Would welcome some critique of my plans for this Hunter build. It's for a home game, not PFS or anything.
Plan to go dwarf with a longhammer or longaxe. Animal companion will be a wolf and will pick up the Dirty Fighting and Improved Trip line.

Lv. 1 (Wild Child Brawler 1) Animal Companion, Brawler's Cunning, Martial Flexibility, Martial Training, Unarmed Strike, Power Attack
Lv. 2 (Hunter 1) Animal Companion, Animal Focus, Nature Training, Orisons, Wild Empathy
Lv. 3 (Hunter 2) Precise Companion (Outflank), Track, Combat Expertise
Lv. 4 (Hunter 3) Hunter Tactics, Teamwork Feat (Pack Flanking)
Lv. 5 (Hunter 4) Improved Empathic Link, Combat Reflexes
Lv. 6 (Hunter 5) Woodland Stride
Lv. 7 (Hunter 6) Teamwork Feat (Paired Opportunists), Spirit's Gift
Lv. 8 (Hunter 7) Bonus Trick
Lv. 9 (Hunter 8) Second Animal Focus, Swift Tracker, Totem Beast
Lv. 10 (Hunter 9) Teamwork Feat (Broken Wing Gambit)
Lv. 11 (Hunter 10) Raise Animal Companion, Improved Initiative
Lv. 12 (Hunter 11) Speak With Master

I am aware many people love Animal Focus but am sorely tempted to go with Totem-Bonded for easy access to Enlarge Person.
Any and all feedback welcome.

One of the downsides is the fact you give a str bonus and a lot of classes don't use str or need to be able to cast spells. Amplified rage with a valet means you could get+8 sr/con reliably at level 3. That is huge.

Oh, I'm well aware of how good it is, I'm just not interested in using that build for this character. I'm just surprised that seems to be the ONLY skald build I ever see. Nearly as ubiquitous as dervish-dancing magi.

As to bards, they both have their strengths. I've just played bards before (6th level casters are my favorite characters) and felt like trying something different.

I actually really like the figment archetype and have wavered back and forth between that and mauler. Both are good and the familiar is there for fun not optimization — but I do like to try and make even my fun builds effective and mauler goes so well with Inspired Rage. Tough call. I'll give it some more thought.

I never noticed how nice Battle Scion is before. I had planned on Fated Champion but will have to give the scion a second look!

Anyone have thoughts on other aspects of the build?
Traits, feats? For rage powers I like the Spirit line but things like Knockback and Intimidating Glare seem handy as well.

Dotted for fun builds.

+1 for the Oracle dip. Sidestep Secret is amazing. Caveat: The Life Oracle's lifelink ability is also worth consideration. Assuming the group has another source of healing though, stick with Lore and sidestep will be your new best friend.

For curses though, I must recommend Legalistic.

Dot.

Dotted.

I'm working up a skald build for an upcoming game — hasn't started yet but I do like to plan my builds out in advance.

I'm not looking to make the most optimized skald ever, just to optimize my concept: A smashy, northern warrior-poet who is also a competent buff-bot and has a helpful furry friend. I realize that can (arguably) be done even better with a hunter, but I've played one before and want to give the skald a go.

Going human so won't be using Amplified Rage, although I still like a Bloodrager dip for early damage and expanded spell list (useful with wands, ring/pages of spell knowledge, etc.).

I really like the idea of a mauler-archetype familiar (arctic fox) -- mostly for simple for Rule of Cool -- which I believe I can pick up as a Bloodline Familiar.

For traits, I'm thinking Auspicious Tattoo and Reactionary or maybe Highlander to grab stealth as a class skill. Magical Knack and Focused Mind would both be obviously useful as well.

Lv 1 -- BR 1: Power Attack, Furious Focus (Bonus)
Lv 2 -- SK 1: Scribe Scroll (Bonus)
Lv 3 -- SK 2: Skald's Vigor
Lv 5 -- SK 4: Boon Companion
Lv 7 -- SK 6: Cornugon Smash
Lv 9 -- SK 8: Intimidating Prowess
Lv 11 -- SK 10: Hurtful
Lv 13 -- SK 12: Spirit's Gift
Lv 15 -- SK 14: Arcane Strike

I'm fairly happy with this build so far -- it just feels so feat-starved that a lot of it doesn't come online until late. How important are things like discordant voice, lingering song, extra performance? Am I giving up too much for my fun familiar or Hurtful shenanigans?

Also, would the Ancestor Spirit Animal ability allow my otherwise voiceless mauler to speak? Specific > general but in this case I'm not sure which is which.

Would 2 levels of Eldritch Guardian be a better dip? What about BR 1/EG 2/SK X?

Help me boards, you're my only hope!

Addendum: I rarely see anything on the boards about skalds — unless the "words amplified rage" appear in the post somewhere. Do they seem underplayed for some reason?

Dotted.
My group has had this same debate more than once as the Lucerne is a favorite at our table.

Random and off-topic: I know it's goofy and nitpicky but it has always irked me that the weapon isn't just called "polehammer." Why would people in Golarion be running around with weapons named after a town in Switzerland? Also, that we have two B or P pole arms but no non-exotic options for a B or S poleaxe.

Dot.