Hello, everyone. For a campaign I'm currently GM-ing I'm looking into creating some interesting NPCs that the PCs may come into conflict and/or form alliances with. One type of character I want to create is a sort of occult warrior. It struck me that combining the battle host archetype for the occultist base class with the Magus' variant multiclassing options might fill that role quite admirably, essentially creating a sort of occultist/magus hybrid. Does anyone have any interesting build ideas or thoughts around this combo? I'm sort of just fishing for inspiration at the moment. The character will probably be introduced around 5th level, but could well end up leveling alongside the party all the way up to level 15th or even higher. Far more likely to be a recurring villain than any sort of GMNPC or ally or such, this particular character. Anyway, any input welcome!
Cheers,
- Gears
Honestly the big problem with Battle Host is that if you are doing what you think you should be doing with it (i.e. get a big 2H weapon and smash people with it), then you are better off with a vanilla Occultist, because a couple of feats you really have no use for don't really beat losing an implement.
Since this is an NPC though, meh, we can go with something suboptimal.
I think it would be fun to exploit the extra feats for a switch-hitter thrown weapon build?
Perhaps:
Dual Talent Human
S16+2 D12 C14 I15+2 W10 CH7
LV1. Artful Dodge
LV3. Power Attack
LV4. Quick Draw
LV5. Point-Blank Shot
Eventually you get this guy a Belt of Mighty Hurling so he uses STR to hit with thrown weapons, and you can use Legacy Weapon to grant any weapon he wields Throwing and Returning (as well as Bane, of course).
LV7. Two-Handed Thrower
LV8. Rapid Shot
LV9. Deadly Aim
LV11. Precise Shot
LV12. Clustered Shots
LV13. Extra Mental Focus
LV15. Improved Precise Shot
LV16. Improved Critical
LV17. Critical Focus
LV19. Whatever
Well, I was primarily thinking the battle host might be a good fit since going VMC magus loses you roughly as many feats as the battle host gains. I mean, your build does look interesting, but I would imagine at least some feats should be spared for Extra Arcana starting at 7th level, no?
I'm not saying that's required, however. A thrown weapon switch hitter does seem very interesting as well. It's an evocative suggestion at any rate. Thanks!
Cheers,
- Gears
No prob. If you are set on VMC Magus, the only possibly build is probably getting the barebones melee feats.
Yes, sadly, it doesn't seem likely the switch hitter idea will be quite possible to reasonably combine with the VMC one. I mostly just wanted to get this guy the arcane pool ability some cool arcanas like a familiar and maybe some spell-scars, et cetera. He's going to be a pirate who's gained all his powers from the accursed weapon (a cutlass, a boarding axe, a musket, or similar, not decided yet) of a long-dead pirate queen, so I figured the arcane pool would help to make his panoply bond weapon seem even more powerful.
Legacy weapon is a million times better than arcane pool.
Well, I would tend to agree, but! Arcane pool is a free nifty add-on, well worth the price of a feat, only takes a swift action, doesn't consume occultist resources and stacks with legacy weapon. So that's something, at least, unless I'm missing some really obvious rules language (it's happened before :P) that prevents stacking?