Hey, all! I have a concept and some incipient build ideas, but I'd like some advice on direction and on some turbid rules interactions.
Ensconced in an ill-traveled forest, there is a monastery where asceticism, the development of mystical powers, and the pursuit of perfection are treated as the ineluctable elements of enlightenment. Each spring, those monks to whom clarity has come with the thawing of winter are taken to a particular grove where a rare fruit grows. Here, budding mystics taste of the fruit's ripe flesh, gaining such powers as reflect the own path to perfection: some learn to conjure searing flame; others, to render their own flesh as inspissate and unyielding as the bark of a tree; yet others to restore vigor to weakened bodies.
When Ugrin's time came and he consumed the mystical catalyst, nothing happened. His teachers fed him several glistening portions of the wondrous food to no effect. Puzzled and dismayed, he began to return to the grove each night, having fortified himself in the day with alchemical lore and the rudiments of potion craft. After many weeks of experimentation and a great deal of illness, Ugrin developed a concoction that rendered him more powerful, more durable, more agile, at the cost of some temporary clouding of the mind.
He has since left the monastery, bearing knowledge of the mirific fruit and of the subtleties of rendering it potent. He seeks to alter his body further through experimentation and magic, concluding that his own path to perfection will be that of vicissitude, of labile forms and of willing alteration, of transcendence by bodily modification.
I'm obviously going for at least some levels of Mutagenic Mauler. However, I get bored single-classing, and I feel that much might be gained by trying to stack transmutation effects. Besides, by sixth level, a Mutagenic Mauler's mutagenic form will have gained a flat +2 to damage, +10 base speed, and low-light vision, and each mutagen will last an hour, so I'll have gained much of what I want from the class.
After that, I see the following as useful dips:
Monk (2 -- 4 levels): massively bolsters saves; possibly advances unarmed damage along with brawler?
Druid (1 level or 4 levels): also shores up the weak will save; affords access to domains (Growth would be excellent for the swift action enlarge person situation), and, if one can qualify for the Treesinger archetype, wild shaping into a plant would be thematic for this character. I also feel that Cave Druid could work, as I have something of a predilection for perfection being found in the aberrant. Going druid would add another layer of transmutations to the quest for perfection; if I did this, what advice from Prototype00's Conqueror Oozes and such can this character use? Would Feral Combat Training work with Brawler's Flurry?
Bloodrager (Aberrant) (4 -- 6 levels): improves reach; fits with the "transcendence through modification" bit; yields RAGE.
I generally prefer to cap off messy dipped-to-oblivion builds with a PrC, if only to afford such characters at least a bit of continuity in class features. I'm considering
Brother of the Seal: kind of works the "forbidden knowledge" angle and augments unarmed strikes while conferring excellent saves and some other fun class features.
Dragon Disciple: if one took at least four Bloodrager (Draconic) levels, this might work flavor-wise, if only for the addition of draconic traits and stat boosts.
Pain Taster: not my top choice, but might turn out to be oddly felicitous. I can see modification of the body becoming more and more of an obsession (as my tattoos and piercing attest).
I may be trying to do far too much. I guess I'm just wondering how "self-modifying" a pure-ish melee character can get. Thank in advance for your help!
Little bump for interest :).
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Brawler/Bloodrager is your best bet, IMO. I had a Barbarian/Alchemist a while back, and I can confirm that Enlarge Person + Mutagen + Rage + Power Attack = very, very dead enemies. It also fits the best with "temporary clouding of the mind," unarmed combat, and monstrous transformations.
The main things you have to beware of with a character like this are low will saves, action economy (never assume more than a round or two of buffing, and sometimes you won't get that), and out-of-combat utility. Luckily, your class features are mostly long-lasting or automatic, and you don't need much past Power Attack to be effective. You can use your other feats to help compensate for your weaknesses; consider Iron Will or Skill Focus to help round out the character.
Other fun feat options include the Dragon Style chain, the Pummeling Style chain, Arcane/Riving Strike, Cornugon Smash, and Aberrant Tumor. Good luck!
Brawler/Bloodrager is your best bet, IMO. I had a Barbarian/Alchemist a while back, and I can confirm that Enlarge Person + Mutagen + Rage + Power Attack = very, very dead enemies. It also fits the best with "temporary clouding of the mind," unarmed combat, and monstrous transformations.
The main things you have to beware of with a character like this are low will saves, action economy (never assume more than a round or two of buffing, and sometimes you won't get that), and out-of-combat utility. Luckily, your class features are mostly long-lasting or automatic, and you don't need much past Power Attack to be effective. You can use your other feats to help compensate for your weaknesses; consider Iron Will or Skill Focus to help round out the character.
Other fun feat options include the Dragon Style chain, the Pummeling Style chain, Arcane/Riving Strike, Cornugon Smash, and Aberrant Tumor. Good luck!
Nice! Good advice all around--much appreciated! I think I'll shoot for that and take Iron Will/ splash monk if the saves really need help. Glad to know that this is not an untrodden path; it sounds like the treading has been fun :).
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You have asked for one of your threads to be raised to life through the disgusting arts of necromancy. Here you go. Enjoy your sinful existance.