Decision time


Advice


So I'm hitting level 2 for my back up and trying to figure out which way to go since PFS locks the character in at 2.

Option one is a Inspired swashbuckler/Investigator the rest of the way.

Options Two is a Bloodrager/skald rest of the way

Option three is a Battlehost occultist

They are all a scholar/warrior type and they each seem pretty solid.. the investigator would be dex based and seems like each level would make him more and more complete (semi rough start though)

The skald would have a familar and as a half orc I would benefit from augment rage...so in combat he would have +8 str/con and by level 3 would be looking at some level of fast healing

Occultist would be more of a fighter-ish type gaining some nice bonuses and with transmutation


I do not recommend playing an investigator unless you're starting at around level 4. Those early levels are rather... poor. It's all gravy after, but those first few levels are just really empty.

Honestly I'd probably go with the battlehost occultist of your options. Transmutation can do some pretty nice stuff, and who doesn't love free mwk full plate at level 1.


That is one thing I'm worried about, I really like the investigator but it takes awhile to get going...hoping the level in swashbuckler would make up for it but really since this is pfs you never know if someone can use a wand and my umd would be really useless until level 3 level 4 I could get mutagen and then it will just keep going from there. Skald would have a similar issue but with the level of bloodrager out of the way it wouldnt be as huge of a bump (but i wonder if he would basically peak at level two)

Silver Crusade

My experience is that strength Investigators are fine from level 1.


If you're taking the dip and getting dex to damage at lv1 then investigator goes from good to awesome at lv4.

I recommend against the skald, it seems good, but it isn't. It's annoying to take a standard action to get your rage going and there's many times where nobody wants your song.


Yeah the last party I was in only myself and the animal companion would have benefited from the skald... but to get it up to +8 would put him slightly above a barbarian at level 2 at least. I actually tried a strong investigator last session asks wasn't impressed but it could have been the build. The dex base seems to get better each level. The battle host seems pretty consistent


ekibus wrote:
I actually tried a strong investigator last session asks wasn't impressed but it could have been the build.

STR investigator is honestly my absolute favorite character build. As a skill monkey it is nearly unparalleled and its damage output is more than enough to qualify as a frontline damage dealer between mutagen, alter self/enlarge person/monstrous physique + power attack + studied combat. The only weakness is low HP, but thanks to Shield, and Barkskin, they can get very high levels of AC if needed. Monstrous Physique and other extracts are endlessly useful as well such as gaining fly through gargoyle.


I went ahead and toughed out the early levels to make a ranged combat Dex/Int investigator. Ranged study, studied strike, focused shot, and quick study make a nice combination in combat.


I'm avoiding range this time around since my main is already a archer.

Think that is my issue with the str build seems too...squishy. 18 str, 14 dex, 13 con, 16 int, 7 wis and 7 cha... feat was wrong at combat reflexes and traits are fate's favored and student of philosophy. Took sacred tattoo and shaman's apprentice. With a chain shirt i have a 16 ac. Had a shield and enlarge prepped regretted enlarge though.

I would probably go elf for the swashbuckler/investigator... work with a rapier... higher armor and seems a bit a more balanced but there is that a level hold back.

Occultist would probably go half elf with skill focus linguistic and orator at level one

Silver Crusade

This is the best one for the concept you have.
Option one Inspired swashbuckler/Investigator the rest of the way.

My suggestion to you. If this scholar/warrior is what you want to build. Take a look at the bard class.


to up the AC with a STRigator is to take the armor trait that reduces the penalty by one, then you can wear mithral breastplate with no penalty. Or you can just wear mithral something that has 5 AC and no penalty.

But with armor, barkskin, and mutagen your AC will be really quite good. And if you use a reach weapon you get free attacks. I have a lv12 one in PFS, the only time I went down was when I was lv4 playing up in a 3-7 and the boss chucked a bomb right at me and did high damage.


I agree bard should for the concept but I find them underwhelming. I am leaning towards the swashbuckler. I'll do another flame though at the bard, that's why I went skald.

Chess how did you do your stats and what race? I'll revisit it but not sure.

It will be a week or two until I play but it's locked in so want to be positive


ekibus wrote:


Chess how did you do your stats and what race? I'll revisit it but not sure.

My STRinvestigator was very similar to yours except I went 17 STR, 14 DEX, 12 CON, 16 INT, 10 WIS, 7 CHA, though I took Bruising Intellect instead of Student of Philosophy since my focus was on combining intimidate through Cornugon Smash and sicken with Sickening Offensive for all those -4s. I also started with medium armor as my level 1 feat, so by level 8 I had a consistent 26 AC with Barkskin + Mutagen, and 30 with Shield.


16+2/14/13/16/7/7 as a half elf. FCB was half-elf racial option.
Trait was the armor trait and student of philosophy. Weapon was a longspear.

lv1 combat reflexes
lv3 power attack and mutagen
lv5 quick study
lv9 Combat Inspiration

at lv9 your damage explodes if you have an inspired weapon, adding double your inspiration to damage is awesome.

heightened awareness
barkskin
alchemical allocation(heroism)

have these up and you're a combat monster


I was trying to get the con to 14 to make up for some hp but tanking both wis and cha sits kinda ill with me...bringing it up to a wis 10 and a 17 str sounds nice (up to 18 at 4 but that -1 hit and damage will hurt the first few levels)

The trait to lower the acp is nice and was leaning towards it but the 4200 cost means it might take a couple levels to gain it (which might be better spent on a magic weapon. Though the half elf sounds nice.

Sort of looking at if i go half elf take the skill focus umd and spend another 2 pp for a wand of shield (already picked up a wand of cure) I would have a umd of +11.. one of my hesitation is with the mutagen you take that -2 to int hit doesnt that hurt skills? Taking the armor feat means that i wont get reflexes until level 5 (power attack is definite level 3) A potion of heroism costs 750 but level 5 duration for a level 2 spot isnt bad. Sorry if im rambling tinkering with the character and trying things out.

Keep wondering about the pros and cons of dex vs str the level slow down sucks but does is make up for itself?


As an empiricist like all your skills are based off of int, so you don't need the wis or cha for skills.

As the half elf I went the racial for +2 to will saves instead of skill focus, this counters the dump, and then at lv8 you bump it to an 8 for a +1 will save.

Having a -2 int is just a -1 to all your skills, but with heroism and heightened awareness you're getting bonuses to your skills and your skills are high, so a -1 while mutagen up isn't bad.

Don't take the armor feat, chainshirt with all your buffs is probably fine for AC. Also you can probably pass on student of philosophy, those checks don't really come up that often. This gives you back both traits to do other stuff if you'd like.


So the -2 int wont effect the duration of studied combat?


ekibus wrote:
So the -2 int wont effect the duration of studied combat?

It will but 2 rounds is typically enough to kill whatever you're trying to kill, and you can still reapply it with inspiration.


and it's often three rounds because you got an int headband.

But like Heretek said you don't need much duration. swift and full attack, full attack, full attack, if it's not dead by now you're maybe not supposed to win this fight.

I know from my experience that since I'm doing as much or more damage than the party's bloodrager, if I can't kill it in 3 rounds, especially if the party is helping, then we're in trouble. (I think it came up once against a huge elemental, but that party I was the majority of our DPR)


Planning to do some deeper work on the str based. Sort of still looking at the dex based... with opportune parry and riposte along with weapon trick (stylish riposte) along with a hit in will vs the int hit so longer studied along with possibly more reliable counter attacks. Really need to do some solid number crunching on the two. The str seems solid no denying it something makes me hesitant.


Ok so playing tonight, someone emailed me a two weapon bard build that looks like it might be fun (but no two weapons until later level) some good stuff none the less. But the same applies to a skald... and really the investigator to some degree. So a dexbased bard with two weapons, a beast two handed weapon skald/ bloodrager (I wouldn't worry as much about other players, take it or bit, with my raging familiar in at +8 str and con... the investigator leaning towards the str build, downing shield potions in early levels... I play in a few hours what would others pick?


str investigator and ignore the shield spell.


Along with the reach build?


I personally love reach and recommend it, longspear works great, but any two-handed weapon could work, just be sure it qualifies for inspired.


Right now my stats are 18 str, 14 dex, 12 con, 15 int, 10 wis and 7 cha...bring int up to 16 at level 4... putting skill focus on UMD


sounds pretty good.


Thanks, feeling stretched atm with skills and such.probably doesn't help losing the skill point...trying to go with a lore master/rogue and face.. but perception will be at +9/disable is +8 and umd is +10 took knowledge arcana/dungeon/planes and religion +6...diplomacy is roughly +7, bluff/sense motive is +6...have a mw longspear, a chain shirt and a mw thieves tool (also spent 2pp for a wand of cure) I plan at least until my armor is higher to use shield then ill probably use a wand of shield and use more enlarge person/heightened awareness


your skills start off okay and evolve into awesome. The key is your buffs. Heightened awareness and heroism add a large bonus to skills.


Also going with irori,so worst case I could go with deific obedience for +4 to all knowledge skills


yeah, I didn't know about that till recently, it looks REALLY nice.
int+ranks +4 irori +3 class skill +2 hightened awareness +2 heroism +1d6 inspiration. That's a +11+1d6 to your int and ranks


Honestly second time with the str build and still no luck...maybe it is a fluke that i've gotten hit with str damage attacks. Luckily the game was no credit so I got to play through without actually playing it. I believe a cloak of resist can be bought without limitation so that would be the first thing on my list (along with much needed alchemist fire)...built the character out to level 5...hoping this is just a wall I'm hitting.. Level 3 would be power attack and then level 5 deific obedience... by level 4 I would have a potion of heroism ready for alchmical allocation so might have to just make it at least 2 more levels


what were you fighting? with an 18 str you're right up there with a fighter on how accurate you are.

But early levels the D20 is king, so a little bad luck and even a barb will miss often.


Last night it was a swarm.. knocked my str down to 15. Session before it was some creature that drained str. My fort save of 1 really didn't help. Forgot also that a 1 on a die could prevent me from using a wand


ekibus wrote:
Last night it was a swarm.. knocked my str down to 15. Session before it was some creature that drained str. My fort save of 1 really didn't help. Forgot also that a 1 on a die could prevent me from using a wand

That's just bad luck. You'd of had a bad time in that situation regardless of what you were playing. Killing swarms at level 2? Good luck.


Agreed swarms are a pain...that is one thing I like about pfs you never know what you will be playing with or against. Honestly thats why i like making this type of character...someone who can cover as many spots as possible... Hate to say this but I'm looking at the skald again...gonna make them both out to level 10 and compare notes...they would be very similar but would go different routes...skald, in the right group could be pretty darn nasty but the investigator would keep bulking up. Skald would probably have better saves and isnt as limited as the investigator in choice of weapons...and pulling out a wand of cure when nobody can heal is pretty invaluable (sorry that 1 scares me)Not saying I'm gonna go that route but I want to see them side by side


investigators can add 1d6 or more to a saving throw, after they rolled but before the GM announces the result. Inspiriation is so awesome, cause you don't have to guess as much if you need to use is.

Skald has a lot of short duration buffs. So they need to spend rounds in a fight using those buffs, it gets a little better at 7 when they can do 1 of them as a move action.

Investigator has long duration buffs and a swift action application buff.
Investigator is better at knowledge skills and will have more skill points.

Both can be running around in medium armor, but investigators get extra AC from mutagen and barkskin.

if you're in a party that wants a skald he's awesome, if you have some fighters, paladins, or slayers. But barbs, bloodragers, archer, rogues and casters aren't going to use your song much.


The 1D6 to saves is nice but at 2 inspiration it is pretty tight. For the most part the skald has some similar powers so a lot of long buffs...really though mirror image is a awesome spell which honestly almost makes up for the AC loss.

Where the skald I think has a heads up is at level 7 he has 11 fort/6 ref/ 7 will...which when raging goes up to 18 fort/9 ref/ 12 will...fast healing 2/ +2 damage against spellcasters (which that and +3 to all saves to allies who accepts the bonus) Not to mention without spell bonuses he is hitting +10 hit and 2D4+16 cit 18-20...add in heroism for +2 hit and +2 to all saves.. really he is nasty enough i wouldnt worry as much if nobody takes the rage.

Skills hurt definitely would take the deific obedience

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