Going to be starting a campaign soon, and I am wanting to be a Halcyon druid. Before that, I need to choose what my mask will be. I know it won't matter until I get embody mask, but I'm not sure what to go with.
What Angel/Azata/Agathion/Archon would be the best to make the mask of?
I won't really be able to change my choice of which to become, and I am unsure what will be the most useful. I know there is no 'best' answer, but some must have great advantages I seem to be missing.
You'd ideally want something with a bunch of immunities and a good fly speed. A solar fits that pretty well, and it should put the fear of the gods into whatever you're facing. A draconal agathion gets a breath weapon and natural attacks if slightly less immunities.
Alternately you might aim for something tiny so you can get that +8 dex bonus, but those are less powerful creatures and will have less immunities to take advantage of.
The restrictions on which abilities you get make some choices seem really not worth it. The range on aura of menace makes it seem like a riskier choice for such a caster heavy druid, making archons seem like a bad choice.
Solar or the smaller ones do seem like the best choice but the wording of embody mask make me uncertain of becoming a large size.
Embody mask mimics beast shape, so that means your gear doesn't come with you, right?
So that means a large size option like Solar would gain physical bonuses and reach, and be left punching?
The angel aura seems good at least.
This ability requires a standard action to activate and functions as per beast shape IV (using the adjustments for magical beasts), but adds the following abilities if the assumed form has them: aura of menace, protective aura, speak with animals, telepathy, and truespeech.
'Beast Shape' might suggest your gear melds into you and can't be activated, but that's not in the spell itself. It's in the rules for polymorphing into animals/magical beasts; polymorphing into outsiders should be fine. Even if ruled so, constant effects, existing non-polymorph spells, and anything you set down and pick up afterwards is fine. If you don't want to mess around with weapons then the draconal agathion does seem good.
'but adds the following abilities' does not exclude the existing abilities. It adds to them.
& yeah, aura of menace is probably not worth worrying about.
I think much of it will depend on my DM what is still available when transformed. Would likely be worth it to carry a large spear, or regular one if the DM says it resizes, with you to take advantage of the giant reach for AoO.
I was talking more about the inability to gain some qualities of the choices that aren't listed in the embody mask or beastshape descriptions.
For instance, I can't choose a Gancanagh Azata with its invigorating passion and just kiss my entire team to buff them.
You did make an excellent point though about the Draconal. It gets the max flight speed you can gain, natural weapons, protective aura, truespeech and speak with animals along with blindsense and your choice of element to resist.
The best part of it is exactly as you mentioned, the breath attack. a DC 30, 120 foot 20d6 breath of fire cold or acid every 1d4 turns starting at level 13 seems a touch broken to me.
Having trouble seeing how any of the other choices can be better than this now. Unless you REALLY want to be tiny.
Plus you get a fearsome-looking draconic mask rather than some pretty-boy solar, or a cutesy familiar.
The DC of the breath weapon will be 10 + 1/2 HD + Con, so probably less than 30; at 13th level with a 20 Con (for example) that comes to 21.
Good point about the breath, so not as amazing as I thought, but still incredible. Because as far as I've read, the damage at least won't be effective.
Sort of on topic here with the thread necro.
So mechanically what is the mask item wise not including the bonded part? I'm going to assume there is nothing except it taking up a head slot?
ie: Can it be a battle mask so I get a +1 to intimidation for example or is there s specific mask item I should be using?
This is most likely for PFS.
Any help is appreciated. Thanks. :)
Bonded Mask (Su): A halcyon druid forms a powerful bond with a mask, which functions identically to a wizard’s bonded object except that it can be used to cast druid spells (including those gained from class abilities) instead of wizard spells. A bonded mask must be worn to have an effect, and it occupies the head slot. A halcyon druid can enhance her mask with abilities appropriate for a head slot item, and can designate an existing head slot item as her bonded mask (but only if it covers her face).
So a bonded battle mask should be fine.
How did I miss that? Thanks. :)