Advice on Strange Vivisectionist

[Thomas Long 175]

So I've had an idea. Rather than building my character around sneak attack I'm just going to build him close to a two handed barbarian and use sneak attack as simple additional damage. He's going to focus on knocking them out rather than outright killing (as I understand it the same number of HP anyways) so they can be saved or coup de gra'd later

My problems
1. BAB is lower so it might push my to hit too low to hit consistently anyways.
2. Race. Human would allow me to get power attack, half orc would improve saves and intimidate and give darkvision (I always like)
3. Considering for 10th level discovery Mummification but the extra proc on my damage from tentacle would also be nice (I'd get a huge chunk if I make it nonlethal but that would be at a -9 to hit).

Anyways here are the current 2 builds. Questions comment concerns and anything else.

Both Builds will have a mercy earthbreaker.

(Yes I am insane I don't need to be notified)

Human Build:

Human Vivisectionist
Alchemist 10/Master Chymist 2
STR 16
DEX 10
CON 16
INT 13
WIS 12
CHA 10

Racial Bonus (HP)

Feats
1 Power Attack
1 Sap Adept
3 Weapon Focus
5 Enforcer
7 Dazzling Display
9 Shatter Defenses
11 Sap Master

Discoveries
2 Feral Mutagen
4 Preserve Organs
6 Preserve Organs
8 Preserve Organs
10 Tentacle vs Mummy

Advanced Mutagens
12 Greater Mutagen (STR CON)

Ability Advancements INT, STR, STR

Half Orc Build:

Half Orc Vivisectionist
Alchemist 10/Master Chymist 2
STR 16
DEX 10
CON 16
INT 13
WIS 12
CHA 10

Racial Bonus (HP)

Feats
1 Sap Adept
3 Weapon Focus
5 Enforcer
7 Dazzling Display
9 Shatter Defenses
11 Sap Master

Discoveries
2 Feral Mutagen
4 Preserve Organs
6 Preserve Organs
8 Preserve Organs
10 Tentacle vs Mummy

Advanced Mutagens
12 Greater Mutagen (STR CON)

Ability Advancements INT, STR, STR

[Jon Otaguro 428]

Earthbreaker is a martial weapon (alchemists are only proficient with simple weapons). Power attack requires BAB+1

Sap is also a martial weapon, so you would get -4 to hit until you can get the merciful attribute on a weapon.

The lack of proficiencies is going to hurt you trying to pull this off without multiclassing.

[Thomas Long 175]

lol woops yep gotta just run with a mace and use it in 2 hands it looks like :P

Forgot alchemist only get simple weapon proficiencies.

And yeah I'm not actually going to do the nonlethal thing until I get the merciful ability. I'm just taking the sap for the time being until I can get it.

You are correct about Power Attack I'll switch it with Enforcer because that only requires one level of intimidate anyways

[StreamOfTheSky]

Be a Half-Orc and get Falchion proficiency. Take the Blade of Mercy trait. Take the Enforcer feat.

If you want to go down that path, that's the best way to do it.

EDIT: Oh, you want bludgeoning to use w/ Sap Adept and Sap Master? But if you're not going to try to obtain sneak attack much and only fighting with one weapon.... might not be worth all the investment.

[StreamOfTheSky]

Also, drop Con and Cha. Raise dex and Str. Looks like you're on...20 point buy? Try this instead (includes +2 racial to str): Str 18, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 7

Yeah, you have a -2 charisma. Will that matter if you keep your intimidate ranks maxed? Not really.

[Thomas Long 175]

Sap master and Sap adept only work with bludgeoning damage though.

[StreamOfTheSky]

Yeah, but you're not dual wielding and won't be looking to get sneak attack as much as possible, so are those feats and weapon enhancement and another feat for proficiency worth it?

[Thomas Long 175]

Worth it? If I want to go max dpr why am I not just going fighter. I'm building this guy really as someone whose proccing sneak attack as true bonus damage. The way its set up I get 2d6+4 bonus damage every odd level worth of sneak attack.

Besides it's already been shown mathematically that dual wielding medium BAB sucks. This is theory crafting to see what happens when I build it like a 2 handed fighter and try to milk it for bonus damage.

Sap Master tells me to roll all my sneak attack dice twice and with sap adept proccing on that (2x number of sneak attack dice rolled bonus) I figure I should average 11 bonus damage of sneak attack for every odd level.

Really its just a theory craft to see if I can ever make sneak attack mathematically worth it compared to other classes that just use static bonuses.

[Thomas Long 175]

Sorry I guess I should clarify. My point here is to make something that matches high BAB dpr by using sneak attack to make up for the loss of to hit and power attack damage.

[StreamOfTheSky]

You could just attack with feral mutagen's natural weapons. All are primary and add 1x str to damage and would get 2:1 power attack ratio. And claws and bite do bludgeoning damage.

May or may not be stronger.

If you do stick with the weapon, you should still get Feral Mutagen and Vestigial Arms twice. Having the 3 natural attacks as 2ndary won't reduce your weapon's bonus to hit one bit, and even if they have low chances of hitting, that's still 3 extra attacks to sneak attack with. Take the Bludgeoner feat instead of getting a Merciful weapon, to cover all your attacks, with manufactured and natural.