Squid Launcher help

[Thomas Long 175]

hi guys, I want to make a character up to level 12 who grapples people with a squid launcher! Lets brainstorm!

Level 12
Point buy 20

[Kaisoku]

Whatever happens, you must call him Vector... because he will have both direction, and magnitude!

.

OH YEAH!!

[Thomas Long 175]

yes someone else does want a squid launcher character :)

[Thomas Long 175]

no one else thinks this would be epic or has any idea how to do this? launch a squid with a crossbow or something?

[blackbloodtroll]

This is what you need. Start with a gnome with the Master Tinker alternate racial trait, and build it.
Begin there.

[Kaisoku]

There's problems with trying to keep live animals as ammunition... mainly the starving to death thing.

So what I'd do is go with the crossbow launcher, but make specialized ammo that summons a creature based on the spell.

Single Use, Use Activated is Spell Level x Caster Level x 50gp.

Summon Nature's Ally II has the Squid, but it's not designed for land (aquatic, can't breathe air), so can't be summoned on land.
Instead, I'd bump this up to Summon Nature's Ally III and give it the amphibious special quality. I'd also make it an advanced one, since that would kick it's CR up to a level that's better for the new spell level.

So 3 x 5 x 50gp, that's 750gp a pop (325gp if you can make it yourself, and one day of crafting).

I'd say that the spell kicks in as soon as it hits the target, instead of waiting the 1 round (casting time on the spell isn't used on use activated, it's the method of using that the effect is dependent on. See potions of Enlarge Person for example of this).

So now you are firing a jar of squid that lasts 5 rounds, and will attempt to grapple as soon as you hit the target with a CMB of +12 (+8 normal, +2 Advanced, +2 charging I'd say). The squid's CMD is 20 to have it broken (24 if they maintained after the first).
It also can deal damage from biting, and potentially use "ink cloud" to blind their opponent.. or possibly sicken them, I'm not sure what's the best approach to that, heh.

This is probably the closest to the actual rules you can get on something like this.

[Thomas Long 175]

Kaisoku wrote:

There's problems with trying to keep live animals as ammunition... mainly the starving to death thing.

So what I'd do is go with the crossbow launcher, but make specialized ammo that summons a creature based on the spell.

Single Use, Use Activated is Spell Level x Caster Level x 50gp.

Summon Nature's Ally II has the Squid, but it's not designed for land (aquatic, can't breathe air), so can't be summoned on land.
Instead, I'd bump this up to Summon Nature's Ally III and give it the amphibious special quality. I'd also make it an advanced one, since that would kick it's CR up to a level that's better for the new spell level.

So 3 x 5 x 50gp, that's 750gp a pop (325gp if you can make it yourself, and one day of crafting).

I'd say that the spell kicks in as soon as it hits the target, instead of waiting the 1 round (casting time on the spell isn't used on use activated, it's the method of using that the effect is dependent on. See potions of Enlarge Person for example of this).

So now you are firing a jar of squid that lasts 5 rounds, and will attempt to grapple as soon as you hit the target with a CMB of +12 (+8 normal, +2 Advanced, +2 charging I'd say). The squid's CMD is 20 to have it broken (24 if they maintained after the first).
It also can deal damage from biting, and potentially use "ink cloud" to blind their opponent.. or possibly sicken them, I'm not sure what's the best approach to that, heh.

This is probably the closest to the actual rules you can get on something like this.

I like the idea with the squid but I was planning on running the summoner first worlder archetype. They replace their summon monster ability with summon nature's ally

[hogarth]

How about the Preserver alchemist archetype?

[wargamer]

Summon Natures Ally III has a constrictor snake. Its not quite as cool as a squid but its a superior grappler and can breathe our of water.
My advice is go with the snake launcher instead, then you can always switch to the venomous snakes for a ranged poison attack if your fighting something with a high CMD.

[beej67]

Get your GM to allow you to craft a Bag of Tricks that only does cephalopods.