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I'm thinking about how to create a familiar that can contribute as effective combatant, using options from Familiar Folio. IMO, there are several ways to approach this: 1. Beastblade Magus: Beastblade Magus
At 11th level, you get a free AoO every time your familiar delivers a touch spell. Pre-buff your familiar with Frostbite, and go to town. You want high HP, Spirit's Gift and Evolved Familiar to buff your familiar. (Try to convince your DM that a cat familiar qualifies for the Pounce evolution) You can also use an Improved Familiar to deliver spells/trigger AoOs for you. 2. Eldritch Guardian: Eldritch Guardian
Eldritch Guardian is a Fighter Archetype compatible with Mutation Warrior and Martial Master. You want high HP, Spirit's Gift and Evolved Familiar to buff your familiar.
If you want an Improved Familiar, you need some way to qualify as arcane caster; SLAs no longer work because of a recent FAQ. Improved familiars do not qualify for any familiar archetypes other than Sage, because they do not gain the *speak with animals* or *speak with master* abilities. 3. Bloodrager:
Bloodrager
Bloodragers have the option to trade their 1st-lvl bloodline power for a Bloodline Familiar. Good Combat familiar options: Draconic(Your familiar can sprout wings and fly) Abyssal(Your familiar deals more damage with natural attacks) Arcane(Your familiar gains more powerful buffs) Destined(Your familiar delivers spells more easily) You want high HP, Spirit's Gift and Evolved Familiar to buff your familiar. You have several options:
2)Use a Mauler familiar, together with the feat Mauler's Endurance to increase the HP of your familiar. 3)Use an Improved Familiar; personally, I like Earth, Mud, Air and Lightning Elementals because of their feats/special abilities. You may want an improved familiar with SLAs or Fast Healing/Regeneration instead; or the ability to use weapons. Improved familiars do not qualify for any familiar archetypes other than Sage, because they do not gain the *speak with animals* or *speak with master* abilities.
Any advice/helpful comments/something crucial that I have missed? Any useful magic items for familiars that allow them to fight/survive better? Example builds: Bloodrager: Aasimar Bloodrager(Primalist, Metamagic Rager)
Variant Heritage: Angel-Blooded(+2 STR/CHA, Alter Self, +2 Heal/K(Planes)) Alternate racial traits: Halo, Scion of Humanity. Traits: Unscathed, Bloody-Minded 15-Pointbuy: 18 STR(10 pts, +2 racial)
Favored class bonus: +HP 1st: Cantrips, Bloodrage, Bloodline(Arcane), Bloodline Familiar(Goat), Fast Movement(+10'); Spirit's Gift
1st lvl:
4th lvl: You have two rage powers, minor spellcasting(allowing you to buff your familiar) and a celestial goat as familiar. 8th lvl: You have a celestial lightning elemental as familiar who can deliver Rime Frostbites and bullrush/trip/disarm metal-wearing or -wielding enemies with ease. 12th lvl: You have Come and Get me, Dazing Assault and Combat Reflexes; your familiar can now deliver Intensified Shocking Grasps. 16th: You have Spell Perfection, allowing you to apply Metamagic more easily. 20th: You have Teleport Tactician/Celestial Obedience(Arqueros), allowing you to AoO anyone who teleports/charges in the area you threaten.
I am running a PbP campaign, and am looking for a suitable Moment of Ascension for a party of five 5th-level PCs. My current plan:
I'm thinking of having the PC's encounter a very big(~30'x30'x30') BLACK CUBE, which appears to be made of polished Obsidian, upon further inspection, it is possible to *enter* the cube as if stepping through a Mirror enchanted with Mirror Hideaway.
This traps the party in a simple, 2-D tesseract dungeon as mentioned in the link above, with 6 rooms who have 4 exits each.
For example: 1-2-3-6-5-4 is the correct sequence, and it doesn't matter where you start. So you could move 2-3-6-5-4-1 and solve the puzzle, or 6-5-4-1-2-3 and solve it, etc. If you enter the next room in the sequence, a bell announces the next room's number. If you enter the wrong room, breaking the sequence, a different bell announces the number of the room you are in right now, and an encounter is triggered. Example encounters: 1 - 1 small elemental
============================================================ All these encounters are initially at CR 1, and may be triggered an infinite number of times.
1 - Elemental gains the Advanced Template(repeat as often as necessary) 2 - Crawling hands gain the Giant template 3 - Save against Slow suffocation 4 - A new *wave* of summons appears after the first one; maximum number of *waves* is equal to the number of times you've triggered this encounter. 5 - A more powerful outsider is trapped in the circle. 6 - the Haunt's save DC increases by 1.
If the sequence is solved, a portal leads to the bossfight: An Invincible Gelatinous Cube advanced to 6 HD and Huge size in a 45'x45'x45' room with subjective directional gravity. If the boss is defeated, the party re-emerges outside the original BLACK CUBE and gains a Cube of Force + their Moment of Ascension(Mythic Tier 1) Any advice on the small dungeon presented?
Too boring? Is it suitable for the PbP format? Has anyone else used Tesseract puzzle dungeons and can tell me if they are a useful dungeon design // a hassle for everyone involved?
The White-haired witch archetype has been decried as *trap* - it lures a 1/2 BAB class with poor HP into melee, it loses the very powerful Hex class feature... But can a single-classed White-haired witch nonetheless become a decent grappler, given time? Let's give it a try. Human White-Haired Witch 15 PB: 18 STR 12 DEX 12 CON 14 INT 10 WIS 7 CHA(+2 racial to STR) Traits: Magical Lineage(Frostbite), Fate's favored 1st: Cantrips, Patron(Strength), Familiar(King Crab), White Hair(Swift Grapple); Improved Unarmed Strike, Improved Grapple
--------------------------------- 1st-level: Attack with the hair:
4th-level: Hair has reach.
8th-level: Hair has more reach and strangles anyone who is grappled; this means casters are pretty much doomed.
We can also use Rime Frost Bites to debuff. 12th-level: Hair has even more reach; we have Greater Grapple and can Quicken True Strike if necessary.
16th-level: Hair has ridiculous reach; We have Spell perfection and can spam quickened True strikes. We can use Sickening Rime Frostbites to debuff.
20th-level: Hair has 30' reach; we have 9th-level casting.
..... Ideas/Comments/Advice welcome.
So, I made a game ad for a campaign based around the PC's being Dragonriders. I'm looking for opinions and advice for this idea; naturally, the PCs will have flying mounts at the start and plenty of mobility and freedom; does anyone have good ideas for plot points I could include? I have a very rough sketch planned, but am in need of little details. Suggestions for villians, factions, the life on Hermea, or Tiamat's motives would be very appreciated.
Casters are extremely powerful in pathfinder - this is true. They can bend reality via wish/miracle, resurrect the dead, cross planar borders, fool the senses, divine the future... But this post is not about casters. This is about a mundance PC(*mundane* being defined as "cannot cast spells, does not use UMD to emulate spellcasting) who wants to kill spellcasters as efficiently as possible. Here is my attempt - any advice is appreciated. Magekiller build:
Dwarf (Untouchable, Primalist) Bloodrager
15-Pointbuy: 16 STR(10 pts)
Alternate Racial Traits:
Traits: Glory of Old, Reactionary Favored Class bonus: Extra rounds of Rage or +HP 1st: Bloodrage, Bloodline(Arcane), Bloodline Power(Disruptive Bloodrage), Fast Movement(+10'); Steel Soul
-------------------------------
Snapshots at L1, L4, L8, L12, L16, L20:
1st level: We have base saves at +4/+2/+2; with a bunch of conditional modifiers...
+2 to Fort/Will if raging +3 vs poison(Hardy+Glory of Old) +5 vs spells(Steel Soul+Glory of Old) +1 vs mind-affecting(Xenophobic; this doesn't apply to fear effects!) ------------------------------ 4th level: We have SR 12, and base saves at +6/+3/+3; with a bunch of conditional modifiers... +2 to Fort/Will if raging +3 vs poison(Hardy+Glory of Old) +8 vs spells(Steel Soul+Glory of Old+Superstitious) +10 vs spells from allies(see above, +Blood Sanctuary) +1 vs mind-affecting(Xenophobic; this doesn't apply to fear effects!) We also have +2 to dmg vs spellcasters(Witchhunter) and +8 Initiative(+4 feat, +2 trait, +2 Dex)
We also have +3 to dmg vs spellcasters(Witchhunter) and +8 Initiative(+4 feat, +2 trait, +2 Dex),
We also have +4 to dmg vs spellcasters(Witchhunter) and +8 Initiative(+4 feat, +2 trait, +2 Dex),
We also have +5 to dmg vs spellcasters(Witchhunter) and +8 Initiative(+4 feat, +2 trait, +2 Dex),
We also have +6 to dmg vs spellcasters(Witchhunter) and +8 Initiative(+4 feat, +2 trait, +2 Dex),
The saves above are WITHOUT MAGIC ITEMS. You can probably assume a +5 cloak of resistance, and improved ability scores, and other items that increase your defenses - a Rod of Dwarven might improves your racial bonus to saves by +1, for example. ------------------------- I need advice concerning:
*Ranged options *Mobility options *Anything useful vs spellcasters that I missed
The Bolt Ace Archetype seems to be the solution for people who want to play an effective archer without resorting to the ubiquitous bows and shun firearms because of setting reasons("no guns in my game") or because they don't like the misfire mechanic. So...how does a Bolt Ace even work? Human (Bolt Ace) Gunslinger 15 PB: 10 STR 18 DEX 12 CON 10 INT 14 WIS 10 CHA Traits: Reactionary(+2 initiative), Indomitable Faith(+1 will save) 1st: Deeds(Sharp Shoot, Vigilant loading, Gunslinger's dodge), Grit(2/2), Gunsmith; Gunsmithing, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot
------------------------------------- I'm looking for advice on feats - 17th and 20th are pretty much placeholder options; and perhaps I have overlooked something that might be better. I'm also looking for advice on equipment: Are there certain (magical or mundane) items that would be vital for a Bolt Ace?
Whips are interesting weapons: Weapon Description wrote:
At first glance, this seems to be a highly impractical weapon. Nonetheless, I'm intrigued by its potential - mainly due to the fact that it provides excellent reach, even beyond that of ordinary reach weapons. Concerning Whips and Large/Huge creatures:
Furthermore, as a weapon with the trip feature, we can use whips to drag and reposition. (And trip, and disarm, and sunder, but you can do that with any weapon) So, without further ado, I present two whip-wielding characters in the hope to somehow move this weapon from the realms of novelty to the realms of practical optimization. 1)Elf (Kensai) Magus 15 PB: 13 STR 16 DEX 10 CON 17 INT 10 WIS 8 CHA Alternate racial traits: Arcane Focus(+2 racial to concentration checks to cast defensively; replaces weapon familiarity) Traits: Threatening Defender(-1 Combat Expertise penalty), Focused Mind(+2 concentration) 1st: Cantrips, Spell Combat, Canny Defense, EWP(Whip), Weapon Focus(Whip), Combat Expertise
At 3rd level, with a Wand of True strike and a whip, you can safely disarm and trip opponents with a +18 bonus to the CMB check. The whip's reach will probably allow you to avoid provoking an AoO. At 5th level, Tactical reposition allows you to reposition someone into a pit trap, or into acid/lava, or reposition them into another hazardous place. At 7th level, you can use spell combat to disarm someone, then use the second attack with the whip to pick up a tiny(i.e. ~ medium dagger/shortsword sized) object and yoink it for yourself. An excellent strategy to disarm something, then snatch it away! At higher levels, you have many AoO attempts and many AoO triggers: We get an AoO if...
Reposition CMB:
All this with 13 STR and medium size... ---------------------------------------------------------- 2) Whip Oracle 1/2-elf (Ancient Lorekeeper, Spirit Guide) (Battle) Oracle 15 PB:
Alternate racial traits: Ancestral Weapon(Whip) Traits: Birthmark, Valknar Graduate(Dirty Trick) 1st: Orisons, Oracle's Curse(Tongues: 1st language), Mystery(Battle), Revelation(Maneuver Mastery: Dirty Trick), EWP(Whip), Extra Revelation(Weapon Mastery(Whip)), (WF(Whip))
At 9th level, with Serpentine Tattoos, we can hit someone with a Whip(which is treated as performance weapon thanks to Performance Weapon mastery) and immediately inflict a (Greater) Dirty Trick with +22 CMB. At 11th level, we can *hit* someone with a trip attempt with the whip, and immediately trigger a Greater Dirty trick in the same manner. At 15th level, we can grapple with the whip via Greater Whip Mastery: Thanks to Greater Grapple, we can maintain the grapple as move action and use a standard action to cast spells. Like the Whip magus above, a dueling whip can grant very large luck bonuses to Combat Maneuvers performed with the whip(i.e. Grapple, Trip, Disarm, Reposition, Sunder; Drag is specifically excluded). -------------------------------------------------------------- Thoughts? Does a Whip seem to be a somewhat viable weapon of choice? Would you play a specialized character like one of the above? Did I miss anything that could be used for a competent whip-wielding character?
I have an rough concept for a fighter. I want this fighter to be good at fighting. Can you help me? Fighter McWarrior 1/2-orc Fighter(Dirty Fighter, Mutation Warrior) Alternate racial traits: City-Raised, Skilled, Sacred Tattoo Traits: Fate's Favored, Spirit Animal(Woolly Rhinoceros) Stats: (15-Pointbuy) 17 STR 14 DEX 10 CON 13 INT 12 WIS 8 CHA 1st: Mutagen, Combat Reflexes, Combat Expertise
Areas in need of Advice: 1)Defenses:
I'd love to add Shield Focus/Missile Shield/Ray Shield to improve my defenses, but a (two-handed) reach weapon is very useful to improve my effective range for whirlwind attack/combat reflexes. A single vestigial arm(taken at 11th) or tentacle(...can tentacles wield shields? I'm not sure about that...) might help, but would also provide a very odd sight - I'd much rather have a four-armed or two-armed fighter than a three-armed one. 2)CMB:
However, he is no Lore Warden - his CMB is very low; limited to BAB + STR + minor boosts from feats or his Maneuver training ability. Any suggestions to improve his CMB? 3)Weapon of Choice:
Is it reasonable to take WF(Whip), Whip Mastery, Improved Whip mastery to gain a one-handed reach weapon? What other options can you recommend for Weapon mastery? Any unique magical weapons that work well with this character? 4)Feats:
Any suggestions?
Well, I want to make a cleric that uses the feat Energy Channel. Here for those who prefer the Paizo PRD. So, I need a way to Channel energy, and either elemental domains or blessings. ...2x Channel dice as bonus to weapon damage for the next three attacks. Weapon damage... According to this FAQ, Rays count as weapons for the purpose of spells and effects that affect weapons. So, rays are weapons. Energy Channel boosts damage of weapon attacks. A cleric of Gozreh takes the Air and Water Domains; this allows for Electricity or Cold bonus damage from Energy Channel. At 1st level, we can take the trait Two-World Magic and pick Ray of Frost. Suddenly, you put every Gunslinger to shame: As a swift+standard action, you can hit something at 25' with a ranged touch attack for 1d3+2d6 damage! (and still retain two *charges* for future turns) ...at 7th level, you can cast Admonishing Ray and shoot two rays as a standard action. By now, you have 4d6 channel energy, so you get 8d6 bonus damage per weapon attack from Energy channel. ...4d6+8d6 damage per ray, and two rays as standard action...24d6 damage total; average 84. At level 7!
At level 11, you get three rays with Admonishing ray, and deal 4d6+12d6 damage per ray, or 12d6 nonlethal +36d6 energy damage. A swift action, a use of channel energy, a single feat, a standard action, and a 2nd-level spell: 48d6(average 168) damage, with three ranged touch attacks... At level 20, you deal 4d6+20d6 damage per ray; you still have only three rays, so it's 72d6 damage total(average 252) ...did I miss something, or is suddenly every single cleric with an elemental domain now casually dealing large amounts of damage with extremely low investment? |
