Cathulhu's page

Trying to make a completely DEX based character. (Bard, if it matters.)

Finesse allows DEX to attack rolls with light weapons, certain other weapons, notably the rapier and whip.

Slashing Grace allows DEX to damage with light weapons, and one handed slashing weapons. Could take Fencing Grace for Rapier, but...

Piranha Strike is basically Power Attack for light weapons. (Not rapiers or whips.)

So really to get the most out of these feats is to use a light, slashing weapon? (in the case of the bard, a dagger or a sickle.)

IS this correct? No other way around it?

I am curious about the exact same stuff.

Are there any other great feats for summoning druids? Any items I should try to acquire? Any tips for got to run combat?

Pretty much my favorite character ideas in awhile, so would really like to flesh it out.

Those feats wouldn't help with your swarm familiar.

Things like Mauler's Toughness (or just regular toughness) would though, since the HP of the swarm will matter. A familiar with dodge would have 1 higher AC as a swarm as well.

As far as I am aware though, there aren't any generic feats for swarms like 'swarms under your control do 1 die more damage' or anything like that.

I'm pretty sure augment summoning will increase the hp of a summoned swarm. Not your familiar swarm, but any other swarm from Vomit/Summon Swarm, etc.

I'm pretty sure the STR bonus would apply too, but since a swarm cannot make any combat maneuvers, nor strength affect its damage, its irrelevant.

A swarm still has a single CON score, single pool of hp, etc. Any increase in CON should still increase hp.

Well, so far all I can find that really help with swarms is Spell Focus: Conjuration, and Augment Summoning... which still gives 2hp/HD.

Any other helpful bits?

Since it's a Familiar, give your raven the Mauler archetype and have it turn size medium before you turn it into a swarm.

Swarms do damage based on Hit Dice, not strength. Changing it to medium does nothing once transformed into a swarm.

1.) Scarlet Spider seems to be the best combat choice, really. Highest AC, Darkvision, 30 ft Climb speed. Though a flying, talking, possibly able to use tools raven is appealing as well.

2.) Thats a good point about Share Spell.

3.) Swarm is technically a subtype of a SINGLE creature... It counts as a single creature for HP, spell effects, AC, saves, etc. So multiplying spell effects or items does not work. Rules wise, its a single critter.

Saw this archetype, and I became quite intrigued. Swarm Monger

Any idea on how to optimize swarms, and this archetype in general?

I've got all these lined up already... are then any bomb discoveries that might help me make follow up sneak attacks?

Playing a level 5 underground Chemist/scout rogue.

What are some of the more useful alchemical items to craft? (I've currently got a +16 craft: alchemy.)

Also, any tips, trucks, build advice in general are appreciated. (Feat wise, I have point blank shot, throw anything, concentrated Splash, and charging Hurler.)

Thanks!

And would that damage be multiplied 1.5 via Concentrated Splash?

Does the +2 damage apply to splash damage as well, or just the initial target? (Assuming I'm aiming at a single target for sneak attack damage.)

Friend wants to run a high level campaign, maybe even eventually going for mythic levels. Since I don't need to GM this one, I'd like a fun build.

I thought a trickster type would be fun. Starting at level 15. It's still like to be somewhat capable in combat.

Any great archetypes or ideas? (Kinda leaning towards Brazen Deceiver, currently).

I'm open to other ideas, too. Gun Chemist looks cool, some kind of witch could be interesting.

As the title says. Playing a largely urban campaign, plenty of early firearms and whatnot. You know, muskets, rapiers, etc.

One guy is playing a melee... Something. Another guy is playing a sorcerer/rogue.

Oh right, we are playing E6!

Solarian with the solar armor option, stellar rush, and a dragonglaive arms like a decent option.

Cathulhu wrote:

You're only spending one feat on Versatile Specialization at level 7, the same level you can pick up Heavy Weapons for free as a mod.

Well, "free" is relative, given that there's quite some competition for those few Exocortex Mods you get. Resistance is always great, Enhanced Senses are nice if you don't have them yet and Jump Jets are a pretty substantial boost in mobility.

I'll probably go with Specialization and Proficiency as feats and pick up Fire Resistance through the mod. It's much better and slightly earlier than Resistant Energy, it scales faster (although it stops earlier) than Enhanced Resistance and you can always swap it out when you get Improved Resistant Energy.

Drone mod jump Jets can only be used once a minute. You're better off with using that mod on an armor slot, and spending 3k on a jet pack.

Resistance, Echolocation, armor slot, and weapon proficiencies are the best ones, most certainly. Heavy weapons are such a huge damage multiplier in the correct circumstances though. If the most damage in a round with minimal investment is your goal, an exomechanic with heavy weapons and overcharge line, plus a heavy weapon soldier friend is hard to beat.

I still think an Exomechanic is best served with a Maze Core Shock Caster/Laser Rifle. You're only spending one feat on Versatile Specialization at level 7, the same level you can pick up Heavy Weapons for free as a mod. a couple levels of strength boost isn't the worst thing, for a class that already only needs INT and DEX.

In this way, you have Overcharge on a shock caster for groups, and a Laser Rifle for long range/single targets, and the ability swap back and forth as a swift action.

The Shock Caster can also be used on high AC targets to maintain consistent damage over time.

Of course, Overcharge your buddy every round too!

Overall highest DPR with a single character is probably a Drone Mechanic.

Combat Drone can easily use Heavy weapons, with their high STR and quick weapon proficiency access.

Mechanic should be using Longarms at least, Sniper if the want the extra 7 damage on average, and have no other feats they really want. Though , I think an argument for a Shock Caster is good here, due to the 3/4 BAB of the Mechanic. Yes, they can wring more damage out of a Diasporan Sniper Rifle than any class, shot for shot. A Drone Mechanic gets no bonuses to hit, unless their Drone is attacking the same target... Unlikely at long ranges.

Coil guns seem to be very efficient. My group favors them heavily.

Maze core laser rifle/shock caster is what I use for my overcharge exomechanic. You get heavy weapons as a drone mod at 7, when you can really first acquire aoe heavy weapons. Longarms and heavy armor from level 1 will be fine until then.

Use overcharge on you, and again on the heavy weapon soldier next to you.

Congrats, you've killed/nearly killed every low level enemy, and dealt half damage to everyone else.

If collateral damage is a thing, use your laser rifle. Mechanic is the best sniper in the game... However it's an average of 7 damage over most levels. Early on totally with it. By high levels...? Heavy weapons are far more efficient.

We've been assuming that it blocks lasers entirely. Since lasers are light, and get defracted by particulates, we've been assuming it rendered them ineffective. This may not be the case. So... Dot?

Mystic for a more force focused character. Phrenic Adept Soldier for a more combat focused Jedi. Consular vs. Guardian, per the old star wars RPG rules

Drop combat casting and resistance. Humans get an extra feat.

My friend and I playing quite the dynamic duo: myself, a ysoki exocortex mechanic with a maze core shock caster/laser rifle; he's playing a kasatha bombard soldier with a shock caster and dragonglaive. I use overcharge on him, then on me. He delays his action until I've boosted his damage. At level 8, we can easily do a couple hundred damage, depending on how closely enemies are grouped, and how high their reflex save is. But guaranteed half damage is nice regardless.

With my laser rifle, I can take care of long range, and he takes care of melee with his reach weapon, striking at least once before they can get close enough to hit us.

Since overcharge also works with powered melee weapons, I can boost his damage in melee too.

Agreed. I've enjoyed it though, adds some extra tactical dimensions to combat.

So far, I've used/ seen..
laser rifle/shock caster. Long range rifle, short range, large aoe. Perfect infantry weapon.

Dragonglaive/whatever ranged. I've used laser rifles, diasporan snipers, and shock casters effectively. Depends on the build.

X-Gun/plasma cannon. One uses bullets, the other battery. Doubles your ammo supply, and gives a small aoe.
(X-gen guns are not analog, so it works. They probably have a secondary power supply to quickly feed bullets)

I am currently wondering about armor mods, and if you can combine them.

I don't see much point in maze core items that aren't weapons. But maybe I'm missing something. A swift action change is basically quick draw between two weapons, and is probably cheaper than two called fusions.

Our group has been saying no to analog. There are plenty of kinetic weapons that still an to require a power source, and are not analog, but do not use a battery as ammunition. My favorite so far has been a laser rifle/shock caster with my exocortex mechanic.

Any item you can find in real world can be picked up for 5 credits. Polarized goggles/sunglasses. Done.

Yeah, but assuming even an AoO, you're going to do more damage with a weapon that isn't unweildy. The only really great unweildy weapons are ranged, you can't make AoO anyway. The math just doesn't add up for melee unweildy weapons.

I've made a successful mechanic that uses switch hitting. A maze core Dragonglaive/Laser Rifle. (Been thinking about switching to an explosive heavy weapon).
In any case, a reach weapon with Overcharge is great. Attack once. Make an AoO as they move in. Next round, attack with Overcharge, and take a guarded five foot step back. They take an AoO, and waste their move action, and therefore are also unable to full attack. Since you are ALWAYS doing more damage with Overcharge, you will eventually win with a matched foe. If not, use a Jet Pack or Force Pack, soak an AoO, and move way back and shoot from afar.

Its been a very interesting, tactical, build. Though the game isn't really designed for it, my friends and I have run PvP encounters. My switch hitter Mechanic crushed his switch hitter Soldier. Combat took 6-7 rounds, a couple of which neither of us hit. Once I actually got into melee, I was able to down him in three rounds or so.

Or pick up batteries from the corpses of your fallen enemies. Or whatever.

Its honestly one of the most interesting and versatile abilities in the game, as far as increasing damage goes. I've made ranged mechanics, mechanics with explosive weapons, switch hitter mechanics... Drone mechanics, Exocortex mechanics...

At level 8, when you get 2d6 damage, your Soldier friend is going to want to stand next to you 24/7.

I did notice about grenades. I'm assuming it'll be up for errata though, since line and blast specifically state that they cannot benefit from anything that boosts damage to a single attack, i.e. overcharge. Since they at least target ac, it seems odd that overcharge would work with explode weapons.

I guess RAW vs. RAI?

Do they work together? If so, how would that work?

An exocortex mechanic can get multiple resistances equal to their mechanic level.

Yah

Grab Overcharge. Use an energy weapon. Be there most accurate, damaging character in a standard attack. You'll almost always hit, (more than any soldier) and you're pretty much just making guaranteed damage every round.

Exocortex Mechanic with diasporan sniper rifle is hands down the highest damage sniper in the game. It's an average of 7 damage over a regular laser rifle. Make of that what you will. But Overcharge has no range limit, and 7d6 damage, plus Technomantic Dabbler for Supercharge Weapon for a total of 11d6 damage is nothing to sneeze at. Their in Miracle Worker for an additional +2 attack and damage... Like I said, most accurate and damaging sniper in the game.

Since envoys really benefit from having a high initiative, heavy armor, and longarms, a dip into blitz soldier is great for them.

So far, playing in a home game and having theorized over a dozen builds that actually made it to paper... Wealth by level in this game is quite a bit more restrictive, it seems. For SFS characters, or people playing with lenient DMs, this may not matter much.

But an equivalent level weapon with two fusions, equivalent level heavy armor basic armor mods would be quite a price.

I only mention it because it may not be available to many players, and the mechanic sniper is very effective damage wise regardless.

Even in close range, (should you not have an entagle fusion, or they can otherwise close quickly) use Jump Jets (with Sky Jockey feat for best effect) in heavy armor, and just keep jumping back with a standard action overcharge attack. 40ft move that avoids rough terrain, or that can jump 20ft (30ft with Sky Jockey) straight up onto higher ground?

That should still be effective if you can't afford an entangling fusion combo, and you should probably have such a set up anyway.

Yep, in agreement.

Good point on entangling fusion and damage types. Did not catch that.

I think you're right. Without combat tracking, weapon focus would provide the higher bonus. With combat tracking on, just the +1. Enhanced resistance is based on your actual BAB, not your effective BAB, however.

And Cathulhu, as for the "yeah but all you need is one shot" thing, that's fine. The fact is that you suggested you could fire more than once. That's not the case.

But in this case (a mechanic using overcharge) it's not relevant. But thank you for the correction.

Again, when it comes to the mechanic overcharge ability, it really doesn't matter that it can be only fired once a round.

A mechanic with overcharge is going to be doing that every round, as the most damaging and accurate standard attack in the game, whether you are actually sniping with a sniper rifle or not.

And increase of 7 damage or so damage with sniper proficiency and specialization over a regular laser rifle seems worth the investment.

If you read the sniper effect, it in fact says they can be fired normally.

"You can still fire a sniper rifle as normal, but it only has the listed under it's normal range increment when you do so."

There was another thread somewhere about it, if I remember correctly.

In any case if I am wrong, RAI, an operative can use a sniper rifle with Debilitating Sniper, and it doesn't affect a mechanic with overcharge in any way.

My primary point that a mechanic is the most damaging sniper in the game still stands.

A mechanic using overcharge DOESN'T CARE that you can only fire once with a sniper rifle. (And you actually can fire more than once a round, if you haven't spent a move action to aim. The unweildy property only applies if you've aimed, and the sniper special property is in affect.)

The mechanic (specifically, exocortex option) has more accuracy ( with miracle worker) than a soldier. With overcharge, the mechanic deals more damage on a standard attack. 1d6-7d6, depending on level, the only requirement being that the weapon must use a battery. (Plus another +2 damage, from miracle worker.)

My point is that with an energy based sniper rifle, the mechanic is most capable of any class of doing the most damage as a sniper.

Yes, full attacks do more damage, obviously. But since a sniper can't do that, and I mechanic with overcharge doesn't really want to anyway...

QuidEst wrote:

Using a sniper’s long range requires a move action to aim. Trick Attack requires a full round action. The only ways to do both in one round are having an Envoy spend a resolve and standard action to give you a standard action to use for a move action to aim, or skittermander’s 1/day extra move action.

Not to mention that the ability to use trick attack with sniper rifles appears to do nothing to remove the limitation that you can't trick attack with unwieldy weapons...

RAW, it does appear that way. RAI, I'm pretty sure you're meant to apply debilitating effects with a sniper rifle once you have the Debilitating Sniper exploit.

You wouldn't be using the move action overcharge on your friend until you are engaged in close enough combat that you are no longer use the move action to gain the sniper effect.

In short, you aren't using both at the same time.

The operative is debuffing, the mechanic is providing damage. At close range, the mechanic I'd adding damage to both PCs, but no one is sniping anymore.

Debilitating Sniper exploit allows you to apply trick effects, but not damage, with sniper weapons. (I made a typo and referred to it as debilitating trick in a post above.) Hampering shot halves the targets speed. Use that every round, while the mechanic uses overcharge every round. Both the operative and the mechanic could use Supercharge Weapon in the first shot, via Technomantic Dabbler.

If they get too close, operative pulls out their small arm, mechanic stops using it's move action for aiming/steadying the rifle, and instead buffs the operative whenever movement isn't required. The mechanic is still gaining extra extra damage over a typical laser rifle in these close quarters.

Correct on both counts