Eldritch Defender build

[Dominick Nate]

Hello all,
I've been wanting to build an Eldritch Defender for some time now, however I have never made any kind of character with a familiar. So I'm looking for any general advice on Eldritch Defenders and Familiars.

To be a little more specific;

-I have no set campaign to apply this character to yet, so generic advice mostly (I guess).

-I am aiming for a Brownie companion at level 5, so advice on Improved familiars would be greatly appreciated (my heart is set on a Brownie for RP purposes).

-Suggestions for possible Teamwork feats, and advice on Teamwork Feats in general.

-Advice on the Familiar Archetypes (leaning towards Protector).

-I tend to enjoy more Tanky builds or balanced offense/defense builds.

-Not looking for stats advice. Mostly feats and general advice on the class and Advanced familiars. Though useful skill point advice is appreciated (so few points, where to focus).

Thank you in advance for any advice.

[master_marshmallow]

A Compsognathus familiar with the Mauler Archetype seems to be the best option.

At 3rd level it can grow to medium sized, where it gains many size bonuses to STR becoming a 15. It has your combat feats (so Teamwork feats are ideal, for better flanking bonuses etc. could probably get away with stealing some hunter tricks with teamwork feats.) and it has a bite attack which normally deals 1 1/2x STR and includes a poison whose save is CON based.

Later on, depending on how the DM rules Share Spells to work, if you don't want the dinosaur anymore you can take Improved Familiar and get something with minor spellcasting (there's a couple of different really cool dragons that get it) and get some low level buff spells on them like Shield and/or Enlarge Person.

Choose your familiar and bonuses based on your appropriate combat style. And enjoy the super high perception checks.

EDIT: Of note the blog just updated the price on an Amulet of Mighty fists.

[Markov Spiked Chain]

I assume you're talking about Eldritch Guardian, the fighter archetype?

Three things up front you need to check with your GM:
- Does "Effective Wizard Level" count as "Arcane Spellcaster Level" for Improved familiar pre-reqs. The chart is unclear, and this is an open rules question.
- Can Improved Familiars take the new familiar archetypes (like Protector, Mauler, etc.)? As written, Improved Familiars lose Speak with Animals, which means they can't take most of the cool Archetypes.
- Do Tiny creature's with Reach weapons have 5' reach? 3/5 used to have "2.5' reach" for tiny creatures, which doubles to 5'.

So you may need to decide if you'd prefer a Monkey familiar or something with an Archetype vs a Brownie without one.

Consider Evolved Familiar(Reach) for your familiar, as reach is going to be the first hurdle to overcome.

There are two main teamwork styles: adjacent or flanking. If you want your familiar for a flanking buddy, look a Outflank and Precise Strike. You probably want a Menacing Amulet of Mighty Fists for your buddy as well. If you want to fight alongside it, look at Paired Opportunists and Broken Wing Gambit, maybe add Improved Disarm Partner.

[Chess Pwn]

I second Markov, be sure to check with your GM about those issues, because I'd respond with the rules say NO to all of them.

[Dominick Nate]

Thanks for the notes. All good things to know and think on. I would think that the "Effective Wizard Level" should count. Because the Eldritch Guardian meets the prereqs for the Improved Familiar feat. Those being: "Ability to acquire a new familiar, compatible alignment, sufficiently high level". But that's a debate for another thread.

Reach was something I hadn't even though of, so thanks for that.

I also think that the Protector archetype should be alright since its new abilities all remove something other than SwA. Except for Shield Master, which removes SwA and Deliver Touch Spells. But, like you said, its up to GM approval.

Thanks for drastically narrowing down the Teamwork feats. They are a bit overwhelming at first glance.

Also very good to know that Compsognathus is a good starting familiar.

I may have a few more queries for this character and shall ask them when they arise. Thanks again all for the advice.

[Dominick Nate]

Speaking of other questions, what are some good equipment choices to start with and to aim for in mid levels?

I was thinking start with a shield (light/heavy steel) and Breastplate/scale mail, then move to Full Plate.

For weapons I was thinking Heavy Blades like; Bastard Sword/Katana (w/exotic proficiency) depending on build (cleave or crit), Shotel against shields, Khopesh for tripping, and Chakrams for ranged. Not sure what to pick for a reach weapon if any at all. Obviously taking Quick Draw to switch between them quickly, unless that is limited to one weapon.

Going for a Tank with decent damage but not necessarily a cannon.

Any of that sound good or am I completely off base? Only melee character I've built is a Sword Saint Samurai, so my experience is limited.

[avr]

Spending feats on exotic WP is usually a bad idea. Trying to switch between a bunch of different melee weapons likewise; you won't be able to keep that many magic weapons up to scratch. And if you want to use a shield rather than, say, a good two handed weapon primarily, then you want to go down the two-weapon fighting/shield bash path to make the loss of offensive ability less.

[Dominick Nate]

avr wrote:

Spending feats on exotic WP is usually a bad idea. Trying to switch between a bunch of different melee weapons likewise; you won't be able to keep that many magic weapons up to scratch. And if you want to use a shield rather than, say, a good two handed weapon primarily, then you want to go down the two-weapon fighting/shield bash path to make the loss of offensive ability less.

Good points. I already lose two feats for the familiar so exotic WP is out. I don't gain very much AC from a shield at start so two-handed katana crit build may be the better option. Plus that gives my familiar all the crit buffs as well. Being low level feat starved is gonna limit my choices.

Thanks for the insight.