So, I'm just looking for a review of this creature that I'm designing as for how threatening you'd consider it.
** spoiler omitted **...
Why is a Paladin attacking your party? Are they evil?
If not, I'd consider changing them to levels of Antipaladin.
Well, he can't be a Paladin and lawful neutral. He'd only get BAB and saves from his paladin levels. Further it seems like a waste of levels for this build. He's better off just going fighter for the extra feats.
And why throw in mystic theurge at all? I guess because you threw in levels of paladin. But he wont even have paladin spell access. You're best off just making a fighter/sorcerer/eldritch knight than trying to throw in that other stuff.
I should probably clarify that I'm the DM of our campaign, so I'm just using the full mechanical benefit of the Paladin levels for him. This isn't supposed to be for player use, just for me since I can defy the rules a bit.
What "full mechanical" benefits are we talking, CHA to saves?
So, I'm just looking for a review of this creature that I'm designing as for how threatening you'd consider it.
** spoiler omitted **...
If you are going to be using summons heavily to fight the players, you should take something to reduce the cast time from a full round to standard. This is for specialist wizards, however if you want to fudge things, it would fit the bill. Or just make a Wiz/Fighter/EK.
Local Feat from Curse of the Crimson Throne:
This content was created by Paizo Publishing LLC but not for the Pathfinder rules system.You have passed the grueling Test of Summoning and graduated from the Acadamae.
Prerequisites: Specialist wizard level 1st, cannot have conjuration as a forbidden school, Korvosa affinity.
Benefit: Whenever you cast a prepared arcane spell from the conjuration (summoning) school that takes longer than a standard action to cast, reduce the casting time by one round (to a minimum casting time of one standard action). Casting a spell in this way is taxing and requires a Fortitude save (DC 15 + spell level) to resist becoming fatigued.
I should probably clarify that I'm the DM of our campaign, so I'm just using the full mechanical benefit of the Paladin levels for him. This isn't supposed to be for player use, just for me since I can defy the rules a bit.
If I was a player I'd be upset about that. The synergy between paladin's Divine Grace and being a Sorcerer is really good if you get to ignore the alignment restriction. You're talking about a +5 to all his saves on top of giving him a Cloak of Reistance +5.
It's your game and you can always rule 0 it, but I'd feel pretty cheated. You've effectively given him a bonus of 10 to his saves. None of them are over the top, but he doesn't have a weak save like he normally should.
Edit: In turn I'd be even more annoyed that you would take Smite Evil (assuming you have a non-Evil party) and reflavor it into Smite Chaos (assuming you have Chaotic aligned party members).
@bigrig107
Yep, that would be the major benefit. Smite is somewhat useful, and I'm reflavouring for him to be Smite Chaos rather than Smite Evil.
@Cubic
He's not going to be summoning very much, and he'll already have a summon up before they arrive so I don't see him having much trouble with summoning. (Interesting feat though, could be useful for some other shenanigans.)
Is he some kind of law-official? Just curious.
If he is a villain, why not just make him an anti-paladin?
Tier 3 Mythic Universal Path Ability Beyond Morality gets around the alignment problem with a LN Paladin. Still, it's hard to have a Paladin be a villain because of the code of conduct he/she would still have to follow. I think an Anti-Paladin would be better if you are dead set on using a Paladin. You could make it a Devil worshiping Anti-Paladin and fluff the alignment to Lawful Evil, or wait to introduce it until you can utilize the below T3 Ability.
You have no alignment. You can become a member of any class, even one with an alignment requirement, and can never lose your membership because of a change in alignment. If you violate the code of ethics of any of your classes, you might still lose access to certain features of such classes, subject to GM discretion. Attempts to detect your alignment don't return any results. If a class restricts you from casting spells with an alignment descriptor, you can cast such spells without restrictions or repercussions. If you're the target of a spell or effect that is based on alignment, you're treated as the most favorable alignment when determining the spell's effect on you. Any effects that alter alignment have no effect on you. If you lose this effect, you revert to your previous alignment.
Tier 3 Mythic Universal Path Ability Beyond Morality gets around the alignment problem with a LN Paladin. Still, it's hard to have a Paladin be a villain because of the code of conduct he/she would still have to follow. I think an Anti-Paladin would be better if you are dead set on using a Paladin. You could make it a Devil worshiping Anti-Paladin and fluff the alignment to Lawful Evil, or wait to introduce it until you can utilize the below T3 Ability.
** spoiler omitted **
You missed this important part:
If you violate the code of ethics of any of your classes, you might still lose access to certain features of such classes, subject to GM discretion.
So, unless he acts like a Paladin, he should still lose all the Paladin class features.
I noticed that you have an arcane bond and chose a circlet.
While having an extra spell is always nice, especially since you lose some spell casting in order to gain melee, but typically the number of spells you get are balanced for a PC, who has to go through several fights per day. I think that a familiar, particularly an improved familiar, could actually provide more benefits because you have more melee abilities. Remember, the more bodies on the ground means you are dividing the party's attention more, allowing for a longer and more challenging battle.
A familiar has a lot of its stats independent from the class that gave the ability. Its hp is always one half of your own, and it had all of your BAB and base save bonuses (no idea how paladin would interact with that). This means that a familiar could (theoretically) present a melee prescience.
The problem with that comes from the fact that familiars do not technically level up, and as such do not gain feats. So you need a battle ready familiar that could easily be battle ready once its stats got upgraded. I find that the Earth elemental present a fine choice, since it has power attack (a must here; it also has only one natural attack, which means it gets 1.5x the bonus) as well as improved bull rush and an ability that further boosts this maneuver. Combined with its ability to hide underground with earthglide, and it can serve well in a suriprise attack.
Look at Hellknight Signifier. Its a full caster EK, that gets oodles of useful, law-abiding anti-chaos goodies.
So you need a battle ready familiar that could easily be battle ready once its stats got upgraded.
Cast Transformation on your Familiar?
So you need a battle ready familiar that could easily be battle ready once its stats got upgraded.Cast Transformation on your Familiar?
I was more concerned that most familiars do not come with the feat power attack and the fact that your familiar gets your BAB makes that a much better feat for them when you are going with a Gish build. Putting transformations on top of that is not only an extra advantage, but highly advisable.