I am planning on building a Vine Leshy Inquisitor for PFS with some GM credit, and was looking into the Ravener Hunter/Sanctified Slayer archetypes. I've never played a front-line fighter and I like the visual of an anthropomorphic vine in armor, swinging a great sword, so I figured I'd try to do a two-handed melee build.
For flavor reasons I am leaning towards going with Gozreh as the diety, though I recognize it is definitely sub-optimal. Based on this, I am not particularly impressed with either the domains and inquisitions available, so I figured I'd go Ravener Hunter to pick up an Oracle Mystery.
Build so far, starting at level 6:
STR: 23; DEX: 12; CON: 14; INT: 6; WIS: 16; CHA: 7
Traits: Fate's Favored and Reactionary
Feats: 1 - ???
3 - Power Attack
3 - Demon Hunter (Archetype Bonus)
5 - Extended Bane
6 - Precise Strike (Class Teamwork Bonus)
I am currently trying to figure out which Mystery to choose, and am leaning towards Battle. This would give me martial weapon/heavy armor proficiency at level 1 (So I can ditch the trident and use a great sword), as well as Weapon Focus and Improved Crit at level 8/Greater Weapon Focus at 12.
The optimal choice would be to go with Gorum to get Greatsword proficiency and get to skip having to burn a revelation on it, but I'm not sure I want to completely kick the RP aspect to the curb quite that much.
Have other people played Ravener Hunter Inquisitors? I am interested to hear if there are other good Mysteries that might be better options. Any other advice on the build would definitely be appreciated as well.
Another option - Take Cayden Cailean as a diety (I was going to go with the grapevine alternate racial trait anyways, so a god of wine still makes sense) to get proficiency with the rapier and its 18-20 crit range, and then get Improved Crit with Weapon Mastery. Still lose the ~3 average damage with the lower damage dice, but it frees up a mystery and I don't feel like quite as much of a sell-out taking a diety that makes no RP sense. In this case I lose out on the heavy armor proficiency, but I wasn't sure that was something I was going to take advantage of anyways
Would a dip in a class that gives martial proficiency be acceptable? I think the Green Knight cavalier archetype would be super flavorful. You can literally be a green knight lol
Then you can take whatever mystery floats your boat. You don't ever get two and can't take extra revelation, so you probably want to make the ones you do pick count.
This Side wrote: I am planning on building a Vine Leshy Inquisitor for PFS with some GM credit, and was looking into the Ravener Hunter/Sanctified Slayer archetypes. I've never played a front-line fighter and I like the visual of an anthropomorphic vine in armor, swinging a great sword, so I figured I'd try to do a two-handed melee build. I am GROOT!
This Side wrote: I figured I'd try to do a two-handed melee build.... 3 - Power Attack Furious Focus and Great Cleave are obvious choices when you are swinging a single, big weapon, as are Vital Strike Feats.
Another thing that's good to do when you use a single, big Weapon is to get Attacks of Opportunity. When you can use Solo Tactics, treat yourself to Broken Wing Gambit and Paired Opportunist if you think you need it. When you are attacked, you will get an Attack of Opportunity.
You are already doing Sneak Attack Damage. Take the Precise Strike Teamwork Feat and do 1d6 more. Also, how do you intend to lock in your SAD? Feinting? Dirty Tricks? Shatter Defenses? If you are taking either either Improved Feint or Improved Dirty Trick, you might also take Improved and Greater Trip, since you are already taking Combat Expertise or Dirty Fighting anyway. Wonderstell clued me into a Wondrous Item, Belt of the Impossible Maneuver, which lets you Trip and Bull Rush creatures over your usual Size Limit. If I'm Tripping someone, I like to get Vicious Stomp for the extra AoO, but unless you do something special like dip levels in Monk, your Unarmed Strike Damage won't be all that, so neither would VS. If you are going along the lines of Combat Maneuvers, an Inquisitor should take Coordinated Maneuvers, of course. Fury's Fall lets you add your Dex Mod to your Trip Check. Ooh, Felling Smash. When you are making a single attack instead of a Full Attack, like with Vital Strike, you get to make a Trip Combat Maneuver as a Swift Action.
@OP: Is there some reason your character eschews using a two handed reach weapon? Doing so would be flat-out more effective and you're already built for it. That said, whim and preference are more important than effectiveness.
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Magda Luckbender wrote: @OP: Is there some reason your character eschews using a two handed reach weapon? Doing so would be flat-out more effective and you're already built for it. That said, whim and preference are more important than effectiveness. Hope you don't mind, but I'd like to piggy my suggestion about Tripping on Magda's about Reach Weapons.
The Horsechopper is a Reach Weapon that does decent Damage, 1d10, and is also a Tripping Weapon. My other favorite Reach Pole Arm is the Leucerne Hammer. It's not a Tripping Weapon, but it is a Brace Weapon and does 1d12 Piercing or Slashing.
Scott Wilhelm wrote: Magda Luckbender wrote: @OP: Is there some reason your character eschews using a two handed reach weapon? Doing so would be flat-out more effective and you're already built for it. That said, whim and preference are more important than effectiveness. Hope you don't mind, but I'd like to piggy my suggestion about Tripping on Magda's about Reach Weapons.
The Horsechopper is a Reach Weapon that does decent Damage, 1d10, and is also a Tripping Weapon. My other favorite Reach Pole Arm is the Leucerne Hammer. It's not a Tripping Weapon, but it is a Brace Weapon and does 1d12 Piercing or Slashing. I definitely considered it. The main reason I decided against it is I don't have the DEX to take advantage of combat reflexes in order to get AoO's, which in my mind is the primary benefit of a reach build. Similar with tripping, with a 3/4 BAB character and no real space for a feat intensive focuses it seems like something I would not be particularly adept at.
I am also considering going more heavily towards a Crit-build, given I'll have a static 20+ damage modifier with studied target, divine favor, etc. I also will get Improved Critical as a free bonus feat with Weapon Mastery. To my knowledge, there are not any high crit-range reach weapons, though I certainly could be wrong
If you are getting martial weapons you can buy and ioun stone for 1500gp that will get you use of a fauchard. The highest crit range reach weapon. This does work great with combat ref and Paired Opportunists Magda has some great write-ups about the combo. I would buy some potions of enlarge person to beef up the combo.
Lunar or nature get you animal companions so they are a strong choice.
I do want to say this, reach weapons are particularly a good choice for 3/4 BAB classes.
You don't get the number of attacks, that a full martial does, using combat reflexes (which still gets you to two AoO even with only 12 Dex) with a reach weapon lets you make more attacks and because those attacks are at your full BAB you hit with those attacks more often.
It's really a good way to go especially since you will get to drop the extra damage from bane each attack. It's the smart player's version of two weapon fighting.
High crit + outflank and paired opportunist easily covers the gap in both accuracy and number of attack. With bane study bane and divine favor/power the build steps out in front. Fortuitous make this even better. If you want a cheapish way to increase your dex there is an ioun stone so you don't have to upgrade your belt and there is the snake skin tunic.
If the OP does not want to reach all of that still works with any high crit weapon.
@OP You are probably correct that, with only 3/4BaB, no enhancements, and few feats, your PC won't entirely maximize the benefits of wielding a reach weapon. You're build comes pretty close, though. My point was that the cost of wielding a reach weapon (slightly lower damage and worse critical threat range) is low while the benefits (an extra attack every now and then plus enhanced battlefield control) are high.
No need for Combat Reflexes. Those who fish for AoOs count themselves fortunate when they get more than 1 AoO in a round.
Polearm is to sword as rifle is to pistol.
Inquisitor get divine favor, study or judgment, heroism, bane for accuracy enhancment on top of using outflank with any ally. This archetype can get martial weapons so it doe not have to downgrade weapons at all (best crit range, reach and a d10 damage die). Outflank and paired oppertunist mean aoos when you crit 30 of the time an when on is provoke from any ally you threaten with.
Inquisitor get more feats than the average build but feats can still be tight.
The key to aoo builds is finding ways to force aoos.
baggageboy wrote: Fauchard! for the win :D This Side wrote: I am also considering going more heavily towards a Crit-build Fauchard is a Reach Pole Arm with an 18-20 Threat Range, I completely agree with baggageboy that that is an excellent choice. It's an Exotic Weapon, but if that's what you want, then that's what you want.
I wouldn't do Greatsword for a Crit-fishing build. If you really want to Crit fish and use a 2 handed sword, I'd recommend Falchion or Elven Curved Blade. ECB is better, but it's an Exotic Weapon unless you are an Elf.
If you don't need reach the nodachi is the "best" choice. Martial weapon 1d10 18-20 and you can do piercing or slashing. It may not fit a campaign theme though so you may not want it.
Also it can be used with shield brace to allow using a shield and a high damage high crit two handed weapon. In PFS it's wielded I'm one hand, but RAW it's still wielded in two hands which is great for power attack and similar.
Thanks so much for all the help! Fauchard is definitely something to consider.
It looks like the choice comes down to Fauchard + Heavy Armor (which I may or may not use), vs Rapier+Extra Initiative Rolls (from War Sight mystery). Right now I'm leaning towards the initiative bonus, considering that will help get sneak attacks off a bit more often, over the extra AoO's, but I'm certainly open to other thoughts
Are your stat's set, or can you still move things around? Instead of a stupid high strength you could do a stupid high dex with fencing grace. With lunge and a blue swordmaster's flair. You'd get the best of both worlds, a ton of reach and the high initiative, reflex, etc. that a high dex gives you. You could even take amateur gunslinger if you wanted a way to gather panache/grit throughout the day to keep the flair up and running.
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