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Okay, so I recently made a character for a campaign designed around martial support of my allies. The purpose of the thread is not only to showcase some cool synergies that I don't see mentioned often, but also to identify whether or not I've missed anything, or need to change things around.
So, the goal of the build is helping my allies. I'm currently playing in a gestalt game, but 99% of what matters in this build is on my Cavalier side. I'm playing a Halfling Cavalier/Hunter, with Order of the Dragon. We're level 4, and I've currently taken the Combat Reflexes and Bodyguard feats. Why?
Well, thanks to the Helpful racial trait for halflings, when I use Aid Another, I grant my ally a total of +7 to their AC against the triggering attack, or +7 to their next attack roll against the Aid Another target. (Side Note: There's a bit of debate about how the order of the dragon ability works, and I've never seen it resolved, but this is how our table rules it.) That's +4 from Helpful, +3 from Order of the Dragon.
My plan is to just completely keep going down this route, wielding a reach weapon to ensure that I can bodyguard anyone near me all the time. The beautiful part comes when I can start passing around Harrying Partners via Tactician.
Now, to the task at hand: What ELSE can I do to pump up these bonuses? I know about the Benevolent weapon enchantment, and I can grab a trait for a spell-like ability (again, controversial, that's my table ruling) to qualify for Arcane Strike which lets me grab the Gloves of Arcane Striking, but is there anything, and I mean ANYTHING else I can pick up to pump up my Aid Another bonuses? Any feats or other suggestions to help the character out?
Well, the Swift Aid feat can bring it down to a swift action and Bodyguard allows you to use an AoO to improve AC, so that should help your action economy. The Golden Legionnaire Prestige class also increases aid another bonuses at levels 4 and 9, while getting some of the aforementioned feats as bonus feats and giving bard-like competence bonuses to those who follow your orders. Also, if your GM lets you take extra traits, you can take Battlefield Disciple and Protective Faith for another +1 to each type of combat aid. There's also the non-halfling version of helpful, though I'm not sure if it'd stack.
Between swift aid, Harrying Partners, Combat Reflexes, and Bodyguard though, you could be quite the potent group-buffer. As far as Arcane Strike Goes, one level of Arcane Duelist Bard will get you the feat and help you qualify for Battle Herald, which can apply the bardic performance bonuses to aid another.
Pathfinder Chronicler also gives a +2 aid another bonus at level 3.
May I inquire why you went with Hunter? I could really see Ranger or Bard adding a lot to the Group Buffing style.
Particularly if you are gestalting, an Arcane duelist bard/cavalier would fit this concept much better.
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Well, I didn't want it to encompass the entirety of the conversation, but I did it because I took the Packmaster Archetype AND the Huntmaster Cavalier archetype. Lots of bonus teamwork feats, and it lets me do some really creative things with my Bird and Dog companions, especially things that will let me land multiple combat maneuvers per round at later levels. He's not just a group aid: He's a 3-man dream team.
Well, I didn't want it to encompass the entirety of the conversation, but I did it because I took the Packmaster Archetype AND the Huntmaster Cavalier archetype. Lots of bonus teamwork feats, and it lets me do some really creative things with my Bird and Dog companions, especially things that will let me land multiple combat maneuvers per round at later levels. He's not just a group aid: He's a 3-man dream team.
gotcha. Could switch out cavalier with a Falconer Ranger from thsi point on and take the Horse Master and Boon Companion feats for a 4-man dream team as well.
I'm not saying that martials should never get good stuff. And I am staying that your ideas are awesome.
But...
While giving a +7 to hit to an ally is good stuff, killing the monster is better stuff. While giving an ally +7 AC so the monster might miss is good stuff, killing the monster so it's guaranteed to miss is better stuff.
You're a deadly martial guy. Yeah, yeah, you can't control the world with a mere thought and gesture like an arch-mage, we know that already, but you CAN destroy anything dumb enough to stand in your way - adding a few bonuses to your allies falls somewhat short of what you're really good at.
So while your ideas are cool (keep it up!) - the idea of "martials can't have good stuff" and the counter argument that they can "have a few" should put them closer to the arch-mage ideal, not farther from it.
I suggest that Aid Another tricks are PERFECT for the martial's dedicated squire and other cohorts to aid HIM, or his allies, while he's curb-stomping everything he can reach.
Ring of Tactical Precision for the ultimate toolbox in martial support.
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I'm not saying that martials should never get good stuff. And I am staying that your ideas are awesome.
But...
While giving a +7 to hit to an ally is good stuff, killing the monster is better stuff. While giving an ally +7 AC so the monster might miss is good stuff, killing the monster so it's guaranteed to miss is better stuff.
You're a deadly martial guy. Yeah, yeah, you can't control the world with a mere thought and gesture like an arch-mage, we know that already, but you CAN destroy anything dumb enough to stand in your way - adding a few bonuses to your allies falls somewhat short of what you're really good at.
So while your ideas are cool (keep it up!) - the idea of "martials can't have good stuff" and the counter argument that they can "have a few" should put them closer to the arch-mage ideal, not farther from it.
I suggest that Aid Another tricks are PERFECT for the martial's dedicated squire and other cohorts to aid HIM, or his allies, while he's curb-stomping everything he can reach.
Well, here's the thing: I can add bonuses, and better bonuses than what most spell buffs can, all day long, every day. I keep my party alive against enemies better than the cleric can because I prevent damage entirely, and it happens off my turn so I can still do what martials do best: Bring the Pain.
Also, I think you're underestimating the value of those buffs. A +7 to AC, for many levels, isn't just a "might miss"; that's basically a guaranteed miss (did I mention that it scales as I level to around +10 without any other Aid Another bonuses?). A +7 to hit means that even the most uber-buffed opponent is going to get smacked by our hardest-hitting guy. And I can do all of this while putting out respectable damage with my challenge.
That having been said, building for personal damage is WAY to easy, imo. I'd rather contribute something more interesting to combat other than just dealing lots of damage. But then, you make a good point about this being really useful for Torchbearers and the like.
The other thing to remember is that I'm a gestalt with 2 animal companions, whose combined attacks get my challenge damage bonus & get free combat maneuvers. Helping those attacks hit is actually much more important than what I could do, even if I was optimized for damage.
Edit: Oh, and nice find on the Ring of Tactical Precision! That's FANTASTIC.
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Disclaimer: I'm firmly in the camp that OotD and Helpful Halfling don't stack. Not only as RAW/RAI but also as flavor. Granting that kind of AC wrecks the game in 95% of encounters. I enjoy the games where people are standing around the table waiting on their turn because someone may actually die.
A few notes:
Benevolent weapons add to AA offensively.
Benevolent armor adds to AA granting AC like bodyguard.
As a cavalier, my wolf has combat reflexes. Eventually he will be body guarding as well. Maybe he will take the Feat: Additional traits and be raised by Halflings so he can be just as helpful.
Other things that have caught my eye are the Golden Legionaire.
Harrying Partners may be overrated simply through practical use. I simply haven't had the need to give more Bodyguards than I have AOO's. If I ever do, I'll simply use them on primary attacks, as the secondary attacks as less vital anyway. Harrying Partners is potentially game breaking offensively when your AA helps a 11th level full BAB class full attacking though.
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My plan is to just completely keep going down this route, wielding a reach weapon to ensure that I can bodyguard anyone near me all the time.
Unless there is houserule involved, or I've missed a special ability, a reach weapon does not improve the Bodyguard feat.
Benefit: When an adjacent ally is attacked, you may use an attack of opportunity to attempt the aid another action to improve your ally’s AC. You may not use the aid another action to improve your ally’s attack roll with this attack.
Not "when an ally in your reach is attacked."
Harrying Partners could be lots of fun, though.
Yeah, it's adjacent, not within reach. That messed up my Bodyguard character too. Also, in case it comes up, In Harms Way is only once a round (total BS IMO)
Bodyguard characters benefit from Size increases, not reach weapons. You're going to want to figure out how to get bigger.
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Actually, the reach weapon is there because our group is really melee heavy. With my two animal companions, our barbarian, goliath druid, and melee oracle, it's almost TOO melee heavy. To be fair, most of us have ranged options, but the reach weapon is there so that I don't have to be adjacent to my enemies to attack or support attacks against them. It means I can hide behind our beefy guys and companions and still do stuff.
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Before building such a pc consult your GM. Mine is rather annoyed with my level 10 bodyguard investigator with benevolent armor+3, gloves of arcane striking, effortless aid and battlefield disciple.
I can aid as a standard action, as a move action, via bodyguard as an AoO and by paying 1 inspiration as a swift action.
Aiding offensive nets +3 to hit +3 to damage and aiding for AC nets +8 which I can do several times per day because of combat reflexes.
The GM complains that +8 to AC is too much even considering the amount of effort it cost me to get there. His reasoning is that it is free because I would not spend my AoOs so it is a free bonus.
I think it becomes even worse because I keep using elixirs of thorn body and fire shield so that just attacking the one who hands out those bonuses isn't a good option either. Those 1d6+10 hurt in the long run. More so vs vulnerable foes like chill shield vs red dragons with 5 attacks per round.
Actually, the reach weapon is there because our group is really melee heavy. With my two animal companions, our barbarian, goliath druid, and melee oracle, it's almost TOO melee heavy. To be fair, most of us have ranged options, but the reach weapon is there so that I don't have to be adjacent to my enemies to attack or support attacks against them. It means I can hide behind our beefy guys and companions and still do stuff.
I'll be doing the same thing with a battle herald ill be playing starting next week. The plan is to grab a long spear, stand behind the other fighter, and turn him into a blender.
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Actually, the reach weapon is there because our group is really melee heavy. With my two animal companions, our barbarian, goliath druid, and melee oracle, it's almost TOO melee heavy. To be fair, most of us have ranged options, but the reach weapon is there so that I don't have to be adjacent to my enemies to attack or support attacks against them. It means I can hide behind our beefy guys and companions and still do stuff.
Well, that does sound like a good plan. Though remember that allies provide soft cover to enemies vs your attacks from reach weapons.
I also just noticed that the Huntmaster Cavalier can only share teamwork feats with their pack, not their allies. That might put a crimp on your plans for Harrying Partners. Consider gestalting with the Sacred Huntmaster Inquisitor archetype which grants the Inquisitor an animal companion and a few other abilities from the Hunter class. Solo Tactics will I think allow you to use Harrying Partners with all allies rather than relying on your limited Tactician ability. Your inquisitor abilities (teamwork feats, animal focus, and empathic link) will only work with the inquisitor pet but if you're allowed to count a packmaster's companion(s) as part of a huntmaster's hunting pack you should certainly be able to apply the huntmaster's pack benefits to the sacred huntmaster's companion.
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I protect my allies with my skill, as does my faithful friend and companion Sleepy.
Cavalier 4 (Honor Guard, Gendarme) Order of the Scale/Fighter (Unarmed) 1/ Golden Legionnaire 1
Feats: Blundering Defense, Bodyguard, Cautious Fighter, Combat Reflexes, Crane Style, Mounted Combat,
Relevant Traits: Helpful (Halfling)
Relevant Equipment: +1 Benevolent Fullplate
Relevant Skills Acrobatics 3 ranks (for +1 more AC when fighting defensively)
Bodyguard archetype mount Mount's Feats: Additional Traits (Fate's Favored, Helpful (Halfling), Bodyguard, Combat Reflexes
Fighting Defensively in crane style -2 hit, +6 dodge to AC, adjacent allies gain a +3 luck bonus to AC
Move Action Authoritative Command (3 allies) +1 Competence Bonus to Attack, Weapon Damage, Saving Throws, and Armor Class
Murgen's Aid Another AC +6 (helpful +4, honor guard +1, benevolent armor +1)
Sleep's (Dog Mount) Aid Another AC +4 (helpful +4)
Total AC bonus granted +14
Will continue to scale with the following:
Armor enhancement bonus (benevolent)
Dog's Armor enhancement (eventually benevolent)
Ring of Tactical Precision
Improved Aid +1 at level 4 Golden Legionnaire, and +2 at level 9
Authoritative Command +2 at level 6 Golden Legionnaire
Other Feat to note to help this build at level 7: Horse Master to have full effective druid level for mount