themanfromsaturn's page

Nah, my GM is pretty lenient with that sort of thing. Right now his usual weapons are a +1 flaming frying pan and a +1 returning meat cleaver.

A few that I've used:

A cricket bat wrapped in razor-wire.

An owlbear's severed claw.

A bonesaw

A burning log from the campfire

A medusa's head on a pike

I have a character just like what you're describing, and he's a TON of fun to play. He's a 'Cad', a fighter archetype specializing in dirty tricks and improvised weapons. The improvised weapons he uses are mainly kitchen implements (meat cleavers, butcher knives, rolling pins, and of course, his trusty frying pan), but he uses random bits of scenery when it suits him.

As a Cad, you get 'catch off guard' at level 2, so he doesn't take any penalties with improvised weapons.

For traits, I took 'surprise weapon' for a +2 on all attack rolls with improvised wepaons, and 'dockside brawler' for a +1 to damage. It's actually a really powerful combo.

In later levels, I took cautious fighter, combat expertise, improved and greater dirty trick, bludgeoner, and taunt. I also took 'improved catch off-guard (check with your DM, it's third party).

He doesn't do a ton of damage, but he's hard to hit, and he lays down all kinds of crazy debuffs on his enemies with his dirty tricks.

But the most fun is playing him as a food-focused combat gourmet. He plunders every dungeon pantry we come across, and stops to cook a meal every time we come across a kitchen of any kind. He's also fond of cooking for any NPC's we meet.

I'd make it a bluff check rather than a linguistics check, but other than that, I think it's fantastic.

White hair is considered a natural attack. I recall reading something about an option to use DEX to hit with a natural attack. Perhaps it's weapon finesse. Maybe you can just do it. So, you really just need high DEX and INT.

My preference would be a Tiefling, but since they aren't allowed, I'd go Elf. Elves get longbow proficiency, so why not pick up a bow and shoot some arrows into the guy while he's cocooned in your hair?

Combat reflexes is a good feat for a WHW.

My bard once used it as a readied action to catch a bad guy's molotov cocktail or something and throw it back at him. Then he used spark to light his buddy's bombs and blow him to smithereens.

It was a good day. He wrote a diddy about it.

I don't think evil alignment for Oberyn is completely out of the question. Part of his backstory involved an incident wherein he poisoned a spear and killed his opponent (whose wife he was having adultery with, no less) in a duel that was meant to be fought to the first blood rather than to the death. That has evil act written all over it.

It is ASOIAF after all, where pretty much every character is some shade of evil. Even the 'good guy' starks are lawful neutral at best, and 'mary sue' Danaerys teeters between chaotic good and chaotic evil.

That's a good idea. I had considered being a cleric or inquisitor of Llamolaek (NE, Whip, rebirth, rites of passage, transformation)to go with his personal quest to excise his humanity through pain.

I'm not knowledgeable about warpriests. What's their deal?

This character is just a thought experiment, but may eventually see play. My group uses third party 'flaw' rules, where you can take a disadvantage in exchange for a bonus feat. This build uses one, and is based on a 20-pt build.

This build was inspired by the 'Hellraiser' films. It is intended to be a sadomasochistic character able to dish out and absorb large amounts of damage.

Race- Kyton-spawn (shackleborn) tiefling
variants- DR/bludgeoning instead of spell like ability
Prehensile tail insteas of fiendish sorcery

STR 14
DEX 14
CON 16+2=18
INT 12
WIS 8-2=6
CHA 10+2=12

Traits: Whip specialist, Demoralizing presence

1. Vivisectionist. sneak attack 1d6 Exotic weapon proficiency, scorpion whip, Weapon focus, whip
2. Vivisectionist. Spontaneous healing discovery
3. Vivisectionist. sneak attack 2d6 Dazzling display
4. Vivisectionist. Preserve organs discovery, Ablative barrier extract
5. Unbreakable fighter. Great fortitude (die-hard, endurance)
6. Pain taster. (retrain exotic weapon proficiency into shatter defenses)
7. pain taster. Sneak attack 3d6 Gory finish
8. pain taster.
9. pain taster. Sneak attack 4d6
10. pain taster.

This build 'activates' at level 6, but really comes into its own at 7-8. At that point, I can demoralize foes with a dazzling display, then hit them with my whip for full sneak attack damage. The other good thing about this build is that I can use 'ablative barrier' to turn incoming damage into nonlethal damage, which I resist from 'pain taster'. I can use my mutagens for STR or CON to do more damage or stay in the fight longer. I can also heal myself, which is nice.

I considered taking 'racial heritage:hobgoblin' to get 'demoralizing lash', but it seems cheesy to me.

Any advice on how I might improve on this, or where I should go from level 10 onward? I'm kinda settled on the race, even though there are probably better choices out there.

I've been messing around with a character concept for a Kyton-born tiefling. The plan is to work my way into the 'pain-taster' prestige class, most likely using the 'unbreakable' fighter to get the diehard and endurance feats for free. The concept is a character who is trying to purify himself through pain until his human side is flayed away, transfiguring himself into a pure Kyton. In game, I want him to be a damage-sponge tank, taking advantage of the tiefling's natural armor and energy resistance, and the pain-taster's resistance to nonlethal damage, Possibly utilizing feats such as 'flagellant' or 'inured to pain'. My question is this- are there any ways to turn incoming damage into nonlethal damage? Also, are there any shortcuts to whip proficiency? I'm not averse to a level dip or two (inquisitor with a whip favoring deity is something that had occurred to me). Intimidation will likely be a big part of this build. I was toying with 'blade of mercy' + 'enforcer' to demoralize enemies as well. Any ideas, feat/trait suggestions, etc?

Just a side note- If you are a halfling switch-hitter ranger, have you considered using a halfling sling staff rather than a bow & sword? Feats and enchantments for it will apply to both its melee and ranged attacks, and you don't ever have to worry about quick-draw or anything like that.

Everything that has been said here is good. Here are a few more ideas.

Depending on patron, you can get 'mirror image', which is a go-to defensive spell for casters. I think it's the trickery patron, but i'm not certain.

Obscuring mist, fog cloud, etc. are good for concealment.

Flight plus 'protection from arrows' is a solid combo.

Wall of thorns is a good one to protect you from melee, and i don't think it blocks line of effect, so you can cast through it.

Depending on GM call, illusory fogs such as 'haunting mists' have all the advantages of obscuring mist with none of the disadvantages. As it is your illusion, you automatically disbelieve it, and disbelieved illusions are see-thru.

I like it. how about a 7th level version called 'Blood of the Jotnar' that gives fast healing 5 and regrowth of lost limbs? It could also include a downside in the form of a vulnerablitiy to daylight

According to a dragon magazine article on D&D heraldry I read a long time ago:

Along the Good/Evil axis: Good=White, Neutral=Gray, Evil=Black
Along the Law/chaos axis: Lawful=Blue, Neutral=Green, Evil=Red

So, a chaotic evil antipaladin's heraldry would be red and black, and a neutral good knight's colors would be green and white

I don't know, but that's a genius idea.

Ghost sound is the best. My halfling bard used it to scare off a pack of ghouls with the sound of a rooster crowing morning. I've also used it to simulate police whistles to scare off thugs. Another time I had a turnip in a sack and used ghost sound to create the sound of hissing and snake rattles. I then used bluff and convinced my enemies that I had a medusa's head in there and would use it to turn them to stone.

themanfromsaturn wrote:

How about a cestus, or better yet, brass knuckles? I think any reasonable GM would concede that the same techniques you use to punch a guy would apply to punching a guy with a knuckleduster.

The only thing that brass knuckles do is to allow you to do lethal damage with an unarmed strike attack. Which is what a monk or anyone with improve unarmed strike can do anyway. They're weapons for untrained thugs, not a practised martial artist who gains nothing from using them.

That's all true, but you could theoretically put enchantments on the brass knuckles, right? Would that stack with amulets of mighty fists or not?

How about a cestus, or better yet, brass knuckles? I think any reasonable GM would concede that the same techniques you use to punch a guy would apply to punching a guy with a knuckleduster.

My halfling bard had a medium sized heavy mace mastercrafted to look like one of those jingly jester sticks.

He called it 'The Big Bopper'

also I had a gnome ranger who was basically an eccentric british big game hunter (pith helmet, curly mustache, the whole deal) He used a medium sized musket that he named 'victoria'

It is a second level witch spell.

http://www.archivesofnethys.com/SpellDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Spectral Hand

I always pictured it as a meteoric metal, black, but with silver-ish streaks running throughout.

Here's a picture of some meteoric iron

http://cdn.instructables.com/FDQ/0WVL/FG5PZ0GH/FDQ0WVLFG5PZ0GH.LARGE.jpg

No love for an El Cid inspired Cavalier?

Class wise, all his singing and contact juggling points to bard, but probably some kind of weird archetype like magician or sandman or something.

He seems to use a lot of illusions and enchantments, which supports the bard idea. He does cast beast shape at one point, which he could get as a bard magician.

race-wise, looks vaguely fey, and seems to operate on a distinctly fey/infernal sense of principles (literal minded, holding to the letter of a bargain). I could see him even being a rare male changeling (especially because David Bowie has dichromatic eyes like a changeling does)

In another thread someone suggested re-skinning dervish dance for rapiers and calling it 'Fencing grace'. I would absolutely allow that. Include stuff like TWF (rapier and main gauche), combat expertise, combat reflexes, agile manuevers, the disarm feat tree, lunge, etc. and you have a good toolbox for a rapier fighter

Also, get a corset of dire witchcraft for the armor bonus.

I recommend against level-dipping, it's seldom a good idea for casters, and he wants his hexes asap. Also, armor proficiency is all well and good, but he's still going to take a spell failure chance.

In terms of increasing survivability, why not wear an armored coat? he can hex all day with no problems, and when it's time to cast spell, just use a move action to drop the coat. It's even kinda thematic- a witch in a sinister black trenchcoat

Battlefield control (webs, black tentacles, fog clouds, etc.) is a lot of fun, and you can switch that up with debuffing.

To free up some points to raise your intelligence, consider dumping wisdom. I know it's unpopular to do so, but I always do it. As a witch, you'll have a good will save anyway. You can also dump str down, because as a witch you wont be fighting in melee or carrying much of anything.

Also, what patron are you going to go with? For a debuffer, I reccomend insanity. You get some great save-or-suck spells with that one.

Oh right! that's what sluggish jinx does. Once you get that up and running, it's killer.

I think your character will perform admirably in the role you have chosen, even allowing for some minor sub-optimal choices. (in my experience optimizing to the 11th degree is usually more than is required to do meet given role)

Evil eye'ing every round get's REALLY dull after a while, so for the sake of your own fun, see if you can't find room in the build for a secondary role.

Maybe summoning swarms of nasty pointy toothed rabbits?

No, I meant bluff. You see, 'Taunt' lets you use bluff to demoralize, and you don't take a penalty for being smaller than the target. Plus you get to RP her being a sneaky little liar.

I think you might want to look over the jinx and evil eye mechanics one more time, because i think you may have some of the details wrong. You can use the evil eye on the same target more than once, and there's no penalty for successful saves, multiple uses, etc. If you have malicious eye, there is no sound reason to not also evil eye them (unless you feel like going easy on them for some reason) And VERY few encounters are going to last longer than 24 hours, so why are you worrying about indefinite debuffs?

The reason i advocate for an earlier entry slumber is that along with your evil eye, it is going to be your go-to weapon. as a witch, you have limited spell slots, and hexes are where you get your staying power. And fly is a fantastic hex- beast of ill omen is slightly rubbish. Why did you pick that one?

Have you looked over the witch spells and chosen the ones you like? if so, consider which saves they mostly target. A debuffer witch should be focusing on save or suck/save or die spells, which usually key off of will saves, and at later levels, fort. There isn't a ton of stuff on the witch spell list that is relex saved (except web, and blasty spells, which in general you should avoid)The reason i ask, is that i know you are taking lightning reflexes to work with bolster jinx, but i'm not sure you need it- (although i do vaguely remember something about how if you debuff all three saves they lose 3 on their attacks and maybe also initiative-memory eludes me.) Are you going to be working in conjunction with another caster? If so, you can 'set' and they can 'spike'.

I'd do a few things differently, but your build has plenty of merit. Here are a few thoughts-

get slumber at level 4 and flight at 6, to help keep you out of harm's way. With all your malicious eye related stuff, i feel like misfortune is slightly-overkilly, and slumber will let you capitalize on all those lowered will saves.

Stat wise, why is your charisma so high? Malicious eye ties your jinx to your evil eye, so you can base it all on intelligence and charisma is not needed anymore. I'd lower it and push your intelligence up to an 18. That is of course, unless you intend to be the party face. If that is the case, may i suggest the feat 'taunt' and boost your bluff skill way up- shaken is a very solid debuff!

By the way, i applaud your RP, the magic rabbit theme is very cool. I had a tiefling witch once with hooves and very horse/donkey-like features, and her cackle was a disturbing whinnying sound. I had a lot of fun with that.

In the bestiary levels pdf that blackbloodtroll linked to, they get a TON of attribute bumps, including +2 to STR three times!

John Stout- I think you'll like it. Dhampirs are awesome and a ton of fun to play as, and I don't think they get NEARLY enough love in the canon material. Especially as regards their bite. I think it should be a secondary attack, not limited to pinned opponents. Though thematic, that requirement makes it absurdly impractical.

There's some excellent third part material for Dhampirs, some of which can be found at paizo, the rest at rpgnow.com.

One resource I recommend is 'Dhampir: Scions of the night' - It presents a lot of alternate race traits that pretty much cover the gamut of vampire powers, and there are some feats, including 'Emergent magic' and 'innate talent' which let you acquire more of those racial traits and spell like ablities, etc. Eventually, your character will really play and feel like a real vampire.

Another really good one is 'Dhapir feats for shadows over vathak'

I was curious whether or not it is allowed within the rules to take levels of different archetypes of the same class- for instance, right now I am playing as a 'Savage Warrior' which is a fighter archetype. Could I take a level of 'unarmed fighter' as well?

I know that's how you get 'pipers' - those half-satyr people.

I'm currently involved in a campaign in which my CHA 7 halfling is the 'party face' just because we actually act out our NPC interactions and I am blessed with actual, real life, basic language and social skills.

Half orcs can take the 'toothy' alternate racial trait for a primary bite attack. I think some of the other races can get claws and teeth as well- catfolk do, and so do changelings (who also get a damage boost and natural armor too!), so whichever one takes your fancy. Tiefling is a good one because of the stat boosts, the outsider type, and a number of other great advantages.

Consider being a tiefling, possibly a daemonspawn (or whatever one gets you the str boost) Tieflings can have a claw attack right off the bat.

There's a fighter archetype called savage warrior that looks promising for you as well. The two weapon fighting chain seems like a natural, as does the feat 'improved natural attack'

I'm interested in playing as a dhampir who fights with his claws (I use a lot of third party material) and his fangs and just goes around slashing everyone and sucking out their blood.

Consider a dhampir antipaladin.

Okay, you guys talked me out of rogue (though i may level dip later, lol)

I'm going with free hand fighter. I play next weekend.

Wish me luck, and thanks for all your good advice!

It's a shame you are doing PFS, because there is a third party hex called 'familiar growth' that essentially changes your familiar into an animal companion.

Okay, took a look at vivisectionist- it has potential, but swashbuckler rogue gives me a mess of early combat feats. I know fighter would too, but then i lose a lot of skills and sneak attack.

It's a sticky wicket. No matter what i do, i have to give up something.

blackbloodtroll- here is my reasoning for rogue: since 'catch off guard' is a prerequisite for what i wanted to do, and it causes flat-footedness, i figured I would try to capitalize on that with sneak attack.

Vivsectionist alchemist... now THAT is an intriguing suggestion! I'll look right into that.

ArmouredMonk13- i don't think that's how disarm works, but a weapon with the 'disarm' quality gives a +2 bonus- that's where my thinking is going right now.

I think I can make a solid case to my GM that a meat-hook or crowbar are structurally and functionally similar to a jutte or shang gou, (i can snag a proficiency with these thanks to swashbuckler) and so i should be able to use them as improvised weapons with the disarm quality. I'd naturally prefer the meathook, as it is more 'chef-y'

On the subject of traits, does anyone know if there are any that give a bonus to disarming or feinting? I know there's a few that give a bonus to bluff.

just as a rules clarification:

rough and ready, and surprise weapon both grant a trait bonus to attacks- that means they do not stack.

That's a bummer, but I'd just drop rough and ready. As the lesser of the two it's only a +1, and I already get the penalty for improv weapons dropped thanks to 'catch off guard'

I'm a little resistant to the idea of a barbarian just because i've never played one and i'm completely unfamiliar with how they work. Fighter is a legit option.

How about feinting instead of disarming to deny my opponents their dex bonuses and allowing sneak attacks? It isn't hard max out bluff for a halfling, and it doesn't seem like a lot of opponents would have crazy high sense motive.

That's a fair point, and well made. however, I think between disarm+catch off guard and maxed-out acrobatics, i should be able to set up a lot of opportunities to use sneak attack.

I'll run some simulations and see what works better in practice. Thanks for expalining your recommendation, blackbloodtroll, it means a lot.

Blackbloodtroll- Why do you recommend the breaker barbarian? I see that it does bonus damage with improv weapons, but the way i see it, the sneak damage form rogue is going to amount to a LOT more. (my build is going to result in a LOT of flat-footed opponents) Is there something I'm overlooking?

Cazin- I'll take a look at underfoot adept. Thanks for the recommendations!

Also, I noticed 'improved weapon mastery'. PERFECT choice for my 11th level feat!

After some consideration, I've decided to go with swashbuckler rogue, with an eye toward the 'master chef' prestige class from 'the quintessential halfling'.

I didn't expect it to, but I ran the numbers and it looks like this little guy will be a force to be reckoned with! Who knew!