Kitsune Builds


Advice


I was reading/research on the kitsune race and so far I think they are great for spell casting. What I am looking for is a kitsune straight from Japanese folklore.

Dragon Disciple Kitsune

Stats:
Str:14 (16-2)
Dex:14 (12+2)
Con:14
Int:10
Wis:10
Cha:15 (13+2)

Skill ranks: 1 rank in linguistics to gain the language Draconic
5 ranks in knowledge arcana

Level/feat progression
Sorcerer 1 / Magic Tail 1
Sorcerer 2
Sorcerer 3 / Magic Tail 2
Sorcerer 4
Swashbuckler (mouser) / Fox shape
Dragon Disciple 1
Dragon Disciple 2 / Magic tail 3 & 4

Rouge Kitsune Build

Stats:
Str:12
Dex:16
Con:14
Wis:10
Cha:14

Levels / Feats
Unchained Rouge (Swashbuckler Arctype) 1 / Magic Tail 1
Unchained Rouge 2 / Magic Tail 2
Unchained Rouge 3 / Magic Tail 3
Unchained Rouge 4 / Magic tail 4
Swashbuckler (mouser) / Fox Shape

Kitsune Oracle (life)

Stats:
Str:8
Dex:16
Con:14
Int:10
Wis:10
Cha:18

Levels/Feats
Oracle 1 (Wreaking mysticism) / Selective Channeling
Oracle 2 / Magic tail 1
Oracle 3 / Magic Tail 2
Oracle 4 / Magic Tail 3
Oracle 5 / Magic Tail 4
Oracle 6 / Magic Tail 5
Oracle 7 / Magic Tail 6
Oracle 8 / Magic Tail 7
Oracle 9 / Magic tail 8

Note all these characters are for PFs


Instead of Dragon Disciple, I would suggest a Crosslooded Fey/Dragon Sorcerer with Eldritch Knight, adding the Fey spell DC bonus with the sorcerer one for a total +3DC on all Enchantment:Compulsion spells. Then you can go dexterity-based and use an Agile Amulet of Mighty Fists.

I have to say though, I would picture a Japanese Kitsune fighting in the guise of a clever old samurai or a supernaturally agile swordswoman, rather than nipping at heels as a fox.

Liberty's Edge

BadBird wrote:

Instead of Dragon Disciple, I would suggest a Crosslooded Fey/Dragon Sorcerer with Eldritch Knight, adding the Fey spell DC bonus with the sorcerer one for a total +3DC on all Enchantment:Compulsion spells. Then you can go dexterity-based and use an Agile Amulet of Mighty Fists.

I have to say though, I would picture a Japanese Kitsune fighting in the guise of a clever old samurai or a supernaturally agile swordswoman, rather than nipping at heels as a fox.

I have been reading lots of folklore. Some appear to be a large fox in a murderous rampage. Some as infiltrators and such. Hence why I was creating build ideas.

To be honest I never thought about cross-blooded sorcerers. I got to look that one up.

Liberty's Edge

Sorcerer Stats:

Str: 8
Dex:16
Con:14
Int:14
Wis:10
Cha:16

Level/feat progression
Sorcerer 1 / Magic Tail 1
Sorcerer 2
Sorcerer 3 / Magic Tail 2
Sorcerer 4
Sorcerer 5 / Magic Tail 3
Sorcerer 6
Sorcerer 7 / Magic Tail 4 & 5
Unchained Rouge
Fighter / Magic Tail 6 & Magic Tail 7
Eldritch Knight / Magic Tail 8

Magic Items:
Agile Amulet of Mighty Fists: minimum 4000gp
Amulet of the Blooded Elemental: 12,000gp
Headband of Charisma
Belt of incredible Dexterity

Combat buffs in order:
Cats Grace
Fox shape
Enlarge Person

Favored Class option
•Sorcerer: Add +1/4 to the DC of enchantment spells.

+5 DC for compulsion spells at level 4

Sovereign Court

Mechanically - kitsune make rather poor Dragon Disciples because a big advantage of DD is the STR boost, and kitsune get a STR penalty, making fighting with STR rather than their boosted DEX rather sub-par.

One point of note for kitsune Ninjas & Rogues, since kitsune eventually can get pounce ability through racial feats, they combo especially well with the Scout archetype


Charon's Little Helper wrote:

Mechanically - kitsune make rather poor Dragon Disciples because a big advantage of DD is the STR boost, and kitsune get a STR penalty, making fighting with STR rather than their boosted DEX rather sub-par.

One point of note for kitsune Ninjas & Rogues, since kitsune eventually can get pounce ability through racial feats, they combo especially well with the Scout archetype

What about UC rouge with Swashbuckler and Scout Arctypes?

Sovereign Court

Kasuri of Daikitsu wrote:
Charon's Little Helper wrote:

Mechanically - kitsune make rather poor Dragon Disciples because a big advantage of DD is the STR boost, and kitsune get a STR penalty, making fighting with STR rather than their boosted DEX rather sub-par.

One point of note for kitsune Ninjas & Rogues, since kitsune eventually can get pounce ability through racial feats, they combo especially well with the Scout archetype

What about UC rouge with Swashbuckler and Scout Arctypes?

The Swashbuckler archetype doesn't change it much. All it does it trade trap stuff for a martial weapon prof. & minor bonuses to acrobatics & vs. fear. (Frankly - it seems pretty weak to me, especially since the rapier & shortsword among the best martial finesse weapons anyway.)


Pounce comes in at the very end for PFS, unfortunately.

If you want a reliable way to get claws that work in any form, two levels of Urban Barbarian with the Beast Totem Rage Power plus Extra Rage does the trick, and can be crossed with pretty much anything.


BadBird wrote:

Pounce comes in at the very end for PFS, unfortunately.

If you want a reliable way to get claws that work in any form, two levels of Urban Barbarian with the Beast Totem Rage Power plus Extra Rage does the trick, and can be crossed with pretty much anything.

Yeah. I have been wracking my brains for months on these characters. It cost only 2 feats but the BAB requirement is awful.

Magic Tail is great if your a non spell-caster. Hence why I put them on rouges because looking back they are useless feats to spell-casters.

Fox shape is great for Dex build characters.

What I am looking for my character is to be able to be decent in melee if I get in a spot of bother and to emulate "fox fire" and to possess people.

I'm thinking about 3-4 levels of unchained Rouge with abilities to cast fire spells.


Note that using Fox Shape stops all spellcasting except for spell-like abilities. Honestly I'm not sure Fox Shape melee is a very good idea in general, since it's arguably a lot more trouble than it's worth.

The idea of Magic Tail is great, but on a practical level it's pretty weak. You're spending two feats to throw a level 1 spell twice a day, and it will have a lousy save DC as levels go up even if you crank up charisma at the expense of everything else.

If you want to have reasonable combat abilities and throw some useful spells, I would take levels of Fey Sorcerer crossed with something martial. A Kitsune with four levels of Fey Sorcerer can slap a +4DC on the save for Hideous Laughter or Charm Person, and cast them plenty of times a day. A Kitsune with 6 levels of Fey Sorcerer and Wayang Spellhunter or Magical Lineage can throw +4DC Persistent Hideous Laughter. That's a potent effect at any level of PFS. A character with a few well-planned levels of a martial class can wield a scimitar or katana with dexterity well enough, even if they're taking a BAB penalty from levels of Sorcerer.


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BadBird wrote:

Note that using Fox Shape stops all spellcasting except for spell-like abilities. Honestly I'm not sure Fox Shape melee is a very good idea in general, since it's arguably a lot more trouble than it's worth.

...

*cough* occult casting *cough*


Snowblind wrote:
BadBird wrote:

Note that using Fox Shape stops all spellcasting except for spell-like abilities. Honestly I'm not sure Fox Shape melee is a very good idea in general, since it's arguably a lot more trouble than it's worth.

...
*cough* occult casting *cough*

He was posting builds using Oracle and Sorcerer.


I found out about the psychic bloodline. Your spells are considered psychic. It is a good idea for occult casting.

Here is the current build idea.

UC rouge: Pointblank
UC rouge 2: Precise shot
Unchained Rouge 3: piranha strike
Crossblooded Sorcerer (fey/fire elemental)

I'm throwing away fox shape and magic tails.

Traits: Magical knack (sorcerer)

Cantrips: (three at first level)
acid splash(now does fire instead of acid)
Detect magic

1st level spells (one at first level)
Shocking grasp or hypnotism?

Sovereign Court

BadBird wrote:

Pounce comes in at the very end for PFS, unfortunately.

If you want a reliable way to get claws that work in any form, two levels of Urban Barbarian with the Beast Totem Rage Power plus Extra Rage does the trick, and can be crossed with pretty much anything.

True - but Scout is an awesome archetype anyway. The eventually pounce is just gravy.


Snowblind wrote:
BadBird wrote:

Note that using Fox Shape stops all spellcasting except for spell-like abilities. Honestly I'm not sure Fox Shape melee is a very good idea in general, since it's arguably a lot more trouble than it's worth.

...
*cough* occult casting *cough*

I never played occult classes before. I like the kineticist idea. If I do that then I lose my enchantment spellcasting. I really don't want to sink so many feats into magic tail.

Grand Lodge

I'm currently playing/building a Swashbuckler/Ranger Kitsune. Playing the Inspired Blade and Freebooter archetypes.

As for the occult classes, maybe the Spiritualist could be considered. use the phantom as your main beatstick, and you just use magic to debuff enemies or support your phantom.

The Exchange

I have a level 9 Kitsune Cross-blooded Abyssal/Undead Rageshaper Bloodrager. So he's a fox demon who can attack spirits. Claws at level 1.
Demonic Bulk at 4
Ghost Strike at 8

He does 4 natural attacks a turn (Bloodraging with a helmet of the mammoth lord)
+16 Claw x2 3d6+7
+16 Bite 1d6+7
+16 Gore 1d8+7

If I power attack the damage gets out of hand quickly and I still haven't gotten around to buying an AoMF yet.


For your Oracle build, at first level take a single level of Cross-Blooded Sorcerer (Fey/Infernal). This gives you a +2 to Charm and Compulsion spell DCs on top of the +1 you get to Enchantment from the Kitsune racial ability. Then take Spell Focus: Enchantment for the first level Feat. This is a total of +4 to the DCs. Take Sleep (DC 19 at 1st lvl) for the first level spell and use a Crossbow to stay out of combat.

Then go straight Wrecking Oracle.

That one level gives you a +4 to the DCs of the Charm Person, Suggestion, Confusion, and Dominate Person you get from Wrecking Mysticism. This will also make spells like Command, Murderous Command, Compassionate Ally, Hold Person, etc. that much stronger.

Of course, you don't want to dedicate every spell choice to Enchantments due to possible immunity. But this one level of Sorcerer makes a class of already strong spells significantly stronger and synergizes well with the Wrecking Mysticism curse.

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