I'm a bit late to this but I've built GS myself for fun and wanted to offer my ideas.
As much as Favored Enemy makes sense there's more to be had with levels in Fighter in my opinion. There's so much he's capable of and all the feats Fighter gets can allow us to reflect that.
First, he (almost)never takes off his armor. This will be troublesome since sleeping in heavy armor has consequences. So, we'll first start with the feat
Endurance:
You gain a +4 bonus on the following checks and saves: Swim checks made to resist nonlethal damage from exhaustion; Constitution checks made to continue running; Constitution checks made to avoid nonlethal damage from a forced march; Constitution checks made to hold your breath; Constitution checks made to avoid nonlethal damage from starvation or thirst; Fortitude saves made to avoid nonlethal damage from hot or cold environments; and Fortitude saves made to resist damage from suffocation.
You may sleep in light or medium armor without becoming fatigued.
Then, all that we will need is the Slumbering armor modification on our full plate. This does include an additional -1 armor check penalty but if you're really worried about that the Armor Adept feat will remove that... though I don't think it's worth a feat.
Obviously, he hates goblins and we want the flavor of Favored Enemy without multiclassing, so we can take the feats
Dedicated Adversary:
When you select this feat, choose a specific kind of creature, such as wolf, frost giant, goblin, or babau demon. You gain the ranger’s favored enemy class ability against this particular type of creature with a bonus of +2.
and
Creature Focus:
Prerequisite(s): No levels in a class that grants the favored enemy class feature.
Benefit(s): Choose a creature type from the ranger favored enemies table except for humanoid or monstrous humanoid.
You gain a +2 bonus on Perception checks, Survival checks, and weapon damage rolls against creatures of the selected type. You can attempt Knowledge skill checks untrained when attempting to identify such creatures.
He often utilizes traps to defeat goblins and most traps are simple in function and don't really require feats, just some brain power and the right supplies. That said, you may find some fun in the list of Ranger Traps via the feat
Learn Ranger Trap:
Prerequisites: Survival 5 ranks.
Benefit: Select one ranger trap. You may use this trap a number of times per day equal to your Wisdom bonus (minimum 1). The DC for your trap is equal to 10 + 1/2 your character’s level + your Wisdom bonus, and it lasts 1 day per two character levels.
If you are not a ranger, you can only set extraordinary traps with this feat; like all extraordinary ranger traps, this decreases the trap DC by 2.
Goblin Slayer has also often killed goblins with a torch. There are several feats available but increasing more than one for this would be inefficient. Catch Off Guard would be the well rounded option in case you want to kill creatures with just about anything you pick up while avoiding that -4 to attack rolls, but I think
Torch Fighter:
Benefit(s): You treat a torch as a light weapon that deals bludgeoning damage equal to that of a light mace of its size plus 1 point of fire damage, and you do not incur penalties as you would for using it as an improvised weapon.
is more on the nose with the benefit of being treated as a light mace, which can bring Weapon Training bonuses online.
Finally, GS has been known to use a scroll on rare occasions. Even with a maximum investment in the Use Magic Device skill, this is very difficult. Fighters have very little skill ranks to begin with so I would recommend avoiding this BUT... if the flavor is worth the investment to you then an obvious choice would be Skill Focus for UMD but
Divine Deception:
Prerequisite: Knowledge (religion) 5 ranks, Use Magic Device 5 ranks
Benefit: You gain a +5 bonus on Use Magic Device checks to use divine spell-trigger or spell completion items or to emulate a divine class feature.
will give you additional reliability as long as your scroll is a divine spell.
I think the standard Fighter will work really well but as far as archetypes go, Tactitian really adds to the flavor of GS organizing and leading his party to victory.
I could recommend Eldritch Claws and Improved Natural Attack: Gore for the feats. Hefty Brute is a nice option as well. Light Armor Proficiency would help if you can afford chain shirt barding.
If you've got a feat to spare on the Druid, Evolved Companion can offer some nice options...
Improved Damage: ups the die type (2d6 becomes 2d8) which stacks with any size increase from Strong Jaw spell or Improved Natural Attack.
Bleed: at 1d6 is nice
Skilled: for a +8 to a skill is a lot but I only recommend that if you're going for an Intimidate or heavy Stealth build animal
Improved Natural Armor: at +2 it's notably better than the +1 granted by the feat of the same name.
Barring all the Stunning Fist feats, the rage powers are grossly multiplied with Greater Grapple and Rapid Grappler. Starting your turn next to an opponent would allow damage like this...
The rider Initiates the overrun, however you would use the mounts Overrun bonus.
So the additional feat options for the Charger companion archetype are only to add to the attack roll?
Since Improved Overrun gives the benefits; you don't provoke an attack of opportunity with the attempt and the target may not choose to avoid you... Would these effects not be granted if only the mount had this feat?
I recommend sticking with one class for this concept. Brutal Pugilist barbarian is my first choice but being allowed Feral Gnasher would be much better. I've been working on a similar build using lizardfolk to be Killer Croc. Lizardfolk may actually be a better race but I'll leave that alone unless you're interested.
Bloodrager is also an excellent choice as many useful archetypes for this class stack. Primalist allows Rage Powers and Spelleater grants fast healing. You could have both of those archetypes along with that Demonic Bulk!
Fighter, more specifically, the Mutation Warrior is another tempting full BAB option. You trade all your Armor Training for Mutagen and alchemist discoveries, leaving you with ALL the weapon trainings and feats galore. That said, the Savage Warrior archetype stacks with Mutagen Warrior if you want to really focus on natural weapon attacks! I know there are some amazing rage powers for a grappling character and as awesome as a Fighter could be you may be unable to give them up, however, since you'll have ALL the feats you'll be able to Variant Multiclass (VMC) into Barbarian for some Rage and Rage Powers. You won't need much outside of Raging Grappler and Animal Fury but you can always take the Extra Rage Power feat for more once you unlock that class feature ;)
Claws... Multiple increases to damage won't stack unless they are different kinds of increases. There's "effective size increase" which would use wording such as "treated as if", then there's "damage die increase" (d6 to d8) and finally there's "actual size increase" which the weapon/attack is literally made larger. So Improved Natural Attack (effective) and the increase from Enlarge Person (actual) stack but Improved Natural Attack (effective) would not stack with the Strong Jaw (effective) spell.
To get claws you may qualify for the Aspect of the Beast feat since your GM seems pretty generous. Skinwalkers are, after all, related to lycanthropes. As mentioned in previous posts, the Beast Totem rage powers will grant claws and pounce later on... which is definitely a tasty option. Final idea to avoid Multiclassing for claws is Eldritch Heritage but I'd only burn feats on that if I was desperate.
All that said, claws may not even be the way to go. A magic weapon could be more useful in a situation where your bite attack or grappling ability is less effective.
Pounce, Grab and Constrict without rage powers...
Constrict can be acquired through a magic item, Anaconda's Coils.
Grab is tough outside of class features but I did find the Tentacle Cloak.
Pounce is also fairly difficult to obtain but I found the Tiger's Hide magic armor.
I've yet to see an answer to this, which many people have asked about. I'm hoping that a clear question regarding this issue will get an FAQ response since the other threads don't seem to follow what they request for FAQ candidates.
If this has been answered in an FAQ already I couldn't find it.
When you attempt to overrun an opponent while mounted, your target may not choose to avoid you. Your mount may make one hoof attack against any target you knock down, gaining the standard +4 bonus on attack rolls against prone targets.
feat implies that the rider is performing the overrun action instead of the mount...
Does a mount or rider gain any benefit from the mount having the Improved Overrun feat if the overrun is being performed by the rider?
If not, why are the
Greater Overrun:
You receive a +2 bonus on checks made to overrun a foe. This bonus stacks with the bonus granted by Improved Overrun. Whenever you overrun opponents, they provoke attacks of opportunity if they are knocked prone by your overrun.
and
Charge Through:
When making a charge, you can attempt to overrun one creature in the path of the charge as a free action. If you successfully overrun that creature, you can complete the charge. If the overrun is unsuccessful, the charge ends in the space directly in front of that creature.
feats available to the Charger animal companion archetype?
I love this concept.
The Bear I think should be the lazy Barbarian. I would focus on a grappling build with the Animal Fury and Raging Grappler rage powers. Alternate build could be
The Eagle would make a good Fighter or Paladin. Stalwart and Brave.
For Treants you could just have a couple of Awakened trees. Ideas for their builds would be;
Monk focusing on trip and sunder maneuvers (Flurry of Branches)
Cleric to be healers and cast buff spells (Giving Trees lol)
or
Druids because they're already trees lol
Other animals that might work could be a small cat, like a jaguar to be the Rogue. I suppose a big cat like a lion or tiger could work but they play well into grappling.
Next could be a boar. Usually good Barbarians and focus on Vital Strike and dealing horrendous damage on a charge. (many rage powers for boar-like barbarians)
The Boss... are you wanting a leader for the group or a BBEG?
In the description of Overrun, it states that the maneuver may be attempted as:
1. a Standard action, taken during your Move
2. part of a charge.
This indicates the maneuver isn't it's own move action. Therefore, attacks of opportunity from moving through a threatened space during the entirety of the movement would occur as normal, whether as a Move action or a charge.
That being said, if you have an ability that says you do not trigger attacks of opportunity when charging and you decide to make an Overrun as part of a charge, your movement wouldn't provoke but the target would still get an attack of opportunity against the combat maneuver (unless you have Improved Overrun).
I would consider Brawler or Martial Artist Monk for classes. I think you've got a good selection of drawbacks. For Traits I would look into ones that up his saves or luck. Luigi might be a cowardly clutz but he usually sticks it through to the finish.
Best I can find is hitting an opponent with Bestow Curse. The GM may allow similar effects to those described in the spell description and you'll have to see if they would allow the curse effect "target is harmed by positive energy as if they were undead".
I know this walks a fine line between Advice and Rules but the "GM may allow" clause in the spell is technically a rule via spell description. Thereby, with approval, you could harm a living creature with Disrupt Undead as the spell states it fires a beam of positive energy.
Fly shouldn't be directly impacted as it's modifier is based on Maneuverability (clumsy, poor, etc.), unless you're referring to the check penalty vs being blown away by strong winds. That penalty only applies when making a check vs strong winds so that's probably why it isnt listed.
As for CMD, it seems intended that it would change along with CMB.
Hello everyone.
If a Kineticist has the Unraveling Infusion which allows a targeted Dispel Magic if the blast overcomes SR (if any), does he qualify for the Destructive Dispel feat?
Disruptive Dispel:
When you dispel an enemy’s magical defenses, those defenses crash down with debilitating effects.
Prerequisites: Ability to cast dispel magic or greater dispel magic, caster level 11th.
Benefit: When you successfully make a targeted dispel check against an opponent, that opponent must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC equals the DC of the spell used to dispel) or be stunned until the start of your next turn. If the save succeeds, the opponent is instead sickened until the start of your next turn.
Acknowledging that a Kineticist cannot actually "cast" Dispel Magic, I'm curious if anyone knows a rules loophole that says he actually would meet the prerequisites. Thank you for your time.
Katana actually has an 18-20 threat range which can be increased to 15-20! Wielding it 2 handed is just fine, TWF feats are a major sink but well worth it in the long run if you're feat happy like a Fighter. That being said a larger two-handed katana would be the nodachi (allowing Slashing OR Piercing damage, losing the Deadly property for Brace and upping the damage to 1d10 with the same critical profile).
As for which weapon, it seems to me the Falcata can only be used one handed so that invites some shield play for increased AC. Having a 19-20x3 is pretty brutal, especially when doubled to 17-20x3! Honestly they're both great weapons so you will have to choose which would be more fun for you to play. Perhaps consider your character's background. A Samurai would most certainly choose the katana while the falcata would be from a more Greco-Roman/Iberian type of culture.
There are a plethora of feat path builds and class archetypes available. Since both of these weapons can crit often and well the Called Shot feat line could be applied to devastating effect. Additionally, Critical feats add an enormous amount of additional punishment. I recommend Fighter and take Critical Mastery in order to apply 2 Critical feats. Deadly Stroke inflicts Constitution bleed! Improved Impaling Critical can be imagined as disemboweling your opponents lol. Let's not forget applying Stunned or Nauseated!
However, not every opponent you face will be subject to critical hits so lets avoid relying on them entirely for damage output...
Weapon Specialization and Greater Weapon Specialization each add a static +2 to damage rolls with a chosen weapon. Weapon Training class feature will offer up to +5 to attack and damage rolls with that weapon group. Power Attack is tremendously nasty with two-handed weapons granting +3 additional damage for every -1 to your attack and Furious Focus ignores the penalty for the first attack each round, making that first strike accurate AND devastating.
Since "crowd control" is what you're after spell wise, I recommend Plant Growth... when cast on an area affected by any Entangle spell it's DC increases by 4! Catch some bad guys in there and they will have quite the difficult time getting out lol. Don't forget Bull's Strength, Owl's Wisdom, etc.! Another spell that I would like to recommend is Frostbite... 1d6+5 non-lethal Cold damage BUT it can be delivered via Natural Attacks AND can be triggered a number of times equal to your Caster Level AND applies the Fatigued condition (-2 to Str and -2 Dex = -1 to attack and damage rolls and -1 to AC and CMD) on a failed save! That's 5 of those with one casting for a total 5d6+25 non-lethal Cold damage! Charges are only consumed on successful attacks so misses do not waste any charges! Just dont attempt to deliver a Cure spell to a friend while you have charges remaining lol. Cast this on your animal companion or on yourself before going into melee.
For the animal companion, having a 3 Int will not make it's turn last any longer in combat, in fact, it will probably be even faster because its understanding of 1 language (limited to uncomplicated instructions) grants it a freedom from "push" handle animal checks. The additional benefit is it allows any feats the animal is physically able to perform instead of being limited to "Animal" feats. That being said, I think selecting an animal with a 4th level advancement will be much more useful to you. Like Quixote suggested Small Cat would be a better choice but I could also suggest Constrictor Snake(Grab and Constrict), Badger(6 rounds of Rage) or Alligator(Grab and Death Roll).
For your feats, Produce Flame and Snowball both target Touch AC which is usually easy enough to begin with, so perhaps there are some other options that will have greater benefit...
Evolved Companion- give your companion a 1 point evolution (not Pounce or Reach). I suggest Bleed (1d6), Magic Attacks (bypasses DR/Magic), Improved Natural Armor (+2 NA) or Improved Damage, depending on which animal you go with. You can take this feat more than once ;)
Spirit's Gift- choose from Shaman spirit animal boons to affect your animal for a short duration each day like DR5/Adamantine or Fast Healing 1
Spell Focus- either Conjuration or Transmutation. Every +1 to spell DC's counts!
Feats for your animal companion (some require 3 Int)...
Improved Natural Attack- increase an attack by 1 size category
Dirty Fighting- if flanking, give up flanking bonus to perform combat maneuvers without provoking attacks of opportunity blah blah blah... the real benefit: count as having 13 Int, Combat Expertise AND Improved Unarmed Strike when meeting prerequisites for Improved "Combat Maneuver" feats like Improved Grapple or Improved Trip!
Power Attack- less accuracy for more damage
Combat Reflexes- additional attacks of opportunity per round equal to Dexterity modifier.
Firstly, Circle of the Moon sounds pretty easy to do. They seem to be a Wildshape focused Druid so ignore archetypes for this one and go regular Druid. As far as your flavor, most of that for this character will come from feats.
Powerful Shape- treated as if your form was 1 size bigger for certain combat bonuses
Planar Shape- Give you DR, energy resistance and smite while Wildshaped
Shaping Focus- gives you 4 additional Druid levels for Wildshape if you wanna multiclass into Barbarian or something
Quicken Shape- transform faster
Energized Wild Shape- choose an energy type when you Wildshape and gain Resist 10(increase by 5 if the form already has that resistance) and add 1d6 of that energy to all natural attacks(increase die by 1 size category if the form already has energy damage on it's attacks).
Mutated Shape- gain an additional natural attack when you Wildshape
Natural Spell- you can cast spells while in Wildshape form
Those combined with some generic yet useful combat feats like Power Attack can help make you quite the monster in melee, especially if you add Rage.
Next, Circle of the Stars...
This one is much harder to emulate in Pathfinder since a lot of the abilities they have are quite unique. There are a few archetypes that might add some cool abilities that can substitute for that. My biggest suggestion (this will require GM approval) is to take the Stars subdomain of the Void domain for your Nature Bond. This will add some cool spells and domain powers that will make this Druid unique indeed. I'm assuming this character will be more of a caster so maximizing Wisdom will be paramount (bonus spells). Additionally, if you dont care to go down the feat path of Metamagics, you could be the "pokemon master" Druid. Here are some feats for Druid summoning. Ferocious Summons will require GM approval if you're not playing an Orc/Half-Orc.
Ferocious Summons(Orc)- gives your summons Ferocity. They disappear when they die instead of at 0 HP
Augment Summoning- +4 Strength and +4 Constitution to summoned creatures.
Starlight Summons- creatures gain Blind-Fight, +5 to Perception and Stealth in dim light or darkness, natural attacks treated as Cold Iron
Moonlight Summons- shed light as the light spell, immune to confusion and sleep effects, natural attacks treated as Silver
Sunlight Summons- shed light as the light spell, immune to blinding and dazzling effects, natural attacks are treated as Magic
Superior Summoning- add 1 to the total summons whenever you summon more than 1 creature
Versatile Summon Nature's Ally- whenever you summon more than 1 creature with a casting you can grant them 1 of the 4 elemental templates(Fiery, Aqueous, Aerial and Chthonic) or the Primordial template instead of the bonus from Augment Summoning
Nimble Natural Summons- summoned creatures can move through undergrowth at normal speed
A Seafaring adventure. The players can be pirates raiding a noble envoy vessel or privateers putting down pirates... either way, their successful boarding action provides them special loot in the form of a map. It's contents allude to a mysterious island and directions to a buried treasure. They must first "find" this missing island and then survive the perils within. (Dinosaurs, cannibals, giant insects, cyclops, whatever you like)
A Primal adventure. No magic, no equipment. Everyone is basically a caveman using primitive materials and weaponry. Think ARK but no technology or griefers. Animal skins(leather/hide), bone, stone, wood and obsidian are the primary resources for crafting. They must fight to get clean water or suffer diseases, clean wounds to avoid infection, craft shelters to sleep safely, etc.
Armor Training allows him to wear Full-Plate unhindered by level 7. Weapon Training and all the bonus feats will ensure he is very proficient with his weapon and shield as he desires. Whether a two weapon fighter or a tower shield tank and deadly with a blade.
Feat Recommendations for Awesomeness:
(anti-caster, 2 weapon fighting)
Similar to the war drummer idea, I have a Skald who commisioned a special Earthbreaker. When he smacks the ground or an opponent it creates a percussive 'boom.'
I've always thought playing a War Drummer would be tons of fun. I would imagine his Raging Song would sound like the drummers on the War Rig from Mad Max lol.
1) Invisibility was already mentioned but if you feel like he needs to be punished for being so perceptive then start using creatures with Gaze attacks... he would be the first one to lock eyes most likely. If he is the only one in the group to pass the Perception check it would scare the party pretty good if the Ratfolk suddenly turned to stone lol
2) The other guys covered that. Reloading early firearms is a chore... and not possible if your hands are full and they only target touch AC within the first range increment.
3) I've dealt with this situation before myself. If you want your world to have an established authority then they need to be strong enough to put the PC's in check if they get out of line. I've had players literally laugh in the town guards faces when they were threatened with being arrested. I also had a Wizard who thought he could get away with anything he wanted to using Invisibility and Fly... some high level archers took him out before he knew he was being hunted.
You might not need to kill your players but whooping their ass and having them wake up in jail will send a clear message. Another tactic I use as a teaching tool is presenting a character that they can make either an enemy or ally out of... meanwhile, your main encounter to come is especially challenging (APL+3). If they are combative to this "spare" character (usually they are) then they would face the challenge alone... and possibly die. If they win, it will most likely be considered "barely" and possibly at a heavy cost. That's when you get to say "That one guy was a potential ally for this encounter but you guys decided to kill him for no discernible reason."
At the end of the day, you must be conscious of what is fun for the players. You might have worked hard on a story that you want to unfold but if they are not interested then just go with the flow and adjust your story so it's tailored to their play style.
Certain attacks deal nonlethal damage. Other effects, such as heat or being exhausted, also deal nonlethal damage. When you take nonlethal damage, keep a running total of how much you’ve accumulated. Do not deduct the nonlethal damage number from your current hit points. It is not “real” damage. Instead, when your nonlethal damage equals your current hit points, you’re staggered (see below), and when it exceeds your current hit points, you fall unconscious.
The feat triggers on a successful save, as an immediate action, which would be done before the damage is rolled. Therefore the bonus HP would be gained before taking half damage.
Additionally, this feat would work with any spell or spell-like ability that requires a save, not just those that cause damage.
Unfortunately no. The feat requires the Discovery class feature which the Alchemical Sapper does not get until level 2 as normal. The Demolition Bomb modifies the Bomb class feature.
The wording doesn't indicate that the size of the creature matters. It simply reads that they become a stone miniature that fits in your palm. That being said, an Elephant or a Fox would be the same size miniature. A safe interpretation would be comparing to a Figurine of Wondrous Power which is listed as 1 lb., even though they are made of many different materials (metal, stone, ivory, etc.) and are typically 1 inch in size.
Why would I choose a Figurine of Wondrous Power as a reference? Because of the feat Companion Figurine, which treats one as if it were your Animal Companion that reverts to it's figurine form on command or if it should be "killed".
If there is still a concern about whether or not a Bat could grasp and carry said figurine then simply have the Druid place the figure in their pocket before using Wildshape... all equipment is melded into their body. That's what I do with my Druid ;)
I imagine Assassins Creed while picturing this ability being used. You are correct that the opponent would be flat-footed during the surprise round anyway, however, you may still be hidden when combat starts and this would allow you to make your opponent flat-footed after the surprise round should you still approach him unaware of you. This would obviously be most effective while being invisible.
That being said, there is still the -4 to the enemy's attacks for 1 round... which might be what the ability is mainly meant for. When you successfully initiate a surprise round, you "startle" them so badly they suffer a -4 on their attacks against you until the beginning of your next turn. Not powerful... but not useless.
Not quite...
A Whip can attack targets at 15ft, 10ft AND adjacent targets, however, they do not threaten the squares into which they can attack.
A Scorpion Whip only has the Performance special quality, not Reach, Disarm or Trip. Therefore only attacking adjacent foes. It gains those properties as long as you also have Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Whip, as that allows you to treat a Scorpion Whip as a Whip (functioning as a One-Handed weapon instead of a Light weapon) that deals lethal damage and ignores the +1 armor or +3 nat armor rule.
That being said, Canny Tumble would still work for getting in that Sneak Attack damage if your Acrobatics is successful.
Whip:
A whip deals no damage to any creature with an armor bonus of +1 or higher or a natural armor bonus of +3 or higher. The whip is treated as a melee weapon with 15-foot reach, though you don't threaten the area into which you can make an attack. In addition, unlike most other weapons with reach, you can use it against foes anywhere within your reach (including adjacent foes).
Using a whip provokes an attack of opportunity, just as if you had used a ranged weapon.
You can use the Weapon Finesse feat to apply your Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength modifier to attack rolls with a whip sized for you, even though it isn't a light weapon.
Weapon Feature(s): finesse, reach.
As RumpinRufus pointed out, you would need to build up to Improved Whip Mastery as well to threaten at 10ft and 5ft (assuming your natural reach is 5ft).
I think the problem here is there are no RAW to cover this particular conundrum.
Morbid Eels wrote:
Edit: Yep, just double checked other threads. According to them it's "Weapon Focus: Heavy Shield" not "Shield bash" because shield bash isn't a weapon. It's still unclear whether the throwing shield modification actually changes the weapon type entirely though.
I can say at a minimum that the Throwing Shield or the Throwing Shield upgrade is also considered an Exotic weapon. It would most certainly apply when used to make a ranged attack thus imposing the -4 non-proficiency penalty without Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Throwing Shield. If you are suggesting that the weapon's type would change completely from this upgrade, then that -4 would also apply to shield bash attacks. which wouldn't make sense because a shield bash is treated as a Martial weapon.
On Weapon Focus... I am now of the belief that even though they are treated as different weapons, Weapon Focus would apply to both attacks... however, Weapon Focus only applies if you are proficient with a weapon. So if you did not have the Exotic weapon proficiency for the Throwing Shield you would not receive the +1 when using it to make ranged attacks. The Bastard Sword is another example of a weapon that falls into two categories as Exotic, One-Handed or Martial, Two-Handed. The exception there is you can't wield the Bastard Sword one handed with a -4 non-proficiency because it's technically still a two-handed weapon.
These are some good questions that I'm unsure of myself. I will offer my best interpretation.
Shield Bash- Martial, One-Handed
Throwing Shield- Exotic, Thrown
1. I would say they are considered as part of the group that relates to the attack you decide to make with it. For example, making a shield bash would be treated as the shield originally would be and be part of the Close weapon group. If you decide to throw it, then treat it as part of the Thrown weapon group.
2. I think that you would have to take Weapon Focus: Shield Bash and Weapon Focus: Throwing Shield separately. This is because they might be the same object but they are considered different weapons when considering their respective attacks. If they were treated as the same then other feats that allowed a Bull Rush on a shield bash would apply to the thrown attack. If you make a Throwing Shield attack then you are not making a Shield Bash attack and vice versa.
3. The wording in the entry for a Shield, Improved Shield Bash and Throwing Shield doesn't offer any clues. Without Ricochet Toss you would obviously lose it but even with the feat, it simply returns to you immediately after the attack is resolved. Throwing Shield's description says that it can be unstrapped (normally a Move action) and thrown as a Free action but says nothing about re-strapping which is a Move action "Ready/Drop Shield". So I think you would lose the shield bonus to AC until you take a Move action to "Ready" your shield by fastening it back to your arm.
4. Yes you can still use it for shield bashing because it's still a shield. No additional penalty, you would just treat it as a normal shield making a shield bash attack. You would not want to make a Throwing Shield attack while threatened as that would provoke an attack of opportunity due to being a thrown weapon.
A simplified alternative, just take a Catfolk and add additional features to get to 20RP (11 to play with). This would alleviate starting from scratch and still offers all the available Alternate Racial Traits and favored class bonuses.
Second option, instead of adding additional traits to a Catfolk, you could just add an additional ability score bonus and bonus feats...
Catfolk Exemplar and Aspect of the Beast as bonus feats, additional +2 to any score or +2 to Str and +2 Con.
Otherwise, I like the builds you guys have so far, or at least a blend of the two.
I think a Nat armor bonus is appropriate and definitely add the Bite attack.
Darkvision is awesome but not appropriate IMO but definitely have Low-Light Vision.
I think the base speed should stay 30ft as Big Cats are slower than Small Cats but the Sprinter racial trait would appropriately showcase their feline swiftness.
Please do not apply things i did not say to my statement. I have been consistently arguing against the idea that the extra damage occurs on every check.
Apologies, I misinterpreted your last post.
You are correct however, that there are checks when you are not using them. Am I to understand that you believe this is a forced situation where using them after the initiation is not permitted?
I think I have shown unequivocal evidence that every check includes a choice on whether or not they can be applied.
BigNorseWolf is correct. Attempting to use them in a grapple is a choice made before every check and would apply an extra 1d6 piercing damage if successful.
Meaning:
A Druid that is wearing Spiked Barding, not proficient with armor spikes, would get the option of "attempting to use them" when making grapple checks.
+If the Druid does not "attempt to use" they do not apply the 1d6 extra damage nor do they suffer the -4 penalty to their grapple.
+If the Druid "attempts to use" they would suffer the -4 non-proficiency penalty on the grapple check. If successful, they apply 1d6 extra damage.
If a creature is proficient with all martial weapons (armor spikes being Light martial weapons) then they can simply choose when they do or do not wish to apply the extra 1d6 to every successful grapple check.
The extra 1d6 damage inflicted with the "grapple attack"... Do we beleive that it inflicts 1d6+STR or only a flat 1d6?
My opinion is that when used in a grapple, they are a flat 1d6. When used as an off-hand weapon, they are 1d6+1/2STR (unless you have Double Slice).
On "grapple attack"... I saw some statements about non-martial characters and tons of damage. I noticed something in the description that i think is important for everyone, so please consider this below. Emphasis mine.
Armor Spikes wrote:
... The spikes count as a martial weapon. If you are not proficient with them, you take a –4 penalty on grapple checks when you try to use them...
To me, that solves the debate on "grapple attack" and whether it means the roll to initiate or all grapple checks to include maintaining.
Additionally, I found what I think will solve the argument on whether a Combat Maneuver is an attack roll or not (emphasis mine)...
Performing a Combat Maneuver wrote:
When performing a combat maneuver, you must use an action appropriate to the maneuver you are attempting to perform. While many combat maneuvers can be performed as part of an attack action, full-attack action, or attack of opportunity (in place of a melee attack), others require a specific action. Unless otherwise noted, performing a combat maneuver provokes an attack of opportunity from the target of the maneuver. If you are hit by the target, you take the damage normally and apply that amount as a penalty to the attack roll to perform the maneuver. If your target is immobilized, unconscious, or otherwise incapacitated, your maneuver automatically succeeds (treat as if you rolled a natural 20 on the attack roll).
Determine Success
If your attack roll equals or exceeds the CMD of the target, your maneuver is a success and has the listed effect. Some maneuvers, such as bull rush, have varying levels of success depending on how much your attack roll exceeds the target’s CMD. Rolling a natural 20 while attempting a combat maneuver is always a success (except when attempting to escape from bonds), while rolling a natural 1 is always a failure.
Therefore, Armor Spikes must inflict 1d6 damage on all successful grapple checks/attacks. Users not martially proficient suffer a -4 penalty on grapple checks when using them.
Trample says it works like the Overrun ability so I believe it must be in a straight line. However, it also says that an opponent cannot be damaged more than once per round no matter how many times your movement takes you over the target creature so that makes me think you can travel multiple directions in one go.
I would say no to the Overrun feats since Trample is a special attack that functions like Overrun but isn't Overrun.
Trample uses Slam damage so I think Inspire Courage would apply to a Trample. Greater Magic Fang would certainly work but it can be tricky. If the creature already has a Slam attack then you're good to buff that. If it does NOT have a Slam attack, you must apply the +1 to all natural attacks for their Trample to gain a benefit.
So I know I'm about to repeat things that have been said already, but I would like to offer my interpretation on everything being discussed here.
Armor Spikes:
Armor spikes deal extra piercing damage (see “spiked armor” on Table: Weapons) on a successful grapple attack. The spikes count as a martial weapon. If you are not proficient with them, you take a –4 penalty on grapple checks when you try to use them. You can also make a regular melee attack (or off-hand attack) with the spikes, and they count as a light weapon in this case. (You can't also make an attack with armor spikes if you have already made an attack with another off-hand weapon, and vice versa.) An enhancement bonus to a suit of armor does not improve the spikes' effectiveness, but the spikes can be made into magic weapons in their own right.
To start, I side with those that identify a Grapple check, or any combat maneuver, as an attack. They use the same rules on a nat 1 or nat 20 and can be selected with Weapon Focus. Now, the whole "grapple attack" thing does cause me a little confusion. Combat maneuvers are technically unique kinds of attack rolls but they are referred to as a "check", so I believe that the description implies that you automatically apply 1d6 (assuming Medium size) piercing damage on a successful Grapple check.
Next it says that they are a Martial, Light weapon and not being proficient with them causes a -4 penalty on grapple checks when attempting to use them. Let's note that a "check" is simply a roll and doesn't denote either initiating or maintaining a grapple. This implies that you can wear them but not actually apply their use when grappling.
::EXAMPLE:: A Druid is Wildshaped as a Tiger and dons spiked barding. The Druid makes a grapple check but must decide if they want to accept the -4 penalty to their check in order to apply the extra 1d8(Large) damage since they are not proficient with all Martial weapons.
I understand that many think this is overpowered or unreasonable for it's cost... especially when considering characters with Greater Grapple and Rapid Grappler that are capable of adding an additional 3d6(Medium) automatic damage on top of their normal output. However, I don't think that is any more game breaking than a Tyrannosaurus Rex with an Animal Growth spell, Strong Jaw spell and Greater Vital Strike.
48d6 plus Grab?? Hopefully it isn't wearing Colossal spiked barding.
I say a cleaver rates to be an actual weapon. I second the idea to use the stats of a Kukri but I can agree with Hand Axe as well. You have any thoughts on a class?
Planar Wild Shape would be a decent grab for any Wildshape focused Druid. Aside from the Energy Resistances, DR and Darkvision, you get to bypass DR/Good or Evil.
I cant site where it's stated at the moment but I know I read somewhere that having DR against something automatically means your natural attacks and unarmed strikes are considered as such. DR/Magic means they are considered magic for bypassing DR... DR/Evil means they are considered Good aligned and vise versa.
If you want to keep it close, the Falchion is a pretty brutal 2 hander with high Crit. 2d4, 18-20x2. Another option is the Nodachi. 1d10, 18-20x2, Brace.
With any of these 3, Improved Critical would make your crit zone 15-20!
If you want to be able to take a hit you want either a large amount of HP and/or DR. If you want to dole out punishment (without mentioning magic items) you'll want high Strength, lots of feats or Weapon Training (or similar ability).
Fighter or Barbarian would be appropriate for what you want. For max Tank status you have Armor Master, Tower Shield Specialist, Armored Hulk and Invulnerable Rager. For punishment you have Weapon Master and Titan Mauler. Vanilla Fighter is well balanced since archetypes typically remove either Weapon or Armor Training. That being said, you wont need Armor Training as much with a 12 DEX. You COULD trade the higher level bonuses for some of the Advanced Armor Training options though!
You could go Power Attack and Vital Strike chain to deliver the big hits.
Unless you specifically want your character to be a master smith, I would avoid the Craft Magic feats. There is, most likely, always going to be an NPC that can make what you want. Yes, it's more expensive but those feats are vital to shaping how dangerous your character can be.
You could also multiclass Fighter and Barbarian and basically make Conan the Barbarian or Guts from "Berserk"! Maybe Titan Mauler with Armor Master or Two-Handed Fighter. A Large Greatsword deals 3d6 damage... put Greater Vital Strike on there and you got 20d6 base damage!
Always. Just add Advanced template or increase the number of creatures.
Your silverware swarm would be easy enough. Just make an animated fork and then apply the Swarm template.
I really like your rooms! Gave me an idea for a dressing room/wardrobe full of Mannequins... which obviously come to life like animated object zombies! Possibly a Cloaker?
I'd like to point out that the Constrict from Tetori doubles your grappling damage per round and with Inescapable Grasp(Su) you can negate Freedom of Movement and grapple Incorporeal creatures.
That being said, I agree with avr on the Stunning Fist... casters have terrible Fort saves, plus, you could tac on some poisons and magical effects. I think you would have to use Daggers though since Shuriken are considered ammunition and are destroyed after use. Anchoring would work nicely on a flighty mage.
Cloud Step might help you catch them if they are low enough to the ground. Chokehold will also help a lot since they can no longer speak (use Verbal components) while grappled.
