Edge the He-Witch's page

The Mech Pilot's Guide

Here's an offensively hyper-optimized over-the-top broken build for Pathfinder. It's a combined no-multiclass Hangover Cleric/Reach Cleric/Animal Companion/Monster Summoner. It's even PFS legal. Please verify this build is acceptable to your GM because, while it's perfectly legal, it's absurdly broken. It utterly shuts down nearly all foes, controls the battlefield, whilst also inflicting massive damage.

The above version is at 9th level, but it works equally well at 5th level. This build is broken from level 1 onward but really comes online (with full animal companion) at 5th level. One can use the above suggested Broken Wing Gambit but I prefer Paired Opportunists instead. You don't have the feats to combine these (and it works better for an Inquisitor with Solo Tactics), but the combination leads to mass carnage.

Choosing to share this build in these forums is sort of like sharing the recipe for atomic weaponry. Please only use this build, or elements of it, with respect and caution. Improper use can destroy your campaign and ruin everyone's fun.

Suggested Feats: Combat Reflexes (H), Selective Channel (1st), Extra Channel OR Paired Opportunists (3rd), Boon Companion (5th)

Worship either the Ossyrian deity Horus or the archdevil Dispater. Choose the Cleric Archetype Variant Channel (Rulership) for AOE daze. Profit.

Your axe-beak animal companion takes the feats Combat Reflexes and Paired Opportunists (or something else, if you don't also take P.O.)

P.s. If you expect to face Outsiders then instead take Alignment Channel as your 3rd level feat. It's not possible to do everything, and Dazing Channel is your most powerful offensive weapon.

One other note: I once joined a highly optimized group for high level play. I was shocked to learn that they all considered clerics only useful as healbots. They had never seen an effective combat-optimized cleric and didn't know it was possible. They thought all clerics are just for healing.

I took up the challenge and built an over-the-top hyper-optimized PFS-legal all-cleric combat monster Clericzilla. To top it off, I gave this PC healing ability that was superior to their standard healbot cleric build. After a few sessions they were forced to revise their opinions. I retired the PC shortly thereafter. Everyone agreed it was the most powerful build at the table and the most combat-powerful Pathfinder build they knew of.

Here's how the build works. Please don't do this to your table unless it's truly and deeply warranted. Please don't use these tips without also providing your GM with appropriate warnings. On-demand AOE daze will trivialize every standard combat encounter. Your GM should not allow it without careful consideration. Here's how it worked at 9th level:

* Dazing Hangover cleric with versatile channeling, selective channeling, quick channel, alignment channel, high charisma, and a Phylactery of Positive Channeling. Channel positive energy primarily and negative energy via Versatile Channel. Daze all vulnerable foes within 30 feet who fail their save. 2d6 negative channel damage to all foes, no save, is a minor side effect. Nothing in the Pathfinder bestiary has any extra resistance to Daze. GM house ruled a few reasonable immunity oversights, which made things more sporting. Gets ~10 channels per day.

* Reach cleric of the Animal (Feather) domain and Plant (Growth) domains. Used the above axe-beak animal companion mount trick. Paired Opportunists.

* Feather domain gives flight via the Fly spell. The huge flightless axe beak bird takes to the air again, in defiance of Physics! Thank you Spell Sharing.

* Clericzilla buffs also work via Spell Sharing. So self-buffs affect both you and your mount. Stacked buffs yield absurdly high to hit and damage bonuses. When fully buffed you can trip (overcome CMD) the fiercest melee foes, and thus generally prevent them from attacking you.

* A healing nova, via Quick Channel, burns 3 daily channel uses for +14d6 healing to your entire party. Or BOTH daze all foes AND heal all allies +7d6 HP. In one turn.

* Reach tactics prevent foes from ever getting a Full Attack on you. You can always Full Attack.

* Reach tactics reduce incoming damage. Foes must resort to missile fire to have any chance of harming you. Take appropriate precautions.

* The combination of on-demand 30 foot radius selective Daze, plus reach tactic and trips against foes who make their save, provides massive Battlefield Control. Not even Dazing Fireballs can compare, as those have a smaller radius and drain resources faster.

* Alignment channel lets dazing Variant Channel (Rulership) work against outsiders! Packs of otherwise-fearsome demons will flee in fear and be unable to escape as your allies cut them down! Note: Wrath of the Righteous adventure path can easily be adjusted to allow a Dazing Alignment Channel cleric. Just add more waves of demons and use up the 10 channels per day.

* Enlarge Person increases your reach to 20' and your Huge flying axebeak mount's reach to 15'. Rule the skies. Dragons will flee in helpless terror at your approach. Seriously. With proper protective buffs you are immune to most dragonbreath. They are not immune to your Daze.

* In extremis you can use Dazing Channel twice per round. Every foe on the field must make two consecutive difficult saves or lose their turn! I challenge readers to envision a Pathfinder combat this will not trivialize.

* You are also a full prepared Tier I spellcaster. As a hobby.

Recipe:

• Take full ranks in Heal
  
• Mix with full ranks in Knowledge (Planes)
  
• Stir using the Healer's Hands feat
  
• Leave to bake until level 5, then pick up the Signature Skill feat for the Heal skill (or be an unchained rogue and get it with Rogue's Edge)
  
• Continue adding ranks in Heal and Knowledge (Planes) with each level
  

Results:

• Levels 1-4: Once a day per rank in Knowledge (Planes), as a full-round action, heal any creature that can be healed by positive energy by 1 hit point per hit dice with Treat Deadly Wounds, regardless of if you've used that skill already on them in the last 24 hours, with no penalty for not using a healer's kit, and if you beat the DC20 by 10 or more, add your ranks in Knowledge (Planes) to the healing, the only drawback being this is all a supernatural effect
  
• Levels 5-9: Double healing to 2 hit points per target's hit dice, and also remove up 2 ability damage from each ability score, healing 10-18 hit points on equal-level targets without hitting DC30
  
• Levels 10-14: Healing per hit dice and ability damage recovery doubles to 4, healing 40-56 on equal level targets without hitting DC30
  
• Levels 15-19: Potency of effects increase to 6, healing 90-114 hit points on equal level targets without hitting DC30
  
• Levels 20: As a full-round action up to 20 times a day, heal a target of 12 hit points per hit dice, plus up to 12 points of ability damage to each ability score - by now if not sooner you should be able to hit DC30 on Heal checks, adding another 20 hit points to your healing for a total of 32 hit points on one-hit dice targets, and 140 on equal level targets
  

Simulacrum is far from a lackluster spell... it's actually one that's REALLY open to interpretation, though.

As folks have already mentioned, the phrase "special abilities for a creature of that level or HD" actually refers to ALL of its special abilities—this includes special attacks, special defenses, special qualities, senses, the whole deal. Simulacrum essentially creates a half-power duplicate of the source creature.

And it DOES keep its alignment, although it's not free to act upon that alignment and must follow its creator's orders, which means that if it's ordered to act outside of its alignment enough its alignment will change (when this occurs is up to the GM, as in ALL cases involving alignment change). Until this occurs, though, an evil simulacrum could indeed use a magic item that requires its user to be evil.