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Hello everyone, I posted this in the Pathfinder Reddit group also, but trying to solicit as many opinions as possible!
I am making a new character and I could use a little help. I am making a goliath druid and we are starting at level 10.
Now more than likely I would use dwarf because I like the idea of a giant slaying dwarf, that turns into a giant to infiltrate the enemy. I am also open to other races that might work, like Half-Orc, Oread, or Half-Elf(cannot be human)
Besides the race, my biggest problem is weapon and possibly multiclassing. I was considering adding a level of Ranger with Shapeshifting Hunter because my character has a deep seated hatred of Giants, and thematically favored enemy would seem to work. The problem is that I need to wear stoneplate, so would fighter be a better choice for the multiclass? Just 1 level gets me heavy armor prof and an extra feat. Maybe Barbarian because I was considering the Rage Domain anyway(no animal companions)?
I am also lost on weapon. Since my size will be increasing, is a regular 2 hander fine a la falchion, or should I still be considering a reach weapon?
Any advice is greatly appreciated!
Really, the only four requirements are: Goliath Druid, Non-Human, Stoneplate and no more than 2-3 levels outside of druid.
P.S. I cannot take monk since the Stoneplate is a baseline requirement for the build.
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I've been thinking about a build like this for a while now, and haven't quite figured all of it out myself. In my case it'd be for PFS.
Druids have issues with weapon selection. Getting a Reach weapon is IMO a necessity because that kind area control is powerful and fun. But druids lack the proficiencies. There are several options;
- Take a level in a martial class. That also gets you proficiency with Armor Spikes so you'll also have an attack against people who get too close. Ranger is nice because then you can also grab Shapeshifting Hunter. In case of ranger, don't take more than 1 level because you can't use those combat style feats in heavy armor anyway. One level gets you everything you can use.
- In my case I might use a boon I have to get proficiency with a Horsechopper. Which though a grizzly goblin weapon, is mechanically a fine choice of polearm.
When you do take a reach, you'll want Combat Reflexes and Phalanx Formation.
For my preferred giant shape I had the Moss Troll in mind; it has a bite attack and exceptionally long arms. I was going to go for red dragonhide armor. It might turn into a bit of a Roald Dahl-BFG/Santa-colored PC :P
Goliath Druids get a lot of social skills as class skills, but you'll have trouble squeezing Charisma into your build. Consider the Conversion Inquisition. It means sacrificing domain spells and animal companion though. Student of Philosophy is an alternative. If you case about skills, you weren't going to dump Intelligence anyway.
In the long run, the Mammoth Rider prestige class has some synergy with the Goliath Druid, if you like animal companions.
Regarding races:
* Dwarves are a strong choice for druids, though confer with your GM which of your many interesting racial traits may be lost while wildshaped. Probably Stability, but do you keep Hardy?
* Oreads are a good choice, because if you go for Strength, you should really go for it. Being a (probably lower-case neutral) outsider is generally an advantage with regards to bad stuff that can target you, though most anti-person spells target Will anyway. The downside of Oread is that you can't use Enlarge Person on yourself (and Goliath can't use it on other people except your AC). So for levels 1-5 that's annoying. Wildshape doesn't care so you're good from L6 on.
* Half-elves can get exotic weapons such as the [url=http://archivesofnethys.com/EquipmentWeaponsDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Elven%20branched%20spear]Elven Branched Spear]. Ignore the Finesse part, pay attention to the to-hit bonus on AoOs.
* Half-orcs have rather little to offer, mechanically speaking. Many of their selling points are on the physical side which you'll trump with Wildshape.
* Onispawn Tiefling: Has the same stat bonuses as Oread. Most of the stuff that makes tieflings nice would be lost by Wildshape.
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I'm also very curious what ideas other people have to offer.
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Falchion is the poor half-orc's nodachi :P
By turning into a troll with bite attack or just wearing spiked armor, you can cope with the reach weapon's dead zone.
Of course you still want to keep people at a distance. Tripping people with AoOs when they try to come close works.
Another solution is to work with another frontline PC just in front of you. Phalanx Formation helps offset any cover that might occur. Alternatively, wrangle the low-obstacle-cover rules to your advantage.
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Personally, with a Dwarf Goliath Druid, I would recommend going with a Warhammer instead of the high-crit range, and using Blessed Hammer for spell strike. Druid has a lot of great touch spells you can deliver via a huge smack with the warhammer.
I like a few levels of Barbarian with Goliath Druid to maximize hand to hand prowess combined with a relatively low wisdom and good strength