Been planning this guy for a while. Critique and give advice, please :)
12 Barbarian (Drunken Brute/Invulnerable Rager) (Favored Class)
2 Oracle (Seer)(Lame, Metal)
2 Magus (Kensai)
4 Rage Prophet
Progression:
6 Barbarian, 2 Oracle, 2 Kensai, 4 Rage Prophet, 6 Barbarian
+1 STR, +1 CON, +1 STR, +2 CON
STR 14 +2 Level
DEX 14 +2 Racial
CON 13 +3 Level
INT 14
WIS 7 +2 Racial
CHA 14 -2 Racial
FEATS
1 Combat Reflexes
3 Power Attack
5 Two-Handed Thrower
7 Vital Strike
9* Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Aklys)
9* Weapon Focus (Aklys)
9 Furious Finish
11 Brew Potion
13 Leadership
15 Improved Vital Strike
17 Pushing Assault
19 Greater Vital Strike
RAGE POWERS (Greater Rage, 29 rounds/day)
2 Reckless Abandon
4 Quick Reflexes
6 Moment of Clarity
8 Internal Fortitude
10 Flesh Wound
12 Come and Get Me
REVELATIONS
1 Natural Divination
ORACLE SPELLS (CL5, Casts as Lv5)
0 At Will
- Create Water
- Read Magic
- Purify Food and Drink
- Guidance
- Enhanced Diplomacy
- Virtue
1 6+1/day
- Enhance Water
- Infernal Healing
- Summon Monster I
- Liberating Command
* Cure Light Wounds
* Lead Blades
* Unseen Servant
2 4+0/day
- Lesser Restoration
- Pilfering Hand
* Cure Moderate Wounds
* Spectral Hand
MAGUS SPELLS (CL4, Casts as Lv2)
0 4 (At Will)
(Mage Hand, Prestidigitation, Light, Detect Magic)
1 2+2
(Shocking Grasp, True Strike, Shield, Windy Escape)
Huge Adamantine Aklys
+3 Spellstoring (+1), Furious (+1)
Mithral Breastplate
+5
Spiked Gauntlet
+5 Lifesurge (+2), Spellstoring (+1)
Staff
- Lead Blades (1)
- Accelerate (2)
Staff
- Shield (1)
- Burning Arc (2)
- Ancestral Communion (2)
Juggernaut's Pauldrons
40k gp
Belt of STR/DEX/CON +6
Headband of INT +6 (3 Skills: )
Torc of Lionheart Fury
Prayer Bead (Karma Bead)
Pearl of Power I (x5)
5k gp (1k gp each)
Runestone of Power I (x2)
4k gp (2k gp each)
Handy Haversack
-Tankard of Ale (40)
-Wand of Infernal Healing (CL1, 50 charges)
-Potion of Accelerate (10)
-Potion of Lead Blades (10)
-Potion of Infernal Healing (10)
-Potion of Cure Serious Wounds (5)
-Potion of Lesser Restoration (5)
-Scroll of Vampiric Touch (CL20) (3)
Lesser Metamagic Rod (Intensify)
Gargantuan Adamantine Aklys
+3 Spellstoring (+1), Furious (+1)
War Saddle
5k gp
Now, the strategy: He brews potions of Accelerate (as it's on the Magi Spell list, and he has a staff of it, a staff that he can recharge), Lead Blades, and healing potions (Cure Moderate Wounds, and Infernal Healing). He keeps his Haversack filled with booze with the Enhance Water spell.
He rides his cohort (who always stays in Eidolon form, obviously). In areas where he and his mount can enlarge, he holds the Gargantuan Aklys in one hand, and a potion of Accelerate in the other. In areas where he can't, he just holds the Huge Aklys, and the potion.
When combat starts: My cohort readies an action, waiting for me to enlarge. I rage, but use Moment of Clarity. I spend a move action to drink the potion of Accelerate, which gives me another move action for the next several turns. I spend my swift action to draw a potion of Lead Blades, and my second move action to drink it. I use my standard action to enlarge with the Pauldrons (or by casting it as a Magus, for lower levels), and my Eidolon casts Enlarge Person with me, so we grow at the same time (the War Saddle reshapes as needed).
On the enemies turn: I use Come and Get Me for all melee attacks against me. When I get attacked, I interrupt to Power Attack/Pushing Assault against the attacker. This usually pushes them out of melee range, disrupting their melee attack. I also use Flesh Wound against any attack that gets through.
On my next turn, I end my rage as a free action. Being immune to fatigue, I immediately go into another rage, and use Moment of Clarity. I use my swift action to draw a tankard of booze. Move action to drink it. My cohort Dimension Doors towards an enemy. I use Furious Finish (Maxed out Vital Strike) against an enemy within 30 ft (but preferably in melee range). If it is a ranged attack, I use my second move action to reel the Aklys back in. Before my turn ends, I start a new rage, and repeat this turn over and over until all the enemies are dead. When needed, instead of drinking booze, I drink a healing potion, or whatever.
Now, the real kicker is the Magus levels. I can do without them, and just get an implanted Cracked Opalescent White Pyramid Ioun Stone (Aklys). HOWEVER, if Moment of Clarity counts as still raging (meaning I can cast spells, and use Furious Finish), then I could use Spell Strike for even more damage. Obviously, I can't use both at the same time, as they are both standard actions. And that's what's throwing me off. I don't want to use one turn to cast a spell, and the next turn to deliver it through a Vital Strike, going back and forth.
I'm wondering if there is a potion I can drink to help with this, or some sort of expensive magic item. Anyone have any ideas?
PS: And I messed up. The staff that has Burning Arc shouldn't have that spell, Burning Arc. I can't cast it, with the build being as it is. Originally, I had 3 levels of Magus (with 2 levels of Souleater between) to get Spellblending, giving me Burning Arc. I would then use a Metamagic Rod of Intensify and rage, casting a 15d6 damage, level 3 spell into my spellstoring Aklys.
But, I forgot to take that out. Instead, now I use a scroll of Vampiric Touch, rage (with moment of clarity, to massively increase my CL), use the Karma Bead, and put that Vampiric Touch into my weapon.
My best advice for a Vital Striker:
Don't use Vital Strike. Ever. It is a trap feat and not worth it, even in your build designed to make it awesome. I guarantee you'll do more dpr if you just Pounce instead.
If your GM is going to be handing out Mythic levels then Vital Strike becomes viable, otherwise its going to leave you disappointed. Unless of course the rest of your group is running sub optimal in which case your fit right in and have a great ole time.
But there's really no optimizing with vital strike, just get biggest weapon dice and BAB possible and have at it. it combines with so little there really not much more to say.
If anything vital strike is for natural attackers with single huge attacks.Wild shape into a Tyrannosaur and go to town ;)
No, I know. I'm just trying to optimize a fairly non-optimizable thing.
One attack per turn, which has a good chance to hit, that does 150ish points of damage, that I can do all the time...just sounds kinda fun. Especially when there are so many things I can now do with my move and swift actions.
So, humor me. With this basic set-up, what can I change for a bit more optimization?
I disagree with the first couple of responses. There are a couple of builds that make wonderful use of VItal Strike as it frees up a move action for you.
The focussed damage is really good for Called Shots and I'd be remiss if I did not suggest using a crit focussed weapon like a Falcata (19-20x3) and you get extra points for using the Thundering quality there. With the full Vital Strike feat tree and Improved and Greater Called shot, you will regularly be inflicting critical and debilitating called shots on your foes.
The free move action will allow you some excellent action economy:
-Improved Feint makes feinting a move action
-Combat Trick: Heavy Blade Scabbard + Improved Bull Rush allows you to make a bull rush attempt as a swift action and gain a bonus to your next attack roll (+2 initially and then +1 for every 5 by which you beat his CMD)
-Gang Up + Team Up: Allows you to aid another as a move action when adjacent to two allies.
-Sundry Class abilities
Also by focussing on one attack at a time, suddenly having Power Attack and Combat Expertise going at the same time is not license to fail hilariously. Furious Focus + Power Attack + Combat Expertise means you only take the penalty for Combat Expertise while getting a nice AC boost and not inconsiderable extra damage.
Feel free to look through this alias for inspiration. This is my first real attempt at optimizing a Vital Striker.
At 12th level with my current gear the build in this alias will be doing in one round (This is without 12th level gear mind you, no belts or headbands and only a +1 weapon):
Standard:
-Vital Strike Greatsword
-Attack: 14 (PA/CE)
-AC: +4
-Damage: 6d6+24
-Crit: 17-20x2
-Crit Damage: 8d6+48
-Makes a Called Shot
Move Action:
-Feint with a bluff of +21
Swift Action:
-Swift Aid + Cooperative Combatant: Adjacent allies get a +1 to AC or Attack
Well, called shots are optional rules. And I'm not sure I would enjoy playing with them, personally.
The build seems nit picky complicated. Whenever your standard combat round involves repeating the same task in order every round it is probably getting too complex.
First you can't. Have potions of lead blades they are not a valid spell for potions.
The first staff seems questionable. It can exist. Y tue rules but a staff with 1. Word of power on it ansld 1 normal spell doesn't make sense.you also didn't mention any of the targetting words etc. If there is a normal spell with the same name my appologies. I can't comment on the second staff as I don't know the anncestral comunion.
I can't figure out how your character is geting cl 15 burning arcs off.
And lastly how to actually wield a huge aklys?
As a final note I had to look up multiple rules to understand how everything worked which probably suggezts the character is too complex.
You might also find issues with stacking enlarged and its variants like that.
The issues stack. I checked. Lead Blades stacks with Enlarge Person. And it is overly complex.
An aklys is normally a light weapon. A huge version of it can be used as a two handed weapon, with a -4 penalty to attack. 3d6 base damage.
I did screw up with the Lead Blades potions. But that's okay, I'll just switch. With my first standard action, I'll cast Lead Blades, instead of Enlarge Person. Then I'll just drink a potion of Enlarge Person.
The repetitive turns are just me raging, guzzling booze, and Vital Striking, really.
Rage Prophets, at level 4, get to add their Barbarian levels to their Caster Levels. I use a metamagic rod (lesser) to intesify Burning Arcs (CL 15 max), and Rage cast Burning Arc into my spellstoring weapon. That is, I was planning on doing that. Not anymore.
And yeah, this is a pure metagaming type toon. But that's okay. At least it's not metagaming purely for 1k damage a turn at level 20.
And even then, I could easily metagame with my cohort more, and have him craft me the potions and cast spells on me. But I normally consider cohorts not as much in the player's realm. General requests are okay, but not nit picky complex.
I realize your not doing it anymore but ..your char is a cl 2 caster for magus. How do you add +12 cl with the rage prophet ability? (For the recordrecord I didn't think that ability worked outzide the oracpe spells but it doesnt seem to specify)
It doesn't specify. It's the same sort of cheese one might use with the Karma Prayer Bead. If you have divine caster and arcane caster, you can use the bead for both. Unless there's been some sort of official ruling I've missed.
Here is what I think for Vital Strike. You need a weapon that deal lots of damage alone, a large two handed weapon is always good. But you only get one hit, so you need think how to do well in only one hit.
Here is what I got. Spring attack with Vital Strike tree and Devastating Strike weapon, also Lunge. Large Falchion should do the trick. Well placement will make you awesome. But I think this build work best for dragon disciple who has a Robe of arcane heritage, 90ft movement speed makes you almost unreachable in a one of one melee combat, giving the battle field is large enough.
While your huge adamantine aklys will be making a splash, you are taking -2 to hit with it, I'm not sure that is the best use of your time.
Also, the leadership to get a synthesist summoner who acts as your mount is somewhat... situational? I've never trusted leadership as a feat where a DM will actually let you have something cool.
For 4 druid levels and 4 barbarian levels, you could have wild-shaped into a behemoth hippo dealing 16d8 points of damage on a vital strike with strong jaws (128 when you eventually get fatigue immunity and can rage cycle with furiioius finish), which scales up to 32d8 points of damage (256 with furious finish) at higher levels.
And that is not situational at all.
prototype00
