Designing replacement guys for my on going Age of Worms Camp and heres the 2nd one for critique.. First one was a Ranger/Fighter/RMA..
Drow Blooded Half-Elf Fighter 16(2Hand Archtype)
We do 4d6 reroll 1s with a +1 to all scores at 6th,12th,18th level plus norm 4 level adjustments.. Standard Weatlh +2 Traits.. Anything PFSRD
Str-25/31(Belt)
Dex-16
Con-18/24(Belt)
Int-14
Wis-14/18(Headband)
Cha-12
Dual Mind Alt Racial
Traits-Dangerously Curious, Indom Will
Feats:
1st-Big Game Hunter
2nd-Power Attack
3rd-Weapon Focus-Nodachi
4th-Weapon Spec.
5th-Iron Will
6th-Furious Focus
7th-Improved Sunder
8th-Greater Sunder
9th-Critical Focus
10th-Greater Weapon Focus
11th-Sundering Strike
12th-Greater Weapon Spec.
13th-Staggering Critical
14th-Improved Iron Will
15th-Blinding Critical
16th-Critical Mastery
Gear:
+5 Adamantite Keen Nodachi
+5 Mithril Fullplate
+6 Belt Str/Con
+4 Headband Wis
+5 Cloak Resistance
+2 Amulet Natural Armor
+1 Adaptive Comp LB
Gloves of Dueling
Boots of Striding/Spring
Wayfinder with Clear Spindle
Wand of Fly
Wand of Haste
Wand of Heroism
2250gp left for potions probably
His AC is low for his level(29 vs evil), but he hits like a Mac Truck(well over 50 per hit power attacking), and has good saves for a fighter +22fort/+13reflex/+19will.. His unbuffed CMB for Sunder is +41.. His UMD for wands only fails on a nat 1 so he can decently buff himself if needed.. Thoughts on making him better?
Yea i got the wayfinder combo already listed.. Cornugon Smash would fit, but without charisma or intimidaitng prowess i dunno how much i could hit the mark.. And yea i had a ring of prot listed at first, but the clear ion stone give +2 deflection vs evil and thats all we fight so i figured id add a diff bonus that would stack..
hmm i thought it just said gives a constant pre evil effect.. my bad.. well in that case maybe drop a wand for a ring of prot +3.. but which one.. hmm
Massively overpowered. Deliriously high stats. Goofy weaponry (yes, just gotta go Japanese on your main weapon, eh?) Oh, and a terrible Reflex save. Ragingly munchkin race. Sunder is a waste, because you want to SELL those things that you broke!
For a 16th level guy the stats arent that crazy.. And obviously uve never played age of worms or ud know that its a killing field right and left, so gm figured hed help the party out after its second tpk.. i can live with a bad reflex.. And in pathfinder u can easily mend broken items... Appriciate the positive feedback though, its exactly what i was looking for...
It's simple. You want to design your PC to survive properly, not to create an unassailable fortress of offensive feats, as you will never have enough and if you can't use one for some reason, the whole thing crumbles.
So, start with a 1st level character, and look at the stats. Most Barbs have a crappy Will and Reflex save, therefore it might be a good idea to take the two feats to up them. Plus, this helps to negate that little problem that occurs in the upper levels, where your good saves are huge while your bad ones are tiny in comparison.
If using a 2 handed weapon, or 2 weapons, be certain to take Dodge and any other feats to up your AC. It's not just the shield's +2 base AC you miss, it's the enhancement bonuses that go along with it. Plus Barbs are noted for having crappy armor for a front line warrior. Also, if both hands are full with weapon, take Imp Initiative. You have to hit first or you are hosed, as you are all offense and little defense.
Try to grab feats that automatically kick in at all times before you consider fancy special moves. You will use them far more, trust me. Thus, Weapon Focus is a lot better than Power Attack. Talk the party Rogue into taking Outflank with you. You will appreciate the +2 to attack, along with the possible potshots.
Dude, seriously, I am a veteran of more dungeon crawls with far more lethal environs than you can shake a stick at. Think defensive, not offensive, with your feats for as long as you can.
Sunder is still a waste. It still costs gold to repair stuff, and time.
I understand the importance of defense, but at the same time killing cr 17+ monsters in 1 round is kinda what we need.. The gropu make up currently is all 16th level, Melee Cleric/Heals, Sorc/Cleric/MT, Sanctified TWF Ninja, Monk of the Four Winds and my current guy a Kensai Magus.. Weve gotten to a apoint in the crawl were literally every encounter is life or death.. I cant even imajine how the module was defeated back in 3.5 days.. From experience even with an AC approaching 40 buffed, my Magus regularly gets hit with 2 attacks on a full attack, so the guy is gonna get hit regardless of having the dodge feat.. The only way we've been surviving is by outdamaging the enemies.. That was my mindset in building the character.. Additionally i would rather sunder as enimies +5 vorpal sword first round than loose my head to it, or better yet sunder a spell comp pouch.. A party of 16th level with mutiple high level casters have plenty of ways to fix broken items and if not oh well at least we live.. The party isnt short on gear anyways.. With that in mind im not against taking sunder out of the build if its replaced by a more optimal set a feats for the guy.. Any thoughts on Tiger Pounce line of feats to negate power attack penalties?
killing lots of beasties or just one uber big beastie in one round is not what a warrior is for. When you make a character, you do so with the game environment and the party composition in mind. You do not try to create a super combo of abilities; you create a PC that works well for the game.
and I have found increasingly that a single point of AC or saving throw is worth it. Too many times I have come too close to death, or see a player character of someone elses keel over by just that margin.
Sunder reduces the haul of loot by destroying the items you would have sold. That's why most PC warrior characters don't have it.
As for how it was done back in 3.5, 3.0, 2nd ed etc, the answer is "carefully". You go room to room, dealing with what was there, and never leaving any untrod routes behind you, because something could wander out from the rooms you hadn't checked, and pone you in your sleep.
Like I wrote before, I'm used to a far more lethal game than most newer players. Lots of times the DM would get nasty with what he had, and kick your PC while it was down. That's logical, since they WERE villains after all.
The previous was old school PC design philosophy. We planned for the worst. You don't have to take my advice if you don't want to. That said, I have noted every time one of my players ignores me and goes their own way, they get screwed. Of course, it's not deliberate, because I go by the adventure book. I just know what's coming when I give advice.