I'm starting a new game in which we're rolling up stats. I got:
Str 18, Dex 18, Con 16, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 13
I wanted to be something truly unique and we'll be encountering jungles and swamps, so I chose a grippli brawler. Please help me pimp him out with build ideas after level 1.
Niblix
CG male grippli brawler 1
Small humanoid (grippli)
Initiative +6; senses Darkvision 60’, Perception +7
AC 18; touch 16; Flat Footed 13 (Armor +2, Dex +5, Size +1)
HP 13 (1d10 +3)
Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +3
Speed 30’; Climb 20
Melee sickle +5 (1d4 +3) or unarmed strike +5 (1d4 +3) or longspear (1d6 +4; x3)
Range light crossbow +6 (1d6; 80’) or sling +6 (1d3 +3; 50’) or net +6 (ranged Touch; if successful victim is Entangled)
Str 16 (18-2), Dex 20 (18+2), Con 16, Int 14, Wis 16 (14+2), Cha 13
BAB +1; CMB +3; CMD +8
Traits: Slippery, Survivor
Feats: Agile Tongue
Skills Acrobatics +9, Climb +15, Perception +7, Profession: Merchant +7 Sense Motive +8, Sleight of Hand +6, Stealth +14, Swim +7
Languages: Common, Elven, Goblin, Grippli
Racial Traits:
Weapon Familiarity: proficiency with nets
Glider: if in a controlled fall move horizontally up to ½ distance fallen vertically
Jumper: may make Acrobatics checks to jump as if having a running start, even if a running start is impossible
As you can see he's got the Agile Tongue feat. He can hold 5# objects with it, use Sleight of Hand, and perform the Disarm and Steal maneuvers with this feat out to a 10' reach. Basically he's a very mobile, versatile switch hitter right now. Any and all advice would be appreciated.
No advice?
While technically you don't get AoO's performed at reach unless the enemy also has reach, your GM may allow AoO's on your tongue. If so you're going to want Combat Expertise so that you can martial flex. the appropriate Improved feats to avoid that AoO.
Generally speaking you're going to want a feat or two for martial flexibility to build on. Combat Expertise is one such, the other ones which keep turning up in prereqs are Power Attack, Combat Reflexes and Improved Unarmed Strike (which you've got as a brawler anyway.) The skills that some style feats require would also be useful to pick up.
Where do you want to aim the character primarily though? Damage, combat maneuvers, mobility or what?
Oh, sorry; you're right of course AVR, I should mention his focus. I've got three spellcasters in the party and 1 is going to be a blaster-caster so damage isn't really a concern. Instead I'm going to capitalize on my Dex and tongue: Combat Reflexes, Weapon Finesse, possibly Agile Maneuvers. If I understand it correctly if I take Weapon Finesse and Agile Maneuvers both then use a finesse weapon for the maneuver I've got my Dex added into the total weapon attack roll AND the calculation for CMB.
If that last bit isn't correct please let me know.
So basically my role in the party is to keep the squishy casters from getting smashed. I've got some natural mobility I can exploit. I've also got a 10' reach with my tongue and longspear; taking Combat Reflexes and Martial Flex for Lunge lets me AoO out 15' and then again when they have to move 10' to melee with me.
I don't want to use a ton of Maneuvers but I'd like to be effective with a couple; Trip, Disarm and Steal leap to mind but maybe either Grapple or Dirty Trick too, I don't know.
OMG that's a lot of feats! I just headed over to the PRD and looked through the Combat Feats just to get a handle on how many I'd meet the pre-reqs for already. It's a lot!
From range:
1. Deadly Aim; ranged crossbow +6 (1d6+2) or sling +6 (1d3+5)
2. Point Blank Shot; ranged crossbow +8 (1d6+1) or sling +8 (1d3+4)
3. Net Adept; 10' reach melee touch net +5 (Entangled)
4. Weapon Finesse; 10' reach tongue Steal or Disarm maneuver +8
5. Combat Reflexes; 10' reach longspear +5 (1d6+4)/5 AoO's
6. Power Attack; 10' reach longspear +4 (1d6+7) versus a single BBEG
In melee:
1. Weapon Finesse; sickle +7 (1d4+3) or unarmed +7 (1d4+3)
2. Combat Reflexes; sickle or unarmed +5 (1d4+3)/5 AoO's
3. (if I'm by myself 10' from allies facing a single foe) Desperate Battler; sickle or unarmed +6 (1d4+4)
4. Belier's Bite; unarmed +5 (1d4+3 plus 1d4 Bleed)
That's just a cursory glance. This is going to be REALLY hard.
Ok, no one's responding so this is probably a pretty boring build. Still I'd like critiques so here's what I'm thinking as of right now:
Level 1: Agile Tongue
Level 2: Weapon Finesse (Brawler Bonus)
Level 3: Combat Expertise
Level 5: Agile Maneuvers, Combat Reflexes (Brawler Bonus)
Level 7: Dodge
Level 8: Mobility(Brawler Bonus)
Level 9: Spring Attack
Level 11: Weapon Focus: Unarmed Strike, Whirlwind Attack (Brawler Bonus)
Level 13: Greater Weapon Focus: Unarmed Strike
Level 14: Lunge(Brawler Bonus)
Level 15: Monkey Lunge
Level 17: Canny Tumble, Combat Patrol (Brawler Bonus)
Level 19: Weapon Specialization: Unarmed Strike
Level 20: Greater Weapon Specialization: Unarmed Strike (Brawler Bonus)
Weapon Finesse and Agile maneuvers don't stack. Either would let you use dex instead of str with a maneuver (if the maneuver is appropriate for a weapon), but you don't get then twice anymore than someone without these feats gets to add their str twice.
Got it. Thanks for the heads up DJ.
An alternate build would be around the tongue, specifically around Disarming:
Level 1 Agile Tongue
Level 2 (bonus) Combat Expertise
Level 3 Improved Disarm
Level 5 Improved Steal, (bonus) Weapon Finesse
Level 7 Greater Disarm
Level 8 (bonus) Combat Reflexes
Level 9 Lunge
Level 11 Directed Disarm, (bonus) Monkey Lunge
So by 11th level, on the off change we're fighting anything that a. wields weapons and b. those weapons are Light or One Handed, then I can use Directed Disarm to make a ranged attack at my opponent as an Immediate action. This attack suffers a -4 penalty if it's not normally a thrown weapon and another -4 if I don't have a hand free but with a bit of forethought on my part and use of Martial Flexibility I can eliminate the penalties. So...
Enemy comes to within 15' of me where I'm hiding on a wall overhead, my tongue snakes out and Thwap! +20 CMB Disarm attack which, if successful, removes the +3 longsword from the victim's hand even while I'm using a Swift and Move action to gain Throw Anything and Deadly Aim. This is followed by an Immediate action during which I hurl the sword back at my opponent: +3 longsword +20 (1d8+14)!
If I'm never going to be casting touch attack spells this is the only other way to get an attack off this tongue.
Lunge doesn't extend reach for AoO's - it's still good but don't count on it for that. Monkey Lunge is in the running for worst feat in PF, don't make the mistake of taking it.
It might be worth taking a style feat so you can flex further up the chain. Panther Style would suit what you're doing I think, you can make a disarm attempt as an AoO.
So not tons of advice on this guy then. Yeah, I know it's a bit of a weird PC.
AVR thanks for the heads up on Lunge. My guy's got a lot of natural mobility but I get the feeling he'll be doing a lot of Readied actions and AoO's. As I've said I've got three spellcasters in the party so a lot of my job will be just protecting them.
If you're protecting 3 casters consider taking the adopted trait (halfling) to get Helpful and use martial flexibility to have Bodyguard and In Harm's Way. Up their AC by 4 with an attack of opportunity or flat out take the hit for them. With the reach you'll have with your tongue you could stay adjacent to them and still reach the attacker for maneuvers on your turn.
Sentient, amphibious humanoid; Primitive hunter gatherers; prehensile tongue....
Yep, Grippli is how they say Gungan on Golarion....Still the rest of the party should appreciate Jar Jar throwing himself in the way of attacks....
DISARM! OPPA GUNGAN STYLE! AOO's GUNGAN STYLE!!
It would have been nice if Grippli race had gotten some good abilities (crunch) to go with the nice fluff. But they didn't. Small size isn't great for CMB and a 5lb weigh limit on the tongue is a pretty severe limit. 5 lbs is questionable for tripping and Agile tongue doesn't list trip. It doesn't even state the tongue is a natural weapon - which means maybe no weapon finesse and you can't use it at -5 while using a manufactured weapon. Since it costs a feat to get agile tongue - I'd say pick a better race and spend a feat to get whip proficiency. You can perform maneuvers with a whip at range. Go Warpriest and with the right deity you get the whip proficiency free, warpriest bumps the damage of the whip to a respectable amount.
If you do Grippli try to talk your GM into classifying the tongue as a natural weapon and consider dipping monk and (master of many styles? or 3rd party maneuver master monk) and taking Feral Combat Training to maximize your maneuvers
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat-feats/feral-combat-training-combat