I could not find anything on escrima sticks so I went with tonfas. They work out very well and he is hard to hit, he usually is a striker, using acrobatics to get in and out of combat.
if there are links to these posts i can't seem to access them. :-( i would be really interested in seeing those builds.
There are links! This person posted under the relevant aliases. If you check out the profile for each alias, you'll see the character sheets.
Terevalis Unctio of House Mysti wrote:
Click on the profile for each avatar. The profile information should be there.
Got 'em! Thanks!!
THERE WILL BE A WALL OF TEXT ON THIS ONE, for a brilliant guide called Nimble Guardian to allow you to make a devastating WildCat of a character. I'm not posting the entire build, just enough to make this cat land on its feet.
Nimble Guardian guide:
Lately I've been working on a character concept and from it grew a build that has turned into something rather spectacular. Now that its finished (more or less), I wanted to toss it out there for others to dissect, gather ideas from and enjoy in whole or in part. A slight disclaimer - I generally only work on builds that are both fun and effective to play throughout their career, from level 1 on up. This one takes a little while to get its footing, serving as a solid but only average character in terms of power until it acquires its defining ability in Feline Guardian at 7th. It also offers a great deal more variation, as once you reach 9th, there are a number of ways you can evolve based on your personal preference and play style.
Concept:
The gist if the build is to combine the unarmed strikes of the Monk and the pouncing, raking abilities of a Dire Tiger with a number style feats to maximize the potential of both. The build is extremely MAD initially, but after your first attribute spread, its all about Strength.
Race & Class:
The Nimble Guardian is a racial archetype for Catfolk, and while Catfolk are a very strong race with some excellent options, they are actually suboptimal for this build. Moreover, as one of the more 'obscure' races, there are many groups in which they will not be allowed. Fortunately there is a cure for that - the Racial Heritage feat will open up this archetype for you while at the same time granting you the benefit of the Human's FCB and additional skill ranks. It also allows you to flavor the concept in a wide variety of ways rather than being stuck in the 'I'm a cat person who can turn into a cat' meme. Another solid choice here would be Half-Orc (who also qualify for the Racial Heritage feat) - you'll have to figure out where that extra feat is going to come from, but Darkvision and +2 to saving throws is a pretty strong argument.
In addition to the Nimble Guardian archetype, you will also be stacking the Master of Many Styles and the Quinggong Monk archetype as well.
Attributes:
As I said, this build is rather MAD. Under such circumstances I prefer a broad approach, seeking the best value for my point buy rather than specializing and trying to 'make do' with weaknesses in other areas. With a 20 point buy, racial modifications and level bonuses, this is what the attributes would look like for me:
STR - 15 (+2 racial bonus, +1 @ 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th and 20th level)
DEX - 14
CON - 14
INT - 12
WIS - 14
CHA - 7
Traits:
The default Reactionary makes a good choice here, though Fist of the Society might as well, given the benefits of Ki powers. Alas, you can't take both due to fact that they are both from the Combat category, so I chose Birthmark as the second option, gaining a +2 to saves vs. Charm and Compulsion effects. Saving throws are a strength of this character and there's no reason to shy away from making them even better. If you're going the Half-Orc route, then Fortune's Favored goes here.
Feats:
What follows is a level by level explanation of feats taken, why, and how they work together:
Racial Heritage opens up the archetype while Catfolk Exemplar gives you claws. As you will come to see, claws are very important in this build and, in this case, in addition to giving you two natural attacks right off the bat, it sets the table for you to take Weapon Focus: Claws which is itself a prerequisite for Feral Combat Training.
Dragon Style and Janni Style are your first two style feats. In addition to setting up the ones that will be taken later, they give you enhanced mobility - especially when charging, which will be important - and some additional defenses against a variety of threats like Flanking, Sleep and Paralysis.
3rd - Weapon Focus: Claws
5th - Feral Combat Training
Feral Combat Training is really the feat that makes the rest of this build go. Essentially what it does is allow you to treat any claw attacks as unarmed strikes. This opens a number of doors which will become more clear as we progress.
6th - Janni Rush (MoMS bonus feat)
Janni Rush allows you to roll double the normal number of damage die when charging and making an attack with Unarmed Strike. So now, if you charge - which Dragon Style allows you to do even over difficult terrain or through allies - you deal 2d4+STR with your claw attack instead of 1d4, thanks to the benefit of Feral Combat Training. An extra d4 of damage here or there might now seem like much, but just wait.
7th - Multiattack
Now here's where things get interesting. 7th level is also the level that grants the defining class feature 'Guardian Feline' - namely, you get the ability to turn into a Large-sized cat pretty much at will. Your choice will logically be a Dire Tiger. Let's see what that does for us:
You gain two large-sized Claw attacks and a large-sized Bite attack to replace your two earlier claw attacks. Your strength, movement and natural armor all improve significantly.
Your Unarmed Strike advances its damage dice to the 'Large' category as well. Remember that Unarmed Strikes count as weapon, meaning that you can combine them with natural attacks, though that bumps the natural attacks down to 'secondary' status which means they take a -5 attack penalty. The Multiattack feat you just took reduces that to a -2 penalty, or basically a wash once you factor in the bonus from charging.
Being a Dire Tiger gives you the Pounce ability, meaning you can make a full attack as part of a charge. So, all of a sudden you can charge across difficult terrain and through allies, and when you do you make a full attack where all claw and unarmed strikes have their damage dice doubled. In this case, that looks like:
It may be that, for 7th level ay least, you decide to forge the unarmed attack so as not to take the attack penalty on the others. At 8th level however, you gain a second iterative attack to use your Unarmed Strike with, adding yet another attack to your charge, and your damage dice improved, making your charging Unarmed Strikes 4d8 rather than 4d6.
9th - Horn of the Criosphinx
This is where things go from interesting to out-right crazy. First off, your Guardian Feline ability improves to allow your Dire Tiger's Rake ability, adding two more claw attacks to your pouncing charge. Secondly, Horn of the Criosphinx while a little wordy, at the end of the day allows Monks to add double their STR damage bonus when making Unarmed Strikes as part of a charge, so long as they are not wielding a weapon. Remember, thanks to Feral Combat Training all your claw attacks count as Unarmed Strikes. All told, using the attributes above, modified by your Dire Tiger form and with no magical gear whatsoever, that means you are making the following attacks on a charge:
At this point you should be ready to rock and roll. From here you can go a lot of different directions, depending on your preferences and play style. I've outlined a few of my favorite options below.
All of that gets you to 9th level, and that 'chassis' sets up whatever you'd like to do next. For practicality's sake, let's assume for now that you continue on with your Monk levels.
Dragon Ferocity further increases your damage output in a similar fashion to Horn of the Criosphinx except you don't need to be charging. Improved Bull Rush sets up Rhino Charge which lets you ready a charge as a standard action - this is invaluable for both getting around the battlefield and maximizing your damage output. Moreover, you can use it to move out of range of a foe and immediately plunge back in. Jabbing Style/Jabbing Master just increases your damage output and can be easily exchanged for Boar Style/Boar Shred or anything else for that matter. Finally the Dimensional combat feats add a nice... well, a nice dimension to the character, utilizing Abundant Step in a variety of ways.
One note here - Power Attack, a pre-req for Improved Bull Rush is taken as a swap out for High Jump via Quinggong Monk. This means that you can only use Rhino Charge when you activate that ability... if you want to be able to use it at will, you'll have to select it via a standard feat.
Speaking of Quinggong Monk, these would be my recommendations for swap outs. Some are for obvious reasons, some more a matter of play style.
4th - Barkskin replaces Slow Fall
5th - Power Attack replaces High Jump
7th - Guardian Feline (class feature) replaces Wholeness of Body
11th - Ki Leech replaces Diamond Body
12th - Abundant Step is not replaced
13th - Shadow Walk replaces Diamond Soul
15th - Cold Ice Strike replaces Quivering Palm
17th - Wholeness of Body replaces Timeless Body
17th - Restoration (self only) replaces Tongue of the Sun and Moon
19th - Empty Body is not replaced
20th - Perfect Self is not replaced
Ki Leech and Cold Ice Strike are particular favorites here. Ki Leech because it allows you to replenish your Ki and Cold Ice strike because, well, a 15d6 damage ranged attack as a swift action? Yes, please.
On the other hand, there are a number of other classes that might be interesting to explore. Basically you have 11 levels of any non-Charisma based ...
Seriously, Arkhadtoa. This super-villain is a killer by 7th level.
i had forgotten i had this one until ARKHADTOA put out his call for a legion of doom. i hope this thread stays alive to put out more ideas, it'd be a shame to see it stagnate. i'll go through my collection of builds to see if i can turn more to our purpose.
Reminds me of the Poisonous Pouncing Fiendish Lion (Druid-8/UC Monk-X). The whole idea was enough levels of Urushiol Druid for poison and Wild Shape/Planar Wild Shape... then the whole Feral Combat Training Monk thing as a Fiendish Lion.
Arkhadtoa's ability using Ki instead of Wild Shape's daily usage limits is a much better choice. Solid one class builds are nice.
Reminds me of the Poisonous Pouncing Fiendish Lion (Druid-8/UC Monk-X). The whole idea was enough levels of Urushiol Druid for poison and Wild Shape/Planar Wild Shape... then the whole Feral Combat Training Monk thing as a Fiendish Lion.
Arkhadtoa's ability using Ki instead of Wild Shape's daily usage limits is a much better choice. Solid one class builds are nice.
:-) Arkhadtoais the originator of the thread. I found this build years ago. i meant to play it in wrath of the righteous, but went a different direction. And you're right, its a solid one-class build.
I haven't had the chance to check this forum again until now, but holy smokes did we get some great entries!
Nemesis, that Nimble Guardian is brutal and amazing. I think it will be the perfect foil for the Synthesist Summoner hero we have in the group--he thinks he's hot stuff with his 4 attacks per round, but I can't wait to see his face when I come at him with all the attacks from that Nimble Guardian!
I think that the Fiendish Lion build might be a great fit for an escaped lab experiment or something. Thanks, VoodistMonk!
I'm also glad to see the Nightwing, Psylock, and Emma Frost-inspired builds! Having the stats on hand is useful, and their low levels make them perfect for a gang of new supers in the city who are new to their powers.
Andostre, I think I'm definitely going to use that idea of the Mesmerist/Mysterious Stranger! I'd been toying with a circus-style encounter, and that fits really well.
This is another WALL of TEXT, so i bolded key elements. i think this character should be depicted like Jekyll/Hyde in the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hulk:
How to Build The Hulk in The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game
Prepare to Hulk Out
This guide will walk players through every step of creating their own Hulks using the Pathfinder roleplaying game. That said this is not the only way to make a Hulk; it's your character so feel free to build it the way you want. This build has been field-tested though, so it is a good idea to at least consider following these steps.
Attributes, Race, and Traits
Before there was a Hulk there was Bruce Banner, celebrated nuclear physicist. Bruce is a human, and his intelligence is likely his high score (though for practicality's sake it's a good idea to put good stats in strength and constitution as well). When it comes to traits it's a good idea to think about what you want your Hulk to be doing. If he's going to be brewing up his own chemicals then a trait like alchemical adept(which provides a +2 on all craft [alchemy] checks and states that unless you roll a natural one on a check that you ruin no raw materials) might be what you need. If a life on the run has made your Hulk twitchy then reactionary (which provides a +2 to your initiative) is also a good option. Trait bonuses need to be geared toward abilities you're going to use often, so think carefully.
Start With A Base of Ragechemist
The obvious beginning for Bruce Banner is an alchemist, but not just any alchemist! The Ragechemist variant (Ultimate Combat) provides abilities that are more conducive to a real hulk-out. Ragechemists lose most of the alchemist's poison-based abilities but instead gain the Rage mutagen feature, and increased natural armor and damage-dealing capabilities.
It's important to remember that when a Ragechemist takes any kind of damage during a round in which the Rage mutagen is active the character has to make a Will save or take a -2 to both Intelligence and Will saves. These penalties stack in successive rounds. It's a steep price to pay, particularly since alchemists do not receive a good base will save. Feats like Iron Will (Core Rule Book 129) can grant bonuses, and any and all items that can increase this save should be invested in heavily.
Add A Dose of Barbarian
In addition to the Ragechemist players should add at least one level of the Drunken Brute (Advanced Player's Guide) to the list. The Drunken Brute grants the character the Rage class feature, another strength and constitution bump, and it also gives a character the ability to drink a potion or similar item (like a mutagen) as a move action that doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity. That's a handy power given how many things this build might need quaff when it's time to roll initiative. Players also gain access to more armor and martial weapon proficiency, which can make what was an already dangerous character even more threatening.
While it's up to you if you want to pursue more than a single level of barbarian, you shouldn't take more than two levels. The Ragechemist is going to provide more useful, and more thematically appropriate, benefits to your character. Ideally the Drunken Brute should be your second level, but for those who want to max out their hit points you can take it as your first level instead.
Stir in The Master Chymist
The Master Chymist prestige Class (Advanced Player's Guide) is the key to a solid Hulk. Based off the Jekyll and Hyde archetype, this prestige class is what alchemists who rely too much on their mutagens tend to become; a divided being where one half will have its own feelings, alignment, goals, and desires separate from the other persona that it shares a body with. Worse, while it was mutagen that gave this chimerical form its birth the changes can occur of their own volition after this class is taken.
The Master Chymist requires an alchemist who can make at least 3rd level extracts, and who have either the feral mutagen (which I would recommend) or infuse mutagen discoveries. That means that it takes at least 7 levels of Ragechemist, with a single level of Drunken Brute. This means that level 9 is when you really get to hulk out.
In addition to the flavorful effects of having an honest-to-goodness Hulk and Banner pair on your hands the Master Chymist gains other useful abilities. Increased access to extracts, continuing bomb damage, but also access to chimerical abilities that alter the shape and powers of the Hulk form. These abilities can make Hulk tougher, stronger, and may allow him to remain in the world for longer periods of time. Master Chymists also gain Brutality, allowing them to do even more damage than their altered physiology would allow.
Discovery Recommendations
For this build to work players need to take either the infuse mutagen discovery (allowing the creation of multiple mutagens) or feral mutagen (which provides two claws and a bite attack, along with an intimidate boost). If a player takes only one of these that's 1 of 3 discoveries before becoming a Master Chymist.
So what should the other two be?
Well that depends on what you want to do with your Hulk. If you want him to be a bomb-thrower then it's a good idea to take the precise bombs discovery to keep your allies out of the blast. On the other hand if you're intending to be mixing it up with enemies in melee then it's a good idea to also take the infuse mutagen (for backup imbibing), or a discovery like spontaneous healing which will keep you on your feet just a little bit longer.
As to the Advanced Mutagen ability granted by the Master Chymist class, again it depends on what you want your Hulk to do. If you're going to be a grappler (a personal recommendation) then the Burly ability will be useful for clamping down hard on enemies. Dual Mind provides a bonus to that dangerously low Will save, and Extended Mutagen allows the Hulk to exist for longer periods of time.
Ask what it is you're planning to do (especially if it's something other than Smash), and pick your discoveries accordingly.
Feats
Unlike some builds your Hulk is a product of chemistry and magic, rather than a carefully chosen feat tree. However, there are still several feats that can make combat that much more overpowered in your favor.
Improved Unarmed Strike (Core Rule Book 128): Make unarmed attacks as if armed.
Improved Grapple (Core Rule Book127): Make grapple attacks without provoking attacks of opportunity. Add +2 to CMB and CMD for grappling.
Greater Grapple (Core Rule Book125): Gain an additional +2 to CMB and CMD for grappling. Maintaining a grapple is now considered a move action, allowing a possible two grapple actions per turn.
The tree above is good for those who want to grab enemies and crush them into pulp. It utilizes the extreme strength of the Hulk, and takes away many enemies' abilities to harm you (since two handed weapons can't be wielded while grappled, and casting spells becomes much more difficult).
Power Attack (Core Rule Book 131): Take a negative to your to-hit, gain a bonus to damage.
Improved Sunder (Core Rule Book128): Receive a +2 to CMB and CMD on sunder maneuvers. Perform a sunder maneuver without provoking an attack of opportunity.
Greater Sunder (Core Rule Book125) Gain an additional +2 to CMB and CMD for sunder maneuvers. Any leftover damage when an item is sundered is transferred to the wielder.
While there are other feats (the Vital Strike tree is appealing for Hulks who are going to wield a greatsword or similarly huge weapon), these two most mimic the character's comic book style. As always, feat selections should be geared toward your fighting style and what most benefits your Hulk.
Skills
Which skills should Banner have? That depends largely on how you intend to play him and his alter ego. You do have a minimum of 5 (4+1 for being human) even if you had no intelligence bonus. You should though, since a high intelligence is key for the character.
Recommended skills include:
Craft (Alchemy): This is a no-brainer. Alchemists will be able to create so many items so quickly that there's no reason parties shouldn't have a treasure trove of alchemical weapons.
Intimidate: Bruce and Hulk are both frightening in their own ways. While the skill doesn't change too much, it's a fun challenge to try and use different kinds of intimidation in different forms. Bruce might describe the process by which his body will change, or bring up discussions about things the Hulk has done. Hulk, on the other hand, might twist a steel sword out of true and growl menacingly.
Use Magic Device: Neither Bruce or Hulk get spells, per say. But spell completion items are still great things to have on hand in a pinch.
Perception: Because when you're being hunted by the U.S. Army, it makes sense to be twitchy.
Spellcraft: Knowledge is power, and being able to understand the magic flowing through the world is an important skill.
Since you should have an intelligence modifier other skills to invest in include survival, disable device, knowledge (nature), knowledge (arcana), and heal. As always though skill selection should be based on what role your Hulk is fulfilling in the party.
Extracts and Equipment
Alchemists don't get spells, but you do get extracts. While the selection can be quite varied, there are several that should be selected at lower levels. Shield is chief among them, as is Bull's Strength and Enlarge Person. Other useful ones for brawlers and grapplers include Thorn Body, Barkskin, Invisibility, Haste, and Displacement.
As to what gear your Brute Squad should be carrying that also varies. Alchemical items are a given, including classic choices like tanglefoot bags, alchemist fire, and holy water. That said, items like troll styptics (which grant characters fast healing for a short period of time) are great to have on hand in the event the cleric goes down. Beyond these items though it's important to invest in good armor and other AC boosting items like rings of protection, amulets of natural armor, etc. Your Hulk isn't indestructible, so it's important to make sure he shrugs off as many attacks as possible. Any stat-boosting items are a good idea, especially if they help strength, constitution, dexterity, intelligence or wisdom. Charisma is often the one that falls by the wayside here. Hulk is a simple creature, and most of his capabilities come from your class abilities instead of his equipment.
Lastly, it's important to have the right equipment to carry all your extracts, potions, and alchemical gear. The bandolier and the adventurer's sash are great options for those who want to have their gear right to hand and ready to throw.
In honor of my wonderful obsession with natural attacks:
I decided to go ahead and post my build for making an incredible Vivisectionist and Internal Alchemist. The entire point of this setup is to take advantage of the incredible amount of accuracy that primary natural attacks provide, as well showing everyone how to properly balance out a great melee-based alchemist.
Now, to start things off, I would first like to point out what type of archetypes I recommend when using this build. In my personal opinion, the Vivisectionist and Internal Alchemist archetypes are probably the best way to go.
Anyways, now that we have established the type of archetypes we're using, lets try and figure out what type of race we should select. Now again, there are a lot of good options for the alchemist, but in my humble opinion, I seriously would encourage one of the following races...
Human (I would recommend selecting the 'dual talent' racial trait)
Elf
Tiefling
Hobgoblin
Each of the above races are very well suited for becoming powerful melee-based alchemists. However, I personally find myself favoring the Hobgoblin more than any of the others, and my reason for this is very simple: a hobgoblin alchemist can pretty much fill all the roles of a rogue. Because goblinoids gain 'stealth' as a class skill, and because a hobgoblin gets an incredible +4 to stealth, I find that the hobgoblin alchemist makes a great substitute for the 'skill monkey' of the party.
Furthermore, the hobgoblin provides a nice boost in stats without ever penalizing any of your ability scores. All in all, I'd say it is an incredible choice for an alchemist, and the added benefit of speaking goblin and having darkvision is just the icing on the cake. Of course, I won't deny that a human with 'dual talent' could probably have better stats, but I still think a hobgoblin is a better choice.
Once we have selected our race, its time to go ahead and get our stats out of the way. Again, assuming we have a 15 point buy in (and that we have selected hobgoblin as our race) our stats should probably look something like this...
STR 16 DEX 14 CON 14 INT 14 WIS 10 CHA 7
These are pretty solid stats given our race and class, with a nice good mixture of offensive and defensive capabilities. Charisma is obviously useless to us, so there isn't any real reason to try and maintain it.
From here, its time to start selecting our feats, traits, discoveries, and magic items. My recommendations for all of them are as follows...
Feats
1. Toughness
3. Power Attack
5. Extra Discovery: Infusion
7. Extra Discovery: Healing Touch
9. Extra Discovery: Preserve Organs
11. Extra Discovery: Vestigial Arms
13. Extra Discovery: Vestigial Arms
15. Extra Discovery: Extend Potion
17. Extra Discovery: Eternal Potion
19. Combat Reflexes
Useful Magic Items
Cloak of Resistance
Helm of the Mammoth Lord
Amulet of Mighty Fists
Vest of Stable Mutation
Belt of Physical Perfection
Demon Talons (x2)
Headband of Vast Intellect
Ring of Evasion
Alright, before we continue, I imagine that I probably need to do a little bit of explaining, particularly in regards to using the vestigial arms and tentacle discovery.
There has been an ongoing debate about whether or not a player can actually use these 'additional limbs' to make natural attacks or not. Now, from what I have gathered (and debated about) in many other threads is the following: both the tentacle discovery and vestigial arms can be used in place of attacks you could normally make. In other words, if you have a BAB of +11, you are allowed to make 3 attacks. Therefore, in order to use 2 vestigial arms and the tentacle discovery, you must have the required BAB in order to make an attack with all 3 of them.
Anyway, the only reason I bring this up is because I'll need to explain how my alchemist is able to end up with 6 primary natural attacks and 1 secondary natural attack.
For starters, the Feral Mutagen discovery grants the alchemist 3 primary natural attacks (2 claws and 1 bite). However, if you take the vestigial arm discoveries, you can also use 'demon talons' (two rings, 20,000gp apiece) to basically 'cut off' your vestigial arms and replace them with 'claw attacks' as well (if your GM won't allow demon talons, just go ahead and use Talons of Leng instead...although I will warn you that the talons of leng are much worse and more expensive when compared to buying 2 demon talons).
When you add in the secondary natural attack provided by the tentacle discovery along with the 'gore attack' gained from Helm of the Mammoth Lord, you now have a grand total of 7 natural attacks (in other words, you basically have more attacks than an alchemist who uses two-weapon fighting AND you hit more accurately than most other players because you are mostly using primary natural attacks).
Of course, when you add in your ability to deliver sneak attacks, along with the versatility of your extracts and discoveries, you can basically take on the role of the 'melee-meat shield' as well.
Speaking of extracts, allow me to show you all a list of recommended formulas...
Level 1
Cure Light Wounds/Enlarge Person/Shield/Identify/Blend/Disguise Self
Level 2
Ablative Barrier/Invisibility/Barkskin/Lesser Restoration/Alchemical Allocation
Level 3
Thorn Body/Haste/Displacement/Heroism
Level 4
Fluid Form/Greater False Life/Freedom of Movement/Echolocation
Level 5
Delayed Consumption/Overland Flight
Level 6
Statue/Twin Form/Giant Form I/Heal
The main reason I like this build so much is because not only are you able to act as a serious threat in combat, but you can also support your party and fill many essential roles as well. Disabling traps, buffing the party, acting as the scout, and being able to absorb an absurd amount of punishment while still dishing out very reliable and powerful damage is extremely appealing on so many levels.
And then there is the version i played in Curse of the Crimson Throne. Main differences being i took levels of Monk, bought a +1 guided amulet of mighty fists (use wisdom to hit & damage instead of strength), maxed out my wisdom and took cognatogen instead of mutagen. there are other changes but i figure i'll just post the character and let you guys figure it out.
Octavio the Silence :
Octavio
Male hobgoblin alchemist (internal alchemist, vivisectionist) 15/monk 5 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player's Guide 26, Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 175, Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Magic 18, 20)
LE Medium humanoid (goblinoid)
Init +4; Senses Perception +30
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Defense
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AC 29, touch 25, flat-footed 27 (+2 Dex, +2 monk, +4 natural, +11 Wis)
hp 163 (20d8+60)
Fort +16, Ref +15, Will +21
Defensive Abilities evasion, fortification 75%, uncanny dodge; Immune cold, disease, nonlethal damage, paralysis, poison, sleep
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee unarmed strike +22/+17/+12 (1d10+20 plus 8d6 sneak attack) or
. . unarmed strike flurry of blows +22/+22/+17/+12/+7 (1d10+20 plus 8d6 sneak attack) or
. . 4 claws +22 (1d8+20 plus 8d6 sneak attack), 4 claws +22 (1d8+20 plus 8d6 sneak attack), gore +22 (1d6+20 plus 8d6 sneak attack), tentacle +17 (1d4+16 plus 8d6 sneak attack and grab)
Special Attacks flurry of blows, sneak attack +8d6 +2 Str damage, stunning fist (9/day, DC 31)
Alchemist (Internal Alchemist, Vivisectionist) Extracts Prepared (CL 15th; concentration +19)
. . 5th—monstrous physique III[UM], overland flight, regenerate
. . 4th—fire shield (2), freedom of movement, stoneskin (2)
. . 3rd—displacement (2), haste (2), thorn body[APG] (2)
. . 2nd—invisibility, pains of the past (2, DC 16), protection from arrows, see invisibility, spider climb
. . 1st—enlarge person (3, DC 15), long arm[ACG] (3)
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Statistics
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Str 10, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 18, Wis 32, Cha 9
Base Atk +14; CMB +12 (+16 grapple); CMD 39
Feats Brew Potion, Combat Reflexes, Crushing Blow[UC], Extra Discovery[APG], Extra Discovery[APG], Extra Discovery[APG], Extra Discovery[APG], Extra Discovery[APG], Extra Discovery[APG], Extra Discovery[APG], Improved Natural Attack (claw), Improved Unarmed Strike, Ki Diversity (dim Mak), Piranha Strike, Skill Focus (Stealth), Stunning Fist, Weapon Finesse
Traits accelerated drinker, indomitable faith, reactionary
Flaws dishonest, disinherited
Skills Acrobatics +15 (+20 to jump), Climb +7, Craft (alchemy) +15 (+30 to create alchemical items), Craft (locks) +8, Disable Device +20, Escape Artist +11, Fly +20, Heal +15, Knowledge (arcana) +9, Knowledge (history) +9, Knowledge (nature) +9, Perception +30, Ride +8 (+13 regarding elephant-like creatures), Sense Motive +15, Sleight of Hand +15, Spellcraft +15, Stealth +25, Survival +15, Swim +10, Use Magic Device +15; Racial Modifiers +2 Climb, +2 Ride
Languages Common, Draconic, Giant, Goblin, Infernal
SQ alchemy (alchemy crafting +15), bandy-legged[ARG], breath mastery, cognatogen (+6/+4/-2, +4 natural armor, 15 hours), discoveries (cognatogen[UM], combine extracts, crippling strike, feral mutagen, greater cognatogen[UM], mummification[UM], preserve organs[UM], preserve organs[UM], preserve organs[UM], spontaneous healing[UM], tentacle[UM], vestigial arm[UM], vestigial arm[UM], wings[UM]), fast movement, high jump, ki pool (16 points magic), maneuver training, monk vows (vow of celibacy[UM], vow of silence[UM], vow of truth[UM]), mutagen (+4/-2, +2 natural armor, 15 hours), pit boss[ARG], poison use, slow fall 20 ft., torturous transformation, umbral unmasking
Combat Gear experimental cognatogen (grand), oil of magic vestment +5, potion of barkskin +5, potion of mage armor, potion of magic fang, greater +5 (2), potion of protection from arrows 10/magic, potion of remove blindness/deafness, potion of shield of faith +5; Other Gear +1 guided amulet of mighty fists, belt of physical perfection +2, demonic implant: demon talon, demonic implant: demon talon, headband of inspired wisdom +6, helm of the mammoth lord[UE], monk's robe, vest of stable mutation[UE], 2,033 gp
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Tracked Resources
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Cognatogen: Wis+4, Int+3, Cha+2, Physical Attr -2, +3 Nat AC. - 0/1
Detect Animals or Plants (elephant-like only, At will) - 0/0
Endure Elements (vs cold only, Constant) - 0/0
Ki Pool (16/day) (Su) - 0/16
Oil of magic vestment +5 - 0/1
Potion of barkskin +5 - 0/1
Potion of mage armor - 0/1
Potion of magic fang, greater +5 - 1/2
Potion of protection from arrows 10/magic - 1/1
Potion of remove blindness/deafness - 0/1
Potion of shield of faith +5 - 1/1
Speak with Animals (elephant-like only, At will) - 0/0
Spontaneous Healing (35 HP/day) - 0/35
Stunning Fist (9/day, DC 31) - 0/9
Wings (15 minutes/day) - 0/15
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Special Abilities
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Alchemy +15 (Su) +15 to Craft (Alchemy) to create alchemical items, can Id potions by touch.
Bandy-Legged +2 to CMD against bull rush or trip while on solid ground.
Breath Mastery At 1st level, the internal alchemist can control his breath and the flow of vital energy within his body. Without preparation, he can hold his breath for a number of minutes equal to his Constitution score (after this, he must begin making Constituti
Combat Reflexes (3 AoO/round) Can make extra attacks of opportunity/rd, and even when flat-footed.
Combine Extracts Place two formulae into one extract.
Crippling Strike (Ex) Your sneak attacks do 2 points of Strength damage.
Crushing Blow (-11) Stunning Fist reduces target's AC
Evasion (Ex) If succeed on Reflex save for half dam, take none instead.
Fast Movement (+10 ft.) The Monk adds 10 or more feet to his base speed.
Feral Mutagen (Su) Mutagens grant claw and bite attacks, and a bonus to intimidate.
Flurry of Blows +14/+14/+9/+4/-1 (Ex) As full-rd action, higher BAB and combo unarmed/monk wep as if two-weapon fighting.
Fortification 75% You have a chance to negate critical hits on attacks.
Grab: Tentacle (Medium) (Ex) You can start a grapple as a free action if you hit with the designated weapon.
Greater Cognatogen The alchemist's mutagen now grants a +4 natural armor bonus, a +6 alchemical bonus to one mental ability score (Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma), and a +4 alchemical bonus to a second mental ability score. The alchemist takes a -2 penalty on both a
High Jump (+5/+25 with ki point) (Ex) +5 to Acrobatics checks made to jump.
Immunity to Cold You are immune to cold damage.
Immunity to Disease You are immune to diseases.
Immunity to Nonlethal Damage You are immune to Nonlethal Damage
Immunity to Paralysis You are immune to paralysis.
Immunity to Poison You are immune to poison.
Immunity to Sleep You are immune to sleep effects.
Improved Unarmed Strike Unarmed strikes don't cause attacks of opportunity, and can be lethal.
Ki Diversity (Dim Mak) You have trained at the feet of the masters of the Kusari-Gama, a secret society of monk warriors. With their secrets you have mastered new ways to apply your ki.
Prerequisites: Ki pool class feature, Wis 13, Kusari-Gama 25 Fame.
Bene
Ki Pool (16/day) (Su) You have a ki pool equal to 1/2 your monk level + your Wisdom modifier.
Maneuver Training (Ex) CMB = other BABs + Monk level
Mummification The alchemist has mastered preserving flesh and applied this knowledge to his own body, turning himself into an undeadlike creature. After learning this discovery, the alchemist must perform a 30-day regimen of a special diet, rigorous exercise, and
Persistent Cognatogen (DC 21) (Su) Mutagen adds +4 to a mental & -2 to a physical attribute, and +2 nat. armor for 15 hours.
Persistent Mutagen (DC 21) (Su) Mutagen adds +4/-2 to physical/mental attributes, and +2 nat. armor for 15 hours.
Piranha Strike -4/+8 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage with light weapons.
Pit Boss +1 on maneuver checks to disarm or trip with a whip.
Poison Use You do not risk poisoning yourself accidentally while poisoning a weapon.
Preserve Organs 75% The alchemist learns how to preserve and protect his vital organs, reducing the chance of a mortal wound. When a critical hit or sneak attack is scored on the alchemist, there is a 25% chance that the critical hit or sneak attack is negated and damag
Slow Fall 20 ft. (Ex) Treat a fall as shorter than normal if within arm's reach of a wall.
Sneak Attack +8d6 Attacks deal extra dam if flank foe or if foe is flat-footed.
Spontaneous Healing (35 HP/day) The alchemist gains the ability to heal from wounds rapidly. As a free action once per round, he can heal 5 hit points as if he had the fast healing ability. He can heal 5 hit points per day in this manner for every 2 alchemist levels he possesses. I
Stunning Fist (9/day, DC 31) You can stun an opponent with an unarmed attack.
Tentacle The alchemist gains a prehensile, armlength tentacle on his body. The tentacle is fully under his control and cannot be concealed except with magic or bulky clothing. The tentacle does not give the alchemist any extra attacks or actions per round, th
Torturous Transformation At 7th level, a vivisectionist adds anthropomorphic animal to his formula book as a 2nd-level extract. When he uses this extract, he injects it into an animal as part of a 2-hour surgical procedure. By using multiple doses of this extract as p
Umbral Unmasking You cast no shadow (DC 15 Perception to notice)
Uncanny Dodge (Ex) Retain DEX bonus to AC when flat-footed.
Vestigial Arm The alchemist gains a new arm (left or right) on his torso. The arm is fully under his control and cannot be concealed except with magic or bulky clothing. The arm does not give the alchemist any extra attacks or actions per round, though the arm can
Vestigial Arm The alchemist gains a new arm (left or right) on his torso. The arm is fully under his control and cannot be concealed except with magic or bulky clothing. The arm does not give the alchemist any extra attacks or actions per round, though the arm can
Vow of Celibacy (+1 ki) The monk must abstain from all sexual and intimate physical activity. A monk with this vow takes it to an extreme, refusing to even share a room with another person, or sleeping on the opposite side of a camp from other people in a group. A celibate
Vow of Silence (+1 ki) The monk must speak no words and attempt to be quiet in his actions. Accidental noises and the sounds of battle (such as the sound of a fist or weapon striking an opponent) do not affect his vow, though most monks with this vow choose their weapons a
Vow of Truth (+1 ki) The monk is not allowed to deliberately speak any lies, including bluffing, stating half-truths with the intent to deceive, exaggerating, telling white lies, and so on. This applies to all forms of communication. If presented with circumstances where
Wings (15 minutes/day) The alchemist gains batlike, birdlike, or insectlike functional wings, allowing him to fly as the fly spell for a number of minutes per day equal to his caster level. These minutes do not need to be consecutive, but they must be spent in 1-min
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"t a black-armored Magus with a flaming red sword who uses Telekinetic Maneuver),"
What is this a reference to?
As for my villainous contributation. The Onmyouji:
Talisman Crafter occultist. Craft Poppet as welll. Evocation, Necro, Divination (can also get the paraphanlia if one wants I think), and abjuration if your doing hte Node trick.
Transmuation as well alter on at higher levels (because so useful). Half Elf for the extra mental points. Or. that reincarnated race-to get specific attack spells because occulti list is weirdly barren of attack spells....
Evocation and Divination are probably the main corner stones of this. Abdjuration and Necro add to it. as does the mage paraphanalia.
ANyway.
So Talisman crafter lets them make certain spells into talisman which can be activated by anyone else to use the spell.
Divination implement and mind's eye lets them watch from afar.
Craft Poppet lets them make many small fairly disposable tools.
Necromancer has the 'create a temporary familiar out of skull or dolls" poppets are dolls. So one popppet is far more thoroughly expensive and effort put into it. but really any of the poppet serves forr the body just fine.
SHocking Grasp, Etheral Shards, Node of Blasting are the mainstays of the character.
Shocking Grasps are made into talismans which are handed out to his minions (poppets or people). Can add metamagic as one see's fit with rods or the paraphanalia of mages.
Node of Blasting only harms creatures with a mind. Non familiar'd Poppets won't be harmd. You mass produce nails. coins, sewing needles etc. These are carried by the poppets, or inside them depending on rules. Also the familiar might be able to cast the spell.. I think its valid touch.
Etheric Shards comes into play in a few weird ways. Either by storing it in something (I believe there are a few things that can store spells) and having the familiar version activate it. Or the villain can cast it before escaping, or just cast it in random portions of the city during the night to create cause. Or to use to escape, hold prisoners etc. ALL THE USES!.
I know I said Node of Blasting was an optional bit. but it really is the big damage portion. Even if the Onmyou is caught. if they have transmutation. or Item Master for telekinsis.. you can always pull the trick of flinging Node-Trap'd items at the heroes. Or.. hold them over civlians who are encased in an etheric shard dome. Tto make the Heroes drop all their weapons
So. the villain's motivation can be various. I just like the idea of the normal old fashion "grew up alone, detached, living in an orphage used for experimentations" without much sense of right or wrong yet, and is just lashing out or "playing" with people as they were taught to. If they're still a kid. If they're adult then they could be an assassin or just amerc.
So the poppets run around obeying his order. Ordered by the controler, via the familiar (or any other methods available). Attacking with the spell, or the node of blasting item traps, sneaking assassinating or just causing chaos.
BAsically, hard to catch or even know of due to using mindless tools to follow through their objectives. Still can do a ton of things themselves. Could reasonably give his familiar the control ring for poppets and orders and then they themselves could fairly well "pretend to be good" or just.. gone. With little risk in the end.
They have to take care to prevent scrying, and other divination tracking abilities.
ah. as a random extra note. 1 or 2 lv dip into Oozemorph nets them a weird neat aesthetic, and can be a "the world made me to get rid of you vermin" character. or really play up the "experiment gone wrong" angle.
and a big tool box with the morphing ability and natural attacks.
this build is meant for high tier players to try and tackle. Beware,
The Invincible Iron Golem Man:
Attributes and Race
When it comes to your Iron Golem Man the primary attribute is going to be whatever you need as a caster. If you want to make him a sorcerer then you need a high charisma, but if you'd rather make him a wizard or a magus then you're going to want intelligence as your primary attribute. While charming and handsome, it's important to remember that Tony Stark is also a genius, so it can go either way. Dexterity and wisdom should be considerations for second tier scores, with strength likely coming in toward the bottom of the list. Tony might have average strength, but it's his armor that turns him into a titan.
For those who want to keep this build as close to the comics as possible it's a good idea to leave Tony as a human. However there are benefits to making him an elf (intelligence bumps for magi and wizards), but it's also possible to make the build work with half elves. Or even half orcs. Human is still the best bet though, and the one we'll be using from this point onward.
Traits
Your Iron Golem Man starts with two traits just like everyone else. Since he (or she) is likely going to be focused on crafting items of great power it's important to pick traits that will help in that regard.
Magic Crafter provides a +1 on appraise checks, and provides a +1 on any craft check used to make a magic item. That's a pretty good start. Then again Spark of Creation, which provides a +1 on all craft checks and reduces the cost of any magic item you make by 5% is also a good choice. Traits that fit the character's persona also include Avid Reader, which allows you to take 10 on a selected knowledge skill even when threatened, or Bruising Intellect, which allows you to make intimidate checks using your intelligence modifier and which makes intimidate a class skill for you, are also useful.
Class
As previously mentioned it's possible to play Iron Golem Man as a sorcerer, magus, or wizard. For this particular build we're going to use a Universalist wizard whose bonded item is an amulet (which may or may not need to be inset into his chest to save his life at some later date).
When it comes to your spell selection it's important to learn as many as possible, but judging from how Tony acts outside of his armor (see Iron Man 3 when he assaults the villain's compound) you're going to be preparing a lot of evocation spells. It's probably a good idea to prepare plenty of abjuration spells as well, so that your squishy, unarmored self lives to build the item that grants him his namesake.
Skills
As a human wizard your Iron Golem Man will have an absolute minimum of 3 skill ranks (2 for the class, and 1 for being human). Given that intelligence is the major casting stat, we're going to assume a minimum of a +4 bonus, allowing for 7 skill ranks per level.
The skills you're going to want are craft (armor), spellcraft, knowledge (arcana), Linguistics, knowledge (planes), craft (sculpture), craft (siege engine). Additional skills like use magic device are helpful, particularly if you decide to take the trait Dangerously Curious which makes use magic device a class skill and provides you a +1 on all checks with the skill.
Feats
As with many character builds the meat of the power comes from the feats (and in this case what the feats and spells combine to let you create). All wizards start with Scribe Scroll as a bonus feat, but there are some others that your Iron Golem Man should have. The necessities are:
Craft Magic Arms and Armor (Core Rule Book 120): You can craft and repair magic weapons and armor. Requires you to be a 5th level caster, and may be taken as a 5th level bonus feat.
Craft Wondrous Item (Core Rule Book 120): You can craft and repair wondrous items. Requires you to be a 3rd level caster, and should be taken as your 3rd level feat.
Craft Construct (Bestiary): You may craft and repair constructs. Requires character to be a 5th level caster, and can be taken as your 5th level feat.
Arcane Armor Training (Core Rule Book 118): As a swift action reduce the arcane spell failure chance for any armor worn by 10% for a single round. This requires light armor proficiency, and a 3rd level caster.
Arcane Armor Mastery (Core Rule Book 118): As a swift action reduce the arcane spell failure chance for any armor worn by 20% for a single round. Requires medium armor proficiency and a 7th level caster.
(Note: Arcane armor training and mastery are easier if players take a single level of a martial class like fighter, or they can be ignored altogether when using a magus instead of a wizard.)
Other feats that you'll find useful for your Iron Golem Man build are:
Point Blank Shot and Precise Shot (Core Rule Book 131): Provides a +1 to hit and damage for ranged attacks within 30 feet, and allows the character to ignore the -4 for firing into melee respectively.
Skill Focus (Core Rule Book 134): Provides a +3 bonus on a skill, and a +6 bonus after a character has 10 ranks in that skill.
Magical Aptitude (Core Rule Book 130): Provides a +2 on spellcraft and use magic device checks, and a +4 bonus after a character has 10 or more ranks in the skill.
Suit Up!
Once you have the ability to craft constructs then you have the ability to start creating your Iron Golem Man armor. We're not talking just any old run of the mill +1 or +2 armor that gives you the look of the iconic character either; we're talking a full on comic book replica.
The secret to this is on page 114 of Ultimate Magic. When you have a construct of your size you can modify it so that it becomes construct armor. This adds 35,000 gold to the cost, and +1 to the CR of the construct, but it allows the creator to wear it as armor. The construct armor is considered to be a breastplate, and it takes a full-round to don if it's functional. The armor may be ordered to release the wearer as a swift action if it's still functional, stepping into an adjacent square. All attacks on the wearer first target the armor, and it takes no independent actions, instead allowing the wearer to control it and all of its abilities (whatever those may be). When not being worn the construct can be directed just as any other generic construct of its type.
But What Will You Wear?
When it comes to what constructs you're going to modify for your armor there are a plethora of options in the bestiary. For the most genuine feel a medium-sized iron golem is tough to beat (though it requires a 16th level caster). For those who want a lower chance of arcane failure a mithral golem (which requires an 18th level caster) is a solid bet. Of course when it comes to sheer firepower or brute determination a cannon golem or an adamantine golem are terrifying sights to behold.
Golems aren't easy to build, I'll grant. They have a slew of skills and spells that you have to have access to, they're expensive, and if you want to add modifications like the ability to fly or intelligence they're even more ridiculously over-priced. There's a reason that people who aren't billionaire playboys don't have these suits in their closets. However, golems are immune to most spells (which will target the armor first), and they can often be healed by certain kinds of energy damage. They're tough, hard-hitting, and will buy your man in the can plenty of time to slug it out with whatever big bads come his way.
Lastly, remember this; all of the necessities with the exception of the item creation feat can be ignored, with a +5 added to the DC for every spell or skill that the crafter lacks. Fortunately, being a universalist wizard, all it takes is a scroll of a spell if the wizard doesn't have it to learn it and use it to create a construct. Choose which kind of constructs you intend to turn into construct armor early on though so you can make absolutely certain that you have the skills and spells you need to make the craft DC as easy to reach as possible.
Object possession will be a lot easier than construct armor. There's a thread about using it to be a mecha pilot somewhere in this forum.
from what i understand, these are npc villains, not characters that start play @ 8th according to the OP.
but please, post an object possession villain. i for one would like to see it.
this next one can be the one to assassinate the strongest hero or the weakest link in the players party. meet the
Widow-Maker:
This one is Based off of the Avenger's Black Widow.
Race and Attributes
As one of only two completely human members of the core Avengers team (Stark doesn't count, since he's a golem), human is the most versatile race for your Widow to start off with. The bonus feat and bonus skill point are going to come in handy in the field, and the race remains true to the character you're trying to recreate.
As far as her stats go the Black Widow needs to have both a high dexterity and a high charisma; these are going to be her two most important attributes. Intelligence grants more skill points, and strength is nice for additional damage. Neither constitution or wisdom should be her dump scores, as she'll need all the hit points she can get, and wisdom will be important for both resistance, as well as getting high results on important skill checks.
Traits
The Black Widow is a character who's seen and done a lot, and her traits should reflect this. Dangerously curious(+1 to use magic device, and use magic device is always a class skill for you) is great for duplicating her familiarity with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s scientific gadgets. Friends in high places (+1 to diplomacy and intimidate in an area where she's gathered information recently, and a +2 to diplomacy when dealing with government agents) can help represent the fact that she's an agent of higher powers through situational bonuses.Reactionary (+2 to initiative) is also a good choice, as going first might be the most useful weapon in your entire arsenal.
Class
The ninja (Ultimate Combat 13) is what we'll be using as the basis for the Black Widow.
The ninja provides everything the Black Widow needs, and then some. This includes uncanny dodge and improved uncanny dodge, the ability to move without a trace, access to poison, and perhaps best of all a wide assortment of ninja tricks to help the ninja come out ahead. These tricks are powered by her ki pool, which is based on her charisma modifier.
Ninja Tricks
Every ninja gains access to tricks, unusual powers that combine the supernatural manifestation of ki along with a lifetime of training and dedication. Some of them are more thematically appropriate than others for the Black Widow, though. ****Flurry of Stars, for instance, allows the player to throw 2 additional stars as part of a full attack with shuriken for the cost of a single ki point. All attacks are at a -2, but each attack gets full sneak attack dice if appropriate, and each shuriken can be poisoned; a solid representation of the Widow's Sting. The Rogue Talent trick is good for taking abilities like Trapspotter, which aren't on the ninja list. Practical abilities like Feather Fall, Darkvision, Sudden Disguise, Fast Stealth, and Vanishing Trick are all good picks as well. The obvious master trick (when the Widow reaches that high of a level) is Assassinate, but additional tricks like See The Unseen, Unarmed Combat Mastery, Master Disguise, or ****Ghost Step (<<< a personal favorites) are all extremely useful abilities. All of these are located in Ultimate Combat in the Ninja class section.
Skills
The Black Widow is, quite frankly, a skill monkey. Just because players have a minimum of 9 skill points per level (8+1 for being human, assuming no intelligence modifier) though, that's no reason to not carefully think through which skills get selected.
Perception is an important skill for obvious reasons, as are stealth and bluff. Disguise is useful for passing as if you belong, and knowledge (local) is invaluable since the Widow has been everywhere at one time or another. Sleight of hand is a necessity for secreting weapons or stealing objects, and diplomacy is important for sweet talking your way into places. Linguistics is ideal for speaking multiple languages and deciphering written code, and intimidate can be a just the right tool when a social hammer is required. Disable device is a requirement for getting in and out without setting off alarms, and acrobatics is a necessity for moving around the battlefield without getting smashed.
Feats
Despite her great battlefield prowess, the Black Widow doesn't require as many feats as one would think.
What she does require is point blank shot (Core Rule Book 131), precise shot (Core Rule Book 131) and improved unarmed strike (Core Rule Book 128). Most of the Widow's attacks are going to be ranged, and if she goes in somewhere with no weapons, she can still attack someone and get her full sneak attack damage as long as the opponent is flat-footed. For those who will be engaging in melee weapon finesse (Core Rule Book 136) is an essential feat as well, unless her strength is so close to her dexterity that it won't make a difference.
From this point onward feat selections becomes much more selective depending on what players want to do with their Widows. For poisoners adder strike (Ultimate Combat 89) allows poison to be applied to unarmed strikes. For flatterers and diplomacy experts, betrayer (Ultimate Combat 89) is useful for getting in close to someone, and then stabbing them when they least expect it. If your DM is using the massive damage rules, or is fond of creatures with damage reduction, then clustered shots (Ultimate Combat 92) might be a good thing to have on hand. Skill focus (Core Rule Book 134) is a good choice for making sure that your Widow has an unparalleled skill or skills, depending on how many times you take that feat.
Equipment
The Black Widow is a spy and assassin, and as such she tends to have a number of the tools of her trade on her person. Masterwork thieves tools, disguise kits, and other such things are par for the course, but this section will cover some things that you might not have thought to put in your pack.
First off, alchemical items. Tanglefoot bags trip up the bad guys even if they make their saves, thunderstones can be a great surprise weapon as well as a marvelous distraction, antitoxin and antiplague can really beef up your saves against nasty poisons and diseases, and troll styptic makes for an ideal field dressing when there's no cleric on hand (or the cleric is down). Weapon blanches are good choices for overcoming damage reductions, and smokesticks can allow you a clean get away. All these items may be found in the Core Rule Book, Seekers of Secrets, and Ultimate Equipment. In addition to these purely alchemical items it's a good idea to make sure the Widow has an ideal selection of mundane gear for getting along on an adventure. Everything from a bandolier to the right tool sets can make the difference, so don't get caught up in how shiny magical gear can be.
As far as the Widow's magical equipment, there are a lot of possibilities. Stat boosting items are always a plus, with dexterity being top of the list. Boots that increase stealth, and rings that increase armor or saves are equally good investments since these things can never be too high. Specific items like the Gloves of Reconnaissance (Ultimate Equipment) are an invaluable tool for any spy, as it lets them "see" through solid material. Like doors. Or chests that may or may not be trapped.
As far as her weapons go the choices depend a great deal on the player. Those who multiclass and gain the use of a bow might find it's useful to use magical arrows to pepper the enemy with enchanted arrows purchased specifically for dealing with them (bane, elemental damage, holy, etc.). The same strategy works with shuriken that have been properly poisoned, or which have certain magical properties that makes them deadly against certain types of foes. Unarmed strikes are always an option, but the ninja also has access to eastern weapons like the katana that, when enhanced magically and envenomed just to be safe, can be combat enders.
Nemesis, I think your Widow-Maker needs Sap Adept/Master and Throatslicer added to the mix.
Granted, this is to be a villain against PC's and Throatslicer may be a little extreme, in this case.
Valid input, VoodistMonk. keep the suggestions coming.
It'll depend on how bloody and violent Arkhadtoa as a DM, wants to take it to his players. Personally I'd get one of the characters alone in their room one night. Climb out of a rope trick with a spell silenced coin and assassinate the helpless sleeping character in the most gruesome way possible, defile the body, paint with their blood on the walls "WHO'S NEXT?" and ghost step through the walls/floor/ceiling away, taking with me all of the characters possessions. The mystery is how the killer got in/out, who the killer(s) is(are), who hired the assassin?
In curse of the crimson throne AP, I actually used Octavio the Silence (seen above) as my assassin. He would tack a tiny calamari to the forehead of each kill.
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Now, for our next trick, we have a deranged sorcerer/rogue/arcane trickster who thinks he's a god
Loki, the god of mischief and lies.:
The villain who is usually one step ahead of everyone else. Slick, sly, and clever, the prodigal son of Asgard.
Race and Attributes
The Loki of Marvel comics fame is a frost giant. Adopted by Odin, Loki's nature was hidden from him until he discovered he'd been living a lie.
The mythical Loki on the other hand was one of the only fire giants mentioned in Norse myth. Fire represented wit and cleverness, and if left unchecked it would consume and destroy. This build suggests neither and both of these at the same time.
The best fit for Loki both mechanically and thematically is the tiefling; specifically the Rakshasa variant. This variant provides a +2 to dexterity and a +2 to charisma, as well as a -2 to wisdom. What is more fitting for the god of it-seemed-like-a-good-idea-at-the-time? It also provides access to the skills Disguise and Sense Motive (both useful things to have), as well as the use of detect thoughts as a spell-like ability instead of darkness. This race also gives Loki resistance to fire, cold, and electricity, perhaps just to spite his brother.
As far as attributes go Loki has more use for dexterity, charisma, and intelligence. While he isn't known for his toughness, he is a giant, so constitution shouldn't be his dump stat. Strength isn't primary, but it is useful.
Traits
Loki is a complex character, which is why picking traits for him can be difficult.Magical knack (+2 to your caster level up to your total character level) is a great trait for balancing out the caster level problems multi-classing incurs.Dangerously curious (+1 on use magic device, and u.m.d is always a class skill for you) is also a useful trait, since it sums up both Loki's personality as well as his use of magical items. Traits like convincing liar (+1 trait bonus to bluff or intimidate, and it's always a class skill for you), as well as charming (+1 trait bonus to Bluff, Diplomacy, and the DC of language dependent spells cast on someone who could be sexually attracted to the caster) are equally good choices.
Classes
Loki possesses a wide array of abilities, and he's proven himself readily adaptable. That said, he is an amalgamation of magic and guile that can only be thematically realized through the Arcane Trickster prestige class (Core Rule Book 377). All someone needs is 3 levels of rogue and 4 levels of sorcerer to enter the prestige class; this covers the 4 ranks of Disable Device, Escape Artist, and Knowledge Arcana, as well as 2d6 of sneak attack and the ability to cast mage hand in addition to at least 1 second level spell. Players should choose their bloodline carefully, but the Silver Tongue ability of the Rakshasa bloodline (Ultimate Magic 68) makes it a slam dunk with the ability to add a +5 to a Bluff check, and to make it more difficult for other people to force you to tell the truth. As far as the Rogue Talent, fast stealth is one of the more useful ones, but players can choose whatever they wish.
Arcane Trickster fulfills Loki's theme in a way that few other builds do. It provides decent skill ranks (4+Int modifier) per level, a long list of skills, it continues offering effective levels of spellcasting, and it provides unique abilities like Impromptu Sneak Attack as well as Tricky Spells (the ability to declare an attack a sneak attack and ignore verbal or somatic components on a whim respectively). Arcane Tricksters are extremely adaptable, and if focused are a force to be reckoned with.
Skills
Loki's skills are diverse, but this build should focus on what the player needs. Disable device (for getting into and out of tricky spots), knowledge (arcana) [for that rare lore about ancient powers], and escape artist (because being tied up makes life difficult) are necessary investments (though the last may be impractical past the 4 ranks required). Loki should also have both bluff and diplomacy at their highest ranks (for obvious reasons), and intimidate is also a useful skill (for those who remember his speech to the Black Widow in Avengers). Stealth is a given, and disguise can be useful unless a player plans to use magic to affect a disguise instead of more mundane means. Acrobatics is useful for getting away, and sleight of hand is something that every Loki build should have, as the Arcane Trickster allows for its use at range. Use magic device is a requirement, particularly since it's a Charisma-based skill. Spellcraft is also important (since it's useful to know what enemies are casting), and it's key to identifying magic items. How many skills and what focus a player decides varies on what intelligence score he or she chose, as well as whether their Loki has become a hero, a villain, or if he is still going through his fall from grace.
Feats
Feats for Loki vary, but magical and skill feats will be what players find most helpful. Skill focus (Core Rule Book 134) is great for providing bonuses on any skill both now and later. Other skill feats like deceitful(Core Rule Book 121) help with disguise and bluff. Feats like spell focus and greater spell focus (Core Rule Book 134 and 125) are essential for making sure that enemies make their saves as rarely as possible. For damage dealing spells it's a good idea to invest in spell penetration and greater spell penetration (Core Rule Book 134 and 125), as well as varisian tattoo (Inner Sea World Guide 289) which increases your effective caster level by school.
With so many options it's important to ask what your Loki is going to focus on, and make sure it's available. Mundane trickery? Illusion magic? Enchantment? Once you've chosen your weapon of choice, make it count.
Spells
Magic is going to be key to Loki's abilities, and sorcerers only get a select number of spells. Most of Loki's magic tends to be illusion or enchantment, and early spell selections like charm person (Core Rule Book 254), disguise self (Core Rule Book271), and anything that can create a false double or protect Loki like mirror image(Core Rule Book 314) or minor image (Core Rule Book 314) are always good choices for spell selection.
When it comes to Loki's magic it's less about which specific spells a player chooses, and more about how the player uses them. For Loki magic isn't about incinerating his opponents or leaving them frozen in a permanent ice prison (well, most of the time). It's about misdirection, distraction, and making his enemies fight each other while keeping himself out of harm's way as much as he can. For instance, players who can charm enemies into fighting one another, or get those enemies to stand aside and let the party pass without harm, are sort of what the concept is all about. Not all enemies can be affected by charms and illusions though. That's why it's important to select at least a few battlefield control spells like obscuring mist (Core Rule Book317), as well as spells that create walls to trap enemies and provide safety. Invisibility is Loki's best friend as well, particularly when it comes time to sneak away undetected while a decoy pretends to stand and fight.
Equipment
Loki, like all adventurers, will benefit greatly from getting his hands on the right equipment. A cloak of resistance (Core Rule Book 507) is always a good choice, as are bracers of armor (Core Rule Book 504). However, to really play into Loki's themes, it's a good idea to have items like a ring of invisibility (Core Rule Book 481), dust of tracelessness (Core Rule Book 510), or even really expensive items like the boots of teleportation (Core Rule Book 504). Any scrolls or wands that can save Loki's personal magic for when it's needed are also great investments, especially if they're for spells he doesn't normally have access to but might want in a pinch.
For those imitating Marvel's Loki down to the details though, one of the most important items to have is a rod of rulership (Core Rule Book 488). It allows for the rulership of up to 300 hit dice worth of creatures at a time, though intelligent creatures do get a save against the effect. While this scepter has a limited amount of time it can be used, 500 minutes total, it is certainly a thematically powerful item.
Final Suggestions
There will always be players who have different ideas and desires for how they'd like to play their version of a concept. Some players might think the Elemental bloodline is truer to Loki's myth and heritage, and that illusion and evocation spells would be a better combination. Others might think playing a straight sorcerer rather than diluting it with rogue and arcane trickster would be preferable. Remember; no player is wrong.
The only truly dumb decision a player can make when putting together a character is not to look ahead. This is particularly true with a multi-class character. Every skill choice, every feat, every spell learned should be a puzzle piece that fits into a complete image. Players should know what they can do at level one as well as at level ten or twenty, and they should be aware of what the holes in their strategy are. For instance, Loki's extremely low BAB means that he isn't going to mix it up well in combat, but if he's fighting someone immune to his spells or if he's out of magic then what does he do? What does a character focused on illusion and enchantment spells do when facing undead? Or when trying to deal with constructs? These are all questions that players need to ask themselves.
Remember, there's a counter to everything. No matter how stealthy someone is or how high a spell DC is, there's a foil. Players who expect their bags of tricks to never run dry often find that when they least expect it they run into something they didn't plan for. Like being used as a floor mace by the Hulk.
I already have a few ideas of my own (such as an orcish werecrocodile barbarian focused on grappling and "death-rolling"
to preface, there is nothing stopping you from adding the werecrocodile template to this one. this has a lot of flavor and i'd really like to see your version of the build
Killer Croc:
Race, Attributes, and Traits
Though he was born to humans, there was always something off about Waylon Jones. One way to represent his descent into inhumanity, both physically and mentally, is to make his base race a Scaleheart (the skinwalker archetype descended from werecrocodiles, and found in the book Blood of The Moon). With their ability to enhance their strength, as well as the power to gain a swim speed, a bite attack, and the ferocity monster trait, the Scaleheart is a natural fit for Killer Croc. Especially since there's nothing that says he ever has to change back to a more human-looking skin.
As to Croc's attributes, physical ones should take priority. Croc is strong, tough, and fast, in that order, and we've seen that he is not terribly wise, though he can display a low cunning. His presence is notable, but he's never used it for any purpose other than intimidating others.
Lastly, you need to pick Croc's traits. There's a huge list to choose from, but it's important to remember to pick the traits you're going to use most often in order to get the biggest benefits from them. Crocodile Swim, for example, grants a +2 trait bonus on Swim and Stealth checks while moving at half speed as long as you're mostly or completely underwater. It also lets you pick one of those two traits as a class skill, and for the purposes of this guide Stealth is the better pick. If that one doesn't appeal, though, an alternative race trait is Bred For War, which gives you a +1 trait bonus on Intimidate checks, and a +1 trait bonus to your CMB because of how damn big you are. You might also want traits like Deepsea Native, which gives you a +2 trait bonus on Knowledge checks to identify aquatic monsters, and reduces the penalty to Perception checks due to murky water by -2. Berserker of The Society, which grants you an additional 3 rounds of Rage per day, or Bloody-Minded, which grants a +1 trait bonus to Intimidate and Initiative checks, are also good choices.
Class(es)
The most fitting class for Killer Croc is the barbarian, given Croc's penchant for brutality over brains. However, since Croc also prefers crushing the life out of his foes, the Brutal Pugilist archetype fits him better than just a standard barbarian. It gives you the ability to take attacks of opportunity against anyone who grapples you, even if you normally couldn't, it grants you an insight bonus to a combat maneuver (grappling is a good choice), and it allows you to avoid the negatives typically associated with gaining the grappled condition. Even better, it treats you as one size category bigger than you are for the purposes of grappling. You lose out on Uncanny Dodge and Trap Sense, but if you want to grab your foes and roll them under the water, it's a small price to pay.
Also, while it's possible to just take straight Brutal Pugilist levels, there was a period of time where Croc was on some serious drugs. If you want to mimic the power, and sheer savagery Croc's dosing gave him, you might want to take a level or two of alchemist for the bonus extracts and mutagen. You could take the Ragechemist archetype to get a bigger Strength bonus, or you could take the Vivisectionist archetype to gain a little precision damage instead of bombs. Whichever route you go, though, mutagen also increases your natural armor, which is something that happened with a fair frequency to Croc's scaly hide.
Lastly, you may want to take a single level of Brawler. The unarmed damage is useful, but more importantly, it frees up a feat slot by giving you Improved Unarmed Strike. You might also enjoy having Martial Flexibility on hand, in case you find something too big to grab.
Skills, Rage Powers, and Feats
Barbarians don't get a lot of skills, as a rule, and when you were educated in the penal system you tend to rely on your other forms of expertise. However, Croc should have Intimidate, Stealth, Perception, and Swim at the very least. Knowledge (Local) is useful if you have leftovers, but so are Acrobatics and Climb.
On to your Rage Powers! Since the bulk of your levels are going to be barbarian, you're going to have a decent selection of Rage Powers to pick from. The first one you should select is Animal Fury, because even though you already have a bite attack that does more damage, this Rage Power gives you the ability to make a bite attack as part of maintaining or escaping from a grapple, and if it hits you get a +2 bonus on all grapple checks for the round. Add in the Beast Totem Rage Powers, which give you claw attacks, natural armor, and pounce, and you'll start to resemble a scaly chipper-shredder. Raging Grappler gives you the ability to deal damage quickly, and to put your foes on their backs to make it harder for them to escape. Other Rage Powers like Strength Surge, Smasher, Intimidating Glare, Renewed Vigor, and Regenerative Vigor are also good ones to pick in keeping with Croc's theme of a big, scary murder machine that just won't go down.
When it comes to feats, you need to make your selections carefully. Especially since you don't have any bonus feats from your race or class(es). Croc's wrestling feats will include Improved Grapple and Greater Grapple (Core Rulebook 127 and 125), and Rapid Grappler (Ultimate Combat 114). You may also want to take Chokehold (Ultimate Combat 92), which allows you to put enemies up to one size larger than you are (technically two sizes larger thanks to Brutal Pugilist) into a chokehold. This begins suffocating them, and makes it impossible for them to breathe, or cast spells with verbal components.
Croc isn't just a professional wrestler with a skin condition, though. You might also want to consider the Extra Feature feat (Blood of The Moon 7) in order to gain the benefits of multiple bestial features at once (so you could have a bite attack and a swim speed at once, for instance). Taking it twice should allow you to take all the features you want when you shift... assuming you ever take your more human form again. You may also wish to take Eldritch Claws (Advanced Player's Guide 158) in order to treat your natural weapons as magic and silver for the purposes of DR.
Equipment and Story
The Killer Croc we know from the comics and animated series doesn't really rely on equipment. He's a gigantic beast man who uses his environmental adaptation, and unflinching strength, to put his enemies in the ground. However, if you're planning on making your Killer Croc as tough to beat as possible, then you might want to consider Gauntlets of the Skilled Maneuver, magic belts that enhance your physical stats, and an Amulet of Mighty Fists to make your natural attacks hit even harder than they already do. Armor is a good idea, but keep in mind that if you're in the water, armor might become a mechanical liability.
Those are nice builds. I think OP could also check this page for some more cool build ideas : http://taking10.blogspot.com/p/character-conversions.html?m=1
It has not been updated for a while but there are some pretty good ideas there as I am Nemesis found out.
To preface, I know that there are superhero-specific RPG systems out there, like Mutants and Masterminds, but neither my players nor I want to learn a new system, and Pathfinder offers such a wealth of player options that we can make great heroes and villains, themed around a fantasy world.
I'm making a homebrew fantasy city/world, but it uses the same races, monsters, and gods from Golarion, for ease of transition. It has somewhat advanced steam/clockwork/magi-tech technology, as well as magic. My players are making superheroes (some with the Vigilante class, and others with interesting blends of races and classes, like Oracle/Brawler, or a guy who's making basically Venom with Synthesist Summoner). As I, the GM, am in charge of populating the city they'll be defending with helpless civilians, tough thugs, and nefarious supervillains, I find that my greatest challenge is making these supervillains stand out as exceptional in a fantasy world where spellcasters are commonplace.
I already have a few ideas of my own (such as an orcish werecrocodile barbarian focused on grappling and "death-rolling", a gadget villain who uses a plethora of Wondrous items and rods and staves to steal and fight, and a mastermind Oracle with the Intruigue mystery), and I'm confident that I can make a pretty decent rogues gallery, but I wanted to reach out to other experienced players on the internet for other ideas that I wouldn't have thought of. (I made a similar post on Reddit not long ago, but where better to ask than on the Paizo boards?) The players want to be street-level heroes (like Daredevil or Spider-Man), rather than, like the Justice League, so I'm thinking of limiting my CR to around 14-16 maximum.
I would love to see your ideas, regardless of how cheesy or gritty they are (there's room for both at my table)! I don't mind builds that are obvious references (after all, I'm planning a special May the 4th session where they fight a black-armored Magus with a flaming red sword who uses Telekinetic Maneuver), but...
Ill be perfectly honest i read only the headline but i have an idea....it would take some work to make him better but it would be the greatest super villain of all time......r u ready......so my idea is....the box ghost from the cartoon danny phantom....ik what your thinking "what on earth is he smoking" but bear with me here. So what if the boxes could do different things like they open and have different affects and he could summon mimics. And he was trying to get some box that could really f~%@ up the world or something. You could do what they did in the show and hes trying to get pandoras box. And like you could make him stronger with each encounter.....i know its a stretch but if you could pull it off it would be the greatest campaign ever to exist
Those are nice builds. I think OP could also check this page for some more cool build ideas : http://taking10.blogspot.com/p/character-conversions.html?m=1
It has not been updated for a while but there are some pretty good ideas there as I am Nemesis found out.
yes, that's where i found them about 6 years ago. Now i don't have to keep digging through my saved files to find them. if memory serves, Neal Litherland hasn't been on the boards since 2014 or 2016, but he does great well thought out work.
EDIT: Just searched Neal, he last posted Sep 6, 2018.
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This one i played in PFS to retirement 7 years ago. Some tables were in awe of the character, while others HATED her. The build has since been nerfed but i'll explain the way around at the end.
The Mist that Kills:
Thanks to the Advanced Players’ Guide (APG), this one is by far the best and most broken. I advise talking to your DM about it ahead of time. This build deviates from the all-Rogue level scheme that I was trying to go for, but it’s just too good to pass up. This involves taking one level of the Oracle class from the APG, and choosing the Waves mystery, specifically the Water Sight revelation. This ability allows a character to see through fog and mist without penalty. Sounds harmless right? Well, the oracle can also choose Obscuring Mist as a first level spell from the cleric’s spell list. Do you see where I’m going with this? Let’s start with the build and if you don’t get it now, you will soon enough.
So, first are ability scores. For a ranged character of any kind, Dex is obviously the most important ability, so you should max it out. After that, put your points in Int for skills (and a neat little feat we'll discuss later) and Wisdom for bonuses in perception and such things. Don't put a negative score in Con, because you might need those hit points. Strength is an interesting one for an archer. You don't need it if you're using a standard bow. However, if you get a composite bow, you can add your strength bonus to attacks. And that makes a huge difference when you're trying to get as many attacks as possible per round. For that reason alone, I suggest that you at least put a 12 in strength. My suggested point assignment, again based on a standard 20-point buy, are as follows: Str 12 Dex 16 Con 12 Int 13 Wis 13 Cha 10.
Racial adjustments are important here also. I find that either a standard elf or a Sylph from the Bestiary 2 book will do very well, having the same exact adjustments (+2 Dex, +2 Int, -2 Con), raising our Elf archer's Dex to 18! We'll name our elven friend Kriel. A Tiefling from the Bestiary will work extremely well also (+2 Dex, +2 Int, -2 Cha) since their once-per-day Darkness ability will let you hide and snipe when you normally wouldn't have the option (assuming you’re already in an area of dim light). I would recommend against a halfling because of the lower damage dice on weapons. If you're doing one of the stealthy builds instead, a halfling is an excellent choice (+2 Dex, +2 Cha, -2 Str), as is the Fetchling from Bestiary 2 (+2 Dex, +2 Cha, -2 Wis, low-light and darkvision, +2 on stealth and some fun spell-like abilities).
Moving on to the first-level choices. Kriel will be using a composite longbow with a +1 strength rating to get that extra +1 on all damage rolls. The feat at first level is a no-brainer, Point Blank Shot. This gives you a +1 to attack and damage when you're within 30 feet of your target, and more importantly opens up a plethora of ranged feats that will help our elven rogue do more damage. Now, our Oracle level is going to give us the Water Sight ability that I explained earlier. It also gives us access to first-level Cleric spells, and the one you really want to learn is Obscuring Mist. This spell creates a cloud of mist in a 20-foot radius around you, obscuring all sight more than five feet away, and lasts one minute per level. For any other ranged character this would be horrible, since they would not be able to see to shoot anyone. However, for our Oracle, the mist can be seen through as easily as if it were empty air. This means that we have a ranged character that is completely obscured from all others’ vision, but can see the others perfectly. Obscuring Mist can be cast three times per day, thanks to the Oracle’s three first-level spell slots. And if you feel so inclined, you can gain additional casts per day by taking the Minor Magic and Major Magic talents later on.
Second level brings our first rogue level and our first die of Sneak Attack. On all of these builds, you're going to want to forego trapfinding and trap sense for the Sniper abilities from the APG. At first (Rogue) level, this lets you halve all range increment penalties for ranged weapons, and at third level you start to get more range on your sneak attacks with a bow (+10 feet at third level and +10 for every three levels after that).
Third level brings our first Rogue Talent, and there are several good options. Surprise Attack will let our rogue get her sneak damage on an enemy at any point during the surprise round. Snap Shot from the APG does almost the exact same thing, but allows the rogue to be the first one to act in the surprise round in almost every encounter. Sniper's Eye will appeal to those trying to get the sneak damage as often as possible. It allows you to ignore concealment (not total concealment, however) when it comes to being able to sneak attack an opponent. In the case of Kriel, she'll choose to take the combat feat, Precise Shot. This will allow her to shoot into combat without a huge penalty. This is definitely necessary since most of the party will be trying to flank an opponent. For her third-level feat, the choices branch out more for Kriel. Rapid Shot will allow her to make an extra attack at her highest attack bonus with just a -2 penalty to all the attacks in that round. It will also open up the possibility of taking the "fun little feat" I mentioned earlier, Focused Shot from the APG, at the next opportunity. This allows her to add her Int mod to damage on ranged attacks (this feat is specific to elves).
Let's have a little recap of Kriel's current stats. At the beginning of combat, she will cast Obscuring Mist around herself, which will last 10 rounds (1 minute). Each round she can then fire two arrows into melee from up to 30 feet away, at an average attack bonus of 14 (10 + 1 BAB + 4 Dex + 1 point blank - 2 rapid shot). Both of these attacks will be against the opponent’s flat-footed AC, since she is completely obscured from view. The arrows will deal an average of 9 (1d8 + 1 Str + 1 point blank + 1d6 sneak) damage. Her hit points won't be that impressive, a measly 19 (8 + 4 + 4 + 3 Con), but that doesn't matter much. She's not a melee character, and no one is going to hit her with anything smaller than a fireball thanks to her Obscuring Mist.
At level four, Kriel gets her first ability score boost, and she's going to add it to Int to get a bit more damage with her choice of Focused Shot as a combat feat at the next level.
At level five, Kriel will use her talent choice for Focused Shot as a combat feat. This feat will instantly let her add her Int mod to every arrow, boosting her average damage within 30 feet of her target to 15 (1d8 + 1 Str + 1 point blank + 2d6 sneak + 3 focused shot). Level five also brings a feat choice. There are several that can be selected here. Deadly Aim is the ranged equivalent of Power Attack, allowing an archer to take a penalty to attack bonus to deal some extra damage (+2 damage per -1 attack). Stabbing Shot from the APG could get you out of a sticky situation in melee while still letting you get a shot off. You are allowed to make a melee attack with an arrow that pushes your enemy back by 5 feet while still being able to fire a second arrow. Again, this one is another elf-only feat. Weapon Focus (Bow) would be useful for any ranged character, and Kriel is going to go with that, giving her an extra +1 to her attack.
Since level six only gives Kriel another sneak die, we’ll skip to level seven. It's Rogue Talent time again, and Kriel is going to choose Deadly Aim as a combat feat. Other nice choices are: Surprise Attack, Snap Shot or Sniper's Eye. Level seven also brings a feat choice, and since we're still one Base Attack Bonus (BAB) away from taking Manyshot, I feel like I am running out of useful options. As mentioned before, Stabbing Shot is a possibility for elves. The Oracle level gives you the ability to use Extra Revelation to choose Fluid Travel. This gives you the ability to walk on water! Besides just being extremely cool, this could come in handy outside of battle for sure.
Another recap: Kriel begins a battle by casting Obscuring Mist. She can shoot two arrows per round, with an average attack bonus of 15 (1d20 + 4 BAB + 4 Dex + 1 point blank – 2 rapid shot – 2 deadly aim) from within 30 feet of her target against his flat-footed AC, that will on average do 22 (1d8 + 1 Str + 1 point blank + 3d6 sneak + 3 focused shot + 4 deadly aim) damage per arrow. Her hit points now average 39 (8 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 7 Con).
Level eight gives Kriel an ability boost. I would suggest Dex this time. It won’t raise her ability bonuses yet, but at level 12 another increase in Dex will give her a +5 Dex bonus.
Level nine is very exciting, because Kriel hits +6 BAB, earning her another attack action per round, AND she finally qualifies for Rapid Shot, allowing her to fire two arrows simultaneously during her first attack action. For her Rogue Talent, Kriel is going to take Hellcat Stealth for those few times when she can’t find a good way to use her Obscuring Mist but still wants to snipe some people.
Level ten gives Kriel her fifth sneak die. Now, let’s recap once again. Beginning the battle, as always, with Obscuring mist, Kriel can make three attacks with her bow within 30 feet of her enemy, the first attack firing two arrows at once. The average attack bonus will be 17 (1d20 + 6 BAB + 4 Dex + 1 point blank – 2 rapid shot – 2 deadly aim) for the first three arrows and 12 (10 + 1 BAB + 4 Dex +1 point blank shot – 2 rapid shot - 2 deadly aim) for the final arrow. Kriel’s average damage per arrow will be 28 (1d8 + 1 Str + 1 point blank + 5d6 sneak + 3 focused shot + 4 deadly aim) damage, and this can obviously be raised using magic items which any tenth level character should be able to afford at this point. Some of these items are:
• +2 Composite Longbow (+2 or higher Str rating)
• Several different types of magic arrows, used situationally
• Ring of Protection +2
• Wand of Obscuring Mist
• Wand of Fog Cloud (lasts longer)
• Wand of Cure Light Wounds (in case your healer gets knocked out)
• Bracers of Armor +2
• Belt of Dex +2
• Headband of Int +2
• Lesser Bracers of Archery
• Belt of Physical Might (+2 Dex and Str)
•
If i were to try that build now Kriel would be screwed. The Water Sight Revelation is now restricted to 1 round per Oracle level per day.
Fortunately, we don't have to worry about leveling up an NPC. You can go all rogue levels and equip her with Goz Goggles and a Wand of Obscuring Mist. Pick the CR you want the encounter to be and Use the same tactics and you've the makings of at least one player death.
This build mixes poison, plant themed power, and classic roguish charm. You can seduce or simply destroy, either way you’re walking away with the loot. We are going straight rogue so no forays into two weapon style.
Poison Ivy:
Feats/Rogue Talents
This only works out if you’re going to be a Vishkanya as only the Vishkanya has a scaling racial poison that puts enemies to sleep.
Stat adds are all into Charisma to gain access to the higher levels of Eldritch Heritage Feat Chain. I’d lean toward the favored class bonuses going toward hit points. Build also assumes you will have a stat add item or two (for combat Expertise ect)
Skills
Usual priorities UMD, Acrobatics, Stealth, Disable Device, Sleight of Hand, Perception, and in this case Craft Alchemy.
Traits
Reactionary (+2 Initiative)
Whatever you feel like really.
Variables
This build gains the most power from the first feat selected, it scales with level and empowers your rogue with a swift action scaling poison. The Verdant bloodline power also scales allowing for a very decent ranged disarm, trip and steal ability. Blademaster builds on your sneak attacks and free kukri proficiency. A decent variation may well be going into a standard thrower as opposed to keeping to the eldritch heritage line.
There is also the ability to vanish twice a combat.
Tactics at Level…
Level 1+ Go for the spell casters and low level fort saves with your poison, flank with your friends to SA the rest.
Level 5+ You can now disarm and trip at range, take advantage of this before closing. First round when opponents are flat footed lead with a jolt to deal ranged touch SA damage.
Level 7+ You can Vanish twice a day and arcane strike when you can use the extra damage boost (and are not using your swift action to poison.)
Level 10+ You are even more amazing at disarming foes when needed.
Level 11+ Gain the best parts of the Verdant Bloodline, a Familiar, mix poisons, and gain some other nice tricks like dispelling attack.
Now, for our next trick, we have a deranged sorcerer/rogue/arcane trickster who thinks he's a god
{Loki, the god of mischief and lies}
You can improve this and get rid of half of the need for Magical Knack by going just 1 level of Sneak Attack dip and using the feat Accomplished Sneak Attacker to get up to +2d6 to qualify for Arcane Trickster. Alternatively, since this is most likely to be used for a GM-run villain, you could have NO levels of Sneak Attack dip class, and instead use VMC Rogue to get Sneak Attack starting at 7th level, and retrain some other feat to get Accomplished Sneak Attacker at the same time so as to be able to enter Arcane Trickster at 8th level (only 2 levels late).
VoodistMonk wrote:
{. . .}
{The Mist that Kills}
{. . .}
A slight adjustment is needed here: If you want to cast 1st level Oracle spells, you need to have Charisma at least 11, not 10.
Now, for our next trick, we have a deranged sorcerer/rogue/arcane trickster who thinks he's a god
{Loki, the god of mischief and lies}
You can improve this and get rid of half of the need for Magical Knack by going just 1 level of Sneak Attack dip and using the feat Accomplished Sneak Attacker to get up to +2d6 to qualify for Arcane Trickster. Alternatively, since this is most likely to be used for a GM-run villain, you could have NO levels of Sneak Attack dip class, and instead use VMC Rogue to get Sneak Attack starting at 7th level, and retrain some other feat to get Accomplished Sneak Attacker at the same time so as to be able to enter Arcane Trickster at 8th level (only 2 levels late).
VoodistMonk wrote:
{. . .}
{The Mist that Kills}
{. . .}
A slight adjustment is needed here: If you want to cast 1st level Oracle spells, you need to have Charisma at least 11, not 10.
Do not involve my Centaurs with your argument... the four of them remain strong, despite your various bull$#!+...
i use my +1 ghosttouched packing tape on the Ghost Box
UnArcaneElection wrote:
I am Nemesis wrote:
Now, for our next trick, we have a deranged sorcerer/rogue/arcane trickster who thinks he's a god: {Loki, the god of mischief and lies}
You can improve this and get rid of half of the need for Magical Knack by going just 1 level of Sneak Attack dip and using the feat Accomplished Sneak Attacker to get up to +2d6 to qualify for Arcane Trickster. Alternatively, since this is most likely to be used for a GM-run villain, you could have NO levels of Sneak Attack dip class, and instead use VMC Rogue to get Sneak Attack starting at 7th level, and retrain some other feat to get Accomplished Sneak Attacker at the same time so as to be able to enter Arcane Trickster at 8th level (only 2 levels late).
My question is why take it later? It's my impression that the OP is not going be running all these builds to 20th level, he'll cut the CR to what's appropriate to the character level encounter.
VoodistMonk wrote:
{The Mist that Kills}
A slight adjustment is needed here: If you want to cast 1st level Oracle spells, you need to have Charisma at least 11, not 10.
Oversight on my part in the original post, it was played properly in PFS.
VoodistMonk wrote:
Do not involve my Centaurs with your argument... the four of them remain strong, despite your various bull$#!+...
The Four Horsemen should have two cohort Archers & two cohort Lancers with paired opportunist. That should make them especially devastating. How's that for bull$#!+? ;-)
Voodist,
Whoa. I just HeroLab'd your Horsemen. If they get used i hope its only one at a time. Uber Strong, this is TPK territory. Especially if you throw Bards/Clerics into the mix.
Nemesis, I think your Widow-Maker needs Sap Adept/Master and Throatslicer added to the mix.
Granted, this is to be a villain against PC's and Throatslicer may be a little extreme, in this case.
Valid input, VoodistMonk. keep the suggestions coming.
It'll depend on how bloody and violent Arkhadtoa as a DM, wants to take it to his players. Personally I'd get one of the characters alone in their room one night. Climb out of a rope trick with a spell silenced coin and assassinate the helpless sleeping character in the most gruesome way possible, defile the body, paint with their blood on the walls "WHO'S NEXT?" and ghost step through the walls/floor/ceiling away, taking with me all of the characters possessions. The mystery is how the killer got in/out, who the killer(s) is(are), who hired the assassin?
In curse of the crimson throne AP, I actually used Octavio the Silence (seen above) as my assassin. He would tack a tiny calamari to the forehead of each kill.
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Now, for our next trick, we have a deranged sorcerer/rogue/arcane trickster who thinks he's a god
[b]** spoiler omitted **...
I don't know if anyone has made this suggestion yet, but Loki needs a Mask of the Stony Demeanor: +5 on Bluff Checks to Feint in Combat, +10 on Bluff Checks to Lie.
There is a vicious killer out there, beheading people (i recommend a few nobles, children or low level heros' to get the PC's attention) in the city, and taking the heads and hearts, making speaking with the dead impossible. Truly the stuff of nightmares.
Nightmare Killer:
For this character, develop him as a party resource for a long term manipulation. He is a Half-Orc Baker, who makes magical animal-shaped cookies for the right people. The cookies? Treat them as potions of cat's grace, bear's endurance, bull strength, owl's wisdom & eagles splendor. He sells them at a discount to the PC's. He even gives non-magical cookies and bread to hungry children and families.
He's dark secret is that he is a Half-Orc with the Scarred Witch Doctor archetype and Endurance patron.
18 CON from buy, +2 from race, +4 from bear's endurance = 24 CON
DC of Hexes is 10+2+7=19 at 4th level.
HP (assuming 1/2 max+1) = 38 HP unbuffed, 46 HP buffed
Depending on how you decide to allocate your points, you can easily have 14/16 DEX. If you take the Cook People hex, you can get another +4 to your DEX. With Scarshield, 18/20 DEX, and mage armor and shield up, you're sitting at 24/25 AC. Not bad for a caster.
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +5/6, Will +3/4 (depending on if you dumped wisdom or not)
For funsies: Take a scythe as your weapon. You probably dumped strength, but take it anyway. Hit your foe with your Slumber hex (prep with Misfortune, Evil Eye and Cackle if you need to) and walk up to them. If his target saves , he moves on until another victim fails the save. Cast enemy's heart, and do 2d4-1 x 4 damage (assuming 8 STR). The target needs to make a DC 14 Fortitude save vs. death if you deal absolute minimum damage, and takes a -2 on the roll and needs to roll twice, taking the worse result. If you somehow do max damage, it's a DC 38 save. If you kill the target, you rip out their heart and get a bonus to your caster level and some temporary hit points.
Level 1: Hex is used up by archetype. Take Slumber hex with the Extra Hex feat.
Level 2: Misfortune hex
Level 3: Extra Hex: Cackle hex
Level 4: Cook People hex (remember the magical cookies?)
I only stat'd him out to 4th level, make him higher CR as you wish.
Make sure to grab the Ability Focus feat for Slumber.
you want a more formidable Nightmare Killer?
Half-Orc Witch Doctor/ Kineticist (from the new Psychic classes)
Your casting stat for both is Con. (You also need Dex, but you can dump everything else away). Witches have awesome spells, but very few direct damage blasts. Kineticists only do direct damage blasts. Fly around all day long doing fire blasts and Hexes to your heart's content
a true neutral cleric who focuses on negative channeling and tanking.
The Dark Angel:
He dips into fighter at second level to gain heavy armor proficiency and an extra feat, then spends the rest of his time as an Undead Lord Cleric buffing his channeling abilities. He wades into the center of combat and bursts negative channeling, and is particularly effective against groups of enemies and controlling the undead.
Attributes
Cha>Wis>Con>Dex>Str>Int
We want Charisma as high as possible for better channeling. Wisdom doesn’t need to be absurd, but you are going to want 19 by level 20 so you can cast 9th level spells. Con is next, given that you are going to be in the midst of fighting. Dex doesn’t need to be higher than 12, or 13 if you want dodge. Strength is so we aren’t encumbered. Int is the dump stat, and because you always gain at least 1 skill point per level from your class, dumping it down to 7 is the same as dumping it down to 8. If you know you are not playing up to 20th level, simply keep your wisdom lower and bump up your charisma instead.
Traits
Sacred Conduit: DC of Channel goes up by one.
Armor Expert: Reduces armor check penalty by 1. You don’t have too many skill points, and you do have armor.
Feats
1:Selective Channeling, (Command Undead from Undead Lord)
2: Shield Focus
3: Improved Channel
4:
5: Shatter Resolve
6:
7: Extra Channel
8:
9: Quick Channel
10:
11: Channel Force
12:
13: Improved Channel Force
14:
15: Greater Channel Force
16:
17: Combat Casting
18:
19: Toughness
20:
Cleric
We want Urgathoa as a goddess, not only because she’s got an undead domain, but also because we get access to Shatter Resolve, which is awesome. Besides, don’t forget, you get most weapon proficiency from your one level dip in fighter!
Suggested Gear
Forget about weapons, you can stick with mundane as long as you want: you shouldn’t really be using it. You’re going to want full plate and a heavy shield, and magic them up. Additionally, amulet of natural armor always helps. Belt of constitution would be awesome.
What you are really saving up for, however, is the Phylactery of Negative Channeling. It costs 11,000gp and increases your damage dealt by channeling by 2d6. You should have enough for it by 6th level, when your wealth should be about 16,000. It’s less than half of your wealth by level 7. GET IT.
Spells
You aren’t the spell-slinging Cleric, but you will want to use spells occasionally. Make the most of your action economy and grab spells that can be used outside of combat (such as cure spells). Buffs that last minutes are good too.
Being a cleric you can still be a healer: Grab the entire cure wounds and cure wounds mass. This will make your party like you anyway.
Your DC for spells isn’t going to be great, so grab some spells that don’t use a DC. You can get the entire Summon Monster chain if you like. While you aren’t playing the full necromancer, you might as well make use of your Undead Lord abilities. Grab the spells that allow you to create undead: Animate Dead, Raise Dead, Create Undead, Create Greater Undead.
Skills
Let’s be serious here. You are getting 2 skill points per level. You are going to want 5 ranks in Know (Religion) to grab Quick Channeling. Other than that, go nuts.
What the Build Looks Like at...
This assumes point buy 20, mundane gear only. I’ll give him the phylactery of negative channeling at level 8 and above.
Level 1: Right now we can channel 7 times a day for 1d6 damage, DC 15.
Level 4: Can channel 7 times per day, dealing 2d6 (7 average) damage and a DC of 18. Has command undead, which is nice. Can cast 2+1 second level spells with a DC of 15. AC 23, and about 33 hit points.
Level 8: Can channel 10 times per day, dealing 6d6 (21 average) damage, demoralizes, and has a DC of 21. Can cast 1+1 fourth level spells with a DC of 18. AC 23, and about 61 hit points.
Level 12: Can channel 10 times per day, dealing 8d6 (28 average) damage, demoralizes, and has a DC of 23. Has quick channel, which means he can essentially take a full round action expend 3 channels, and deal 12d6 damage (56 average). Now he can heal himself when healing or controlling undead. Can cast 1+1 sixth level spells with a DC of 20. AC 23, and about 89 hit points.
Level 16: Can channel 10 times per day, dealing 10d6 (35 average), demoralizes damage and a DC of 25. Has quick channel, which means he can essentially take a full round action expend 3 channels, and deal 20d6 damage (70 average). Thanks to Greater Channel Force, you can also blow people 25 feet away and deal them damage. Can cast 1+1 eighth level spells with a DC of 22. AC 23, and about 117 hit points.
Level 20: Can channel 10 times per day, dealing 12d6 (42 average) damage, demoralizes, blow enemies back 30 feet, and a DC of 27. Has quick channel, which means he can essentially take a full round action expend 3 channels, and deal 24d6 damage (84 average). Can cast 3+1 ninth level spells with a DC of 25. AC 23, and about 165 hit points.
Tactics
Wade into the middle of combat and negative channel, excluding your four, five, and then six buddies. If fighting undead, control them. If fighting constructs, or a solo boss, you are still a full caster (sans one fighter level) - summon monsters or figure out some other way of dealing with the problem.
Being an Undead lord, you can have many undead minions following you around. This isn’t the point of this build, and it may annoy your adventuring partners, so keep it on the down low. But you do have that.
You are going to excel at fighting groups of enemies, be they living or undead. Heal your comrades out of combat and, at higher levels, spam the quick channel.
There is a vicious killer out there, beheading people (i recommend a few nobles, children or low level heros' to get the PC's attention) in the city, and taking the heads and hearts, making speaking with the dead impossible. Truly the stuff of nightmares.
He's dark secret is that he is a Half-Orc with the Scarred Witch Doctor archetype and Endurance patron.
{. . .}
Level 1: Hex is used up by archetype. Take Slumber hex with the Extra Hex feat. {. . .}
Minor alteration needed: Since the 1st level Hex Substitute ability of Scarred Witch Doctor isn't technically a Hex, you can't take Extra Hex at 1st level -- since 3rd level already specifies Extra Hex, you'll need at least 5th level to get all the Hexes you specify.
There is a vicious killer out there, beheading people (i recommend a few nobles, children or low level heros' to get the PC's attention) in the city, and taking the heads and hearts, making speaking with the dead impossible. Truly the stuff of nightmares.
He's dark secret is that he is a Half-Orc with the Scarred Witch Doctor archetype and Endurance patron.
{. . .}
Level 1: Hex is used up by archetype. Take Slumber hex with the Extra Hex feat. {. . .}
Minor alteration needed: Since the 1st level Hex Substitute ability of Scarred Witch Doctor isn't technically a Hex, you can't take Extra Hex at 1st level -- since 3rd level already specifies Extra Hex, you'll need at least 5th level to get all the Hexes you specify.
...unless you're building the character already at third level, in which case you can technically spend both feats on Extra Hex anyway.
The Beautiful Anti-Mage Commander
Race: Any (probably Tiefling or Aasimir)
Gestalt classes:
Arcane Duelist Bard
Spellbreaker/Spellkiller Inquisitor
She uses a Longspear flying the Banner of Ancient Kings, and spiked Mithral breastplate (later to be Celestial Plate). A combination of Arcane Strike/Riving Strike is used to save her uses of Bane to clean up when necessary.
She has Disruptive/Spellbreaker/Teleport Tactician and a few class/Inquisition abilities that stack with these feats. She is faster than Superman with her AoO!
She inspires courage to her followers, as well as buffs with Prayer/Heroism and heals, and on the other hand is an absolute menace to spellcasters she threatens.
She, herself, casually shrugs off incoming magic... for she is also a very capable Mage. She has access to both Arcane and Divine magics @ a 3/4 progression. And is capable of casting both through her longspear without penalty. She suffers no penalties for casting in her armor at appropriate levels.
Her longspear and armor spikes are both +2 Phase Locking, and both should probably have Spell Storing (Dispell: Contingency) for good measure.
Introduce her with the party @ level ~5-6, with her @ level ~8-10, but play her smart so she can show up again later. Give her another chance with her @ level ~15+, just for some real fun.
She leads a loyal group of Tetori Monks and Superstitious Barbarians... you are all gonna stay right here whilst these Neanderthals beat you to death!
Race: Any (probably Tiefling or Aasimir)
Gestalt classes:
Arcane Duelist Bard
Spellbreaker/Spellkiller Inquisitor
{. . .}
She leads a loyal group of Tetori Monks and Superstitious Barbarians... you are all gonna stay right here whilst these Neanderthals beat you to death!
Wonder what would be the best way to do this without using Gestalt? Will have to give this some more thought later(*). Actually sounds like a pretty good idea for a {Rise|Return} of the Runelords, Reign of Winter, or Wrath of the Righteous PC party.
(*)If only I hadn't gotten back home so late from work . . . .
Take a gargoyle add the dire and instrument of the gods templates and give it invulnerable rager levels and you pretty much have a knock off dooms day.
Race: Any (probably Tiefling or Aasimir)
Gestalt classes:
Arcane Duelist Bard
Spellbreaker/Spellkiller Inquisitor
{. . .}
She leads a loyal group of Tetori Monks and Superstitious Barbarians... you are all gonna stay right here whilst these Neanderthals beat you to death!
Wonder what would be the best way to do this without using Gestalt? Will have to give this some more thought later(*). Actually sounds like a pretty good idea for a {Rise|Return} of the Runelords, Reign of Winter, or Wrath of the Righteous PC party.
(*)If only I hadn't gotten back home so late from work . . . .
Leave her Gestalt, trust me. She is a little bit MAD, requiring you to choose between favoring Wisdom for the Inquisitor or Charisma for the Bard, and she keys off of Strength for attack and damage, but needs exactly enough Dexterity to max out her armor... but everything else works out perfectly for the mechanics of her Gestalt.
Just save her for a 5+ PC party, it gives her a reason to be Gestalt.
Despite being 3/4 BAB, between her own buffs and Arcane Strike and Bane/Greater Bane and Disruptive/Spellbreaker/Teleport Tactician and Penetrating Strike/ Greater Penetrating Strike and her spiked Celestial Plate armor... she will stand toe-to-toe with the greatest Fighter a party can bring. Play her smart and no mage will escape her wrath.
If you fill her gang with Tetori Monks and Superstitious Barbarians, a bunch of mundane meathead Neanderthals, even a high level spellcaster tossing out an antimagic field probably does more harm to their own team than hers...
Given that she is a commander, her Level 20 Impervious Ex. School will be Divination.
She has built a campaign-worthy career out of having the exact necessary magics and abilities to never let her gang down. And they, in turn, never let her down.
She only needs Riving Strike, Combat Reflexes, and Flagbearer to be completely functional... Combat Reflexes is necessary to retrain one of the freely given Disruptive feats out for Teleport Tactician. Everything else is purely fluff material of your choice.
Make her the Tiefling that is healed by both positive and negative channeling, and let her go where no man has gone before...
For a bit more humor, let me introduce...the Ex-Men!
All of the members of the Ex-men were at some point male. Many of them use to be humanoid at one point in time or the other. All of them are Female, thanks to Professor Ex's cursed Girdle of Opposite Gender she is able to change all new recruits to the Organizations preferred gender. The Girdle is also often used on those that publicly ridicule the Ex-Men to intimidate others.
Go down a list of X-Men, and just use the appropriate monster. In the case of animals figure they have been Awakened (as the spell), or are a were version of the same animal.
So Wolverine could either be a CR 2 animal that has been awakened, or based off of any Lycanthrope as needed by CR.
Cyclopse could either be an actual Cyclopse, or a one-eyed Kinetisist.
Storm should be a druid rather than an Air Elemental.
Beast, I'd make as a Ape with levels in Monk or Brawler.
Nightcrawler could just be a low ranking Demon or Devil with a few Swashbuckler levels. Maybe a Succubus?
Colossus would be entertaining as an Iron Golem.
Phoenix would obviously be a mythological creature.
Professor Ex herself would obvious be a bald Psychic that should be at the top ends of the campaign's power scale. She prefers to work through her followers, and tends to avoid killing but has no hesitation to use Dominate Person/Monster.
Overall the Ex-men want to fight against the patriarchal society by converting the leaders into Ex-men and basically run a protection racket on small businesses through the territory they manage to carve out in the city. Most of the low level members have their own gangs (which may or may not include men) and don't know where Professor Ex's Mansion is though the upper echelon of followers know and it includes many beings that can teleport lower end leaders to meetings.
"secretly" Dame Charlene Xavier runs the 'Finishing School for Exceptional Young Ladies' which has a good reputation among the upper crust of society. Charlene wears a wig as a disguise but it really shouldn't fool anyone. This isn't her real base of operations, this is just her hobby.
Race: Any (probably Tiefling or Aasimir)
Gestalt classes:
Arcane Duelist Bard
Spellbreaker/Spellkiller Inquisitor
{. . .}
She leads a loyal group of Tetori Monks and Superstitious Barbarians... you are all gonna stay right here whilst these Neanderthals beat you to death!
Wonder what would be the best way to do this without using Gestalt? Will have to give this some more thought later(*). Actually sounds like a pretty good idea for a {Rise|Return} of the Runelords, Reign of Winter, or Wrath of the Righteous PC party.
(*)If only I hadn't gotten back home so late from work . . . .
Leave her Gestalt, trust me. She is a little bit MAD, requiring you to choose between favoring Wisdom for the Inquisitor or Charisma for the Bard, and she keys off of Strength for attack and damage, but needs exactly enough Dexterity to max out her armor... but everything else works out perfectly for the mechanics of her Gestalt.
Just save her for a 5+ PC party, it gives her a reason to be Gestalt.
Despite being 3/4 BAB, between her own buffs and Arcane Strike and Bane/Greater Bane and Disruptive/Spellbreaker/Teleport Tactician and Penetrating Strike/ Greater Penetrating Strike and her spiked Celestial Plate armor... she will stand toe-to-toe with the greatest Fighter a party can bring. Play her smart and no mage will escape her wrath.
If you fill her gang with Tetori Monks and Superstitious Barbarians, a bunch of mundane meathead Neanderthals, even a high level spellcaster tossing out an antimagic field probably does more harm to their own team than hers...
Given that she is a commander, her Level 20 Impervious Ex. School will be Divination.
She has built a campaign-worthy career out of having the exact necessary magics and abilities to never let her gang down. And they, in turn, never let her down.
She only needs Riving Strike, Combat Reflexes, and Flagbearer to be completely...
Not to toot my own horn, but I ran out of edit time...
The Beautiful Anti-Mage Commander was originally planned to be a PC in a high-magic Gestalt campaign that never happened. Her original hated school was to be Necromancy, and her Level 20 Impervious Ex. ability would have been for it, instead. The GM-to-be had promised a terrible Lich Dragon at the end, she was designed to fight that.
Riving Strike, Combat Reflexes, Flagbearer, Extra Bane, and Lingering Performance... only 5 feats, and she is stacked, ready to play.
Only Valhalla awaits you if she favors Bard/Charisma and takes Leadership for a ZAM Cohort...
She spends her Equipment Trait on Heritage Weapon to have martial proficiency with armor spikes. Her Combat Trait is the standard Reactionary for the always welcome Initiative bonus. She gets another trait of your choice (Memorable?) by picking up the always fun Warded From Nature Drawback.
Halfling Bystander: "Look, up in the sky, it's a Roc!"
Victim: "A Rock? Where?"
Halfling Bystander: "No, a Roc. But i made you look!"
Halfling "Bystander" proceeds to bite and claw victim to death.
The Small Pouncing Touch Sneaker:
Halfling Synthesist 1/Ninja 11 and his pet Roc, "Omen".
First, I'd like to say that this build will almost always not be surprised, and when there is a surprise round he is able to charge and full attack. Also, with +33 stealth and fast stealth, he's likely to get some surprise
Precast buffs: Mage armor. Lasts 3 hours, I can cast it
Full prep round: If I can, I'll send the Roc, "Omen", (fly speed 80, +17 fly) over to the other side of the enemy to flank for my charge, taking an AoO against AC 38 (mobility) if I have to. If my companion can accomplish this on this round, then I'll say screw preparation and use Fleeting Glance (10/day), Boots of Haste (10/day), and a Ki Point (10/day) for an additional attack, and make a charge from up to 140 feet away, triggering a full attack with 3 +24 bites and 2 +24 claws against the opponent's flat-footed AC of 23. Even if it has combat reflexes, it won't get an AoO on me since I'm invisible this round.
The bites will each do 1D4 +7D6+1 (28) and 3 strength damage, and the claws will do 1D3 +7D6+1 (27.5) and 3 strength damage. Crits will only add 1D4+1 (3.5) for the bites and 1D3+1 (3) for the claws.
Damage output against this opponent, forgoing the preparation round, is 132.83375 damage and 14.25 strength damage per round. Despite not getting the +2 attack from the charge, my damage output would remain the same next round if I used another round of invisibility and haste and another ki point, as a +22 attack roll is still 95% accurate against 23 flat-footed. Since I sneak attacked and charged this round, my AC is now 29 and the enemy has 14 less strength (-7 attack). Next round, my AC should go up to 31 if I get another sneak attack off.
Against certain other foes (foes with not-so-low flat-footed AC) it would be more worthwhile to use chill touch in a prep round to get 11 charges of chill touch, and do a full attack of touch attacks the next round with my natural limbs instead of normal attacks. I will be 95% accurate against most foes when targeting touch AC. Also, damage increases slightly to ~141 since they're now D6's instead of D3's and D4's. Slightly more strength damage too, especially for enemies who have more than a 5% chance of failing a DC16 fort save.
Against enemies I cannot reach physically, I will use stealth (+27 while sniping) or invisibility to sneak attack foes with acid splashes for 1D3 +6D6 (24) and 3 STR damage. These will have 95% chance to hit against pretty much any foe, thanks to targeting flat-footed touch AC.
If I am unable to get sneak attack (foe is immune to sneak attacks), then my DPR is terrible and my combat role is to sit in the corner and cry and/or climb onto my Roc and soar away from battle.
Invisible Haste Ki-Point Pounce and/or Full attack with Chill Touches: 5 attacks for 141.698 DPR and 14.4875 strength DPR. I'm ignoring target AC because it's against flat-footed touch AC, which is 10 or less for almost every enemy. He can only continue in this attack mode for 2 rounds at a time before having to recast chill touch, and he can only cast chill touch twice per day (though he can cast it before battle and hold the charge).
Thus, the above can only be done on a total of 4 rounds per day, since the synthesist will be out of chill touches after that. This kind of all-out offense would only be used against very formidable threats that the party is going to have trouble with otherwise.
Against sufficiently low flat-footed AC (25 or less), invisible haste ki-point pouncing with regular attacks will do about 135 DPR and 14.25 strength DPR. I'd have to know what the enemies' flat footed and touch ACs are to figure out the most efficient means of attack and the DPR for that means.
Also note that the animal companion will slightly add to DPR, but he's mostly just there to flank.
Ability Scores (No Eidolon)
STR 5 (7-2)
DEX 20 (14+2 racial+4 enhancement)
CON 14 (12+2 enhancement)
INT 12
WIS 14
CHA 18 (16+2racial)
Ability Scores (Eidolon)
STR 10
DEX 20
CON 13
INT 12
WIS 14
CHA 20
Alternate Racial Traits: Swift As Shadows
Traits
Reactionary: +2 initiative
Magical Knack: +2 on summoner caster level (so mage armor lasts 3 hours per cast)
Equipment [110000gp]
Cloak of Resistance +5 [25000]
Belt of DEX +4 [16000]
Boots of Haste [12000]
Ring of Protection +2 [8000]
Pink Rhomboid Ioun Stone [8000]
+1 Menacing on companion's armor spikes [8000]
Amulet of Might Fists +1 [5000]
Dusty Rose Ioun Stone [5000]
Pale Ruby Trillian Ioun Stone [5000]
Cracked Pale Green Ioun Stone (attack) [4000]
Cracked Pale Green Ioun Stone (saves) [4000]
+2 CHA headband [4000]
Eyes of the Eagle [2500]
Ring of Sustenance [2500]
Wayfinder [bought with PA] - Pink Rhomboid is inside
Mwk armor spikes [bought with PA]
Mwk studded leather barding [bought with PA]
And a good bit of extra money
Defenses
Can't be flat-footed or flanked.
AC: 25 / 20 FF / 19 TCH
AC after sneak attacking: 31 / 20 FF / 25 TCH.
Fort: 10
Ref: 18
Will: 12
Stealth +37 (often a good defensive tool)
Offense
Ki Pool: 9
Greater Invis: 10r/day
Haste: 10r/day
Chill Touch: 2 casts per day, 11 charges per cast
While flanking with pet (accomplishing this will be the pet's primary task):
Bite attacks do 1D4+7D6+1 and 3 STR damage
Claw attacks do 1D3+7D6+1 and 3 STR damage
Chill Touches do 8D6+1, 3 automatic STR damage, and 1 more STR damage on a failed DC16 fort save
Can't flank for Acid Splash, which 1D3+6D6 and 3 STR damage against a flat-footed opponent
Normal Pounce: 3 +21 attacks (1 bite, two claws)
Normal Chill Touch Pounce: 3 +21 tch attacks (chill touches)
Ki point: Add an additional attack to every routine.
Greater Invisibility: Add +2 to attack and target FFAC
Non-pounce: subtract 2 from attack rolls
No flanking: subtract 4 from attack rolls, and 1D6 from damage rolls
Without sneak attack: feh
Animal Companion: Roc
Effective Druid level 11
9 HD
Ability Scores
STR 23
DEX 20
CON 14
INT 3
WIS 13
CHA 11
I know that the rules support for this is woefully underpowered, due to the Shifter being underpowered and the Oozemorph Shifter in particular being a really sloppy archetype, but somebody has got to come up with The Blotch.
The following build is a bit of theory crafted mayhem that is incredibly effective between levels 5 and 12, so the majority of the PFS career of a player. This character is screwed towards GMs who can apply credits to characters to bypass the first several levels of play, as this character only really becomes viable at about level 4 due to a couple of 4k gold items.
The Songbird of Doom:
A Guide to a most unlikely tank and Mechanism of Mass Destruction
First the stats:
Halfling
Str: 6 Dex: 20 (boost Dex every 4 levels) Con: 12
Int: 7 Wis: 14 Cha: 14
Classes:
Level 1: Swashbuckler (Mouser)
Level 2: Fighter (unarmed fighter)
Level 3: Paladin (Iroran)
Level 4: Monk (Master of Many Styles + Kata Master)
Level 5: Monk (Master of Many Styles + Kata Master)
Level 6: Paladin (Iroran)
Level 7: Slayer
Level 8: Slayer
Level 9: Slayer
Level 10: Paladin (Iroran)
Level 11: Paladin (Iroran)
Feats:
Level 1: weapon finesse (from swashbuckler)
Level 1: Piranha strike
Level 2: Monkey Style (bonus from unarmed fighter)
Level 3: Snake Style
Level 4: Monkey Shine (bonus from Monk MoMS)
Level 5: Snake Fang (bonus from Monk MoMS)
Level 5: Combat reflexes
Level 7: Stand Still
Level 7: Ranger Combat Style: Aspect of the Beast (Claws of the Beast)
Level 9: Risky Striker
Level 11: Outflank
Next the three crucial items to this build:
Amulet of Mighty Fists (agile): This will allow you to have all of your attacks apply your dex to damage.
Ring of Seven Lovely Colors: This will allow you to transform into a tiny songbird for 10 minutes at a time, 7 times a day. Enough that you can be in songbird form for every single fight of a PFS scenario.
Ring of Eloquence: Allows you to speak with your party while in bird form.
How it all comes together: When in bird form, you will get a +4 to dex, a -2 to strength and a +1 natural armor bonus to AC. In addition as a tiny creature you will get a +2 size modifier to hit and to AC.
Secondly, as a tiny creature, you use dex instead of strength for your CMB.
Third, and most crucially, tiny creatures can enter an enemy square freely, although this provokes attacks of opportunity. This will allow you to take advantage of the special mouser abilities as well as the feat Monkey Shine. Monkey shine is one of the key feats in this build, as it grants a +4 dodge bonus to AC when you are in an enemy square and a +4 bonus to hit while in the enemy square.
Fourth, snake style allows you to consider all unarmed strikes to be piercing weapons, making them qualify for swashbucklers finesse. In addition snake fang allows you to take an attack of opportunity every time an enemy swings against your character and misses. With an AC that will generally require almost every enemy to roll a 20 to hit you, and an almost unlimited number of AOOs, this will be a major advantage, especially since provoking every time you move in to attack will grant you an extra attack almost all of the time.
Fifth, the mouser grants the ability to flank an enemy when you are in their square and an ally is adjacent to you. This means that so long as you have another melee character in the party, you will be flanking nearly every round of combat. Additionally, the mouser can take an AOO every time an enemy leaves the mousers square, even if just using a 5 foot step. When combined with your high CMB and Stand still at level 7, you can pretty much prevent any enemy from run away from you.
Sixth, The dodging panache deed, will effectively give you the step up feat as well as a useful way of increasing your AC. The dodging panache deed allows you to take an immediate action to move 5 ft. when an enemy makes a melee attack against you and add your cha modifier as a dodge bonus to AC for a round. Since the deed does not specify which direction you need to go, you can use this as an easy way to enter an enemy square on their turn if they step back and strike at you. In addition since you should have a high cha, this should be a significant boost to your AC.
Key strengths of the build: Ridiculous saves: Without any items, this character will have the following saves at level 12 as well as evasion: Fort: +16 Ref: + 20 Will: +13
Ridiculous AC and touch AC: One of the key strengths of this build is that you will be able to stack many many bonuses to your AC.
First you will gain the size bonus.
Secondly you will get wisdom to AC from the monk.
Third you will get charisma to dex AC from the Iroran Paladin (limited by number of paladin levels taken),
Finally, you should have a ridiculous dex score from transforming and investing in dex boosting items. This score can be boosted and supplemented by the use of wands. I strongly encourage investing in wands of mage armor, barkskin, and shield. The level 12 character I have who is a slight variant of this build regularly has a 46 regular AC and a 36 touch AC.
Very High bonus to hit: The combination of gaining a very high dex from changing shape, a +2 bonus to hit from tiny size, being only 1 level removed from being full BAB, and gaining a +4 to hit when in an enemy square from Monkey shine, means that this character should be able to hit most opponents on anything above a 4 most of the time from my personal experience.
Many attacks: With this character, you will have 3 natural attacks as well as 3 regular weapon attacks at level 12. In addition, you will be able to counter-attack every attack made by the enemy who's square you are in so long as they miss. With your dex modifier, this should be enough for all of them.
High Damage per strike: The other key benefit of this build is that in addition to having a good damage stat from dexterity, you will be able to greatly increase your damage by applying piranha strike and risky striker on all targets that are at least medium sized, which will be nearly every target you encounter.
For example at level 9, at the cost of decreasing AC by 3 and the bonus to hit by 3 you will get to add +12 to damage on each hit.
Key Weakness: anything with strength drain is a sign to run like hell. However, with your touch AC and the ability to fly, even then you should probably be fine in most cases.
Piranha-striking songbird you say?
Hmm...
See pg. 198 of the Core Rulebook. " Creatures that are size tiny or smaller use their dexterity modifier in place of their strength modifier to determine their CMB"
On a side note I forget to mention the +1d6 sneak attack damage from slayer level 3. Still haven't gotten everything in yet.
SLIGHTLY MODIFIED VERSION:
MockingJay of Doom #2:
Male raven fighter (unarmed fighter) 1/monk (kata master, master of many styles) 2/paladin (iroran paladin) 4/slayer 3/ swashbuckler (mouser) 1
LG Diminutive animal
Init +9; Senses low-light vision; Perception +16
Aura aura of excellence, aura of law
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Defense
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AC 32, touch 32, flat-footed 21 (+1 deflection, +7 Dex, +4 dodge, +2 insight, +1 monk, +4 size, -3 untyped penalty, +6 Wis)
hp 84 (11 HD; 2d8+9d10+12)
Fort +16, Ref +19, Will +17; +4 vs. being knocked prone, +2 vs. fear
Defensive Abilities evasion; Immune disease
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Offense
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Speed 20 ft., fly 40 ft. (average)
Melee unarmed strike +22/+17 (1d4+23) or
. . bite +22 (1d3+23), claw +22 (24)
Space 2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks deeds (derring-do, derring-do, dodging panache, dodging panache, underfoot assault), panache (1), personal trial, sneak attack +1d6, studied target +1 (1st, move action), stunning fist (5/day, DC 22)
Paladin (Iroran Paladin) Spells Prepared (CL 1st; concentration +1)
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Statistics
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Str 4, Dex 25, Con 12, Int 7, Wis 23, Cha 11
Base Atk +10; CMB +13; CMD 31 (39 vs. trip)
Feats Aspect of the Beast[APG], Combat Reflexes, Death From Above[UC], Improved Unarmed Strike, Monkey Moves[UC], Monkey Shine[UC], Monkey Style[UC], Outflank[APG], Piranha Strike, Risky Striker[ARG], Skill Focus (Perception), Snake Sidewind[UC], Snake Style[UC], Stand Still, Stunning Fist, Weapon Finesse
[b]Traits cosmic caravan (the star gazer), fate's favored, reactionary
Flaws arrogant, daydreamer
Skills Acrobatics +29 (+33 to avoid being knocked prone, +25 to jump), Bluff +3, Climb +29, Diplomacy +2, Fly +13, Intimidate +2, Perception +16, Sense Motive +16, Stealth +23, Survival +7; Racial Modifiers +2 Acrobatics, +2 Climb, +2 Perception
Languages Halfling
SQ combat style (natural weapon[APG]), confident defense, fuse style, ki pool (9 points magic), lay on hands 2/day (2d6), mercy (shaken), panache, sense perfection, slayer talent (ranger combat style[ACG]), swashbuckler finesse, track +1, umbral unmasking
Other Gear amulet of the mightiest, monk's robe, ring of eloquence[ACG], ring of seven lovely colors, 150 gp
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Tracked Resources
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Beast Shape IV (songbird, 10 minutes, 7/day) - 0/7
Ki Pool (9/day) (Su) - 0/9
Lay on Hands (2d6 hit points, 2/day) (Su) - 0/2
Panache Pool (1/day) - 0/1
Personal Trial (2/day) (Su) - 0/2
Studied Target +1 (move action, 1 at a time) (Ex) - 0/1
Stunning Fist (5/day, DC 22) - 0/5
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Special Abilities
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Aura of Excellence (Su) Immune to effects that force rerolls. Allies within 10' can roll 2 or 3 dice when forced to reroll.
Aura of Law (Su) The paladin has an Aura of Law with power equal to her class level.
Battle/Wrath Variant Channeling (±1 Sacred) Grants a bonus/penalty to damage and confirming criticals
Combat Reflexes (8 AoO/round) Can make extra attacks of opportunity/rd, and even when flat-footed.
Confident Defense When lightly armored with no shield add Cha to AC.
Death from Above Gain +5 bonus on attack rolls when charging from higher ground or flying
Deeds Evasion (Ex) If succeed on Reflex save for half dam, take none instead.
Fearless +2 bonus to save vs. fear (stacks with halfling luck).
Fly (40 feet, Average) You can fly!
Fuse Style (2 styles) (Ex) At 1st level, a master of many styles can fuse two of the styles he knows into a more perfect style. The master of many styles can have two style feat stances active at once. Starting a stance provided by a style feat is still a swift action, but whe
Immunity to Disease You are immune to diseases.
Improved Unarmed Strike Unarmed strikes don't cause attacks of opportunity, and can be lethal.
Ki Pool (9/day) (Su) You have a ki pool equal to 1/2 your monk level + your Wisdom modifier.
Lay on Hands (2d6 hit points, 2/day) (Su) As a standard action (swift on self), touch channels positive energy and applies mercies.
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in dim light, distinguishing color and detail.
Mercy (Shaken) (Su) When you use your lay on hands ability, it also removes the shaken condition.
Monkey Moves Add Wisdom bonus on Climb checks, and climb and crawl at half speed
Monkey Shine After successful Stunning Fist, you may enter an adjacent square
Monkey Style Add Wisdom bonus on Acrobatics checks, and take no penalty for attacking while prone
Outflank Increase flank bonus by +2 if flanking ally has same feat. If you crit, ally gets an AoO.
Panache (Ex) Gain a pool of points that are spent to fuel deeds, regained on light/piercing crit/killing blow.
Panache (Ex) Gain panache, use unarmed/monk wep with certain deeds, and can spend ki for deeds.
Personal Trial (2/day) (Su) +2 insight bonus to hit, damage, saves, and AC vs. target.
Piranha Strike -3/+6 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage with light weapons.
Risky Striker -3/+6 Subtract from your AC to add to damage vs. foes 2 sizes larger.
Sense Perfection (Su) At will, you can detect if a creature has a ki pool.
Snake Sidewind Gain a bonus to avoid being knocked prone, and use Sense Motive check to confirm critical hits
Snake Style Gain +2 on Sense Motive checks, and deal piercing damage with unarmed attacks
Sneak Attack +1d6 Attacks deal extra dam if flank foe or if foe is flat-footed.
Stand Still When taking an AoO, you can make a combat maneuver check to end opponent's movement instead of attacking.
Studied Target +1 (move action, 1 at a time) (Ex) Study foe as a Move action, gain +1 to att/dam & some skills vs. them.
Stunning Fist (5/day, DC 22) You can stun an opponent with an unarmed attack.
Swashbuckler Finesse Use Dex for att with light/1-hand pierce wep. Use Cha instead of Int for combat feat pre-reqs.
Track +1 Add the listed bonus to Survival checks made to track.
Umbral Unmasking You cast no shadow (DC 15 Perception to notice)
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Hero Lab and the Hero Lab logo are Registered Trademarks of LWD Technology, Inc. Free download at https://www.wolflair.com
Pathfinder® and associated marks and logos are trademarks of Paizo Inc.®, and are used under license.
Lycanthropy +2 WIS -2 CHA *all forms*
+2 STR +2 CON *hybrid&animal form*
Catfolk +2 DEX +2 CHA -2 WIS
Medium size 30'+10' on a charge
Tiger
Claw/Claw/Bite
Pounce and Rake
Traits:
Reactionary
Child of the Moon
Class:
Gunslinger, Bolt Ace
Feats of relevance:
TWF, Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot, Rapid Reload, Crossbow Mastery, Imp. TWF, Iron Will
Umm, yeah...
He, or she, is a natural lycanthrope that is always in hybrid form, and dual wields crossbows. Put on a Helm of the Mammoth Lord and Pounce from 80' away with a wicked natural attack routine without a single feat invested into it.
ha ha ha!! Last night one of my players took a shot at DM'ing a one-nighter and gave us all characters he pre-generated. Please meet
Raket the Rocket:
Male goblin hunter 10 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Class Guide 26, Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 156)
CN Small humanoid (goblinoid)
Init +14; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +15
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Defense
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AC 23, touch 14, flat-footed 20 (+9 armor, +3 Dex, +1 size)
hp 86 (10d8+20)
Fort +8, Ref +15, Will +5
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Offense
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Speed 40 ft. (30 ft. in armor)
Ranged (M) +1 sonic boom ironwood musket +16 (1d12+6/×4 plus 1d6 sonic)
Hunter Spell-Like Abilities (CL 10th; concentration +12)
. . At will—raise animal companion (neg level when cast)[UM]
Hunter Spells Known (CL 10th; concentration +12)
. . 4th (1/day)—raise animal companion[UM], summon nature's ally IV, volcanic storm[UM]
. . 3rd (3/day)—air geyser[ACG] (DC 15), bloody arrows, communal delay poison[UC], stone shape, summon nature's ally III
. . 2nd (5/day)—aggressive thundercloud[ACG] (DC 14), barkskin, cat's grace, communal endure elements[UC], flaming sphere (DC 14), summon nature's ally II
. . 1st (6/day)—entangle (DC 13), faerie fire, obscuring mist, stone shield[ARG], summon nature's ally I, sun metal[UC] (DC 13)
. . 0 (at will)—create water, detect magic, flare (DC 12), mending, purify food and drink (DC 12), spark[APG] (DC 12)
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Statistics
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Str 12, Dex 26, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 9
Base Atk +7; CMB +7; CMD 25
Feats Ally Shield, Deadly Aim, Distracting Charge[ACG], Exotic Weapon Proficiency (firearms)[UC], Goblin Gunslinger[ARG], Improved Initiative, Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Swarm Strike
Traits dangerously curious, reactionary
Skills Climb +6, Handle Animal +12, Heal +10, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +9, Knowledge (geography) +9, Knowledge (nature) +9, Perception +15, Ride +17, Spellcraft +9, Stealth +21, Survival +10, Use Magic Device +8; Racial Modifiers +4 Ride, +4 Stealth
Languages Common, Goblin
SQ animal companion (sapling treant named Groot), animal focus (10 minutes/day, double), bonus trick (1), hunter tactics, improved empathic link, nature training, swift tracker, track +5, wild empathy +9, woodland stride
Other Gear +5 mithral chain shirt, +1 sonic boom ironwood musket[UC], bag of holding iii, 32,600 gp
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Special Abilities
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Ally Shield Adjacent ally grants you cover, but may be struck instead.
Animal Companion (animal companion (sapling treant named Groot)) (Ex) If no current companion, summon nature's ally spells last 1 min/level but only 1 at a time.
Animal Companion Link (Ex) Handle or push Animal Companion faster, +4 to checks vs. them.
Bear +4 (Su) When assuming this aspect, gain listed enhancement bonus to Con.
Bonus Trick (Ex) Animal companion gains an extra trick.
Bull +4 (Su) When assuming this aspect, gain listed enhancement bonus to Str.
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white only).
Deadly Aim -2/+4 Trade a penalty to ranged attacks for a bonus to ranged damage.
Distracting Charge When ally with feat succeeds on a charge, you gain +2 to atk vs. target.
Goblin Gunslinger You can wield Medium firearms without taking the penalty for an inappropriately sized weapon.
Hunter Tactics (Ex) Animal companion also gains the bonus teamwork feats, but doesn't need to meet pre-reqs.
Improved Empathic Link (1 mile) (Su) As the familiar ability, but as a swift action can see through companion's eyes (but not own).
Nature Training (Ex) Hunter levels count as druid/ranger levels for feats, traits, and options to improve animal companions.
Point-Blank Shot +1 to attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons at up to 30 feet.
Precise Shot You don't get -4 to hit when shooting or throwing into melee.
Second Animal Focus (10 minutes/day) (Su) As a swift action, gain bonuses from emulated animal(s). If no companion, +1 slots.
Share Spells with Companion (Ex) Can cast spells with a target of "you" on animal companion, as touch spells.
Stag +10 (Su) When assuming this aspect, gain listed enhancement bonus to speed.
Swarm Strike +1 to AoO, +1 for each ally with this feat threatening the target.
Swift Tracker (Ex) Tracking penalties when moving at normal speed or faster are reduced.
Tiger +4 (Su) When assuming this aspect, gain listed enhancement bonus to Dex.
Track +5 Add the listed bonus to Survival checks made to track.
Wild Empathy +9 (Ex) Improve the attitude of an animal, as if using Diplomacy.
Woodland Stride (Ex) Move through undergrowth at normal speed.
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Raket was a very loud child, so they named him after he kept "making a racket". Raket was always obsessed with guns and loved to make things go 'boom'. He eventually made friends with a sapling treant that liked the sound of his guns. Raket was able to train the treant to serve him in combat. Raket thinks that by painting his face with a black line makes him more stealthy... it does not.
and his plant companion
Toorg the Groot:
CR –
Sapling treant (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Race Guide)
N Large plant
Init +0; Senses low-light vision; Perception +6
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Defense
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AC 22, touch 12, flat-footed 22 (+3 deflection, +10 natural, -1 size)
hp 107 (9d8+45)
Fort +10, Ref +6, Will +4 (+4 morale bonus vs. enchantment effects)
Defensive Abilities evasion; Immune mind-affecting effects, paralysis, poison, polymorph, sleep, stunning
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
Melee 2 slams +13/+8 (2d6+12)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
--------------------
Statistics
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Str 26, Dex 11, Con 18, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 7
Base Atk +6; CMB +15; CMD 28
Feats Ally Shield, Distracting Charge[ACG], Improved Natural Armor, Improved Natural Attack (slam), Intimidating Prowess, Power Attack, Swarm Strike, Toughness
Tricks Attack, Combat Riding, Come, Defend, Deliver, Down, Fetch, Flank, Guard, Heel, Menace, Work
Skills Acrobatics +6, Climb +16, Intimidate +10, Perception +6
SQ animal focus, combat riding, deliver, devotion, double damage against objects, fetch, flank, menace, woodland stride, work
Other Gear ring of protection +3
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Special Abilities
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Ally Shield Adjacent ally grants you cover, but may be struck instead.
Climb (30 feet) You have a Climb speed.
Combat Riding [Trick] The animal has been trained to bear a rider into combat.
Deliver [Trick] Delivers item to indicated point or person.
Devotion +4 (Ex) +4 morale bonus on Will saves vs. enchantment effects.
Distracting Charge When ally with feat succeeds on a charge, you gain +2 to atk vs. target.
Double Damage Against Objects (Ex) Deal x2 damage against object or structure with full attack.
Evasion (Ex) No damage on successful reflex save.
Fetch [Trick] The animal will get a specific object.
Flank [Trick] Attempts to attack and flank indicated enemy.
Immunity to Mind-Affecting effects You are immune to Mind-Affecting effects.
Immunity to Paralysis You are immune to paralysis.
Immunity to Poison You are immune to poison.
Immunity to Polymorph You are immune to Polymorph effects.
Immunity to Sleep You are immune to sleep effects.
Immunity to Stunning You are immune to being stunned.
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in dim light, distinguishing color and detail.
Menace [Trick] Attempts to keep creature from moving.
Power Attack -2/+4 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.
Second Animal Focus (Su) As a swift action, gain bonuses from emulated animal(s).
Swarm Strike +1 to AoO, +1 for each ally with this feat threatening the target.
Woodland Stride (Ex) Move through undergrowth at normal speed.
Work [Trick] The animal pulls or pushes a medium or heavy load.
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I am Toorg!!
Hero Lab and the Hero Lab logo are Registered Trademarks of LWD Technology, Inc. Free download at https://www.wolflair.com
Pathfinder® and associated marks and logos are trademarks of Paizo Inc.®, and are used under license.
i am curious as to how this particular Guardians of the Galaxy build might be optimized.
