Hi there,
So I’m putting together a character for a ROTRL game I was invited to. I decided it’s going to be a Warpriest of Desna, using the starknife as his weapon. We were invited to roll for stats, and the dice caught fire for me, to the tune of 18/17/15/15/11/10 (RNJesus was smiling on me that night).
I’m not quite sure how I want to go about building this guy. I was thinking I’d like him to focus on melee first, and maybe invest just enough feats into throwing that letting go of the starknife isn’t a terrible idea (so pick up the new Ricochet Toss feat, plus 1-2 more). Anyone made something like this work? I’d love any feedback people can give.
Later on,
Ghorrin Redblade
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If your group has enough front liners without you being up front, you could go for a thrown weapon build just to be different. Starknives are good for that.
If your group has enough front liners without you being up front, you could go for a thrown weapon build just to be different. Starknives are good for that.
Intriguing, yes, but I think I'll be required up near the front lines. Throwing will have to be my "minor".
Starry Grace lets you add dex to damage instead of str with a starknife. That should help shore up any melee/ranged attack disparities.
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Have him be knighted by the local king, and two-weapon fight with two Starknives. Then he can be a Starry, Starry Knight.
*ducks the tomatoes*
too bad Desna doesn't have Air domain. The Air blessing is great for throwing...
Have him be knighted by the local king, and two-weapon fight with two Starknives. Then he can be a Starry, Starry Knight.
*ducks the tomatoes*
(Takes move action to study Paladin, lets his tomato fly.)
I wasn't planning on the Starry Grace feat, my ability scores are good enough that I don't think I have to worry about that.
It's from Ultimate Intrigue, I think its prereqs mirror Fencing Grace but can't confirm ATM.
It's from Ultimate Intrigue, I think its prereqs mirror Fencing Grace but can't confirm ATM.
Confirmed.
So, does anyone have any suggestions for how to actually set this up? My two thoughts on this were 1) TWF, or 2) going for a whole Vital Strike/Weapon of the Chosen approach. Of the two, I think I'd prefer to try the second approach, if only because I've never tried anything like it before. Which ever one I do, I'll probably try and throw in a few feats to let me do a little ranged (get Ricochet Toss, maybe Startoss Style).
Any feedback, anyone?
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Hello Redblade8! I think your character idea is wonderful. I have taken the liberty of writing up a few character sheet snapshots from all the different features you've requested. I hope these will be helpful!
Ghorrin Redblade
Male human (Kellid) warpriest (molthuni arsenal chaplain) of Desna 1 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Class Guide 60, Weapon Master's Handbook 6)
CG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +6; Senses Perception +7
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Defense
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AC 17, touch 14, flat-footed 13 (+3 armor, +4 Dex)
hp 12 (1d8+4)
Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +4
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee starknife +5 (1d6+4/x3)
Ranged starknife +5 (1d6+4/x3)
Special Attacks blessings 3/day, sacred weapon (1d6, 0)
Warpriest (Molthuni Arsenal Chaplain) Spells Prepared (CL 1st; concentration +3)
1st divine favor (2)
0 (at will) detect magic, guidance, light
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Statistics
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Str 15, Dex 18, Con 17, Int 11, Wis 15, Cha 10
Base Atk +0; CMB +2; CMD 16
Feats - Custom Feat (Starry Grace) -, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (starknife)
Traits reactionary, seeker
Skills Knowledge (religion) +4, Perception +7, Spellcraft +4
Languages Common, Hallit
SQ blessing (war: battle lust, war mind)
Other Gear studded leather, starknife, 101 gp
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Special Abilities
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Blessings (3/day) (Su) Pool of power used to activate Blessing abilities.
Sacred Weapon (Su) As a swift action, grant weapon enhancement bonus or certain powers.
Hero Lab and the Hero Lab logo are Registered Trademarks of LWD Technology, Inc. Free download at http://www.wolflair.com
Pathfinder and associated marks and logos are trademarks of Paizo Inc., and are used under license.
Ghorrin Redblade
Male human (Kellid) warpriest (molthuni arsenal chaplain) of Desna 4 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Class Guide 60, Weapon Master's Handbook 6)
CG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +6; Senses Perception +10
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Defense
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AC 20, touch 14, flat-footed 16 (+5 armor, +4 Dex, +1 shield)
hp 39 (4d8+16)
Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +7
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee +1 starknife +9 (1d6+5/x3)
Ranged +1 starknife +9 (1d6+5/x3)
Special Attacks blessings 5/day, fervor 4/day (1d6), sacred weapon (+1 1d6, 4 rounds/day)
Warpriest (Molthuni Arsenal Chaplain) Spells Prepared (CL 4th; concentration +6)
2nd resist energy (2)
1st divine favor (4)
0 (at will) detect magic, guidance, light, read magic
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Statistics
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Str 15, Dex 19, Con 17, Int 11, Wis 15, Cha 10
Base Atk +3; CMB +5; CMD 19
Feats - Custom Feat (Starry Grace) -, Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (starknife)
Traits reactionary, seeker
Skills Knowledge (religion) +7, Perception +10, Spellcraft +7
Languages Common, Hallit
SQ blessing (war: battle lust, war mind)
Other Gear +1 mithral shirt, mwk buckler, +1 starknife, cloak of resistance +1, 421 gp
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Special Abilities
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Blessings (5/day) (Su) Pool of power used to activate Blessing abilities.
Fervor (1d6, 4/day) (Su) Standard action, touch channels positive/negative energy to heal or harm. Swift to cast spell on self.
Point-Blank Shot +1 to attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons at up to 30 feet.
Precise Shot You don't get -4 to hit when shooting or throwing into melee.
Sacred Weapon +1 (4 rounds/day) (Su) As a swift action, grant weapon enhancement bonus or certain powers.
Hero Lab and the Hero Lab logo are Registered Trademarks of LWD Technology, Inc. Free download at http://www.wolflair.com
Pathfinder and associated marks and logos are trademarks of Paizo Inc., and are used under license.
Ghorrin Redblade
Male human (Kellid) warpriest (molthuni arsenal chaplain) of Desna 7 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Class Guide 60, Weapon Master's Handbook 6)
CG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +8; Senses Perception +13
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Defense
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AC 23, touch 16, flat-footed 18 (+5 armor, +1 deflection, +5 Dex, +2 shield)
hp 66 (7d8+28)
Fort +10, Ref +9, Will +9
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee +2 starknife +14 (1d6+8/x3)
Ranged +2 starknife +14 (1d6+8/x3)
Special Attacks blessings 6/day, fervor 5/day (2d6), sacred weapon (+1 1d8, 7 rounds/day), weapon training (sacred weapons)
Warpriest (Molthuni Arsenal Chaplain) Spells Prepared (CL 7th; concentration +9)
3rd beacon of luck
2nd resist energy (4)
1st divine favor (5)
0 (at will) detect magic, guidance, light, read magic, stabilize
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Statistics
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Str 15, Dex 21, Con 17, Int 11, Wis 15, Cha 10
Base Atk +5; CMB +7; CMD 23
Feats - Custom Feat (Starry Grace) -, Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Quick Draw, Quicken Blessing[ACG], Ricochet Toss, Startoss Style, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (starknife)
Traits reactionary, seeker
Skills Knowledge (religion) +10, Perception +13, Spellcraft +10
Languages Common, Hallit
SQ blessing (war: battle lust, war mind)
Other Gear +1 mithral shirt, +1 buckler, +2 starknife, belt of incredible dexterity +2, cloak of resistance +2, cracked dusty rose prism ioun stone, ring of protection +1, 1,421 gp
--------------------
Special Abilities
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Blessings (6/day) (Su) Pool of power used to activate Blessing abilities.
Fervor (2d6, 5/day) (Su) Standard action, touch channels positive/negative energy to heal or harm. Swift to cast spell on self.
Point-Blank Shot +1 to attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons at up to 30 feet.
Precise Shot You don't get -4 to hit when shooting or throwing into melee.
Quick Draw Draw weapon as a free action (or move if hidden weapon). Throw at full rate of attacks.
Quicken Blessing (War Blessing) Expend 2 uses of blessings to deliver selected blessing as swift action.
Ricochet Toss Throwing weapon returns immediately after attack is resolved.
Sacred Weapon +1 (7 rounds/day) (Su) As a swift action, grant weapon enhancement bonus or certain powers.
Startoss Style +2 (Starknife) Gain bonus dmg to thrown weapons.
Weapon Training (Sacred Weapons) +1 (Ex) +1 to hit and damage with your sacred weapons.
Hero Lab and the Hero Lab logo are Registered Trademarks of LWD Technology, Inc. Free download at http://www.wolflair.com
Pathfinder and associated marks and logos are trademarks of Paizo Inc., and are used under license.
I can give more example "snapshots" all the way up to 20 if you like! I'm just gauging interest for now. A few comments:
1. Although the requested build is incredibly feat-intensive, it is also very synergistic. Every feat falls into place; and though many of them are "feat taxes" none are useless. You have room to expand into your other ideas, including more Startoss feats and Vital Strike if you like!
2. The damage may seem a bit low, but stats are given completely unbuffed. You are guaranteed, thanks to Fervor's action economy, to have almost 100% combat uptime on Divine Favor. Once you actually enter Startoss Style, you will get another +2 to Damage. RAW it should apply even to melee attacks.
I chose Reactionary as one of the traits because over-all I find Initiative important, but you can easily substitute it for Fate's Favored. That will boost Divine Favor's bonus by +1 Attack and +1 Damage. In addition, IIRC Arsenal Chaplain qualifies you for Gloves of Dueling. When you can afford it (15k gold), it will increase your Attack and Damage by an additional +2.
3. The spells and equipment I chose were rather generic. I find that those are personal preference anyway. Feel free to adjust as needed! I also based the items on strict Wealth By Level. You may have more or less loot depending on your group.
Let me know if there's anything else I can do. :)
Note that Arsenal Chaplain doesn't increase the damage die of your Starknives beyond 1d6. On the flip side Weapon Training makes it easier to qualify for ricochet shot (alternatively you could also use a blinkback belt).
If you only want to get the first instance of startoss style Weapon Specialization is better. Especially for a warpriest who lacks in swift actions style feats aren't actually all that hot.
You could also consider a one or two level dip into fartoss monk.
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Note that Arsenal Chaplain doesn't increase the damage die of your Starknives beyond 1d6. On the flip side Weapon Training makes it easier to qualify for ricochet shot (alternatively you could also use a blinkback belt).
If you only want to get the first instance of startoss style Weapon Specialization is better. Especially for a warpriest who lacks in swift actions style feats aren't actually all that hot.
You could also consider a one or two level dip into fartoss monk.
Excellent point Alex Mack! I tailored part of the example build for certain requested goals, including Startoss Style and Ricochet Shot. Arsenal Chaplain seemed the most expedient course if that was a necessity. I would agree that the Weapon Specialization chain is more desirable when taking Fervor into account. If we expand the scope or compromise on some abilities, I'd give a lot of thought to either Base Warpriest or Champion Of The Faith. Luck and Travel Blessings arguably have more utility than War, as well.
The 1d6 Sacred Weapon cap does hurt. It's not a total loss though, considering what is gained. I'm unfortunately not very good at math, but here is what I understand of the damage comparison:
Level 1: 1d6 (Same)
Level 5: 1d8 vs 1d6+1 (Same Average at 4.5)
Level 10: 1d10 vs 1d6+2 or 1d6+4*(5.5 vs. 5.5 or 7.5)
Level 15: 2d6 vs 1d6+3 or 1d6+5* (7 vs. 6.5 or 8.5)
Level 20: 2d8 vs 1d6+4 or 1d6+6* (9 vs. 7.5 or 9.5)
*Gloves of Dueling
I believe it stays somewhat competitive on damage alone. The important part, however, is that Weapon Training gives a bonus to attack rolls as well. My apologies, I don't know how to factor that into average damage. Thank you very much for your feedback! :)
Hey there,
That's a good-looking build, but it seems to be a little more focused on ranged than I was originally intending. I was sort of looking for a more melee-first approach. Very rough sketch follows:
Human, for Favored Class Bonus
S18/D15/C15/I10/W17/C11
1. Weapon of the Chosen, Imp. WotC (human bonus), WF: starknife (WP bonus)
3. Power Attack, Furious Focus (WP bonus)
5. Greater WotC
6. Vital Strike (WP bonus), Martial Focus (Favored Class bonus)
7. Quick Draw
9. Ricochet Toss, Imp. Crit. (WP bonus)
11. Devastating Strike
12. Imp. Vital Strike (WP bonus), W. Spec. (FCB)
I'm sure there's room to tighten that up, just wanted to get sometihng out there.
More later.
Yeah, I strongly considered the Flying Blade, but wanted to try this as a straight WP build.
Have him be knighted by the local king, and two-weapon fight with two Starknives. Then he can be a Starry, Starry Knight.
*ducks the tomatoes*
*throws a cabbage*
Yeah, I strongly considered the Flying Blade, but wanted to try this as a straight WP build.
...right up until that Flying Blade idea sat ticking away in my head, and then blew up, and now I want to give it a shot. :)
I think the main reason folks are suggesting a focus on ranged is because that's what the Starknife is best at. And with the introduction of starry grace the starknife is the only ranged weapon which can be tossed with dex to damage.
From an optimization perspective there is actually no reason to rely solely on a starknife for melee.
I think the main reason folks are suggesting a focus on ranged is because that's what the Starknife is best at. And with the introduction of starry grace the starknife is the only ranged weapon which can be tossed with dex to damage.
From an optimization perspective there is actually no reason to rely solely on a starknife for melee.
Pretty much.
But also, there's no real reason not to use Starknifes in a TWF Warpriest I suppose? I don't really like TWF unless you have a Sneak Attack archetype. Cult Leader in particular.
Honestly, it sounds like the OP wants a TWF build with random deity weapons as opposed to a Starknife build. Which the Warpriest supports fairly well. It's also worth noting that he hit godmode on stats so the value of Finesse is significantly worse. Doubly so since the whole, "No TWF anything Finesse driven."