So I have a ratfolk boon and really liked the brown furred brown furred transmuter idea.
Str 7
Dex 18
con 16
Int 16
wis 10
Chr 7
Brown furred transmuter Arcanist till 9 then Magaambyan Arcanist arcanist
Feats
1st: Sharp claw
3nd: Sharptooth
5th: Toughness?
7th: scholar (Magaambyan Arcanist requirement)
9th: spell mastery. Ick. i know. Requirement
11th? Spell specilization Barkskin?
Discoveries
1 Dimensional steps
3 Replaced by archetype
5 Potent magic
7 Metamagic: quicken v
9 Replaced By archetype
Traits: Wayang spell hunter (reduce person)
Transmuter of korada (+1 caster level transmutation spells)
I can skip the Magaambyan Arcanist , if there's any feats i really need. The dimensional dervish ones are very meh for an arcanist until you can pounce, before that its pointless because you can dimensional slide then act.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
From a strictly functional perspective, Synergist Witch is far more dangerous for your purposes. If a Synergist takes Improved Familiar: Sylvanshee, they get inherent flight, a natural attack, and Pounce by level 8. They can also grab Divine Favor and Divine Power from Strength Patron. And they can throw Quickened Ill Omen, which is just awesome.
Anyhow, just figured I'd mention that; nothing wrong with a Brown Fur.
Spell-wise, if you're using natural attacks and poaching Druid spells, then Frostbite (Quickened) is a powerhouse option.
I'm trying to avoid leaving the bipedal phylum.. for once :)
I like putting unusual buffs on party members. This also lets me buff myself if things go oddly.
Well, the Synergist doesn't become a Sylvanshee. A Ratfolk would still be a Ratfolk, just with some odd features, like maybe shinier fur and Sylvanshee eyes... and teeth. General form remains.
Edit: there's also the Ward hex for an ally. If going Brown Fur, there's Contagious Zeal.
*facepalm* FOrgot the weapon finesse
Feats
1st: Weapon finesse
3rd: Sharp claw
5th: Sharptooth
7th: scholar (Magaambyan Arcanist requirement) (Depending on cash and gear, may make this Arcane strike until i near 10th)
9th: spell mastery. Ick. i know. Requirement
11th? Spell specilization Barkskin?
You know, looking at a character with Arcanist/PrC who's intending to melee, I have to say I'd be tempted to hop on one level of Snakebite Striker, go into Arcane Trickster, and then specialize in throwing me some Glitterdust and Persistent Dazzling Blade juiced with Potent Magic. By 11, that's going to dish out 5d6 Sneak Attack damage with every scratch.
Plus, of course, handing out blinded like it's candy on Halloween is hardly a bad thing for the old team-effort department.
it certainly seems like a fun idea but those first 2 levels look deeply painful since you don't get claws till three now :/
Ah - where is your melee damage coming from? Natural attacks are nice and all, but you have a 7 strength, no bonus damage unless you spend another standard action casting a spell, and you're not getting arcane strike until 7th or the abilty to polymorph others until 9th.
I guess you can get an agile amulet of mighty fists at 5th level or so, but even that isn't going to be amazing damage. Are you planning to use touch attack spells?
To be fair, a Brown-Fur gets the same bonus from being a Brown-Fur whether they use a level 1 size spell or a level 9 polymorph spell. Not using high-level spell slots for polymorph spells means they can be used for something else.
The worry with Reduce Person though is that using it as a small Ratfolk means going tiny, at which point you can't attack outside your square. Alter Self to go from small to small works for a +4 size bonus at least.
Damage with a huge DEX bonus and other bonuses isn't that bad when you can make three primary natural attacks. Throwing in things like Arcane Strike and Contagious Zeal helps. The Arcane Trickster route with a focus on efficient blinding spells would be a whole other level of effectiveness though, and fighting blind things is a lot safer for anyone, let alone for a low-hp caster.
Looking at the big picture, if the goal is to use a Ratfolk's own natural attacks, then I'm not sure Brown-Fur offers a bonus on anything other than turning into a Ratfolk too small to attack adjacent squares.
Agile amulet will add dex to damage. On a claw claw bite Helmet of the Mammoth lord and tailblade.
Pirhana strike may be a needed feat.That would put magambayan arcanist off the menu. There's an absurdly expensive spellbook that can do some of that though. Can an arcanist get a bonded item?
may switch the bite and arcane strike
Right now his schtick is enlarge the beatstick.
He's just hit 4 and can now add a +6 bull strength to said beatstick.
Burns a swift action but WELL worth it... thanks!
Also, adorable reindeer antlers
I did not take scent because of table variation on how it works along with having to remind DMs its there.
The pheremone arrow/bolt/sling trick is very nice. M foxform fighting kitsune hands out picinic baskets full of them :)
The point isn't to be a fluffy bundle of death (already have one) the problem with an arcanist, especially if they pre buff, is running out of spells. So for a plan B , the monsters come after the "squishy wizard" in the back...
And he tears their face off.
I need to take you shopping with me more often...
Perfectly viable at level 2 and 3. Enlarged beatstick and grease have been pretty effective. I don't expect the round 2 +10 strength and reach beatstick to be uneffective for 4th. (+4 size bonus from the improved enlarge person and +6 enhancement from the bears strength)
Remember an adventurer is part of a team. Wizard has some of the best buff spells in the game. There aren't a whole lot of ways to increase those buffs. THere's no DC to beat so i don't need spell focus, no SR check so i don't need spell pen, or a super high int to jack up the dc.
As for entering a square, teleporting into it doesn't provoke. BAMF whack. Or cast bamf whack (its part of a move action)
Hmmm.. extra arcana May be on the menu. Or i could just live with one less third level spell.
I guess five-foot step works vs. adjacent targets, which deals with most attackers. Shaky CMD and no reach to retaliate may mean being a CMB magnet for goons with nothing to lose though.