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First off, I want to lament the absence of a straight up pathfinder rpg character optimization board :p
So, here's the idea I had with the character, and I wanted some feedback on viability and it's ability to compete efficiently with other classes.
The idea is a druid who's specialized in one form for better damage output.
The form in question is the stegosaurus. It's huge, and has a single attack for 4d6 damage. The animal becomes available at druid level 8, and from there on, it's all about maximizing that damage. Prior to that, the standard treantmonk animal forms provide plenty of pain.
20 point buy:
Race: Human
Str 16 (+10)
Dex 14 (+5)
Con 13 (+3)
Int 13 (+3)
Wis 13 (+3)
Cha 7 (-4)
1 Druid (Combat Expertise, Dodge)
2 Druid
3 Druid (Power Attack)
4 Druid
5 Druid (Improved Trip)
6 Druid
7 Druid (Mobility)
8 Druid
9 Fighter (Vital Strike, Spring Attack)
10 Fighter (Whirlwind Attack)
11 Fighter (Greater Trip)
12 Fighter (Weapon Focus: Tail)
13 Fighter (Improved Vital Strike)
14 Fighter (Weapon Specialization: Tail)
15 Fighter (Combat Reflexes)
16 Fighter (Greater Weapon Focus: Tail)
17 Fighter (Lunge)
18 Fighter (Greater Vital Strike)
19 Fighter (Improved Critical: Tail)
20 Fighter (Greater Weapon Specialization: Tail)
Comments? Suggestions? The character caps with 4th level spells. Enough for some buff spells. A rod of quicken will help make them more useful, potentially even in later levels. The comparatively high attack bonus means that power attack can be used rigorously. Since damage is normally applied at 1.5x for the tail, you get the 3-1 ratio for damage.
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Mmm, indeed, that makes the build even more fun.
At level 20, this would be... Mmm...
*Str 16 +2 racial +5 levels +5 tome +6 belt + 6 wildshape
total str 40 (+15)
Base 6d6 + strx2
(6d6+30)
Greater Vital Strike 24d6+34
Bab 17 + 15 str
AB +38
Max damage is 174. Not really overwhelming.
However, he whirlwinds with a 20ft reach with lunge, and gets to make trip attacks against everyone he hits.
His CMB for trip is:
17+15+2+2 = +36
Eh, I guess an interesting theme build, but not necessarily competitive at that level :/
Is this just a thought experiment or for an actual game? Because a druid specialized in wildshapping into a HUGE creature would have alot of difficulties in most of the games i played. Not the least of which is you will never have more then 3 wild shapes per day with this build so you wont always have the option of leaving your wildshape form (since you are so focused in it the character would be very underwhelming out of stego form. And while at 8th level you can technically be in stego form for 24 hours a day, it becomes problematic if you need to fit through doors, be involved in anything resembling a social situation or cross a bridge or something.
Why are so much people trying to make the Druid a Fighter-Barbarian.
If you wanna bash your enemey to goo, just play a barbarian or so and don´t to try to make a very tactical class in a bashing frootloop.
The Druid is so cool, because you are able to do weird stuff and help your party in a way others absolutely can´t.
But thats my opionon.
'cause shifting into a savage beast (literally) and kicking melee ass is awesome, and a ton of people want to make that type of character work.
I personally love the wild-shape-focused druid, though this guy is doing a very specific version of it.
Why are so much people trying to make the Druid a Fighter-Barbarian.
If you wanna bash your enemey to goo, just play a barbarian or so and don´t to try to make a very tactical class in a bashing frootloop.
The Druid is so cool, because you are able to do weird stuff and help your party in a way others absolutely can´t.
But thats my opionon.
Because there is this class feature in druid that allows you to turn into a bear?
Many classes can do things other classes cant and other things that other classes can. Doesnt mean there isnt a reason to focus on the things that overlap. If i want to be the combat guy, there is nothing wrong with wanting to do it through the druid instead of through a barbarian or fighter. It is just a different way to play a similar role. If you werent supposed to ever be a 'basher' as a druid, then wildshape would exclude the non-utility forms and stick to things that crawl, fly, climb, swim and hide. But it doesnt, you are just as welcome to be a bear as you are a hawk with wildshape (level/size restrictions not withstanding ofcourse).
Its doable I think. Basically you are a fighter who can wildshape some.
I'd note that you will be tanking your dex when you wildshape into a stego. So I'm not sure that the dodge/expertise-->whirlwind is even doable (since you don't qualify for dodge while in stego form) unless you have magic boosting your dex while wildshaped. (It will definitely lower the utility of combat reflexes.)
You'd still want natural spell. With the limited number of wildshapes you don't want to have to drop out of wildshape just to cast a spell. Plus, in order to get the full benefit of Greater Magic Fang, you'll need to be in stego form to cast it directly on your tail attack.
Can you take weapon specific feats for natural attacks that you only have while wildshaped? I don't really know.
The big drawback I see is you are limited to a single attack except when using things like haste, great cleave, or whirlwind attack. Granted that vital strike will make that a much more dangerous attack, but you will also be running into DR issues that you won't have many ways to overcome. Against a single tough foe your stego will struggle, especially if the enemy has potent magic available, as your touch ac and ref will be poor, and at higher levels your will save will be poor as well.
Best would be to allow yourself the option of using other forms when stego might not be the best. So I'd probably drop the weapon specific feats and use those for something else (e.g. natural spell).
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This is more of a "lets see how much damage this build can get with pathfinder core stuff" build.
Since you gain proficiencies in the natural attacks when you're in that form, you then qualify for the various specialization feats. Mainly, I was just looking for anything I could nab to boost the damage.
I'd imagine that the build would pick up the amulet of mighty fists at some point to further boost the damage. As for combat reflexes, with a belt of dex you get enough of a boost to trip that bbeg and hit him again when he stands back up. If he tries to back away, the reach is great enough to provoke one last attack, consuming the last aoo the build could make.
So he's not totally defenseless against bbegs. Though, yes, in a classic dungeon setting he'll have a tough time moving between rooms :P
The druid can either specialize in spellcasting or specialize in melee, or try to do both poorly.
A melee specialist could go many ways. With the vital strike tree, doesn't it make sense that a melee specialist that has access to a really big base damage would want to play with that to see how far it can go?
Taking feats like WF(tail) is legal. If you lose the prerequisite (the tail), you can't use the feat.
You will REALLY want leadership. Get yourself a cavalier or a ranger, and have him fight from on top. You'll need a big saddle.
The cohort will also allow you to RP, do something with 5ft hallways, etc.
However, there's a better solution still. Be a summoner. Just practice saying "It's not an eidolon, it's a stegosaurus".
After all, you'll have better casting ability, and you can have the stegosaurus from 1st level. Get straight to that character concept, and never leave. Focus on the stegosaurus, and use the summoner to cast buff spells on it.