Avoron suggested a really interesting build here that's a full-caster -2 levels with a full BAB high fort high will familiar with high sneak attack that's always invisible and flying (and uses two otherwise nifty but not all that great archetypes). I wanted to ask if anyone had any ideas for expanding it (rather than derail the thread Avoron posted it in.
Quoted for convenience.
Avoron wrote: How about spirit binder wizard 3/carnivalist unchained rogue 2/arcane trickster X?
Pick the diviner (foresight) school, take the Magical Knack trait to make up for your lost caster levels, grab Accomplished Sneak Attacker to boost your sneak attack and qualify for arcane trickster, and then take Improved Familiar for a small aether elemental familiar with the school familiar archetype and the spirit of your beloved paladin family member.
Aether elementals have flight, blindsense, darkvision, a host of immunities, and most importantly, natural invisibility. With the carnivalist archetype, your familiar shares your sneak attack damage. With the spirit binder archetype, it has a full base attack bonus and good Fort and Will saves. It also gets a free feat, let's just say Additional Traits for Heirloom Weapon and The Vessel Between. It can wield its masterwork composite longbow and wear armor with no ACP (masterwork studded leather, darkleaf cloth leather lamellar, or mithral kikko). The school familiar archetype gives it an initiative boost, access to your foresight power, automatic surprise rounds, and at-will detect magic, while retaining share spells for crucial buffs like sense vitals and true strike.
By level 7, it will be making longbow attacks with something like +15/+10 against Dex-less AC for 4d6+2 damage, raised to 6d6+2 with sense vitals. If it doesn't feel like attacking, it can perform ranged telekinetic combat maneuvers with the occasional boost from true strike, or it can just fling creatures and objects wherever it wants to with telekinetic throw. This can be further boosted with buff spells, magic weapons and armor, bonuses to dexterity, and eventually (heaven forbid) sniper's goggles.
An Aether elemental is already proficient with longbows (it has Outsider HD) so it has a feat free. Rapid Shot seems like the best option, as Aether Elementals already have 13 dex and Point Blank Shot.
Sadly, the elemental subtype overrides the standard outsider proficiencies.
Elemental Subtype wrote: Proficient with natural weapons only, unless generally humanoid in form, in which case proficient with all simple weapons and any weapons mentioned in its entry.
Proficient with whatever type of armor (light, medium, or heavy) it is described as wearing, as well as all lighter types. Elementals not indicated as wearing armor are not proficient with armor. Elementals are proficient with shields if they are proficient with any form of armor.
You could, however, get it Rapid Shot by giving its composite longbow the training enchantment.
Oh, sorry about that. Seems like another interesting thing that doesn't get much much use otherwise.
Wonder if any Evolved Familiar options are worth the 13 Charisma cost.
Hmmm... maybe if your GM allows you to count "longbow" as a "type of attack" for the bleed evolution. Or maybe skilled (stealth) for the ultimate scout.
Since elementals don't worry about many Fort saves maybe your beloved deceased was an Avenger Vigilante (Full BAB, poor Fort, good Reflex & Will.)
avr wrote: Since elementals don't worry about many Fort saves maybe your beloved deceased was an Avenger Vigilante (Full BAB, poor Fort, good Reflex & Will.) That's probably a good idea - elemental immunities aside, Fort save effects are more likely to be single target and/or short range. With flight and natural invisibility, most of the danger to your familiar would probably come from area effects, and a good Reflex save combined with improved evasion makes those much less of a threat.
I don't think you can choose to make them an AVENGER Vigilante because that's a class ability you choose at level 1, not an inherent part of the class without special abilities. Ergo, they'll have medium BAB if you choose Vigilante (since they can't choose either Avenger or Stalker as they don't ACTUALLY have levels of Vigilante).
You're probably going to have to accept high BAB with Fort+1 other save.
Do arcane trickster levels increase the effective level of the familiar?
Doesn't need to. Spirit Binder bases the familiar's saves and BAB off the master's level (changing the standard rule that a familiar's save and BAB are equal to the owner) while Carnivalist only cares about your sneak attack. Level for familiar just gives some natural armor, intelligence (pointless for improved familiar) and worthless abilities.
deuxhero wrote: Level for familiar just gives some natural armor, intelligence (pointless for improved familiar) and worthless abilities. To be fair, there are several familiar archetypes that make this advancement rather important, they just don't stack with improved familiar.
|
