I'm working on a sorcerer build for sometime when I get the chance to play it. The premise is a sorcerer who draws power from the earth itself. I've settled on the Stone Bloodline from Rogue Genius Games. It looks like the bloodline could make for a decent tank, but I'm not sure about how to go about it. So I've come to you guys for a starting point.
Here's the bloodline in question.
Stone Bloodline
The only thing I've settled on for sure is race and theme. She's going to be a half elf that draws her power from the hard earth.
I'm just going to post the bloodline here. I hope that's all right. It's on the d20pfsrd too.
You have ties to supernatural forces of earth, rock, and mountain. Perhaps you are descended from barbarians who mingled with stone giants, or your ancestors may have worshiped greater earth elementals as gods.
While an elemental bloodline of earth exists in the core rules, it focuses on the link between elemental earth and acidic salts, with most of its powers dealing with acid damage. The stone bloodline is designed for characters whose connection to earth and rock focus more on the impact and durability of pure stone.
Class Skill: Climb.
Bonus Spells: lesser ironhide (3rd), hammerhand (5th), ironhide (7th), petrify (9th), greater ironhide (11th), earth armor (13th), wall of mithral (15th), iron body (17th), earthquake (19th).
Bonus Feats: Agile Maneuvers, Alertness, Arcane Armor Mastery, Arcane Armor Training, Armor Proficiency (heavy, light or medium), Blind-Fight, Deadly Aim, Defensive Combat Training.
Bloodline Arcana: Any time you cast a spell that deals damage, you may choose to have it gain the [stone] descriptor, causing it to deal weapon damage rather than its normal spell damage type. If the spell had the acid, cold, electricity, fire, force, or sonic descriptor, that descriptor is lost. If the spell has an effect other than dealing damage there is no change to its non-damaging effect. For 0-level spells the [stone] damage acts as a nonmagic weapon. For 1st-3rd level spells, the [stone] damage acts as a magic weapon. For 4th-6th level spells, the [stone] damage acts as a magic silver weapon. For 7th-9th level spells, the [stone] damage acts as a magic silver adamantine weapon.
When you cast a spell that does not deal hp damage, but has the [earth] descriptor, you treat your caster level as two higher.
Bloodline Powers: The striking power and durability of stone is yours to command.
Stone Pitch (Su): You can make sling attacks without requiring a sling. You are considered proficient in these attacks and may add your Charisma bonus rather than Dexterity bonus to your ranged attack rolls. You must have appropriate sling ammunition to use this attack. If no sling bullets are available, you may use any hand-held earth, clay, or stone object for this ability, but suffer a –1 penalty to attack and damage rolls.
At 5th level these sling attacks are treated as if the sling used has a +1 enhancement bonus to attack and damage. At 8th, 11th, 14th and 17th level this bonus increases by +1. At 8th level or higher you may choose to gain a special magic property rather than an enhancement bonus. You may choose from distance, merciful, seeking, or speed (sacrificing an enhancement bonus equal to the property’s base price modifier). You may also choose to sacrifice +2 of your enhancement bonus to add anarchic, axiomatic, holy, or unholy if your alignment matches the property to be added (chaotic, lawful, good, or evil, respectively). Once you select a special ability it may not be changed until you gain another increase to this ability’s enhancement bonus, and you must always retain at least +1 of your total enhancement bonus to these attacks.
Ironguts (Su): At 3rd level, you gain a +1 natural armor bonus and +1 to all Fortitude saves. At 9th level these bonuses increase to +2, and at 15th level they increase to +4.
Tough As Stone (Su): At 9th level you gain a +2 inherent bonus to your Constitution. This bonus increases to +4 at 13th level, and to +6 at 17th level.
Call of the Earth (Su): At 15th level, whenever you summon a creature of the [earth] subtype with a spell from the sorcerer/wizard list, you summon one additional creature of the same kind.
Earthborn (Su): At 20th level you gain the [earth] subtype. You need not eat, sleep or breathe. As a move action, you can become an earth elemental. This functions as the elemental body IV spell, except you can only become an earth elemental. You may maintain this form each day for a total of ten minutes/level. This duration need not be used all at once, you may dispel the form and re-assume it multiple times per day as long as your maximum duration is not exceeded.
The whole bloodline looks very defensive. I'm thinking melee, but I wouldn't get any good melee abilities until around level 17 when the strength bonus from spells kicks in. Though I'll be able to spend bonus feats to get access to mithril armor with no spell failure. I'm looking at spending 5 for all the armor proficiencies and arcane armor mastery.
I could also go for control with spells that shift the battlefield, but would enemies attack me because I'm not dealing direct damage? I would hate for all my defensive stuff to go to waste.
I could make the fighter resistant to critical hits, but that's it. Earth Armor would be worse than what he's wearing while it would stack nicely with my natural armor. Iron Body is personal.
How hard would it be to make a control sorcerer that can melee as a secondary role? Assuming I'm going to blow 5 feats on the armor proficiencies and arcane armor line.
he whole bloodline looks very defensive. I'm thinking melee, but I wouldn't get any good melee abilities until around level 17 when the strength bonus from spells kicks in. Though I'll be able to spend bonus feats to get access to mithril armor with no spell failure. I'm looking at spending 5 for all the armor proficiencies and arcane armor mastery.
? What STR Bonus
I could also go for control with spells that shift the battlefield, but would enemies attack me because I'm not dealing direct damage? I would hate for all my defensive stuff to go to waste.
Antagonize Feat
I could make the fighter resistant to critical hits, but that's it. Earth Armor would be worse than what he's wearing while it would stack nicely with my natural armor. Iron Body is personal.
Add Fortification or Jingasa of the Fortunate Soldier
Price 5,000 gp; Aura strong divination; CL 15th; Weight 3 lbs.
This conical iron jingasa, or war hat, grants the wearer a +1 luck bonus to AC. Once per day when struck by a critical hit or sneak attack, the wearer can spend an immediate action to negate the critical hit or sneak attack (similar to the fortification armor special ability, but without requiring a roll). The damage is instead rolled normally.
Construction Requirements
Cost 2,500 gp
Craft Wondrous Item, divine favor, moment of prescience
How hard would it be to make a control sorcerer that can melee as a secondary role? Assuming I'm going to blow 5 feats on the armor proficiencies and arcane armor line.
Save the feats take one level of fighter.
One thing that jumps out at me is that you can convert your spell damage (subject to Spell Resistance) to weapon damage. You'll need to get a ruling from your GM. If he/she rules that the conversion nullifies SR, then build around damage spells - since you'll be able to switch between trying to defeat SR/DC and trying to defeat DR/DC. A [Stone] fire ball seems like a fun visual (a pellet of dust blossoming out to a shower of stones in the radius).
Also second the one level of fighter dip approach.
Take a look at your [Earth] descriptor spells. There are a few that get value from the +2 level boost (other than simple area/duration expansion). Here's what I found on a quick [Earth] search:
Root (0)
Expeditious Excavation (1)
Mudball (1)
Stone Fist (1)
Stone Shield (1)
Thunderstomp (1)
Elemental Speech (2)
Stone Call (2)
Stone Discus (2) (early access to extra discus)
Heart Of The Metal (3) (adds to # of weapons affected)
Raging Rubble (3)
Shifting Sand (3)
Thunderstomp, Greater (3)
Calcific Touch (4) (adds to # of attacks)
Earth Glide (4)
Obsidian Flow (4) (adds to damage dice)
Stone Shape (4)
Transmute Mud to Rock (5)
Transmute Rock to Mud (5)
Wall Of Stone (5)
Move Earth (6)
Tar Pool (6) (adds to damage dice)
Rampart (7)
Scouring Winds (7)
Wall of Lava (8)
Clashing Rocks (9)
World Wave (9)
he whole bloodline looks very defensive. I'm thinking melee, but I wouldn't get any good melee abilities until around level 17 when the strength bonus from spells kicks in. Though I'll be able to spend bonus feats to get access to mithril armor with no spell failure. I'm looking at spending 5 for all the armor proficiencies and arcane armor mastery.
? What STR BonusI could also go for control with spells that shift the battlefield, but would enemies attack me because I'm not dealing direct damage? I would hate for all my defensive stuff to go to waste.
Antagonize Feat
I could make the fighter resistant to critical hits, but that's it. Earth Armor would be worse than what he's wearing while it would stack nicely with my natural armor. Iron Body is personal.
Add Fortification or Jingasa of the Fortunate SoldierPrice 5,000 gp; Aura strong divination; CL 15th; Weight 3 lbs.
This conical iron jingasa, or war hat, grants the wearer a +1 luck bonus to AC. Once per day when struck by a critical hit or sneak attack, the wearer can spend an immediate action to negate the critical hit or sneak attack (similar to the fortification armor special ability, but without requiring a roll). The damage is instead rolled normally.
Construction Requirements
Cost 2,500 gp
Craft Wondrous Item, divine favor, moment of prescience
How hard would it be to make a control sorcerer that can melee as a secondary role? Assuming I'm going to blow 5 feats on the armor proficiencies and arcane armor line.
Save the feats take one level of fighter.
The Str bonus comes in very late as part of the Iron Body spell or my capstone polymorph. ability. The Antagonize Feat looks good. The Earth Armor Spell creates a suit of armor with a +6 armor bonus That can't be enchanted unless I'm missing something. A one level dip means I wouldn't get my capstone, but I could pick it up again with a spell. Actually, that capstone is bad.
The Str bonus comes in very late as part of the Iron Body spell or my capstone polymorph. ability. The Antagonize Feat looks good. The Earth Armor Spell creates a suit of armor with a +6 armor bonus That can't be enchanted unless I'm missing something. A one level dip means I wouldn't get my capstone, but I could pick it up again with a spell. Actually, that capstone is bad.
If you want cast spell in Armor take level Dip in Fighter. If take dip at level 1 then play till level 20 that 19 level doing your trick. Or if do not at level 20 you get you cap stone ability for one level of fun.
So it 19 levels of fun with the vs 1 level of with capstone.
That if you play till level 20 and stop...
My groups plays AP so we stop at level 16 so this is a no brainer.
Or if you group plays pass level 20... Say to level 21 or more then you get capston ability.
Capstone ability are really there for GM's not players.
That's a good way of looking at it. Should I take the dip at first level or wait until a few levels in? I was thinking about dipping at 4th.
Dip at 1st gets you max hit points at first - so slightly more survivable. Plus weapon and armor knowledge, so you can use martial weapons at lower levels.
That's a good way of looking at it. Should I take the dip at first level or wait until a few levels in? I was thinking about dipping at 4th.
Would base my dip level off the party's needs.