Android, Tiefling or Lashunta Investigator?

[Gray Warden]

Hello everyone!

I'm soon going to start Rappan Athuk. I was asked to play a skill monkey / anti-trap character, preferably dps at distance given that there are already two melee. However, since we're starting from level 1 and we're using a SLOW xp progression, I honestly think a ranged build is not the best option since it's very feat intensive and quite slow to come online (also, I'm sick of the stereotyped human archer build with blocked feats until 7th level!).

As a result, I thought to go str-based Investigator (Empiricist) with reach weapon in order to still be melee-but-not-quite. Now I have to decide which of the following races to interpret:
- Android: good 1/day boost to a check, immunity to fatigue and exhaustion (useful if you need to do a repetitive task over and over, for example taking 20 to look for traps in a room inch by inch while the others rest), good bonus against nasty conditions, amazing flavour coupled with Empiricist, +2 to Perception. CON: cannot benefit from ots own moral bonuses! So, no Heroism...
- Tiefling: able to get a bite attack which is gold in a reach build, prehensile tail to play with alchemicals, wonderful Hell-Boy flavour.
- Lashunta (male): slightly better racial bonuses, telepathy feature: very useful when you want to coordinate actions while stealting.

Also, how about stats? 25 PB. I think that at least 18 str is needed to fully exploit the 1.5x str to damage with 2H weapon since the beginning. However this leaves very few points for Int, which I wanted to be quite high, since skill monkey / trap-spotter should be the primary role of this character.

Thank you for your help. Feel free to add suggestions regarding other races or even other builds (I'm still open to non-human Dex/Wis ranged builds ;) )

[citricking]

I like humans for str investigators because you can get +2 to str and int. Lashunta also gets that, but do you really want to look like a lashunta?

A dip in savage technologist at level 1 really steps up your melee ability if you're okay with delaying your investigator level progression. You get a +str +dex rage, fast movement and martial weapon proficiency.

25pb: 16+2 str 14 con 14 dex 15+2 int 10 wis 8 cha
put the level 4 boost in int to get 18
feats 1: extra rage, 3: power attack 5: extra talent 7: extra talent
is something for a dual talent human/lashunta

[Chromantic Durgon <3]

oh please play Lashunta telepathy can be so unnerving from a know it all type xD

And the male bonuses are amazing you could easily have a 14 in con and Dex and a 16 in int and still have your 18 STR

[Andre Roy]

Looking at the first post I have 2 questions that springs to mind:

1) Is Rappan Athuk being transposed in Golarian/GM's Homebrewed or is it still set in FFG's Lost Lands Setting.

2) Has the 3 reace been OKed by the GM?

It may sound silly, but neither the Android nor the Lashunta fits the Lost Lands Setting (They are really more Numera specific races), so unless the GM OKs them, you're pretty much down to a Tiefling or something else.

[Gray Warden]

No Humans, no dips. Humans are so OP they are boring. XP progression is too slow to dip; maybe at 3rd level...

1) We are using Frog Games' version
2) Yes, they have been OK'ed

In the end I've opted for an Android. Since I'm joining a pre-existing party, my pg will be a specialist that was explicitly called by the Pathfinders to fulfill the traps-spotter and disable role. Since he's a summoned professional, and not a random guy showing up, it doesn't matter where his race is from.

Stats: 18 12+2 14 14+2 10 7-2

Feat: Combat Reflexes. I'm not convinced though...What's the point of getting Combat Reflexes if you have no way to trigger AoO? The optimal build would be of course a reach trip. However it doesn't come online before level 7 (1- Combat Ref, 3- Power Attack, 5- Combat Exp, 7- Imp Trip), and I suspect foes in this campaign will be quite difficult (if not impossible) to trip. Do you have any other suggestion? No Potion Glutton shenanigans please.

I've decided to take the Armor Master trait. Unfortunately, this precludes me from selecting Reactionary. As second trait I'm unsure between:
- Bruising Intellect, which will be useful together with Cornugon Smash later on;
- Adopted -> Tusked to get a primary bite, thus threatening adjacent squares. It will be refluffed like a bionic implant, which btw makes much more sense than RAW (an orphan Gnome is adopted by a Half-Orc and abruptly gets a mean pair of tusks, wtf xD). While this would be gold at lower levels, it will get sort of old when Monstrous Physique will come online.

Also, drawbacks are available, so any advice about a third trait would be appreciated.

[Davia D]

You can get around the Android's moral bonus problem with a feat, though granted, it costs you a feat. I am a big fan of nanite surges personally and that itself is worth a feat (and gives the option to get more later on via feats), so IMO it's a good deal.

[PCScipio]

Combat Reflexes allows you to make an AoO when flat-footed (ie lost initiative).

[Chromantic Durgon <3]

Lashunta's are weeping everywhere.

If you can get a Bardiche or better yet a Fauchard you could make a reach crit fishing debuff build (I have no idea if this would be good it just popped into my head) if you think that trip builds are not going to work.

[Gray Warden]

Thank you for your advice!

I'll probably take Reactionary instead of Armor Expert, since it'll take a while until I'll be able to afford a mithral breastplate, and even then I could probably spend those 4200gp to upgrade a regular chain shirt to a +2 mithral one (which costs 5100gp).

Then I'll take Adopted -> Tusked and Guiding Spirit, for when you really need to land that roll.

For the build, I'll probably go full damage, hoping for enemies to foolishly move around:
1- Combat Reflexes
3- Power Attack
5- Pushing Assault
7- Phalanx Formation
9- Lunge
...

If I'll find my teammates frequently on my way, I'll take Phalanx Formation at 3rd level, pushing Power Attack and Pushing Assault up by one level.