Alright everyone! I've been bit by the concept bug, and it's telling me I should flesh out a Hound Master character, Frightening Warrior or Thug style individual who employs at least two other faithful companions who rip,tear and play fetch with that skeleton that crit our cleric! To clarify, I'm in need of advice on creating the most optimal yet true to concept character possible, regarding that I've looked at the options and these are the obvious ones.
Oh, quick note! This is concept so lets assume whatever DM we put this up against allows 3rd party, which is most of the people I play with, also no small races, I'm racist toward Gnomes!
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Ranger:Classic and timeless class, the ranger offers us the Beastmaster/Pack Hunter Archetypes, at first glance I feel like this might be it, but it feels like after the companion abilities.. the flavor sort of falls off and you're just a ranger with a big and smaller dog.
Hunter:Not bad, nice spellcasting with an archetype that allows a pack.. but it feels too gimmicky with all the aspect abilities, too Tiger and not enough Thug.
Cavalier:With Huntmaster we get ourselves the pack we want, some nice flavor.. but we lose a lot of power for the pooch, at least that's how I feel about losing the true focus of Cavalier, charging and banner.
So it seems like all I'm doing is complaining, and I sort of am, but that's only because I'm indecisive... so I need you, all-knowing forum to advise me in how I may create the perfect houndmaster, for a more visual concept I would go in line with Darkest Dungeon or if we go for something more frightening and clad in iron Creepy Cat-Dog Knight
Thank you for reading my gibberish, and for any advice!
Honestly - Okay, this will be cheesy.
Mad Dog Barbarian > Iron Will > Familiar Bond. Choose Fox, refluff it as a Dog, and give it the Mauler Archetype.
Now you're a raging barbarian with two dogs.
Alternatively, just dip 1 level into Eldritch Guardian Fighter for a familiar.
Also note that the Mad Dog doesn't have the usual limitations on animal companions. So if you wanted something other than dogs, something REALLY scary, you could get it.
A halfling barbarian riding a giant preying mantis is a thing you can do with mad dog.
Wild child brawler can get you a decent unarmed combatant with a pet dog - you can talk with your GM to see if they'll allow that animal companion to work similarly to the packmaster hunter's Pack Bond, so you can have a pair of them. If that doesn't work, the ranger's probably your best bet - appropriate combat style choice helps you to go after whatever fighting style may tickle your fancy, and VMC monk can help to boost your unarmed abilities if you like. To a certain degree, flavor is what you make of it; you decide how the character plays no matter what their class is, and you can always make feat choices to help reinforce flavor as well.
Ya know, that's actually extremely interesting.. and hell I don't think it's cheesy! I'll for sure take this into consideration, and if I don't go with it this time, I might very well do it another time, visualizing a Gnoll Mad Dog with two spooky Hyenas.
Wild child brawler can get you a decent unarmed combatant with a pet dog - you can talk with your GM to see if they'll allow that animal companion to work similarly to the packmaster hunter's Pack Bond, so you can have a pair of them. If that doesn't work, the ranger's probably your best bet - appropriate combat style choice helps you to go after whatever fighting style may tickle your fancy, and VMC monk can help to boost your unarmed abilities if you like. To a certain degree, flavor is what you make of it; you decide how the character plays no matter what their class is, and you can always make feat choices to help reinforce flavor as well.
That last part about flavor, PREACH IT MY FRIEND! Whilst I agree flavor is what you make it, the reason I was wary of ranger was that I felt like it lacked enough interaction with the companion, though that might just be me.
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I play a character like this in PFSP. Dwarf Cavalier Huntmaster he dose better then I though he would at first. I have played both ranger, and hunter as well. For your concept Cavalier will have more of the feel your going for.
Dwarf Cavalier : Favored class bonus +1/2 damage on challenge.
Bestial Challenge (Ex): Whenever a huntmaster issues a challenge, both he and his hunting pack gain the bonuses and penalties associated with his challenge. This modifies the challenge ability.
The problem you will run in to is needing to take Boon Companion twice. At lower levels this will not be to much of a problem splitting the levels for the animal companions. However as you make it past level 8 Both animal companions will be less effective, or you chose one to keep advancing and have one stuck at level 8. It's not something that will be a problem right away. However it is something you need to think about.
I was actually just about to post something along the last line you wrote Calagnar!
There was a third feat I recall also called Huntsman that adds 1 druid level, so at 20 both of these pooches are 15.. that's pretty far behind the Big Dog [Character]
OR half-orc. Half-orcs can take human-only feats, as can half-elves. And just imagine this big, angry half-orc stooping to the ground, sniffing alongside his canine friends, and then pointing forward in an axe-hand motion. The hunt begins.