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Thanks for the advice.

I understand that an animal companion with Antimagic Field cast on it can't use a wand. Those are the two separate roles I have in mind for this guy: s!~% down enemy casters, or use wands as a support caster - but not at the same time.

This is a home brew campaign, with some rules changes. He's going to let me have an animal companion that can use wands (for example), but magic item creation has been house-ruled so difficult that we might as well not even try. In the end, it all kind of evens out.

However, with wands being so expensive, I don't see him using wands very much, either, soooo....... I guess he'll be mostly an attacker.

I'm assuming that you are arriving at the +5 as follows:
-2 CHA mod (Ape)
+7 UMD ranks (me)
So then, no, the +3 for a class skill does not count.

I may look at different animals, though I was really liking the image of a mini King Kong like Caesar from Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

Since I will be able to cast Antimagic Field on him, the ability to use wands is probably the main concern for this concept.

Back to the drawing board:
I'm looking for an animal that starts with INT 2, has good CHA, can hold/point a wand, and hopefully be able to stick to an enemy caster after having Antimagic Field cast on him (I was envisioning grapple).

Any suggestions?

Ah, dang it. Of course, being a Sorcerer, my CHA is thru the roof, and I have enhancements .... so I'm assuming King Kong wouldn't get any of those?

What about the +3 for it being a class skill?

After some more research, I think I have it:

With "Share Spell," I can cast Antimagic Field on my Ape (once I can cast level 6 spells), and I suspect that will be the most reliable / most cost effective way to counter enemy casters (albeit, one at a time).

Anybody see any issues with that plan?

First of all, ignore all of these haters. They don't want you to play a Drow? Let THEM not play a Drow ... you do whatever the <bleep> you want.

I'm currently playing a Drow Sorcerer/Oracle/Mystic Theurge in a homebrew campaign. It's a little strange, I'm a little strange, and sometimes my character is a little strange.

I hadn't even read the Drizzt books when I came up with the concept (I'd heard of him, of course). Once I read a few books, I had to make a few changes to my original concept, but I'm happy with the final product.

None of the folks I play with have a problem with it, and we all enjoy playing.

At the end of the session, that's all that matters.

Why not have your Animal companion be your meatshield while having the character pick-up all the dispel feats and the like?

of course the best option would be getting an Amulet of Anti-magic Field and handing that to the mini-tarzan :P

We've only run 4 sessions, but I've only been hit by a single AoE spell - no melee has gotten close to me, and no ranged. My companions do a pretty good job of meatshielding.

Funny you should mention that ... when you said wand of Dispel, it gave me the idea to strap a rod of anti-magic to his back, and just let him grapple casters. Or better yet, use the rod of antimagic to choke the life out of them after he has achieved grapple! Great thematically, but unfortunately, I'm going to bet that, for game mechanics, using an amulet is a lot easier in the game rules.

good luck getting wands to work, your UMD is going to be really low with the -2 cha start and no class skill bonus.

As I was researching for this, I read somewhere on the forums (but don't have it at hand), that a familiar using a wand use the characters UMD (mine is amazing). The DM already said that the mechanics for my animal companion using a wand would be the same as for a familiar using a wand, so I believe I am going to be okay there?

you don't use the monster stats at all. You look at the ape companion for your base, and then use the table similar to a class for a normal character. There are people that will explain this better and probably show examples.

I believe you are referring to the "Animal Companion" table that I pulled info from for my original post, correct?

Good to know on not starting with the monster's stats. I'll look at customizing an Ape into a Dire Ape.

If you are using the ape for Anti-spellcasting, why not give it Arcane Vendetta and Dispel focus, then toss it a wand of Dispel?

I had not discovered those in my searching, but it sounds like what I'm looking for.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if the Ape is using a wand of Dispel Magic, Dispel Focus would not help him because the magic comes from the wand, not the Ape's spellcasting ability (which he doesn't have)?

I am getting an animal companion, via the Sorcerer bloodline “Sylvan.” I am level 7, but effective level for this is 6 (did a 1 level dip).

#1 - Is a Dire Ape a legal animal companion? I don’t believe it is, but I think the DM will allow it anyway (this is a completely homebrew campaign, with lots of rules adjustments). If not, I’m looking at the Ape or Chimpanzee (prefer the larger ones, because I expect it to be a grappler).

#2 - Are my planned roles appropriate/prudent choices for an animal companion?
Primary role: stop enemy casters via grapple
Secondary role: support casting via magic wands (now, before some of you lose your ever-lovin minds, the DM has already said that he will allow it. So sayeth the DM, so be it ... now get over it)

There are enough melee damage dealers in the party that I don’t think the Ape needs to be yet another one. I can summon meat shields if need be. We have a fantastic thief for locks, traps, etc. The biggest weakness I think our party has right now is enemy casters. Am I going about that problem in an effective manner? Besides, grappling is at least moderately effective against non-casters if there are no casters about, right?

#3 - Is a Dire Ape the best choice for that role? Aside from the Dire Ape/Ape/Chimpanzee family tree, is there another animal that might serve better for the roles I have chosen?

I’m not concerned about flying (I can cast fly on him in a pinch) or swim, but I do want him to be able to go anywhere I am going (so elephant, T-rex, rhinoceros, etc, are not an option - gotta be able to climb up and down dungeons with me). I went with the Dire Ape because he is size Large (bonus to grapple) and also the strongest (bonus to grapple).

#4 - I’m assuming I need to take the Boon Companion feat to eliminate his -4 level penalty (-3 for being a Sylvan animal companion, and -1 for a 1 level dip I took). Are there any other feats that are ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL to make this animal companion work? (keeping in mind that a Sorcerer is a feat-starved build)

#5 - How do I build a Dire Ape animal companion? I’ve never built one before, but my best guess so far is: start with Dire Ape stats, and then apply the info on line 6 (because my Sorcerer level is 6) of the Animal Companion table: 6d8 hit dice + CON, +4 BAB, + saves, 6 skill points, 3 feats, +4 natural armor bonus, +2 STR/DEX bonus, 3 bonus tricks. Plus, he will have acquired Link, Share Spells, Evasion, one ability score increase, and Devotion.

Ability score increase: INT (to make INT 3) so that he can learn any feat or skill.
Skills: 2 points in Language (Common, Drow sign language) <yes, I am a Drow Sorcerer>
Bonus tricks (starts with 3):
-----Heel DC 15
-----Attack DC 20
-----Maneuver (Grapple) DC 20
Feats (start with 3):
-----Improved Unarmed Strike (pre-req for Improved Grapple)
-----Improved Grapple (+2 to grapple, no AoO when grapple, +2 CMD vs grapples)
-----Scorpion’s Grasp (hit with an unarmed strike, can attempt a grapple as a free action)

The Dire Ape will only get 8 feats total, so I’m thinking (in order):
Improved Unarmed Strike
Improved Grapple
Scorpion’s Grasp
Chokehold (grapple check at -5; if successful, target can breath, speak, or cast spells with V component)
Greater Grapple (+2 to grapples <stacks>, make 2 grapple actions per round)
Body Shield (use grappled creature to block an attack at him)
???
???

And .... that’s about what I’ve figured out so far. As I said, I’ve never built/played an animal companion before, so which are the parts I’ve messed up? What can I do better?

Thanks for helping!

I have to wrap up my character prep tomorrow, so thank you all for helping me get this far. I went and read all of the guides mentioned, and learned a lot in the process.

I hear you on the spontaneous vs prepared. Prepared gets access to higher levels sooner, and has more flexibility over all. Spontaneous gets more spells per day, and greater flexibility in the moment. A mix of both (for a Mystic Theurge) would probably be ideal, and I think that with my great stats I could pull off a Sorcerer / Cleric even with the multiple attribute dependency. Except ... it goes against the vision I have developed for this character:

My DM is going to let me take "Blind" as my curse (we home-brewed it, based off "Clouded Vision"). I won't be able to read or discern colors, but will have some blind sense and blind sight instead. I think we've balanced it fairly well, but I'll spare the details for brevity's sake. That kind of locks me into Oracle. Also, I can't see reading a Wizard's spellbook as a blind Oracle (besides, if I did go one prepared / one spontaneous class, I'd want the spontaneous one, Sorcerer, to be my main class). I understand this might not be "optimized," but I'll still be able to cast about 50 spells per day when I'm level 10, including 7 spells of 4th level ... I believe I'll be ok. Still, spell selection will be of the utmost importance.

Questions on traits and revelations:
Sarenrae, being one of the many deitys I revere as an Oracle, may choose to grant me the "Strength of Sun" (trait; +1 CHA checks during the day). I'm not a big fan of conditional, but probably 75% of our adventures will occur "during the day." Oddly enough, I would combine it with the Lunar mystery to get the Prophetic Armor revelation (use CHA instead of DEX for AC and Reflex). I only get 1 revelation, so is this a good use of it? My CHA will always be my best stat, and that shores up my Reflex save, permanently. I'm assuming the +1 during the day will also apply to most spellcasting checks (at least the CHA-based ones)?

Another option for my single revelation is "Temporal Celerity" (Time mystery; roll twice for Initiative and choose. At level 7, always act in surprise rounds. At level 11, roll three times. If I do that, Strength of Sun loses some appeal. If I don't take Temporal Celerity, my Initiative modifier will be +8, or +12 if I get the feat Improved Initiative.

Tough choices .... multiple Initiative rolls, or amazing Reflex and AC?

I haven't decided on bloodline yet, but I'm leaning towards Arcana because I don't see anything better.

Thanks again!

Again: Mystic Theurge with early entry is gonna happen in this game. Now, back to the subject at hand:

One thing I'm wrestling with: should I focus on a particular set of spells, or should I go for the "jack of all trades" approach? This will factor in for feats, etc (why use a feat for +1 DC to illusions, of I'm only going to have 1 or 2 illusion spells?). Personally, I think my inclination is more towards the "jack of all trades" approach .... but again: I have no experience being a caster in Pathfinder. In other RPG systems, I've found specialization highly beneficial. What are your thoughts, people who have experience?

Also, I've also never been the party "face" before. We will have a bard (who I'm assuming will also have high CHA), so maybe he will be the face. But if it is me, will insanely high social skills be enough, or do I also need to invest heavily in charm and compulsion type spells?

@Magehunter - thanks for the advice, and the guide ... I somehow had missed it in my searching.

@Avr: Thank you, I'll definitely look into that one. Being able to cast charm and compulsion spells unnoticed while talking to somebody would definitely work well with the "social giant" type.

Yep, thanks. As I stated: "So far the DM has agreed to let me start with" ...

So now I'm looking for helpful advice on that build.

I'm starting a home brew campaign, and we start play Dec 3. I'm looking for all the help I can get to make sure I don't unnecessarily hamper my character ... and the party!

So far the DM has agreed to let me start with:

Level 4 Drow with levels in Sorcerer (x2), Oracle, and Mystic Theurge (we all start at level 4). My plan is to take the next 9 levels in Mystic Theurge, then the remaining 7 levels in Sorcerer. I expect to be Neutral Good alignment. I think he will be all talk and spells, and completely non-physical (for violence, anyways). We expect to have a Bard and a Cleric, so buffing/healing will be an emergency task for me, not main duty. I might play this guy as a social-setting genius (high CHA, Diplomacy, Sense Motive, and even control spells like Charm, etc), but I could also see him as a complete offensive spell-casting battle mage ... still haven't decided yet.

For traits, I'm going to ask for Magical Knack (+2 caster level to Oracle), and I was looking at possibly Reactionary (+2 Initiative, on top of my current +6), or possibly Strength of Sun (especially if I go Lore Oracle with the Sidestep mystery). If Magical Knack is not allowed, I'll probably take Desperate Focus (+2 concentration checks) instead.

Feats: I get 3 to start, and I'll have 11 at level 20. I've never played a magic-user in Pathfinder, so what are the feats I absolutely MUST take, and the ones I should try to get?

Finally, the big ones: my bloodline and mystery. Because of Mystic Theurge, I'll be level 14 before I get my second bloodline power and my first bloodline spell ... and my Oracle's mystery will never progress beyond first level. Because of that, I'm looking for experienced advice on both bloodline and mystery.

I'm still getting to know this guy; I'll post more as I learn it. Advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Yes, I've seen people link to the FAQ multiple times. For a new guy like me, learning the system, saying "yes it stacks" is virtually worthless. I need to know HOW that actually works, and since nobody else would break it down level by level, I had to do it .... exceptionally time consuming for a noob like me. My difficulty was compounded by the poorly written "Blood of Dragons" and the fact that everybody else was assuming (but not actually saying) to disregard the mechanics it dictated. Oh well .... </frustrated rant>

But anyways, so everybody is playing option 2, or basically NOT as written. Cool.

Still not sure what I'll do for a character, but I'm learning more every day.

Thanks for the answer.

I've read a ton of posts about this, but I'm new enough that I'm not grasping the answers. Please help. And in doing so, please try to use small words for me (and no unexplained acronyms). I'm still learning the PFS system.

1) You need 5 levels of BR (Bloodrager) before you can take any levels of DD (Dragon Disciple) due to the requirement of Knowledge (arcana): 5 rank. Unless there is a way around the "1 rank per hit die" rule?

2) How exactly do the two classes "stack" (for lack of a better term)? Example:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
Level 1 (BR) gives Bloodline (Draconic); Bloodline power #1 (Claws); Bloodrage; Fast Movement
Level 2 (BR) gives Uncanny Dodge
Level 3 (BR) gives Blood Sanctuary
Level 4 (BR) gives Spell Casting; Blood Casting; Bloodline power #2 (Draconic Resistance, which Draconic bloodline says is gained at level 4 .... so far, so good); Eschew Materials
Level 5 (BR) gives Improved Uncanny Dodge
Level 6 (DD) gives .... confusion. It reads "If the dragon disciple does not have levels of sorcerer, he instead gains bloodline powers of the draconic bloodline, using his dragon disciple level as his sorcerer level to determine the bonuses gained." My DD level is now 1, so does this mean:
Option 1: RAW (Read As Written) I gain Bloodline (Draconic) level 1 power (Claws) again, (because my DD level = sorcerer level = 1) which does not stack, so I gain nothing.
Option 2: RAI (Read As Intended) I gain Bloodline (Draconic) level 6 power (because DD level is 1 + BR level is 5 = bloodline level 6), but there is no bloodline power at level 6, so I gain nothing.

If Option 2 is the "approved" method, then 1 more level or either BR or DD gives me access to the spell Shield, and the next level of BR or DD gives me Breath Weapon, and increases my Claws and Draconic Resistance powers.

P.S. - I've seen people advise against going the BR/DD route. I have made no decisions. I am just trying to understand how things work together in PFS.

Thanks in advance for your most sympathetic helpfulness!

Is Totem Spear a "reach" weapon?

Thanks

Thanks!

Can someone post a link to the FAQ mentioned above? If I read any more threads going back and forth over this, I think my head will explode.

Thanks!

I was wondering about this: do you use the classic Monk, or the Unchained Monk version of Flurry of Blows in this manner (Warpriest with Crusader's Flurry?)

Crusader's Flurry doesn't give you flurry of blows, it just lets you use a particular weapon with whatever flurry of blows ability you already had.

Yeah ... I went back and read it after posting, realized that I had gotten my wires crossed, but didn't see an 'edit' button ....

If you're a multiclass Warpriest/ Unchained Monk, you'd use Unchained Monk flurry. If you're a Sacred Fist or Warpriest/ Regular Monk, it's regular flurry.

Ok, thanks - that's exactly what I needed to know.

So, me being relatively new to Pathfinder, I'm assuming somebody has taken a Sacred Fist Warpriest (for the Monk's Flurry of Blows) and then used a big whomping weapon with it (since Sacred Fist loses the Sacred Weapon damage) to hit moderately hard, many times per round. Is a decent DPR build possible that way?

Right now, if I can figure out how to make it work, I'm leaning toward doing Warpriest (Sacred Fist) with Crusader's Flurry and a Weapon Finesse, using either a Scimitar (Dervish Dance) or something similar. Seems like the big two-handed whomper would be a waste, since most feats reward big bad weapons by making them do a single attack for massive damage, making Flurry of Blows sub-optimal for a 'big' weapon.

Thoughts?

A Warpriest/Monk could also qualify for Crusader's Flurry (allowing you to Flurry of Blows with your Deity's Favored Weapon), which could be interesting down the road.

I was wondering about this: do you use the classic Monk, or the Unchained Monk version of Flurry of Blows in this manner (Warpriest with Crusader's Flurry?)

Pupsocket wrote:

Level*1,5+4

This is pretty spot-on

For instance, level 1 attack should be around 5.5, level 20 attack around 34. Got it. Except ......

What are you including in that number? Is the BAB included? External buffs (i.e., are you counting a +5 buff from your party member as part of that? Enhanced weapons?

I'm looking at making my first Pathfinder character, and having trouble judging how close I am to a 'good' melee build. Knowing what kind of +attack and damage numbers I'll be getting at each level helps me, but I have no PFS experience to compare to, i.e., no way of knowing how good/bad are the numbers I'm projecting. I certainly don't want to show up with the proverbial 'knife to a gun fight.'

I haven't worried about equipment, because I figure pretty much everybody has access to generally the same equipment bonuses (+4 = +4 = +4 = +4, whether it's a sword, axe, or spear). Granted, that's not 100% accurate, but I guess what I'm saying is: no matter what melee weapon you use, you can probably get the same enhancement as you could on any other type (or at least, within +/-1. If you can only get a +2 on swords, but can get a +5 on two-handed axes, then somebody, please let me in on the secret!). Because of that assumption, I haven't worried about equipment modifiers or included them in my character mapping.

If you could help break down that calculation above, it would shed some light for me on how my character plan is coming along.

(If it matters, this is for PFS)

Thanks much!

Another way to get Weapon Training (and thus qualify for Advanced Weapon Training) is to use Variant Multiclassing, selecting Fighter as your secondary class.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but Variant multi-classing is not allowed for Pathfinder Society, right?

It's a feat from the Weapon Master's Handbook.

Edit: Here it is.

I haven't got the WMH yet, and I wasn't aware of Archives of Nethys. I'll add it to my resources. Thanks for the help!

As Lemeres said, Weapon Training is not a feat, it is a class feature. Hence, you cannot take Weapon Training as a Warpriest bonus feat. Advanced Weapon Training is a feat and you may take it if you have Weapon Training, which the Molthuni Arsenal Chaplain grants.

If you're browsing the PRD, D20PFSRD, or Archive of Nethys, you'll notice that feats are on separate pages from their class.

I had not picked up on "Class Features" being different than Feats ... you learn something new every day.

So .... that sucks. The 'militant' Warpriest gives up the awesome base weapon damage, AND gives up channel energy. Interesting interpretation of 'militant'.

Anyways, thanks for clarifying everything for me!

While perusing Warpriest (I'm still fairly new to Pathfinder), I stumbled across this line in the Warpreist's 'Bonus Feats' section:

... for the purposes of these feats, the warpriest can select feats that have a minimum number of fighter levels as a prerequisite, treating his warpriest level as his fighter level.

Does this mean a Warpriest can take the "Weapon Training" feat at level 5, just like a Fighter, and automatically gain an additional +1 at levels 9, 13, and 17?

If so, I'm assuming that also means that the Warpriest can take any of the Advanced Weapon Training feats, just like a Fighter?

Finally, if I'm reading it correctly, you can ONLY use the Warpriest bonus feats in this manner?

Just want to make sure that I'm planning correctly as I plan my character.
Thanks in advance!

... Martial Focus will stack ...

Sorry, but I'm not finding "Martial Focus." Is there another name for this?

Thanks!

You can count yourself as an ally.

Lol .... doh! It's all in the wording!

Thanks for clearing that up.

As far as blessings, Destruction is a must-have for TWF Warpriests imho, as you get a lot of benefit from the +1/2 level to damage when you're making more attacks than normal.

Can you use Destruction on yourself? When reading it, I thought you could only give the bonus to an ally:

Destructive Attacks (minor): At 1st level, you can touch an ally and bless it with the power of destruction. For 1 minute, the ally gains a morale bonus on weapon damage rolls equal to half your level (minimum 1).

Just making sure I didn't miss something.....