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Str 15(17) All 3 ability score increases go here.
Dex 14
Con 14
Int 14
Wis 12
Cha 7
1:Lore Warden-1 Power Attack, Fighter Bonus Feat (Exotic Weapon proficiency: Fauchard), Human Bonus Feat (Weapon Focus: Fauchard.)
2: Lore Warden-2 Lore Warden Bonus (Combat Expertise) Fighter Bonus Feat (Improved Trip)
3: Lore Warden-3 Combat Reflexes
4: Lore Warden-4 Fighter Bonus Feat Furious Focus
5: Monk(Master of Many Styles)-1 Tiger Style-Monk Bonus Feat (Tiger Pounce)
6: Lore Warden-5
7: Lore Warden-6 Felling Smash Fighter Bonus Feat Greater Trip
8:Lore Warden-7
9: Monk(Master of Many Styles)-2 Kirin Style, Monk Bonus Feat (Kirin Path)
10:Lore Warden-8 Fighter Bonus Feat Greater Weapon Focus: Fauchard (Retrain Furious Focus into Combat Style Master )
11: Lore Warden-9 Improved Critical: Fauchard
12:Lore Warden-10 Fighter Bonus Feat Dazing Assault
Skills: Knowledge Arcana
Knowledge Nature
Knowledge Planes
Knowledge Religion
Knowledge Local
Climb 1 point
Swim 1 point
Acrobatics
Perception
Traits: Heirloom Weapon (Fauchard) +2 to trip, make masterwork with transformation later on.
Indomitable Faith +1 Will Saves
Focuses on big damage and battlefield control using tripping and it’s 16(!) feats.
Lore Warden to get great trip CMB’s, Combat Expertise bonus feat, Know Thy Enemy and skills. Master of Many Styles for bonus feats, saves and to waive qualification for style feats.
Just to be sure, does Kirin Style combine with Know Thy Enemy to mean both are activated on a swift action knowledge check?
He is limited to Light armour, and with Tiger Pounce, his AC will probably be garbage. Will tripping, reach and the mobility of Kirin Path and Tiger pounce be enough to negate this? Any suggestions for the build, concerns?
For a tripper build, I suggest Flowing Monk. It has a lot of class features that have to do with tripping and repositioning, such as getting improved and greater as bonus feats, and staggering after trip.
Also there is a monk trip disarm weapon called 9 Section Whip. It is exotic though.
EDIT: They also get +1 dodge bonus for every enemy around them and a 1 ki point ability to reflex save from a normal attack. also counter attacking spells.
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I agree with Squawk a little, you might get better stuff from Flowing Monk, at least for the two levels.
I would like to point out that Masterwork Transformation is not a permanent spell in PFS. They have that silly rule about all instant and perm duration spells ending at the end of each scenario. So your heirloom weapon might not last you.
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Since your build looks very similar to the one that I posted a few weeks ago ( click here ), I'll post my build for reference, too
S:19 D:14 C:13 I:13 W:10 C:7
Traits: Bred for War. Reactionary
1) LW1 - EWP: Fauchard (Half-Elf), Toughness, Weapon Focus
2) LW 2 - Combat Expertise (LW bonus), Improved Trip
3) MoMS1 Unarmed Strike, Stunning Fist, Fuse Styles, Dragon Style, Tiger Style
4) LW3 - +2 to CMB/CMD (LW)
5) MoMS2 - Tiger Pounce, Power Attack; Evasion
6) LW4 - Combat Reflexes
7) LW5 - Greater Trip; Weapon Training +1/+1
8) LW6 - Fury's Fall
9) LW7 - Improved Crit (Fauchard); +4 to CMB/CMD (LW)
10) LW8 Greater Weapon Focus: Fauchard
11) LW9 FEAT?; Weapon Training +2/+2
Notes on your build:
I like Fury's Fall better than Felling Smash: the DEX bonus to CMB applies on all of your trips, while Felling Smash can only be used when you aren't charging or full attacking: it isn't going to see much use IMO.
Heirloom weapon doesn't work with the Fauchard, since it is an exotic weapon. That's why I went with Bred for War instead of Heirloom.
I'm not sold on Kirin Style: I don't think it gives you very much for the two-feat investment. I took Dragon for the Save bonuses and the ability to charge through difficult terrain. Picking up the second Dragon feat, or just going with something like TWF for versatility, are open options at the higher levels. Or maybe Iron Will? You can't ever have to much Will save bonus!
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For a tripper build, I suggest Flowing Monk. It has a lot of class features that have to do with tripping and repositioning, such as getting improved and greater as bonus feats, and staggering after trip.
Flowing monk has some nice bonuses, but they appear to be tied to the monk level, which is unfortunate if I am going to be dipping into it.
I would like to point out that Masterwork Transformation is not a permanent spell in PFS. They have that silly rule about all instant and perm duration spells ending at the end of each scenario. So your heirloom weapon might not last you.
D'oh! Forgot about that rule, and with Argus' reminder that it can't be used for exotic weapons, that trait is out. Bummer.
'Bred for War' seems like a nice trait, but I can't find it on the PFSRD, does anyone have a link?
I'm not sold on Kirin Style: I don't think it gives you very much for the two-feat investment. I took Dragon for the Save bonuses and the ability to charge through difficult terrain. Picking up the second Dragon feat, or just going with something like TWF for versatility, are open options at the higher levels. Or maybe Iron Will? You can't ever have to much Will save bonus!
Dragon is nice, but I really like the option of having Know Thy Enemy as a swift action using Kirin Style. That is a big DPR boost if I can put it on every enemy, and boosts my CMB too. Kirin Path is optional for that though, so maybe I could get Fury's Fall/ Tripping Strike instead?
my tripmaster alchemonk
Cool build, it would have awesome flavour.
Anyone got some advice for staying alive in PFS melee with really bad AC?
Celestial Armor
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Well, for instance, being in light armour and dropping it again with Dragon style, is it even worth focussing on improving it at all with enhancements to armour, rings, amulets etc?
Just accept that monsters will hit me, and avoid full attacks like the plague?
Maybe invest in some means of gaining consistent concealment?
Or throw alot of cash into it and try and minimise the one weakness?
I have not seen a PF feat like the 3.0 Knockdown feat but it is really cool. Basically when you hit for more than 10 points of damage you get an auto trip attempt that does not provoke OOA. If you are strong and have a two handed weapon that is pretty much every attack.
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Staying alive with a low AC in PFS is all about positioning and timing. Try to avoid being in a position where you can get full attacked, when you can. If you have a fighter, paladin or barbarian in the group, let him charge in first and take the hits: he probably LIKES it! (Truth for me, when I'm playing my PFS fighter: I want to take as many hits as possible, while returning the favor as much as possible).
Combat reflexes and reach means you will be able to trip creatures that don't have reach before they can get within melee range - unless they are taking a 5 foot step. Single attacks aren't likely to kill you - it's the BBEG full attacks that you need to worry about.
Let your enemies come to you when you can, so that they charge in (and get tripped...), maybe hitting you once. Then you get to full attack them - making sure that they are prone when they start their turn. If they start their turn prone, they either have to waste a move action to stand (and eat an AoO), or full attack you with a -4 penalty (likely off-setting much of your Tiger Style penalty to AC at higher levels). Once you have Tiger Pounce and Power attack, most enemies aren't going to be able to survive a full round of your attacks, especially if you already got a free shot at them as they came into melee range.
At higher levels, when dealing with a lot of creatures that have reach, you'll need to be even more careful, but you will have experience dealing with the low AC issues by that time, so you should have time to adjust your play style to suit your strengths/weaknesses. You're not alone with being melee-oriented but wanting to avoid getting hit and/or having low AC: rogues and rangers are notoriously squishy, too. You just need to avoid the impulse charging right in (literally: avoid charging up next to the BBEG - although charging lesser enemies probably won't be an issue). If you win initiative and don't want to ready an action (e.g.: awaiting a charge or other move into your reach), draw a potion while moving up a bit -- and than use your standard action to down the potion.
Once you get Greater Trip (level 7?), your trip attacks have the power to multiply damage by the number of melee allies adjacent to the creature. This will make the tank/fighter/paladin/barbarian love your dodgy, lightly armored tripper even more.
As an aside, my Lore Warden / Master of Many Styles is very fun to play: nobody expects the Fighter at the table to have a bunch of Knowledge skills -- and having Linguistics as a class skill (and speaking many languages) is a fun twist for a fighter/melee character.