Trying to build a Stalker for PFS

[Codanous]

Hey guys, I want to participate in this playtest and I have a Tiefling race boon available to me so I wanted to make a Tiefling Stalker.

I have blood of fiends but I'd rather do base tiefling because I think being able to cast darkness would really help with getting the +1d8 hidden strike damage.

I am still pretty early in the build but it goes something like this and I'd just love some feedback or advice, I am not really sure where to take him either melee or ranged. Ranged would work better for PFS because my darkness wouldn't get in my teammates way but being feat starved, 3/4 BAB and having no real way to gain combat feats makes the ranged route that much harder.

Kilton(LN)/Shadow Demon(NG)

Attributes:
STR: 16
Dex: 12 (+2) 14
Con: 12
Int: 12 (+2) 14
Wis: 12
Cha: 12 (-2) 10

HP: 10 (1d8+1+1FC)
Skill ranks/level: 8
Social Talent: Social Grace: +4 to Diplomacy checks
Stalker Specialization

Skills: Acrobatics (+6), Diplomacy (+8), Disable Device (+6), Disguise (+4), Escape Artist +6, Kn: Local (+6), Perception (+5), Use Magic Device (+4).

Feats: Fiendish Darkness: Can use my darkness spell like ability 3 times a day.

This is about all I have right now, if you are familiar with Pathfinder Society I'll have him be apart of the Sovereign Court.

Just wondering if the community has advice for how I can optimize this class in conjunction with having a tiefling available because I really think that Darkness SLA would be really valuable to making the Stalker at least viable for play. (I still think it is a bit weak compared to the Ninja/Unchained Rogue).

[ShieldLawrence]

Monsters with dark vision aren't gonna be affected by your Darkness SLA, so I fear it won't be as powerful as you'd like. In addition, the d8 only activates if they aren't aware of your presence, making it very much only an opener in combat. As far as a build goes, the Stalker has some fun goodies, so choose some talents to incorporate and build your Tiefling from there.

[Trekkie90909]

*if you successfully re-stealth in combat they are treated as unaware* Mark has clarified this in his stalker post.

The d8 also activates if you take Up Close and Personal.

Back to the Opener's question - do you want super optimization? If so a 3-4 level dip in unchained rogue will be in your future. That said pure stalker is strong in melee; I recommend playing elf/half-elf for the branched spear proficiency. That and armor spikes make you a solid threat even without talents.

If you're going the ranged direction you'll want to look at the sniping/silent dispatch options. It's good, better than a rogue/ninja sniper but has less support than melee in terms of overall flexibility.

[Mark Seifter]

Quote:

*if you successfully re-stealth in combat they are treated as unaware* Mark has clarified this in his stalker post.

I clarified just the opposite. They have to be unaware of your presence. This doesn't prevent you from hit-and-run and re-engaging in another combat extremely shortly thereafter, but it does mean that someone cackling maniacally and yelling insults with greater invisibility up is getting d4s on every attack (since they are invisible) but not d8s.

[Trekkie90909]

Right

Stealth, hide wrote:

Your Stealth check is opposed by the Perception check of anyone who might notice you. Creatures that fail to beat your Stealth check are not aware of you and treat you as if you had total concealment. You can move up to half your normal speed and use Stealth at no penalty. When moving at a speed greater than half but less than your normal speed, you take a –5 penalty. It's impossible to use Stealth while attacking, running, or charging.

Successfully re-stealth == using hit and run tactics since it's part of movement and requires hiding behind/in something.

[Zwordsman]

There are a few talents that let you get fuulll BAB attacks a few times, and I think if I remember right, some of the auto activate hidden strike. I forget if its d4 or d8 activations though.

[chad gilbreath]

Here is a link to my pfs halfling stalker. I personally went range because of the halfling alternate trait swift as Shadow's The Sting Adventures

[Trekkie90909]

Regarding other things seeing you through darkvision, shadowsight helps a lot since it lets you (potentially) extend your vision out beyond theirs.

Surprise strike adds accuracy

Sniper is your best friend but you can't get it until 6th level

Silent Dispatch is great regardless of what you decide to do (potentially keeps those d8s coming) and should probably be your level 2 or 4 talent.

Hide in Plain Sight comes in at 8th level to make the stealth a lot easier to pull off and works nicely with your SLA.

Mighty Ambush or Throat Jab are great options for incapacitating enemies with your opening volley.

Personally I think the most fun would be a switch hitter who leads off using the Opening Volley Feat then closes using Up Close and Personal with Silent Dispatch/Throat Jab, and Pull into the Shadows for a stealthy black ops feel.

I should probably have said the PURE ranged options are not flexible in my earlier post; if you're willing to mix things up Stalker has a number of abilities which work well to go back and forth between ranged and melee.

[chad gilbreath]

And if you want to save you want to save your teifling boon you could always play as a half elf and switch you adaptability and multitalented with drow magic which also allows you to use faerie fire and dancing lights once too

[pH unbalanced]

chad gilbreath wrote:

And if you want to save you want to save your teifling boon you could always play as a half elf and switch you adaptability and multitalented with drow magic which also allows you to use faerie fire and dancing lights once too

I'm pretty sure Drow Magic is not PFS-legal.

[Imbicatus]

pH unbalanced wrote:

chad gilbreath wrote:

And if you want to save you want to save your teifling boon you could always play as a half elf and switch you adaptability and multitalented with drow magic which also allows you to use faerie fire and dancing lights once too

I'm pretty sure Drow Magic is not PFS-legal.

It's not. Nothing Drow is PFS Legal, even Darkvision.

[Snowblind]

Trekkie90909 wrote:

Right

Stealth, hide wrote:

Your Stealth check is opposed by the Perception check of anyone who might notice you. Creatures that fail to beat your Stealth check are not aware of you and treat you as if you had total concealment. You can move up to half your normal speed and use Stealth at no penalty. When moving at a speed greater than half but less than your normal speed, you take a –5 penalty. It's impossible to use Stealth while attacking, running, or charging.

Successfully re-stealth == using hit and run tactics since it's part of movement and requires hiding behind/in something.

You can make a strong argument that being aware of someone and being aware of someone's presence are distinctly different things. You might not know exactly where the invisible caster is, but you know they are around you *somewhere*. Since it is a valid RAW interpretation to say that they are different, and a dev has said that it is the intended interpretation (i.e. RAI), that is the interpretation you should probably run with. It would be nice to have the text clearly clarify that though.

[chad gilbreath]

Imbicatus wrote:

pH unbalanced wrote:

chad gilbreath wrote:

And if you want to save you want to save your teifling boon you could always play as a half elf and switch you adaptability and multitalented with drow magic which also allows you to use faerie fire and dancing lights once too

I'm pretty sure Drow Magic is not PFS-legal.

It's not. Nothing Drow is PFS Legal, even Darkvision.

My bad read the wrong elf in the additional resources

[Trekkie90909]

@ Snowblind; obviously Mark is correct, I was just hoping for a little bit better clarification from him as I apparently managed to misread his earlier clarification post.

I would really love for this to not get into another debate like the "can't see an enemy" (because you are say in an area of deeper darkness), vs "blind" (can't see) and why they're functionally different.