Archetype Stacking Based Builds!

[John and KARSG!!!]

Give me some suggestions for some interesting builds based off of a multitude of Archetypes stacked together, all multiclassing based builds are also welcome!

[avr]

There's nothing particularly special about stacking archetypes, one archetype that changes a lot can be more different from the base class than two or three cosmetic changes IMO. But OK, looking at a few:

Yet Another Rogue Plus:

Inspired chemist alchemical trapper vivisectionist alchemist

Vivisectionist: sneak attack, mainly.
Alchemical trapper: deal with traps.
Inspired chemist: rogue talents and other skill boosts.

Whiz Wiz:

Exploiter pact wizard* wizard

* = Haunted Heroes Handbook version
Funny how two of the most exploitable wizard archetypes stack, eh?

Confused Ranger:

Divine tracker hooded champion infiltrator skirmisher ranger

Mainly because you can take them all, but it does give you four different resource pools to draw on for your abilities; blessings, panache, the infiltrator's ability to use others racial abilities, and skirmisher tricks.

Edit: You might like a thread where Tacticslion investigates how many class features you can replace via archetypes.

[Wonderstell]

Focusing on archetype combos that are more than just the sum of their parts, I think the following have pretty good synergy.

Brawler: Strangler / Verdant Grappler
Both are grappling archetypes and the replacement features complement each other. Most notably is that Verdant replaces Close Weapon Mastery which you simply couldn't use because Strangler replaces Unarmed Strike.

Brawler: Battle Dancer / Constructed Pugilist
This one isn't as straightforward. Constructed Pugilist states that it alters your class skills, but Craft: Weapons is already part of the Brawler's class skills so it actually doesn't. So, as part of a two-level dip you can now flurry with a light reach weapon and move 5 ft before each strike. The benefit of using a reach weapon is that you can walk out of an enemy's threatened area and set yourself up for AoO when they approach you after you've full-attacked them.

Spiritualist: Quintessentialist / Spirit Fuse
By combining these archetypes you can spend 1d6+1 HP each round to remove pretty much all issues with the Phantom and send it running through walls and wreak havoc. It's not limited by the range of Etheric Tether, uses your ability scores (and feats), can wield armor/weapons, and cast your spells. In return your actual character is gimped, but completely safe.

[Name Violation]

Wonderstell wrote:

Brawler: Battle Dancer / Constructed Pugilist
This one isn't as straightforward. Constructed Pugilist states that it alters your class skills, but Craft: Weapons is already part of the Brawler's class skills so it actually doesn't. So, as part of a two-level dip you can now flurry with a light reach weapon and move 5 ft before each strike. The benefit of using a reach weapon is that you can walk out of an enemy's threatened area and set yourself up for AoO when they approach you after you've full-attacked them.

i thought since it says it alters skills (even though it doesnt actually alter anything) it cant combine with anything else that says it alters skills.

it adds a skill thats already a skill, but it says it alters it.

Quote:

However, if something alters the way the parent class feature works, such as a mime archetype that makes all bardic performances completely silent, with only visual components instead of auditory, you can’t take that archetype with an archetype that alters or replaces any of the sub-features. This even applies for something as small as adding 1 extra round of bardic performance each day, adding an additional bonus feat to the list of bonus feats you can select, or adding an additional class skill to the class.

(i friggen hate that it says it alters it for no reason)

[Small Ears No Die]

Cavalier Honor Guard Envoy (6), Bard Savage Skald (1), Rogue Thug (1), Battle Herald (1), Ranger Freebooter (2)

standard action AoE fear (frightened or shaken)
move action freebooters bane
move action inspire competence
bodyguard for 5+ benevolent armor ability

full level wolf mount that can also bodyguard for 4+ benevolent armor ability

[Derklord]

Sensei+Qinggong Monk jumps to mind, using the former to hand out the latter's abilities to party members.

[Wonderstell]

@Name Violation

That's exactly right. Strictly RAW, they don't stack. I was coming from the angle of "this is ridiculous, obviously they stack".
It's like if a Fighter archetype gave you proficiency with the Cestus even though you already are proficient, and claimed it altered anything.

So if you're stuck in Society play, it wouldn't work unless we get a FAQ (hahah...). But for everyone else only the most headstrong of GMs would disallow it.

For those who don't know what we're talking about:

Brawler Class Skills wrote:

Acrobatics (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int), Knowledge (local) (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), and Swim (Str)

Constructed Pugilist wrote:

A constructed pugilist gains Craft (weapons) as a class skill.

[Ryze Kuja]

Orc/Draconic(Fire) Crossblooded Sorc1/Blood Arcanist1 (Blood Havoc)/Admixture-school Wizard3/UncRogue1/ArcaneTrickster10 ---> WizardX

Traits:
Magical Knack (Wizard)
Wayang Spellhunter (Fireball)

+3 per damage die

By level 15, Orange Ioun Stone+1, Varisian Tattoo +2, Spell Specialization +4, Beads of Karma +4, should be 24CL for Spell Perfected Fireball. Widen+Cluster for 5d6+15 fireballs x11 (~60d6+180 +50%, w/ 7d6 SnA per enemy hit: max 84d6 w/ 12 enemies in range). <--- that's all a 4th lvl spell slot. Widen+Maximize = 5th level spell slot

[PhD. Okkam]

avr wrote:

There's nothing particularly special about stacking archetypes, one archetype that changes a lot can be more different from the base class than two or three cosmetic changes IMO. But OK, looking at a few:

** spoiler omitted **
** spoiler omitted **
** spoiler omitted **
Edit: You might like a thread where Tacticslion investigates how many class features you can replace via archetypes.

No.Divine tracker and hooded champion replace wild empathy -(

[MrCharisma]

I have a Magus who's a Hexcrafter/Jistkan-Artificer. She uses the Hex Strike feat to deliver a spell and a Hex in the one round. It isn't quite legal (Hexcrafter ans Jistkan Artificer both add new arcana options) but my GM gave the go-ahead. I *think* you could use the Iron Ring Striker inplace of the Jistkan Artificer, but the Iron Ring Striker isn't as good (also all the unarmed Magus archetypes are pretty bad, I took Hexcrafter to try to mitigate the diminished Spellcasting. The Hex Strike synergy is nice but probably doesn't make this combo as good as a standard Hexcrafter).

I also think the Primalist/Metamagic-Rager is probably the strongest Bloodrager.

[avr]

PhD. Okkam wrote:

avr wrote:

There's nothing particularly special about stacking archetypes, one archetype that changes a lot can be more different from the base class than two or three cosmetic changes IMO. But OK, looking at a few:

** spoiler omitted **
** spoiler omitted **
** spoiler omitted **
Edit: You might like a thread where Tacticslion investigates how many class features you can replace via archetypes.

No.Divine tracker and hooded champion replace wild empathy -(

Darn, you're right. OK, try fortune-finder in place of divine tracker for a 4-archetype ranger.

[VoodistMonk]

Bards come to mind... you can replace almost all the base Bard abilities via stacking archetypes. Arcane Healer-Giesha-Sound Striker VMC Monk immediately comes to mind. Using the Tea of Transference alchemical item and the Ki Channel feat, she has essentially unlimited Bardic Performance, Channel Energy, Ki, and spell slots of 4th level and lower. Shikigami Manipulation, Monk's Robes, Necklace of Ki Serenity, and Bodywraps of Mighty Strikes gives her some offensive staying power, despite being a Halfling.

The Strix Airborne Ambusher-Dawnflower Dervish Fighter is pretty legit. Or the Kobold Swarm Fighter-Dawnflower Dervish combo.

[Zwordsman]

I love this alchemist one.
Toxicant.
Trap Breaker
Ectoplasm Master

Toxicant gives various strong poisons and debuffs.
Trap Breaker lets you set up hell zones. Particularly if you get expansive traps feat.
Ecto master gets you some specific necromany spells and with the right disccovery you get Ectoplasmic summons.

This is more of a 'villain' or 'defending game' character than the atypical go out and adventure (though it works if you plan fights when possible).

Basically you can make a trap hell, full of ecto summons that either lure or force the fights near the bombed area, that explode in various poison gases. while the alchemist shoots poisoned bolts from afar. or uses a syringe spear (close or throw) or injection spear with Infused Extracts of Ray of Sickness or Enfebelment, unlock flesh. Waters of Lamashu, blind/deafness, etc.

granted with the Injectipon stuff. You have to hit with the attack. have infusion discovery. then techincally enemy hit with a touch attack for the elixir that you injected inside them (they're the caster and target )
or some GMs won't allow that. In which case just inject Acid. Alch fire, Holy/unholy water, waters of lamashu, etc. Lots of stuff with full pouch.

I think it would be hilarious to have quick draw and blink back belt and just throw multiple syringe spears in a round.

[VoodistMonk]

Oh, nice. I do like the Ectoplasm Master Alchemist.

I have mini-boss that uses Ectoplasm Master stacked with Reanimator Alchemist.

Reainmator Wizard 5/
Agent of the Grave 5/
Ecto Master-Reanimator Alchemist 10

At 20:
BAB +11
Base Saves +11/+10/+10
CL 9, 5th level spells
CL 10, 4th level extracts

Just for fun... nothing over the top... good flavor, though.

[Zwordsman]

Minion lord alchemist vibs going on there.

I've pondered that with a "boss" sort of characer. lot of syring spears all filled with waters of lamashu. They're lower CR and easy to kill but every hit they get has serious danger. and there are just a lot of them.

that said I'd done that with Occultist Talisman Master and Craft Popppet/familiar power.

[zza ni]

one that is special to me - the "Voom Blade" (Venom blade\Gloom Blade fighter archtypes).

-note venom blade is a Nagaji only archtype and as such require to be one or a human (or sub human) with the 'racial heritage (Nagaji)' feat. it can stack with any other fighter archtype that doesn't change the 1st,6th and 12th bonus feats. (like Gloom-blade here)

when done right ,and i mean following the full spit venom feat tree (A,B,C,D) that the venom blade supports. this seemingly unarmed fighter call out his arsenal of magical weapons from the shadow and then can also deal a horrific glob of spit ( great when the game has limited to no resources, or when starting with non, like in way of the wicked for example)

with the full feat tree:
1 no to hit is needed, the aoe feat ('B') make it auto hit anyone going into the chosen 2x2 space or starting there
2 the target\s is\are automatically entangled and take the acid damage. failing the saves can result in adding blinded\bleeding to this. and since it's all based on spit venom attack - upgrading it's save, like with the feat 'ability focus (spit venom)', will make the rest harder to resist.

later on i also tend to pick up advanced weapon training feat to add warrior spirit weapon training to enhance the shadow weapons even more. (needed for bane and such to help break dr as cold iron\silver adman are not really made of shadows)

[Tim Emrick]

I have yet to play with more than two archetypes on the same character, or--to my knowledge*--GM for someone who has.

(*In PFS, you never know what crazy combos you're going to see, and I can never keep track of how many classes and/or archetypes some of our regulars have stacked on what PC.)

For rangers, skirmisher stacks with almost every other archetype, because it only replaces spellcasting. In one of my home games, one player combined it with urban ranger (we lacked a rogue, and every other adventure way was in their home port) and I'm currently playing a ranger who combines it with guide (for more flexible alternatives to favored enemy and hunter's bond, since we're alternating books in two different AP's).

Qinggong monk stacks with pretty much every monk archetype, so why wouldn't you take it if you're already not an unchained monk? It's particularly handy for zen archers, who are very rarely going to use all of the standard monk abilities that they retain.

[VoodistMonk]

Elf Magus:
Bladebound-Bladed Scarf Dancer-Spell Dancer...

Literally dancing around the battlefield with a sentient scarf.

Pick up the Dimensional Savant feat chain for endless mobility.

[VoodistMonk]

Fun with race-specific archetypes...

Gestalt Catfolk:
Nimble Guardian-MoMS Monk/
Cat Burglar-Dark Lurker-Makeshift Scrapper UnRogue

Gestalt Drow:
Crusader-Demonic Apostle Cleric/
Cavern Sniper-Mutagen Warrior Fighter

Gestalt Fetchling:
Dusk Stalker-Hooded Champion Ranger/
Shadow Caller Summoner

Gestalt Hobgoblin:
Fell Rider Cavalier/
Hungry Ghost-Ironskin Monk

Gestalt Kitsune:
Bandit-Kitsune Trickster-Underground Chemist UnRogue/
Eldritch Scrapper-Nine Tailed Heir Sorcerer

For a more "wild" feel:
Heister-Kitsune Trickster UnRogue/
Nine Tailed Heir Sorcerer

For a more "Rogue" flavor:
Kitsune Trickster, Seeker of the Lost UnRogue/
Nine Tailed Heir-Seeker Sorcerer

Gestalt Orc:
Dervish of Dawn-Dirty Fighter Fighter/
Dark Sister-Scarred Witch Doctor Witch

Gestalt Oread:
Qinggong-Scaled Fist-Student of Stone Monk/
Shaitan Binder Summoner

Gestalt Ratfolk:
Reanimator-Ectoplasm Master-Plague Bringer Alchemist/
Gulch Gunner Gunsmith

Gestalt Tengu:
Shigenjo Oracle/
Investigator-Scout-Swordmaster UnRogue