Hello everyone.
I have been working rather diligently for a while now on a concept for a PFS character that I want to play. First off I am not looking for the most min/max'd or optimized option, I am just looking to do what I am trying to ask best I can AND not be completely useless/irrelevant when that one thing is not possible for some reason.
So, I am doing a trip/combat reflexes based "battlefield control" goliath druid. The main goal is to have him be able to stand between the bad guys and his squishy friends and keep the bad guys from closing the gap.
At this point I have things mostly together, but I am afraid that I will run into not being useful at all when I can not trip the enemy (IE flying or gargantuan). This build A)takes a while to get online and B)will cost me a rather significant investment in books, so I want to get some advice before I commit to it.
The back story on the character is lame, but basically an Oread who was too human so was abandoned by his family and ended up raised in the wilds by the forest, that just so happened to be a land full of megafauna (I am sure there is a specific place, but I have trouble being a lore person so I haven't looked into that). His animal companion is his link back to the original forest and is where his wisdom comes from. So without further ado, meet Fluffy:
Oread Goliath Druid 9/Mammoth Rider 1/Goliath Druid X
Alternate Racials:
Granite Skin (loses energy resistance)
Earth Insight (loses earth affinity)
Treacherous Earth (loses spell like ability)
Mostly Human (loses geniekin type, subtype, and languages)
STR 14(+2)
DEX 17 (Lvl 4 +1)
Con 14
INT 7 (Lvl 8 +1)
WIS 14(+2)
CHA 7(-2)
Favored Class Bonus:
SP
Traits:
Mammoth Master
Heirloom Weapon (Combat Maneuvers:Horsechopper)
Feats:
Lvl 1: Combat Reflexes
Lvl 3: Dirty Fighting
Lvl 5: Improved Trip
Lvl 7: Fury's Fall
Lvl 9: Greater Trip
Lvl 11: Magic fang
Lvl 2:
Bull's Strength
Carry Companion
Reduce Animal
Lvl 4:
Strong Jaw
Lvl 5:
Animal Growth
Preferred Wildshape:
Rock Troll
Important Gear:
By level 6 get:
Clear Opalescent Pyramid Ioun Stone (tuned for horsechopper)
When can:
Dueling property for horsechopper (the one from pathfinder society field guide that gives a luck bonus to cmb equal to double the weapons enhancement bonus)
Brown Thorny Ioun Stone
Gauntlets of the Skilled Manuever
Belt of Incredible Dexterity +4
Headband of Inspired Wisdom +4
Animal Companion
Stat Progression:
Lvl 4: Int
Lvl 9: STR
Feats:
Lvl 1: Toughness
Lvl 2: Power Attack
Lvl 5: Improved Overrun
Lvl 8: Improved Natural Attack
Lvl 10: Narrow Frame
I have done different number breakdowns on all of this, but that is more than I think I can get in a post and it is already huge... basically it comes out that once I hit lvl 6 if it can be tripped I WILL trip it with the horsechopper, but the bite is weaker and very questionable on how frequent it would trip, I am not even sure if that bite attack would allow me to try trip attempts on things within the horsechopper reach (I know it will let me make attacks with it, just not sure on trips).
Also actually attacking things is well...on the lower chances like even my first attack once I get an iterative was somewhere close to the 50% chance of hitting on equal CR average monsters...
SOOO does anyone have any advice?
Please and thank you.
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You should try to find room for Phalanx Formation. It will let you ignore cover provided by allies while using your polearm. That's important, because the cover would prevent you from gaining attacks of opportunity (also, +4 enemy AC).
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Maybe make your belt of Dexterity and Strength. It seems unlikely to me you will be getting 6+ aoo around but being better at tripping will be worth it.
What is Magic Fang feat (lvl 11)?
You need to get in position on the battle field so Dwarf Blooded (Oread) may help with that. Assuming your wearing armor.
Look at Aspect of the Wolf as a 5th level spell and Aspect of the Bear as a second level spell.
You should try to find room for Phalanx Formation. It will let you ignore cover provided by allies while using your polearm. That's important, because the cover would prevent you from gaining attacks of opportunity (also, +4 enemy AC).
That would be important, I am not sure how I can fit it though. Is there any way to get it in an alternate way, like how I got weapon proficiency?
I have been considering a fighter dip to get the proficiency and that would give me an extra feat, but it wouls cost me too much on my spell/AC/wildshape progression I think.
My hope is to be able to use positioning and focus on getting people that are trying to move from frontliners to the squishies.
Maybe make your belt of Dexterity and Strength. It seems unlikely to me you will be getting 6+ aoo around but being better at tripping will be worth it.
What is Magic Fang feat (lvl 11)?
You need to get in position on the battle field so Dwarf Blooded (Oread) may help with that. Assuming your wearing armor.
Look at Aspect of the Wolf as a 5th level spell and Aspect of the Bear as a second level spell.
Balancing the belt might help, I was considering the STR ioun stone if/when I can afford it, because the DEX is for my armor too and since I lose some in the wildshape process it seemed quite important. Neither one gains or loses anything on a trip attempt because the Fury's Fall gives me DEX to CMB on trip along with STR.
The lvl 11 thing was an editing mistake...
It should be:
LvL 11: Shaping Focus
Spells:
Lvl 1: Magic Fang
As far as armor, because of the no metal restrictions I was looking at a Lamellar(Leather) in Darkleaf.
As far as the aspect spells, I understood that sinve they were subschool polymorph spells I could not stack them with my wildshape, they would be good if I could use them though.
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Good catch on the Aspect spells. Now that I read them they are weird. A GM could take away darkvision if it was cast.
I like the idea of going more strength so you can do damage when you are done tripping or if something is too big to trip/fly etc. But AC is a problem.
Movement speed, I realized will become less of a problem as you will get the trolls movement speed there are some with 40ft.
I was trying to avoid dipping but looking over everthing now I would consider this:
Fighter 1/Druid x
STR 16
DEX 16
Con 14
INT 8
WIS 14
CHA 8
Feats:
Lvl 1: Combat Reflexes F:Power Attack
Lvl 3: Dirty Fighting
Lvl 5: Improved Trip
Lvl 7: Fury's Fall
Lvl 9: Greater Trip
Lvl 11: Magic fang
Now you can wear stone plate and use Fauchard using the Ioun Stone you were going to buy anyway. I would stick with high movement giants and trolls.
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You should try to find room for Phalanx Formation. It will let you ignore cover provided by allies while using your polearm. That's important, because the cover would prevent you from gaining attacks of opportunity (also, +4 enemy AC).That would be important, I am not sure how I can fit it though. Is there any way to get it in an alternate way, like how I got weapon proficiency?
I have been considering a fighter dip to get the proficiency and that would give me an extra feat, but it wouls cost me too much on my spell/AC/wildshape progression I think.
My hope is to be able to use positioning and focus on getting people that are trying to move from frontliners to the squishies.
I would say it's more important than Fury's Fall, for example.
I don't think you need phalanx formation. If you are in large or huge giant form (or animal form for that matter) your allies shouldn't be providing your enemies with cover unless they are also large+
Any creature with a space larger than 5 feet (1 square) determines cover against melee attacks slightly differently than smaller creatures do. Such a creature can choose any square that it occupies to determine if an opponent has cover against its melee attacks. Similarly, when making a melee attack against such a creature, you can pick any of the squares it occupies to determine if it has cover against you.
Even if they do provide cover, it will most likely be partial cover:
If a creature has cover, but more than half the creature is visible, its cover bonus is reduced to a +2 to AC and a +1 bonus on Reflex saving throws. This partial cover is subject to the GM‘s discretion.
if you want to improve your trip capability vs foes not immune, consider this trait:
Edit: I'm not sure that's pfs legal, so no help there.
Regardless, I don't think you need Mammoth Master unless you plan to "push" the mount a lot. You get that same bonus from it being an animal companion via "link". A few skill points and maybe a circlet of persuasion should take care of your Handle Animal needs.