Cohort Build - Defend my Wizard!

[rainsinger]

The short version:
Grabbing leadership, specifically want to build a semi-thematic defender for my wizard who will also be helpful in battlefield control. After exploring a ton of options, what I decided on was a Phalanx Soldier Fighter/Witchguard Ranger. He'll be polearm + shield threatening 5' and 10', focusing on primarily the shield and bull rush stuff for feats.

The long version:
My wizard is a collegiate arcanist wizard (so very "good") and has a lot of good-focused feats and spells, worships a good god, etc. He is a buffer/debuffer/controller type wizard, so he'll end up making his cohort even better pretty quickly.

Cohort stats are pre-rolled 18 14 13 12 11 9, and for theme purposes he's going with Angel-Blooded Aasimar (2 str, 2 cha), so his final starting stats will be: 20 13 12 11 14 11 (+1 dex at L4). He's starting at L6.

The feat build so far...
L1 - Ranger: Two Weapon Fighting
L2 - Ranger: Style: Weapon & Shield - Imp. Shield Bash
L3 - Fighter: Shield Slam, Combat Reflexes
L4 - Fighter: Power Attack
L5 - Fighter: Imp. Bull Rush
L6 - Fighter: Gr. Bull Rush

Now, if I'm thinking about this correctly, he will threaten 10' and 5', so he becomes a standing blockade around the wizard or anyone else he's guarding, he can do multiple AOO's (3 per round), and if he successfully shield bashes, he'll get a free AOO on the target (most of the time). Oh, and he'll be using a Madu (heirloom weapon trait), so if he goes defensive, he'll only be -2 for +3 AC (acrobatics)

Here's what I'm thinking the rest of the way...
L7 - Ranger: (Free) Bodyguard, ??
L8 - Ranger: -
L9 - Ranger: ??
L10 - Ranger: Shield Master

So, here's the questions:
1) For levels 1-6, given the thematic angle (a guard for a wizard), do you think there's any more efficient or cool way to go about this?

2) For Levels 7 & 9, what feats would you recommend? (I'm currently debating cleave, cleaving finish, bashing finish, imp. TWF...)

3) Is there anything I'm missing that would make this build not work like I think it will? The plan is to have him kind of "in between" the wizard and the melee, able to hit from 10' out but still catch anything moving to get to the wizard.

Thanks!

[rainsinger]

Nudge?

[minoritarian]

I really want to suggest the Armiger class from SGG. Perfect bodyguard class really - grants soft cover to allies, can take a talent to grant hard cover. Another talent to use polearms/spears one handed with a shield. Adopted: Halfling and the Helpful trait to grant you a +4 to AC when aiding another. The enchantments that improve the AC granted by Aid Another (that escape me right now and I'm on a bus so can't really look them up).

[rainsinger]

That would be pretty solid but we're "no 3rd party" status for the home game, hehe.

[Debbin]

Is his dex high enough to take two-weapon fighting?

[♣♠Magic♦♥]

Give him a ring/amulet of Shield Other, just for safety. :)

[TempusAvatar]

Maybe (Shield Focus to prereq into) Covering Defense, (Imp. Disarm to prereq into) Break Guard, or (Mobility to prereq into) Combat Patrol?

[Sir Thugsalot]

Polearm cohort with Pushing Assault feat. Enlarge him and keep inside his threatened zone. Make him a "chaladin" with stupid AC.

[PSusac]

What's the intention of having him be a bodyguard at all?

If you focus on bodyguard, you basically just added a second-rate melee specialist to the party. His designated role of guarding you is going to be useless if you:

Fly
Turn invisible
teleport around
etc.

These are stock in trade abilities for a wizard, so if he can keep up with you fine, but even if he can, is this the best use for the feat?

Personally I'd take an evangelist priest (depending on party composition). Here's why:

--He gives you access to priest spells
--He can inspire like a bard
--He benefits from a high charisma, giving you access to a few charisma skills.
--He's a fair back-up healer (only fair though - he loses spontaneous cure spells).
--He can augment your item creation feats
--He can still be a reach fighter (who sucks but hey, an attack of opportunity is always nice).
--He can protect your whole party as a designated buffer. This keeps him mostly out of combat, and frees up the party divine caster to do more interesting things with his spell load.

A cohort is a gimped second character. He's gimped because he's two levels or more lower than the party, so EVERY encounter is above his CR. A high CR encounter is fairly suicidal for him. Doing flashy things like turning him into a big "hulk smash" character is going to get him killed. Have him lay low and make everyone ELSE great. Heck, your party will even like having him around.

[rainsinger]

Psusac - Honestly I had considered making him a 100% buff-beast, but the party literally has that covered from every angle already.

My character is a buff & control wizard. We have a bard (though without the song part, but he still pops out some spells) and a buffing/healing cleric. That said, it's not like having a second healer/buffer wouldn't be useful. I had actually considered going with Druid simply because we don't have that set of spells in the party...

But, that said, in the end this is more for fluffy reasons, having a "bodyguard" and such for my character just fits him. In general though, I 100% agree that it's not an efficient use of a cohort - if I was purely going for a competitive edge, it'd definitely be a buffing caster of some kind.

[williamoak]

I would go full witchguard, if only for thematic reasons. This guy is going to have trouble whatever you do (2 levels below is pretty significant in combat). So have fun with it! Make them a tracker/hunter/survivalist type (your party seems to lack that). Because he'll be a mighty fragile bodyguard. Making it an archer can allow him to stay outside melee, and still be close enough to you to do the bodyguard AOO.
You can compensate for low damage by maximising one favored enemy and using the "instant enemy" spell on significant targets.

Love the witchguard class though , and never forget, he MUST have benevolent armor. Boosts that bodyguard effect. There's also a halfling trait that allows ANOTHER bonus to help another.