Hi everybody, i'm relatively new at the game and this is my first post on Paizo.com forums :O
My only campaign as a player so far has been Skulls and Shackles, and with my group we have just started Mummy's Mask. So I've been playing Pathfinder for about 1 year.
I wanted to share with you some things about a build I have in mind. The general idea would be a Grapple + Sneak attack build. Before starting though, I know. I know. The grappled condition does not deny the dex bonus to AC (unlike in 3.5 IIRC?) but instead grants the creature a -4.
But the thing is, I found this beast, a feat named "Strangler":https://aonprd.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Strangler%20(UC)
So, let's get started.
The first thing that come to my mind are, of course, the Rogue/Alchemist vivisectionist, in order to max out the Sneak Attack Damage. If we plan to go with Rogue, then there's the Kidnapper Archetype which helps a lot with the feats: alredy at level 2 and 8, you can substitute 2 rogue talents for Improved and Greater Grapple. If we really want to be cruel, there's also the feat "Throat Slicer": https://aonprd.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Throat%20Slicer which can be used in conjunction with stuff like a light pick, which has a 4X critical modifier, is a light weapon, and requires simple proficiency.
Vivisectionist Alchemist version would basically do the same thing, and since it is compatible with Beastmorph, it quite fixes the fact that both Rogue and Alchemist are 3/4 BAB, which is my main worry about going in melee against a bunch of full BAB barbarians. Not to speak about the good fort save against diseases, curses and stuff, which the rogue does not have but can fix with this: https://aonprd.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Twist%20Away
We could also think about the prestige class "Master Chymist", but we would lose a lot of sneak attack damage.
Maybe the slayer would be a better option, since it is full BAB? We would trade a bit of damage for the possibility of grappling more reliably, and of course it also has access to a full-potential Power Attack/Piranha strike without sacrificing too much "to hit" bonus. Also, we can be helped with Accomplished Sneak Attacker (https://aonprd.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Accomplished%20Sneak%20Attack er). One thing that makes me very sad about the slayer, is the impossibility to get a while benefiting of ranger talents. The best thing is probably weapon finesse + agile maneuvers in order not to take too may hits. (Speaking about ranger talents, which path would be the correct way to go?)
Brawler would also be viable option, I think. Full BAB, and Strangler Archetype. With Mutagenic Mauler (compatible) you also have access to Mutagen. But the Sneak attack damage is pitiful. So I dunno.
Cult leader warpriest is nice, for the 4X light/heavy pick + Sacred Weapon combo, and can surpass the 3/4 BAB issue with a lot of spells. BUT those spells would be used as a SWIFT action, which is the type of action that requires the "Strangler" feat. So, no action economy here.
With this, I have concluded my thought process. What do you think I should go for?
