Help with draconic herritage human

[Anger Nogar]

We are playing a high level game where everyone has receives a random race with one random alternative racial feature. I was rolled the draconic heritage feature which is cool and all... and that's my attempt to build around it.

Human (set in stone): Draconic Heritage (set in stone), Focused Study
Alchemist Beastmorph Vivisectionist VMC Fighter

1. Feat: Eldritch Heritage, Skill Focus: Intimidate
2. Discovery: Feral Mutagen
3. Bravery
4. Discovery: Vestigial Arm I
5. Feat: Power Attack
6. Discovery: Vestigial Arm II
7. Armor Training I
8. Discovery: Wings, Skill Focus: Stealth
9. Feat: Cornugon Smash
10. Discovery: Tentacle
11. Weapon Training I
12. Discovery: Bleeding Attack Rogue Talent
13. Feat: Flensing Strike
14. Discovery: Greater Mutagen
15. Armor Training II

Traits: Carefully Hidden, Omen
Str 25+6, Dex 17+4, Con 17, Int 16-2, Wis 14-2, Cha 14
AC: 23+6, Touch: 18+2
Fort +17, Ref +17+2, Will +13-1

Gloves of Dueling, Helm of the Mammoth Lord, +3 Amulet of Mighty Fists, +3 Mithral Shirt, Belt of Physical Perfection +4, Headband of Mental Superiority +2, Cloak of Resistance +5, Boots of Speed, Ring of Protection +2, Ring of Freedom of Movement, Wayfinder with Dusty Rose Prism Ioun Stone.

Beast Shape III abilities chosen (usually): Pounce, Blindsense, Scent and Burrow.

Pounce attack with haste: +34/+34/+34/+34/+34/+34/+34/+29
2 bites x 1d8+24 plus 8d6 sneak attack
2 claws and gore x 1d6+24 plus 8d6 sneak attack
2 claws x 1d6+24 plus 1d6 acid and 8d6 sneak attack (5 rounds/day)
1 tentacle x 1d4+16 plus 1d6 and grab

It has a devastating pounce for 5 rounds per day being able to tear to shreds just about anything especially if it relies on natural armor and is vulnerable to sneak attacks. The tentacle is reflavored as a tail slap and the character is mostly modeled after a black dragon (the burrow is more of a blue's thing, but oh well... I like blacks more *tongue in check*). In the few upcoming levels before the campaign's end (around lvl 17 since our GM starts feeling uncomfortable once lvl 9 spells hit the field) I will mostly be going after the eternal potion discovery. I realize the build is very vulnerable to a fight where it does not have a mutagen ready, but I actually enjoy that weakness since it leads to interesting encounters (or TPK... but you can't win them all).

Anyway, I need help with few issues in rounding up the build.
* The second armor training does not seem all that useful - is there some nice advanced weapon training option for this build that does not depend on fighter levels (since VMC gives me none).
* I like the poison option from Beast Shape III since it is black dragonish (well, not really, but close enough) and it is a nice synergy with the -4 saves penalty from the shaken and sickened condition that I apply with my attacks. How does it work though? Do I pick a poison from one of the creatures available for Beast Form III? Is the DC based on my levels and Con modifier or on the creature's?
* My Will save is lacking and I can't find a way to fix that before lvl 19 (probably too late) when I can pick armed bravery... getting dominated can be very bad for one of my allies within charge range. Are there any item based ways to fix that beyond cloak of resistance?
* Is the fighter VMC really worth it for the weapon training (+ gloves of dueling) and the bravery or I should go single class and pick Weapon Focus/Dazzling Display/Shatter Defenses and Iron Will with the VMC feat cost instead?

[CraziFuzzy]

DO you plan no actually using the intimidate? I'm wondering if you might get more use out of a level or two of a blooded class (sorcerer or bloodrager) instead of the skill focus + eldritch heritage. I mean, you're already giving up so many feats for that Fighter VMC, that to give up two more for the claws is a bit much.

Also, you can't take Eldritch Heritage until 3rd level, which since you don't HAVE a 3rd level feat because of the VMC, means you can't take it until 5th level. You can't take Power Attack in place of that at 1st, because you wouldn't have +1 BAB at first as an Alchemist. The other later feats (Cornugon Smash and Flensing Strike) can't be taken any earlier because of prereqs either. In short, the current build just doesn't work.

Starting with a level or two of bloodrager instead would mitigate a lot of these issues, give a little higher BAB, and the addition of the bloodrage might actually be more beneficial than greater mutagen (which would probably be lost going to later alchemist start.

[CraziFuzzy]

And very rarely is any VMC really 'worth it'. If you want it for flavor, that's one thing, but that's about it.

[Anger Nogar]

Well, my idea was to use the intimidate for Cornugon smash in order to stack save penalties either for my allies to use or for the eventual poison from Beast Shape.

Missed the part for the Eldritch Heritage. For some reason I though that draconic heritage removes all prerequisites from the first feat. I can still take something else and retrain into it I guess so that is not an issue.

The problem with taking a bloodrager level is that while its claws are always on and thus much better option - it really makes the draconic heritage obsolete which feels like cheating to some extend. Also it will probably stop me from getting eternal potion and it is really sweet ability.

Anyone with an idea about how the poison quality from Beast Shape III works for beastmorphs?

[CraziFuzzy]

Well, Draconic Heritage also gives you Darkvision (10 ft) and low-light vision. And nothing is really going to be optimized, because it's just not a great ART. That doesn't mean it isn't flavorful.

regarding the Grand Beastform Mutagen poison, I'd say that without clarification (which there isn't any) you'd gain any poison that a small or medium magical beast, or Dimiuntive through Huge animal might possess. Though, as a GM, I would certainly provide some limitiations, based mostly on the CR of the source critter, to make sure it's not out or the realm of the party's power level.

Giant Sea Snake is pretty good: high DC, long duration, 2 stats.
Riptide Horror is also very potent, but is a Tentacle-contact poison

[Anger Nogar]

But would the DC be based on the animal HD and Con modifier or yours?

[CraziFuzzy]

There is no rule that specifies that. If actually using Beast Shape III, you'd use the DC of the poison as written in the bestiary statblock that you are turning into.

The only 'rule' about it is from the actual Poison universal monster ability, which states that the saving throw is usually a Fort save (DC 10 + 1/2 the poisoning creature’s racial HD + the creature’s Con modifier; the exact DC is given in the creature’s descriptive text).

So - there's a formula, but also that the 'exact' DC is given in the creatures descriptive text. Would be up to your GM how to handle it.

[CraziFuzzy]

personally, you're looking at a 15th level character, I think the poison is going to have a pretty lackluster (if any) effect against most opponents you would be coming up against.