Hi guys,
in a few months i'll be playing a campaing with my friends and i'm taking some free time during summer break to know better pathfinder rules.
The pc I chose is a dwarven warpriest of Irori, fighting with a dwarven giant sticker, it will allow me to be tactical on the field to generate aoo, trip enemies and in the occasion of some buffs, to hit hard. We didn't meet yet for the future company, but we're all very excited so we shared info about the party composition and there will be a paladin, an inquisitor (probably ranged) and a multiclass cleric/sorcerer.
The reason behind reach is to give support as an anvil and double as hammer, stopping and dividing the enemies with reach, aoo and trip and bashing them with power attack and high strenght. For ranged fights I'll use a bow or maybe javelins (i hate dwarves with sword and bow). I hope to be able to use spells outside the combat to help the group because the class is not that useful outside that, with 2 skills point and low int and cha score.
For the moment I chose the arsenal chaplain archetype, to focus on weapon training but I'm still wondering if i'd do better to keep double blessings and sacred armour and go standard. this way I'm tempted that in somepoint I could make good use of gloves of dueling for trip and higher bonus to attack.
This is the build, I have some doubts and question which I'll list belo the stats.
Durenor
LG alignment
25 point buy
STR 17
DEX 16
CON 12 (14)
INT 10
WIS 12 (14)
CHA 08 (06 ouch)
I don't like much the fact that I have low CHA and WIS, but fortunately the warpriest allows me to dump a little these stats, skills and will saves. I'll maximize STR with objects or spells and use healing to cover up the low constitution, the group is also strong in basic healing options.
Traits: reactionary, fate's favoured, militant merchant (for perception as a class skill) and scarred as drawback. I might change this last one for ancestral weapon or glory of old for better saves.
Skills: I have to build some diplomacy at least to counter the low charisma and not being a risk for the group, the rest should be on perception, kn religion. Hardly on acrobatics.
Feats:
1- combat reflexes
1bonus- WF giant-sticker
3- dirty fighting
3- improved trip
5- power attack
6- greater trip
7- furious focus
9- lunge
9- GWF giant-sticker
then in list
divine interference
maybe shield focus and shield brace
fury' fall
felling smash
for even higher levels I'll choose when the campaign goes on and I survive.
I'm in doubt if to change something in level <10 to insert felling smash or fury's fall, or even vital strike, in exchange of power attack and furious focus. Greater trip serves to give some bonus to cmb, which is low for the warpriest and for extra aoo. Furious focus is useful to save the bab which again is 3/4 for the warpriest, but not that low considering divine favour and weapon training, especially at low to mid levels.
vital strike maybe is good considering 2d6 weapon and with access to enlarge person I could add 10,5 damage to each attack when the power attack bonus is usually around 13 points at 8th, not mentioning the second attack.
GWF is also something I might postpone a little.
there maybe need with the inquisitor to select a teamwork feat and that might be paired opportunist, absolutely in line with the build. I'd exchange that for furious focus.
tactics:
I'll be in first line with the paladin, protecting the sorcerer/cleric (hopefully the anvil) which will try to force people to enter my threatened area or go against the paladin (the hammer) and while the inquisitor will pummel casters or other mobs with ranged attacks. I'll use trip and disarm when needed to slow down the assault, reduce someone's power or when we can all exploit the aoo effect and then use power attack to deal damage.
Some questions (I swear Torag that I read so many posts but couldn't clarify these points!!):
1- the brace weapon allows to double damage on a readied action against a charging mob. Since I'm using a reach weapon and the mob is charging, I'll have an aoo when he tries to leave the 10' feet into the 5'feet. The brace property is applied only to the readied action and not to the attack of opportunity (not a readied action), is that correct?
2- If i trip a mob approaching me from 10'feet away and I succed, he falls prone on the square he did the action, so 10' feet, since I interrupted him, right?
3- The mob I'm facing was tripped at 10'feet during his turn while he spent only an action of movement to get closer to me, can he use another movement action to stand up?
4- the mob above was charging me and I tripped him, so does he finish his full round action as prone or he can crawl towards me for the rest of the movement? Can i stop him in the same way if he's charging an ally though my threatened area?
5- when a mob gets adiacent to me, I can use armour spikes to hit him without leaving both hands from the polearm, correct?
6- if I have the improved unarmed strike feat, can I hit him with both hands occupied with legs but not knees or something else?
7- with improved unarmed strike, can I take aoo against him when adiacent?
8- exchange unarmed strike in questions 5 with dwarven boulder helmet, the same applies?
9- with the vicious stomp feat, I can have a second aoo against the mob if I greater trip him prone, but only if adiacent. That feat is not useful to me with a reach weapon if I trip him at 10' feet, since I can't eat that aoo, or is there some way?
10- I can't cast a spell if I have both hands occupied, but during my turn, I can let go of one hand as a free action I can cast?
11- Provided I have shield focus and shield brace, so I can use a masterwork or mithral buckler in my other hand, I do retain the possibility to use the polearm as 2HW and being able to cast but without the bonus to ac from the buckler?
12- If I use a light shield, I can bear the polearm with the shield hand with a free action, lose the ac bonus, cast the spell, retake 2 hand control of the polearm with another free action?
13- CMB is affected by several bonuses that applies to the attack bonus, like divine favour, bonus to strenght, attack rolls, size modifications, weapon enchantment (since it's a weapon attack), feats like weapon focus, bonuses to combat maneuvres like weapon training. In fact how's different from a regular attack bonus?
14- If i have pushing assault and i'm threatening a mob which is adiacent to an ally, I hit and push him 5'feet away, is he now creating an aoo because going out of a threatened square (from my reach and the one of my ally)? the square he gets into is safe for him so valid for the feat.
15- can I combine felling smash and pushing assault? both apply when a power attack is delivered, the first with a swift action to trip him or a regular attack, the other to forego the damage in order to push him away. the mob would be prone at +5'feet distance (or more).
