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The Magic Tactics Toolbox released the Divine Scourge archetype, which gives limited access to some minor and major hexes starting at level 3 (including the classics evil eye, misfortune, and slumber), in return for locking you into one singular domain (the curse subdomain, to be specific, regardless of if your chosen deity offers it) and trading off Channel Energy.
Of course, the Shaman has already had access to divine hexes, gets more of them, and is a lot more flexible - but I'm thinking that cleric as a whole is better set for punching the daylight out of things, namely, it can get Improved Unarmed Strike for free, it has a high fortitude save to accompany being on the front lines, but maybe most importantly, it has a much better self-buffing spell list, or arguably better spell list, period.
So, this got me thinking, maybe this would actually make for a decent Hex Striker? Considering how it has no feat requirements beyond IUAS, it shouldn't even be hard to work into a build. My first thoughts are to go Half-Elf, get the Dreamspeaker alternate racial trait (as this thread really seems to emphasize that identical traits are the same across races, so a Half-Elf should be perfectly able to swap elven immunities for the dreamspeaker trait, given how Elf Blood lets it be treated as an elf for all purposes) together with the Mediator trait, to ensure a decent Slumber DC at low-ish levels.
Something like 16+2/13/14/7/16/7 could work, taking Hex Strike at level 3, and Ability Focus (Slumber) come level 5, and knock-out punching might just work.
Perhaps, better yet, have the character walk around with a peg leg, and cast Holy Ice Weapon to bother somebody with your cold feet :]
With that said, would working in Medusa's Wrath be worth it, do you think? With Hex Strike (Slumber) you would probably be able to trigger it semi-reliably, more so than most options, but it would not come online until level 15, and well, spending a feat on SCORPION STYLE makes me want to retch...
Either way, thoughts on how to get this train wreck that is Hex Strike into the limelight? :)
I'm not sure that you can take an elven alternate racial trait when you are a half-elf even if you have the same racial trait that an elf could swap out. Although you count as an elf for many things, you are not in fact an elf and don't use the elf alternate racial traits, you use half elf alternate racial trait. That said, I could be wrong, some of the things they have done with the whole counts as race confuse me.
Regardless though, I am quite sure dreamspeaker won't help a slumber hex. Hexes are supernatural abilites, thus not an effect you cast and it wouldn't apply to dream speaker.
Medusa's Wrath seems pretty weak for the cost, since after you hit someone when they are unconscious they immediately wake up, which would give you typically only one bonus strike instead of two. Add in the most of the time getting a single punch of damage (or even two) would be worth it to recover from the slumber hex. Far better than remaining asleep or requiring an ally to spend an action to wake you up.
The main issue I see with the base hex strike/slumber combo is typically if you manage to slumber a foe, their is a good chance that they are done anyway. So having delivered a bit of extra damage on the attack, at the cost of having to hit, doesn't seem like a huge win to me.
I'd be tempted to go with Misfortune instead of slumber for a hex strike, it is fairly powerful itself and useful against more enemies. Slumber would be the obvious choice for your next hex, but I'd just use it in the regular manner rather than delivering it with a punch.
Of course their is a cool factor of being able to hit someone and they go down. I'm just not sure it is really mechanically all that great though.
Dave Justus - you got me, really, I just want the cool factor of the ONE PUNCH ONE KO, the trouble is making it work :P
Re: Elf or not quite-that-much-elf; I am aware that it is shaky grounds, and I might be in the wrong - but given how messed up the entire race thing is, the fact remains that there is a reasonable argument to be made for elf traits being available to half-elves, especially when they are identical.
I suppose the whole Dreamspeaker + Slumber is up to the GM - I know that I would allow it as a GM, but I suppose I'm perhaps too flexible at times.
As for Misfortune, I agree that it is probably a more powerful effect to accompany unarmed strikes, but since the Divine Scourge only has access to certain hexes (and Cackle not being one of them), I'm not quite so sure if it would be as useful, due to how limited it is in rounds.
Option #1: Sleep if you do, sleep if you don't
L1: IUAS (B), Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Elven Branched Spear) (B), Combat Reflexes
L3: Power Attack
L5: Ability Focus (Slumber)
L7: Hex Strike
L9: Lunge
L11: Divine Interference
- Plays like a reach Eldritch Knight, but with actual armor, BAB, spell progression, and self-buffing. So, you know, nothing like an EK :P Hex them on your turn, draw AoOs, and if they get within your reach, kick the daylights out of them before moving back - and get your AoOs if / when they get back up. Keep going all day. Cast Blood Crow Strike and make someone fall unconscious with your DBZ beams.
Option #2: Dreams galore
L1: Exotic Weapon Proficiency (B), Combat Reflexes
L3: Power Attack
L5: Ability Focus (Slumber)
L7: Dreamed Secrets
L9: Lunge
L11: Divine Interference
- Plays effectively like the above, save for where the first one has efficiency within their reach, this one has superior spell access. Starting at level 7, Heroism? Check. Mirror Image? Check. Will saves to avoid becoming increasingly unstable? ...working on it.
Option #3: Sacred Blue Summons
L1: Spell Focus (Conjuration) (B), Exotic Weapon Proficiency (B), Cobmat Reflexes
L3: Power Attack
L5: Sacred Summons
L7: Augment Summoning
L9: Superior Summoning
L11: Divine Interference
- Using the same logic as above, swap Keen Senses for the Elf's Illustrious Urbanite trait, and start pumping out summons. When not summoning, hex things. Evil Eye would arguably be more useful in this build, due to how it would be able to assist your summons.
Too bad you don't qualify for guided hand.
Looks an interesting concept..
Could you give us the full archetype details so I can get the full picture?
To try to make this worthwhile you'd want to find a touch attack spell which debuffs Will saves, deliver it via an unarmed strike then add the slumber hex on top. Bestow Curse imposing a -4 on most rolls would work if you can make hitting likely enough. There may be something else more obscure.
Looks an interesting concept..
Could you give us the full archetype details so I can get the full picture?
Curser (Ex):
A divine scourge must take the curse subdomain (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player’s Guide 88) as a domain, regardless of the actual domains offered by her deity. The divine scourge does not receive a second domain.
This ability alters domains.
Divine Hexes:
At 3rd level and every 4 cleric levels thereafter, a divine scourge can select the following hexes:
blight, cursed wound, evil eye, misfortune, scar, slumber, and unnerve beasts.
At 11th level, a divine scourge can instead select from the following list of major hexes: agony, hoarfrost, infected wounds, nightmares, and retributions.
The divine scourge uses her Wisdom modifier instead of her Intelligence modifier to determine the save DCs of her hexes. Any hex that refers to using her Intelligence modifier to determine its duration or effect instead uses her Charisma modifier for that purpose.
This ability replaces channel energy.
That do? :)
Hmmm... its OK but I'm not hugely keen. The domain restriction is harsh since there is crossover between the curse domain powers and the hexes and the domain spells arent that great....its almost like a 1.5 reduction in domains.
It suffers from the usual Paizo cleric archetype design probs..... bad trade offs.
With this being a sort of quick n easy hybrid archetype, the following tweaks would have been more appropriate:
- Instead of only the curse domain, the cleric has to take the curse domain as 1 of its 2 domains
- Cleric loses medium armour and shield
So, this got me thinking, maybe this would actually make for a decent Hex Striker? Considering how it has no feat requirements beyond IUAS, it shouldn't even be hard to work into a build. My first thoughts are to go Half-Elf, get the Dreamspeaker alternate racial trait (as this thread really seems to emphasize that identical traits are the same across races, so a Half-Elf should be perfectly able to swap elven immunities for the dreamspeaker trait, given how Elf Blood lets it be treated as an elf for all purposes) together with the Mediator trait, to ensure a decent Slumber DC at low-ish levels.
This doesn't work. Elf Blood affects the character, not its characteristics. Elven Immunities is what's being replaced, and whether it has the same name, whether it does the same thing, it's still a different ability for Half-Elves and Elves and both have their own alternate racials.
Plus Ability Focus is not a valid PC feat. Proof is Stunning Fist Adept, which makes no sense in a world where Ability Focus is valid.