| karossii |
Okay, so I have been working with the DM of a campaign I am about to join (way of the wicked - no spoilers, please) at 10th level. We came up with a loose concept in our first conversation and have been together trying to make it work out well... and have been encountering numerous stumbling blocks, including making custom archetypes and houserules.
I finally gave up on the initial concept from a rules perspective, and took the flavor of it, and decided to see how best to make a workable build with said flavor, with as few houserules as possible.
The flavor is a beard warrior. A duergar who is, as most are, completely hairless except a beard and eyebrows. And who has a prehensile beard that is his primary weapon. And who is a melee focused build (started out as a grappler, then tried to make it a monk, and am now going magus).
With the white-haired witch archetype, prehensile hair blows. With the witch's hex, it is better - but requiring a standard action and limited to a few minutes a day spoils the flavor.
So the one house rule in effect is that I can pay to have my prehensile hair hex permanencied. Technically it is a secondary natural attack, but as my only natural attack it is a primary. And gets a STR score equivalent to my INT modifier. And gains 1.5x damage on attacks (which barely makes up for the fact the damage die sucks).
We were going to combine hexcrafter and bladed scarf (kapenia) dancer, and refluff a bladed scarf into my beard. I would buy the weapon, enchant it as a weapon, etc.; but it would be my beard, and not a scarf. But then I found the Natural Spell Combat arcana.
I thought about being a bladebound as well, and the DM is okay with the concept, having my beard as an intelligent black "blade" - but after considering the benefits and costs, I am pretty sure I will skip it. It is still on the table, as a very flavorful option which has some mechanical benefits, though.
So now I am a pure hexcrafter magus.
So there is the basis of my build; a 10th level hexcrafter magus, possibly bladebound, who has a permanent prehensile hair hex (using up his 'free' hex gained at 4th level).
Now I need to optimize.
I am looking at 10/14/16/20/14/3 for stats.
I thought ever so briefly about the dimensional chain of feats, but aside from the fact I could only have agility for now, I don't see the flavor meshing.
I also thought about multiclassing with rogue or ninja (or vivisectionist) to gain some sneak attack...but I feel I would be giving up more than I gained.
Malleable Magic looks like a good trait, to boost my arcane pool somewhat; but it costs spells, and prevents any other magic trait. Not sure what other traits to consider...
I think the 3 feat investment for Moonlight Stalker is probably a likely choice. That leaves me 3 open feats... Improved Natural Attack is barely worth it on a 1d3 to 1d4 damage die. Weapon Focus is a given, and probably Combat
Reflexes. *IF* I were to take at least one level of monk, and/or invest in monk's robes, I could add Feral Combat Training to vastly improve the base damage of my hair. I don't know that 1d3 -> 1d8 is worth 13,000 GP though, and I would rather not multiclass monk for this build; unless it is just the only option that makes sense.
I am thinking arcane accuracy is a good second arcana, letting me double INT to hit when I really need it. That leaves me one more arcana (or more, if I spend a feat on extra arcana), which could also be an extra hex if desired.
Any advice/input on making this guy rock?
| karossii |
Okay, so some thoughts based on a day's reflection...
Adding monk levels could be beneficial. It is not desired, but I see several possibilities;
1) 6 monk/4 magus, advance magus from now on. weapon adept + gray disciple archetypes.
==]gain 1st & 2nd level monk feats
==]gain weapon focus and specialization for free. perfect strike is useless unless houseruled to work with my prehensile hair
==]gain invisibility (1rd) or enlarge self (1min) theoretically unlimited uses, by spending 1 ki as a swift action to activate
==]with monastic training and monk's robe, have 2d6 base damage die for hair, and WIS+3 to AC
==]Saves 9/6/9 instead of 7/3/7
==]Can flurry (instead of spellstrike/ spell combat)
==]Can take Ki Arcana arcana @ Magus 6, to share ki+arcana pools (lose 3 points from arcana pool, gain 3+WIS points of ki)
==]Lose any armor I would wear (plus Medium Armor class ability)
==]Lose Magus Bonus Feat
==]Lose Improved Spell Combat
==]Lose 2 Arcana
==]Lose Knowledge Pool
==]Lose Fighter Training
==]Lose 6 levels of spellcasting (permanently) and 6 CL
2) Same build, swap gray disciple for drunken master
==]Lose (vs. above) weapon focus & spec., invis and enlarge via ki
==]Gain drunken ki, 6th monk feat
3) Either of the above builds, starting at magus 6/monk 4, grabbing 2 more monk levels before swapping back to magus for rest of career
==]Can take Ki Arcana to start
4) Go Magus 10.
I still want to build him as a pure magus (option 4). I have never played one before, and I think it would be a cleaner, better build.
I still think it is a good investment to grab the moonlight stalker feat chain, and a cloak of displacement (minor). But that is a hefty investment for +2 to hit and damage, and a 20% miss chance.
I think that with my attack, damage, and spellcasting all INT based, I can spend the 16k GP on an INT headband instead, and gain the same +2 to hit and damage, and save myself 8k GP and 3 feats (2 of which I would rarely if ever use).
On the other hand, I might buy both, giving an overall +4 to hit and damage, for 40k GP and 3 feats.
An AoMF would be necessary, not so much for a bonus to hit and damage, but more to provide one or two weapon enhancements, and for the ability to bypass damage reduction.
The Natural Spell Combat arcana is required.
I'm really not sure what else would be best, though I have toyed with many options. I'd appreciate some input/feedback!
| hgsolo |
I don't know if you've seen this guide yet, but it has a really good prehensile hair build. That build is more focused on debuffing and using hexes than straight up grappling, but it is certainly effective.
| karossii |
I have seen that guide, and it is possibly just me wanting this character to do what it isn't meant to do, and/or won't be good at - but I don't want to be a debuffer as it detailed for the 'defiler' or prehensile hair build given.
Also, there are a few things missing in that guide; for one hair is not normally able to be used for spell combat, but the natural spell combat arcana can allow it to be. This is missing.
Additionally, it recommends a 2-level dip into white-haired witch for the white hair, but then seems to assume you get some abilities from that class which don't come into play until 4/6/8 level - which you never see with a 2 level dip.
It also seems to assume the white haired witch's hair is the same a the prehensile hair hex, when there are some notable differences (STR to attack, for one!), and it is applying the benefits of both, when you wouldn't be able to.
Finally, not a problem with the guide, but the DM has allowed me to permanency the prehensile hair hex; meaning I won't get the white-haired witch's extras, but also don't suffer its drawbacks.
So all in all, that guide does nothing for me in this build. I am trying to make a melee primary hair warrior here, not a debuffer who can happen to do a little melee.
I do appreciate the input, though!
| karossii |
To clarify what I desire out of this character... because re-reading the above I have not been extremely clear as my mind wandered and fingers rambled;
I would like to have a duergar character who fights with his prehensile beard. Obviously this will require witch or magus levels (or alchemist, DM has approved a custom alchemist archetype which is a conversion of WHW).
I want him to be somewhat self-buffing, but not a 'solo build' - he will be in a party and have access to standard party dynamics; do not want to try and steal the show.
I want him to be fully capable in melee, with possibly a few tricks, but focused primarily on dealing damage in combat.
The game is at least 'average optimization', with some hints from the DM that excessive optimization, while not necessary, would not hurt the game, the party, or my character.