Coup de Grace build, advice and feedback sought.

[BigDTBone]

The idea is to utilize the synergy between a 4x crit weapon and coup de grace action. I chose to use the Witch's slumber hex to achieve helpless condition (though I am NOT married to this idea, if anyone has a better one.) Build is 3rd level, standard wealth (I may have overspent 50~100 GP) 20 point build. This in an E6 game so advancement ideas are appreciated, but anything beyond level 6 will not be helpful. All paizo material is open. (wotc 3.5 permitted case by case, if you have an idea toss it out there.)

Overall reasoning behind choices:

Fighter (weapon master) 1, Witch 2 - Extra feat, weapon, armor, and tower shield proficiencies, 10HP at level 1. Slumber Hex, marginal utilities available.

Power Attack - to hit no important, get the damage up high enough that the coup de grace fort save is nearly impossible. (Min DC 34)

Scorpion Familiar - Initiative bump

Chain Mail and Tower Shield - High AC, and Slumber is (Su) so not affected by ASF%

Level 1 Witch spells intentionally left open to prepare as needed, no real combat options better than the main schtick anyway.

Everything else is pretty self explanatory.

Please feel free to challenge my choices and double check my math, I will not be offended.

Also, does anyone know of a patron which grants Fox's Cunning?
Thanks!!!

Laurena
Female Human (Varisian) Fighter (Weapon Master) 1 Witch 2
NG Medium Humanoid (human)
Init +6; Senses Perception +5
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Defense
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AC 22, touch 12, flat-footed 20 (+6 armor, +4 shield, +2 Dex)
hp 25 (1d10+2d6+6)
Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +3
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Offense
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Speed 20 ft.
Melee +1 Heavy pick +1 (1d6+4/x4)
Special Attacks hexes (healing, slumber [dc 17])
Witch Spells Prepared (CL 3):
0 (at will) Message, Light, Read Magic, Detect Magic
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Statistics
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Str 13, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 18, Wis 11, Cha 7
Base Atk +2; CMB +3; CMD 15
Feats Ability Focus Hex, Accursed Hex, Brew Potion, Power Attack -1/+2
Traits Killer, Magical Knack (Witch)
Skills Acrobatics -13 (-17 jump), Climb -14, Diplomacy +1, Escape Artist -13, Fly -13, Knowledge (arcana) +10, Knowledge (history) +10, Linguistics +7, Perception +5, Ride -13, Sense Motive +5, Spellcraft +10, Stealth -13, Swim -14
Languages Common, Dwarven, Halfling, Polyglot, Samsaran, Shoanti, Thassilonian, Tien, Varisian
SQ +4 bonus on initiative checks, empathic link with familiar, patron spells (moon), share spells with familiar
Combat Gear Potion of cure light wounds (10), Potion of fox's cunning (3); Other Gear Chainmail, Tower shield, +1 Heavy pick, Alchemy crafting kit, Backpack, masterwork (24 @ 39.5 lbs), Bedroll, Blanket, Cooking kit, Fortune-teller's deck, Sarenrae, Manacles, Marked cards, Shaving kit, Silk rope (3), Spell component pouch, Traveler's outfit, Waterskin, 12 GP, 8 SP
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Special Abilities
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+4 bonus on initiative checks You gain the Alertness feat while your familiar is within arm's reach.
Accursed Hex Target a creature with a hex a second time that day if it made its save the first time
Empathic Link with Familiar (Su) You have an empathic link with your Arcane Familiar.
Healing (1d8+3) (Su) Use cure light wounds once per day/person.
Killer Add weapon's critical modifier to its critical bonus damage.
Magical Knack (Witch) +2 CL for a specific class, to a max of your HD.
Power Attack -1/+2 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.
Share Spells with Familiar Can cast spells with a target of "You" on the familiar with a range of touch.
Slumber (3 rds) (DC 17) (Su) Foe in 30 ft falls asleep for duration, or until damaged or roused by ally (Will neg).

Grimoire (Familiar)
Female Scorpion, Greensting
NG Tiny Magical Beast ((vermin))
Init +3; Senses darkvision; Perception +7
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Defense
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AC 19, touch 15, flat-footed 16 (+3 Dex, +2 size, +4 natural)
hp 12 (1d8)
Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +3
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee Sting (Scorpion, Greensting) +7 (1d2-4/x2)
Space 2.5 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
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Statistics
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Str 3, Dex 16, Con 10, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 2
Base Atk +2; CMB +3; CMD 9 (17 vs. Trip)
Feats Weapon Finesse
Skills Climb +7, Diplomacy -1, Fly +7, Linguistics +3, Perception +7, Sense Motive +3, Spellcraft +3, Stealth +15, Swim +3
Languages
SQ improved evasion, poison
Other Gear You have no money!
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Special Abilities
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Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white vision only).
Improved Evasion (Ex) No damage on successful reflex save; half on failed save.
Poison (Ex) Sting - injury; save Fort DC 10; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect sickened for 1 round; cure 1 save.

[Bertious]

Looks interesting i'm not sure my advice is that useful but i would suggest the moon patron because Darkness is apparently a 1t level spell for them and has no somatic compnent so is fully castable in the armor and the other spell you'll get is darkvision which with an hour per level can be cast out of the armor anyway. Not to mention moon+sleep is a good theme.

[W. John Hare]

Slumber (Su): A witch can cause a creature within 30 feet to fall into a deep, magical sleep, as per the spell sleep. The creature receives a Will save to negate the effect. If the save fails, the creature falls asleep for a number of rounds equal to the witch's level. This hex can affect a creature of any HD. The creature will not wake due to noise or light, but others can rouse it with a standard action. This hex ends immediately if the creature takes damage. Whether or not the save is successful, a creature cannot be the target of this hex again for 1 day.

Your slumber only puts the target to sleep for 2 rounds (since you are Witch 2) not 3.

Having said that, very impressive on the Coup de Grace damage. If I've done the math right you are doing 4d6+20 on a crit. So you should be averaging your DC 34 with a low end of 24 and a high of 44. If the target makes its save it is still going to take a lot of damage, which may still kill it.

Depending on how you want to improve, getting 2 more levels of Fighter for Weapon Training for an additional +1 damage and the Gloves of Dueling (so you are doing +3 hit/dmg, which is +12 dmg on a crit).

Boosting your Str to 14 will give you another +4 on crit damage.
And with a 14 Str, two-handing the Hvy Pick will give another +4 on crit damage.
Bull's Strength would also be very useful for this build.

[Just a Mort]

I actually thought about a 1 round CDG using your familiar. But its for a hexcrafter not a witch.

At 4 you get slumber hex.

Floating Disk is a level 1 spell. Put the party fighter(or anyone with 14 str or greater, can even be a cleric or an oracle) or a rogue on the disk.

For a fighter or those strength types - give them a hooked lance. For a rogue - give them a scorpion whip.

Delay until you move just slightly before your buddy, or your buddy delays so he moves just after you.

Standard action - slumber hex. Move action, move yourself(disk follows within 5 feet)/the disk containing the guy waiting for the cdg. The guy makes the CDG - Monster dies.

Ask your GM if earth elementals can use a hooked lance without proficiency at a -4 attack penalty. If answer is yes, take improved familiar at lv 5, earth elemental familiar. Put your hooked lance wielding earth elemental on the disk. Make your familiar CDG the sleeping monster. With Power attack and 2handing the lance - we're looking at a save dc of..Minimum 42(assuming no DR).

The cool thing? It can be done in one round of your actions.

If your GM doesnt allow Earth elementals to use hooked lances, then wait till lv 7. Get a mephit. They are proficient in martial weapons(which a hooked lance is). Give him a belt of giant strength, cast greater magic weapon on lance(its available as a magus), and the CDG DC goes to 30. No where near an earth elemental, but it'll have to do. At 8, greater magic weapon will give a +2 bonus, raising DC of CDG to 34 minimum assuming no DR. If your DM does not allow for Belt of Giant strength on Mephits(Do not see why not - since they are humanoid shaped by bestiary description), use Eye for talent alternate human feat(taken at lv 1) to give your mephit +2 strength.

For a witch as they don't get floating disk, I would probably start trying to convince my gm that my mephit could sit on my shoulder while using a hooked lance.

[Rathendar]

Since 3.5 is permitted case by case, there was a feat in that edition which upgraded CDG to a standard action i believe. Worth looking into perhaps.

[Algodor]

You could go a hexcrafter magus, then take slumber in place of a magus arcana. You'd keep improving the save dc of your slumber while maintaining the damage on your coup de grace. Not to mention you can use arcane strike and your arcane pool to increase the base damage of a Crit x4 weapon.

[Just a Mort]

The issue I see with any kind of CDG builds is its a loss of action economy. 1 round to sleep a creature. 1 round to kill it. Most creatures don't come alone, so his friends will just simply wake him up before you get a chance to kill him. If you really caught a BBEG alone, had slumber on him - then you enlarge the party fighter, let him do the CDG. Even if the BBEG rolls a nat 20 required to survive the CDG - the damage done by the said fighter should be enough to kill him outright.

[Kalridian]

If a malus to hit is of no concern for you, you could make your weapon large for bigger damage dice.

[BigDTBone]

Awesome ideas so far, I like the idea of using familiar to CDG in the same round.

@john hare - you are right of course, I read that as caster level, but that word clearly isn't there :)

@Algodor - I will look into hexcrafter tonight, thanks.

[Morgen]

Well let's see here. If everything falls into place you've got a pretty reasonable DC for your Coup de Grace.

+1 from Strength, +1 from the weapon, +3 for power attacking with the heavy pick in two-hands.

So 4d6+20 seems like fair damage. Minimum damage of 24 so your lowest DC is 34. Pretty crazy. Maybe a bit too much, your GM might get annoyed by your unbeatable fort saves.

[W. John Hare]

Morgen wrote:

Well let's see here. If everything falls into place you've got a pretty reasonable DC for your Coup de Grace.

+1 from Strength, +1 from the weapon, +3 for power attacking with the heavy pick in two-hands.

So 4d6+20 seems like fair damage. Minimum damage of 24 so your lowest DC is 34. Pretty crazy. Maybe a bit too much, your GM might get annoyed by your unbeatable fort saves.

Hmm, I didn't include the +3 from two handed power attacking... :)

So the crit damage is 1d6 +1 (Str) +1 (Wpn) +3 (PA) x4 +4 (Killer Trait) for 4d6+24.

At level 4 when you bump your Str to 14
Crit Dmg is 1d6 +3 (Str) +1 (Wpn) +3 (PA) x4 +4 (Killer Trait) for 4d6+32!

Yeah, your GM is not going to like that! :)

[Just a Mort]

Id worry more about them making the save for slumber hex. I would recommend a starting int of 18. If your gm allows belt of hill giant strength on your mephit - start as an elf for dreamspeaker racial trait(check with him if it adds to slumber hex dc). Take ability focus (its a monster feat ) if its allowed. Then think on what you are going to do if your gm starts throwing you unsleepable creatures(will happen soon probably). I recommend the shocking grasp :p

[EWHM]

Be warned that a lot of GMs really don't like CDG. A lot more really hate the slumber hex. My guess is you'd create 'aggro' in about half the GMs out there, perhaps more. Add this to the list of charms, illusions, mounts, and divinations where it is really important to find out how the GM ACTUALLY feels about the issue before you center a character around it.

[Isil-zha]

I've seen something similar in a game - a character using color spray and some features to decrease the opponents effective HD. Coup de grace becomes old very quickly, in the end the player retired the character after one session because the game became quite boring.

[TGMaxMaxer]

If you wanna hit it with even more fun, instead of fighter take a couple levels of MoMS monk, grab kirin style and kirin strike, now anything you get a successful knowledge check against you get to add double int as a swift -AFTER you make a successful attack-.

I got a Monk2/witch1 doing 1d4 +15 with the prehensile hair hex and a 20 int alone... after she gets a AoMF it'll just get stupid (also plannin on the Body wraps, they'll be nice).

Now, depending on how you read the kirin damage adding in, does that make a CDG of 2d4 +30? or 2d4 +20? Crit with nat weapon (hair) is x2, damage 1d4, int=str of 5, kirin adds double int to damage as a swift, but does not specify precision or other damage that is not multiplied. Even at the low end, without even having to PA, i'm at a DC 32 Fort with the conservative damage.

Kirin Strike:

(Combat)
You have read the texts of the perfect way, and know how identify to your enemies' weak spot.

Prerequisites: Int 13, Kirin Style, Improved Unarmed Strike, Knowledge (arcana) 9 ranks, Knowledge (dungeoneering, local, nature, planes, or religion) 3 ranks.

Benefit: You gain a +2 insight bonus on Knowledge checks made to identify creatures, including the one Kirin Style allows. While using Kirin Style against a creature you have identified using that feat, as a swift action after you have hit a creature with a melee or ranged attack, you can add twice your Intelligence modifier in damage (minimum 2).

[Major_Blackhart]

Hmmm, I'm no expert, but you could if you wanted go Orc or Half Orc and take the Scarred Witch Doctor archtype.
I don't do witches, but that Archtype allows you to use con instead of int as your casting ability.
Means that you could have a weapon master/witch that is a bit more survivable and if you felt the need, you could pump more points into strength.

I doubt that's what you're going for tho. Still, you might consider it.