Brother Ó Máille's page

I'm toying with the idea of making a healer for PFS since they're usually very welcome at any table and I enjoy playing support roles. I think a life shaman with full channeling is how I want to go about this, but I also like two incompatible archetypes.

Mechanically, the witch doctor archetype seems superior, in that it gives a secondary channel energy pool (3+CHA / -3 cleric level). So with a CHA of 16, at lvl 4, I would have channel 2d6 4/day and 1d6 6/day.

The animist archetype seems really cool and flavorful, though. It's ability to roll diplomacy checks to cure conditions could synergize well with the higher-than-average charisma a channeling-focused character would have.

Would I be severely handicapping myself (and by extension, the rest of my party) by choosing animist over witch doctor?

I've tried looking around the forums here, seen the Monkey See, Monkey Do blog post and read druid class guides. I still have one question I'm not sure about. Is there any actual benefit to being able to speak with my animal companion? The concept it this: a Gnome druid with a badger companion and the Groundling feat which allows me to use speak with animals at will for burrowing animals (I would imagine this includes badgers as they have a burrow speed). So is there any mechanical benefit gained from this ability or is it just flavor in PFS?

This post is just a PSA for those of you who use Hero Lab.

I use Hero Lab for character creation and I love it. Translating all the information from the sheet to the forums can be a pain, however. Except it's not because there's a button that will do it all for you and I've been doing it the hard way for no reason all along. /facepalm

Main question: Can two people play a single character (one being the "character," one playing the companion)?

Character concept: A summoner who isn't very smart or clever, who obeys the will of his eidolon. The eidolon rarely fights and is the brains of the pair. The summoner is actually the one often fighting. The eidolon will only attack foes in melee if the sommoner is close to loosing consciousness. The sommoner is awkward and nervous when his eidolon is not summoned. Not optimal, but fun :]

So can a friend of mine play said eidolon, knowing that the XP will only be for "my" character? My question isn't exclusive to this specific setup, as it could be enjoyable for any character with an intelligent companion to make the differentiation between the pair more realistic and dynamic.

Thanks for reading :]

Here's my thought: a small carnivalist rogue with the undersized mount feat could ride his familiar if it is small as well (e.g. a goat familiar). With proper feat application, he could full attack after his mount has moved him into a flanking position. This makes sneak attack slightly more viable, right?

What other ideas does the advice board have regarding familiars and the undersized mount feat?