Looking tor the tankiest build possible


Advice

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We're running Crimson Throne and are currently a little over halfway through Castle Scarwall. We were all under leveled when starting this chapter, but myself more so than my teammates at only level 11, and I'm pretty sure my GM doesn't like me as I've died (i.e. obliterated beyond the point of resurrection) 4 times while only one other person has died once, and the other 4 have not died. I'm tired of rerolling new characters almost every week, and want to just build a super tank. If the only attack I can do is an unarmed attack and I just stand there buffing and healing myself then that is fine by me. Only limitations are no 3rd party content, no gunslinger, ninja, samurai, or summoner, and due to table rules. I am unable to run monk, paladin, ranger, or alchemist. I'm still level 11 and have 83k starting gold.


I think you meant Tankiest, rather than Tackiest.

That being said, my advice is to talk to your GM in an open and non-accusatory sort of way, rather than creating an in-game-protest/troll character.

You might also want to seek input from the other players to check whether your perception of the situation is grounded.


It was supposed to say 'tankiest', but got auto-corrected. Been fixed now.

Also, can only run core races. Everything else is on the table.


I'd highly suggest a Paladin, but if you can't run that, perhaps something like an Invulnerable Barbarian would do?

Superstious + Human Favored Class Bonus gives you decently strong saves, Spell Eater gives you a reroll if you fail. Invulnerable Rager gives you substantial DR/-, you could grab Spell Sunder to negate enemy spell effects, and if illusions are trickery are a real threat, you could try and get Ultimate Clarity for non-divination (thus not blocked by Mind Blank/Nondetection) True Seeing on demand (though it's 2 shitty prereqs are kind of a tax, so I'd suggest against it).

With specific builds, it's possible to obtain something like 20+ DR/- through Stalwart & Improved Stalwart (Maybe not at level 11 though). Add Flesh Wound on top of that with some method of Rage Cycling (a Flawed Scarlet & Green Cabochon is a fairly easy method), and you have some incredibly strong damage mitigation.

Offensively, you could even counterattack enemies facing you by grabbing Come and Get Me. Then there's the Animal Totem line, that gives you Pounce, but also gives you scaling Natural Armor.

You'll definitely also want Raging Vitality. The boost to CON alone is great, but being able to Rage while unconscious basically means your Raging HP becomes your actual HP.

If you truly don't care about offenses though, you could try to go for a DEX based build (with Urban Barbarian, that actually happens to stack with Invulnerable Rager, or with Savage Technologist, that unfortunately doesn't stack with Invulnerable Rager). But being a sponge on the battlefield is boring and ineffective, and making DEX based builds work offensively requires a lot of investment.

Remember, if you are a tank who can't deal damage, the enemy can just ignore you and kill your teammates. You'd be surprised how fast you can go down without teammates there to watch your back.


Arcane blood rather is pretty tanky, having a 50% miss chance from being able to have displacement on them when entering rage.

You can make it even more durable by using ablative shield and the rage power that reduces non-lethal damage further, though I don't remember exactly what ask it encompasses.


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Arcane Bloodline Bloodragers are also a very good choice, that's true. Especially against physical damage, and especially at level 11 where they get Greater Bloodrage, and can cast a spell on themselves as a free action when they rage.

The best spell for tanking that they have access to is almost certainly Mirror Image. That said, beware long adventuring days. The spell you cast via bloodrage only lasts the duration of your rage, and it does still count against your spells per day.

If you use Crossblooded Rager, you could also add the scaling luck bonuses to AC and saves from the Destined Bloodline. The bonuses to saves you get definitely outweigh the downsides of Crossblooded, especially when you use the Fate's Favored trait.


Earth kinetic knight. Heavy armor and shield, DR/adamantine, samurai resolve (Unstoppable is the only bad one). Slap on Iron Will and a decent WIS and you should be pretty good at absorbing all sorts of punishment while also dishing out good damage. Your level 7 expanded element + expanded defense talent could be aether for an ablative shield of regenerating temp HP. Or you could pick any of the energy touch attacks from one of the other elements and not worry about extra defense.

Stack your CON out the ass with a good STR and a little DEX. After that, have a decent WIS and your other two mental stats are up to you. At 11, your start of the morning DR is DR 5 and you can boost it up to as high as your lvl (11).


Swashbucklers are pretty good tanks. With the right feats, you can be battlefield control with the ability to have teamwork feats with your flank buddy to make it really painful for the enemy.


Don't want to be too much of a bummer, but being the lowest level and being the tank just don't go well together. You'd be better off to seek a support role.


Ouch. It really sounds like a rough game if you've got to roll up yet another character, I'm feeling for you.

As mentioned above, the Earth + Aether Kineticist is always a neat way of surviving. Maybe combo it with Racial Heritage (Goblin) + Roll With It, to put you outside of range of full attacks?

If you can't go Paladin, you could always go with the rip-off "most survivable full caster if not for the crap saves" Pei Zin Practitioner Oracle.

If you want to fully embrace dying and telling your GM "touch luck", you could go for a Reincarnated Druid, and simply don't care about dying as long as there's a week in between your deaths + getting a restoration or two cast.


Texas Snyper wrote:

Earth kinetic knight. Heavy armor and shield, DR/adamantine, samurai resolve (Unstoppable is the only bad one). Slap on Iron Will and a decent WIS and you should be pretty good at absorbing all sorts of punishment while also dishing out good damage. Your level 7 expanded element + expanded defense talent could be aether for an ablative shield of regenerating temp HP. Or you could pick any of the energy touch attacks from one of the other elements and not worry about extra defense.

Stack your CON out the ass with a good STR and a little DEX. After that, have a decent WIS and your other two mental stats are up to you. At 11, your start of the morning DR is DR 5 and you can boost it up to as high as your lvl (11).

You could expand into water for the energy attack and take the expanded defense for an ac bonus too


pocsaclypse wrote:
Texas Snyper wrote:

Earth kinetic knight. Heavy armor and shield, DR/adamantine, samurai resolve (Unstoppable is the only bad one). Slap on Iron Will and a decent WIS and you should be pretty good at absorbing all sorts of punishment while also dishing out good damage. Your level 7 expanded element + expanded defense talent could be aether for an ablative shield of regenerating temp HP. Or you could pick any of the energy touch attacks from one of the other elements and not worry about extra defense.

Stack your CON out the ass with a good STR and a little DEX. After that, have a decent WIS and your other two mental stats are up to you. At 11, your start of the morning DR is DR 5 and you can boost it up to as high as your lvl (11).

You could expand into water for the energy attack and take the expanded defense for an ac bonus too

Kinetic knights get shields and water's defense doesn't really work that well with it (at all really) so aether's temp HP or air's ranged miss chance are actually better. Air has lightning too which could be good with magnetic and other nice tools like wings of air.


Make that Kinetic Knight a Dwarf so you can get the +5 to saves vs. spells with Steel Soul (it's not as though there's a ton of competition for your feats.)


Bloodrager with a protector Familiar.

Arcane for 50% miss chance

Or

Aberrant with TUmor Familiar and like 13 immunities and access to mirror image/displacement when taking rage.

Ask your DM if he allows Faster Healer working with Spell eater SU ability Blood of Life archetype... the huge debate on the subject and they will not grace us with a FAQ. I'm in the camp it does...some in a camp it doesn't. But if your DM says yes it does then Spell eater Archetype for the win as you can get crazy amounts of fast healing along with the protector familiar taking half as well.


Texas Snyper wrote:
pocsaclypse wrote:
Texas Snyper wrote:

Earth kinetic knight. Heavy armor and shield, DR/adamantine, samurai resolve (Unstoppable is the only bad one). Slap on Iron Will and a decent WIS and you should be pretty good at absorbing all sorts of punishment while also dishing out good damage. Your level 7 expanded element + expanded defense talent could be aether for an ablative shield of regenerating temp HP. Or you could pick any of the energy touch attacks from one of the other elements and not worry about extra defense.

Stack your CON out the ass with a good STR and a little DEX. After that, have a decent WIS and your other two mental stats are up to you. At 11, your start of the morning DR is DR 5 and you can boost it up to as high as your lvl (11).

You could expand into water for the energy attack and take the expanded defense for an ac bonus too
Kinetic knights get shields and water's defense doesn't really work that well with it (at all really) so aether's temp HP or air's ranged miss chance are actually better. Air has lightning too which could be good with magnetic and other nice tools like wings of air.

it works, it just has a cap

From the kinetic knight page
If she has the shroud of water defense wild talent, whenever its bonus would be increased by accepting burn, she instead increases the enhancement bonus of her armor or attuned shield by an equal amount (to a maximum of +5).


It does work, it just doesn't work well. It's not an efficient use of burn. Aether or air[lighting] are better picks for expanded element IMO.


Plus, if ive done my math right, with air you can get celerity and wings of air by level 11.


How are your characters created, point buy, if so, how much?

What else is in the party?

Pure toughness, I suggest Paladin.

Tough & flexible, Warpriest or a Magus.

Off-wall, Unchain-monk.


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Dwarf Metamorph alchemist.

1: Power attack: Shapechange 1X day (alter self)
2: Tumor familiar: protector archetype, hedgehog
3: Toughness, 25% crit resist
4: Shapeshift 2X day Spontaneous healing
5: Extra Discovery Preserve organs (discovery tax) Shapshift (MP1)
6: Wings, 50% crit resist
7:
8:Healing touch
9:
10:Mummification, Poison Immunity, Shapechange 5x day (MP3)
11:

There's some wiggle room in this build to go for extended potions and build to eternal ones by 16, or if its ok buff natural attacks with feats like Improved natural attack, eldritch claws, rending claws. Obviously some mutagen increase discoveries should occur.

But by level 11, you're immune to cold, poison, nonlethal damage, paralysis, and sleep. You have a 50% crit/hit resistance, can grow wings and fly, have an array of pretty terrifying monster forms you can shift to in order to get things like pounce, movement rates you need, or things like blindsense/sight.

Your familiar basically becomes a 50% hit point battery because of the protector archetype, and because its a tumor familiar kind of get fast healing 5. (it probably only comes out to like fast healing 2.5 all mathed out but you get where im coming from) and its likely to provide a regular +2 bonus to AC.

You still get mutagens plus your shapechange provides massive stat boosts as well. At level 13 you get Giant form which lets you turn into a troll for regeneration 5 as well. Once you're there, you basically heal 15 damage a round for 1 round/level and then 10 damage a round after that.

Without any magic, or any stat adjustments or traits or feats your saves at 11 are 7/7/5, or 9/9/7 vs spell effects. Incredibly tanky archetype.


Ryan Freire wrote:

Dwarf Metamorph alchemist.

1: Power attack: Shapechange 1X day (alter self)
2: Tumor familiar: protector archetype, hedgehog
3: Toughness, 25% crit resist
4: Shapeshift 2X day Spontaneous healing
5: Extra Discovery Preserve organs (discovery tax) Shapshift (MP1)
6: Wings, 50% crit resist
7:
8:Healing touch
9:
10:Mummification, Poison Immunity, Shapechange 5x day (MP3)
11:

There's some wiggle room in this build to go for extended potions and build to eternal ones by 16, or if its ok buff natural attacks with feats like Improved natural attack, eldritch claws, rending claws. Obviously some mutagen increase discoveries should occur.

But by level 11, you're immune to cold, poison, nonlethal damage, paralysis, and sleep. You have a 50% crit/hit resistance, can grow wings and fly, have an array of pretty terrifying monster forms you can shift to in order to get things like pounce, movement rates you need, or things like blindsense/sight.

Your familiar basically becomes a 50% hit point battery because of the protector archetype, and because its a tumor familiar kind of get fast healing 5. (it probably only comes out to like fast healing 2.5 all mathed out but you get where im coming from) and its likely to provide a regular +2 bonus to AC.

You still get mutagens plus your shapechange provides massive stat boosts as well. At level 13 you get Giant form which lets you turn into a troll for regeneration 5 as well. Once you're there, you basically heal 15 damage a round for 1 round/level and then 10 damage a round after that.

Without any magic, or any stat adjustments or traits or feats your saves at 11 are 7/7/5, or 9/9/7 vs spell effects. Incredibly tanky archetype.

Why dwarf?


Bonus to saves, bonus to con, metamorph doesn't need int unless you're building to have some extended permanent potions. The archetype doesnt do bombs or extracts. Because of the tumor familiar con has a quasi 50% boost in Hp it provides. The slow movement doesn't matter, you can spend 11 hours as whatever you want at the level the OP is asking about.

You COULD human for more feats and skills, or any other race really but the class downplays the dwarf weaknesses really well and without doing the fates favored/sacred tattoo thing in half orc you're not gonna match the +2 to saves with a bonus feat, and even then steel soul exists. Given the raw stat boosts a polymorph effect + mutagen provides, the +2 racial to a combat stat is going to be a little bit overshadowed. Since the OP asked for tanky I picked the one standard damage feat available. Since both monstrous physique and giant form don't absorb your magic items, you can pick up a long spear and whale away with massive reach and take advantage of the 50% power attack/strength boost for a 2hander.

Assuming a reasonable situation, you'll be large with a reach weapon, if you have a 16+2 (from levels) strength, a +2 item, a mutagen, and shapechange into a large monstrous humanoid (since huge may not fit) at level 11 you have 28 strength and your longspear gets +14 from stats and +9 from power attack, so +23 before any enchantments. seems like a decent amount of damage with reach 20'.


Crap, i just realized no alchemist....Sorry, carry on.


I recommend the Mobile Bulwark Style feat line. Makes tower shields much more appealing, and helps your allies too.

Liberty's Edge

I'm amazed no one has mentioned glory of old inquisitor dwarf with a ring of evasion. Ta Da, you have incredible saves, ignore any negative effects on a successful save for basically everything, grab heavy armor proficiency, mithril full plate, a shield, and your spells and you are ready to rumble! Take the Protection (defense) subdomain or the Liberation domain and you should be able to laugh at basically anything thrown at you. For added fun, you have 6 feats, so two are heavy armor proficiency and steel soul. Then take endurance, die hard, fast healer, and maybe one of lightning reflexes, ironhide, dodge, combat exepertise, and number of other defensive feats. If you use the healing judgment with fast healer, you should have like fast healing 7. Of course, can always go for that adamantine plate if you want dr 3 instead of 2 ac. For added fun, make it yourself (you're a dwarf after all) and save yourself 10,000 gp!

Liberty's Edge

Louise Bishop wrote:
Ryan Freire wrote:

Dwarf Metamorph alchemist.

1: Power attack: Shapechange 1X day (alter self)
2: Tumor familiar: protector archetype, hedgehog
3: Toughness, 25% crit resist
4: Shapeshift 2X day Spontaneous healing
5: Extra Discovery Preserve organs (discovery tax) Shapshift (MP1)
6: Wings, 50% crit resist
7:
8:Healing touch
9:
10:Mummification, Poison Immunity, Shapechange 5x day (MP3)
11:

There's some wiggle room in this build to go for extended potions and build to eternal ones by 16, or if its ok buff natural attacks with feats like Improved natural attack, eldritch claws, rending claws. Obviously some mutagen increase discoveries should occur.

But by level 11, you're immune to cold, poison, nonlethal damage, paralysis, and sleep. You have a 50% crit/hit resistance, can grow wings and fly, have an array of pretty terrifying monster forms you can shift to in order to get things like pounce, movement rates you need, or things like blindsense/sight.

Your familiar basically becomes a 50% hit point battery because of the protector archetype, and because its a tumor familiar kind of get fast healing 5. (it probably only comes out to like fast healing 2.5 all mathed out but you get where im coming from) and its likely to provide a regular +2 bonus to AC.

You still get mutagens plus your shapechange provides massive stat boosts as well. At level 13 you get Giant form which lets you turn into a troll for regeneration 5 as well. Once you're there, you basically heal 15 damage a round for 1 round/level and then 10 damage a round after that.

Without any magic, or any stat adjustments or traits or feats your saves at 11 are 7/7/5, or 9/9/7 vs spell effects. Incredibly tanky archetype.

Why dwarf?

For that sweet, sweet +5 to saves vs spells and spell like abilities, plus the con and wis for more saves.


Matt2VK wrote:

How are your characters created, point buy, if so, how much?

What else is in the party?

Pure toughness, I suggest Paladin.

Tough & flexible, Warpriest or a Magus.

Off-wall, Unchain-monk.

Stats are rolled. We use 24d6, drop the lowest 6, then use 3 die per stat, allowing a max of 18 points per stat.


blashimov wrote:

I'm amazed no one has mentioned glory of old inquisitor dwarf with a ring of evasion. Ta Da, you have incredible saves, ignore any negative effects on a successful save for basically everything, grab heavy armor proficiency, mithril full plate, a shield, and your spells and you are ready to rumble! Take the Protection (defense) subdomain or the Liberation domain and you should be able to laugh at basically anything thrown at you. For added fun, you have 6 feats, so two are heavy armor proficiency and steel soul. Then take endurance, die hard, fast healer, and maybe one of lightning reflexes, ironhide, dodge, combat exepertise, and number of other defensive feats. If you use the healing judgment with fast healer, you should have like fast healing 7. Of course, can always go for that adamantine plate if you want dr 3 instead of 2 ac. For added fun, make it yourself (you're a dwarf after all) and save yourself 10,000 gp!

Is all of that feasible at lvl 11?


A charisma focused Sword & board Paladin with Fey Foundling and Compel Hostility.

High AC, top tier saves, extremely powerful and efficient self-healing, opponents are forced to focus on him.


Volkard Abendroth wrote:

A charisma focused Sword & board Paladin with Fey Foundling and Compel Hostility.

High AC, top tier saves, extremely powerful and efficient self-healing, opponents are forced to focus on him.

What he said but I'd grab the Hospitaler-Paladin archetype.


Matt2VK wrote:
Volkard Abendroth wrote:

A charisma focused Sword & board Paladin with Fey Foundling and Compel Hostility.

High AC, top tier saves, extremely powerful and efficient self-healing, opponents are forced to focus on him.

What he said but I'd grab the Hospitaler-Paladin archetype.

Problem is I can't run another paladin. My last paladin got murdered and we can't rerun a class that we've already used.


DanEvans wrote:
Matt2VK wrote:
Volkard Abendroth wrote:

A charisma focused Sword & board Paladin with Fey Foundling and Compel Hostility.

High AC, top tier saves, extremely powerful and efficient self-healing, opponents are forced to focus on him.

What he said but I'd grab the Hospitaler-Paladin archetype.
Problem is I can't run another paladin. My last paladin got murdered and we can't rerun a class that we've already used.

The more I look at it the more I think you should play a caster since your so far behind in levels as to the rest of the group. And I feel it is terrible to punish you by keeping you under leveled and on the front lines (activily targeting you). You're going to be constantly rerolling when you're fighting things way above your pay grade.

Maybe a Wizard with a ring of invisibility as your arcane bond. Stay invisible, and summon lots, and shape the battlefield in a way that keeps you invisible and flying out of reach. If he still targets you heavy than it really is him picking on you at that point and you can confront him or just leave the game.


This is crazy powerful but is limited in what it effects. A Negative Variant Channeler Cleric that applies a condition on a failed save. There are a number of nasty conditions and the save scales with your level and there's a number of feats that can help.

Example -
Will DC (23) = 10 + 1/2 level (5) + CHA (6) + 2 (Feat: Improved Channel)
should actually be able to bump the DC up a little higher. This is to just give you a idea on what the save is vs it.

You should be running a bit better then a 50% chance to apply the condition on enemies. You don't need to be in melee (30' burst radius on you). To get the most out of this build is a bit feat intensive and you won't be dealing that much damage. What it does is stop the damage coming in to your party.


Diviner wizard with lots of Vanish spells prepped can almost always hide when combat starts and be pretty hard to find until they are ready to be found. Let the rest of your party die for a while.


Druid who wildshapes into a tiny bird and casts summons to tank.


Melkiador wrote:
Diviner wizard with lots of Vanish spells prepped can almost always hide when combat starts and be pretty hard to find until they are ready to be found. Let the rest of your party die for a while.

YES!!! And maybe stack a couple summons spells so I can distract my enemies while I escape if need be.


DanEvans wrote:
Melkiador wrote:
Diviner wizard with lots of Vanish spells prepped can almost always hide when combat starts and be pretty hard to find until they are ready to be found. Let the rest of your party die for a while.
YES!!! And maybe stack a couple summons spells so I can distract my enemies while I escape if need be.

Basically what I said but I said except I said take an arcane bond and make a Ring of Invisibility for 10k gold and not worry about preparing a vanish cause your always invisible...Take overland flight and stay out of reach...if the DM can still find you and kill you instead of going for the easier to reach and visible targets then he just has it out for you.

Grand Lodge

Matt2VK wrote:

This is crazy powerful but is limited in what it effects. A Negative Variant Channeler Cleric that applies a condition on a failed save. There are a number of nasty conditions and the save scales with your level and there's a number of feats that can help.

Example -
Will DC (23) = 10 + 1/2 level (5) + CHA (6) + 2 (Feat: Improved Channel)
should actually be able to bump the DC up a little higher. This is to just give you a idea on what the save is vs it.

You should be running a bit better then a 50% chance to apply the condition on enemies. You don't need to be in melee (30' burst radius on you). To get the most out of this build is a bit feat intensive and you won't be dealing that much damage. What it does is stop the damage coming in to your party.

There is a trait that give +1 to channel DCs if you want to further optimize.


If you're looking for pure ac and saves, may I suggest dumping all your points into wis, dex and con going Unchained monk using crane style, defensive spin and furious defence. I don't think you'll do much hitting, but I managed to get up to a 43 (47 against single target) AC at lvl 8, I'm sure you'll be able to do something even better with 11 lvls


If you want tankiest possible, consider the Psionics class: Vitalist. They heal like no other, and any time anyone in your party heals or cures attribute damage, you can re-direct the healing/attributes around through your Collective (even if you or anyone else in your Collective drinks a CLW potion).

You only need to take 1 level of Vitalist for the collective ability, so you could take 10 levels in something other than Vitalist if you want. But full level Vitalists (no dip) are extremely tough to kill, and they buff the living crap out of your group (thus further increasing their survival rate).

If you get the Psicrystal Affinity feat (which you should), you can manifest Vigor, Share Pain, and Inertial Armor, and share them with your Psicrystal via Share Powers (free with Psicrystal), it drastically increases your survivability.

Basically you'd have ~50-60 Health normally as a lvl 11 Vitalist, and because you're level 11, you can give yourself and your Psicrystal 55 temporary HP, and then Share Pain between you and your Psicrystal, and then buff up your AC with Inertial Armor and Defensive Precognition. You can cast Vigor endlessly as long as you have the Power Points to keep funding it.

.

Edit: Vitalists are SAD with Wisdom, and Autohypnosis is a Wisdom based skill that Psionic classes get access to, and it has a lot of really neat effects that increase your survivability as well, especially vs. Dying and Poisons.

I would go Wis >>> Dex > Int > Con=Cha > Str.

Pump up stealth too. You don't need line of sight of your Collective to buff or heal, so if you can find a really good hiding spot, you can manifest normally without ever even presenting yourself as a target. You need Line of Sight to establish your Collective, but once it's established, you just need to be anywhere within range of them. Later, your Collective range becomes:
At 15th level, a vitalist’s collective range is limitless on the same plane as the vitalist.
At 19th level, a vitalist’s collective reaches even across to other planes and dimensions.

.

Edit2: As far as a Vitalist Method that would synergize well with tankiest, consider Intercessor or Mender.

With Intercessor, you can force an enemy to attack a different ally or suffer all kinds of negatives to their attacks.

With Mender, your already impressive healing capability becomes such absolute bulls*** that it'll make your GM cry.

.

Edit3: With all your coin, consider picking up one of these:

Torc of Power Preservation

Aura strong clairsentience; ML 15th

Slot neck; Price 36,000 gp; Weight 2 lbs.
DESCRIPTION

This item is a band inlaid with precious metal, worn around the neck or upper arm. The wearer of a torc of power preservation manifests all powers by paying power points equal to the standard cost minus 1 (minimum of 1).

Every time you cast, reduce your PP cost by 1. You have no idea how much PP this will save you even in the course of one day. This Torc doesn't need to take your neck slot either, you can place it on your upper arm as well (basically slot-less).

.

Also, start saving up for one of these:

Pale Orange Rhomboid (Ioun Stone)

Price 200,000 gp; Slot none; CL 12th; Weight —; Aura strong necromancy

This stone absorbs your soul as the magic jar spell immediately prior to your death. You can’t transfer your soul from the ioun stone receptacle to another creature’s body, and are, for all intents and purposes, dead. While your soul is in the ioun stone, you can sense any life forces within 120 feet as though you were placed in a magic jar. At any point within 12 hours of your soul’s transfer into the pale orange rhombus ioun stone, you can return to your body as long as it is within 120 feet of the ioun stone. Upon returning to your body, you are unconscious and dying with a number of negative hit points equal to your Constitution score minus 1. If you fail to stabilize and aren’t healed after 1 turn, you die and your soul is not absorbed by the ioun stone. Your soul can be absorbed into a pale orange rhombus ioun stone only once per 24-hour period.

This thing basically prevents your death once every single day.

.

Edit4: As for Race, consider Elan. Immediate Action boost to saves or reduce incoming dmg is really really nice to have (see below). If you already have the Defensive Precognition power, these boni to saves stack. So you can have a guy with insane AC, insane Saves, Incredible Group Buffs/Healing, Un-ending Temp HP, Autohypnosis while dying, and just an all-around unkillable thing.

Resistance (Su): Elans can use psionic energy to increase their resistance to various forms of attack. As an immediate action, an elan can spend 1 power point to gain a +4 racial bonus on saving throws until the beginning of her next action.
Resilience (Su): When an elan takes damage, he can spend power points to reduce its severity. As an immediate action, he can reduce the damage he is about to take by 2 hit points for every 1 power point he spends.
Repletion (Su): An elan can sustain his body without need of food or water. If he spends 1 power point, an elan does not need to eat or drink for 24 hours.


Actually nvm, you can't be a Vitalist because it's 3rd party :P Lol ><


Ryze Kuja wrote:

Actually nvm, you can't be a Vitalist because it's 3rd party :P Lol ><

That's a shame, you were getting me excited there!


This is a theorycraft so far but hopefully it services you well

Cleric
Con>Wis>Cha>Dex(12 min)>Str>Int

Items(guesstimating for your price. Adjust for how it adds up)
Belf of Con +X
Headband of Wis +X
Cloak of Res +X
Full plate +X
Tower Shield +X
Ring of Counterspells(Dispel Magic)
Dazing Rod lesser
Scrolls of Deathless+Heal
Initiative Boosters like that 500gp ion stone

Domains
Defense + Love

Traits
Wayang Spellhunter + Magical Lineage(sanctuary)

Feats
Lv1 Persistent Spell
Lv3 Spell Focus(abjuration)
Lv5 Heighten Spell
Lv7 Scribe Scroll
Lv9 Open Feat. Preferably metamagic for Spell Perfection if your going to lv15
LV11 Preferred Spell(heal)

Main Spells
Sanctuary, Stunning Barrier Greater, Compel Hostility, Deathless, Heal, Deflection


ok so i read tanky as hard to hit\touch\grapple. and hopefully with good saves.

let me offer the tiny blade of fury (small actuly but you know)
halfing swashbuckelr - whirling dervish archtype.
helfing get +2 to cha and dex. this archtyp will give free dex to hit and damage with scimitars (while also making them count as piercing weapon for swashbuckler and other stuff)

now depand on how your gm count mihtril meterial for armor (does it reduce armor panilty by 3 and then 1 more for being masterwork or a total of 3 including the masterwork), you might need to spend a trait ( [ region - Sargavan Guard )
you will focus on defencive fighting so taking the other trait as aldori caution will give a +1 more dodge ac
feats you get are at levels:
1,3,4(combat),5,7,8(combat),9 and 11 for a total of 8 feats.
taking the following:
improved unarmed strike, dodge, crane style, crane wing, Crane Riposte, shild focus (buckler), Unhindering Shield (so you can use a buckler while crane style is on). and Cautious Fighter
all these and 3+ ranks in acrobatics (which you actuly should max for that Whirlwind Dance deed).
fighting defensicvly would be -1 to hit (from crane style and Crane Riposte) and 2(base)+1(trait) +1 (acrobatics) +1 (crane style) +2 coutius fighter) +7 dodge when figting defensicvly (with +1 more for dodge. and +4 more against melee attacks from crane wing) total of +12 dodge vs melee attacks.
lets go with the folloing equipment :
+5 mithril breatplate (25k for +5. 4k for mithril) 29 k
+5 buckler - 25k +150 for masterwork + what ever a buckelr cost.
+1 ring of deflection. 2000
+1 nat armor necklece 2000
+2 dex belt - 4000
+2 cha headband - 4000
+2 scimitar -make sure the magic weapon can shed light .for that blinding deed at level 11 -any magical weapon can be made with said option for free - 8000.
Swordmaster's Flair - blue scarf -2500. notice the FAQ about slashing grace state holding it still make the hand count as free for abilities that need a free hand -carane style.

so far total cost
29+25.150+2+2+4+4+8+2.5= 76,650~ out of 83k gold.
your melee armor class in crane style would be:
10 (base)+1 (small)+1 dodge+1 buckler+5 buckler enhancment+1 shild focus +6 breast plate+5 armor enhancment+7 dodge +4 crane wing+1 ring+1 amulet +3 nimble +5 dex (you might have more by now i took into acount only spending 10 points for dex +2 racial +2 belt)
total : 51 ac vs melee, 47 vs ranged attacks. touch ac of 32. at level 11 this hsould be stupidly high.
cmd is about 11(bab)-1(size)+5(dex)+12(dodge)+1(deflection)+10=38
for attacks id advice using the blue scarf for full potential and attacking with the reach when possible (should also help not getting to many aoo when using the dervish assult). and the swashbucklers "Dodging Panache" to step away from reach after the 1st attack is taken so no1 will get a full atack on you.
for saves you ahve the halfing +1 (+3 vs fear) racial. teh swashbuckler's charmed life to add cha 5/day for a save (you should by now understand that you need high dex and high cha. next is con and wis for saves,perception and hp) and with the rest of your gold get a cloak of ressitance.
if you think you have too much ac. consider trading the coutius figher for signature deed and making that blinding or Whirlwind Dance deeds cost 0 panache once per turn.
your offense should also be nice with a to hit at 11(bab)+5(dex)+2(magic weapon)+1(small)+2(training) -1 (defensive fighting = +20 to hit (and all your attacks will be +20 if you have 3 targets to asult). and reach
the damage sould be 1d4+2(magic)+5(dex)+11 with a crit range of 15-20/2. a bit under the level dps but still a very nice amount to deal while being close to unhitable (melee attack with +31 will need a nat 20 to hit,before dodging panache comes in)

finaly you might want to take the halfing alternative ability of "Fleet of Foot" and get the striding boots for extra move speed, again to fully utilize the dervish's Whirlwind Dance.


So many builds and so little time! I'm going to try to build out all of these classes y'all have recommended and then decide what I think will work best. Thanks for all the input!

Liberty's Edge

DanEvans wrote:
blashimov wrote:

I'm amazed no one has mentioned glory of old inquisitor dwarf with a ring of evasion. Ta Da, you have incredible saves, ignore any negative effects on a successful save for basically everything, grab heavy armor proficiency, mithril full plate, a shield, and your spells and you are ready to rumble! Take the Protection (defense) subdomain or the Liberation domain and you should be able to laugh at basically anything thrown at you. For added fun, you have 6 feats, so two are heavy armor proficiency and steel soul. Then take endurance, die hard, fast healer, and maybe one of lightning reflexes, ironhide, dodge, combat exepertise, and number of other defensive feats. If you use the healing judgment with fast healer, you should have like fast healing 7. Of course, can always go for that adamantine plate if you want dr 3 instead of 2 ac. For added fun, make it yourself (you're a dwarf after all) and save yourself 10,000 gp!

Is all of that feasible at lvl 11?

Absolutely. However, if you go the alternate route of instead of surviving everything that can possibly thrown at you (the above) to not being targeted at all, I recommend Sylph wizard for the following reasons:

greater invisibility in an archetype:
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/races/other-races/featured-races/arg-sylph/wind-lis tener-wizard-sylph/
Permanent supernatural fly speed: http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/racial-feats/wings-of-air-sylph
Great stealth checks:
Whispering Wind: Some sylphs are especially thin and wispy, as though they were made more of air than flesh. Sylphs with this racial trait gain a +4 racial bonus on Stealth checks. This racial trait replaces the sylph’s spell-like ability racial trait.
and of course darkvision, not being a target for hold/dominate person.
Random ac bonus: Breeze-Kissed Breezes seem to follow most sylphs wherever they go, but some sylphs are better able to control these winds than others. A Sylph with this racial trait surrounds herself with swirling winds, gaining a +2 racial bonus to AC against non-magical ranged attacks. The Sylph can calm or renew these winds as a swift action. Once per day, the Sylph can channel this wind into a single gust, making a bull rush or trip combat maneuver attempt against one creature within 30 feet. Whether or not the attempt succeeds, the winds are exhausted and no longer provide a bonus to the sylph’s AC for 24 hours. This is a supernatural ability. This racial trait replaces air affinity.
see through battelfield control spells from the lowly obscuring mist to cloudkill:
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/racial-feats/cloud-gazer-sylph
dont' breathe:
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/racial-feats/inner-breath-sylph

the windy escape spell (to negate sneak attacks and poison and things in case someone can see invisibility).

I would also suggest the conjuration (teleportation) school and the feat dimensional agility if you decide against diviner. I would not combine diviner and wind listener archetype, but still recommend sylph for a wizard. Summons that last 16 rounds are fun!
See cauldron of overwhelming allies, superior summoning feat, and of course spell focus: conjuration and augment summoning. Create pit series of spells are a blast against anything that can't fly! Summon Bralani to shoot people stuck in pits and / or lightning them to death.

Example: using a cauldron (note you can have more than one, they're cheap), and a rod of empower (if you want to go nuts), to summon (2d3+1)*1.5 bralani, or about 7, with a 6th level spell slot. They each have 2 6d6 lightning bolts and two 3d8+6 cure moderate wounds. Pretty handy. Of course, if you don't need spells, flight, intelligent minions, etc. just summon 7 dire lions :D

Liberty's Edge

blashimov wrote:
...7 bralani with 6d6 lightning bolts...

Note that if your target doesn't have electricity resistance, and even if they make every save, that's still 21d6 damage, or about the same as a failed save disintegrate. Except in a line. And 1 of 2 castings. And they haven't started healing, shooting with bows, scouting for you... xD

Shadow Lodge

It might help if we knew what classes you've previously played, their general build emphasis, and how they died.

~ ~ ~

If you're lower level than the rest of the party, a bowbarian does the trick nicely.


Y'know, rather than playing a Tanky class, why don't you play an Encounter-ending class instead?

Check out this link: https://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/41778/how-to-build-a-blaster-damage -wizard-or-sorcerer-in-pathfinder

Blaster Wizard Link wrote:

Paizo BLASTER CASTER build:

Goal: Pile on the hurty-hurt with direct damage spells. You don't need battlefield control if the enemy is dead.

Level 1: Take Sorceror: Crossblooded Orc/Draconic, Human, take Varisian Tattoo, take Trait: magical Lineage (pick spell), Reactionary (+2 Init)

Then take Wizard/Evoker -Admixture Specialist for your remaining levels. Why Admixture? Because you can change the element of any of your blasting spells on the fly to get around elemental resistances/immunities.

If you want to superspecialize outside of Evoker, take Sin Magic, lose two schools (Conjuration/Abjuration), gain yet another spell slot per level of raw power.

Key Feats: Intensify Spell, Empower Spell, Quicken Spell, Spell Perfection, Spell Penetration, Spell Specialization, Greater Spell Specialization.

End result: Crossblooded sorc orc/dragon bloodline 1, Wiz/19, Admixture Evocation specialist. Note: Can use Sin Magic for more slots. Sorcerer level allows use of spell devices from denied schools (Conj/Abjuration). Magical Lineage Trait allows Intensify for free on chosen spell. Spell Perfection allows free Quicken at higher levels.
Play Hints:

Take Burning Hands or Magic Missile as a Specialized Spell early. Burning Hands will deal more damage, Magic Missile has better long-term utility and keeps you out of danger. Every other level, you can change your specialized spell.

Add Greater Spell Specialization at level 7 or 9. Why? You can then memorize utility spells, and trash them for your blaster spell.

Change your specialized spell up to Scorching Ray or Fireball when you can, depending on campaign, typically at 5 or 7.

At level 12 or higher, change it to Fire Snake. Use Admixture specializing to change the element on the fly.

Use Fire Snake until higher levels. Why? High damage base and level 5 spell still leaves room for metamagic, esp Quicken.

Mechanics behind Choices: Orc blooded, Draconic: +1 to all damage spells, +1 to element of choice, retasked by Admixture = +2 dmg/die on blasting spells.
Feats

Intensify Spell: Increases caster level damage cap +5 to apply to a specific spell. Burning hands goes up to 10d4+20. Magic Missile goes to 7d4+14. Fireball to 15d6+30, Fire Snake to 20d6+40.

Empower Spell: Increase dmg by 50%.

Quicken Spell: Hit enemy with two spells/rd.

Spell Specialization: +2 to caster level with a specific spell. Helps bring the damage earlier and faster.

Varisian Tattoo: +1 to Caster level with a specific school (Evo). This buys off your sorc level.

Greater Spell Specialization: Sacrifice spells to power your chosen blaster spell. Means you can memorize utility spells freely.

Spell Perfection: Doubles fixed feat bonuses, apply one metamagic for free. An Empowered/Intensified spell with Magical Lineage is still its original spell slot. SPell Penetration doubles to +4. Varisian Tattoo to +2. Spell Specialization to +4. Effectively, you've got +10 on Spell Resistance rolls, and are casting 'Your spell' at 5 levels higher then your own.

Top End Damage: 30d6 +60 from Fire Snake, empowered, Intensified, average 165 dmg, save 1/2, level 5 slot. Quicken for another hit, 5th level slot, 20d6 + 40dmg, avg 165. = 330 blasting dmg in one round, save for 1/2. If you've a Rod of Maximize, you can lift this to 215 base damage.

Base level 5 spell slot is 20d6+40 dmg, 165 dmg.
By Level

At level 1, your Burning Hands should be 2d4+4 (avg 9)

At level 2, its unchanged.

At level 3, Spell Specialization kicks in. 5d4+10 (22.5). This tops it unless you Intensify it.

At 4th, 6d4+12 (27), Intensified BH.

At 5th, Intensified BH, 7d4+14 (31.5).

At 6th, you can shift Spec to Scorching Ray. 2x 4d6+8 (44). Your Fireball is 5d6+10 as well, or 7d6+14 if specced.

At 7th, 6d6+12 fireball, or 8d6+18 if spec. An Empowered, Intensified Burning Hands, if still the spec spell, is 13.5d4+27 (about 60).

8th - Empowered Scorching Ray, 2 x 6d6+12. E/I BH is 15d6+30 (74, max)

9th - Intensified, Specialized Fireball is 11d6+22 (51).

10th - Firesnake. E/Spec Fireball is 15d6+30 (74). Emp Scorching Rays are 3 x 6d6+12, or 18d6+36 (99 dmg). You can now Quicken a Burning Hands or Magic Missile as kicker damage in a round, although you've few slots.

12th - E/I/Spec Fireball is 21d6+42 (115) damage. You can now Quicken a 12d6+24 Scorching Ray.

14th level - A Specialized Firesnake now exceeds/equals an intensified Fireball. Fireball caps at 22.5d6+ 45 (123~) damage. An Empowered Firesnake is 24d6+48 (132) damage. You can now Quicken a 10d6+20 Fireball. Intensified, Empowered Scorching Ray tops out at 24d6+48 (132 dmg)

15th level - Spell Perfection. You can now add a Meta for Free. This will be Quicken or Empower. Intensified might be free if Magical Lineage applies to it. Caster level buffs for spec spell exceed +5, so top out at 20d6 dmg at 15th level. You will miss Spell Resistance rolls against CR appropriate enemies on a 1. Assuming Firesnake, you can now cast a Quickened Intensified Firesnake for 20d6+40 (110) damage out of a 5th level slot, and an Empowered Firesnake out of the same slot for 30d6+60 (165) damage. Using a 7th level slot, you can Empower both.

16th+ - Damage remains the same, higher level spell slots are open for use of other Metas or control spells.

Conceivably you could use Disintegrate to get a higher damage total, but the delay isn't worth it, and you'd lose the Varisian tattoo bonus.

If your DM allows you Twin Spell from 3.5, you can very, very easily clock in at 495 raw dmg/round. IF he allows Arcane Thesis, god help your enemies.

Basically all you need to do is get a build like this going, ensure that you have Fly and Greater Invisibility (so you can cast from Invisibility without dropping it), and invest in a Ring of Invisibility (so you can simply be invisible all the time whenever you're not in combat).

You can switch your Energy type between any element (Admixture Evoc) on the fly (so you can have a Firesnake that deals Frost dmg instead, if desired), and nothing is going to stand up to your dmg. This is basically an encounter-ending build because your party can clean up whatever your 20d6+40 (+50%) Firesnake doesn't absolutely obliterate. Meanwhile you're flying and invisible. As a Wizard, you can make excellent use of scrolls to help keep yourself buffed at all times.

Also, make sure you're full Stealth skill, so figure out a way to gain Stealth as a class skill and hopefully get Hellcat Stealth. Even though you're invisible, that can get defeated by so many things it's ridiculous. Stealth can almost only be beaten by opposed Perception (barring certain circumstances), and with Hellcat Stealth, you can Stealth while being actively viewed. With Stealth AND Invis AND Fly, your GM will be hard pressed to kill you.

.

Edit: One other thing to remember, you can cast Summon Monster while under the effects of normal Invisibility spell without dropping the invis. Summoning is not an actual attack that drops invis.


Sir Thugsalot wrote:

It might help if we knew what classes you've previously played, their general build emphasis, and how they died.

~ ~ ~

If you're lower level than the rest of the party, a bowbarian does the trick nicely.

So my previously played classes are as followed:

  • Zen Archer Monk; died by being engulfed by a trench mist
  • Alchemist; died when are party stumbled into the boss room waaayyyyy too early and the entire party teleported out and literally left me and one other guy behind
  • Witch Hunter Undead Scourge Paladin; party got split and I ran into a umbral dragon
  • Corpse Hunter Ranger; our barbarian got controlled by a dominate person spell and was instructed to kill the rest of us. Barbarian was already raging and had just been hasted when I got his 3 times for base damage 225


@ryze kuja: The that is the old optimized blaster build. With bloodline mutations, full sorc (no crossblooded) is the way to go for most optimized blaster build. Orc or draconic(pick your element) and with the mutations you can optimize your blasting dmg better and have more options for non blasting spells when they're needed.

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