I want to find a way to reliably benefit from teamwork feats and flanking, specifically with a flanking partner I control that either cannot be killed, or if it is killed, be replaced quickly and easily without draining standard actions or longer. Any ideas on how this could be achieved?
An arbiter improved familiar is nearly unkillable (only when damaged by a chaotic-aligned attack), and with the valet archetype it can share your teamwork feats. Getting it moving again when it drops unconscious can take standard actions or waiting a while to wait for its regeneration to kick in.
If you have solo tactics or an ability to share teamwork feats then any familiar with the figment archetype is unkillable in the long run. In the short run it will take an overnight rest to come back though.
A monster tactician inquisitor can give their teamwork feats to summoned creatures. With the quicken spell-like ability feat they can summon an eagle or similar as a swift action from 10th level.
Vanguard is a good class to do teamwork feats with. You and your construct can take the same feats and flank together especially well. If you can talk another PC into taking Gang Up and Outflank, your flanking strategies can get downright nuts.
Another avenue might be a Gnome Illusionist (sorc, wiz or arcanist) who gets the Threatening Illusion MM feat.
If Psionics are allowed in your game, consider getting the Crystallized Creature Improved Psicrystal feat. (Psionics Augmented: Psicrystals Expanded PDF) They don't exactly get the teamwork feats you might want, but they are virtually unkillable as long as you have the powerpoints to fund Vigor/Share Pain.
An arbiter improved familiar is nearly unkillable (only when damaged by a chaotic-aligned attack), and with the valet archetype it can share your teamwork feats.
I hadnt looked into regeneration, thanks. In regard to valet/figment, I didnt think improved familiars could take archetypes?
Also although it would open up some windows I dont think my GM would allow the quickened spell-like because its a monster feat :(
Vanguard is a good class to do teamwork feats with. You and your construct can take the same feats and flank together especially well. If you can talk another PC into taking Gang Up and Outflank, your flanking strategies can get downright nuts.
Another avenue might be a Gnome Illusionist (sorc, wiz or arcanist) who gets the Threatening Illusion MM feat.
I'll be steering clear of 3rd party stuff. Does the threatening illusion actually count as an ally for teamwork feats? (I thought it only threatened and didnt count as an ally for other effects)
A hunter shares all teamwork feats with its animal companion starting at level 3. I actually have a character that takes full advantage of that, including the Pack Flanking feat to be flanking while next to each other. Throw in Precise Strike, Outflank, Paired Opportunists, and Broken Wing Gambit, you have a melee machine. My party has nicknamed my character Beyblade because of all the attacks I'm doing.
But if an animal companion dies, it takes a full 24 hours to replace. If you get a companion you can ride, some of the mounted feats can help protect it.
A hunter shares all teamwork feats with its animal companion starting at level 3. I actually have a character that takes full advantage of that, including the Pack Flanking feat to be flanking while next to each other. Throw in Precise Strike, Outflank, Paired Opportunists, and Broken Wing Gambit, you have a melee machine. My party has nicknamed my character Beyblade because of all the attacks I'm doing.
But if an animal companion dies, it takes a full 24 hours to replace. If you get a companion you can ride, some of the mounted feats can help protect it.
Yeah, I know the basic ways of improving defenses and taking/granting teamwork feats. (plus it takes a minimum of 24 hours for a new companion, that's significantly longer than a standard action and it relies on there being a readily available replacement animal squatting nearby...) I was looking for the "next level" stuff that makes something almost unkillable or immune to a wide range of things (like all magic or all non-magical attacks). Things like being incorporeal or having regeneration that is hard to bypass.
As an example, if I could get a familiar with reach and enough immunities to magical area of effect stuff I doubt my gm would actively try to kill it unless it actually started trying to attack things, so that would do. But like with the regeneration that avr mentioned, i'm sure there are a few things I have not yet considered that would work just as well, if not better!
In regard to valet/figment, I didnt think improved familiars could take archetypes?
Half right. They can't take those, you're right and I shouldn't have mentioned valet for the arbiter, but they can take those others which don't require trading out speak with animals of its kind. A figment familiar flanker could easily be a non-improved familiar.
In regard to valet/figment, I didnt think improved familiars could take archetypes?Half right. They can't take those, you're right and I shouldn't have mentioned valet for the arbiter, but they can take those others which don't require trading out speak with animals of its kind. A figment familiar flanker could easily be a non-improved familiar.
Any idea how to keep that arbiter from falling unconscious? I suppose there's that witch archetype that grants feats to the familiar (diehard feat would do it), but i'd ideally want to have the flanking buddy on a martial character.
Any idea how to keep that arbiter from falling unconscious? I suppose there's that witch archetype that grants feats to the familiar (diehard feat would do it), but i'd ideally want to have the flanking buddy on a martial character.In regard to valet/figment, I didnt think improved familiars could take archetypes?Half right. They can't take those, you're right and I shouldn't have mentioned valet for the arbiter, but they can take those others which don't require trading out speak with animals of its kind. A figment familiar flanker could easily be a non-improved familiar.
I suppose you could do it with a dip in beast-bonded witch and take the rest of your levels in eldritch guardian fighter or something.
If quicken SLA is out, how about quicken spell? A samsaran (mystic past life) inquisitor could get SM 1 or SNA 1 and take traits to make quickened SM/SNA 1 a 3rd level spell. Similarly a myrmidiarch magus could use spell blending to pick up SM 1 and get the advanced weapon training feat to pick up fighter's tactics.
Just found the Nycar improved familiar that has both ferocity and regeneration that is only stopped by cold iron. Might not be as uncommon as bypassing chaotic, but ferocity keeps it kicking through just about anything else, plus being a dragon it wont succumb to sleep or paralysis either.
Ill keep the summoning route in mind too though, always good to have more options.
Can you pick up "evolved familiar" if you have the "familiar bond" feat?
It lists "familiar class feature" as a requirement and as per familiar bond "You gain a familiar, as the wizard arcane bond class feature", so does that count?
I think i read somewhere that if something functions as a class feature then it counts as a class feature (i think the ability in question at that point was channel energy or something), but i'm not 100% sure at this moment.
Neither an arbiter nor a nycar has the basic 5' reach, but an arbiter can wield weapons and should be able to get that reach with a polearm. With a nycar you'd need to get the evolved familiar (reach) feat or something like that to threaten adjacent spaces.
Neither an arbiter nor a nycar has the basic 5' reach, but an arbiter can wield weapons and should be able to get that reach with a polearm. With a nycar you'd need to get the evolved familiar (reach) feat or something like that to threaten adjacent spaces.
Yeah, I know, thats why I asked the question about evolved familiar :)
Shadow dancer PRC gives a shadow which is pretty hard to kill.
In general though 'unkillable' or 'indestructible' are thin in the ground, it's no fun fighting something unkillable, and not particularly challenging to be unkillable - so not a lot of design space for it. Could see if you can tame a tarrasque!