Hafling Wild Child 1/Hunter 19
20 point buy
I have these 3 stat distributions in mind, can't honestly make up my mind on what to chose.
STR 16 -2
DEX 12 +2
CON 14
INT 8
WIS 14
CHA 10 +2
STR 17 -2
DEX 13 +2
CON 14
INT 8
WIS 14
CHA 7 +2
STR 18 -2
DEX 10 +2
CON 14
INT 8
WIS 12
CHA 8 +2
Caretaker - +2 Sense Motive +2 Racial Bonus to Animal Companion (Replaces halfling luck, sure-footed, and weapon familiarity)
Keen Senses +2 Perception
Fearless +2 vs Fear. Anything to good enough that justifies replacing it?
Handle Animal, Perception, Ride, Sense Motive or Survival, Stealth
Ride at level 7 = 3 Classs Skill + 7 Ranks + 1/2 DEX = 11 - Armor Check Penalty (-1 if using Mithral Breastplate)
L1 – Wild Child (Brawler Archetype) AC, Brawler's cunning, Martial flexibility, Martial training
L2 – Hunter Animal Focus, AC that stacks with Brawler
L3 – Hunter Track, TW Feat Outflank
L4 – Hunter +1 Stat, which one depends on Stat Distribution at level 1. TW Feat
L5 – Hunter Improved empathic link
L6 – Hunter Woodland stride
L7 – Hunter Teamwork feat. AC is Medium size, it can now be ridden.
L8 – Hunter Bonus trick
L9 – Hunter Second animal focus, swift tracker
L10 – Hunter Teamwork feat
L11 – Hunter Raise animal companion
L12 – Hunter Speak with master
L13 – Hunter Teamwork feat
1 – Combat Expertise (Brawler’s Cunning don’t need 13 INT)
3 – Bonus Outflank, Power Attack
4 – TW Bonus Feat > Lookout
5 – Risky Striker
7 – TW Bonus Feat > Pack Flanking. Feat > Mounted Combat
9 - Trick Riding (I'm guessing it wouldn't work because I'm using Breastplate) // Skill Focus Ride // Furious Focus
10 - TW Bonus Feat > Improved Spell Sharing
11 - Harrying Partners
13 - TW Bonus Feat >
Deinonychus or Small Cat if DM doesn't allow Dinos. I don't want to use Medium creatures for story reasons (I'm growing with my companion and eventually I can ride it) and also because if it goes Large I'd need to cast Reduce Animal every day wasting a Level 2 slot just to be able to move in dungeons if it were necessary.
1 - Armor Prof Light
2 - Iron Will
3 - Bonus Outflank
4 - Bonus Lookout. +1 INT
5 - Step Up
7 - Bonus Pack Flanking
8 - Combat Reflexes
10 - Body Guard
11 - Harrying Partners
13 - x
15 - Mounted Skirmisher
Starting STR of either Dino or Small Cat will be increased by +2 from Racial Trait and +2 from Animal Focus at level 2, which is permanent.
This way I can manage the low starting STR of both AC. I'd prefer to get the Dino because of its CON, which is 17 at level 1, compared to Cat which is 13 and could be risky.
I could use suggestions on:
The Second one will get 16 STR at level 4, and 16 DEX at level 8, but at the cost of having -1 in INT and CHA.
Third one it seems like a a waste of DEX, being so low and WIS as well. I'd need a lot of money into items to compensate for that.
At level 5 I'm going to have 4 BAB, which means -2hit/+6 from PA and -2 AC/+4 to damage, for a total of +10.
I'm not even sure if I should take Mounted Combat because my Ride check is kinda low and Furious Focus sounds a MUCH better option. Mounted Skirmisher doesn't sound so attractive when my mount is having Step Up.
Animal Companion Feats:
I think it's well rounder option. I get Light Amor, +2 to Will Saves and Step Up. These 3 seem pretty good imo, unless Iron Will is not necessary.
Usually my DM doesn't target AC, but considering I will riding it, it could turn up as a possibility.
Combat Reflexes+Body Guard= I see it as a decent option, but I couldn't think of anything else. It's only +2 AC, eventually it could be more with Benevolent armor enchantment.
Story.
Lunos Shortfoot was a merchant's child. As such he used to travel a lot with his parents trading mostly trinkets and some ale/wine with gnomes. Occasionally they would do some trades with some human settlements.
On one of these long journeys his parent's caravan was attacked by goblins, some were mounted on goblins dogs.
Lunos was able to pass unnoticed and hide. Thankfully he wasn't able to watch much of what happened, but he hard the screams. Until these days he still has nightmares about that afternoon.
Stray and lost, he did the only thing he knew: he followed the road. Of course things didn't turn up as he thought. He walked and walked, but no buildings in his sight.
Eventually he reached some farms. After a while a family noticed him and took him in.
Rest in on the works.
A couple of thoughts and options that worked for me:
Narrow Frame feat on your large cat overcomes most of your issues.
If you still want to stay small/medium +2 dex and weapon finesse might be an option.
Amulet of Mighty Fists with Menacing. With outflank and pack flanking you both get a +6 to hit as long as you are mounted/adjacent to your AC - Pack flanking is a feat I would get as early as possible - flanking while adjacent really helps while your AC is too small to ride.
Get mithral chain barding and don't worry about light armour proficiency.
With outflank and combat reflexes you should be considering paired opportunists as a TW feat.
A couple of thoughts and options that worked for me:
Narrow Frame feat on your large cat overcomes most of your issues.
If you still want to stay small/medium +2 dex and weapon finesse might be an option.Amulet of Mighty Fists with Menacing. With outflank and pack flanking you both get a +6 to hit as long as you are mounted/adjacent to your AC - Pack flanking is a feat I would get as early as possible - flanking while adjacent really helps while your AC is too small to ride.
Get mithral chain barding and don't worry about light armour proficiency.
With outflank and combat reflexes you should be considering paired opportunists as a TW feat.
Weapon Finesse is a big no. Just takes too many feats to get a simple 1/1 ratio when I get 1/1.5 with STR. Also I don't have many feats to spare, and I'd have to dip into Swashbuckler or Bard to get Dex to damage, and I'm already dipping into Brawler to avoid the 13 INT prerequisite.
Menacing property is AMAZING! So basically my mount gets a +2 to attack and I get it myself as well? Or does it work just for me? Because it says to all allies, so I'd assume it works for everyone, even my mount, as long as the enemy is being flanked.
And if I'm not wrong I can get my Mount an AoMF +0 with Menacing, right?
Light Armor, you're right, didn't think about it. I just need to get another feat in place of that one, thought I'm not sure which one.
Paired Opportunists is nice, won't deny it. It's also circumstantial and doesn't always happen. If I had a way to grant my AC trips it would be great, because enemies would have to get up, provoking, which would grant me a +4 because of feat and another +4 because prone, but having no realistically way to getting a decent Trip check (even more so with a medium animal) I think I will pass on this one.
Weapon Finesse is a big no. Just takes too many feats to get a simple 1/1 ratio when I get 1/1.5 with STR. Also I don't have many feats to spare, and I'd have to dip into Swashbuckler or Bard to get Dex to damage, and I'm already dipping into Brawler to avoid the 13 INT prerequisite.
I meant for your AC staying small/med. replace light armour with weapon finesse - +6 or more to hit at level 1. Actually just gone over it again and it is only really better for the cat and whilst small, so not worth it after level 3 - bad advice is bad - sorry. It is pretty sweet on the cat for those first few levels though if retraining is an option.
Menacing property is AMAZING! So basically my mount gets a +2 to attack and I get it myself as well? Or does it work just for me? Because it says to all allies, so I'd assume it works for everyone, even my mount, as long as the enemy is being flanked.
And if I'm not wrong I can get my Mount an AoMF +0 with Menacing, right?
Why yes, yes it is. Menacing works for any ally that is flanking the same foe your AC threatens - you, your mount, your friendly barbarian. If you and the barbarian are flanking and your AC is just threatening then you and the barbarian get the bonus.
+0 menacing AoMF is perfectly legit.
I meant for your AC staying small/med. replace light armour with weapon finesse - +6 or more to hit at level 1. Actually just gone over it again and it is only really better for the cat and whilst small, so not worth it after level 3 - bad advice is bad - sorry. It is pretty sweet on the cat for those first few levels though if retraining is an option.
For the cat and Dino not really good choices. I was also considering STR buffs because of the damage. You can hit 10 times, but if doing only 1d6 and no bonuses, kinda sucks.
AoMF helps, but when they grow they lose 2 DEX. I could potentially give them +2 DEX with the Racial trait, and then they would keep the +X bonus from Animal Focus, but at level 7, cat goes:16 STR - 21 DEX with +2 racial to DEX
18 STR - 19 DEX with +2 racial to STR
The difference is going to be DEX to Armor. Going full DEX at level 7 I'm already at 23 DEX (21 + 2 from Animal Focus + at least 1 from normal advancement), and my Mithral Chainshirt would start losing efficiency.
I mean, it's not a bad idea, honestly, at least for the Cat, but it would increase the price of Agile+Menacing quite a bit.
Do you have any ideas if you can actually mount a Deinonychus?
I was checking Magic Item Slots and I've noticed they're Bipeds.
I meant for your AC staying small/med. replace light armour with weapon finesse - +6 or more to hit at level 1. Actually just gone over it again and it is only really better for the cat and whilst small, so not worth it after level 3 - bad advice is bad - sorry. It is pretty sweet on the cat for those first few levels though if retraining is an option.For the cant and Dino not really good choices. I was also considering STR buffs because of the damage. You can hit 10 times, but if doing only 1d6 and no bonuses, kinda sucks.
Do you have any ideas if you can actually mount a Deinonychus?
I was checking Magic Item Slots and I've noticed they're Bipeds.
I mean, people can ride an ostrich https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_AaEpqtgiQ
I mean, people can ride an ostrich https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_AaEpqtgiQ
Holy, that's so strange. That's a good precedent, now I need to check whether I get the -5 to Ride or not
+0 menacing AoMF is perfectly legit.
This special ability can only be placed on melee weapons.
Alternatively, this amulet can grant melee weapon special abilities, so long as they can be applied to unarmed attacks.
An unarmed strike is always considered a light weapon.
Yep. looks OK.
/cevah
Cevah, glad to hear it works!
Does anyone have any insight on Stat Distribution?
I'm highly leaning towards
STR 16 -2
DEX 12 +2
CON 14
INT 8
WIS 14
CHA 10 +2
Though I have to say
STR 17 -2
DEX 13 +2
CON 14
INT 8
WIS 14
CHA 7 +2
Seems attractive when I get +4 DEX/CON belt.