As I've stated before, I'm very fond of the Horizon walker PRC. A month back, I built one for a game that fell through. I've adapted it since seeing a few other builds. I'd be curious to know if anybody had any recommendations. I really want to emphasize "maximum adaptability", really wanting to make an explorer. Sort of a "planar ranger".
For the ranger part, I would either take normal ranger or trapper ranger. I'd be open to any other ideas that removed animal companion for example, but not favored enemy (I love that for the fluff).
Race: human , Alignement: Chaotic good
Maximum Skills:
Knowledge (Geography, Dungeoneering)
Survival
Stealth
Perception
Handle Animal
10 Levels: Ranger
1 Power Attack, Quick Draw, Fave enemy: Aberrations
2 Rapid Shot
3 Deadly aim, Fav Terrain : Urban
4
5 Combat reflexes, Fave enemy: Abberations, evil outsiders
6 Manyshot
7 Bodyguard
8 Fave terrain: Underground (Or wherever abberations come from)
9 Boon companion
10 Improved Precise Shot
10 Levels: Horizon Walker
11 Improved Critical ( Falchion), Fave terrain: Astral
12 Fave terrain: Plane of air, Mastery: Astral
13 Dimensional Agility, Dominance: Astral (Yes! Free Dim Door!)
14 Fave terrain: Desert, Mastery: Plane of air
15 Dimensional Assault, Fave terrain: Plane of water
16 Mastery: Plane of Water (Free water breathing), Dominance: Plane of air (Free flight!)
17 Dimensional Dervish, Fave Terrain: Desert
18 Fave terrain: Forest, Mastery: Desert
19 Dimensional savant, Dominance: Desert
20 Fave terrain: ?
I'm not sure of stats yet (probably str, dex and wis as high as possible). Again, I'm not trying to optimize for combat, but for one thing: to survive as many risky terrains, for as long as possible, without outside aid. I'd probably need a way resist energy (through an item) and maybe a few sustenance items. I will admit I chose several dominances purely for their coolness , rather than flavor. It's just nice to fly and dim door. I was inspired by treantmonks ranger guide. Most of the feats are interchangeable though: I could easily use something other than a switch-hitter ranger. If I took the archer, I might use less of the Dimensional feat chain. Any help is appreciated!
I'd recommend 3 ranger / 3 rogue, as your pet isn't going to do well with you teleporting around and it lower level. The rogue talent Terrain mastery can be taken over and over when you have a free feat, making you especially lethal versus things that dwell in your mastered terrain, and pushing all your favored terrains into very nice levels. As an added bonus you have 2d6 sneak to use when you can flank with yourself via DDoor.
Can you put what levels you take what class? I mean - for all I know you're taking HW1 and then Ranger 2, and then HW8...
Saying that, I think you should move HW up a few levels, that way you can make use of your DD dervish sooner (7, right? DD at 10, Agility at 11)
|
I've built and played a couple of HW's and they are one of my favourite prestige classes... You can get some cool boons with the various terrains you "master" & "dominate", and the nature of your campaign will dictate their relevant value. My three builds were totally different and unique - each one had its own focus;
Damage Build: Terrain Stacking for ridiculous bonus to attack & damage.
Ranger (Guide) 10 / HW 10*
For this build I bumped every FT bonus to "mountain". Because the FT bonus stacks with the guides "focus" you end up with +20 attack/damage vs. mountain creatures. 4 times per day you can add your focus for an extra +6.
+26 to attack & damage is nothing to sneeze at.
*we only made it to level 16. I was Ranger 6/HW 10. Kicked butt in RotRL
Barbarian Build: Rage Cycling**
Barbarian 6 / HW 3
I wanted to try a full BAB rage cycle Barbarian. It could have worked, but early on I abandoned the idea simply because I ended up wanting Rage powers that weren't 1/rage. It was still nice to be able to conserve rage rounds by dropping out early without having to worry about being fatigued.
**Rage Cycling: not as good as I had hoped
Night Crawler build: Dimensional Dervish (not PFS friendly)***
Half Orc Ranger 2 / Monk (MoMS) 4 / HW 3 / Fighter 3
I wanted an "unarmed" (read: Natural Attack/UAS) warrior that zipped around via Dimension Door and ripped people apart. By level 12 his full attack sequence (only counting BAB) is;
3 unarmed strikes at +11/+6/1
+ Bite/Claw/Caw at +9/+9/+9 via "Multiattack"
Dragon Style & Ferocity to boost damage.
The only thing stopping this build from being PFS friendly is that according to a VC I touched base with, "Multiattack" is not available to PC's until its made available by "another legal source" on account that it's from the Bestiary... The other legal source is the APG, but you don't have access until level 10 when it appears on the Combat Style bonus feat list. This seems reasonable to me.
***This last build was only "theory craft". I have not had the opportunity to play it. I like the idea but will probably tweak the build until it works how I want it to mechanically and complies with RAW for PFS purposes... I don't play PFS much, but it's what we try to play towards in our home games.
I've built and played a couple of HW's and they are one of my favourite prestige classes... You can get some cool boons with the various terrains you "master" & "dominate", and the nature of your campaign will dictate their relevant value. My three builds were totally different and unique - each one had its own focus;
Damage Build: Terrain Stacking for ridiculous bonus to attack & damage.
Ranger (Guide) 10 / HW 10*
For this build I bumped every FT bonus to "mountain". Because the FT bonus stacks with the guides "focus" you end up with +20 attack/damage vs. mountain creatures. 4 times per day you can add your focus for an extra +6.
+26 to attack & damage is nothing to sneeze at.
*we only made it to level 16. I was Ranger 6/HW 10. Kicked butt in RotRL.......
What were some of the background stories you used? Just curious because one of my campaigns just ended so the DM wants to restart. Im going to be playing a ranger/HW archer, so I wanted to get some backstory perspective from a HW.
Thanks,
Couldn't you take Extra Rogue Talents and get terrain mastery to further pump your dice?
Can you put what levels you take what class? I mean - for all I know you're taking HW1 and then Ranger 2, and then HW8...
Saying that, I think you should move HW up a few levels, that way you can make use of your DD dervish sooner (7, right? DD at 10, Agility at 11)
Basically it's 10 levels of ranger, then 10 of Horizon walker.
|
|
@Grizzly: I'm pretty smitten with the Shoanti people's of Golarion. In each instance my characters have been Shoanti, or had some Shoanti blood in their lineage (half-elf Shoanti - which really has no mechanical impact on anything, other than a plausible reason to use a Curveblade via Ancestral Arms). The back story was as simple as wanting to explore the world beyond the Cinderlands, but each character had drastically different reasons why.
@williamoak: Sometimes the hardest part is deciding when to take levels in HW. my understanding is that the prerequisite of 6 ranks in Knowledge Geography means the earliest you could take a level in HW is 7th. So Ranger 6 / HW 3 could net you 1 terrain dominance by ECL 10 - this is great if you want "early entry*" for Dimensional feats or Rage cycling (for a Barbarian). Not so great if you are racing to level 10 to access the 3rd level Ranger spell "Instant Enemy".
*as opposed to a Monk waiting for Abundant Step or a Barbarian waiting for Tireless Rage.
One thing to keep in mind: you also need endurance as a bonus feat. Rangers get this for free. Half-orcs can take it as an Alternate Racial trait. So playing either a Ranger or a Half-Orc can save you a feat - making entry requirements 6 skill ranks... Not bad as far as prestige classes go. Many of them have a severe "feat tax".
I'm not terribly tempted by the barbarian to be honest, I just dont play as a bruiser. If I focused up (pure archer or melee) I could probably dip into it earlier, but I'll admit I'm staying with the ranger to either:
a) Get access to spells
b) Get access to trapshot (for trapper ranger)
c) Get a bonus feat
Flavor-wise, the horizon walker is cool, but it doesnt give much if you actually want to explore. And the dimensional feat chain is unnecesary if I take the archer ranger. I need to think about this.
@krodjin: nice. What were some of the differing backgrounds for them wanting to wander and visit other lands? Just looking for inspiration for the class.
|
|
@william: we have to tip our hats to the Paizo crew... The class progression system they implemented truly does encourage 'single classing', where as in 3.5 it was easy to dip for the low hanging fruit. The fact that staying in the base class or taking a prestige class is a tough decision is a good thing in my mind.
@Grizzly: there are some good books that really delve into the Shoanti quahs and such (Varisia Birth Place of Legends, and the CotCT AP).
In one case my character was a member of the Lyrune Quah. As part if becoming a full tribe member, young braves of the Lyrune Quah go on a "dark walk" (I think it is called), where they have to spend time alone in the wilderness (subterranean caves of the Mindspin mountains I think it is - I don't have any maps or books in front of me at the moment)... Anyhow, he went on his walk and emerged on the other side of the mountains on the shores of the Storval Deep. From there he wandered south into the Varisian Lowlands and eventually wound up in Sand Point - where he started RotRL AP. Throughout that AP he got to back into the Cinderlands and reunite with his people's etc. the GM did a great job of weaving my story into that of the AP.
The other case he was a member of the Sun clan (can't recall the Shoanti name, but they are the most war like clan). He went South to slaughter Tshamek's (outsiders, non-Shoanti) and ended up following in love with a Varisian girl in Harsk who saved his bacon when he picked a fight he couldn't win... You know the story - it was pretty contrived... Ha!
I've got to agree, it's VERY hard choice to make. Well, if I find a campaign where the build fits, i'll try it. But anything to combat heavy will be unlikely.