I want to create the ultimate damage sponge. What do you think?

[Diminutive Titan]

I was wondering if I could make a character work that is basically a damage sponge.

At first I was thinking a Dwarf Barbarian (invulnerable rager) with maxed out Con and Toughness feat. Just to gain a lot of HP and make Rages last really long. His rage powers would be things like Renewed Vigor and Regenerative Vigor and he'd have rage powers eventually like Boasting Taunt and Come and Get Me. Probably add in some feats that are particularly enemy-luring.

Add in some back up potions of Bear's Endurance, False Life, and whatnot.

But then I was thinking: That's mostly self-protection. And if the enemy is smart enough to go around me, what ways are there to literally suck up the damage that is done to other characters...?

I came across the spell Shield Other... and it got me thinking.
Is there any other way to redirect damage done to other creatures to yourself? Or something else that adjusts or negates the damage intake to creatures other than yourself?

How would you build a damage sponge?

[Smallfoot]

Diminutive Titan wrote:

snip

I came across the spell Shield Other... and it got me thinking.
Is there any other way to redirect damage done to other creatures to yourself? Or something else that adjusts or negates the damage intake to creatures other than yourself?

How would you build a damage sponge?

The best method I've encountered so far is the Life Oracle revelation Life Link:

Life Link (Su): As a standard action, you may create a bond between yourself and another creature. Each round at the start of your turn, if the bonded creature is wounded for 5 or more hit points below its maximum hit points, it heals 5 hit points and you take 5 hit points of damage. You may have one bond active per oracle level. This bond continues until the bonded creature dies, you die, the distance between you and the other creature exceeds medium range, or you end it as an immediate action (if you have multiple bonds active, you may end as many as you want as part of the same immediate action).

[Goddity]

Life oracle+ What you already mentioned. You can also build into rage prophet or Stalwart Defender.
Life oracle grants life link which works as you wanted it too. You should probably go rage prophet because you get to stack your rage with oracle powers.

[Arachnofiend]

Yeah, you're looking for the Paladin/Oracle multiclass. Combining Life Link with Lay On Hands means you have a strong healing ability that does not cost action economy.

[Kaiin Retsu]

From what I know, the only true way to have a damage sponge is protecting yourself, not others. However, there are plenty of abilities of a high AC character to protect others. Some of them are very specific and require teamwork feats, but there are some things, such as Benevolent on an armor can allow you to bestow your +5 enhancement from your armor to someone else's AC. Still, this is not quite a damage sponge.

I honestly think the concept of a damage sponge is being able to take incredible amounts of damage to yourself while kicking the crap out of your enemies. It would be more of a damage role, and possibly, if your DM lets it and you roleplay it, could be a very intimidating character. Of course, that is something that your DM would have to grant you from your character concept, maybe like a +2 or a +4 to your intimidation checks in combat because you are taking heavy damage and raging at your enemy as if they poked you with a feather. Not sure if you have a DM that gives situational boosts from roleplaying though.

Life Link is not much of a damage sponge in my opinion, it is a minor effect and will not truly help at higher levels. Shaving off 5 damage from someone every round when they take 30+ damage after any kind of DR will not save your allies life and will only make you waste your time in your build when you could have spent it more towards something else. Of course, this is my opinion on the matter.

[Diminutive Titan]

Life Oracle into Rage Prophet, great advice! I'm going to look into it.

[Renegadeshepherd]

A paladin based on bodyguard/in harms way can both prevent and absorb damage then heal it. Some of their spells even allow you to not go down when negative hp and take the hit directly to your hp. The hospitalier takes this even further by having real channeling at pally-3 level and thus gives a life oracle competition. He will NOT heal in battle as effectively but he will transfer the damage to himself FAR better if geared towards this. And of course he is full BAB.

[Tyranius]

I would also try a ring of friend shield. It is a pair of rings that two characters each wear one ring that either can activate as a shield other spell

[Cap. Darling]

I would think a paladin(with fay foundling)going for the improved steelward feat to have DR 10 and swift action self heal. Pehaps a halfling with a scimetar and dex to dam to compensate for the -to hit from expertise or defensive figthing. With the blade of mercy trait and the enforcer feat you can get a powerfull debuff on your attacks as well.

[Zodiac107]

Well, you could always use my ragewitch build. This version is very front loaded, if you got more levels, you could just dump the fighter levels and go with anything that got mutagens for another +4 con.

Bloodrager 1
Fighter 1 [Unbreakable archetype]
Skald 1
Witch 2 [Scarred Witchdoctor]

Half-Orc
25p build

STR 16
DEX 12
CON 17 +2 +1
INT 12
WIS 10
CHA 8

FEAT
1. Amplified rage (+4 increase to Ragebonus) [Teamwork]
3. Fast healer (1/2 CON bonus to every incoming Healtick)
5. Mad Magic (Cast spells while raging)
7. Skald´s Vigor

Abilitys
1. Bloodrage, Bloodline Familliar [Aberrent tumor, Valet archetype], Bloodline, Fast Movement
2. Endurance, Diehard (From fighter lvl)
3. Bardic Knowledge, cantrips, inspired rage, raging song, scribe scroll
4. Constitution dependant, Hex scar, Fetish Mask, Scarshield, Patron (Transformation)
5. Hex

[Bloodrage 4+CON MOD] +8STR / +8CON, -2 AC

Favored class (Witch)
Hitpoints 69 (rage +20)

Fortitude 11 (rage +4)
Reflex 1
Will 5