Hey all, I'm just looking for a critique / suggestions on how to make this lv. 5 improvised weapon fighter more fun and potentially more useful in (and if possible) out of combat. Any interesting or silly yet effective suggestions would be a great bonus.
I haven't bothered with any of the gear quite yet and the only thing that comes to mind is an any-tool to make various items to beat people with.
Human Fighter - Bastion Le'Stance, A.k.a - Bash, Lv. 5 (20 point buy) [EDITED]
Ability Scores:
STR: 19 (Human Racial Bonus, +1 4th level increase)
DEX: 12
CON: 14
INT: 10
WIS: 12
CHA: 10
Skills:
Perception (with a trait) = 5 ranks + 3 class skill bonus + 1 trait = +9
Survival = 5 ranks + 3 Class Bonus = +8
Intimidate = 5 ranks + 3 class bonus + 4 STR (intimidating bonus) + 1 CHA = +13
Feats:
Catch-Off Guard (1st level)
Throw Anything (Human Bonus)
Power Attack (Fighter Bonus)
Toughness (Fighter bonus 2)
Weapon Focus (Improvised Weapons, level 3 feat)[If allowed by DM]
Improved Dirty Trick (If Weapon Focus isn't allowed by DM, level 3 feat)
Furious Focus (Fighter bonus 4)
Intimidating Prowess (level 5)
Not sure if an archetype would fit for an improvised weapon fighter, however I was considering the ones that offered more skills.
Please let me know what you think!
Hmmm...well, it at least has the advantage of 2handing, which means that you could just power through any DR....
Maybe carry around a silver candelabra and cold iron anvils....
I'd replace intimidate with perception to find useful weapons. also move the CHA 12 to WIS.
then instead of intimidating prowess see if you can use Lighten Weapon on improvised weapons, and then use a 50 lbs anvil (and try to get some magical container so you can carry more and use them with throw anything)...
Edited from the suggestions. I forgot about the humans extra skill rank, so I just tossed in perception and since I get 2 traits (ala already ok'd by DM, I'll get a trait that makes perception a class skill and adds a small bonus.)
Lighten Weapon looks good, but for now, until I can contact my DM, which may be a while, I'm going to try to stick to paizo material. That being said, it leads me to a question.
Does Quick Draw work with improvised weapons? Like. If a broken chair leg were in my square at my feat, could I just pick it up as a free action? Or would would I have to have a hockey stick in a golf bag hanging from my shoulder?
according to the draw/sheathe action: "If your weapon or weapon-like object is stored in a pack or otherwise out of easy reach, treat this action as retrieving a stored item."
which brings me to manipulate item:"This includes retrieving or putting away a stored item, picking up an item, moving a heavy object, and opening a door."
so, it looks like it will not work.
I see. Oh well. Twas a fun idea while it lasted.
I'm thinking of a custom magic item I'll have to talk to my DM about. One that would turn whatever item he's holding into a metal of his choosing, but only as long as he holds it, thus making it so he can't just make items turn into adamantine and sell them for adamantine value. Not sure if he'd go for it. Maybe if it were charge per day for rounds he would... anyways... I'll stop digressing.
I guess I could switch out Intimidating Prowess for Improved Unarmed Strike in case he can't find any useable weapons. Or perhaps dip into Monk once to get all of that taken care of.
also, I still say intimidating prowess is not very useful. (demoralizing people isn't that great) maybe replace it with furious focus, or cleave, or even improved sunder. break swords with planks of wood i say!
also, instead of getting a unique item get stuff that just makes your melee more deadly like increased strength.
you might find a robe of useful items interesting.
Improved Sunder is quite entertaining actually. I might actually go with that.
Belt of Giant Strength it is. I guess the unique item was just to help bypass DR and potentially increase their hardness, I may still ask about the item for down the road. Might also pick up a Wayfinder with a clear spindle if the DM allows it to get the wayfinder power automatically.
Thanks for the help!
Improved Sunder is quite entertaining actually. I might actually go with that.
Belt of Giant Strength it is. I guess the unique item was just to help bypass DR and potentially increase their hardness, I may still ask about the item for down the road. Might also pick up a Wayfinder with a clear spindle if the DM allows it to get the wayfinder power automatically.
Thanks for the help!
if you want to bypass hardness, you could go half-orc and get the smash feat. oh and if you ranged a belt of improved hurling or something will allow you to use strength on thrown object rolls.
Dot for relevancy to interests.
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I am sure that Quickdraw, and Weapon Focus, don't work with Improvised Weapons. Weapon Focus requires proficiency.
Now, there is the Combat Scabbard(not Sharpened), which counts as an Improvised Weapon, but also is viable for Weapon Focus, and belongs to a Fighter Weapon Group. Yeah, it's a weird thing.
Now, there is the 2 level Ranger dip option for Weapon Focus, as you can ignore prerequisites, but I still don't see "Improvised Weapons" as an option. That's kind of like choosing "Swords" for Weapon Focus. More like "Arrow", "Frying Pan", or "Crowbar".
A Breaker Barbarian dip is another option.
Some very interesting stuff everyone. I can see now why improvised weapons wouldn't be a thing under weapon focus. As mentioned it's more for one particular type of weapon and not a whole group. That being said, I wish it were a group itself so that the Fighter's weapon training ability would work for it. I'm also fine with Quick Draw not working with it either.
I'm thinking of an iconic item this character could carry around (candelabra, frying pan, etc...) and I'm considering that his would be a boat anchor. Something that would take two-hands to use, aiming for damage and fun. If sports equipment existed in this world, I'd have gone for a Casey Jones character haha. That being said, he'll still pick up whatever's lying around if it suits his fancy at the time... but this is just flavor I suppose.
I'll definitely look into a breaker barbarian. What does everyone think about the monk dip though? If I go empty hand they have some seriously nice benefits going for them, plus I get improved unarmed strike and a small boost in unarmed damage to boot. In fact, would it actually be better to go full or mostly monk of empty hand here? (I doubt it from what I read about people's reactions to most monks).
monk of the empty hand is more about disarming people in a flurry using a flurry to grab their weapon and then stab them with it.
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I love the Anchor idea. I also like the Portable Ram idea.
Carry a number of Anchor Feather Tokens around as back-up weapons.
are corpses or enemies improvised weapons?
...i kind of want to make a guy who just has boots on his hands and is a little bit insane.
Impaling critical, super strength. and an anchor sounds amusing in a group fight.
only if he can lift them with out putting him over the max weight limit.
If weight limit is all one has to worry about to use the corpses of enemies as weapons... I'd gladly get a Heavyload Belt and Muleback Cords for that. Which, from the looks of the Ant Haul, the spell heavyload belt points to, 19 STR + 8 Muleback gives me 27. With heavyload belt, one's light load would apparently be 1,038 lbs or less.
One build I had pondered actually went as far as it could with this. Going Barbarian / Alchemist using rage and mutagens to amp the strength score up quite a bit. Something like 28 with rage and mutagen going at the same time, then using muleback and heavyload, it'd be 36 STR for weight limit which shows as 4 x 918 lbs (the light load weight limit at 26) which ends up at 3,672 lbs. for a light load if you can manage raging and mutagens quick enough for it to matter. Of course the build is quite impractical as most things weighing in at 3,672 would be fairly illogical for one to be able to grip and use as a weapon. Which bums me out, because using a giant boulder, fallen tree or whatever sounded fun. You know, I'll have to ask my DM if he'd allow me to actually lift those sort of things and use them as weapons. I always assumed he wouldn't, but no harm in asking. He may go for the rule of cool here.
Anyways, yet more digression.
So I've decided to go with Improved Sunder as Bandw2 suggested. I think sundering with an anchor while having an option to use Dirty Tricks and just beat people over the head with said anchor, or whatever else is lying around would be quite entertaining. That said, this character may not fit in as a spymaster for the kingmaker game he may be joining... but... oh well.
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take the trait alluring, gives you daze 1/day cl= hd
take arcane strike.
overcome dr/magic, and get some free damage
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If weight limit is all one has to worry about to use the corpses of enemies as weapons... I'd gladly get a Heavyload Belt and Muleback Cords for that. Which, from the looks of the Ant Haul, the spell heavyload belt points to, 19 STR + 8 Muleback gives me 27. With heavyload belt, one's light load would apparently be 1,038 lbs or less.
One build I had pondered actually went as far as it could with this. Going Barbarian / Alchemist using rage and mutagens to amp the strength score up quite a bit. Something like 28 with rage and mutagen going at the same time, then using muleback and heavyload, it'd be 36 STR for weight limit which shows as 4 x 918 lbs (the light load weight limit at 26) which ends up at 3,672 lbs. for a light load if you can manage raging and mutagens quick enough for it to matter. Of course the build is quite impractical as most things weighing in at 3,672 would be fairly illogical for one to be able to grip and use as a weapon. Which bums me out, because using a giant boulder, fallen tree or whatever sounded fun. You know, I'll have to ask my DM if he'd allow me to actually lift those sort of things and use them as weapons. I always assumed he wouldn't, but no harm in asking. He may go for the rule of cool here.
Anyways, yet more digression.
So I've decided to go with Improved Sunder as Bandw2 suggested. I think sundering with an anchor while having an option to use Dirty Tricks and just beat people over the head with said anchor, or whatever else is lying around would be quite entertaining. That said, this character may not fit in as a spymaster for the kingmaker game he may be joining... but... oh well.
alchemist, barbarian, take body bludgeon, and snag arcane strike.
I make you magic and beat your friend with you.