With some investment, Bull Rushing can be an extremely effective way to deal damage and support allies.
This hinges on the Soldier, Armor Storm Style, 9th Level ability Smash Through:
Quote: While you are wearing heavy armor or powered armor, you gain a +4 bonus to attack rolls to perform a bull rush combat maneuver (see page 246). If you successfully push the target back 10 feet or more, you can also damage the target with an unarmed attack (and can use your hammer fist ability when doing so). Now add:
Feat: Improved Combat Maneuver (Bull Rush): +4 to Bull Rush
Gear Boost: Massive Momentum: +5 to Bull Rush while wielding an unwieldy weapon.
Armor Mod: Juggernaut Boosters: When you move at least 20 feet toward the target before attempting a bull rush combat maneuver, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to the check, and if the attack hits, you can move the target an additional 5 feet.
Bonus Points: circumstances that lower the target's AC.
For more mobility: Take Blitz as a secondary style, allowing at level 13 the character to charge as a standard action at no penalty and bull rush at the end.
All combined, if you move 20 feet before the attempt: The Bull Rush attempt is at +15 and the target is moved an additional 5 feet. Because of this, as long as the check is successful you always deal Hammer Fist Damage. The target also provokes an attack of opportunity from you (probably again with Hammer Fist as you are wielding an unwieldy weapon) and from any allies along the path of movement.
Effectively: Attack at +7 over normal. On a hit, do Hammer Fist damage and then another normal melee attack at full bonus, and melee allies get an extra attack.
This is in addition to the benefits of moving enemies: you can protect ranged allies from melee enemies by swatting those enemies away, push the enemies off cliff/into acid vats, or just mess with their heads.
Adding to this, take 2 levels of Solarian and grab the Stellar Rush revelation. This is another way of letting you charge as a Standard Action, and more importantly allows you to deal fire damage on your bull rushes whether they're successful or not.
That could be fun! Not sure if its optimal - the build relies on heavy or powered armor so Solar Armor wouldn't do anything and such a low level solar weapon doesn't really do anything either. I'd have to look at what 2 levels of soldier really gets as opposed to the 2d6 damage and standard action charge. I do like the idea of a wrecking ball of armor hitting so hard it sets its enemies on fire.
It is a fantastic ability for Solarians though! They could also benefit from improved bull rush and/or juggernaut boosters as their attack of opportunity will be with a better weapon than Hammerfist.
The Armor Storm/Blitz combo is definitely already part of my prospective build; sadly, by 13th level I will be effectively retired from Starfinder Society scenarios. Still, the day that I can be punching twice with a bull rush is going to be a bad day for bad guys.
I have not found any good synergy with taking 2 levels of Solarian for Stellar Rush, sadly, but I'm sure that something interesting could be done with it with some elbow grease.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
The Bolida from the Alien Archive 2 are tailor made for this build!
Defensive Ball (Ex) As a move action, a bolida can roll its body into a nearly impenetrable defensive ball. While rolled up this way, a bolida can only uncurl itself as a move action, take the total defense action, or use its rolling charge ability. If the bolida takes the total defense action, its bonus to AC is increased to +5.
Rolling Charge (Ex) A bolida that is rolled up in a defensive ball can charge without taking the normal charge penalties to the attack roll or its AC, and it gains a +5 circumstance bonus to AC against attacks of opportunity during its movement. It can’t make a melee attack at the end of its movement, but it can instead attempt either a bull rush or reposition combat maneuver against its target with a +4 circumstance bonus to the attack roll. A bolida can’t use this ability again until it takes a 10-minute rest to recover Stamina Points.
Ravingdork wrote: The Bolida from the Alien Archive 2 are tailor made for this build!
Defensive Ball (Ex) As a move action, a bolida can roll its body into a nearly impenetrable defensive ball. While rolled up this way, a bolida can only uncurl itself as a move action, take the total defense action, or use its rolling charge ability. If the bolida takes the total defense action, its bonus to AC is increased to +5.
Rolling Charge (Ex) A bolida that is rolled up in a defensive ball can charge without taking the normal charge penalties to the attack roll or its AC, and it gains a +5 circumstance bonus to AC against attacks of opportunity during its movement. It can’t make a melee attack at the end of its movement, but it can instead attempt either a bull rush or reposition combat maneuver against its target with a +4 circumstance bonus to the attack roll. A bolida can’t use this ability again until it takes a 10-minute rest to recover Stamina Points.
It depends on interpretation, but that looks like they can't make a melee attack at the end of the charge/bull rush. The Armor Storm ability is technically an unarmed or Hammer Fist attack at the end of the movement...unless you rule that the punching is sequenced after the bull rush and thus is not affected by the rule in Rolling Charge.
I definitely like the idea though, and it super works with the Stellar Rush fire damage effect, no questions asked.
I'm now imagining a Bolida Envoy Duck Under build that is just Repositions, all day long.
Oh thats a cool race, I hadn't seen that!
I think the Smash Through damage would apply, but not the attack of opportunity (as the Bolida can't make an attack). Still, gets the bonus up to +19, or +11 over AC!
Thaago wrote:
Gear Boost: Massive Momentum: +5 to Bull Rush while wielding an unwieldy weapon.
All combined, if you move 20 feet before the attempt: The Bull Rush attempt is at +15 and the target is moved an additional 5 feet.
Not quite. Massive Momentum adds 5' to the distance moved IF you already succeeded. It does not add 5 to your result to enable you to succeed. So you get a +10 bonus, but if you succeed add a total of 10' to your normal result.
Ravingdork wrote: The Bolida from the Alien Archive 2 are tailor made for this build!
Defensive Ball (Ex) As a move action, a bolida can roll its body into a nearly impenetrable defensive ball. While rolled up this way, a bolida can only uncurl itself as a move action, take the total defense action, or use its rolling charge ability. If the bolida takes the total defense action, its bonus to AC is increased to +5.
Rolling Charge (Ex) A bolida that is rolled up in a defensive ball can charge without taking the normal charge penalties to the attack roll or its AC, and it gains a +5 circumstance bonus to AC against attacks of opportunity during its movement. It can’t make a melee attack at the end of its movement, but it can instead attempt either a bull rush or reposition combat maneuver against its target with a +4 circumstance bonus to the attack roll. A bolida can’t use this ability again until it takes a 10-minute rest to recover Stamina Points.
In addition to the other issues noted above, this would replace, not stack with, the Juggernaut Boosters bonus.
Nice catch on that Xenocrat! I read the "add 5 to the roll" and totally missed that it already had to be successful. This is really interesting, because the build only needs to move the target >5 feet for the damage to kick in, and that is already provided by Juggernaut Boosters. So no Unwieldy weapon required, which adds to the damage that the attack of opportunity can do.
With regards to the Bolida, the circumstance bonus would replace that of Juggernaut boosters, but the extra 5 feet of movement from Juggernaut Boosters would still be there.
So, revised original combo: +10 over base check, +10 to feet moved.
Could also use a non-unwieldy weapon for +10 over base check, +5 feet moved.
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Pathfinder Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Dracomicron wrote: Ravingdork wrote: The Bolida from the Alien Archive 2 are tailor made for this build!
Defensive Ball (Ex) As a move action, a bolida can roll its body into a nearly impenetrable defensive ball. While rolled up this way, a bolida can only uncurl itself as a move action, take the total defense action, or use its rolling charge ability. If the bolida takes the total defense action, its bonus to AC is increased to +5.
Rolling Charge (Ex) A bolida that is rolled up in a defensive ball can charge without taking the normal charge penalties to the attack roll or its AC, and it gains a +5 circumstance bonus to AC against attacks of opportunity during its movement. It can’t make a melee attack at the end of its movement, but it can instead attempt either a bull rush or reposition combat maneuver against its target with a +4 circumstance bonus to the attack roll. A bolida can’t use this ability again until it takes a 10-minute rest to recover Stamina Points.
It depends on interpretation, but that looks like they can't make a melee attack at the end of the charge/bull rush. The Armor Storm ability is technically an unarmed or Hammer Fist attack at the end of the movement...unless you rule that the punching is sequenced after the bull rush and thus is not affected by the rule in Rolling Charge.
I definitely like the idea though, and it super works with the Stellar Rush fire damage effect, no questions asked.
I'm now imagining a Bolida Envoy Duck Under build that is just Repositions, all day long. Oh my god that race looks amazing. Are some people getting the book already?
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
I have the PDF, yes. I've heard of at least one other person who has it as well in the product thread.
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