Are you wanting some ultracheap overpowered character?
15 isn't epic level...
Still. Master Summoner should do the job. You just need to know how to use summons.
3 Level dip
L1 Unarmed Fighter : Proficient with all monk weapons, including all exotic monk weapons - best weapon is Nine-Tailed Whip, Improved Unarmed Strike Feat, Style Feat 1.A ("The unarmed fighter need not meet all the prerequisites of the style feat he chooses")
L2 MoSM/MoMS : Stunning Fist Feat, Style Feat 1.B ("a master of many styles may choose a feat in that style’s feat path (such as Earth Child Topple) as one of these bonus feats if he already has the appropriate style feat")
L3 MoSM/MoMS : Toughness Feat, Style Feat 1.C, +1 Natural Armor
BAM! Down an entire Style Chain without needing any of the pre-reqs at L3!
How much gold will you have? Do you care if you are on the front lines or at range? Do you care if the character can or can't cast spells?
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Synthesist is a great combat based archetype. It is Very very very OP, but it is effective.
Magus can hit pretty hard, especially if you pick up stuff like spell perfection and magical lineage (Shocking Grasp, Corrosive Touch, Insert other spell gained though spell blending here). If you want a cheap cookie cutter build that is effective go with the Dervish Dance feat and focus on Scimitar and Shocking Grasp. I refer to that as the Scimitazer. Or you could go for a Bladebound Kensai focused on Katana/Rhoka Sword/Urumi/Scimitar(for Scimitazer) and take Magical Knack trait, and a level of Admixture(evocation) School Wizard (for the power, arcane bond a weapon for a quick, spont. cast mage armor) and an Urban Barbarian Dip for the Rage Buff you can cast in and the Crowd Control to give you more AC and your caster level remains at 15th level for Magus spells. Or if you want to do something fun, Titan Mauler 2/Kensai 13 and Jotungrip a Falchion.
For a less castey, more fighty build, try going for an Invulnerable Rager Barbarian to get big DR and hit very hard (Like a Barbar should) with Beast Totem powers for Pounce.
Or an Urban Barbarian Martial Artist, I hear they have nice synergy.
Just my thoughts on the matter.
Level 15 isn't epic level...
And the answer is Synthesist Summoner. Heck, you're one level off from Huge size, which gives +16 strength. On top of all the other stat boosts and options. And reach. And ability to chain trip, grab, push, or pull off your normal attacks on top of doing damage. And the large amount of possible attacks. And support abilities like flight and enlarge person (which works on your eidolon biosuit thanks to Share Spells).
Just...Synthesist Summoner. All the way.
May I humbly suggest the conqueror ooze, which by lvl15 can do 42d8 damage maxed (so 336 damage base damage + str and everything) as a standard action?
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2pz40&page=2?The-Conquerer-Ooze#79
Prototype00
Shatter defense sap master multiweapon pounce of the vivisectionist beastmorph.
Invulnerable rager barbarian 15 levels.
I've found paladins to have extremely good damage, and they are near indestructible.
if you don't mind 3PP and don't mind being screwed by an antimagic field
Soulknife and Aegis from dreamscarred press are both Full BAB martial classes.
Aegis can summon free customizable armor that with customizations, can be worn 24/7. doesn't cost you a copper, and saves you money on a variety of stat boosters, often freeing up your belt slot
Soulknife gets a weapon that can be never stolen from them, is just as good as most high level magic weapons, have archtypes that can also give them weaker armor or shields, though not quite Aegis quality, the soulknife has an archetype that picks up ranger equivalent manifestation off a tertiary stat, they have options that can make them SAD on either Dex or Wis, and if you go the 2hander route, their 2handed weapon can be used while grappled, unlike most 2handers and is on Par with a greatsword, maybe a bit ahead.
and no matter how many different weapon types they gain proficiency in for shape mind blade, they only need one set of weapon focus/other weapon specific feats.
the mind blade can be any weapon you please, even a composite longbow or pistol.
hell, you can change your mind blade on the fly.
Or you can be an evangelist cleric with a summoning focus. Summon lots of creatures and buff them. It may well trump master summoner.
Explain that one, if you would. I don't see it at all.
Explain that one, if you would. I don't see it at all.
Or you can be an evangelist cleric with a summoning focus. Summon lots of creatures and buff them. It may well trump master summoner.
I guess he is referring to the combo augment summoning + inspire courage, add sacred summons if you like and still have tons of powerful spells left, e.g command spells :-)
I'd say that a single class fighter is the best all-round combat machine.
A Paladin would have better defences and some healing at the expense of his mobility and combat-strength when comparing to the fighter.
There will be some outrageous builds for specific monsters and situations that are stronger then the fighter. But as a fighter you'd be effective all the time against any monster.
The best way to rule a battlefield in my opinion is to get a balanced party with both frontline and support characters, that will augment each other weaknesses and burst each others strength.
I still don't see why people do not like bards. In the front line a bard is vulnarable, but the knowlegde skills and the great interactions it can make with NPC's allow a party to face monsters, because they can find them instead of being found (surprised) and maybe even expoit some weaknesses. And I do not want to count the many times I made a hit against a monster because the bard was inspiring courage, instead of hiding.
I'd say that a single class fighter is the best all-round combat machine.
A Paladin would have better defences and some healing at the expense of his mobility and combat-strength when comparing to the fighter.
This spell kinda destroys that argument, doesn't it?
There will be some outrageous builds for specific monsters and situations that are stronger then the fighter. But as a fighter you'd be effective all the time against any monster.
By specific monster do you mean, anything that is evil? Level to damage will exceed the fighter's flat bonuses from weapon spec. once you get past lvl 4, and continues to scale and surpasses weapon training later.
The best way to rule a battlefield in my opinion is to get a balanced party with both frontline and support characters, that will augment each other weaknesses and burst each others strength.
This statement is bland, arbitrary, and doesn't add anything, what are you trying to say?
I still don't see why people do not like bards. In the front line a bard is vulnarable, but the knowlegde skills and the great interactions it can make with NPC's allow a party to face monsters, because they can find them instead of being found (surprised) and maybe even expoit some weaknesses. And I do not want to count the many times I made a hit against a monster because the bard was inspiring courage, instead of hiding.
No one has said anything about bards, the thread is about finding the best class to go into combat with, saying that you need a bard do be as or more effective than someone without one kinda defeats the purpose of the thread.
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If you are talking mythic, a barbarian, fighter, paladin or ranger with the full vital strike feat chain and a two-handed weapon will kill everything it swings at, every single round.
Monk of the four winds has the highest burst DPR, but with a 6 KI cost it is strictly NOVA.
If running mythic and looking to turn everything into fine red mist, go with Unbreakable Fighter 1/Invulnerable Rager 10
vital strike, improved vital strike, mythic vital strike, improved critical
Nodachi
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Order of the Sword Cavalier with Mounted Skirmisher. He can have his mount charge in and triple (pentuple on a crit) damage for his first hit, multiplying his STR, his mount's STR, enhancement bonuses, weapon die, etc., and then follow it up with two more regular attacks. He'll also get a free combat maneuver on that first attack, and can potentially have his mount attack with him.
Order of the Sword Cavalier with Mounted Skirmisher. He can have his mount charge in and triple (pentuple on a crit) damage for his first hit, multiplying his STR, his mount's STR, enhancement bonuses, weapon die, etc., and then follow it up with two more regular attacks. He'll also get a free combat maneuver on that first attack, and can potentially have his mount attack with him.
I'm pretty sure he does quadruple and sextuple with that order when using a lance.
In answer to some of master marshmallow's questions: I was trying to explain that certain classes like for instance a ranger excell against their favored enemy but lack the feat progression the fighter get's. Clerics would rule against undead. Paladin's rule against evil (at least on time per day)and the 'spell' has a limited duration, whereas the feat the fighter get's will be always in effect. A fighter does not have that peak but generally does good damage against any opponent.
So unless the campaign is a very specific world consisting of undead or someone else's favourite enemy, the fighter is the way to go (in my opinion).
I tried to explain that a single fighter is pretty vulnarable on his own and a party with some fighters, a cleric, a rogue, a bard and a wizard/sorcerer, would make a formidable group.
And the statement about the bard was made to show that a bard delivers an indirect contribution to the combat, that can be pretty vital in some ways. If a fighter misses an adversary he does no damage, but if a bard by cranking up the BAB of EVERY party member get's others to hit more often then that's pretty powerfull.
I think that there is no Ultimate powerbuild for any situation. But the fighter is the most constant high damage delivery-system in almost any situation, even if the party would have spend all their recources the fighter will still be able to 'deliver' the damage.
And i almost forgot. Always take a dwarf along, after all: 'I don't have to outrun the Troll. I just have to outrun you!!!!'
;)
Invulnerable Rager Barbarian, with Superstition, Come and Get Me, Spell Sunder and The Beast Totem Rocks.
Any Summoner with a Multiarmed pouncing Eidolon.
Oath of Vengenance Paladin, take Extra Lay on Hands and you can Smite and Heal yourself a lot.
Pitborn Tiefling Antipaladin, with the Trait to get healed by both: Positive and negative Energy. Now you can either go for Extra Lay on Hands or do some Intimidate Build.
Seriously though we'd need more info. A blaster wizard could be considered badass Combat oriented as well as a Ranged Martial.
Do you want a melee character? Shall it be a martial class or would Summons count? What are your party members?
if you're just looking to be as badass as possible summoner is the way to go. i see a lot of people suggesting synthesist- i think that's a trap. it sounds awesome to have all those extra HP, but the melded eidolon is no better than an eidolon that's not melded (actually its worse because it only has your skills/feats instead of being able to take its own) and, even worse, it just gets one turn... a non-melded summoner gets to take its own turn plus its eidolon's turn! a well built eidolon will compete with or surpass most fighters of barbarians in damage plus the summoner gets to buff it/heal it/etc.
for your eidolon- make a quadruped and give it arms (so it'll be shaped basically like a centaur). spend a feat to make it proficient with a greatsword (or other 2-handed weapon of your choice). make it as strong as possible, give it pounce, and make sure you have as many natural attacks as its allowed to make. spend feats on things to up damage- dragon style and charge through are both helpful as well (to increase your ability to charge).
in combat- your familiar will use wands to heal/buff/whatever. if you start within charging range your summoner casts haste or some other buff and the eidolon charges and (thanks to pounce) makes 3 greatsword attacks (4 if hastened) and 6 natural attacks- with his Str cranked all the way up (plus a magic weapon and an amulet of mighty fists) that should end whatever he charged. if you start outside of charge range (or can't get a clear line) have the summoner instead cast dimension door to get the eidolon either into charging position (ideally), or (if that's impossible) into melee range (the only problem with the later being that it puts the summoner closer to combat than preferable)- either way the eidolon full attacks and should kill most enemies in one round. if you're fighting a bunch of enemies use summon spells (you can't use your summoning spell-like ability while your eidolon is out) to keep some of them occupied til your terrifying extra-planar death machine gets to them. oh, you'll also have other party members... they'll probably find some way to make themselves useful, assuming you don't kill everything before they get to it.
as somebody else mentioned, banishment (and effects like it) will be a problem, but make sure you know the Summon Eidolon spell and you should be ok.
Without any criteria, it is a fairly meaningless question.
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My friend's day is running an EPIC LEVEL campaign and I am asking you, the pathfinder community to pool all your resources to create the most bad ace combat oriented character at lv 15. I have my own ways but am seeking true perfection. Please help. Any pathfinder book is acceptable. GO!
Are you wanting some ultracheap overpowered character?
What's your point buy/method of generating stats?
How much gold will you have? Do you care if you are on the front lines or at range? Do you care if the character can or can't cast spells?
There's a lot of very powerful builds out there. Most often have a specialty. What are you looking for? Martial? Full caster? Is the campaign vs. evil? How are you getting stats? What house rules (if any)?
Without any criteria, it is a fairly meaningless question.
Hey, Dustin Cole, do you plan on participating in your own discussion? Maybe answer some pertinent questions?
Or...did the GM find out you were asking the forums to do your homework for you and you got into trouble?
depends on party composition'
if you have mostly ranged characters
a switch hitter for your enemies to focus on is fine.