Backlash3906 |
Okay, so this concept is just in it's earliest inception, but I figured I'd see what ideas could get thrown at me.
A human Barbarian, with the House of Green Mothers Pupil trait, can start play at first level with an Animal Companion and a Familiar at full levels equal to their level (character level for Familiar, Barb class level for the Animal Companion).
Animal Companion - Trumpeter Swan
Familiar - Chicken
I don't know how optimal the Swan is, and I know the Chicken is sub-optimal, but dammit, have you seen either of them get mad? I can hardly think of more fitting war beasts for a barbarian.
Is there any 4 level or less dip that would be worth it, as long as it was combined with Boon Companion to keep the Swan up to speed?
The Chicken would have the the Mauler familiar archetype, and I'm considering the Wrecker or Bully animal companion archetypes.
Thanks for any advice.
Gray Warden |
Why not Tengu?
If the point is just to have "birds", I would suggest Roc as animal companion and Hawk as familiar.
A very similar concept can be achieved with a Sacred Huntsmaster Inquisitor with Eagle domain, or a Cleric with Eagle and Animal domains. Tengu would particularly synergize in these cases given the +2 racial bonus to Wisdom.
Kitty Catoblepas |
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I don't know how optimal the Swan is, and I know the Chicken is sub-optimal, but dammit, have you seen either of them get mad? I can hardly think of more fitting war beasts for a barbarian.
You've obviously never run afoul of a peacock
Is there any 4 level or less dip that would be worth it, as long as it was combined with Boon Companion to keep the Swan up to speed?
Level 4 in Mad Dog Barbarian will allow your Swan to rage.
Primal Companion Hunter will add Evolutions for 1min/lvl. 3 levels of Divine Hunter will add the Celestial/Fiendish template.
2 levels of Eldritch Guardian Fighter will let your Chicken use your combat feats.
Backlash3906 |
Why not Tengu?
If the point is just to have "birds", I would suggest Roc as animal companion and Hawk as familiar.
A very similar concept can be achieved with a Sacred Huntsmaster Inquisitor with Eagle domain, or a Cleric with Eagle and Animal domains. Tengu would particularly synergize in these cases given the +2 racial bonus to Wisdom.
Human is necessary for bonus feat at level 1 to bring Improved Familiar Bond online without delay.
Roc definitely looks more powerful than the Swan.
You've obviously never run afoul of a peacock
Level 4 in Mad Dog Barbarian will allow your Swan to rage.
Primal Companion Hunter will add Evolutions for 1min/lvl. 3 levels of Divine Hunter will add the Celestial/Fiendish template.
2 levels of Eldritch Guardian Fighter will let your Chicken use your combat feats.
Peacock preserves comedy value, and Intimidate is as nice as extra HP, so I'll put that equal to the chicken. Hawk isn't as funny, but arguably has a more useful Familiar benefit for ranged builds.
Dangit, I meant to include Mad Dog in the opening lines of this thread. Yes, that's core to this build, as I don't know of another archetype that starts the Barbarian with an Animal Companion.
avr |
Halflings can get a boost to companions & familiars too via the caretaker alternate racial trait.
Peacocks don't just give a bonus to intimidate, they have the charisma to make use of it themselves as a familiar. Especially with the mauler archetype to gain medium size. If you can spare a couple of levels to eldritch guardian fighter, there are combat feats which use intimidate.
Oli Ironbar |
Before the ring of seven lovely colors errata, you could do somethings scary with a savage technologist half-orc barbarian with two levels of eldritch fighter and the amplified rage and sympathetic rage feats.
Essentially, when you rage, your familiar (possibly mauler) rages, then you rage even more. Savage technologist puts the added bonus into dex instead of strength, so you end up with +4 str, +8 dex, and +4 con and your familiar +6 str and +6 con. That would make some very angry birds.
Adding in another level of fighter you can take mutation warrior, and add an alchemist mutagen on top of that for +4 dex.
Oh the shenanigans you could once pull off. Now you need to become a Kitsune fox shape shifter to do the same, so a little less helpful for the bird build.
Gray Warden |
Eldritch Guardian dip seems solid, but what combat feats are good to share with a chicken or peacock? Amplified Rage is only a Teamwork feat, so EG won't extend it to the Familiar.
Give it a Ring of Tactical Precision. Other feats are clearly Power Attack, but also Cornugon Smash and Hurtful if you invest in Intimidate.
A level in Beast Bonded Witch lets you use any of your feat slots to give your familiar any one feat it qualifies for. A level into Spirit Binder Wizard will give your familiar any one feat it qualifies for in place of Scribe Scroll.