Close Range Constant Damage

[Banjaa]

I am looking for a way to maximize damage and debuffs over time to enemies that are near you. I've come up with a Phoenix Bloodrager who has the level 20 bloodline power Phoenix Fire, which does 4d6 points of fire damage every round to enemies who are within 20 ft. Also using the spell Elemental Aura, which does another 2d6 damage to enemies adjacent to you. Also taking the primalist archetype to get the rage power Aryzul’s Curse which causes enemies to loose strength every turn that they are within 10ft. All in all, I'm looking to build a fairly durable melee front liner who has tons of debilitating and damaging aura's going on around him, making it an absolute nightmare to get into melee range with him. I'd appreciate any other suggestions of feats, magic items, and/or spells that can add on more damage and negative effects. Also if you think you have a better class/idea for this kind of build I'd love to hear any suggestions.

[Scott Wilhelm]

Well, I have worked out some Grappling Build Features that can shut down opponents fast and can work against multiple opponents.

I have a build that uses a Sledge Hammer, Shikigami Style, and levels in Inquisitor and Living Monolith to do 12d6 Base Damage. Sledge Hammers do a Base 2d6. The Titan Fighter Fighter Archetype allows you to use a Large Weapon, so 3d6. 3 Shikigami Style Feats = 3 Virtual Size Increases, so 3d6 becomes 8d6, and Enlarge Person from Living Monolith makes 8d6 become 12d6. Take Great Cleave and you will be pulverizing all opponents within 10 feet of you.

I have a Druidzilla build that incorporated levels of Warpriest to rapidly self-buff and replaces the regular Damage with Sacred Weapon Damage. Wildshape into a Allosaurus with a Helm of the Mammoth Lord and a level of White Haired Witch, and wear Barding with Armor Spikes, and you can get something like 12 attacks/round that do 6d6 with Grab, Pounce, and Rake. You will charge from one opponent to the next, they they will vaporize under your claws.

A compromise between nightmarish Damage and crushing debuffing might be the Spear Dancing Style Feats. Wield a Halberd which does 1d10 Piercing and Slashing Damage and is a Tripping and Brace Weapon. Spear Dancing Feats make it a Double, Finessible, and Reach Weapon that also does Bludgeoning Damage, making it a true Swiss Army Knife! Lots of devastating attacks with Tripping to debuff and gets lots of Attacks of Opportunity.

[avr]

Call the void and wreath of blades are a couple of other spell aura effects. Several spells hurt people attacking you; fire shield (& its relatives), shocking image, horrific doubles, toxic/caustic blood, Gorum's armor. Use of reach and attacks of opportunity can approximate an aura effect.

Cape of wasps is another sort-of aura effect.

For the ultimate aura effect though try control winds up to tornado force, with a quiet eye in the centre.

Edit: I suspect some variety of druid, possibly a blight druid could be the worst to be next to (add caustic blood and fire shield to archetype abilities), though a psychic 13+ with the psychedelia discipline and horrific doubles is pretty terrifying to anyone not mind-affecting immune.

Edit 2: Putrid or steaming armor, nightmare boots or a saltspray ring may be relevant to your quest.

[SheepishEidolon]

Antipaladin auras weaken nearby enemies: Fear vulnerability at level 3, save penalty at 8 and listed for completeness, vulnerability against compulsions at 17. The blighted myrmidon archetype adds an aura of decay on top of that, while the fearmonger profits more from spreading fear. The class also has debuffing spells from spell level 1 (read: class level 4), such as litany of weakness (swift action fatigue).

There are some feats about it, like Draconic Heritage (different effects possible), Cornugon Smash (demoralize on Power Attack) and Ancestral Scorn (sicken on demoralize, requires tiefling / Planar Heritage though).

And you might like armor spikes...

[Orodhen]

The Storm of Blades feat kinda does what you are asking for.

[Scott Wilhelm]

If you take 3 levels in Bard with the Flame Dancer Archetype, you gain the ability to give yourself and all your allies the ability to see through any smoke or Fog. So you then get yourself an Eversmoking Bottle, which smoke "completely obscures vision." Everybody will be blind except for you and your allies.

[VoodistMonk]

Racial Heritage Ogre, Corrupted Flesh, Improved Stench, Pungent Stench, Toxic Stench, Ability Focus (Stench), and the spell Amplify Stench...

[Name Violation]

VoodistMonk wrote:

Racial Heritage Ogre, Corrupted Flesh, Improved Stench, Pungent Stench, Toxic Stench, Ability Focus (Stench), and the spell Amplify Stench...

Except all that requires immunity to poison to get and its still a relatively low save since stench DC says it is based off racial hd.

[VoodistMonk]

The feat that gives you the Stench ability also says "your HD"... instead of the universal monster rules stating "racial HD". If that makes a difference.

The way I see it is that Corrupted Flesh gives you 30' Stench, sickened effect, DC = 10 + 1/2HD + Con modifier. Improved Stench extends this to 60', sickened effect, DC = 12 + 1/2HD + Con modifier. Pungent Stench adds Nauseated to the effects for the first round. Toxic Stench adds Poisoned to the first round. And since your Stench already has Nauseated in its effects, Amplify Stench makes it 120' Stench, sicked/nauseated/poisoned effects, DC = 14 + 1/2HD + Con modifier. Ability Focus makes the DC = 16 + 1/2HD + Con modifier.

Is (16 + 1/2HD + Con) considered a low DC? When the earliest you could have all this is level ~15? That's 14 + 7 + Con, minimum. 16 + 7 + Con with the spell.