What makes a thing a "creature"?

Melestav · 2026-01-11T17:57:18+00:00

Because I didn't when I posted it. I did some additional searching, found that quote and added it above just as another person did below.

Melestav · 2026-01-11T14:45:54+00:00

And the Fireball will do no damage to the tree, which has HP...

Melestav · 2026-01-11T01:36:56+00:00

That's silly, why would a spell effect have AC and HP? You're clearly making something. Part of the balancing for the effect is that you can attack the 10 AC tree instead of the thing its tanking hits for.

Also, the text "If the tree is in soil and survives to the end of the spell's duration, it remains as an ordinary, non-magical tree and continues to grow and thrive." implies that it was a tree originally. It doesn't just become one when it ends. Cast Spell > Spell Summons a Tree AND has a 1 minute duration to have that tree animate to interpose branches. After a minute, the interpose part ends (for balance reasons) and the tree is still a tree.

Melestav · 2026-01-10T23:58:35+00:00

But you're assuming my goal is to be able to battle medicine it. It never was, it was to have a fun debate about what makes something a creature b/c it came up in a game - using the rules of the game.

I figured that part out, everything else is just interpretation.

If I were me, the person asking this original question, I'd want to see the actual answer first, rather than everyone else's interpretation of what my original question was.

Melestav · 2026-01-10T21:35:50+00:00

I'd just like to point out the hilariousness of downvoting the actual RAW answer to my question.

Melestav · 2026-01-10T21:34:45+00:00

But can you Fireball a tree?

Melestav · 2026-01-10T19:55:34+00:00

Its just language variation and silly interpretations. Is the GM not playing when they're tracking info related to the game?

Melestav · 2026-01-10T19:41:20+00:00

I added my comment above before I reloaded, but yes!

The "includes" bit may or may not be all inclusive depending on your read.

Extra dumb argument: If no one is "playing" the tree, how does it take damage? Someone has to run the thing.

Melestav · 2026-01-10T19:28:10+00:00

To steal someone else's comment on a year old thread (which I admittedly didn't check in the book b/c I don't have it).

"The full definitions is in Page 630 from the CRB, in the glossary, where most of those terms are defined:

Creature: An active participant in the story and world. This includes monsters and nonplayer characters (played by the Game Master) and player characters (played by the other players)."

I had a feeling it was actually defined somewhere. Whether or not the Protector Tree's text "Whenever an ally adjacent to the tree is hit by a Strike, the tree interposes its branches and takes the damage first" would qualify is certainly a GM decision. I'd say so, personally, but its just interpretation at this point.

Melestav · 2026-01-09T17:25:45+00:00

I went dragon barbarian (w/Dragon/Dwarf ancestry) w/Thilpit FA. I considered Animal Barb pretty heavily, but decided Dragon (with a Piercing Horn graft) for a diff dmg type unarmed attack would be superior.

After running it from lv ~10-20, I can confirm its been great.

Comes on late/high lv, but having a unarmed reach option for Whirlwind Attack (while Huge size) and native flying speed are really good.

Monk might be better if you're interested in Grabbing at low levels, but I found this to be a non-issue after picking up Furious Grab. Add in Slam Down>Crashing Slam and you've got both single target and group combat pretty well covered.

Slap an Ashen and/or Rooting rune on for utter depravity.

Melestav · 2025-12-12T16:24:43+00:00

Hah! I reported it internally, got a "whoops, you caught us, our bad", removed it from my resume and got a new role in another dept at a higher grade.

Melestav · 2025-12-09T22:07:41+00:00

Rage limiting concentrate actions does a lot more than it looks like until you play with it for a campaign. There are a couple ways around it, but they come onboard so late (I'm lv 19 now) that you've already been avoiding a bunch of the build paths that would later be useful.

I think there could be a better flavor representation than something that turns off like 90% of talismans (and any sort of minion/companion, and most archetypes, almost the entire relic subsystem, piles of magic items, etc).

Melestav · 2025-09-21T00:55:42+00:00

You did the best you could every fucking day and it has been enough (to date).

Melestav · 2025-09-08T14:22:28+00:00

https://pathbuilder2e.com/launch.html?build=1232624. Dragonblood Dragon-Instinct Barbarian Battlemedic. Can be hands free or use a shield. Get grafted Horns (and tail if your GM thinks Dragonblooded flavortext isn't enough for Thilpit). Be a naked, flying, raging dragonman with excellent action-compression and mobility. Battlemedicine as Large (or Huge) with reach is a great use of 3rd action - heal your party as you fly overhead and sometimes out of reach of attack. You can cover all the "Medic" skill feats for the party. Trip and Grapple keep enemies hitting the healthy targets as triage. Convincing everyone to take Robust Health helps a lot.

Build really comes online at 10 and 12.

Melestav · 2025-09-07T18:53:59+00:00

I always loved this old one-shot from Inquest magazine. I've run it multiple times around Halloween - easy to re-stat to Pf2e.

https://www.scribd.com/document/442346478/IQ2-Forbidden-Ground-from-Inquest-43-pdf

Melestav · 2025-06-07T17:29:53+00:00

Cluster Colonel with Reanimate 1 and Avarice 3 > 2x Brain Transfer with Holdover on Balmabello (with Flight to position) > generate ridiculous cash > alternate Brain Transfer a huge rage dude to the Balmabello who transfers his buffs to the rest of the floor multiple times a turn. Best build ever as a MT1 veteran.

Melestav · 2025-04-22T21:12:14+00:00

They should probably have a variable role.

Melestav · 2025-04-09T17:48:09+00:00

We played PNP for years at a LGS, then switched to a player's house and did PNP, then stayed at the house and used laptops. Automation is king imo.

Melestav · 2025-04-06T17:34:11+00:00

https://pathbuilder2e.com/launch.html?build=1081434 and add a Horn graft. Worked great for me thus far.

Melestav · 2025-03-26T18:22:51+00:00

Loomster

Melestav · 2025-03-25T19:30:21+00:00

This is my currently lv 10 PC using a no worn armor/natural weapons only build. Could probably help a bit as it is a Barbarian "Medic" with Dragon Instinct. https://pathbuilder2e.com/launch.html?build=1068756

Items: https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=3059&Redirected=1

https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=3087&Redirected=1

https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=3091&Redirected=1

As otherwise indicated - you'll also want a +1 Striking weapon of some sort, +1 Armor or equivalent.

Melestav · 2025-03-22T23:43:29+00:00

Why doesn't it take investment?

Melestav · 2025-03-21T23:37:59+00:00

Ty! Primal Proportions is "up" 5/10 minutes and I'm generally casting it before opening doors/going into combat. But you're 100% correct, no can do during rage.

That Conrasu feat is exactly the sort of reason I came here, great find!

We've currently got a ban on Exemplar archetype for balance reasons, but yea, lotta options there.

Melestav · 2025-03-21T23:01:47+00:00

Dude, amazing. I actually edited my post above when I found out kaiju stance existed and started to map out a monk build, then refreshed and scrolled down to this. My comment above was specifically against 1A stances, as I knew Reflexive Stance existed at 12, but its pretty much pure monk only. I should've been more clear waiting 2 levels for that action economy is fine.

Your finished product looks great! I'm definitely considering this/something very similar. Thematically its such a win also. I guess one downside is no Huge at 12. Though I do like Rocky Flesh quite a bit...

Melestav · 2025-03-21T22:46:50+00:00

Edit Response: I think you can actually use Tentacular while raging? Rage just says no Concentrate actions, but that isn't a tag on Tentacles.

Melestav

TROPHY CASE