I'm picturing a pretty sweet concept, but I need help manifesting it and crunching it into form...
A very quiet, almost blind devotee of Yog-Soggoth (He will be Neutral). He seems to almost stand still and react in combat, using weird Dim Mak style moves and some controlling ability via Darkness and Obscuring Mist and what not. I kind of want him to seem like a dark, semi sane mystic Dim Mak master.
I know I want him to be a Dark Tapestry Oracle (Clouded Vision) with some unarmed abilities (maybe brawler? no monk though, GM's rule) with Abundant Revelation and Revelation Strike for Interstellar Void (d6 per level cold dmg in addition to unarmed strike, twice per day) for his big "special move", maybe relying on feinting and Lunge for extra reach?
I was thinking about skinning all the "inflict ___ wounds" spells to represent his Dim Mak (pressure point) attacks.
I want to mainly focus on dark and cold abilities to reflect Outer Space, and focus on being able to flourish in the darkness he creates, striking out in precise points for damage.
This character will be 7th level for Carrion Crown, 20 pt buy, 2 traits (1 campaign) or 3 traits w a drawback, all Paizo, No 3PP, 23,500 GP start, not more than 1/2 spent on 1 item.
Feats? Equipment? Race? Any ideas to better create this character? My original idea was Human 3 Brawler (Snakebite Striker), 4 Oracle
Nightmare Fist is a chain of feats that focuses on fighting in darkness you create.
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Lol I've seen and experienced Dim Mak.
Is there a way to deliver Hold X on hit? That is what it feels like. Not being able to move a part of your body when you command your body to move.
What stinks is the no monk as monk is what will make it work and functions like it. I would put this character on hold till you get a GM who doesn't ban Monk. (wtf is his problem with it anyways?)
Martial Artist monk focusing on Stunning fist and Quivering palm would be a good class option. The abilities called pain points and find weakness are exactly what Dim Mak practitioners do. But they are also connected to their Chi as it is mostly an internal style and originated from Tai Chi and Chinese Medicine. But Martial artist doesn't have a KI pool so no Qigong archetype =(.
Basically when Monk opens up take martial artist archetype, Ability focus stunning fist and Mantis style. Really push that stunning fist ability
It's not that he bans Monk per se, it's that when a character dies you cannot be the same class again, and I had a monk earlier.
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I can build 10 of the same class without them being the same exact thing. Its why there are so many archetypes. Same class different feel and play.
Also you need to fill the role you left. As a player i absolutely hate when someone dies and rerolls something completely different and leaves a gaping hole in the party make up. You should at least play something similiar to what role you were filling.
I can build 10 of the same class without them being the same exact thing. Its why there are so many archetypes. Same class different feel and play.
Also you need to fill the role you left. As a player i absolutely hate when someone dies and rerolls something completely different and leaves a gaping hole in the party make up. You should at least play something similiar to what role you were filling.
I feel you...We have a group of 6 PC's, so I was kind of the wildcard so to speak. My prev character was Alchemist.
Who cares, let him play what he wants to play. His GMs rules are there for a reason, we're just working with them.
Now, you might not take my suggestion here, but why focus on an Oracle when you can make much better use of a Dim Mak magus?
I saw your old thread but I didn't have much to contribute till I thought about this. Darkness is a spell with the range of touch, and is thus something you can make use of with Spellcombat. If you play a Kensai and go Nightmare Fist you can combine your attack action with setting up your darkness, you can also combine this with Power Attack and Cornugon Smash to set up a brutal intimidated Nightmare Fist. I personally rather like Enforcer better but if you are facing things immune to non-lethal damage then it is a no-go.
Kensai gives you weapon focus and proficiency with a single weapon, and there are a few that augment unarmed strikes like the Emie Piercer that will allow you to deal either Piercing or Bludgeoning with your Unarmed Strikes.
You also have the option of exploring Tenebrous Spell which is a wonderful metamagic option if you plan to abuse Magical Darkness.
I'd personally build this character around the following
Kensai Magus 7
Feats:
1 Improved Unarmed Strike
1 Weapon Focus (Emie Piercer)
3 Nightmare Fist (Works with Emie Piercer)
5 Weapon Finesse
5 Combat Reflexes
7 ???????????
Arcana:
Flamboyant Arcana
Arcane Deed (Precise Strike + Level to damage with Emie Piercer, which counts as an Unarmed Strike btw)
Race: Anything that boosts Intelligence and Strength/Dexterity and Dark Vision. Since the Emie Piercer is a light weapon you cannot get Dex to Damage without making it agile, which I would do by the way.
The reason I like this build is because it provides you with the ability to use Darkness as you hit something and the bonus damage from Precise Strike that will serve as your "pressure point" damage. Plus once you've set yourself up to hit with Darkness you can move on to hit them with something more brutal like a Shocking Grasp.
I'd actually put my 7th level feat into Intensify Spell and then take the standard level 9 Critical Focus and always use your Arcane Pool to make your Emie Piercer Keen for maximum damage once you have set up the darkness.
Take the Bruising Intellect trait to allow you to make Intimidate Checks with your Int modifier. If you want more intimidation, consider somehow fitting in Cormugon Smash into your build.
If you are playing an AP called Carrion Crown....are you really sure you want to focus on cold damage and inflict spells?
Beyond that though, if you want an Oracle (which is a cool class) you probably don't want to dip into brawler. Just take improved unarmed strike as a feat and maintain your spell casting.
Awesome...great ideas all around. I'm gonna Herolab both the Kensei Magus and the straight Oracle tonight with a couple different race options...thanks guys!
Would Fetchling be better than human for this build?
Potentially the Dex and Cha are nice boosts and the Darkvision is a must with Nightmare Fist. Any race really Darkvision would probably be a good idea.
Fetchling would be Ok for the Kensai, but I'd be wary because they do not have a bonus to Int and that is very helpful to you. Still, not necessary.
Depending on whether or not you want Power attack Strength can be a dump stat, and with the Bruising Intellect Trait you would not need Charisma for your intimidate checks (Plus Charisma is a typical magus dump stat). However the ability to be missed more often is rather nice.
Just remember for a Kensai Magus you'll want Dex and Int since you get not armor, and some Con so you can take a hit or two. You want Will at least at 10.
You can probably get away with 10, 16, 14, 16, 12, 10 as a Fetchling Magus. Or 13, 16, 12, 16, 12, 10 there is still a floating point to assign.
Either way gets you +6 to AC
You can dump stats if you want, but I don't like having negative stats without a good reason.
I'd actually take a Tiefling since they have a Bonus to Int, a Bonus to Dex, and a negative to Cha plus they have Darkness as an SLA once per day. Then you can grab the Prehensile Tail and the Scaled ability for more armor.
With that build you could go 10, 18, 12, 18, 12, 5 with a floating point or 13, 18, 12, 18, 10, 5 without one.
I really like Tiefling with this build, especially with that monsterous shadow Drawback you were thinking of earlier. Then you could grab Magical Liniage and still get a campaing trait. This will let you combine Shocking Grasp and Inteinsify Spell for a level one spell that deals 7d6 damage.
Then my feats would be:
1 Improved Unarmed Strike
1 Weapon Focus (Emie Piercer)
3 Nightmare Fist (Works with Emie Piercer)
5 Weapon Finesse
5 Combat Reflexes
7 Intensify Spell
I'd get an Agile Emie Piercer as one of my magical items and run with the 10, 18, 12, 18, 12, 5 build. This gives you +9 AC before you add in armor for a total AC of 19 just from being naked. (Though 0 ACP and 0 ASFC will be a little hard to find, Bracers of Armor will make you VERY tanky rather quickly).
If you don't completely dump Charisma or end up with a decent Intimidate check Nightmare Weaver is worth a mention. It is not the ideal feat from an optimized Magus standpoint but it quite awesome from a flavor standpoint (i.e. disappearing into the darkness with an ominous laugh).
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/traits/social-traits/bruising-intellect
Who needs Charisma, and yes, Nightmare Weaver is awesome and it allows you to apply for Shatter Defenses. Definitely something I'd look into as the AP progresses. Especially with the option to take Deadly Stroke near the end of your leveling.
Another way to build this is as a Shaman using Hex Strike. Not sure if it would work out better than an Oracle or Magus, but it should be in the same ballpark.
Awesome guys...I really appreciate it...I'll post up a stat block when I crunch this guy out! I have a sweet backstory that fits perfect within our game, and I have time yet to go over a few different versions. I am not a strict optimizer, I definitely prefer flavor to mechanics, but I don't want a shitty, un-fun character either that is isn't viable. A healthy balance! Thanks again guys, especially you Shrouded!
No problem Laz, theory crafting builds is like my thing. I LOVE character creation and I wish my GM killed off my characters more often so I could just keep building more of them :P
No problem Laz, theory crafting builds is like my thing. I LOVE character creation and I wish my GM killed off my characters more often so I could just keep building more of them :P
In that case, I have a list! Ha ha...
Seriously though, I have been trying to come up with a sweet Halfling Mastermind build, and a Pathfinder viable version of a Flash/Quicksilver-esque speedster. If you have any thoughts to those, I'd love to hear 'em
Going to work out the other options, but here is my original idea, updated:
Mazrim Feng
Male human brawler (snakebite striker) 3/oracle 4 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Class Guide 23, 88, Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player's Guide 42)
CN Medium humanoid (human)
Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +11
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Defense
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AC 19, touch 14, flat-footed 17 (+5 armor, +2 deflection, +2 Dex)
hp 60 (7 HD; 4d8+3d10+18)
Fort +8, Ref +8, Will +8
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee +1 longspear +9/+4 (1d8+4/×3) or
. . unarmed strike +10/+5 (1d6+3) or
. . unarmed strike flurry of blows +8/+8/+3 (1d6+3)
Special Attacks brawler's flurry, sneak attack +1d6
Oracle Spells Known (CL 4th; concentration +7)
. . 2nd (4/day)—darkness, dust of twilight[APG] (DC 15), inflict moderate wounds (DC 15)
. . 1st (7/day)—entropic shield, inflict light wounds (DC 14), obscuring mist, ray of sickening[UM] (DC 14), stone shield[ARG]
. . 0 (at will)—bleed (DC 13), detect magic, guidance, read magic, resistance, virtue
. . Mystery Dark tapestry
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Statistics
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Str 14, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 16
Base Atk +6; CMB +8; CMD 22
Feats Abundant Revelations[UM], Improved Unarmed Strike, Lunge, Nightmare Fist[UC], Nightmare Weaver[UC], Revelation Strike[UC], Weapon Focus (unarmed strike)
Traits chance savior, fast-talker, scholar of the great beyond
Skills Acrobatics +10 (+12 while in magical darkness), Bluff +11, Climb +7, Intimidate +11 (+13 while in magical darkness), Knowledge (local) +5, Knowledge (planes) +5, Knowledge (religion) +4, Perception +11, Ride +6, Sense Motive +5, Spellcraft +4, Stealth +8, Swim +7
Languages Common
SQ brawler's cunning, martial training, oracle's curse (clouded vision), revelations (cloak of darkness, interstellar void), snake feint, umbral unmasking
Other Gear +2 darkleaf cloth studded leather, +1 longspear, +1 amulet of mighty fists, cloak of resistance +2, ring of protection +2, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, flint and steel, hemp rope (50 ft.), torch (10), trail rations (5), waterskin, 411 gp
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Tracked Resources
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Cloak of Darkness +4/+2 (4 hours/day) (Su) - 0/4
Interstellar Void (4d6, 2/day, DC 15) (Su) - 0/2
Torch - 0/10
Trail rations - 0/5
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Special Abilities
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Brawler's Flurry +4/+4/-1 (Ex) Can make full attack & gain two-wep fighting, but only with unarmed strike, close, or monk wep.
Chance Savior Fate smiled on you and Professor Lorrimor one day in the not so distant past. Through a matter of pure chance, you were in a position to save the late scholar's life and did so. His gratitude was effusive, and he promised that he would never forget y
Cloak of Darkness +4/+2 (4 hours/day) (Su) +4 AC, +2 Stealth.
Clouded Vision You cannot see beyond 60 ft
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white vision only).
Improved Unarmed Strike Unarmed strikes don't cause attacks of opportunity, and can be lethal.
Interstellar Void (4d6, 2/day, DC 15) (Su) You call upon the frigid depths of outer space to bring a terrible chill to your enemies. As a standard action, one target within 30 feet is cloaked in the void and takes 1d6 points of cold damage for every oracle level you possess. A successful Fort
Lunge Can increase reach by 5 ft, but take -2 to AC for 1 rd.
Nightmare Fist While fighting in magical darkness, you deal +2 damage
Nightmare Weaver Can demoralize foes while casting darkness.
Revelation Strike (Interstellar Void [4d6, 2/day, DC 15] [Su]) Affect an opponent with revelation as part of a melee attack
Snake Feint (Ex) Can feint while moving.
Sneak Attack +1d6 Attacks deal extra dam if flank foe or if foe is flat-footed.
Umbral Unmasking You cast no shadow (DC 15 Perception to notice)
For your speedster idea, a magus with spells like burst of speed, bladed dash & blade lash could make a pretty decent try at the concept.
Flash is relatively easy, there is a whole class for it called Monk :P
You gain Movement Speed as you level and more importantly you can spend a Ki Point to boost your movement speed by 20ft.
Sad times is that no archetype that gives you a large boost to your movement speed right off the bat. Monk of the Four Winds can give you the Sprint ability and the ability to stop time, but only late game 12 and 17 I believe. Monk of the Seven winds gets Dance of a Hundred Cuts at level 11 and Dance of a Thousand Cuts at level 15. Sadly they don't stack.
Seven Winds gets natural haste but doesn't have time stop (which could be flavored as moving so fast you slow down time), but boots of speed could solve some things for you.
Regardless, you get +60ft of movement at level 20, then another 20ft speed from Ki points spent, and 30ft of base movement speed for 110 movement speed. Then you can add another 30ft from haste to move 140 ft in a single round. Throw on Spring Attack and you can be anywhere on the map.
Sadly you can't get much faster than that :/
Oh, one last note. Emie Piercer can be swapped out for just being unarmed and using Snake Style but Emie Piercer is a lot cheaper to upgrade on typical GPL.
Flash is relatively easy, there is a whole class for it called Monk :P
You gain Movement Speed as you level and more importantly you can spend a Ki Point to boost your movement speed by 20ft.
Sad times is that no archetype that gives you a large boost to your movement speed right off the bat. Monk of the Four Winds can give you the Sprint ability and the ability to stop time, but only late game 12 and 17 I believe. Monk of the Seven winds gets Dance of a Hundred Cuts at level 11 and Dance of a Thousand Cuts at level 15. Sadly they don't stack.
Seven Winds gets natural haste but doesn't have time stop (which could be flavored as moving so fast you slow down time), but boots of speed could solve some things for you.
Regardless, you get +60ft of movement at level 20, then another 20ft speed from Ki points spent, and 30ft of base movement speed for 110 movement speed. Then you can add another 30ft from haste to move 140 ft in a single round. Throw on Spring Attack and you can be anywhere on the map.
Sadly you can't get much faster than that :/
Wow you are right...flurry is very "Flash" like as well...this is an intriguing concept I may use for my Iron Gods backup char (but honestly my Numerian Liberator/Breaker Barbarian is level 2 and has 28 HP without Toughness, so I don't see him going anywhere for a while)
I would like to keep this character a Dark Tapestry Oracle after doing some building last night. I really love the flavor of a Yog-Soggoth worshipping Dark Tapestry fella, sort of a cult of one. He beleives that all of the dark void of space is a malevolent god and therefore Golarion is just a speck of dust and ultimately insignificant. He joins against the Whispering Way after they kidnap him and torture him, removing his eyes. While tortured he has a vision of the dark expanse of cold, dead space and it fills the former gladiator with a revelatory zeal. His eye sockets fill with an icy black void and bestow him with limited vision. Escaping, he vows the WW will be destroyed to both get revenge and try and garner some favor from Yog-Soggoth, if such a thing is even possible.
RPing wise, he is quiet and rarely wastes movement or action unless necessary. He is home in the darkness, and although not evil, he is aloof an uncaring to most of Golarion (they will be nothing when Yog-Soggoth comes), but sees the value in alliances while the planet still survives. He sees evil creatures as abominations and pale, insulting imitations of Yog-Soggoth, and therefore must be destroyed for their mockery. He will do whatever it takes to save the planet, for nothing but to save it for his master Yog-Soggoth.
Interstellar Void is great both mechanically and flavor wise, and Cloak of Darkness is 1 hour per level of +4 AC and +2 Stealth....with 4 levels of Oracle that is 4 hours. Plenty of time.
I tried another build going straight Oracle that may be promising, as Cloak of Darkness goes for 7 hours, and Insterstellar Void becomes 7d6 damage. Obviously though, his combat stats take a dive, and they are necessary to deliver Void.
if you want an unarmed monk-like who can use cause wounds spells and hit why not take the warprists arc type : Sacred Fist . u get full monk unarmed damage and full bab when u flurry(and wis for ac) plus all the warprist spells & blssings u might need. you also gain a ki pool so you can take ki pool feats and such. you get to use the bonus feats for style feats so snake style is open game,just pick stuning fist .
hell you can even qullify for Nightmare Fist at level 1 if you take the darkness blessing, as the blessing let you create a kind of magical darkness which is the feat's prerequst.
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Honestly, If I had to play with the "no repeat classes" rule, I would make every character as close as possible to the one that I was no longer allowed to play. Monk died, Whelp, now I'm playing a sacred fist. Sacred fist is gone? Brawler. Brawler gone? Brawler Fighter. Fighter done? Unarmed Swashbuckler. Unarmed Daring Champion with Order of the Hammer. Irorian Paladin. Blood Conduit Bloodrager. Unarmed/Natural weapon Barbarian. Unarmed Ranger with Irori Combat Style. Unarmed Slayer with Irori Combat Style. Unarmed Investigator. Hex Strike Hexcrafter Magus. Hex Strike Shaman. Domain Strike unarmed Bad Touch Cleric.
I can make the same damn character every time regardless of the class used. This is really a stupid house rule.
Maybe no repeat concepts would be more like it.