I'm playing in a gestalt game. My character is an Eldritch Scion Magus on one side and the other is a Paladin. He just reached level 3 and I realized something. The Divine Bond class feature is useless to this guy.
First off, the weapon enhancing is identical to the one the Magus gets. And the mount is also useless because the list is SO SHORT and has no flying options. My guy is a Wyvaran and has a fly speed. He doesn't need a horse. He actually already has a familiar from a Magus arcana so he really doesn't need a second pet at all.
I'm wondering if there are any Paladin archetypes that either give more options for a mount or changes out the class feature entirely. He's already using Oath of the People's Council, so any archetypes CAN NOT alter or replace Smite Evil or Aura of Justice.
A feat that would change out a Paladin's mount would work as well.
Divine Defender has a Divine Bond with their armor instead of a weapon or mount. They also trade Mercy for Shared Defense.
That could work.
There are also the variant divine bonds https://aonprd.com/PaladinDivineBonds.aspx
I looked at those and didn't really like them.
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
I wouldn't actually archetype out of Divine Bond... consider it a second Pool, and just use your abilities twice as often... or use them at the same time and add straight numerical bonuses with one, adding situational $#!+ like Flaming or whatever with the other.
Your weapon is bolstered with both arcane and divine powers! How cool is that?
Would using them at the same time be allowed?
Would using them at the same time be allowed?
It's gestalt... so "allowed" is arbitrary. But yes, nothing is stopping the weapon from accepting magical power from multiple sources. Your action economy would seem to dictate that it would take two rounds activate both, but it would still be doable.
There's nothing in Divine Bond or Arcane Bond that would stop a normal multiclass character from combining the 2 abilities.
If I had a Paladin-5 / Magus-5 I could use my Divine Bond to give myself a +1 weapon, and could then use my Arcane Bond to make that weapon Flaming and Keen. That part is totally within the rules.
As to whether I could give myself a +1 weapon with Divine Bond and then use Arcane Bond to gove myself another straight +2 enhancement, that's a little more open to interpretation. Both options will stack with your regular weapon's enhancement bonuses, but I could see a GM deciding that they don't stack with each other.
Honestly, that shouldn't be a huge issue since both Divine and Arcane Bond have a huge number of useful options, and all the options that aren't +X should be fine.
The other thing you could do is use your Divine Bond to enhance your weapon and save your Arcane Pool points for other abilities. You start with your Mystic Focus, but you can choose Arcana that use AP points, and eventually you'll have Spell Recall as well .
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Those are both good points. And I just double checked. The Paladin version is only a per day usage, but also minutes per level. While the Magus version is a single minute use, but more uses daily.
So I could use the Paladin version for a base enhancement for possibly multiple fights and then use the Magus version to grab any extra abilities as needed.
Those are both good points. And I just double checked. The Paladin version is only a per day usage, but also minutes per level. While the Magus version is a single minute use, but more uses daily.
So I could use the Paladin version for a base enhancement for possibly multiple fights and then use the Magus version to grab any extra abilities as needed.
That's correct, but the Paladin version will give more uses as you level up as well. The last sentence of the Divine Bond paragraph reads:
A paladin can use this ability once per day at 5th level, and one additional time per day for every four levels beyond 5th, to a total of four times per day at 17th level.
So at 9th level you'll go from 8 minutes per day to 18 minutes per day. At 13th level you should be able to have it up more-or-less all day.
Other than Flaming, Flaming Burst, Keen and Speed each ability allows you to add different enchantments. The Magus allows you to add Dancing, Flaming, Flaming Burst, Frost, Icy Burst, Keen, Shock, Shocking Burst, Speed or Vorpal. A Paladin can add Axiomatic, Brilliant Energy, Defending, Disruption, Flaming, Flaming Burst, Holy, Keen, Merciful, or Speed. Being able to add 16 different enchantments instead of 10 is actually pretty helpful.
Using both abilities together will allow you to get combinations online a lot earlier than normal. By 5th level you could get a Keen Flaming Burst weapon assuming it had at least a +1 enchantment bonus to begin with. Normally you would need to be at least a 9th level or an 11th level paladin to do this.
Both sides having Keen is nice. The character has one level of Inspired Blade Swashbuckler on the Paladin side of the gestalt, so being able to crit on a 15 will be helpful. Too bad neither class has Thundering as one of the abilities. Thundering Keen Rapier. Do ALL the damage.
Too bad neither class has Thundering as one of the abilities. Thundering Keen Rapier. Do ALL the damage.
I mean, you have enough ways to add +1 to your weapon, so if you really like Thundering you could just add it to your weapon permanently.
For a paladin I much prefer taking improved critical for a feat, rather than using a keen weapon, since bless weapon doesn't work with keen.
For a paladin I much prefer taking improved critical for a feat, rather than using a keen weapon, since bless weapon doesn't work with keen.
True, but with so many options available on this character, and eventually +11* in variable weapon enhancements Keen is definitely good before you get Improved Crit, and may make the feat feel a bit less valuable.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I just love gestalt games! I play them from morning to night while I have free time! Gestalt games are the best games made by people for people!