I'm currently playing a ZAM and am really enjoying the character. He is really an experiment in multiclassing with as much synergy as possible. Here is where I am so far:
ZAM 5/Serene Barbarian 2/Tattooed Empyreal Sorcerer 1. He is also at Mythic Tier 2. Andoran Faction, while we are not playing strictly PFS legal stuff, obviously, but we have been using factions to a limited degree.
Aasimar - Archon-Blooded (Scion of Humanity)
Traits: Wisdom in the Flesh (Dis. Div), Magical Knack, Enlightened Warrior (Aasimar), Mark of Slavery (drawback)
Progression & Feats :
Level 1 ZAM 1 - Point Blank Shot, (ZAM 1) - Precise Shot
Level 2 Bar 1
Level 3 Bar 2 - Extra Rage (Serenity)
Level 4 ZAM 2 - (ZAM 2) Dodge, Weapon Focus (Bow)
Level 5 ZAM 3 - Deadly Aim, (ZAM 3) - Zen Archery, Point Blank Master, (Tier 1) - Mythic Deadly Aim, (Champ. Path) - Climbing Master
Level 6 ZAM 4 - (Qinggong) Barkskin
Level 7 Sor 1 - Monkey Style, (Tat. Sor 1) - Mage's Tattoo, Monkey Familiar
Level 8 ZAM 5 - (Tier 2, Champ. Path) - Impossible Speed
My question is, at what point do I bail from ZAM and start hitting some of the other dips I'm interested in? I've heard decent arguments for both level 6 and level 8. I'm leaning heavily toward level 8 for that extra attack, and AC and unarmed damage bumps.
It looks like that will take me to level 11 which would leave me nine levels of other stuff to consider. Here is what I've considered so far:
Inquisitor: For all the usual reasons. Probably going Conversion Inquisition for the social skill buffs. I have toyed with the idea of the Infiltrator archetype for the double dip to several of those social buffs, but don't know if it's worth losing Monster Lore. The big question for me is how many levels of this do I take? It seems that two is the minimum and 5 is the max.
Fighter (Weapon Master): No brainer really, +3 BAB, +1/+1 for bows, 2 feats, CMD bump, and a couple of extra HP.
If I do go with Inq 5, than this leaves me with one more level. I'm interested in Ninja, but would rather take at least 5 levels of it if I take any. Sneak attack would be very nice to have and extra Ki is a bonus. Would there be a good reason to advance my Barbarian or Sorcerer classes? What other classes would be interesting and provide good synergy?
Feats...?
Monkey Moves at level 9
Clustered Shots at 11.
After that I'm not sure where to go with feats. I've heard lots of pros and cons about Hammer the Gap. I may take it. I think I've been sufficiently convinced on the Vital Strike/Improv. Vital Strike combo for rounds where I need to take advantage of my great speed. These could be my fighter bonus feats at 14 & 15 if I take two levels of Inquisitor right before them. The Snap Shot tree sounds interesting, but it irks me that I have to burn a feat on Rapid Shot for it. Ki Infusion seems interesting as well, but really only if I think I need my Gravity Bow spell longer than 30 rounds. I suppose it might also have some bearing on what Inquisitor spells I may choose. Heightened Precision seems nice if I do make Ninja 5.
At any rate, I need to come up with feats at 13, 15, 17, and 19.
What about Boon Companion? How much better is a level 5 monkey familiar than a level 1?
Remaining mythic feats will be Precise Shot, Point Blank Shot, Weapon Focus, and Weapon Specialization.
My bow is an artifact that keeps "unlocking" new abilities as I progress in mythic tiers (it granted my mythic ascension). As of right now it is a +1 Adaptive Impervious Greenwood Composite Greatbow. I get Improved Critical from my Bracers of Falcon's Aim. I'm pretty sure I'd pay to buff them before I'd get rid of them for something else.
What am I missing? Thanks in advance for your help.
A couple levels of arcane archer could be interesting if you plan on going for a bit more spell casting.
You mentioned getting +1/+1 with your bow by going 3 levels of Weapon Master. You get 3 levels of Weapon Master for early access to Weapon Training then pick up Gloves of Dueling for +2 to Weapon Training for a total of +3/+3. If you are playing this to high levels then you definitely want the extra attack from level 8. Monkey Moves and any other climbing abilities will be mostly useless to you. Buy a potion or 2 of Spider Climb. 100 gold is much cheaper then a feat. Keep in mind that Zen Archer is in D&D 4.0 terms a Striker. You are very good at dealing damage. Be versatile but realize that casting spells or questioning prisoners is not your forte. You shoot things with your bow. Be the best you can be at that. That means you are hurting yourself every time you dip into a BAB +0 class. Unless mythic allows you to ignore the 1 swift action per turn rule you won't have much uses for those other classes anyway. You want to pump the static bonus on your bow and use your swift action for an extra attack. Don't forget to use the Perfect Strike ability ZAM gives you on one of your lower bonus attacks.
Be aware of potential weaknesses. Buy a scroll of Dispel Magic for the caster in case you come across Wind Wall. Try to get a Heightened Continual Flame to counteract Deeper Darkness. Get a scroll or wand of Faerie Fire and make sure someone has the Scent ability so you can deal with Invisibility. Pump your Perception through the roof. Invisibility is only +20 to stealth, at higher levels you will be able to pinpoint them anyway. If you do this right your GM will want to sunder your bow.
Consider the Defensive Combat Training feat. It treats all of your class levels as BAB +1 for CMD. Also buy a Fortifying Stone for your bow. +5 Hardness, +5 to the break DC, and +20 HP.
Thanks for the input. I agree, if I do go with Weapon Master 3, the Gloves of Dueling are a must. I missed that last sentence in the description somehow the last time I read it.
My purpose for taking Monkey moves is to max my climbing skill to get as close as I can to that DC 40 to climb a smooth surface. I admit that there is limited utility in it, but it's more for flavor than anything. I'm going for the Crouching Tiger type of monk/ninja/warrior. That's partly why I've focused on Acrobatics (Jumping), Climbing, and Speed.
Also, part of this PC's backstory is his being a freed slave. Thus, the Drawback, Faction, and primary interest in Inquisitor for flavor. I picture him being a slave rescuer with the ninja like capabilities assisting in that endeavor.
You mentioned Scent... the rage power I chose at Bar 2 is Scent. I combine it with Pheromone arrows for +2/+2 on marked targets. I've also tried to encourage my party members to get it somehow as well.
As for skills, I'm trying to build this PC as much like a solo adventurer as I can. I see him teaming up out of convenience or even for hire rather than out of necessity. When he needs to strike out on his own, he can and he can travel light. For that reason, I haven't dumped INT and by the time I take my first level of Inquisitor (assuming I do) I'll have nine skills either based on WIS or with WIS as a bonus (and for some, potentially even a double bonus) plus all my monster Knowledge checks.
I haven't looked at Arcane Archer for some time. Someone homebrewed and posted a relatively direct divine conversion called Sacred Arrow. If I do go Inquisitor, that might be interesting as well.