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Here's the deal. Building a Level 1 Mother's Fang/Emissary Cavalier for PFS, but I'm not sure where to take it.
Before choosing my Level 1 Feat, I have:
Mounted Combat
Combat Expertise (and qualify as having 13 INT for feats with it as a prerequisite regardless of my INT)
Exotic Proficiency (One Melee and One Ranged of my choice)
An additional bonus feat at Level 2
I also start with a Large Serpent Mount instead of the usual Horse. However, here's where my path splits into 3 ways I could go.
1: Starting with Mounted Combat, I could go the usual Lance Charger route. However, I really don't want to for a myriad of reasons. This is for PFS play, which means it will cap at level 12 and a large portion of my playtime will be low-level in pre-made modules. That SCREAMS narrow pathways, corners, and large teams. All that combined with a large mount means I'm not going to see much charging and I'll effectively have wasted a large chunk of my feats for most combats. Additionally, I'd be wasting my free Exotic Proficiency because most enchantment money would sink into the lance. Finally, having a sick Giant Snake mount only to play like every other Cavalier in existence is boring.
2: Starting with Combat Expertise, and that nifty "always meet 13 INT rule," and starting with Fauchard Proficiency, and functionally larger range by taking up more space by occupying my mounts spaces, I could set up for a mobile reach/trip build. It also has a more "exotic" feel for a Cavalier, which I like from a flavor point.
3. I could use a Falcata, and battle up close and personal. This would allow my snake to fight as well, which has one interesting caveat. When a Snake lands its bite attack, it can grapple as a free action. This would allow me to close the distance, snake attacks, grapples them, and I attack them while they're open.
I can't figure out what direction to take it, so does anyone any advice that might help, or perspectives I may not be seeing? Any obvious shortcomings I may not see, or rules that will set me one way or the other? Any ideas in general?
PS: Is there any way to get a mount to INT 3 fairly quickly? I want to get my mount "Death Roll." Thanks in advance!
Go with what sounds like the most fun. Option 3 seems like it takes advantage of everything the most, but based off what you wrote 2 or 3 should work.
Tripping sounds fun because it will give your serpent a better chance to grab. Maybe it's just because I've been on a double-chained kama kick recently, but... have you considered the double-chained kama? That gives you reach to go with plan 2, and also allows you to fight at close range to go with plan 3.
E.g., someone runs at you, and you try to trip them at reach with an AoO. If they fall, on your turn you move up, the snake goes for bite/grab, and you go for your (full) attack. Or if they don't fall, you can try again to trip them (at close range) and then the snake can go for its bite/grab.
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Anyone have an clever ideas for a Meteor Hammer? It has some interesting things that might synchronize well.
I can make a Trip Maneuver with Reach, but if I succeed I drag them 5ft closer, allowing my Snake to attack then grapple. I start with Combat Expertise and meet the INT 13 Requisites for free, so Improved Trip and the correlating feat tree are easy pickings.
It provides a +1 Shield Bonus to AC.
I can switch it to instead become a Double Weapon without Reach, then attack with just one end, effectively giving it 5-10ft Reach. Unfortunately this is a free action at the start of my turn, meaning no Reach AoOs so I doubt that would see much use.
Some major flaws in it though. If I do trip them, pull, and have my snake attack, that's a turn spent where I have to land a Trip Maneuver, an attack, and a grapple maneuver, all for 1d3+3 and grappled. If I get Greater Trip, I can't AoO on my pull because in "reach" mode I can't make the AoO, they're now 5ft close. Maybe something like a Cestus could, but that's not exactly the most damaging tactic.
On the flip side, ranged grappling can be a big lockdown tactic, because once they're inside my "bubble" they get one AoO grapple attempt moving away from the snake, and another trip/pull attempt when leaving my threatened square.
Any ideas on how to somehow get damage out of my trip or drags, or to somehow get the snake doing worthwhile damage?
Is there any way to get your snake Improved Grapple? If so, I would totally give up trying to do damage at all, and just have the constrictor focus simply on grappling. Then they are fish in a barrel for you to beat on.
I don't really see the point of the meteor hammer. If you make a trip attempt and DON'T knock them prone but instead just pull them closer... then you've basically wasted a successful attack to basically do what you could have done by moving 5 feet? Better to knock them prone, then 5ft step up for your snake to attack and grapple them. I still think double-chained kama is better, it's more flexible in terms of switching it back and forth between reach and close-range.
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Is there any way to get your snake Improved Grapple? If so, I would totally give up trying to do damage at all, and just have the constrictor focus simply on grappling. Then they are fish in a barrel for you to beat on.
I don't really see the point of the meteor hammer. If you make a trip attempt and DON'T knock them prone but instead just pull them closer... then you've basically wasted a successful attack to basically do what you could have done by moving 5 feet? Better to knock them prone, then 5ft step up for your snake to attack and grapple them. I still think double-chained kama is better, it's more flexible in terms of switching it back and forth between reach and close-range.
It's the movement, generally if I move up, trip, there's no 5 foot step left to move up and attack. For regular attacks I could always move my full distance up and just have the snake attack, but it's an interesting idea to have a wide reach of AoOs that pulls everyone in.
As for getting my snake Improved Grapple, I'm trying to find a good way to get him 3 INT so I can make him a grapple machine already.
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Is there any way to get your snake Improved Grapple? If so, I would totally give up trying to do damage at all, and just have the constrictor focus simply on grappling. Then they are fish in a barrel for you to beat on.
I don't really see the point of the meteor hammer. If you make a trip attempt and DON'T knock them prone but instead just pull them closer... then you've basically wasted a successful attack to basically do what you could have done by moving 5 feet? Better to knock them prone, then 5ft step up for your snake to attack and grapple them. I still think double-chained kama is better, it's more flexible in terms of switching it back and forth between reach and close-range.
Oops, I see the confusion now. What I want is to find a way to get the maneuver to damage as well, that way I can lock the battlefield down, hurting people as I pull them into my grappling snake. To find a way to add damage to the control.