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So, I recently got my hands on a Grippli Boon for Pathfinder society, and I'm pretty excited about it. I wanted to have a fun character concept to go with it.
I went through a lot of ideas. A cleric with lunging spell touch and the agile tongue feat so I could deliver touch attacks from 15' away, a Grippli Gunslinger, a warpriest, a druid with a giant frog familiar and a penchant for summoning frogs and toads but one of the ideas that kind of stuck with me was the idea of a Grippli Ninja-ish character.
My idea uses the unchained rogue, but flavors it as a ninja.
The concept is to basically make use of the Grippli's native climb speed to bounce between walls and around trees to be a lightning-fast (and deadly) sneak-attacker. Think an anime-style ninja jumping off from a wall, briefly landing and sneak-attacking someone, and then jumping back into the shadows.
His (or her) weapon of choice would be a spiked gauntlet, as it would allow him to make attacks, and still use both of his hands for climbing without having to sheath/draw a weapon all the time.
Here's the build I was thinking of: Please, if you see room for improvement, or some mistake I've made with the build, let me know.
Unchained Grippli Rogue
Str:8
Dex:18
Con:14
Int:14
Wis:12
Chr:10
Lvl 1: Skill Focus (Stealth)
Lvl2 (Rogue Talent):(Combat Trick) Dodge
Lvl 3: Mobility
Lvl 4: Rogue Talent-Expert Leaper/Fast Stealth
Lvl 5: Spring Attack
Lvl 6: Expert Leaper/Fast Stealth
Lvl 7: Hellcat Stealth
Lvl 8: Rogue Talent (Minor Magic)?
Lvl 9: Piranha Strike
Lvl 10 Rogue Talent (Major Magic?)?
Lvl 11 Dampen Presence?
Skills: Climb, Acrobatics, Stealth, Perception, Disable Device, Use Magic Device, Diplomacy, Bluff, Assorted Knowledge skills
Looks good. Also seems a perfect setup for Shadow Dancer. Helps you vanish, and dim light is pretty common. I know PrC's get a lot of hate, but...
Plan out the weight of your equipment before you get attached. Carrying Capacity is a dream crusher. In case of emergency, muleback cords boosts effective strength to 16 to avoid the pain.
A 2 level dip into vivisectionist alchemist also nets you continued sneak attack as a rogue, an improved fort save, throw anything, some extracts and then you can pick up the chameleon discovery for another +4 stealth. Extracts are probably better than minor and major magic talents
with your spring attack tacitcs you will only ever do one attack per round. That will significantly reduce your potential damage per round. At least get Hellcat pounce, but that 2nd will not be a sneak attack!.
I strongly suggest other tactics, unless you're satisfied with being more of a debuffer than a damage dealer. Than go for Double Debilitation and Dispelling sneak.
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Magehunter: I thought about that, but shadow-dancers don't get sneak-attack progression.
And yes, I'll take weight into account. As long as I get a handy haversack I should be fine (I had a gnome oracle with 8 str and he did fine)
Aperaham: Vivisectionist is illegal in society play (last time I checked).
Woodoodoo: cons or 'events.' Events are like small cons, I went to one this last weekend. Check around for them. I live in a relatively unpopulated area (northern Idaho) and there are, like, 6 events a year within a 3 hr drive from my hometown.
Elioti: realistically, rogues don't get a second attack until level 8, and by then their itteratives are so terrible that they probably won't hit with them anyway. I do like your idea of double debilitating strike and dispelling strike instead of minor and major magic.
And of course ninja-Ing around won't be my only trick, I won't INSIST on spring attacking EVERY ROUND. If I get haste and a flanking partner I can sit still and sneak attack twice.
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Plan out the weight of your equipment before you get attached. Carrying Capacity is a dream crusher. In case of emergency, muleback cords boosts effective strength to 16 to avoid the pain.
If you burn a trait on Muscle of the Society it would become a non-issue.
Or you could grab it, get a couple stat points by lowering STR, and have the same carrying capacity for that matter.
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Elioti: realistically, rogues don't get a second attack until level 8, and by then their itteratives are so terrible that they probably won't hit with them anyway. I do like your idea of double debilitating strike and dispelling strike instead of minor and major magic.
While true of a core rogue, the unchained rogue's Debilitating Injury makes your iteratives viable. At 8 if the 1st SA attack hits, the 2nd is at only -1. At 10 if the 1st SA attack hits, the 2nd is at +1.
Here I was expecting Battle Toads
Did you look at the alternate racial traits Jumper and Glider? Together they can replace Expert Leaper and free up a talent slot.
If you also dip 2 levels into Bogborn Alchemist you can take the Toxic Skin alternate trait as an alchemical discovery.
Ridiculon: expert jumper also lets you add your level to acrobatics checks to jump, which is super nice.
oh, thats fair. I'd probably still take Glider though, it looks like it would stack with Expert Leaper
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And it should also allow to to put skill points in fly.Ridiculon: expert jumper also lets you add your level to acrobatics checks to jump, which is super nice.oh, thats fair. I'd probably still take Glider though, it looks like it would stack with Expert Leaper
Although, Swampwalk lets me ninja-run on top of swampy water . . .
Hmm, last time i looked at the Gippli i made a Paladin in the style of Frog from the chrono trigger series. Maybe i should return to that concept?
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Hmm, last time i looked at the Gippli i made a Paladin in the style of Frog from the chrono trigger series. Maybe i should return to that concept?
Frog is a warpriest. He uses the agile tongue feat to 'lick' people for cure spells.
Yeah, if I didn't already have a PFS warpriest I'd be making a Grippli warpriest named 'Glenn'
Hmm, last time i looked at the Gippli i made a Paladin in the style of Frog from the chrono trigger series. Maybe i should return to that concept?Frog is a warpriest. He uses the agile tongue feat to 'lick' people for cure spells.
Yeah, if I didn't already have a PFS warpriest I'd be making a Grippli warpriest named 'Glenn'
I guessed he could "lay on hands" with his tongue instead, same concept different class i guess? ^^;
Although, Swampwalk lets me ninja-run on top of swampy water . . .And it should also allow to to put skill points in fly.Ridiculon: expert jumper also lets you add your level to acrobatics checks to jump, which is super nice.oh, thats fair. I'd probably still take Glider though, it looks like it would stack with Expert Leaper
Up to you obviously, would you rather ninja swamp run or be able to do flying leap charge attacks from a few hundred feet up? I guess that depends on the kind of terrain you'll be playing in on average.
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I guessed he could "lay on hands" with his tongue instead, same concept different class i guess? ^^;Hmm, last time i looked at the Gippli i made a Paladin in the style of Frog from the chrono trigger series. Maybe i should return to that concept?Frog is a warpriest. He uses the agile tongue feat to 'lick' people for cure spells.
Yeah, if I didn't already have a PFS warpriest I'd be making a Grippli warpriest named 'Glenn'
Sorry, it was late at night when I posted that, didn't mean to sound so authoritarian. What I meant to say was that I think he would work better as a warpriest. Grippli get a bonus to wisdom, and being able to swift-cast Bull's Strength helps them overcome their racial -2 to str.
Sorry, it was late at night when I posted that, didn't mean to sound so authoritarian. What I meant to say was that I think he would work better as a warpriest. Grippli get a bonus to wisdom, and being able to swift-cast Bull's Strength helps them overcome their racial -2 to str.
No offense taken, but thats a good point and the scaling damage die of his weapon would also negate the size penalties on his weapons.
On the other half, paladins are pretty damn good, and i dont think he would have that much of a issue due to full BAB.
Pick your pros and cons and theme i suppose? ^^;;
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So a friend of mine, who is very good at making powerful builds, has seconded Elioti's opinion that only getting one attack per round can seriously gimp my usefulness at later levels.
(this is actually backed up by the fact that I have a lvl 9 once-per-round attacker, a spirited-charge using character, who is becoming less and less useful at higher levels.)
On the other hand, this character won't have toughness, and won't have a terribly high AC. Standing in one place and full attacking is likely to get him killed.
Vital strike doesn't work with spring attack, and according to all the research I've done, I still need both hands to climb even with a racial climb speed (otherwise I'd use an Elven Curved blade or dueling sword for dex x 1.5 to damage)
I can't even get a Dueling sword proficiency or Elven curved blade proficiency with this build.
Any thoughts?
Hmm, if you are going for a rogue, Eldricht scoundrel for spells and ninja tricks.
Or my personal favorite Knifemaster + Scout into Evangelist of Pharasma for running and daggering.
But the way rogue get their 2nd attack is by dual whielding, and if you go for the Pharasma build you net a +2 with daggers with deific obedience, but the clue with that setup is that you are a hit'n run sneak attacker and debuffer and then you only have that one attack while keeping yourself in motion.
Another setup would be to pick up Horizon Walker with the Astral Terrain mastery for +3 BAB and d10 hit die and 3 + Wis Dimension door and go for the dimensional agility tree to give you full attacks at a distance and since its movements it triggers the scouts sneak attack if you dont go for the "flank with yourself" part.
But flanking with yourself, and possibly exploited with Outflank ( since you count as your own ally ) you might not even need the scout ability for sneak attacks. Also possible with Eldricht Scoundrel without any dips as they do get the Sorc/Wiz list after all.
But of my personal experiences i use one of the 3 tactics for rogue:
-Some kind of Invis or Stealth and unleash Sneak attacks.
-Hit'n Run with Scout
-Some weird Dimensional setup, which might be better with Slayer, but in the end the dimensional setup with Horizon walker is possible for every character.... i do love teleporting.