I’m looking to make a primitive/tribal type build that fights with tooth and claw/slam or the most primitive of weapons (at least at the start of his career). I am trying to sort of duplicate the feel of the ‘feral’ template from the old 3.x savage species book. Maybe a long spear until things get close enough or if it something he doesn’t want to touch. Might throw a spear, axe, or hammer (or even a rock). No falchion, kusarigama, composite longbow, full plate, etc…
I’m thinking my best bet for race is either a half-orc with toothy or a teifling with maw. Then the class archtype for claws. Agree or disagree? Other possibilities?
If it matters: home game (few house rules that would affect this build), 20 point buy, 2 traits, non-evil, rarely is 3pp or 3.x material allowed (would have to justify and seem less powerful than PF choices).
However, I’m not sure which class/archtype to pick:
Barbarian – Lesser beast totem gives d6 claws but only while raging. That might be enough.
Savage Warrior – Sounds good but doesn’t seem to give you a whole lot.
True Primitive – Perfect name, but I don’t think you can use the fetish (which seems to be the primary gain) on natural weapons without a house rule.
Fighter – Need some other way to get claws.
Savage Warrior (the other one) – Gives you bonuses to natural weapons, but doesn’t give you claws.
Unarmed Fighter – Could work if I am just careful to use primitive seeming monk weapons (brass knuckles, cestus, staff).
Ranger – Natural weapon style works and gives claws.
Shapeshifter – Maybe?
None of the archtypes really seem to give much to the concept. But ranger is the one that could give claws full time.
Which class/archtype do you think will work best for the concept? Or should it be some combination of them (I don’t usually do much in the way of multi-classing, but this time it might be worthwhile)?
Hmm... Just realized the other way I could get a claw attack is eldritch heritage with either the abyssal or draconic bloodlines. But that would only be for a few rounds a day. But might be enough if I saved for the final BBEG fight.
Boar style would be nice if you do decide to go unarmed, since it is literally described as the style of "goblinoids, ogres, and trolls" where you alchemically and surgically alter your teeth and nails in order to make them deadly weapons.
In gameplay terms, the first in this style feat chain gives you slashing damage with your unarmed strikes (so how different are they from claws?), and when you get 2 or more attacks off it provides 2d6 bleed damage (not a bleed effect though, oddly, but hey, it is like a better rend attack. Hard to entirely discern this bit)
The second feat lets you use piercing damage with your unarmed strikes (shoving your arm strait through the opponent? Biting them with fierce fangs?). It also provides a bonus to intimidate and allows a free intimidation check when you use the rend from the first feat.
The third feat is not as great as the last two. It allows an intimidate check as a move action (big whoop?). It also adds an actual bleed effect of 1d6 which persists.
Anyway, the style has only 2 prerequisites (besides previous feats in the chain)- improved unarmed strike and ranks in intimidate (3, 5, 9). Not hard at all. One way to go about this would be to take a single level of martial artist monk (no alignment restrictions), and then go barbarian the rest of the way to both rage and flurry out. Invulnerable barbarian archetype is preferred since DR more than makes up for poor AC. Another option would be to go master of many styles monk or unarmed fighter to get Boar style first level (both skip prerequisites to some degree) and then ranger for the rest to get TWF the rest of the way with a strength build.
I don't see how the highly disciplined/trained monk fits with the feral warrior type. But I could take improved unarmed strike to lead into Bore Strike. Wouldn't be able to take it until 3rd level, but that is survivable.
Half orc with toothy and barbarian with beast totem is a killer. We have one in my game and without any built finesse he is great. It you wanna go for just a bit of min maxing you can get a few monk levels( Martial artist or that trait that will let you be an unlawfull monk) and get feral combat training to go with dragon style for extra Dam. For barn archtype Inv. rager is nice but normal barbarian is also great. The advantages of this character is that he have both damage and some staying power even if he never goes beyond leather Armor.
The nat weapon ranger seems nice but he IMOP dosent work so fine unless you have exeptional physical stats.
I think a combination of monk and the unarmed figther AT can give the rigth feel using unarmed attacks and possibly a 1/2 ork bite.
But my vote goes to the barbarian. He is a sure bet.
The barbarian savage warrior leads to pretty nice ac while raging. More so if you use the rolling dodge and other rage power to get both ranged and melee defenses.
Well, an unarmed fighter can do it too. It is basically a "monk wannabe" archetype for fighter, but it doesn't actually carry that many implications as the monk. You could just be a fighter in illegal underground boxing matches, contained and constrained by society, wishing to rip his way out. In gameplay terms, it allows you to ignore prerequisites for the first feat in a style chain, so they can get it as early as level 1, as well as IUS. It works better than monk really, since it allows armor and power attack at level 1.
Also, there is the martial artist monk. It trades off all that spiritual stuff, and just keeps flurry. It could be worked out thematically fairly easily.
I consider the savage warrior AT a bad choice. You give up DR to get some ac bonus that never gets better than a breast plate. It have some flavor but even if you wanna be a but naked savage destroyer Inv. Rager or vanille barb is better IMOP.