Hey everyone. I'm going to be starting a new campaign here in a few weeks, and from the look of it, it's the perfect opportunity to break out something a little different. Essentially, I'd like to build something along the lines of Yorick from League of Legends (rework not original).
Basically, he's a juggernaut character who carries a massive shovel and can raise little ghouls and command them to attack his enemies. I know a cleric could be good for this, but he also has a lot of health and really solid melee damage. I'm looking for some ideas on how to build this guy. My best ideas so far are either a warpriest or bloodrager. Any help would be appreciated. thanks.
I'd say go cleric, with a one level dip in UnMonk.
Unmonk Gets you proficiency in the monks shovel, an extra attack(auto attack reset) and AC based on WIS, letting you pump that stat for better spellcasting while avoiding needing to wear armor, which will probably be used entirely on self buffs and animate dead for the mistwalkers. Also its a d10 HD full bab dip.
Do you want a full build done or just suggestions BTW?
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Warpriest of a deity that's fine with raising the undead. From there, use your combat feats to run doen the Shikigami Style fear line for that shovel.
I did it with a Makeshift Scrapper Rogue. 4d6 shovel is sweet. And with Improvisational Focus, your spiritual weapon would make that better.
I didn't think about a Monk. Both ideas seem interesting. I'll give them a look. He doesn't wear armor but he does have a lot of health and he hits like a freight train.
Also consider a Necromancy Occultist if you want to have a cheap, re-usable source of undead minions through their Necromantic Servant focus power:
Necromantic Servant (Sp)
As a standard action, you can expend 1 point of mental focus to raise a single human skeleton or human zombie from the ground to serve you for 10 minutes per occultist level you possess or until it is destroyed, whichever comes first. This servant has a number of hit points equal to 1/2 your maximum hit point total (not adjusted for temporary hit points or other temporary increases). It also uses your base attack bonus and gains a bonus on damage rolls equal to 1/2 your occultist level. At 5th level, whenever the necromantic servant would be destroyed, if you are within medium range (100 feet + 10 feet per level) of the servant, you can expend 1 point of mental focus as an immediate action to cause the servant to return to full hit points. At 9th level, you can choose to give the servant the bloody or burning simple template (if it’s a skeleton) or the fast simple template (if it’s a zombie). At 13th level, when you take an immediate action to restore your servant, it splits into two servants. You can have a maximum number of servants in existence equal to 1/2 your occultist level. At 17th level, the servant gains a teamwork feat of your choice.
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Here's a very powerful and flavourful build you might like:
Human, Titan Fighter/Wildborn Barbarian (TF/WB).
Stats: 16+2 12 14 7 12 14
Traits: Rough and Ready, Dangerously Curious, Accelerated Drinker, Drawback
1 WB, Shikigami Style, Shikigami Mimicry[H], Catch Off-Guard[B]
2 WB, Spirit Totem, lesser
3 TF, Power Attack
4 TF, Enforcer (as a Fighter, you can retrain this to Cornugon Smash for free later on if you desire)
5 TF, Shikigami Manipulation
6 TF, Vital Strike
7 TF, Furious Finish
8 TF, Hurtful
9 TF, Devastating Strike
10 TF, Furious Focus
11 TF, Improved Vital Strike
The rest is pretty much up to you, with Greater Vital Strike at level 16 (Sunder maneuver maybe?).
Use a Large adamantine Sledge Hammer as your main (improvised) weapon, describing it as a massive shovel (put at least 1 rank into Profession[Undertaker] to get a +1 trait bonus). Since it counts as a Large improvised Earthbreaker, its base damage is 2d6 > 3d6. The three Shikigami Style feats increase the damage by 3 steps, up to 3d6 > 4d6 > 6d6 > 8d6. When you get enough money, you can get a pair of +1/Impact - Gloves of Improvised Might, which increases the damage by another step to 8d6 > 12d6. By chugging a potion of Enlarge Person (as a move action, thanks to Accelerated Drinker), or using any other magical mean, you can get Large sized yourself, which again increases the damage by another step, up to 12d6 > 16d6 (which incidentally is the maximum damage covered by the relative FAQ).
Vital Strike doubles the damage dealt per attack, up to 32d6 (average = 112), Improved Vital Strike makes it 48d6 (avg = 168), and Greater Vital Strike makes it 64d4 (avg = 224). Shikigami Mimicry, Enforcer and Hurtful (or just Cornugon Smash and Hurtful if you retrain Enforcer) allow you to attempt a free intimidate check, and get an extra attack at full BAB if successful. Finally, if you reeeeally need to do as much damage as possible (or you just can't be bothered with rolling 64d6), you can just expend a round of rage to deal maximised damage: 192 with Vital Strike, 288 with Improved VS, 384 with Greater VS. Plus, of course, all other bonuses coming from Strength, Power Attack, Devastating Strike and so on.
The "tank" and "hit-like-a-train" aspects are pretty much covered. As a final touch, every time you rage you can summon the power of the spirits and command them to attack nearby enemies by activating the Lesser Spirit Totem Rage Power. Its damage is negligible, but it adds an interesting esoteric component to the concept. Furthermore, your decent UMD score enables you to use a wide range of magical items in order to better customize your character and match the concept you have in mind: for example, you may want to always carry a scroll of Animate Dead to have a nice undead pet following you around.
Melee Summoner
Melee Summoner
PERFECTION!!!! I love it
One question though. Shinigami Manipulation gives magical weapons an enhancement bonus equal to my caster level. since I'd have no caster level, it wouldn't give me anything would it? The extra boost to damage is nice in any case.
One question though. Shinigami Manipulation gives magical weapons an enhancement bonus equal to my caster level. since I'd have no caster level, it wouldn't give me anything would it? The extra boost to damage is nice in any case.
Not your caster level, the caster level required to make the item. Eg: the Bag of Holding is CL 9th.
Holy crap that is awesome!!!
I am seeing one potential issue. At 1st level, I'd be rolling attack at a -2 penalty because the weapon is oversized. At lvl 3, by taking Titan Fighter, that would be increased to a -4.
With your stats, at lvl 1, I'd be rolling a +1 to attack rolls (1 BAB+ 2 Str-2 Oversized), boosted to a +3 when I'm raging. At level 3, that would still be +1 (3 BAB, +2 Str -4 Oversized) or a +3 when raging. Power attack would hit harder, but a +3 attack won't hit much. Would Wpn Focus not be a better fit?
Granted, over time that penalty would improve, but I'm more worried about getting there. Did I read this wrong?
Why are you using an oversized weapon? The Sledgehammer?
Shikigami Style doesn't actually make it bigger, just makes the damage die bigger.
True it only makes the weapon deal more damage. It was suggested that I use a large sledgehammer as an improvised Earth breaker. Because it's a large two handed item, I would take the negative 2 penalty because of its size. I could always start with a normal sized one though
I'm also seeing that adamantine is categorized as metal so I wild-born Barbarian would lose his abilities with it
Here's a very powerful and flavourful build you might like:
Human, Titan Fighter/Wildborn Barbarian (TF/WB).
Stats: 16+2 12 14 7 12 14
Traits: Rough and Ready, Dangerously Curious, Accelerated Drinker, Drawback1 WB, Shikigami Style, Shikigami Mimicry[H], Catch Off-Guard
2 WB, Spirit Totem, lesser
3 TF, Power Attack
4 TF, Enforcer (as a Fighter, you can retrain this to Cornugon Smash for free later on if you desire)
5 TF, Shikigami Manipulation
6 TF, Vital Strike
7 TF, Furious Finish
8 TF, Hurtful
9 TF, Devastating Strike
10 TF, Furious Focus
11 TF,...
I think I found a slightly better alternative. It focuses on a 2h Fighter and a standard Barbarian.
1.2HF: Catch off Guard, Shikigami Style, Shikigami Mimicry
2.Barbarian- Rage
3. Barb: Spirit Totem, Lesser, Power Attack
4 and on: build fighter and continue the trend.
Doing this would allow me a few different options. Weapon training would apply only to 2 handed weapons, which could include improvised 2 handed weapons. Even if I rolled in with an oversized one, that would negate the penalty. Overhand Chop would also double my strength modifier with a 2 handed weapon. I would also get me around the wood, stone or bone restrictions to my weapons.
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I think I found a slightly better alternative. It focuses on a 2h Fighter and a standard Barbarian.
This is indeed cool, but it must be said that without Titan Fighter your base damage die caps at 12d6 (still a lot!). True, you would get more strength to damage, but it doesn't couple as well with Vital Strike as a 16d6. That being said, unfortunately Weapon Training doesn't work with improvised weapons. You still need to select a weapon group, but the bonus applies only to 2handed weapons (let's say you choose Axes: you get the bonus with a greataxe, but not a light pick).
Adamantine is indeed metal, but nothing prevents you from buying a sledgehammer made of stone. Hardness and DR are hardly a problem with such a high base damage.
About 1st level penalties, you can't use an oversized sledge hammer at 1st level, since it is a 2h weapon, and you need to wait your 1st level of Titan Fighter. The cool thing of this build is that it uses improvised weapons, which means that you are free to change your weapon any time you want. So, at first level you can use a normal-sized sledge hammer. At 3rd level you can swap to a Large one, or keep using the Medium one until your attack bonus gets high enough to stand the additional penalty.