I've been idling around creating characters, and I came up with a concept for a Cavalier that deals enormous single-hit damage. After some tweaking, I came up with a Human Order of the Sword Cavalier. However, I fear that I'm misinterpreting the rules, as the numbers I came up with are absolutely obscene.
Human F: Mounted Combat
Level F1: Ride by Attack
Teamwork F1: Outflank
Level F3: Spirited Charge
Level F5: Power Attack
Combat F1: Vital Strike
Level F7: Furious Focus
Order F1: Trample
Level F9: Devastating Strike
Teamwork F2: Precise Strike
With the character's Strength at 20 and the mount's at 22 (accounting for an ability an Order of the Sword Cavalier gets at Level 8), The attack bonus and damage I've come up with is a whopping +19, 4d8+68, assuming that the character's charging on horseback with a regular, non-magic lance. As these numbers scare me, and I'd hate to drop the concept I've come up with for being too powerful, I'd like some help to be sure I'm running these numbers correctly. Here's my math/logic.
BAB(9) + STR bonus(5) + charge bonus(4) + height advantage(1) = attack bonus(19)
Lance base damage + STR bonus = 1d8+5
Wielding two handed = 1d8+5 + 2 = 1d8+7
Power attack (two-handed, lvl >8) = 1d8+7 + 9 = 1d8+16
OotS adds horse's strength on charges = 1d8+16 + 6 = 1d8+22
Charging from horsback w/lance = 1d8+22 x 2 = 2d8+44
Spirited Charge w/lance = 2d8+44 x 1.5 = 3d8+66
Vital Strike = 3d8+66 + 1d8 = 4d8+66
Devastating Strike = 4d8+66 + 2 = 4d8+68
The rules are a bit vague, but the way they are written, these are generally the numbers I come up with. I can get the damage bonus down to 4d8+56 if the horse' STR bonus isn't added until after lance charge and Spirited Charge, but that's still "solo the boss in three hits or less" territory. I enjoy combat, but slaughtering everything, while entertaining at first, would get really old, really quick.
Also, I haven't even factored in Challenge. Would the Challenge bonus to damage (9) be added before or after all those feats are accounted for? The rules don't specify, but I'm going to assume after unless someone proves otherwise.
You can't vital strike on a charge. Do you have a feature allowing that?
Vital Strike (Combat)
You make a single attack that deals significantly more damage than normal.Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +6.
Benefit: When you use the attack action, you can make one attack at your highest base attack bonus that deals additional damage. Roll the weapon's damage dice for the attack twice and add the results together before adding bonuses from Strength, weapon abilities (such as flaming), precision-based damage, and other damage bonuses. These extra weapon damage dice are not multiplied on a critical hit, but are added to the total.
Unless charging doesn't count as an attack action, I don't see why it occludes Vital Strike. Even if it does and I'm misinterpreting the rules, my party would probably allow it anyway, as it's frequently said that Vital Strike is nearly useless unless combined with Spring Attack, Whirlwind Strike, Cleave (and Greater Cleave), or charging.
Ok so excluding the house ruling that a charge is an attack action (it's a separate full round action) that brings us back down to 3d8+66 (Devestating Strike requires use of Vital Strike).
Lance base damage + STR bonus = 1d8+5
Two Handed Wielding = 1d8+7
Add Mount's Strength = 1d8+13
Power Attack = 1d8+22
Triple damage with Spirited Charge = 3d8+66
Looks like it checks out. But bear in mind that a Paladin can do very similar damage so long as he is using Smite Evil.
Lvl 9 Human Paladin
Human F: Mounted Combat
Level F1: Ride by Attack
Level F3: Spirited Charge
Level F5: Power Attack
Level F7: Furious Focus
Level F9: Trample
BAB(9) + STR bonus(5) + charge bonus(2) + height advantage(1) = attack bonus(17), probably 19 after charisma.
1d8+7 (Str) + 9 (PA) + 9 (Smite) = 1d8+25
Spirited Charge x3 = 3d8+75
So you aren't breaking the game, but it's definitely a good set up for a charge build, and the lost 9 points of damage is definitely made up by not being limited in uses per a day or to evil characters only.
Also, IF vital strike and devastating strike go out the window, you can add in other feats like Wheeling Charge (make a 90 degree turn in your charge).
Thanks, Anonymous Warrior. I'll be sure to bring up this clarification with my GM so that we can determine if it will be definitively house ruled or not.
Also, I've heard about Wheeling Charge, but I haven't been able to find it in the Feat Index. Am I just hilariously imperceptive, or is it third-party?
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Also, I've heard about Wheeling Charge, but I haven't been able to find it in the Feat Index. Am I just hilariously imperceptive, or is it third-party?
Wheeling Charge is from Cities of Golarion. The PRD feat index does not include 'Golarion setting' materials... only 'core product line' sources.
If dungeons are a thing going small and getting a medium mount is always an option.
Or, if the party plans accordingly, becoming a Small creature on a Medium sized mount - via Reduce Person and Reduce Animal.
There's also Narrow Frame and Dragon Style. Or a Giant Gecko and riding the ceiling/walls. Undersized Mount can help you ride medium as medium.
But yes, other than vital strike it all looks correct. Challenge would be added before the multipliers, giving you an additional +27 damage at the end. And yet, only by good luck could you down an equal CR creature (3d8+93 vs 115 HP). And that's using a 3/day resource. Against a boss (CR+4, 180 HP) you could do it in two hits... provided the stars align and Lady Luck comes down to bless you personally. There's a lot of weaknesses.
First off, you need to be able to charge. There's size issues, there's space issues, allies, difficult terrain, there's a lot of ways to hinder a charge. Ride-by-attack literally only addresses one of those (a charge normally stopping next to them) and comes with its own limitation (need room behind them to move into). The most common way I see this fail is the target using its turn to move to attack the cavalier. I don't think there's any way a cavalier can stop that except maybe making their mount faster. Second, your mount better be able to fly, because like half the stuff you fight can (I think it was half at CR 10?). If your opponent is 30 feet off the ground the whole thing falls apart.
If you can't charge you lose +4 on the attack. If it's not medium or smaller, you lose another +1 (high ground). You're attacking at +19, AC of a CR 13 (boss) is 28. You only hit 60% of the time in your ideal scenario (yes I'm aware magical gear would help here). If you lose the charge bonus you're down to 40% (55%/35% without higher ground). Also lost without a charge, 2d8+68 damage. 1d8+25 will kill a boss (180 HP)...
Oh, I knew it's a niche character and I wouldn't always get to exploit that niche, but I built him for a campaign that essentially takes place in the vast fields and plains of central and eastern Europe. There will be a few urban adventures, and we might even visit mountains or heavily wooded areas, but the game will mostly be taking place in the countryside. Anyway, I'm not too bothered about my character being reduced in ability in certain situations, as the rest of the party can easily pick up his slack.
The issue is that when I started out, I memorized the entire feats list in the core book before memorizing all the other rules and ended up using feats in ways they weren't supposed to be used. This caused me to develop a reputation for being a powergamer right from the start, even though I didn't mean it (or even really understand what a powergamer was). I just wanted to double-check online and make sure I had my math right and wasn't forgetting any rules.