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* Pathfinder Society GM. 295 posts. 22 reviews. No lists. No wishlists. 18 Organized Play characters.


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Liberty's Edge

Ouch.

Having just completed book 2, this will be a very difficult AP for that party. Without giving too much in the way of spoilers, the theme is survival horror. You will not be able to pick up CLW wands at the corner shop.

Hit point healing HAS been an issue for my party, even with a witch and a spiritualist. And condition removal is absolutely essential.

If your GM wants to add skews of consumables it might be possible, but it won’t be pretty.

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Quote:


Infiltator looks interesting, but i dont think that a lot of NPC wil try to check my alignment
Sanctified Slayer for Studied Target and sneak attack?

Yes, the Sanctified Slayer's infinite per day studied target is more useful at low levels than a 1/day judgment. It is great in combat, but can also boost Bluff, Knowledge, Perception, Sense Motive, and Survival checks attempted against your target out of combat, in social situations.

Sneak attack is a nice little boost to your damage at level 4, if you can manage a flank or surprise someone with your sudden but inevitable betrayal. Note: Acid Splash with Studied Target and sneak attack does a decent amount of damage at that level, so you don't even need a weapon in hand!

Infiltrator archetype, Conversion inquisition, and Politics Inquisition are 3 different ways to get Wisdom to either replace or add to your Cha bonus for social skills, so that you can keep Cha at 12 or even dump it to 8 and still get your face job done.

Liberty's Edge

Here's a different possibility.

Play a LE Sanctified Slayer inquisitor of Abadar! The Infiltrator archetype will add your Wisdom bonus to your Charisma for social skills, and the Trade domain gives you bonus movement speed and the ability to boost your Diplomacy, Bluff, and Sense Motive a few times a day.

If you prefer Asmodeus to Abadar, you could use the Conversion or Politics inquisition instead of Trade, and then you wouldn't need the Infiltrator archetype.

The level 1 Ears of the City spell is great for gathering information, and the Honeyed Tongue spell at level 2 will let you roll twice for Diplomacy!

For combat feats, pick up Power Attack if you want to attack two-handed. If you prefer to stay at range, a human can be effective with Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, and Rapid Shot by level 3.

Liberty's Edge

It is not worth spending feats trying to make a sorcerer useful in melee. You probably already know this, but defenses like Mirror Image, Blur, Magic Circle vs Evil, etc, are essential for keeping your companion alive. Enemies will target his saves. If he doesn't already have Iron Will, pick it up!

Improved Spell Sharing is 100% worth it! Getting off a clutch Resist Energy Fire in that first round on both of you before the dragon breathes fire is great, and a single casting of an hour or 10 min/level spell can cover both of you.

Evolved Companion or Spirit's Gift might be good feats for you - check them out and talk to your GM to see what options they'll allow.

As you reach higher level, think about how your party can overcome DR. If something has DR 15/adamantine, can your companion and the other two cope with that?

Spell Resistance becomes common, so make sure you have the ability to overcome that or have spells that ignore it. Glitterdust, Wall of Force, buffs, etc.

Metamagic is starting to become useful. Extend, Persistent, and Quicken are my favorites; Heighten can also be good for a sorcerer. A quickened Vanish WILL save your life.

For a sorcerer, the Shadow Conjuration, Evocation, and Enchantment spells offer incredible flexibility. They are not just for attack, but also for utility, in case you need to Grease someone who is grabbed, get some acid damage onto a troll, cast Heroism on everyone before an Occult Ritual, etc.

Speaking of grab - Liberating Command is very, very worthwhile. Dispel Magic is GREAT for a spontaneous caster. You can recast as needed if it doesn't work, and it can be used offensively or defensive. As Ryze mentioned, your group seems light on AoE, so picking up at least one of those to deal with swarms is useful. My favorite for a sorcerer is Dragon's Breath, because of the flexibility.

I believe Carrion Crown has all types of horror creatures. Make sure you can deal with undead! Slow is effective, and it might even be worth picking up a spell or two that targets them specifically, like Command Undead or Halt Undead

ood luck!G

Liberty's Edge

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By level 20, animal companions are very fragile. Your cat will also have trouble overcoming the DR most dangerous enemies possess. So it's important that, even if the cat can't do any damage against a particular enemy, it's still helping YOU do damage.

I would 100% recommend Weapon Finesse, Combat Reflexes, Toughness, Iron Will, and Bodyguard.

For the other feats, maybe Blind-Fight, Disruptive Companion and Spellbreaker, or Step-Up to Following Step to Step-Up and Strike. Improved Critical (claws) is another possibility for proccing those sweet AoOs more often with Outflank. Or if your GM is on-board with it, Additional Traits for 'Helpful' and one other, maybe 'Orphaned' for the survival bonus and a back-story that actually makes sense for a small cat raised by a hunter.

You, as a hunter, would want Harrying Partner, Overwhelm, Blades Above and Below, and Paired Opportunists. Outflank you get by default. Those feats mean that, as long as you and your cat are threatening the same enemy, you will most likely get flank bonuses from her.

Improved Spell Sharing is very useful for making efficient use of your spell slots and actions in combat.

Broken Wing Gambit, Last Wall Phalanx, Ferocious Loyalty, Stick Together or Escape Route are some other useful Teamwork Feat options you might consider.

Liberty's Edge

Assuming you are running the game remotely, prepare some widely divergent private messages based on characters saves, perception, and sense motive rolls. “The meal is simple, but delicious. You find yourself reaching for more.” “The food leaves an after-taste of rotting blood on the back of your tongue.” Things like that. If doing it in person, you can write out the messages on scraps of paper ahead of time.

The RP is very important. Prepare some catch phrases that will seem sweet or spiritual at first, but as the cultists repeat them, over and over, in an identical tone of voice when asked questions, it will creep your players out more and more.

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I agree that an Improved Familiar that can use wands is very powerful. A local player has a familiar who sits on his shoulder with a Wand of True Strike and UMDs it each round. They can also be useful scouts and you should never underestimate extra actions in combat.

Priceless memory - playing a PFS game where an ally has just been fascinated. I cast a spell, then opened my spell pouch as a move action. "My familiar crawls out of my familiar pouch and bites him as a standard action to wake him up."

No one had seen my familiar up until then. The player of the fascinated character got a funny look on his face and said, "Uh, no offense, but WHAT EXACTLY IS BITING ME?"

I find that familiars who are used offensively in combat tend to get themselves killed pretty quickly. I like using them defensively, such as by delivering a Resist Energy to an ally across the room who's about to get blasted by a lightning bolt.

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Drognar would make a fantastic candidate for an abjuration implement with a Trickster spirit, thank you!

Liberty's Edge 1/5

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I have a PF1 haunt channeller occultist who is looking for a pathfinder (or possibly even Aspis) agent for a spirit-possessed implement.

He is particularly interested in partnering with unquiet spirits who might seek redemption, have unfinished business before departing for the Boneyard, or are looking for more excitement before heading beyond for their next Great Adventure.

At this time he is seeking either someone who, in life, commanded and inspired others such as bards, cavaliers, paladins, etc. or tricksters such as rogues, illusionists, gnomes, kitsune, tengu, and other pranksters. In the future, he will be looking for other types of recruits.

If you have a canonically dead NPC to recommend, please list their name and what scenario or resource I might read to find more information about them.

If you have a PC who died in a scenario who you think would be interested, please post their name and a few sentences of description.

Thanks for your help!

Liberty's Edge

Daylight, getaway, water breathing, life bubble, simulacrum, and planar binding.

Shadow conjuration, shadow evocation, and shadow enchantment, along with the greater versions, will let you cover most of the utility spells that you forgot to put in your spellbook. Using shadow evocation to get a heightened continual flame is endlessly amusing.

Liberty's Edge

Either could work! Off the top of my head, Dark Tapestry mystery and Shattered Psyche curse fit well for an oracle, with the Defy Madness trait and eventually Dreamed Secrets feat.

Alternatively, you could go for an amnesiac (yes, it's an archetype) psychic with the abomination discipline.

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Sylvan sorcerer for an animal companion with mirror image, animal growth, and all those delicious personal polymorph spells like Beast Shape and Form of the Dragon.

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Anger Nogar wrote:
I am aiming for character good at defending himself, one ally and hindering enemies. ... Yojimbo Samurai (Order of the Cockatrice) 4

I'm concerned that your bodyguard character concept is an automatic violation of your order's edict. Edicts: The cavalier must keep his own interests and aims above those of all others. He must always accept payment when it is due, rewards when earned, and an even (or greater) share of loot. The cavalier must take every opportunity to increase his own stature, prestige, and power.

This guy might accept a bodyguarding gig, if it paid well, but he'd ditch the sucker at the first opportunity for a better pay-day, a hint of real danger to himself, or a promise of a glorious kill on the other side of the battlefield.

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I love both the inquisitor and the occultist. Both are useful in and out of combat, with some unique abilities, interesting spell lists, and great flavor.

Liberty's Edge

You might want to consider a whip. Even from a distance, you can aid an ally's attack or AC. If you do end up taking 'Helpful Halfling', which I think is well worth it, you'd make excellent use of it.

Saving Finale doesn't work for archaeologist bards, which is very sad, BUT ... the Discordant Voice feat still works at level 11, boosts party damage whenever you are using your luck, and since your 'bardic performance feature' is now affecting your allies, I believe that it would make Saving Finale work as well!

If you decide to go for that level in swashbuckler, you might consider Mouser for a truly unique playstyle, stepping into enemy squares with Underfoot Assault to provide flank and defensive bonuses to everyone near you.

Liberty's Edge

I agree that alchemists can be very powerful team-buffers, able to hand out infusions of shield, false life, monstrous physique, etc.

The occultist is a fun (if complex) class with excellent archer abilities, some spell-casting and a number of focus ability buffs, like being able to make someone's weapon bane or ghost touch, turning them invisible, etc.

The sister-in-arms cavalier would more typically play as a melee than ranged, but they have several non-caster ways of protecting and buffing their allies, being both order of the lion and the dragon, with tactician to throw around and a built-in bodyguard ability. You could even build from it into...

The Battle Herald prestige class lets you combine the team-boosting of cavalier and bard (or evangelist cleric, or Oath of the People's Council paladin, or sensei monk).

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My Return of the Runelords AP has an unchained monk as a scout/frontliner, a sorcerer, a Cyphermage wizard, a Pact wizard with a Healing witch patron, and a heavily armored inquisitor/cavalier with an animal companion. We're making it work!

I'm very fond of hybrid classes with plenty of skills like inquisitors, investigators, occultists, and vigilantes. They can fill a lot of different roles!

Liberty's Edge

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Ultimate Wilderness introduced the ‘Receive Spell’ trick that allows you to train an animal to make full use of a specific spell. If the animal isn’t so trained, I would suggest a challenging DC Handle Animal check to make it, for example, fly up a cliff.

Liberty's Edge

I think you would enjoy playing a melee occultist. Make sure you take a Transmutation implement for buffs, and then Abjuration for protection and either Necromancy if you like that undead-controlling aspect or another implement for a completely different type of caster abilities.
Evocation for some blasting? Enchantment for mind control? Restoration for healing and CC? You can add more implements as you level, becoming more and more flexible over time.

You're a 3/4 caster in heavy armor (if you spend a feat on it) using martial weapons, with a small spell list but a long list of intriguing daily abilities. Trappings of the Warrior Panoply would make you full BAB. Very useful in and out of combat, and you have those spells no one would ever expect from you!

Liberty's Edge

You have nothing to worry about. You'll have no trouble getting into games, although you'll need to line-up for them. The organizers only pre-assigned 4 out of 6 seats at each organized play table this year so walk-ins would have plenty of options.

If you're disappointed to not get in on some of the seminars and workshops that are booked up, people frequently over-schedule themselves and end up leaving their tickets on a swap table for other people to enjoy.

Liberty's Edge

Be prepared for temperatures of 50-mid 70's. A single light jacket, sweatshirt, flannel or fleece should be plenty. (And since temperatures inside the convention can be changeable, it's worth layering for gaming.) It rains frequently in Seattle, but it's more of a drizzle and almost never pours. If you are planning on exploring the city pack a travel umbrella or a water-resistant jacket with a hat or hood, just in case.

Liberty's Edge

Based on what I've seen in past years, the PFS hall is full. However, there are always pick-up games in some of the Evergreen rooms one floor up, and there are other tables in public areas you could use. I don't know what the procedure would be if you wanted to reserve an Evergreen room.

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I just got an email from them, with an apology. Sorry to hear that you’re in a similar boat, GreyYeti.

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Very handy, thank you! I usually use the PathfinderSpellbook app on my phone, but this is a nice alternative.

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I decided to volunteer for a few slots this year, for the first time. I filled out the Google form and got an automated response, but never heard anything else about it until May. On May 2 I got an email titled 'PaizoCon Schedule Acceptance Reminder' from PaizoConLeads, saying that I'd never accepted the PaizoCon schedule they sent me on April 15, and the schedule wasn't binding until they got a reply. The email said I could reply if I needed them to resend the schedule.

I searched through my Junk, Trash, any and all filters I could think of, but couldn't find the schedule. So I emailed back, asking them to resend the schedule. I emailed them again a few days later, offering an alternative email in case somehow they were being blocked by yahoo mail. Then I emailed again a week later.

Still no schedule.

However, when the lottery finished, I had a table I'd never signed up for show up on my event schedule that I couldn't remove. Am I meant to be GM'ing that table? I suppose I can just show up to the con prepped to GM that one table, and assume that I'm not assigned to volunteer for any other activities or time slots, but I'm perplexed. Have I missed something obvious about how this is meant to work?

Liberty's Edge

*casts raise thread*

I'm about to start a Return of the Rune Lords campaign. Based on the player's guide, I'm very interested in creating a character who worships the Redeemer Queen.

Any update on the OP's question? Have James' prophecied alternate boons/obediences come to pass?

Liberty's Edge

Archery is a very powerful combat style. Early on, you want bonus feats to get your basics, including Precise Shot and Rapid Shot, online ASAP. Then you want to get Improved Precise Shot and (possibly) Point Blank Master. You'll be working to stack as much static damage as possible on each arrow. Finally you might look for some fancy options, from advanced weapon training or spells.

Divine Hunter is a solid option. 5 levels for Divine Bond and prestiging out seems reasonable. I find that writing your own paladin code and role-playing it is a fantastic experience. However, the paladin doesn't offer as much out of combat potential. There are a few other possibilities.

A ranger with favored enemy undead is very flavorful and has lots of out of combat utility. Consider the Ilsurian Archer archetype, and stay in until level 6 for Imp Precise Shot as a bonus combat feat, or another archetype and stay in until level 10 for Instant Enemy at spell level 3.

Inquisitors also offer a full package of in and out of combat capability. Judgments and bane make you a force to be reckoned with, although you can run out of those resources. Also, without any bonus feats, this builds slowly. Erastil's Feather domain, along with the Boon Companion feat, offers you a full level animal companion mount, which is fantastic for an archer. This class has fantastic abilities and 3/4 BAB; rather than Sentinel, you might consider the Evangelist prestige class which advances all your class features. (It even lets you duplicate your animal companion for a few rounds a day.)

Zen Archer comes online faster than any other archer, but if you're playing a full AP, you care more about the long game. A 4-level dip in Zen Archer, followed by levels in inquisitor, can make for a very nice long-term build.

The Molthuni Arsenal Chaplain warpriest, with swift action buffs, a full cleric spell list, and a fighter's weapon training, is probably the most powerful archer of all. Erastil's air blessing means you never need to worry about provoking. Again, those 2 skill points per level feel stifling to me - I would consider the Evangelist rather than Sentinel here, as well.

Liberty's Edge

I've recently GM'd a couple of PFS scenarios in which certain NPC's had multiple ways of CCing the PCs. They were long fights, and, yes, half the party was unable to control their characters. One of the players spoke to me after the game and thanked me for how I handled it.

Rather than, say, picking up a character's mini and moving it the way the character is compelled to move, allow them some choice. Let them be CC'd with style.

"That harpy up there is singing the most beautiful song you've ever heard. You want to get close to her. What will you do?"

"The cleric commands you to flee from him. That seems like a good idea - he's terrifying. How will you get away?"

Role-play the babbling allip and let the fascinated character babble along with you.

This doesn't sound like a much, but at least the players had some agency and were able to, somehow react in character to the situation.

Liberty's Edge

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If you are an aasimar, the Celestial Servant feat can make your cat very formidable. If you are human and your companion is a small cat, Huntmaster will boost their level.

Totem Beast for an extra Animal Focus can be useful.

If you have 13 charisma, the Beastmaster Style feat lets you counter a hit made on your animal companion with a Handle Animal check, as long as you are adjacent. Beastmaster Salvation lets you make a save for your companion with a Handle Animal check. A bit like Mounted Combat and Indomitable Mount, for the un-mounted.

Since you are a Hunter, literally any Teamwork feat you take will also benefit your companion. I would recommend Combat Expertise and Pack Flanking with Outflank (you get it at level 2) and Paired Opportunists. Then you could pick up Precise Strike, Broken Wing Gambit, Improved Share Spells, Coordinated Maneuvers, Lookout, Shake It Off, Duck and Cover, etc.

Liberty's Edge 1/5

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Racial feats and alternate racial traits are go if you have a tiefling boon. The big table of rolling for bizarre abilities is not PFS-legal.

Liberty's Edge

I'm working on my cavalier's build, and I've run into some confusion with the Mounted Combat Feat.

Mounted Combat Feat wrote:
Once per round when your mount is hit in combat, you may attempt a Ride check (as an immediate action) to negate the hit. The hit is negated if your Ride check result is greater than the opponent’s attack roll.

1) If an enemy succeeds on a CMB check against my mount, does that count as a 'hit' that I can counter with a Ride check?

2) If my mount is grappling an enemy, can I use a Ride check to counter if the enemy hits my mount on its turn?

3) If my mount is grappling an enemy, can I use a Ride check to counter their standard action attempt to take over the grapple with a CMB check?

If Mounted Combat doesn't work in any or all of those 3 circumstances, what about the Bodyguard Feat?

Bodyguard Feat wrote:
When an adjacent ally is attacked, you may use an attack of opportunity to attempt the aid another action to improve your ally’s AC. You may not use the aid another action to improve your ally’s attack roll with this attack.

Liberty's Edge 1/5

So your recommendation is to keep adding GM credits until he hits level 4, at which point this becomes far less headachey?

Liberty's Edge 1/5

More than 4 inquisitor levels. So you think neither the Sacred Huntsmaster levels nor the domain power would apply to the constrictor I get as a First Mother's Fang cavalier?

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BigNorseWolf wrote:
It won t stack unless the cavalier can also have a giant snake

The First Mother's Fang Cavalier is required to have a giant snake as a mount.

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My latest GM blob is a nagaji Mother's Fang Cavalier/Sacred Huntsmaster Inquisitor, and a devotee of the naga goddess Nalinivati. He is very proud and protective of his sacred serpent (constrictor) companion, and it would make sense for him to take the Scalykind domain. The problem is the 4th level domain power.

Serpent Companion (Ex): At 4th level, you gain the service of an animal companion. Your effective druid level for this animal companion is equal to your cleric level –2. You may choose either a viper or a constrictor snake (Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook 54) as your companion.

Now, I already have a full character-level animal companion, from the cavalier class and Sacred Huntsmaster archetype. What will happen when I become a level 4 inquisitor?

There was a fair bit of discussion around this on Paizo forums with the Animal domain, which has a similar power. The Divine Hunter archetype even has a special clause for hunters who choose the Animal domain. But there was no clear conclusion for PFS play. There are a few PFS rules and FAQs that seem to apply.

1) Only one combat pet is allowed. Even archetypes that would typically give more than one animal companion are specifically altered in PFS play to only allow one. So I definitely don't get two snakes!
2) According to this FAQ 'effective druid levels' stack. That makes sense, and it would certainly delight my character to make his companion more powerful. However, in PFS animal companions are limited to character level +1 HD, as stated in this John Compton commentary. So by level 7 I could have a level 9 companion, with 8HD, but nothing higher.
3) Perhaps I should follow the example of what happens to Divine Hunters with the Animal domain, and apply a permanent stat-boost to my companion at the level where the Serpent Companion domain power would be applied.
4) Or possibly the Serpent Companion is a dead class feature that does nothing at all. Disappointing.

How will this play out in PFS?

Liberty's Edge

You can get a buckler to use with a bow. You won't get a shield bonus in rounds where you've used the bow, but the boost to your flat-footed AC is helpful, and there's no penalty.

I wouldn't take CLW as one of my precious spells known as an inquisitor unless you won't have any access to purchasing wands. Divine Favor is the classic inquisitor combat buff spell. Expeditious Retreat and Protection from Evil are always useful. Depending on what books you have, Keep Watch and Strand of the Tangled Knot are excellent choices.

Once you get level 2 spells, Burst of Radiance has the good descriptor, and it's fantastic.

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I agree that Manyshot and Clustered Shot are both tremendously useful feats for any archer.

You might consider some of the more defensive Teamwork feats for level 6. Perhaps Shake It Off for a significant save bonus when clustered up with your party, Lookout to get a full round attack off in the surprise round, or Escape Route so you can GTFO when an enemy gets into melee range without drawing an attack of opportunity as long as you are adjacent to an ally. Remember, you can switch your most recent TW feat as a standard action, wis mod times per day.

Extended Bane might be a good choice for level 7, depending on the length of your adventuring day.

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It's certainly part of the original myth. I believe it's meant to be a stark contrast between the entrancing beauty of the harpy and her song at a distance, and then the up-close disgust of her filth-encrusted body, foul stench, and blood-stained, jagged teeth.

I'd say it's probably cultural, and a harpy that wanted to make nice with the locals could certainly change her habits to accommodate their quirky superstitions about hygiene. She might require frequent reminders to wash her face or put the entrails in the larder rather than keep them wrapped conveniently around her torso in case she gets peckish.

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Skirmisher's Tricks?

My character is still low level, so I haven't tried these out in actual play. But Surprise Shift, for a swift free 5' step, that allows you to get a charge lane or take ANOTHER 5' step to full-attack, block a caster's escape, or offer another player a flank bonus, looks very tasty.

I would also pick up either Rattling Stike, for an excellent save-free debuff that lowers their attacks and saves, or Tangling Attack for a debuff that half the high-level enemies won't be immune to. I'm not sure about the Wrath of the Righteous campaign, but the list of enemies immune to mind-affecting and/or fear is depressingly long.

Sic 'Em may or may not work, giving your animal companion a chance to provide YOU with an extra attack on a target with a swift action. Check with your GM.

Bolster Companion could definitely save your life. Imagine something attacks you while you're on your mount - it uses its immediate action to up your AC by 4 and decrease any damage taken by half. You use your own immediate action for a ride check, to either drop down and use your mount as soft cover for another 4 AC, or counter a simultaneous attack against your mount with Mounted Combat!

Especially with multiple natural attacks like a tiger has, it's not generally worth using IUS for one primary attack and one -5 iterative, at the price of making all your natural attacks secondary, with a -5 to hit and only 1/2 str bonus to damage. Unless you're, IDK, trying to chew through a caster's mirror images or something unusual like that.

An animal companion's Will saves will be terrible. Indomitable Mount is so, so worthwhile. I just GM'd a game where I nearly killed a player whose character made the save against a harpy's captivating song - but his mount didn't. The mount, by the way, died horribly.

Escape Route and Improved Spell Sharing should also be on your list of teamwork feats to consider. Remember, your most recent Hunter TW feat can be switched to any other you qualify for as a standard action, wisdom bonus times per day. Also, you can easily retrain your companion's tricks, including skirmisher tricks, using Handle Animal. So if something isn't working out, or you know you'll be facing a particular challenge, change things up to rise to that challenge.

If you'll be fighting in the Worldwound, make sure your companions' attacks can overcome DR. Since constrictors don't have a neck slot, they can't wear a +x (or menacing) AOMF like many hunter companions would. The Feykiller hunter archetype lets first one, then all of your companion's natural attacks count as cold iron. The Eldritch Claws feat makes all natural attacks count as silver and magic.

Good luck with your character; sounds like you'll have fun with him!

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An item that gives beautiful dreams would be very appropriate, as would one that an at-will dancing lights effect, where the dancing lights look like stars. Perhaps some type of dowsing ability, where once a day you can ask the goddess for a hint as to which direction would lead to the most wonderous (not safest, not treasure-filled, not optimal, but possibly the most interesting) adventures.

Liberty's Edge

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I have a paladin of Tsukiyo, the lawful good deity of Darkness, Madness, and Spirits. He's multi-classed as a haunt collector occultist with the necromancy implement. He considers it an essential part of his spiritual duties, bridging the gap between the living and the dead. He would never animate undead randomly, but the Necromantic Servant he summons with his haunted implement is of one specific spirit seeking redemption through combat in a righteous cause.

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Honestly, it looks to me like you are sinking a lot of feats into something that may not pay in combat. I would take Dirty Fighting, rather than IUS. Serves as IUS for prerequisites, as well as Combat Expertise and int and dex and opens up a lot of combat maneuver options when flanking. And if you take Pack Flanking, you will always be flanking. Many hunters dip one level of Wild Child brawler to bypass the 13 int requirement of Combat Expertise and allow flexing into combat (and teamwork) feats. The flexibility of teaching your companion a trick and letting it overrun or disarm while flanking is amazing.

Don’t overlook the skirmisher’s tricks you can teach your animal companion. They can’t use them many times per day, but a save-free entangle or shaken or half-damage to you can make all the difference in a close fight!

Shark style is a fun idea, although many creatures do not bleed at higher levels, and mobs tend to die quickly once you and you companion are full attacking them. Power Attack is absolutely worth it for a constrictor, since they follow the -1/+3 progression for their bit and all AOOs. I’m sad to see you not taking advantage of that beautiful grab ability, and wonder if you might prefer another companion in that case. If you are interested in rend you want multiple attacks, and the snake only has one until the Multiattack feat at level 9. Perhaps a tiger? Improved Natural Attack is Disappointing for constrictors. Their bite, when large, is a 1d4. Upping that to 1d6 is only +1 average damage.

I notice that you are playing a cavalier/hunter. Is it a Mother’s Fang cavalier, or some other type that allows those levels to stack for your effective Druid level for your ac? If you are planning on riding your companion, there are some additional mount feats you might want to look into, both for yourself and your companion. Valiant Steed, Mounted combat, Indomitable Mount, Ride—by-attack, and other charge feats.

If you’re going for a Paired Opportunist build, consider Broken Wing Gambit.

Iron Will is incredibly valuable for animal companions. Having them constantly feared, charmed, etc is very frustrating, and enemies will target that weak will save. Think about improving the defenses and flexibility of your companion, As well as it’s offenses.

Have fun with your critter!

Liberty's Edge 1/5

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Having RP'd a devout Pharasman wizard in PFS 1st ed, I can confirm that it led to more interparty conflict and trouble than the paladins I role-played. Pathfinders are accused of being tomb-robbers in polite society, with good reason!

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People have recommended a lot of solid options. Farstrike Monk and Flying Blade Swashbuckler are great ways to build your character. TWF is certainly possible, but I never could find a way to make it work as effective as I wanted. Your key question will always be, 'How can I use a magic weapon if I keep throwing it away?'
1) Ricochet Toss is your best option. Requires weapon training, and sadly the swashbuckler version doesn't count. The Martial Focus feat could be used to qualify.
2) The Blinkback Belt will work, especially if you have a GM who will let you combine it with a stat belt, or get a stat boosting item in another slot.
3) Two levels of Vigilante gets you Returning Throw. Only works once a round, and you need to hold still, but has potential.

My throwing weapon specialist is a Molthuni Arsenal warpriest. Human opens up Martial Versatility feat as a bonus feat; take it for Weapon Focus: throwing weapons and every throwing weapon in the world is your divine weapon, with weapon training, able to be enhanced, Startossed and Richochet Tossed! Kurgess would approve!

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I would absolutely recommend First Aid gloves, for two emergency Breath of Life casts on party members.

Perhaps a Four Leaf Clover for those clutch saves.
A Lesser Persistent rod can be very helpful.
A Numerology Cylinder is a nice boost when facing creatures with SR.
I don't see any ioun stones yet - see if any look useful and check the resonant power if placed in a wayfinder.
I see you have a Hand of Glory and only two rings listed, so you could try a ring of invisibility. Yes, lots of things have true sight, etc, at this level, but not everything.
A pre-constructed spellbook with a nice preparation ritual might be worth a few thousand gold to you at this point. Sadly, book of harms isn't PFS legal.

If you're interested in more of a single big splurge, I love the Necromancer’s Athame or Annihilation Spectacles for a wizard.
You could also look into a staff,
an orange prism ioun stone for +1 caster level
Gloves of the Commanding Conjurer.

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In a separate but related case that this discussion has me considering...

Let’s say that my ally and I both DO have the Paired Opportunist and outflank feats. I crit the flanked enemy. Unfortunately, my ally can’t take the AOO. Maybe she’s grappling, or has already used her AOO that round. Would I still get an AOO via the Paired Opportunist feat since an AOO was provoked if not taken?

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I have a few old and minor boons that I've no use for:
Mounted Tradition
Personal Physician
Xenophobia

In trade I'd like something flavorful - maybe Ley Lines? Emotional Aura? Spirit Loci? Or anything useful to a Core archer. I'm open to suggestions!

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The inquisitor might be a good fit. Inquisitors are very skillful and intimidating, can tell if people are lying to them, and are fierce in defense of their church, their beliefs, and their people. They have bonuses to perception and initiative, so they see everything that's going on and respond quickly in an emergency.

The class, like the investigator, has a lot of moving parts, but they come on slowly, and spontaneous spell-casters are generally easier for newer players. She'll be able to use wands for Cure Light Wounds and other useful spells. At level 3 she can take Power Attack, and then once Bane comes online, her sword will be fearsome indeed!

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For PFS I’m assuming no armor. It would be a pain anyway, sliding off whenever you make your phantom incorporeal or share consciousness, and requiring a few minutes to don when you make it ectoplasmic again.

Speaking of which, I’ve been wondering how much a phantom weighs in ectoplasmic form.

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You might also consider the Psychic Searcher archetype, which trades one mystery spell and one revelation for a pool of Inspiration like an investigator, and then lets you choose to trade others for a small but tasty pool of Investigator talents that can be exceptionally useful in and out of combat.