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Hello fellow Forum-trackers!
Decided after a recent attempt at a tripping character that went rather poorly due to no decent tank [3 near-TPKs in the second fight, and one character who now requires a disguise to re-enter Irrisen and not be a semi-infamous terrorist] I would rebuild the previous build into a tank.
I was thinking of a Phalanx Soldier using either a Glaive-Guisarme or a Naginata with a Shield Bash in the other hand for close-range protection. Not sold on the archetype, since it gives up Weapon Training, but I do want to be able to use reach weapons in one hand.
Beyond that and the obvious [Combat Reflexes, Power Attack, Focus/Spec line, etc.] I don't have much. Is the Bodyguard/In Harms Way combo worth it? I would prefer to stay away from dumping beyond 8 on this particular build, just because I have too many 7s in some PFS builds. Any really good feats? Should I go for Improved Trip, since I do plan on doing some tripping? Any advice would be great. Thanks in advance!
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Hello ArmouredMonk 13
I played around with some PFS legal builds. If you are going to do Phalanx Soldier, one of the special abilities involves better usage of tower shields. Tower shields can't bash, so my builds use armor spikes instead of shield bash.
I also decided to go with trip-themed feats, which doesn't seem bad at all. With these builds, you really would want a brace + trip + reach weapon, but you can't find a polearm with all 3. The Glaive-Guisarme does have brace and reach, and a weapon cord should help if you have to drop your weapon. I invested a bit in saves and knowledge skills, this being Pathfinder Society.
The to-hit's and damage capabilities aren't especially high, but are adequate I think.
Tell me what you think.
Yulanda Kynard is a Kellid woman who was orphaned by one of the many demon raids from the worldwound. She grew up as a ward of the state of Mendev, growing up as a ward of the church of Iomedae.
As a young adult, she tired of working as church guard in Mendev, and applied to the Pathfinder Society out of an idealistic sense of adventure. The bright young woman was accepted, and now works tirelessly to defend her fellow pathfinders.
Yulanda Kynard
Female Human (Kellid) fighter 1
LG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +2, Senses Perception +1
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DEFENSE
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AC 19, touch 12, flat-footed 17 (+5 armor, +2 Dex, +2 shield, ), Combat Expertise
hp 13 ((1d10)+3)
Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +2
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OFFENSE
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Speed 20 ft.
Melee shield, heavy wooden +4 (1d4+4)
Ranged alchemist's fire (flask) +3 (1d6)
Melee glaive-guisarme +4 (1d10+4/x3)
Melee dagger +4 (1d4+3/19-20)
Ranged dagger (thrown) +3 (1d4/19-20)
Melee light mace +4 (1d6+3)
Ranged pilum +3 (1d8)
Ranged javelin +3 (1d6)
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STATISTICS
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Str 17, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 8
Base Atk +1; CMB +4; CMD 16
Feats Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Power Attack
Skills Climb +1, Knowledge (Dungeoneering) +5, Knowledge (Religion) +6, Swim +1; Armor Check Penalty -6
Languages Abyssal, Common, Hallit
SQ bonus feat, bonus feats, skilled, weapon and armor proficiency
Combat Gear alchemist's fire (flask) (2), sunrod (2), rations (trail/per day) (5)
Other Gear scale mail, uniform (soldier's), shield, heavy wooden, belt pouch, flint and steel, glaive-guisarme, dagger, light mace, pilum (2), javelin (4), grappling hook, common, backpack, common, bedroll, rope (hemp/50 ft.), sack, waterskin (filled), 6.3 gp
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SPECIAL ABILITIES
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Bonus Feat Humans select one extra feat at 1st level.
Bonus Feats At 1st level, and at every even level thereafter, a fighter gains a bonus feat in addition to those gained from normal advancement (meaning that the fighter gains a feat at every level). These bonus feats must be selected from those listed as combat feats, sometimes also called "fighter bonus feats." Upon reaching 4th level, and every four levels thereafter (8th, 12th, and so on), a fighter can choose to learn a new bonus feat in place of a bonus feat he has already learned. In effect, the fighter loses the bonus feat in exchange for the new one. The old feat cannot be one that was used as a prerequisite for another feat, prestige class, or other ability. A fighter can only change one feat at any given level and must choose whether or not to swap the feat at the time he gains a new bonus feat for the level.
Comparative Religion (Silver Crusade Faction) Your allies within the Silver Crusade have taught you a lot about other faiths. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Knowledge (religion) skill checks, and Knowledge (religion) becomes a class skill for you.
Indomitable Faith You were born in a region where your faith was not popular, yet you never abandoned it.
Skilled Humans gain an additional skill rank at first level and one additional rank whenever they gain a level.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency A fighter is proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with all armor (heavy, medium, and light) and shields (including tower shields).
Yulanda Kynard
Female Human (Kellid) fighter 4
LG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +2, Senses Perception +1
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DEFENSE
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AC 27, touch 11, flat-footed 26 (+10 armor, +1 Dex, +6 shield), Combat Expertise
hp 40 ((4d10)+12)
Fort +7, Ref +4, Will +4
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OFFENSE
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Speed 20 ft.
Melee masterwork armor spikes +7 (1d6+4)
Ranged alchemist's fire (flask) +4 (1d6)
Melee dagger +6 (1d4+4/19-20)
Ranged dagger (thrown) +4 (1d4/19-20)
Melee light mace +6 (1d6+4)
Ranged pilum +4 (1d8+4)
Ranged javelin +4 (1d6+4)
Melee masterwork glaive-guisarme +8 (1d10+4/x3)
Melee gauntlet +6 (1d3+4)
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STATISTICS
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Str 18, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 8
Base Atk +4; CMB +8 (+10 trip, +12 with glaive-guisarme); CMD 20 (21 vs bull-rush, drag, overrun) (23 vs trip)
Feats Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Improved Trip, Power Attack, Shield Focus, Weapon Focus (Glaive-Guisarme)
Skills Climb -4, Intimidate +4, Knowledge (Dungeoneering) +7, Knowledge (Religion) +8, Survival +6, Swim -4
Languages Abyssal, Common, Hallit
Archetypes Phalanx Soldier
SQ bonus feat, bonus feats, phalanx fighting, skilled, stand firm, weapon and armor proficiency,
Combat Gear alchemist's fire (flask) (2), sunrod (2), oil of magic weapon, antitoxin, potion of remove fear, potion of protection from evil, potion of jump, potion of mage armor, potion of cure light wounds, rations (trail/per day) (5),
Other Gear masterwork armor spikes, uniform (soldier's), cloak of resistance +1, full plate +1, shield +1 (tower), belt pouch, flint and steel, dagger, light mace, pilum (2), javelin (4), masterwork glaive-guisarme, grappling hook, common, backpack, common, bedroll, rope (hemp/50 ft.), sack, waterskin (filled), gauntlet, 33.2 gp
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SPECIAL ABILITIES
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Bonus Feat Humans select one extra feat at 1st level.
Bonus Feats At 1st level, and at every even level thereafter, a fighter gains a bonus feat in addition to those gained from normal advancement (meaning that the fighter gains a feat at every level). These bonus feats must be selected from those listed as combat feats, sometimes also called "fighter bonus feats." Upon reaching 4th level, and every four levels thereafter (8th, 12th, and so on), a fighter can choose to learn a new bonus feat in place of a bonus feat he has already learned. In effect, the fighter loses the bonus feat in exchange for the new one. The old feat cannot be one that was used as a prerequisite for another feat, prestige class, or other ability. A fighter can only change one feat at any given level and must choose whether or not to swap the feat at the time he gains a new bonus feat for the level.
Comparative Religion (Silver Crusade Faction) Your allies within the Silver Crusade have taught you a lot about other faiths. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Knowledge (religion) skill checks, and Knowledge (religion) becomes a class skill for you.
Indomitable Faith You were born in a region where your faith was not popular, yet you never abandoned it. +1 on will saves.
Phalanx Fighting (Ex) At 3rd level, when a phalanx soldier wields a shield, he can use any polearm or spear of his size as a one-handed weapon. This ability replaces armor training 1.
Skilled Humans gain an additional skill rank at first level and one additional rank whenever they gain a level.
Stand Firm (Ex) At 2nd level, a phalanx soldier gains a +1 bonus to CMD against drag, overrun, and trip attempts. This bonus also applies on saves against trample attacks. The bonus increases by +1 for every four levels beyond 2nd. This ability replaces bravery.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency A fighter is proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with all armor (heavy, medium, and light) and shields (including tower shields).
Yulanda Kynard
Female Human (Kellid) fighter 8
LG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +2, Senses Perception +7
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DEFENSE
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AC 31, touch 12, flat-footed 30 (+11 armor, +1 deflection, +1 Dex, +1 natural, +7 shield), Combat Expertise
hp 76 ((8d10)+24)
Fort +10, Ref +6, Will +6
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OFFENSE
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Speed 20 ft.
Melee masterwork armor spikes +13/+8 (1d6+5)
Ranged alchemist's fire (flask) +9/+4 (1d6)
Melee dagger +12/+7 (1d4+5/19-20)
Ranged dagger (thrown) +9/+4 (1d4/19-20)
Melee light mace +12/+7 (1d6+5)
Ranged pilum +9/+4 (1d8+5)
Ranged javelin +9/+4 (1d6+5)
Melee glaive-guisarme +2 +16/+11 (1d10+9/x3)
Melee gauntlet +11/+6 (1d3+5)
Wayfinder Spell-Like Abilities light (at will)
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STATISTICS
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Str 20, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 8,
Base Atk +8; CMB +13 (+17 trip; +21 with glaive-guisarme); CMD 26 (28 vs bull rush, drag, overrun) (30 vs trip)
Feats Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Felling Smash, Greater Trip, Greater Weapon Focus (Glaive-Guisarme), Improved Trip, Power Attack, Shield Focus, Weapon Focus (Glaive-Guisarme), Weapon Specialization (Glaive-Guisarme)
Skills Climb +0, Intimidate +7, Knowledge (Dungeoneering) +11, Knowledge (Religion) +12, Perception +7, Survival +9, Swim +0
Languages Abyssal, Aklo, Common, Hallit
Archetypes Phalanx Soldier
SQ bonus feat, bonus feats, deft shield, phalanx fighting, ready pike, skilled, stand firm, weapon and armor proficiency
Combat Gear Wand of Cure Light Wounds (50 charges), alchemist's fire (flask) (2), sunrod (2), antitoxin, potion of remove fear, potion of protection from evil, potion of jump, potion of mage armor, potion of touch of the sea, oil of bless weapon, oil of magic weapon, potion of fly, scroll (restoration (lesser)), rations (trail/per day) (5),
Other Gear amulet of natural armor +1, masterwork armor spikes, ring of protection +1, uniform (soldier's), full plate +2, belt of giant strength +2, cloak of resistance +2, shield +2 (tower), belt pouch, flint and steel, wayfinder, weapon cord, wire saw (adamantine), dagger, light mace, pilum (2), javelin (4), glaive-guisarme +2, grappling hook, common, backpack, common, bedroll, rope (hemp/50 ft.), sack, waterskin (filled), armor spikes, gauntlet (2), 33.2 gp
=================================================
SPECIAL ABILITIES
=================================================
Bonus Feat Humans select one extra feat at 1st level.
Bonus Feats At 1st level, and at every even level thereafter, a fighter gains a bonus feat in addition to those gained from normal advancement (meaning that the fighter gains a feat at every level). These bonus feats must be selected from those listed as combat feats, sometimes also called "fighter bonus feats." Upon reaching 4th level, and every four levels thereafter (8th, 12th, and so on), a fighter can choose to learn a new bonus feat in place of a bonus feat he has already learned. In effect, the fighter loses the bonus feat in exchange for the new one. The old feat cannot be one that was used as a prerequisite for another feat, prestige class, or other ability. A fighter can only change one feat at any given level and must choose whether or not to swap the feat at the time he gains a new bonus feat for the level.
Comparative Religion (Silver Crusade Faction) Your allies within the Silver Crusade have taught you a lot about other faiths. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Knowledge (religion) skill checks, and Knowledge (religion) becomes a class skill for you.
Deft Shield (Ex) At 7th level, the armor check penalty from a shield and the attack roll penalty are reduced by -1 for a phalanx soldier using a tower shield. At 11th level, these penalties are reduced by -2. This ability replaces armor training 2 and 3.
Indomitable Faith You were born in a region where your faith was not popular, yet you never abandoned it.
Phalanx Fighting (Ex) At 3rd level, when a phalanx soldier wields a shield, he can use any polearm or spear of his size as a one-handed weapon. This ability replaces armor training 1.
Ready Pike (Ex) At 5th level, a phalanx soldier can, once per day, ready a weapon with the brace property as an immediate action, gaining a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls. For every four levels beyond 5th, this bonus increases by +1, and he can use the ability one additional time per day. He cannot use this ability when flat-footed. This ability replaces weapon training 1.
Skilled Humans gain an additional skill rank at first level and one additional rank whenever they gain a level.
Stand Firm (Ex) At 2nd level, a phalanx soldier gains a +1 bonus to CMD against drag, overrun, and trip attempts. This bonus also applies on saves against trample attacks. The bonus increases by +1 for every four levels beyond 2nd. This ability replaces bravery.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency A fighter is proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with all armor (heavy, medium, and light) and shields (including tower shields).
Yes, if you really want to maximize the aid another and build around the bodyguard feat, the way to go is definitely cavalier with the Order of the Dragon.
Keep in mind that bodyguard is limited to aiding adjacent allies only (at least in my conservative reading), and does nothing for reach weapons. It is still usable with armor spikes or shield bash, though.
For maximum bodyguard silliness, one would do halfling with the helpful trait, cavalier with order of the dragon and a reasonable dex.
At level 3 with bodyguard such a build could in theory be handing out +6 to AC using bodyguard (although there is a bit of unclearness in the rules to me)
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Thanks for the input Tangaroa and XMorsX!
First, I think I would rather stay away from cavalier and titan mauler. Not that anything is wrong with them, but cavalier class seems too "halfling exclusive" and the mounted combat ties are difficult to deal with in many of the PFS scenarios floating around the tables recently.
It does seem you are right about Bodyguard doing nothing for reach weapons, Tangaroa. That seems like a neat build, but I personally don't like the Max Dex on a tower shield, or the penalty to attack rolls [that doesn't disappear until near-retirement], so I think I'd pass on that. Of course, using armor spikes instead of shield bash attack does open up a feat and some options. I guess since armor spikes are legitimate weapons [I had recently recalled them only working in grapples, but looking back realize they can be used as weapons] 1h reach isn't necessary anymore.
I was wondering, could an ACG Bloodrager be a decent tank? I was thinking I could probably get a nice enough AC and damage to keep enemies on me, and then stuff like DR to help soak up the damage, along with the Arcane bloodline for free Blur to give a 1 in 5 chance of avoiding all attacks. Reason I was thinking of this was a recent character concept that spontaneously hit me during a game, and I played in a game yesterday with the highest charisma in the party being an 8, and that was just 1 guy, so a character that benefits from charisma would be a good thing.
A lot of what I will say echoes XMorsX.
A bloodrager will be hard pressed to win the AC game, although you can get a lot of use from blur, displacement, and the like.
I saw a handy formula for people who want to play the AC game: 20+CR. So a 1st level mod aim for 21, a 7-8 aim for 28+. Of course, don't shirk on your saves if you want to be in the front line - a barbarian rage would help with that.
Even with a positive charisma you're still unlikely to be the party "face" - you could aim for that with the right traits of course. You could do some beautiful intimidation builds with a bloodrager.
I don't play barbarians, but my impression is that unless you are doing invulnerable rager DR is not a huge impact. If you regularly play with someone, you could get them to learn Ablative Barrier - a very nice spell
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Thanks again for the input guys!
@XMorsX:Yeah, cavaliers don't have to be mounted or be halflings, but they still suffer when unmounted. They are decent, but then, so is a Paladin v. a neutral enemy. The Stalwart+Unbreakable Fighter combo is nice, especially since I can then wear Mithral Full Plate for AC, but I'd rather avoid the 2 levels of Paladin due to the Code of Conduct and the fact that many will see it as "cheese" to be a lawful bloodrager. Still, the Moonlight Stalker trick seems great, for even more power when I rage.
@Tangaroa:Yeah, Bloodrager will be hard-pressed to win the AC game, since that is kinda meant as a race between the fighter and pally, but with bloodrager I figure Rage Blur will be the equivalent of a +2AC [Each +4 equating to 20% miss chance, and rage giving the -2], and I can pick up Ablative Barrier at level 7 [when I get DR] as a spell known to get some more benefits. Yeah, positive charisma won't make me 'face' but it will help when I get in parties where everyone dumped charisma.
Anything else really great as far as feats/traits/race/stat arrays?
Well, if your still going for area lockdown (as opposed to pure defense) then I would choose abyssal for bloodrager. The feats and special abilities work well - staggering critical could be really nice with a falchion. For better defense, go arcane bloodline for the early blur.
Alright, so let's try a build that plays upon area control and the most excellent staggering critical ability, and tries for reasonable saves.
Half-orc
1st level array:
Str 15+2
Dex 14
Con 16
Int 8
Wis 8
Cha 12 (well - it's positive...)
Racial Trait: Sacred Tattoo (with fate's favored this nets you +2 to all your saves - your will ends up at +3 while raging at level 1)
Racial Trait: Skilled (possibly more useful then darkvision in pfs - you can always buy scrolls of darkvision)
Faith Trait: Fate's Favored (and hope they don't errata it cause it's too dang good!)
Combat Trait: Anatomist (+1 to confirm, to help staggering strike)
Items:
*Use the falchion, get keen on it ASAP, then perhaps furious
*Ioun stone that grants constitution
*belt of giant's strength.
*headband of alluring charisma
*runestones of power for extra spells (from PFS Field Guide)
1: Raging Vitality; bloodline power: staggering strike (Starts at DC16 while raging)
3: Power Attack
4: +1 to Str; Spells Known: Feather Fall, Shield
5: Furious Focus; Spells Known: Unerring Weapon
6: Bloodline Feat: Combat Reflexes; Spells Known: Expeditious Retreat
7: Cornugan Smash; Bloodline Spell: enlarge person; Spells Known: Ablative Barrier, Blur (or Mirror Image)
8: +1 to Cha; Bloodline Power: Aberrant Fortitude; Spells Known: Spider Climb
9: Bloodline Feat: Iron Will; Spells Known: Burning Hands, Glitterdust
10: Bloodline Spell: See Invisibility; Spells Known: Magic Weapon (Greater), Protection from Energy
For skills, you might want:
*Intimidate (max ranks plus half-orc bonus - your "anti-social" skill)
*near-max acrobatics
*near-max perception
*a few ranks in climb and swim,
*a few ranks in spellcraft and K(arcana)
The idea is that you end up with a 10-15' reach (depending on if you enlarge). If you crit, they have a chance to be staggered. If you power attack, you can cornugan smash to apply additional penalties to foes as a free action.
With rage at level 10 your AC will be about 22 assuming:
+1 ring of protection
+2 breasplate (total +8)
dusty rose prism ioun stone
jingasa of the fortunate soldier (which gives an extra +1 from the trait)
+2 Dex
-2 rage
With a shield spell, that will put it at ~26, plus blur or mirror image.
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I guess moonlight stalker could work in theory, but it would be spreading your stats very thin to get the required intelligence, not to mention a major feat sink. You would probably want to level dip into fighter for that option.
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I was looking for less of a max offense/defense and more of a blend between the two, balancing some rage powers and spells for defense and then mainly offense feats. That is why I had figured I'd go with arcane, so that around level 8 I can Haste Blur myself to get a nice offense and defense boost, then possibly cast Mirror Image as well to get more defense and become near-unhittable. Still, that looks like a great Lock Down build. Also, not sure if this makes a huge difference but I stacked some GM credit and have this guy starting at level2 instead of one. Figured I'd go with something like
Feats:
1h:Power Attack
1Combat Expertise
1f:Blind-Fight
3:Furious Focus
5:Moonlight Stalker
7:Vital Strike [very useful in PFS]
9:Cornugon Smash
11:???
Stats:
Str:17[15+2]
Dex:12
Con:14
Int:13
Wis:10
Cha:13
Skills:
UMD
Knowledge[Arcana]
Spellcraft
Perception
Acrobatics
Gear [to do list]:
STR Belt
Nodachi/Scythe +x
Naginata +x backup
Mithral Full Plate
Circlet of Persuasion
Traits:
Threatening Defender
Dangerously Curious
How does it look as far as tanking? Is there a better option for some of the feats [Vital Strike I'd like to keep by at least level 9, just from the amount of use it sees in PFS in my experience, especially as the foes get smarter].
I wouldn't think of my version of the bloodrager as a lockdown build, more "generate free attacks and conditions as they move in" build. A 15-30% crit rate + a fort save isn't reliable enough to really serve as a reliable lockdown.
Alright, I have a bunch of unrelated thoughts:
-Moonlight Stalker has pre-requisite of low-light or darkvision; are you planning on getting a magic item (say Eyes of the Owl at 4000 gp) from the PFS Field Guide) to meet that requirement? Or can you rebuild it with half-elf or half-orc, instead of human?
-If you're investing in an intelligence of 13 and a reach weapon it seems like a shame not to have some sort of maneuver feat - disarm, trip, reposition - something.
So after going back and forth on this here is my take - you want the feats, AC and hitting power to be a front-liner, but you also want magic.
I think you should focus on the front-line, take fighter the many, many feats, and then load up on UMD.
-Get a wand of blur for 4500, and a wand of shield for 750. Heck, be a half-elf and skill-focus UMD - you kill two birds with one stone for moonlight stalker.
-Use the many fighter feats to do moonlight stalker, vital-strike, two-handed high-damage polearm attacks and lockdown feats like improved trip. You can take the two-handed fighter archetype to up the damage output.
Just my $.02
If It were me, and you wanted an interesting yet effective character….
And want to stay away from Titan Mauler.
Try an Oracle of Metal/Armored Hulk/Rage Prophet…. Assault Tank.
Another build Ive been looking at is a Mobile fighter using the panther strike feat chain.
all movement, provoke on purpose to cause nearly endless amounts of attacks.
IF you like reach attacks, a kensai magus using whip and the whip master feats.
Just a few out out side the box ideas.
I like the idea of oracle alternatively, you could do Oracle of Battle, with maneuver mastery, skill at arms, weapon mastery and battlefield clarity. I personally don't care for the flavor or mechanics of rage prophet; I would favor straight oracle. The Oracle of Battle or Metal can make good frontlines and keep the spellcasting up.
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Is the Snarlshield legal in PFS?
Snarlshield(Steel)Statistics
Cost: 50 gp Weight: 20 lbs.
Armor Bonus: +2; Max Dex Bonus: —; Armor Check Penalty: -3
Arcane Spell Failure Chance: 15%; Speed —/—
Description:
This heavy shield features a dozen wooden or metal rods on its surface. You may use the shield as a weapon with the disarm quality.
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Thanks again for all the input
I forgot about the low-light/night vision prerequisite on Moonlight Stalker. And I also realized I had forgotten about Arcane Strike being the a decent substitution. Figure I may as well drop Combat Expertise and Blind-Fight while I am at it, since they aren't exactly amazing feats, and the character concept [see bottom of thread] that I came up with would be better with a low INT. As for your bloodrager, I see generating free attacks with a reach weapon pretty effective at locking down the battlefield.I wouldn't think of my version of the bloodrager as a lockdown build, more "generate free attacks and conditions as they move in" build. A 15-30% crit rate + a fort save isn't reliable enough to really serve as a reliable lockdown.
Alright, I have a bunch of unrelated thoughts:
-Moonlight Stalker has pre-requisite of low-light or darkvision; are you planning on getting a magic item (say Eyes of the Owl at 4000 gp) from the PFS Field Guide) to meet that requirement? Or can you rebuild it with half-elf or half-orc, instead of human?
-If you're investing in an intelligence of 13 and a reach weapon it seems like a shame not to have some sort of maneuver feat - disarm, trip, reposition - something.
So after going back and forth on this here is my take - you want the feats, AC and hitting power to be a front-liner, but you also want magic.
I think you should focus on the front-line, take fighter the many, many feats, and then load up on UMD.
-Get a wand of blur for 4500, and a wand of shield for 750. Heck, be a half-elf and skill-focus UMD - you kill two birds with one stone for moonlight stalker.
-Use the many fighter feats to do moonlight stalker, vital-strike, two-handed high-damage polearm attacks and lockdown feats like improved trip. You can take the two-handed fighter archetype to up the damage output.Just my $.02
Those look like some great ideas for characters. Unfortunately, I have already seen/played a straight oracle of battle, whip kensai, Armoured Hulk, and Rage Prophet, and personally didn't like the Rage Prophet or Armoured Hulk mechanics, as they got a bit boring after a bit. Still, that assault tank looks great, and Mobile Fighter panther looks cool too. I am playing a straight battle oracle in a home game that uses a bunch of PFS rules, and am afraid that I would be imitating it too much in a PFS game.If It were me, and you wanted an interesting yet effective character….
And want to stay away from Titan Mauler.Try an Oracle of Metal/Armored Hulk/Rage Prophet…. Assault Tank.
Another build Ive been looking at is a Mobile fighter using the panther strike feat chain.
all movement, provoke on purpose to cause nearly endless amounts of attacks.IF you like reach attacks, a kensai magus using whip and the whip master feats.
Just a few out out side the box ideas.
Ok, that just amazed me. Fun fact, know how to get even more attacks? Vicious Stomp, Greater Trip, and Combat Reflexes to get Disarm+Shield Slam+Bull Rush+Trip+Vicious Stomp+Greater Trip, and then you can get Ki Throw for even more shenanigans. Bravo to the build idea, but it kinda has difficulty fitting the character concept I was struck by recently [again, see bottom of post]. I might use this later though.If you want to be good at it all (bull rush,trip, disarm, 2 hands,2 weapons, sword and board - damage/AC/irresistible tricks the following works. It takes some mental and technical flexibility to maximize (choose your best option for the situation).
They get great maneuver bonuses. Hammer the gap + rythmic blows means you just keep stacking the bonuses.
* At 7th level, a Dwarven Foehammer has the ability, via "Hammer to the Ground," to make a free trip combat maneuver after the conclusion of a successful bull rush combat maneuver.
* The feat, "Shield Slam," allows a free bull rush combat maneuver after a successful hit from a shield slam attack.
* The feat, "Break Guard," as a swift action, allows an attack with one's other weapon (in this case, one's shield) immediately after a successful disarm combat maneuver from one's main weapon.Something like:
Primary attack - Disarm
This succeeds so due to Break Guard I get a shield bash as a free action
Shield Bash
Bull Rush - +13 (using same attack roll as shield)
a free Trip Attempt due to Hammer to the Ground
Trip Attempt (take a -5 on this = don't follow the bull rush)And then your other attacks ...
Best thing about the build is you qualify for the fighter only, dwarf only feat:
Shatterspell (Combat)
Your mighty blows shatter your enemy's magic.
Prerequisites: Disruptive, Spellbreaker, dwarf, 10th-level fighter.
Benefit: As a standard action, you can attempt to sunder an ongoing spell effect as if you had the spell sunder rage power (Ultimate Combat 28). You may use this feat once per day, plus one additional time per day for every 5 points by which your base attack bonus exceeds +10.
Is the Snarlshield legal in PFS?
Not sure, don't have the book yet. Still, it looks like it would be really nice on the build above.
Thanks again for the advice everyone! I'd like to try and keep within this
Basically, he was raised by a wizard, had more sorcererous talent, and pretends to be smart while trying to find his parents.
Stats:
Str18
Dex14
Con14
Int8
Wis10
Cha12
Feats:
1Skill Focus UMD
1Power Attack
Class Features:
Arcane Bloodline
*Disruptive Bloodrage
Bloodrage 8/day
Fast Movement
Uncanny Dodge
Traits:
Dangerously Curious
Fast Talker
Gear:
Masterwork Nodachi
Masterwork Naginata
Masterwork Four-Mirror Armor
Sling
Rest in adventuring gear
Attacks:
Nodachi +6[1d10+9]
*Rage +8[1d10+12]
Naginata +6[1d8+9]
*Rage +6[1d8+12]
Sling+3[1d3+4
*Rage+3[1d3+6]
Just confirming: you know that you don't need UMD to activate wands if the spells are on your spell list?
You can also use the wands before you can even cast the spell in question. So you can use a wand of magic missile at first level, no problem. (The same is not true of scrolls - you have to be able to have at least one caster level to use them.)
The only (mechanical) reason to get UMD and take Dangerously Curious would be the ability to access scrolls early and to use magic items from other classes (which could be difficult, unless it's a charisma class, due to your low to average mental stats.)
I think you could entirely keep the story flavor and put the skill points, feat and trait into something else then UMD. His magic was "in his blood" to begin with.
Suggested Replacement Traits:
Magic Traits:
*Arcane Temper and Desperate Resolve both have the correct flavor and are mechanically sound.
*Magical Knack is nice, if you plan on multiclassing. (I'm surprised that bloodragers get full caster levels, instead of level -3 like rangers and paladins).
Suggested Feats Instead of Skill Focus (UMD):
Skill Focus (Intimidate, Bluff, or Perception), Combat Reflexes, Cornugan Smash, Furious Focus, Toughness, Dodge, Iron Will, Improved Sunder, Weapon Focus
I encourage you to take advantage of the anti-caster capabilities of the arcane bloodline. To do this, I might recommend step up, disruptive and spellbreaker.
OK, here's another thought:
Trait: Magical Knack
1. Bloodrager: Power Attack
1. Bloodrager: Combat Reflexes
2. Bloodrager:
3. Bloodrager: Furious Focus
4. Bloodrager: +1 constitution (yes, constitution)
5. Fighter (Polearm Master): Raging Vitality, Step Up (Fighter), Heavy Armor (Fighter)
6. Fighter: Vital Strike
7. Bloodrager: Iron Will
8. Bloodrager: Disruptive (Bloodrager), +1 constitution
9. Bloodrager: Weapon Focus (?)
10. Bloodrager:
11. Bloodrager: Improved Critical, Spellbreaker.
The idea is that you always leave your immediate action open (instead of taking arcane strike) so you can use the "pole fighting" ability of attack adjacent enemies with your polearm. That way, you can take advantage of Step Up and use it to threaten those pesky, 5' taking casters.
Good luck! Have fun!
Well, if your still going for area lockdown (as opposed to pure defense) then I would choose abyssal for bloodrager. The feats and special abilities work well - staggering critical could be really nice with a falchion. For better defense, go arcane bloodline for early blur.
Ahhh! Aberrant! I meant aberrant, not abyssal. It's the Ab thing...
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Figured Aberrant was what you had meant, but Abyssal would have worked too with the free Enlarge Person ability.
That build seems really neat, and the arcane bloodline anti-caster stuff comes in handy a lot [I played in 1 session with this guy at level1, and it came up nearly 4 times]. Figured that Armor Spikes can threaten close, so I only really need 1 level of fighter for proficiencies sake, since the penalty to attack with the polearm-master thing [especially with how my dice luck treats me] will be near-crippling. Step-Up is a nifty anti-caster trick, but since a good deal of scenarios at low levels have little-to-no casters and at high levels have near-impossible concentration checks, I figure Arcane Strike is still worth it along side Step-Up. Think I'm going with Bluff skill focus.
As to the UMD spellcasting, there 2 are to major points to be made:
1:Pretty much every PFS GM in the shop says you have to have spellcasting to use wands, and it has become all but a houserule saying you can't. I much prefer using UMD for the 3 levels, then just not bothering.
2:All of the really useful healing spells [Infernal Healing, Cure Light Wounds, etc.] aren't on my spell list, so I need UMD to use healing wands anyway.
Your GMs are incorrect. Wands are spell trigger items:
Spell trigger items can be used by anyone whose class can cast the corresponding spell. This is the case even for a character who can't actually cast spells, such as a 3rd-level paladin.
That is fairly plain language from where I stand. You should point them to that clause.
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Yeah, it is clear RAW, but it speeds up play for newer players and GMs, along with the several who don't know that rule, to just UMD and ignore it for a couple of levels, and most of the time I will be using wands of CLW and/or Infernal Healing, which I need to UMD anyway. Might point it out if I feel Enlarge is essential at the lower levels.