Bloodrager Archetype Combos, or How to Kill it Faster!

[Shane LeRose]

Bloodrager

Blood Conduit (replaces fast movement, bloodline feats, uncanny dodge, improved uncanny dodge and indomitable will)
Combos With (Crossblooded, Primalist or Untouchable Rager)

Blood Rider (replaces fast movement, the bloodline feat gained at 9th, uncanny dodge and improved uncanny dodge)
Combos With (Crossblooded, Primalist or Untouchable Rager)

Crossblooded Rager (replaces bloodline feats, bonus spells, bloodline powers)
Combos With (Blood Conduit, Blood Rider, Metamagic Rager, Rageshaper, Spelleater or Steelblooded)

Greenrager (replaces blood sanctuary, bloodline feats gained at 6th and 9th)
Combos With (Metamagic Rager, Primalist, Spelleater, Steelblooded or Untouchable Rager)

Metamagic Rager (replaces improved uncanny dodge)
Combos With (Crossblooded, Greenrager, Primalist or Untouchable Rager)

Primalist (alters bloodline class feature)
Combos With (Blood Conduit, Blood Rider, Greenrager, Metamagic Rager, Rageshaper, Spelleater, Steelblooded, or Untouchable Rager)

Rageshaper (replaces blood sanctuary and improved uncanny dodge)
Combos With (Crossblooded, Primalist or Untouchable Rager)

Spelleater (replaces uncanny dodge, improved uncanny dodge and damage reduction)
Combos With (Crossblooded, Greenrager, Primalist or Untouchable Rager)

Steelblooded (replaces armor proficiency, fast movement, uncanny dodge, improved uncanny dodge and damage reduction)
Combos With ( Crossblooded, Greenrager, Primalist or Untouchable Rager)

Untouchable Rager (replaces the spells, blood casting, eschew materials, and bloodline spells class features)
Combos With (Blood Conduit, Bloodrider, Greenrager, Metamagic Rager, Primalist, Ragershaper, Spelleater and Steelblooded)

Didn't find something like this so I thought I'd craft one and share. I'll peck at the other classes as time permits. If anyone wants to jump the gun and start posting archetype combos for the other classes I believe everyone here would appreciate it.

You can tack on Primalist and Untouchable Rager to Blood Rider or Steelblooded. However, Steelblooded's 7th level ability would become useless. Also, Metmagic Rager can be combined with Greenrager and Primalist. Even though Untouchable Rager can be combined with so many archetypes most are a wash as many of the abilities require you to spend spell slots or cast spells in general for effects.

From an NPC perspective I'd say the Greenrager and Spelleater combine well together to create a final villain that can hold their own against a party of adventurers. An Untouchable Blood Rider works the same way. A good final boss type NPC.

From a player perspective I really like the Blood Conduit and desperately want to play one. It fixes the action economy problem and lets you cast spells through combat maneuvers. It's like a full attack Magus.

Metamagic Rager has some interesting options, especially when combined with Greenrager. You can use Echoing Spell
to recast your spells, especially your summon natures ally's. It cost 6 rounds of rage though, but nothing would stop you from just flooding a battlefield with raging celestial tigers. Eight rounds of rage would let you Quicken any of your spells, even your summons. Empower and Maximize could be used when you're able to summon multiple creatures and of course the standard Extend, Still and Silent options exist. Still is especially interesting since it means you could cast spells while restrained.

Sadly, most discussions about the Bloodrager focus on either the crossblooded or the primalist options. I'm hoping to discuss the other things the archetypes alter.

[Calth]

I really wish rageshaper combed with Blood Conduit, because one of the builds I have been working on is a natural attack Blood conduit build, primarily because, as you said, of the action economy boost. All those multi-instance melee touch attack spells move from worthless to very strong. The basic premise of the build is to take either draconic or arcane bloodline (due to their auto-polymorphs), improved unarmed strike, feral combat training, and pummeling style/pummeling charge.

Comboing pummeling style with feral combat training lets you attack with your natural attacks instead of unarmed and still gain the swift action casting, which is the goal, and pummeling charge gives you a pseudopounce. The basic combat routine would be to pummeling charge an enemy and activate once of your touch spells, such as say chill touch. On the next round, instead of pummeling style, do a full-attack with all your natural attacks(6 with FotD 2) and each hit here would consume a touch charge. Repeat this until you run out of charges, then pummel again.

Another combo would to be blood conduit with reach trip builds, but that doesn't work as well since Blood Conduit doesn't fully grant a spellstrike ability, only on the initial hit/casting, all other charges have to be delivered as normal.

[Shane LeRose]

That's a good point about Chill Touch. You know, a Tengu can have three natural attacks (all three are primary) at first level and your claws racial trait counts as Unarmed Strike for the purposes of feats.

I also wonder if a round of pummeling would trigger the chill touch's three times? I believe it would and that's even better with Frostbite at mid to higher levels.

Thank you. These are excellent ideas.

I also wished the Blood Conduit combined with the Metamagic Rager. There's probably some broken combo somewhere in there.

Now I wonder what bloodline(s) or rage powers would best fit a tengu bloodrager with three natural attacks right at first level.

[Arachnofiend]

Shane LeRose wrote:

and your claws racial trait counts as Unarmed Strike for the purposes of feats.

This isn't quite right. You are treated as having IUS for the purpose of qualifying for feats; it does not say anything about being able to use your claws for unarmed strike feats without Feral Combat Training.

Of course, you can qualify for FCT without IUS, but I think the main advantage would be qualifying for Style Feats that don't use unarmed strikes, such as Crane Style.