I have joined a game with a party of a: Cartomancer Conjuration-Focused Witch, An Evocation Wizard, and a Healing Oracle. Clearly to me, what this party needs to round itself out is a Melee Tank.
Problem is, I don't exactly know how to build a Melee tank. My typical Melee combatants are low AC Damage Dealers. I need a way to make this work. The party is Entirely Lawful, and a mix of Good and Neutral, so I was thinking perhaps a Paladin? Starting at 8th Level, looking for some good Feats/Equipment.
I'm not sure I agree with your analysis of the party's needs. First off, it is difficult to 'tank' in Pathfinder since there isn't a simple way to draw agro. So a single melee person can't really protect the backfield very well anyway, and unless you are really don't a lot of damage, they can ignore you. A Paladin will certainly do that with smite, but probably not consistently in every encounter if he was sword and board for high AC. A two-handed weapon Paladin, relying on swift lay on hands and hopefully being the only one consistently needing the oracle's healing would probably do a better job, particularly if using a reach weapon.
Of course a conjuration focused caster can certainly help provide a line, but to an extent if they are doing that they don't need you in the line (and you being in the line might deplete party resources more than if you weren't.) I might consider options for this party to not have much of a front line at all, trusting distance as the best defense to keep you all safe, and conjured monsters to slow down the foe until they were brought down.
With that in mind, I can see adding a 4th nine level caster being an interesting option. Either a druid planning to use summon natures ally or a summon monster focused reach cleric. Obviously you would want to talk to the player of the Witch first to ensure you weren't stepping on any toes, but both of you doing summons could really be effective and might be a better front line than anything else. You would also want to make sure the Oracle had a plan for something besides healing as well, since when it goes well you all won't need much healing.
With either a druid or a cleric build I'd build your character to be a second line, not charging into the foe, and possibly not getting into melee at all, but being in front of the more squishy elements. Druid would do this with Wild Shape and an animal companion, Cleric probably with the classic reach build.
The only problem I see with this idea is it leaves you really low on strikers unless the Oracle can build for good reliable ranged damage. Just relying on evocation magic to kill the bad guys is going to be rough, obviously after summoning the witch will probably have some abilities to take down foes, but some will have immunities that will be difficult to overcome. The summons can of course deal damage, but usually if you are getting enough to from a decent blocking force, even with two summoners, they aren't going to be strong enough to reliably deal all that much.
One solution might be to keep the theme of distance and build an archery based character (Paladin would work) and convince the oracle to do summoning as well as healing when needed (hopefully not often since you plan on keeping the foes at a distance) and you and the Wizard do the job of actually dispatching the foes.
I agree with the above post in that a tank is not neccesary, but it can work out just fine. Paladins are great tanks because they have awesome saves and can boost their ac to the heavens. I would say that fighters are also hard to go wrong with. If you want to be the classical tank though you are gonna take a ton of hits so find a way to be prepared for that. The paladins lay on hands helps a ton in that regard making them a step above other classical "tanks". I've had good luck with a long sword and shield with all the shield bash feats, but that does limit your offense a little. But also remember that if you are a tank that no one can hit, then the baddies will start to hit other people in your party less prepared to deal with it
brawler (shield champion)
with Covering Defense, Saving Shield feat
I have joined a game with a party of a: Cartomancer Conjuration-Focused Witch, An Evocation Wizard, and a Healing Oracle. Clearly to me, what this party needs to round itself out is a Melee Tank.
Problem is, I don't exactly know how to build a Melee tank. My typical Melee combatants are low AC Damage Dealers. I need a way to make this work. The party is Entirely Lawful, and a mix of Good and Neutral, so I was thinking perhaps a Paladin? Starting at 8th Level, looking for some good Feats/Equipment.
This screams Bloodrager. Be the guy who gives no Sh*ts, and wades through corpses.
Level 8 is perfect for a Primalist Arcane Bloodrager
Race: Half-Orc
Alternative Racial: Sacred Tattoo
Point Buy:
Str:19, Dex: 12, Con: 15, Int: 7, Wis: 10, Cha: 12 (+1 to Con @ 4 and rest +1 STR)
Traits:
Fate's Favored
Dangerously Curious, Transmuter or Community Minded
Bloodline:
Arcane
Feats:
Raging Vitality
(Bloodline): Power Attack
Arcane Strike
Improved Critical
C. Smash (pump intimidate and have fun)
For Gear buy a +1 Furious Adamantine Scimitar and use it 2 handed.
Armor- +1 mithral Spellstoring armor
Lesser extend rod
Lesser rime rod for frigid touch in armor.
Bloodline Powers:
1: Familiar (Familiar Folio Choice)Protector Archetype Hedgehog (+2 Will saves)
4: Lesser Beast Totem and Beast Totem rage powers
8: Keep this Power for Displacement or Haste while raging
12: Rage Powers: Come and Get Me & Greater Beast Totem
You will be tearing through encounters.
I mean...Invulnerable rager barbarian?
Metamorph alchemist?
Build a bodyguard style no archetype fighter and go into heritor knight+ Iomedae's fighting style?
Sacred shield paladin?
If you're wedded to the tank idea itl definitely give the healer something to do, but between conjurations and evocations "right up next to the enemies" probably isnt the safest place.
You could go druid for a little battlefield control, the front line could be disposable conjurations and an Animal Companion (I like goliath druid/ankylosaurus for this) and the evoker can blast away to his hearts content with only a single permanent party member (your dino) to worry about hitting, and you can even feat into spirits gift to make it immune to fire so fireballs away.
Tanks have their place, but they are not a primary role in this game. They are a secondary role. You are always "a tank AND....".
Overall- tank is a side category that you use to support your main one. It lets you survive and continue unhindered even if the rest of the party faces problems (example- a paladin that tanks can live long enough to use lay on hands/mercies to save party members when the enemy does an AoE status spell). And it lets you continue on as normal, even if enemies hammer you first.
Things like damage dealer, area controller, debuffer, buffer, healer, etc. You basically need something that makes enemies WANT to attack you first.
This screams Bloodrager. Be the guy who gives no Sh*ts, and wades through corpses.
Level 8 is perfect for a Primalist Arcane Bloodrager
I like fated bloodline personally- it applies to almost everything, since it hits both saves and AC. And after level 4, most of the bloodline powers are easy fodder for primalist.
Of course, since we are thinking about tankiness other than raw AC/saves with arcane, then maybe an aberrant bloodrager? They can be melee tanks since their reach allows them to play with enemies looooong before normal enemies can reach them. At its best, a reach build could infinitely kite an enemy, allowing them only one attack, while allowing you to get full attacks+AoOs.
Reach is also useful, since the '25 foot wide circle of pain' provides an excellent answer to 'I am a tank AND...'. Be a living obstacle that makes it hard for enemies to reach the quishy wizards in the party. Aberrant bloodragers can make that circle of pain even wider too....
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Bloodrager 1 alchemist x is among the most durable characters in the game. Steel Blooded gives heavy armor, Id rager buff up your weak save (Dedication), protector familiar further boosts saves, ac and HP. Mutagen, barkskin, resinous skin. Ablative Barrier increases the effectiveness of your healer on you. Other discovery help deal with crits. Mummification + ablative barrier is also fun.
Bloodrager with a familiar has more HP but less as and utility.
Druid with a bodyguard animal companion is a pretty good way to go for tanking. Melee in earth elemental form provides good defenses.
Eldritch guardians can make up the entirety of the front line. Mine is a martial master mutation warrior, reach and flight combine with good positioning will keep people off your casters. My familiar has very close to the stats of my fighter -1 level.
Suggestion : a martial/near martial build that includes a full up Animal Companion. Some examples: Hunter 4 / Ranger X, or Cavalier / Ranger
Why : 2 Meatshields in 1... The extra body may be very useful in keeping the squishies alive, especially at early levels.
Agreed. Hunters can make really good tanks with the right feats and companion, especially since they get either Precise Shot or Outflank for free at level 2 and bonus teamwork feats every 3 levels. AND all teamwork feats are automatically shared with the companions, who can be taught not only regular companion tricks but tricks from the Skirmisher Ranger archetype.
My current character is a hunter and her companion is a boar. With the trait Dirty Fighter and the feats Precise Strike, Outflank, Dervish Dance, and Pack Flanking, they are doing a lot of damage. It's constant flanking with extra bonuses to hit and damage. And I plan to give her Broken Wing Gambit and Paired Opportunist at levels 5 and 6, which gives a big chance of them both getting an Attack of Opportunity each round. The boar has the feats Iron Will to boost his low Will save and Light Armor Proficiency so he can wear armor. And with the Skirmish trick Vengeance Strike, if he's adjacent to an enemy that attacks an ally, he gets a free attack that doesn't use up his AoO. I will be giving him Medium and Heavy Armor Proficiency for his next feats so I can give him better armor and make it harder to hit him. He's only level 4 with a Dex mod of zero and his AC is 22.
And since my character is a halfling, she can ride him as a mount and move at his much higher speed. I could probably dip into Beast Rider Cavalier and not have to take the first level pony if the GM allows it.
A sword and board paladin or oradin with Shield Slam, Greater Bull Rush and Compel Hostility.
Bonus points if you take Fey Foundling.
I have joined a game with a party of a: Cartomancer Conjuration-Focused Witch, An Evocation Wizard, and a Healing Oracle. Clearly to me, what this party needs to round itself out is a [...] Tank.
Guntank. Has tank in the name, wears heavy armor, and fires small calibur cannons. The very definition of tank.
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Enlarged with a polearm = 6x6 massive square of battlefield control. (Or 6^3 cube if elevated or airborne.) Play a dwarf fighter with CON your prime stat. (barbarian/cleric[kurgess:travel/community] is a serviceable multiclass variant, but requires greater rules knowledge.) Take one of the several traits that let you drink potions more quickly. You'll need Combat Reflexes and DEX:14 (or Quick Reflexes rage power as the barbarian variant).