Seeking help with Goliath Druid Build Outline

[Killadar]

Still new to pathfinder and found a few post about making a goliath druid. The class sounds great and fun. However, many of the threads used either terminology I didn't understand or didn't really layout anything to how one achieves the goal of the build. I saw that vital strike was a move frequently talked about yet never fully explained how one gets to the point of having crazy dmg numbers with it. So could someone explain a leveling guide on how to get to the point of being a troll with regen and hitting hard with vital strike please? We are also playing mythic teir pathfinder if that changes anything.

We are starting at level 2 using high fantasy point buy. so I was thinking.
1 level Goliath Druid (rage domain)
1 Level Titan Fighter for using a large weapon
Race: oread with almost human alt. Trait. For enlarge person to work on me
Traits of giant blooded and adoption by half elf for ancestral arms to use oversized butcher axe (approved by gm)

[Scott Wilhelm]

I'm thinking Vital Strike feats and Great Cleave and Great Cleaving Finish. I'm thinking Furious Focus, and All Consuming Swing.

I'm thinking you should figure out ways to get Attacks of Opportunity. You should figure out how to cast Lead Blades or maybe get the Impact Enchantment on your Melee Weapon.

That seems like the classic way to go for a Goliath Druid.

[Grandlounge]

Let me offer you a different option ignor it if you are set on the vital strike build.

One level of ranger (guild breaker option depending on the campaign) and shapshifting hunter.

Rage + favored enemy + 1.5 * STR + damage die is awesome. I have something like this in a game right now.

Vital strike is fun for rolling a lot of dice but the best way to double your damage dice is to take a second attack. Haste if the group casts it a lot, boots of speed, aoos being larger or larger (Fortuitous) and using a reach weapon and iterative attacks.

It's a different take but using a huge +1 furious fortuitous weapon is great for cracking skulls.

[Killadar]

Grandlounge wrote:

Let me offer you a different option ignor it if you are set on the vital strike build.

One level of ranger (guild breaker option depending on the campaign) and shapshifting hunter.

Rage + favored enemy + 1.5 * STR + damage die is awesome. I have something like this in a game right now.

Vital strike is fun for rolling a lot of dice but the best way to double your damage dice is to take a second attack. Haste if the group casts it a lot, boots of speed, aoos being larger or larger (Fortuitous) and using a reach weapon and iterative attacks.

It's a different take but using a huge +1 furious fortuitous weapon is great for cracking skulls.

Thank you both for your replies.

Sadly no one in the group can cast haste. I don't know the name of the campaign if this is one or a made up one. So no idea on favored enemy. I had thought about ranger for lead blades. As far as a reach build I don't really know how to go about it. I had seen mostly vital strike ones which gave me at least an idea on how to make it. As I have limited knowledge of the game. Which is why I made this post hoping for a more detailed way to build this character.

What is aoos?

[Jeff Morse]

i went with heavy armoed bloodrager for mine. wored out ok

[Jeff Morse]

i went with heavy armoed bloodrager for mine. worked out ok

[Scott Wilhelm]

Grandlounge wrote:

Vital strike is fun for rolling a lot of dice but the best way to double your damage dice is to take a second attack

That's not always the case. The next iterative attack you gain from a high BAB is at a -5 compared with the attack before it. In some cases, it really might be better to double up on your first attack rather than squeeze in another.

It's something I've been thinking about when I was thinking of a Thunder and Fang build for PFS.

Grandlounge wrote:

One level of ranger

That would let me use a Wand of Lead Blades, raising the base damage of the Earthbreaker to 3d6 + the Klar which adds another 1d6, bringing the Base Damage up to 4d6. But if I did the same thing with just the Earthbreaker and Vital Strike, then my base Damage would go up to 6d6! Plus, I wouldn't be taking a =2 on my attack rolls for 2 weapon Fighting. I don't think there's much to be gained by forgoing the double damage Vital Strike for a second attack at a -5: 6d6 vs. 3d6 + 3d6 at a =5?! As the Thunder and Fang fighter, It would be 3d6 at a -2 +1d6 at a -2 +3d6 at a -7. When you are getting more than 1 iterative attack, a BAB at +11, maybe, but your 3rd attack is at a -10 compared with the first one! I admit I have not crunched the numbers, but I am not sanguine about higher DPR through squeezing attacks with penalties

Grandlounge wrote:

aoos being larger or larger (Fortuitous) and using a reach weapon and iterative attacks.

The big 2 handed weapons that are ideal for Vital Strike Feats are also ideal for your attacks of opportunity, also for Cleaving. You can't usually combine all those things all at once--sometimes you can combine some--combining them into 1 character gives the character a powerful, diversified toolbox: Cleaving multiple opponents, Vital Striking single ones, seizing upon Opportunities to Attack.

Grandlounge wrote:

the best way to double your damage dice is to take a second attack. Haste

Now, that's interesting. I never built a character based on Haste. Let's see one.

[Killadar]

Hmm from all the post and builds I am thinking I will go 1 level titan fighter for oversized butcher axe, 1-2 level unchained barbarian for rage rounds and 1 level of ranger for leaded blades.

I will grab all the vital strike feats (if possible), cleave, furious finish, shaping focus. Might get natural focus to cast while in wild shape troll form otherwise I can't cast spells that require materials.

Anyone know what order it might work best for getting the feats? I know vital strike feats are based off of one's BAB so I can't get it for awhile.

[Grandlounge]

Scott Wilhelm wrote:

Grandlounge wrote:

Vital strike is fun for rolling a lot of dice but the best way to double your damage dice is to take a second attack

That's not always the case. The next iterative attack you gain from a high BAB is at a -5 compared with the attack before it. In some cases, it really might be better to double up on your first attack rather than squeeze in another.

I know some people love the feeling and style of wielding a huge weapon and dropping a box of dice. For them, I would take Gorum's divine fighting technique.

Some quick back of the envelope math for fun:

This is pretty easy to figure out.

Butching axe 3d6 > Large 4d6 > PC enlarges 6d6 > lead baldes precast 8d6

So this is the base amount of dice damage 28 average damage before modifiers.

Vital Strike: 16d6 (56 damage)+ static modifiters

Attack with one iterative. 8d6+ static mod + 0.75(8d6+static mod)

What this means is that 0.75(8d6+ static mod) has to be less than 8d6 to make using vital strike worth doing.

0.75(28+y)= 28
21+0.75y = 28
0.75y=7
y=9.3

So, in a near optimal scenario if your static mod is > 9.3 it is better to use your iterative. This minimum static bonus you can have and wield the weapon without penalties is +6. If you don't have lead blades up the math becomes less favourable. If you're huge it becomes slightly more favourable but all size increases come with strength increase so you end up balancing out.

Vital strike is alright on these builds for rounds where you move but is not optimal for damage output.

@OP you can cast in troll form as they are humanoid. Humanoids are an exception to the general wild shaping rule.