the first 5 feet. If his check reveals that he can push the second goblin a total of 20 feet, he can continue to push both goblins another 10 feet (since the first goblin will have moved a total of 15 feet).

Dirty Trick

Source: Advanced Player's Guide.

You can attempt to hinder a foe in melee as a standard action. This maneuver covers any sort of situational attack that imposes a penalty on a foe for a short period of time. Examples include kicking sand into an opponent’s face to blind him for 1 round, pulling down an enemy’s pants to halve his speed, or hitting a foe in a sensitive spot to make him sickened for a round. The GM is the arbiter of what can be accomplished with this maneuver, but it cannot be used to impose a permanent penalty, and the results can be undone if the target spends a move action. If you do not have the Improved Dirty Trick feat or a similar ability, attempting a dirty trick provokes an attack of opportunity from the target of your maneuver.

If your attack is successful, the target takes a penalty. The penalty is limited to one of the following conditions:

blinded, dazzled, deafened, entangled, shaken, or sickened.

This condition lasts for 1 round. For every 5 by which your attack exceeds your opponent’s CMD, the penalty lasts 1 additional round. This penalty can usually be removed if the target spends a move action. If you possess the Greater Dirty Trick feat, the penalty lasts for 1d4 rounds, plus 1 round for every 5 by which your attack exceeds your opponent’s CMD. In addition, removing the condition requires the target to spend a standard action.

Disarm

FAQ/Errata: Disarm Weapons: You don't have to use a weapon with the disarm special feature (a.k.a. a "disarm weapon") when making a disarm combat maneuver--you can use any weapon.

You can attempt to disarm your opponent in place of a melee attack. If you do not have the Improved Disarm feat, or a similar ability, attempting to disarm a foe provokes an attack of opportunity from the target of your maneuver. Attempting to disarm a foe while unarmed imposes a –4 penalty on the attack.

If your attack is successful, your target drops one item it is carrying of your choice (even if the item is wielded with two hands). If your attack exceeds the CMD of the target by 10 or more, the target drops the items it is carrying in both hands (maximum two items if the target has more than two hands). If your attack fails by 10 or more, you drop the weapon that you were using to attempt the disarm. If you successfully disarm your opponent without using a weapon, you may automatically pick up the item dropped.

Drag

Source: Advanced Player's Guide.

You can attempt to drag a foe as a standard action. You can only drag an opponent who is no more than one size category larger than you. The aim of this maneuver is to drag a foe in a straight line behind you without doing any harm. If you do not have the Improved Drag feat or a similar ability, initiating a drag provokes an attack of opportunity from the target of your maneuver.

If your attack is successful, both you and your target are moved 5 feet back, with your opponent occupying your original space and you in the space behind that in a straight line. For every 5 by which your attack exceeds your opponent’s CMD, you can drag the target back an additional 5 feet. You must be able to move with the target to perform this maneuver. If you do not have enough movement, the drag goes to the maximum amount of movement available to you and ends.

An enemy being moved by a drag does not provoke an attack of opportunity because of the movement unless you possess the Greater Drag feat. You cannot move a creature into a square that is occupied by a solid object or obstacle. If there is another creature in the way of your movement, the drag ends adjacent to that creature.

Stability Racial Trait: Some characters or types of creatures prove particularly sure-footed, making them more difficult to overthrow and move around the battlefield. Any racial ability that grants a bonus to CMD versus bull rush attempts grants the same bonus against drag combat maneuvers.

Overrun

As a standard action, taken during your move or as part of a charge, you can attempt to overrun your target, moving through its square. You can only overrun an opponent who is no more than one size category larger than you. If you do not have the Improved Overrun feat, or a similar ability, initiating an overrun provokes an attack of opportunity from the target of your maneuver. If your overrun attempt fails, you stop in the space directly in front of the opponent, or the nearest open space in front of the creature if there are other creatures occupying that space.

When you attempt to overrun a target, it can choose to avoid you, allowing you to pass through its square without requiring an attack. If your target does not avoid you, make a combat maneuver check as normal. If your maneuver is successful, you move through the target's space. If your attack exceeds your opponent's CMD by 5 or more, you move through the target's space and the target is knocked prone. If the target has more than two legs, add +2 to the DC of the combat maneuver attack roll for each additional leg it has.

Reposition

Source: Advanced Player's Guide.

You can attempt to reposition a foe to a different location as a standard action. You can only reposition an opponent that is no more than one size category larger than you. A reposition attempts to force a foe to move to a different position in relation to your location without doing any harm. If you do not have the Improved Reposition feat or a similar ability, attempting to reposition a foe provokes an attack of opportunity from the target of your maneuver. You cannot use this maneuver to move a foe into a space that is intrinsically dangerous, such as a pit or wall of fire. If your attack is successful, you may move your target 5 feet to a new location. For every 5 by which your attack exceeds your opponent’s CMD, you can move the target an additional 5 feet. The target must remain within your reach at all times during this movement, except for the final 5 feet of movement, which can be to a space adjacent to your reach.

An enemy being moved by a reposition does not provoke an attack of opportunity because of the movement unless you possess the Greater Reposition feat. You cannot move a creature into a square that is occupied by a solid object or obstacle.

Steal

Source: Advanced Player's Guide.

You can attempt to take an item from a foe as a standard action. This maneuver can be used in melee to take any item that is neither held nor hidden in a bag or pack. You must have at least one hand free (holding nothing) to attempt this maneuver. You must select the item to be taken before the check is made. Items that are simply tucked into a belt or loosely attached (such as brooches or necklaces) are the easiest to take. Items fastened to a foe (such as cloaks, sheathed weapons, or pouches) are more difficult to take, and give the opponent a +5 bonus (or greater) to his CMD. Items that are closely worn (such as armor, backpacks, boots, clothing, or rings) cannot be taken with this maneuver. Items held in the hands (such as wielded weapons or wands) also cannot be taken with the steal maneuver—you must use the disarm combat maneuver instead. The GM is the final arbiter of what items can be taken. If you do not have the Improved Steal feat or a similar ability, attempting to steal an object provokes an attack of opportunity from the target of your maneuver.

Although this maneuver can only be performed if the target is within your reach, you can use a whip to steal an object from a target within range with a –4 penalty on the attack roll.

If your attack is successful, you may take one item from your opponent. You must be able to reach the item to be taken (subject to GM discretion). Your enemy is immediately aware of this theft unless you possess the Greater Steal feat. Sunder

You can attempt to sunder an item held or worn by your opponent as part of an attack action in place of a melee attack. If you do not have the Improved Sunder feat, or a similar ability, attempting to sunder an item provokes an attack of opportunity from the target of your maneuver.

If your attack is successful, you deal damage to the item normally. Damage that exceeds the object's Hardness is subtracted from its hit points. If an object has equal to or less than half its total hit points remaining, it gains the broken condition. If the damage you deal would reduce the object to less than 0 hit points, you can choose to destroy it. If you do not choose to destroy it, the object is left with only 1 hit point and the broken condition.

Trip

FAQ/Errata

If you want to make a trip combat maneuver, do you have to use a weapon with the trip special feature?

No. When making a trip combat maneuver, you don't have to use a weapon with the trip special feature--you can use any weapon. For example, you can trip with a longsword or an unarmed strike, even though those weapons don't have the trip special feature. Note that there is an advantage to using a weapon with the trip special feature (a.k.a. a "trip weapon") when making a trip combat maneuver: if your trip attack fails by 10 or more, you can drop the trip weapon instead of being knocked prone.

On a related note, you don't have to use a weapon with the disarm special feature (a.k.a. a "disarm weapon") when making a disarm combat maneuver--you can use any weapon.

You can attempt to trip your opponent in place of a melee attack. You can only trip an opponent who is no more than one size category larger than you. If you do not have the Improved Trip feat, or a similar ability, initiating a trip provokes an attack of opportunity from the target of your maneuver.

If your attack exceeds the target's CMD, the target is knocked prone. If your attack fails by 10 or more, you are knocked prone instead. If the target has more than two legs, add +2 to the DC of the combat maneuver attack roll for each additional leg it has. Some creatures—such as oozes, creatures without legs, and flying creatures—cannot be tripped.

Feint

Note: Though the feint action is located here, near the rules for combat maneuvers, and while it seems like it might BE a combat maneuver, feinting is NOT a combat maneuver. The Paizo PRD is organized with the feint rules located in the same placement.

Feinting is a standard action. To feint, make a Bluff skill check. The DC of this check is equal to 10 + your opponent's base attack bonus + your opponent's Wisdom modifier. If your opponent is trained in Sense Motive, the DC is instead equal to 10 + your opponent's Sense Motive bonus, if higher. If successful, the next melee attack you make against the target does not allow him to use his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any). This attack must be made on or before your next turn.

When feinting against a non-humanoid you take a –4 penalty. Against a creature of animal Intelligence (1 or 2), you take a –8 penalty. Against a creature lacking an Intelligence score, it's impossible. Feinting in combat does not provoke attacks of opportunity. Feinting as a Move Action

With the Improved Feint feat, you can attempt a feint as a move action.

Damage

Critical Stacking

Effects that improve critical hits do stack, except spells and weapon abilities that double the threat range of a weapon. So the keen weapon property and Improved Critical feat do stack, and both stack with bless weapon, but the keen weapon property and the spell keen edge do not stack.

Damage to Objects

Objects take critical hits and can suffer a coup-de-grace. Weapon damage to unattended objects is halved, except if the object is judged to be particularly susceptible to this kind of attack.

These two rules tend to cancel out, as you usually do coup-de-grace to objects. It does not apply to constructs, even if they have hardness they are not objects. Neither do weapons you are trying to sunder take half damage..

Falling Damage

Acrobatics can reduce damage by more than one increment; each multiple of 15 on the Acrobatics roll removes another increment of falling damage.

The normal falling damage increment is 1d6 for a creature of medium size, but falling damage scales with size. For each d6 of damage a fall would normally cause (after subtracting for Acrobatics), read on the below table to see what it ends up as, based on size.

Size	Fine	Diminutive	Tiny	Small	Medium	Large	Huge	Gargantuan	Colossal
Falling damage die	1	1d2	1d3	1d4	1d6	1d8	2d6	2d8	4d6

Equipment

Traps

The base cost of a mechanical trap is CR^2 x 100 gp.

Cutlass

The cutlass has the same special rules as the rapier.

• Benefit: You can use the Weapon Finesse feat to apply your Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength modifier to attack rolls with a cutlass sized for you, even though it isn't a light weapon.
• Drawback: You can't wield a cutlass in two hands in order to apply 1-1/2 times your Strength bonus to damage.
• Weapon Feature(s): finesse

Strength and Missile Weapons

This replaces the normal Mighty Bow rules and works the same way for all missile weapons, including firearms and crossbows.

• A character using a missile weapon adjusted for him can use half his Strength damage bonus with that missile weapon. This damage bonus only applies out to one range increment away.
• Adjusting a weapon this way takes a DC 20 check of the appropriate Craft skill and costs 50% of the cost of the weapon - this is the base price of the weapon, excluding the cost of special materials, masterwork weapons, or magical enhancements.
• A character with a negative Strength bonus does not do less damage with a missile weapon.

First Combat Round

If both sides are aware of each other before the start of a combat, neither side is flat-footed. The mutual flatfooted condition that is the default applies when two sides encounter each other without being prepared, such as after opening a dungeon door, moving around a bend in a forest, or when one side suddenly turns hostile. At any time when initiative could reasonably have been rolled beforehand and it was only by convenience that combat was started at this time, creatures are not flat-footed.

Flanking

When an creature is flanked, all enemies striking that target get the flanking bonus, not just the those causing the creature to be flanked. "Flanked" becomes sort of a condition under this rule - you are either flanked by all or none of your assailants. Ranged weapons cannot benefit from flanking.

Size in Combat

Overrun

You can end your move in the space of a creature of a size category smaller than yours when you do an overrun. If, after an overrun, you share the space of a smaller creature that creature is pushed to the free space of its choice closest to you. This movement does not trigger attacks of opportunity.

Size and Range

The range increment of ranged weapons are affected by a character's size. The given range of each weapon is for a Small or Medium-size character. The following table give range multipliers for characters of different size.

Size Code	Range Multiple
Fine	x1/3
Diminutive	x1/2
Tiny	x2/3
Small	x1
Medium	x1
Large	x3/2 (+50%)
Huge	x2
Gargantuan	x3
Colossal	x4

Metric Measurements

This translates some of the Pathfinder measurements into metric units for easier real-life comparisons.

Map Scale

The standard map we use has a scale of 23.3 mm = 1 square = 5 ft = 1.5 meters.

This gives a scale of approximately 1:65

Movement

Translation of the Movement Table of the SRD into metric measurements:

One Round (tactical)	15 feet	20 feet	30 feet	40 feet	60 feet
Walk	5 m	6.5 m	10 m	15 m	20 m
Hustle	10 m	15 m	20 m	25 m	40 m
Run(x3)	15 m	20 m	30 m	40 m	60 m
Run(x4)	20 m	25 m	40 m	55 m	80 m
One Minute (local)	15 feet	20 feet	30 feet	40 feet	60 feet
Walk	50 m	67 m	100 m	133 m	200 m
Hustle	100 m	133 m	200 m	267 m	400 m
Run(x3)	150 m	200 m	300 m	400 m	600 m
Run(x4)	200 m	267 m	400 m	533 m	800 m
One Hour (overland)	15 feet	20 feet	30 feet	40 feet	60 feet
Walk	2.5 km	3 km	5 km	6.4 km	10 km
Hustle	5 km	6.5 km	10 km	13 km	20 km
Run(x3)	7 km	10 km	15 km	20 km	30 km
Run(x4)	10 km	13 km	20 km	25 km	40 km
One Day (overland)	15 feet	20 feet	30 feet	40 feet	60 feet
Walk	20 km	25 km	40 km	50 km	75 km
Hustle	40 km	50 km	75 km	100 km	150 km
Run(x3)	60 km	75 km	115 km	150 km	230 km
Run(x4)	75 km	100 km	150 km	200 km	300 km

Temperature

Not many temperature measurements are given in the SRD, but here are a few translations.

Spells

• Endure Elements makes temperatures from -45 C to +60 C comfortable.

Weather

• Extrem Cold is defined as below -30 C.
• Severe Cold is defined as -30 C to -15 C
• Cold Weather is defined as -15 C to 5 C.
• Moderate Weather is defined as 5 C to 15 C.
• Warm Weather is defined as 15 C to 30 C.
• Hot Weather is defined as 30 C to 45 C.
• Severe Heat is defined as 45 C to 60 C
• Extreme Heat is defined as above 60 C.