So I have this character who is a barbarian, mainly to spell sunder for story purposes. Her parent is an eidolon so I want her to have some eidolon like abilities. I'm debating between trying to get my gm to fluff some appearance stuff (eyes turing a different shape/color, skin pigmentation becoming unnatural, growing a small tail) and taking the gore/bite rage powers to simulate the change or just jumping in with both feet and going primal hunter from 7 on.
Primal hunter would add minutes per level of actual evolutions to make the change more real (was looking at starting with unnatural aura/tail/bite and as i level getting shadow blend/gore/skill focus(intimidate), celestial appearance to simulate awakening caused by what im calling omgea rage).
Barbarian has better BAB, saves (superstition), stronger strength surge, and powerful rage powers.
Hunter gives me a handful of spells (lead blades looks nice), cleric domain (probably luck to reroll sunder attempts, also get true strike on my spell list) and evolution points.
I've never made a fully martial character so I am leaning more toward the more magical hunter route but outside of "come and get me" and the above barbaian benefits im not sure what im missing out on.
What do you guys think?
*edit: I've also never really looked at domains. Would there be a better one for the above concept?
edit#2: the rage domain would progress my barbarian levels to a small degree as well...
Go straight Barb if you've never done it. There's enough Rage Powers to act a transformation out. Perhaps look into the Bloodline Rage Powers as well, maybe they fit the concept.
And yes, you are missing out on full BAB and fast access to Improved Critical, Critical Focus, etc., as well as better rage, Indomitable Will, and the power of progressive rage powers.
The Primal Companion Hunter has some interesting options, but the spell list isn't terribly supportive of melee combat for a 3/4BAB.
The Lunar Oracle also opens up some interesting natural attack transformations along with being a very good battle mystery, and a level or two of Barbarian or Bloodrager crossed with Oracle can make a truly brutal combatant. Something like Draconic Bloodrager 1/ Lunar Warsighted Oracle is a potential monster both literally and figuratively.
Is the idea to fight purely with natural weapons, or with natural weapons supporting a typical weapon?
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Go with invulnerable rager and beast totem line with spells under, witch hunter, and superstitious.
Regardless what else you pick your winning.
I prefer manufactured weapons of adamantine personally. You can get a reach weapon and use a bite if they get close. Reach weapon + combat reflexes and come and get me is very powerful indeed.
Sorry for being very late answering but...
@secret wizard: while pure barbarian is great, there is a bloodrager in the party and our characters handle very similarly. Also there is no spellcaster in the party so I can't rely on them for spells. (party is barb, bloodrager, bard (not a helpful kind), paladin, fighter (or some other melee type...)
@Badbird: lead blades is a good spell for melee (until i get to level 3 when I can alternate that and spell strike/spell sunder) The idea isn't focused on using natural weapons, but to use those and other some evolutions to create a theme.
@fruian: I did go invulnerable-and I'm aiming toward spell sunder
Looking through the evolutions more I've been looking at skilled-intimidate, unnatural aura, and if I can pounce(-my pet had four legs?) or reach(-on my arms...?) but more likely scent or claws on my feet. I talked with my gm and he said that instead of 1 minute per day he would let me use it broken up while raging (so ten rounds per day while raging for each level dip).
If i had my sheet I would give my current build. I am currently a level 3 invulnerable barbarian. Stats are around 20 str 14 dex/con, 12 wis, 10 in the rest. Feats I think are power attack, improved sunder, extra rage(str surge), rage powers are superstition. My plan was to take witch hunter @ 4, weapon focus @5 (once I knew what weapon I was going to stick with), and sunder at 6.
I was originally going pure barbarian but the more I thought about it the more it felt like I was missing something from an RP perspective. Her parents were a summoner and an eidolon (though there was some massive magical tinkering that made that possible) so I wanted to add that into my character without weakening it too much.
If i go this route I would take Primal/divine hunter at 4 which would give me spells (lead blades), focus (with the above evolutions) then take barbarian @ 5, 6, and 7 (where I would pick up spell sunder) then hunter to at least 11. @ 9 I would have true strike on my spell list and massive bonuses to intimidate if i go with destruction-tortue domain. I'd have 5 evolution points so I could have shadow blend (free blur with restrctions) in addition to the others mentioned.I'd probably have that cloak that gives blur by this point so maybe ability increase instead. @ character level 11 I'd have supernatural flight as well and I can, as I level, change those evolutions to be more combat/rp as the campaign needs.
For comparison:
@ 11 pure barbarian I would have +2 BAB, greater rage (+2 extra strength), and pounce (beast totem claws are useless when 2 handing and AC is also). I would also have 2 less to saves (superstition) and 3 less DR.
@ 11 hybrid I could have spells, cleric domain, and I'd have 8 evolution points to stack on natural attacks or flavor abilities depending on how the campaign progresses. For instance; Bite, bite (=1+1/2 str to bite attack) can make up for the missing progression, 2 more points give flight, 2 more gives +2 strength leaving 2 points to bump flight to supernatural, +2 more strength, shadow form for blur effect, or +8 to a skill and reach on bite (if using a reach weapon of course).
I know @ 12 I don't get come and get me but I could get tremorsense, poison, or web (the latter two are CON based and web has a 50 st range) and eventually burrow/blindsense also.