If you didn't know:
DoT = Damage over Time
This is an usual concept in Pathfinder, I know, since it's so rare and generally pretty weak, but I really enjoy DoT damage in other media, so I'd like to see what I can do.
The first difficult decision is what class to use as a base. Oracles and Clerics have easy sources of Bleed, for example (Bleeding Wounds from the Bone's Mystery or Murder Variant Channeling), and the best bleed spell, Blood of the Martyr is on their list, but I don't think they have much beyond that.
I think I would need to be arcane, but please correct me if I'm wrong. Sorcerer/Wizards still get Brow Gasher, which is not too far behind Blood of the Martyr.
Right now, I'm thinking about Burning Blood and Acid Arrow with the Burning Spell and Heighten metamagic. Burning Blood seems to last forever, and with Burning could be dealing 5 damage per turn (even more if you Heighten it). Acid Arrow does 5 more damage "per tick," but for less time.
Am I missing anything? Are there better spell options for this concept? Does anyone know about better Bleed spells or more non-bleed DoTs? What else will help this general strategy?
What about poison? Con Poison seems like an obvious route, but poison seems like it has such low DCs and that so many things are immune to it...
Bleed damage works, though there's not too many spells that deal that, I don't think. Acid Arrow, Pain Strike, and a few other spells like that...
It's a good idea, but I'm honestly not sure how workable it is in Pathfinder without homebrew or possibly 3rd-party.
Also, dare I say it...DoTing the thread XD
Bleed damage works, though there's not too many spells that deal that, I don't think. Acid Arrow, Pain Strike, and a few other spells like that...
Ooh, I missed Pain Strike.
Also, dare I say it...DoTing the thread XD
/win
Would you consider summons damage over time?
In the vaguest sense, but it's not really in the spirit of the concept.
Also, what sources are you pulling from?
Anything on d20srd that isn't 3rd party.
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My suggestion is Evocation or Necromancy spec Wizard.
Wizards get to research their own spells if they spend the resources on it, don't they? So whenever you gain the ability to cast a new level of spells, research yourself up a new DoT! Base it on a blast spell of the same level so you have a good baseline-- most GMs won't mind if your spell does the same amount of damage over more rounds, I'd imagine.
Plus, if you're doing damage over time instead of damage all at once, the enemies will be alive for longer, so you'll need some battlefield control to keep them locked down and taking DoT ticks-- otherwise they'll kill you before your spell kills them.
Bone's Mystery Oracle or evil Clerics with Murder Variant Channeling+ Protean or Serpentine Sorcerer = Mystic Theurge....?
might be weird to enplane in your back story but you would have the spell list and some bleed #per-day abilities that will mostly work with your CHA
so its a option
The combination of Sap Master and the Bleeding Attack rogue talent is pretty nifty. Works well with a ninja/monk sort of build; there's also Belier's Bite aka "bleeding attack" the feat for when you can't land a sneak attack. And lastly, Boar Style involves some bleed damage, too. Just keep in mind that bleed damage doesn't stack so there's no point in trying to cram all of this into one build.
I once tried to make a halfling rogue who used Sap Master with a sling, sniping from the shadows to inflict bleed DoT. Seemed like a fun way to soften enemies up and/or maybe make them waste some healing before engaging, but it never really took off due to feat intensity.
I always seem to recommend this, but Mysteries of the Tengu Road's Transmuter class might have something you'd like here:
One Thousand Cuts (Ex)—Patience and finesse
can be just as potent as muscle. As a standard
action, you can make a touch attack that deals 1
damage plus 1d6 bleed damage. Each successive
round that you hit this creature again, the
bleed damage stacks. (That is, the creature
suffers 2d6 bleed after the second hit,
3d6 bleed damage after the third, and
so on.) If you fail to hit the target for
a round, the bleed damage is reduced
by a d6. Bleeding creatures take the
bleed damage at the start of their turns. It can
be stopped with a Heal check (DC 15) or with any
spell that cures hp damage. Creatures immune to
critical hits are immune to the bleed damage dealt
by this attack.
Burning gaze. Set them on fire
Calcify touch. If you get a fairy dragon this can be devestating having it flying above them touching them invisible draining their dex and turning them to stone.