Carrion Crown (private)

Game Master Whack-a-Rogue

*DING*

This is an excellent time to advance to Level Two. As usual, mark any changes below. This is also the time I'll traditionally offer character rebuilds if anyone isn't quite happy. :-)

Woo!

HP: +5 (class) +1 (Con) +1 (FCB)
BaB: +1
Saves: +1 Fort +1 Will
Background Feat: Cunning (+1 SP per level)
Skills: +5 (Use Magic Device)
Arsenal Talent: Improved Equipment: Choose one piece of bound equipment you possess. That piece of equipment gains an additional +1 worth of special abilities, to a maximum total of +6. (Can she take this now, or only after lvl 3?)

Now….

Returning to this discussion

Just to make sure I have this right. Darkshapers have natural attacks.

Attunement: Lvls 5, 8, 11, 14, 17
Armorist adds enchantments at lvls 3, 7, 11, 15, 19
Limbs: 2x lvl 6, 3x lvl 11

Each limb shares all the same enchantments. At lvl 6 she will have 2 limbs. Each is +1 from attunement, and armorist with improved arsenal means that both limbs get the same +2 enchantment to it (ex: Holy, or Flaming + Frost)

Just seeking this clarification.

I have some bad news that might affect your plan: the Darkshaper archetype isn't able to take the Improved Equipment arsenal trick. The reason, ironically enough, is because each shadow limb shares the same enchantments. Allowing Improved Equipment means you're eventually getting 4x the intended power of this arsenal trick. I'm happy to specify this in the write-up on my website, but the specific wording "choose one piece of bound equipment" also renders this choice moot as you don't actually have bound equipment. Your shadow limbs count as bound equipment, but as this arsenal trick references a specific one, it doesn't work. :-(

The rest of the rebuild is perfectly fine. If you do decide to keep feinting, I'd recommend taking Unlikely Feint sooner rather than later. You've been rolling well thus far, but the sheer amount of undead in this AP makes it a must-have talent for any feint build. ;-)

Sounds fine to me! And quite fair. I’ll trade out the Improved Equipment for Extra Feat -> Extra Combat Talent -> Unlikely Feint

*DING*

This is an excellent time to advance to Level Two. As usual, mark any changes below. This is also the time I'll traditionally offer character rebuilds if anyone isn't quite happy. :-)

hmmmm not sure 'rebuild' is what I'm considering. I like the foundation we have for sariel, I am considering multiclassing and going fighter as well.

With soulweaver I can add some ranged damage, when he leans into transformation he'll be able to stand in the front, multiclassing fighter would let him do that more, and possibly do more melee damage.

Not going to get to it this morning, but will look at it.

Balanced Defense: While wielding a light or one-handed weapon and nothing in any other hand you possess, you gain a +1 shield bonus to AC. For every 4 points of base attack bonus you possess, this bonus increases by +1. Attacking with an off-hand weapon, making more than one natural attack on your turn, or using abilities such as a monk’s flurry of blows or a magus’ spell combat suppresses this bonus until the start of your next turn.

Now that I understand the shadow better, I’m not sure this works. Technically she has a free hand but she will be making multiple natural attacks. Originally she was only going to have one weapon so there wasn’t an issue. But now I think I need to change it.

Would wielding a buckler matter for her? As I see it…

Left Hand (Buckler)
Right Hand (Dagger)
Shadow (extra arm natural attack)
Lvl 6 (third arm)
Lvl 11 (fourth arm)

Therefore with this many arms, one can use a shield without issue. If this is right, I’ll change Balanced Defense to:

Shield Expert: You increase the shield bonus to AC of any shield you wield by +1. When your base attack bonus reaches +8 you lower the armor check penalty of any shield you wield by 1. For every 8 points of base attack bonus you gain thereafter, you reduce the armor check penalty of your wielded shields by a further 1 (this cannot reduce your armor check penalty below 0).

And I’ll just grab a buckler.

—

Also grabbing k planes instead of UMD. Given where she is from it makes sense to have it

If you're wanting to use more than one manufactured weapon and/or shield or make more than one natural attack, Balanced Defense does nothing. Since you're wanting to focus on the shadow limbs, Shield Expert is a better choice. I will mention that natural attacks take a -5 penalty (-2 with the Multiattack feat) if you're also attacking with a manufactured weapon.

I've been considering multiclassing fighter/Soul Weaver, I don't know if it will be half and half, or something else. but since you said:

This is also the time I'll traditionally offer character rebuilds if anyone isn't quite happy. :-)

Since Fighter says: In addition, if this is the character's first level in any class, he may select a martial tradition of his choice and Soul Weaver says: (Note: All casters gain 2 bonus talents and may select a casting tradition the first time they gain the casting class feature.) Would it be ok, if we pretend Fighter was the first level, so he can get the martial tradition and the casting tradition?

Edit: Martial tradition?
Dhampir Duelist: Agile warriors trained in the traditional vampiric forms of personal combat.
Bonus Talents
Equipment: Finesse Fighting x2
Variable: Dhampir Duelists gain either the Duelist sphere or the Fencing Sphere.
Variable: Dhampir Duelists gain either Gauntlet Shield or Unarmored Training from the Equipment sphere.

Yeah, I just combined the parts of Dedicated Duelist and Elven Duelist.

I'm fine with swapping the classes around, but don't forget that a custom martial tradition must have at least one [discipline] talent, Armor Training, or Shield Training. Something like:

Dhampir Duelist
Equipment: Finesse Fighting
Equipment: one [discipline] talent, Armor Training, or Shield Training
Duelist Sphere
Fencing Sphere

Ahhh that's right!

Still thinking about it, what I was thinking was the three equipment feats (unarmored Training and Finesse fighting x2) similar to Elven duelists three equipment but I forgot one had to be a discipline, and then the duelist sphere. Seems like 'bleed' is appropriate for a dhampir.

Having armor training (instead of unarmored training) wouldn't interfere with the other abilities of the Soulweaver would it? of course if he goes fighter he'll know how to use armor... I'll check his sheet and sort that out. Somatic @ 2 so nope :)

As far as the original build compared to what I envisioned, he's not quite as good at healing as I imagined, but Lady Shae helps with that. I also imagined him shapechanging a little for melee, but if he goes with undead skin from undead, it will be 5th level before he can add claws or bite. So a little melee offense may not be bad.

Also, with the loss of Senna Tora, I don't love the idea of only one character that can melee when needed. And may looking into dealing with traps and such. Still looking at options, but it doesn't make sense not to make the second class full BAB instead of 3/4.

Sorsul, any thoughts about a second melee and or someone to deal with traps?

Well…taking 1 martial level does make a lot of sense. The only reason I’m not doing that is because of bloodline shenanigans.

For melee, what do you want to do? For damage, energy strike or cryptic strike is all you need. As you have both spheres I think that is sufficient for melee.

Maybe max out your action economy with combat spheres? Open hand for example gives you improved unarmed strike and sweep (move action trip at -2). Throw in arcane strike as your swift action and that alone is quite scary!

Fighter would be great for the bonus feat. Lets you really get whatever you need from combat spheres right away.

Not sure about traps though. I think 2 levels of ranger would be needed. Which…isn’t bad. Studied Target, 1d6 sneak attack, throw in Fencing Sphere and you’ve got a real nice damage spike.

I can tell you that (unlike Mummy's Mask), this isn't a trap-heavy AP. There'll be a few here and there, but they aren't the focus. The easiest option is probably Trap Sphere (dismantler drawback).

Well…taking 1 martial level does make a lot of sense. What do you want to do?

That's a really good question! I've no idea. This was the image I liked for him I figured I'd add at least one level to let him use an estoc with his dex. and get unarmored defense to help him keep from getting hit.... the 'bleed' was just icing on the cake.

STill trying to figure out the best way to add a possible fighter level, a quick question about 'Unarmored Defense' the last paragraph in it's description says This bonus depends on an intricate awareness of the practitioner's body and balance, and as such is lost when the target is under any shapeshift other than blank form, or is polymorphed into a creature of the animal, dragon, elemental, magical beast, plant, or vermin type. Does that apply to the Alteration 'Body Talents' specifically 'Undead'?

Yes. Anything that changes your form (other than Alteration's Blank Form) disables Unarmored Defense. The way to get around this is by gaining the wild armor enhancement. Alternately, pick up a haramaki or another armor without arcane spell failure. ;-)

Ok, at least I'm reading the rules right :)

So he wears a haramaki presently, If I'm going to add a level of fighter it may be best to change Somatic @ 2 to just somatic and add a different drawback, that way he can just wear light armor. So I'm looking at that options as well. IF I can't resolve it, I'll just stay single class.

Sariel level 2 soul weaver
+ 5 HP
+ 1 BAB, Will, caster level
Blessing/blight
Background feat: Alertness
Magical talent: Manipulate Undeath
Skills, + 1 Influence, knowledge (arcane), (divine), (planes) and Lore (Vampires)

Totally feel like I jumped the gun on Sariel..... I think staying with a single class was the right call, but I didn't look at how effective his original selections were. Sariel didn't use the enhancement sphere at all, and the attunement bonuses are enhancement as well so they won't stack. With your permission YBD I would like to trade the enhancement sphere for the Alteration (alteration) talent agile.

edit: and now I'm going to go back and read the whole discussion between Aerith and YBD about Transformation....

Wow, lot's of stuff between the spheres and the feats.

So, the original idea for sariel was to 'mimic' some of the 'unnatural' effects of vampirism. Thus he took the alteration sphere, and the undead body sphere, with the emphasis on undead skin for the defense. I was thinking adding agile to get the + 2 for the dodge benefit. At the moment those would be two different uses so two different spell points spent.

If Sariel takes the Transformation feat at 3rd and the improved transformation form at 5th, would he be able to combine these and other Alteration talents into one spell point or none?

then the questions gets even weirder, would he at higher levels want to transform into a giant bat, or a spider, or wolf or a swarm? so many weird choices.....