Editor question about Weapon Finesse feat

[lpye]

In the Weapon Finesse feat, in the eval script associated with it, what is "Hero.Finesse"?

The Weapon Finesse feat allows you to replace your STR bonus for hit with your DEX bonus. I'm interested in creating a feat that does the same for the damage bonus.

When I pulled in the "Dervish Dance" feat as a base for modification, I saw that it iterates over the player's scimitars and adjusts the bonuses there.

When I pulled in the "Weapon Finesse" feat as a base for modification, I saw that it basically executes "hero.assign[Hero.Finesse]".

I suspect that I could (and perhaps should or even will need to) use Dervish Dance as a base and just not restrict the weapon type (and also not add the piercing modifier). I haven't done this yet but will give it a shot.

What I'm curious about, as the first line in this post indicates, is what exactly that line in the Weapon Finesse eval script is doing. It seems like the "Finesse" attribute is defined for a character and/or can be applied, and has meaning. I'm trying to find out how it is used as my gut tells me that would be a cleaner approach than that taken with the Dervish Dance scripts. But I don't know that there is a similar flag/state/whatever for what I'm trying to do.

Can anyone point me to a good source of info?

[Sendric]

The script "hero.assign[Hero.Finesse]" assigns the tag Hero.Finesse to the hero. Internally, HL checks for the tag, and if present, uses DEX to determine attack bonus as appropriate. I don't think there's a similar tag for changing the damage bonus, so you'll want to use the Dervish Dance feat as your base. If you're only changing damage, then you would remove the line that changes "wAttBonus". Also, you'll want to determine which weapons you want to affect. If all weapons, then the foreach loop could simply be "foreach pick in hero from BaseWep". If you want to limit it, then you'll need to change the part that says "IsWeapon.wScimitar". What you change it to depends on what weapons you want to limit it to. You can look at the tags for some of the weapons you would want to use by adding that weapon in a portfolio then right-clicking on it and selecting "Show Debug Tags".

A few examples:

For melee weapons:

foreach pick in hero from BaseWep where "wCategory.Melee"

For light weapons:

foreach pick in hero from BaseWep where "wCategory.Light"

For light melee weapons:

foreach pick in hero from BaseWep where "wCategory.Melee & wCategory.Light"

For light melee weapons that aren't made of metal:

foreach pick in hero from BaseWep where "wCategory.Melee & wCategory.Light & !EquipType.Metal"

For light or one-handed weapons:

foreach pick in hero from BaseWep where "wCategory.Light | wCategory.OneHanded"

Hope that helps.

[Aaron]

*Points to self*

Hero.Finesse is a tag, as the first part indicates it is a member of a group of tags that are often assigned to the hero. There are internal scripts that run on each weapon that check for this tag on the hero, then check for another tag on themselves that indicates they are either Light weapons or count as it. If both of those are true, it uses the Dex instead of Str for attack bonuses when Dex is higher.

As of version 6.14 there is an easier way to handle this than the cumbersome script you found. Simply assign the DamageOver (if you want the new stat to be used even if it is lower) or the DamageOpt (if you want to use the higher of Str or the new attribute for damage) tag to the weapon.

[Sendric]

Originally Posted by Aaron

As of version 6.14 there is an easier way to handle this than the cumbersome script you found. Simply assign the DamageOver (if you want the new stat to be used even if it is lower) or the DamageOpt (if you want to use the higher of Str or the new attribute for damage) tag to the weapon.

Damnit. I keep forgetting about DamageOver. You people and your fancy schmancy Pathfinder tags.

[lpye]

Awesome! Thank you for the quick response. If I could impose a bit further..

I've checked out some of the links in the forums and from various searches on Google, but I haven't been able to find a nice definitive list of known tags OR if that isn't available because the tags vary based on system, a surefire way of finding the tags within your ruleset.

I'm a developer by trade and am not afraid to dig through documentation or search through code, but I've been stumped as for where existing docs (particular to Pathfinder rules) can be found and/or how to search through existing code to find what I need to do. At least outside of trying to create a feat based on an existing feat.

Any help there?

[lortondm]

Originally Posted by lpye

Awesome! Thank you for the quick response. If I could impose a bit further..

I've checked out some of the links in the forums and from various searches on Google, but I haven't been able to find a nice definitive list of known tags OR if that isn't available because the tags vary based on system, a surefire way of finding the tags within your ruleset.

I'm a developer by trade and am not afraid to dig through documentation or search through code, but I've been stumped as for where existing docs (particular to Pathfinder rules) can be found and/or how to search through existing code to find what I need to do. At least outside of trying to create a feat based on an existing feat.

Any help there?

I had posted the same question as above elsewhere and hadn't gotten an answer and I see none follows this user asking it either. So I thought I'd re-up the question.

More to my immediate need, I found this thread because I'd like to recreate an Old Greyhawk feat called Companion Guard Style. It allows weapon finesse, essentially, to apply to the use of longswords and longspears.

Can anyone help explain to a non-programmer like me how to modify the hero.finesse thing to change the weapons it applies to so I can include that eval script in this new user feat I'm creating? (Please be very mechanistic with me -- step one, go to X and do Y, step two, etc.)

Thanks.

[ShadowChemosh]

Originally Posted by lortondm

I had posted the same question as above elsewhere and hadn't gotten an answer and I see none follows this user asking it either. So I thought I'd re-up the question.

Their is no good source that gives a full list of macros, tags, and uses. Nothing like JavaDoc to auto create this stuff for LW. Also they add new tags all the time actually. So best is to try and duplicate something that is similar and see what tags get used.

Originally Posted by lortondm

More to my immediate need, I found this thread because I'd like to recreate an Old Greyhawk feat called Companion Guard Style. It allows weapon finesse, essentially, to apply to the use of longswords and longspears.

Can anyone help explain to a non-programmer like me how to modify the hero.finesse thing to change the weapons it applies to so I can include that eval script in this new user feat I'm creating? (Please be very mechanistic with me -- step one, go to X and do Y, step two, etc.)

Thanks.

Hero.Finesse simply tells background scripts to have Finesse capable weapons to use dex instead of Strength. So really you want to "tag" Longswords and Longspears to be finesseable weapons.

I am not near HL so currently all I can give you is the theory. The idea is to add a finesse weapon to your character and say longsword to you character. Then examine the tags on the two weapons and see what tag is on the finesse weapon that does not exist on the longsword.

Then on the feat you would simply loop through all the weapons (Longswords & Longspears) and would assign the tag you found above to the weapons. This would make the weapons then be finesse capable weapons.

[Eretas]

Did anyone coded the "agile weapon"? It supposed to come from : Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Pathfinder Society Field Guide, but i am not able to find it in the buyable package.

Agile


Price +1 bonus
Aura moderate transmutation; CL 7th; Weight -

DESCRIPTION

This enhancement can only be placed on a melee weapon which is usable with the Weapon Finesse feat.

Agile weapons are unusually well balanced and responsive. A wielder with the Weapon Finesse feat can choose to apply her Dexterity modifier to damage rolls with the weapon in place of her Strength modifier. This modifier to damage is not increased for two-handed weapons, but is still reduced for off-hand weapons.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Craft Magic Arms and Armor, cat's grace; Cost +1 bonus

[Aaron]

I'm seeing that power correctly sourced and available. Are you sure that source is enabled for the character you're looking at? You can double check by going to Character-Configure Hero, and then scrolling down the list of sources to the right.

[Eretas]

No it's not, the Pathfinder Society Field guide in grey out, I don't find it in the proper campaign setting. Do you witch one is it? ( I have the 6 first one only)

Stange: I owned the Pathfinder campaign setting 6th also, but it is still grey out...

EDIT: I reset my license, it's all set.