Hello all,
I’m trying to play a new character class every new adventure I join. So I have decided on a half-orc Skald for the Giantslayer adventure. I'm entertaining a 1 level dip in either Bloodrager or Oracle. I would like some feedback on 3 choices below, or any other option you might think I'm missing.
1.Straight Skald – No spell or song progression interruption. Pretty straight forward.
2.Bloodrager Dip – If I understand all the benefits correctly, it would shake out like so:
a. Plus 10’ movement rate (or some feats I’m not interested it)
b. Separate rage pool pushing my base rage bonus from +2 to +4 for Str/Con/Wil saves
c. Some additional bloodline and/or archtype abilities, still researching these.
3.Oracle Dip – Take the Lore Mystery with Sidestep Secret revelation, allowing me to tank dex
a. Charisma instead of Dex to AC
b. Charisma instead of Dex to Reflex saves
c. Nice little +2 Wil save bonus
d. Could take Divine Favor for as one of my 1st level spells. The luck bonus would stack nicely with my Fates Favored trait for +2 to attack and damage
I’m sure I’m missing something here, so any advice would be greatly appreciated. It’s a 15 point build. Here is how I see my points spreading out. FYI, we house rule Int doesn’t go under 10 as it tough to roleplay being dumb, especially during critical decisions.
•Oracle dip – Str 15, Dex 8, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 17
•No Oracle - Str 15, Dex 10, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 8, Char 16
Thank you!
Straight Skald is really nice, but under the right circumstances the Bloodrager dip can be worth it. You need to look for a bloodline power that continues to be useful at the later levels. I recommend Arcane, Celestial, Elemental or Infernal. You don't want something that gives a save based on Bloodrager level.
One other benefit it gives is the Rage / Bloodrage class feature. There are feats (such as Amlified Rage) that require Rage as a class feature. Although Skald gives you a performance of Raging Song, that does not count as the Rage class feature as far as I can tell.
Nothing is worth delaying spell progression.
Nothing is worth delaying spell progression.
Not strictly true in this case.
If you're looking to be on the beatstick side of Skald, consider a one level dip in Bloodrager, taking a Bloodline Familiar with the Valet archetype (Animal Archive), being a Half-Orc, and utilizing Amplified Rage (Orcs of Golarion). This allows you to give yourself +8 STR/CON on your raging song at level 2. You can do this with your familiar in the safe confines of a Familiar Satchel. Use the Greensting Scorpion to also give yourself +4 initiative.
|
Nothing is worth delaying spell progression.Not strictly true in this case.
If you're looking to be on the beatstick side of Skald, consider a one level dip in Bloodrager, taking a Bloodline Familiar with the Valet archetype (Animal Archive), being a Half-Orc, and utilizing Amplified Rage (Orcs of Golarion). This allows you to give yourself +8 STR/CON on your raging song at level 2. You can do this with your familiar in the safe confines of a Familiar Satchel. Use the Greensting Scorpion to also give yourself +4 initiative.
I'm thinking of doing exactly this dip on my Averakan Arbiter bard, who'll be teamed with Bret's Skald. We're both doing a celestial bloodrager dip to access amplifiied rage as a teamwork feat.
I've been thinking about the familiar, but I don't like that the poor thing will never scale. Since I have a partner for PFS, I'm thinking about just using the Celestial power to bypass DR on evil creatures. And to be able to use wands of Shield and Burning Hands without UMD.
Hmm
Why not just use Eldritch Heritage? It's a feat instead of dropping a class level on another class for the same effect. It means you don't get +8/+8 at level 2 but if you're cheesing feats/class abilities this is a benefit that would be great at any level.
The core concept is online faster and you lose 2 STR/CON from your rage if you don't take the level of Bloodrager. Basically, the way it works is that you start the song, but you accept the Bloodrager STR/CON instead of the Raging Song's.
Except raging song doesn't work like that, you would just be using the bloodrager's rage instead of the performance.
The Skald text is "If an ally has levels of a barbarian/etc."
Thank you all for the responses. Few notes on this.
1. I'm a touch surprised I had no takers on the Oracle dip. It's a pretty nice AC and Ref save swing.
2. Here's why I'm looking at the Bloodrager dip. I recently played an Arcane Duelist through level 8. He wore a shield and cast Mirror Image religiously, so he really wasn't hit a lot, it was the fact his damage was really sub par.
Hiiamtom, few comments on your responses.
Except raging song doesn't work like that, you would just be using the bloodrager's rage instead of the performance.
The Skald text is "If an ally has levels of a barbarian/etc."
I believe you are saying that only an ally would benefit from other sources of rage and not the Skald? My understanding is that the Skald does as well. I get what you are saying but for this thread I'm going to assume the Skald does.
Skald is MAD, so my recommendation is dumping INT and WIS and going straight Skald. You get access to amazing will saves and skills are for spell-less chumps. 16/14/14/7/7/15!
I wish I could dump int, but as I mentioned in the original post, we house rule you can't have an int under 10.
So I guess here's what it comes down to.
1. The bloodrager nets me +2 con/str and +1 on will saves.
2. Gives me the rage class feature which, as BretI notes, opens up Amplified Rage
3. Grants me access to a bloodline power (probably Black Blood). Celestial looks cool, but wouldn't probably make sense for Giantslayer. Now for Wraith of the Righteous, it would be great.
5. Steelblood archtype grants heavy armor proficiency, setting my skald up for mitheral full plate later on, +1 to ac, attack and damage rolls vs charging creatures, plus some CMD benefits that may come in handy vs. giants.
6. 2 extra level 1 hps (I'll take what I can get :) )
I know another route to go would be the one suggested by Serisan. But I think I could take a ring of tactical precision and get close to the same results, minus getting it as early, and minus the +4 initiative, so I would need to weigh that.
If you're looking to be on the beatstick side of Skald, consider a one level dip in Bloodrager, taking a Bloodline Familiar with the Valet archetype (Animal Archive), being a Half-Orc, and utilizing Amplified Rage (Orcs of Golarion). This allows you to give yourself +8 STR/CON on your raging song at level 2. You can do this with your familiar in the safe confines of a Familiar Satchel. Use the Greensting Scorpion to also give yourself +4 initiative.
Again thanks all for the comments. Any further advice, or critiques on what I have posted are welcome.
-G
Thank you all for the responses. Few notes on this.
1. I'm a touch surprised I had no takers on the Oracle dip. It's a pretty nice AC and Ref save swing.
It hurts BAB on a class that already is 3/4 BAB. It is really tough to make up for that. The AC may be nice, but the game favors offense over defense. This is especially true for the classes with any sort of ability to rage.
If you are going to melee and want to dip another class, concentrate on the Full BAB classes.