I was curious how well the titled multiclass would work. So currently looking for suggestions. It'd be 8th level with a 25 point build. The druid aspect would be focused on Wild Shaping if possible. The Barbarian could have more feral, druidic, or shamanistic ways about them. The game this would go into is Mummy's Mask.
The original Monktopus build put forth by Lord Markov combined levels in Barbarian, Monk, and Druid. Some of his ideas are no longer legal.
I've been thinking of ways of combining Druid and Barbarian. There are a lot of 'shapes a Druid can Polymorph into that give a lot of Natural Attacks, and the Barbarian Rage Power gives you a +4 Strength which grants a +2 Attack and Damage on all those Natural Attacks. Seems kind of awesome.
I've also been thinking that Druid/Warpriest would be a powerful combiniation. You apply your increasing Sacred Weapon Damage to your Natural Attacks, then Grow 2 Sizes bigger when you Wildshape, and maybe buff yourself with Strong Jaw giving yourself another 2 sizes bigger for Damage.
The Triceratops Gore Attack does a lot of damage even for its Size, but it doesn't get any other Attacks. But Barbarians can get Claws and a Bite as Rage Powers, so I'm thinking that if you took 4 levels in Barbarian, and took those Rage Powers, then took 4 levels in Druid and took Shaping Focus, you can Wildshape into a Triceratops that also gets Claws and a Bite in addition to the Gore. What's next? A level in White Haired Witch and also get a Hair Attack, of course! Then take levels in Warpriest.
It's cliché, but Half Orc Barbarian. Take Sympathetic Rage. When you take levels in Warpriest, take that Archetype that gives you Tactician and a free Teamwork Feat. Take Amplified Rage. With that, all your Allies get a +6 Strength. You get a +8 which you can apply to a Bite, Gore, Hair, and 2 Claws. When you get to level 5 Warpriest, your Natural Attacks will be doing 5d6 after you self-buff with Strong Jaw.
I've seen the Monktopus. While I do not wish to create that, I can take similiar ideas from it to be put to use that'd help. I'd like to think of the barbarian rage as the fury of the animal you inhabit, nature's anger, etc etc. Highly useful. Though combining barb feats and druid feats will be tough. I don't think Sacred Weapon will work how you want it to; You first need a god who's favored weapon is Natural Weapon (I think), and then your size does not alter the Sacred Weapon damage dice (if i recall that correctly), so you might end up with worse dice although thankfully you can always use the better dice.
Shaping focus IS A MUST for this though, for sure.
Sympathetic Rage is neat...if you have a Badger companion.
Personally I don't like to level into more than 1 other class unless its to prestige into something requiring, as i find spreading oneself too thin makes you....kinda useless, and i especially can't stand 1 level dips that have no meaning.
You've given me a few things to think on though for sure, and things to look at.
If you are able to use the variant Multiclass options, you can take Barbarian without sacrificing Druid levels. Check the Character Advancement section of the pfsrd.
If that is not an option, see if your DM will allow you to take the Anger Inquisition or Rage domain as a nature bond. Or just play a Goliath Druid.
Ah currently we are not using those options as he's not a fan of them. Thats ok.
Currently I am thinking of working with an Animal Companion, but I will look at those two suggestions as those might be just as good or better.
and sadly, neither the Inquisition or Rage domain are acquirable by normal druids
Picking up an animal companions is easy, even if you use your Nature Bond to snag a domain. Take a look at the Animal Ally feat. Use Boon companion to fully boost its effective level.
Goliath Druid can get the rage domain.
Oooo nice yeah. I plan to use Boon Companion and Shaped Focus feats to maintain full Druid power, or as much as i can at least. Goliath druid is interesting, as the area I have the potential to come from IS Dinosaur related. I have the option to be a desert orc, a mountain orc or a jungle orc and its the jungle orcs that have access to megafauna and dinosaurs so its a possibility.
Ok, good. Goliath Druid saves you from having to dip to rage, and keeps Wildshape at full power. Also, the favored class bonus for half-Orc is +1/3 natural AC while Wildshaped. That’s potentially 6 more natural armor over the course of your career.
A good Wildshape feat to look at is Planar Wildshape. Nothing like turning into a fiendish or celestial version of an animal (or megafauna) and smiting good/evil. Level to damage on every attack. Vicious pounce attacks.
Question on Goliath Druid. There doesn't seem to be a limit on the size of Dinosaur or Megafauna you can turn into. Am I right on that?
Also, dipping into Rage Domain means I lose the Animal Companion. Animal Ally could give me one but it'd be....really really weak to the point i think i'd still have to use Boon Companion to get it to the equivalent level of like 5 or 6th lvl Druid. I don't like that idea so much really.
For race i'm currently looking at full blooded Orc.
Danzibe1989 wrote: Question on Goliath Druid. There doesn't seem to be a limit on the size of Dinosaur or Megafauna you can turn into. Am I right on that? It still functions like that of normal Wildshape, as in same size restrictions changing at different levels, but just limits the type of creature you can change into.
Quote: Also, dipping into Rage Domain means I lose the Animal Companion. Animal Ally could give me one but it'd be....really really weak to the point i think i'd still have to use Boon Companion to get it to the equivalent level of like 5 or 6th lvl Druid. I don't like that idea so much really. You do lose animal companion if you pick a domain, and it will be a bit weaker until you take Boon companion. However, you don’t actually have to summon the companion until you have taken the Boon companion feat, so there is little risk until the . You just have to be ... patient, or don’t use it in combat much. Roleplay it as being a juvenile animal and it needs to develop a bit longer. Or needs training.
Quote: For race i'm currently looking at full blooded Orc. Eh, personally, I’d take a hard pass at that. I find the half-Orc to have much more support in the game, and better alternate abilities. Besides, less issues with the local, civilized folk, than a full blooded Orc. If you are playing in a monster themed game, sure, I’d go for it, but otherwise... nah.
Ah currently the full blooded Orc isn't much of an issue, as its a commonly seen race in the Osirian areas, as my DM tells me. Though Half-Orc doesn't seem that bad off either. I think I definitely want something tribal based but not stupid either in terms of mentals.
Danzibe1989 wrote: I've seen the Monktopus.... I do not wish to create that I understand that, but it's still a special kind of awesome, though, isn't it?
Danzibe1989 wrote: Though combining barb feats and druid feats will be tough. Ah, I don't think it will be that much of a problem. Rage Powers should work just fine with Wild Shape. There are only a couple of essential Druid Feats: Shaping Focus and Natural Spell, and a couple of Barbarian Feats: Sympathetic Rage and Amplified Rage. They all enhance different things. You get Rage Powers at even levels and Feats at odd levels: it should be fine.
Danzibe1989 wrote: I'd like to think of the barbarian rage as the fury of the animal you inhabit, nature's anger, etc etc. Oh yeah! I am so there! I don't think that anything says Nature's Fury like a Huge, Raging Dinosaur with Claws Bite and Gore!
Danzibe1989 wrote: I don't think Sacred Weapon will work how you want it to; You first need a god who's favored weapon is Natural Weapon No, you also can activate the Sacred Weapon Ability with the Weapon Focus Feat. But the Green Initiates (I think that's the name.) have as as Favored Weapons any Natural Weapon a Druid might get with Wild Shape, Apsu and Dahak (Again, not 100% about the names, those Dragon gods.) have Bite as Favored Weapons.
Danzibe1989 wrote: and then your size does not alter the Sacred Weapon damage dice Sure it does.
Warpriest wrote: The damage for Medium warpriests is listed on Table 1–14; see the table below for Small and Large warpriests. You could argue that Lead Blades wouldn't work: Lead Blade make your weapon inflict damage as if the weapon were 1 size bigger. But if YOU are bigger, you do inflict more damage. And with Wildshape, it is you who is getting bigger. Furthermore, Strong Jaw also works with Warpriest Sacred Weapon Damage, under the influence of Strong Jaw, your Natural Attacks inflict damage as if you were 2 sizes bigger. So, Warpriest Sacred Weapon Damage totally sizes up with the Warpriest.
Danzibe1989 wrote: Personally I don't like to level into more than 1 other class unless its to prestige into something requiring, as i find spreading oneself too thin makes you....kinda useless, and i especially can't stand 1 level dips that have no meaning. I am quite confident that this character would be devastating and the opposite of useless, but if you like lots of multiclassing, then my Druidzilla build is totally not for you.
Danzibe1989 wrote: You've given me a few things to think on though for sure, and things to look at. That's all I was hoping for.
Yeah the Monktopus made me spit my hypothetical drink out when i read it.
As far as combining barb feats and druid feats, at that moment i hadn't given them a clear look over. I used too specific a term to cover a broad scale there. By barb feats I mean things to enhance rage, druid feats for things to enhance druid: Wild Speech, Natural Spell, Shaped Focus, Boon Companion, etc etc. Though granted, I don't have to worry about Wild Speech unless I wish to talk, and I think I'll forgo Natural Spell for now in preference of casting my buff spells before wildshaping and raging. After all, I am still very very strong fighting alongside my animal companion.
Good to know that bit of Sacred Weapon, thats incredibly useful to know along with the Green Initiate.
As for multiclassing, I mean that I probably wouldn't go into another class other than Druid/Barb unless...ya know...Rage Prophet? But that seems not so helpful and more detrimental to the idea. EDIT: Scratch that, it requires Oracle. But would still be detrimental
Danzibe1989 wrote: As for multiclassing, I mean that I probably wouldn't go into another class other than Druid/Barb unless...ya know...Rage Prophet? But that seems not so helpful and more detrimental to the idea. EDIT: Scratch that, it requires Oracle. But would still be detrimental Let's map something out a little.
You are a Half Orc Barbarian. You take the Toothy Racial Trait for your Bite. You take Lesser Beast Totem at level 2.
The you start taking levels in Warpriest. At level 3, you take Sympathetic Rage, gifting Rage you all your Allies. And now you can cast Cleric Spells, so you can cast some soothing healing spell on yourself to alleviate your Fatigue for when you come out of Rage. You worship that Evil Dragon God--Dahak, I think--so you also get the lesser Blessing of Destruction another global +1 Damage. His Favored Weapon is Bite, and you take Weapon Focus Claws. Half Orc Barbarian Warpriest of Destruction is a very coherent artistic composition: everyone at the gaming table will be picking up what you're putting down.
You need to take that Warpriest Archetype that has a Bonus Teamwork Feat and Tactician, Divine Commander, I think. Amplified Rage is a Teamwork Feat, so for this to work, you need Tactician or something.
In 2 more levels, your Sacred Weapon Damage is 1d8. I'd dip a level in White Haired Witch somewhere in there, and get another attack, but that's just me. If you are thinking of Goliath Druid, you are thinking Giant Humanoid, so why not then just dip into the Prestige Class Living Monolith and get Enlarge Person as a SLA?
Or just go Druid. In 4 levels on Druid, get your Wild Shape and Shaping Focus, and you are a Raging Dinosaur. It would take more levels to realize than Living Monolith, but the payback will be awesome.
I still think your best bet is just going straight Goliath Druid. By purchasing an amulet of the mighty fist (+1 and furious), and raging, you can reign down a pouncing apocalypse on just about anything.
Celestial Allosaurus (for Smite evil or fiendish for Smite good, via Planar Wildshape)
Bite +17 (2d8+21 and grab)
Claw +17/+17 (1d8+21)
Rake +17/+17 (1d8+21)
All that at level 8. No buffs (aside from Smite). You can fiddle with starting ability score or race, get a bit more or less damage.
In the middle of typing everything up (again), I started to have a slight realization about something. Is it worth it to have the animal companion? Is it better to just wildshape? The more i read other posts in his, the more nobody mentioned the Animal Company being WITH me, always replaced. Is this because the druids with Animal Companions have to focus more on the Companion rather than themselves?
I can see the point of not having one: Less time taking up the turn, you don't have to worry about a 2nd character, you don't need 2x the gear and items to make it just as good as you if not better. If you shapeshift in to the same thing as it, why have it when you're better than it?
Danzibe1989 wrote: In the middle of typing everything up (again), I started to have a slight realization about something. Is it worth it to have the animal companion? Is it better to just wildshape? The more i read other posts in his, the more nobody mentioned the Animal Company being WITH me, always replaced. Is this because the druids with Animal Companions have to focus more on the Companion rather than themselves?
I can see the point of not having one: Less time taking up the turn, you don't have to worry about a 2nd character, you don't need 2x the gear and items to make it just as good as you if not better. If you shapeshift in to the same thing as it, why have it when you're better than it?
I don't do Animal Companions. To my experience, they are just something for the GM to kill when he doesn't want to kill you. Plus, when you multiclass like I do, levels in classes that don't have Animal Companions do not advance your AC, and your poor animal falls behind.
Danzibe1989 wrote: In the middle of typing everything up (again), I started to have a slight realization about something. Is it worth it to have the animal companion? Is it better to just wildshape? The more i read other posts in his, the more nobody mentioned the Animal Company being WITH me, always replaced. Is this because the druids with Animal Companions have to focus more on the Companion rather than themselves?
I can see the point of not having one: Less time taking up the turn, you don't have to worry about a 2nd character, you don't need 2x the gear and items to make it just as good as you if not better. If you shapeshift in to the same thing as it, why have it when you're better than it?
I love animal companions. They can make your turn longer but prerolling or using an app along with already knowing what you want to do will fix most of that. I have run durids with animals that take less time the a the other casters at the table just trying to pick a spell.
Benefits:
- More total HP for the group. Each hit they take is one someone else does not. It's easy to keep most animal companions AC very competitive.
- Damage without using any pc actions. You can do damage and if built right significant damage. I have several builds getting 100 to 150 damage a turn between level 8 and 14. That's a big bonus.
- Special abilities, grab, sweep, trip, constrict all have their place. Mainly to mess up casters. Not all casters will have freedom of movement up all the time and getting grappled will make most of them useless. Sweep is great for druids because prone helps them hit which cranks their DPR.
- Movement for casters and archers movement is key having flight, or a higher movement speed by riding is an exceptional use of an animal companion. It also makes spontaneous metamagic much easier to use.
- Battlefield control. Taking up space and blocking charge lanes is a fundamental part of the game large creatures take up 4 squares so use it to your advantage. they can also flank with more people than medium size character so buy them a menacing amulet. When you combine high movement, size and AC you have a good flanking buddy.
- Bodyguard, if all else fails get these feats and focus on Con and AC for your animal companion. You can even grab extra traits and give them the ability to stabilize people. Now you have a free combat medic.
-Cracked Vibrant Purple Prism this ioun stone stores a first level spell. Every animal companion and familiar should have one. Through bless, moment of greatness, protection from evil, shield (for the animal only), mage armor, etc. any first level spell you for see needing on it and have them cast it for free.
Hope this helps. Animal companions are great. They require some but not much equipment and druids have spells that cover a lot of that already. Also who does not want to ride a flying tiger?
I'll type up what I have soon, hopefully get some ideas then from that and whether or not to proceed with an Animal Companion.
I want to second everything Grandlounge said about animal companions. I don’t mention much about animal companions (mechanically) simply because they are just another aspect of your character, and can be built so many different ways. Overall, you don’t NEED to have one (and I might suggest not if you are going to Uber pounce) to save some feats. A familiar might be a better option, if only for Protector archetype (effectively giving you a LOT more hp).
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