Advice for my Fluffy Tail (PFS)

[Dustin Knight]

So after a year of life hitting me over the head with bricks and moving across the country I finally got back into PFS! Hurrah! That being said, I'm looking at my old build and it kinda makes me fall asleep. The character only ever got to level 4 and I've started DMing online games for my old group so I should be able to try something new. That being said this build is very "tight", feat-intensive and might not even work out until such a high(er) level that it doesn't matter. So I'd like some help!

The character is a kitsune detective who strangles culprits with his tail so he can take them in for questioning (...or so the rest of the party can coup d'grace them, I suppose). I understand the severe limitations on sneak attack (lighting, immunities, etc...). But I still want to try it!

Race: Kitsune
1 - Maneuver Master Monk 1 (Improved Grapple; Improved Unarmed Strike; Snake Style)
2 - Kitsune Trickster Rogue 1
3 - Scout Rogue 2 (Weapon Finesse, Sap Adept)
4 - White Haired Witch 1 (Alertness via Familiar)
5 - White Haired Witch 2 (Strangler)
6 - Strangler Brawler 1
7 - Kitsune Trickster Rogue 2 (Final Embrace)
8 - Scout Rogue 4 (Talent - Offensive Defense)
9 - Strangler Brawler 2 (Sap Master, Weapon Focus)
10 - Sleepless Detective 1
11 - Lore Warden Fighter 1 (Dazzling Display, Shatter Defenses)
12 - Lore Warden Fighter 2 (Final Embrace Horror, Combat Expertise)
13 - Rogue 5 (Greater Grapple)

Str 12 Dex 16 Con 12 Int 18 Wis 10 Cha 9
Level 13: Str 13 Dex 18 Con 12 Int 18 Wis 10 Cha 10 (Without Gear)

Base: +8 BAB; +10 Fort; +14 Reflex; +7 Will
68+52 Skill Points
2d6+7d8+4d10 HP
+4d6 Sneak Attack; +8d6+8 on a nonlethal flat-footed sneak attack
(+6d6 on a Grapple; +12d6+12 on a flat-footed nonlethal grapple)

Items: Tries desperately to get Amulet of Mighty Blows with Agile and Merciful. Other than that wands and stat items (Agile worked into math below; Merciful was not).

Attack Methodology:
White hair attacks with sneak attack damage off a charge for 1d4+8d6+12. Then grapple using intelligence with an extra +4 to grapple from feats and class features with Constrict damage dealing another 1d4+12d6+16. There is a chance I will only do 1d3+6d6+10 because they won't be flat-footed, but with Final Embrace horror they will be for the next attack which happens using the character's swift action for another 12d6+12. Either way that's +20 AC via Offensive Defense on the charge round. If the opponent isn't dead yet and/or I catch another with an Attack of Opportunity, I can maintain the grapple to deal 1d4+12d6+10 and another 12d6 using Strangler, getting +24 AC for the round.

Snake Style and Sleepless Detective?
Kitsune Guile and Sleepless Detective give me Intelligence to Sense Motive via 2 different bonuses. Combine with Fashionable and Snake Style for +26 to sense motive, or 1d20+26 AC on a swift action. Its not the best use of my swift action but its fun and its been this character's raison d'etre since the style was released. +26 Sense Motive also means you automatically know if anyone is enchanted merely by observing them, not that its that impressive since Sleepless Detective also gives you Detect Magic at will. The detective is mostly a roleplaying choice given the character.

Potential Issues:
First and foremost I'm worried about minimum level of viability. This is a PFS character, but it looks like I can't do what I set out to do until level 4, and even then only suboptimally. If there is a better way to rearrange these levels that'd be awesome.

My base attack bonus seems frighteningly low. I'd really rather not drop Sleepless Detective or Monk to make up for it, but I might have too (maybe looking into Unarmed Fighter instead of Lore Warden and then...I dunno). Even with weapon focus it looks like I'm hitting for +13 at level 13. And only +7 at level 6 is going to be a b+~!#.

I'm also looking to wait until the new Companion book is released since its melee combat focused.

Things I wanted to Fit In:
Kata Master gives me Riposte, but my base attack bonus seems a bit too low for that. I do like the idea of strangling people when they try to hit me. Maybe look into the Snake Fang feat? I might be able to retrain away Snake Style into another level later on and get Snake Fang using my monk bonus feat; it'd be nice to hit people back who miss me after I charge the first target. Not having reach, even via Lunge, is kinda painful.

Things I'm Not Sure Work:
What exactly is greater grapple giving me here that I don't already have? Is the Strangler Feat even relevant?

Random Things of Note:
Yes the character will likely only be a skill monkey with that one little trick. Very one-shotty if not for wands which, especially at higher levels, only makes me a minor-support role at best. Fortunately I love roleplaying. Hex Magus into Prehensile Hair doesn't help me as much as you think. There's too much synergy with Intelligence, the need for a familiar for Sleepless Detective and I actually like the witch spell list.

[Magda Luckbender]

I think you are trying to do too many things. As a result, expect to have trouble pulling any of them off. PFS rewards specialization. For example, the White Haired Witch's big problem is hitting things, due to low BaB. Your 5th level BaB will be +2. At PFS retirement, level 11, your BaB will be about +6. For comparison, an 11th level Wizard has a +5 BaB. So you'll hit things only slightly better than a Wizard. Whether using INT or STR to attack, you'll have a very very tough time hitting anything. You'll have an even harder time beating CMD, as your CMB will be nearly as low as your BaB.

I suggest you try a similar concept, but with way less multiclassing. Every time you multiclass you miss out on your FCB. Every time you take a non-martial level (class with BaB +0 at 1st level) you further handicap your chance of hitting anything.

Consider whether you want this character to be primarily martial or primary a spell caster. If the former, try to avoid dips that reduce your BaB. If the latter, perhaps avoid any dips.

I'm sure there are some ways to do what you want. Perhaps pick a SINGLE CLASS and stick to that. Single class characters are usually more mechanically effective than multiclass characters. Remember, your choice of class need have nothing to do with how you flavor the character. For example, if you really want to strangle things with you hair, consider being either a single classed Witch (with the Hair hex) or a single classed White Haired Witch. Flavor it as a detective, but keep the mechanical advantage of a single class.

[Dustin Knight]

Magda Luckbender wrote:

I think you are trying to do too many things. As a result, expect to have trouble pulling any of them off. For example, the White Haired Witch's big problem is hitting things, due to low BaB. Your 5th level BaB will be +2. At PFS retirement, level 11, your BaB will be about +6. For comparison, an 11th level Wizard has a +5 BaB. So you'll hit things only slightly better than a Wizard. Whether using INT or STR to attack, you'll have a very very tough time hitting anything. You'll have an even harder time beating CMD, as your CMB will be nearly as low as your BaB.

I suggest you try a similar concept, but with way less multiclassing. Every time you multiclass you miss out on your FCB. Every time you take a non-martial level (class with BaB +0 at 1st level) you further handicap your chance of hitting anything.

Consider whether you want this character to be primarily martial or primary a spell caster. If the former, try to avoid dips that reduce your BaB. If the latter, perhaps avoid any dips.

I'm sure there are some ways to do what you want. Perhaps pick a SINGLE CLASS and stick to that. Single class characters are usually more mechanically effective than multiclass characters. Remember, your choice of class need have nothing to do with how you flavor the character. For example, if you really want to strangle things with you hair, consider being either a single classed Witch (with the Hair hex) or a single classed White Haired Witch. Flavor it as a detective, but keep the mechanical advantage of a single class.

*Nods* The low BAB really is my problem and I realize it comes from the high multiclassing. Really this is almost my loving tribute to Sap Mastery and loading up on Sneak Attack dice (see my other build linked in the first sentence of the above post).

That and all the grappling and trying to get all the sneak attack dice take up so many feats that I can't really do what I want to do until such a high level that its almost not worth it (especially with the low base attack bonus).

I'm beginning to think it'd be far better to focus on my rogue/monk charge-sap master build, maybe dipping into Snakebite Brawler for the extra BaB to avoid that dip at level 5 in Rogue. That build never did have a chance to go into Sleepless Detective, though (the bloody alertness prerequisite and the lack of Base Attack Bonus was too painful despite the sense motive and sneak attack boost).