| nordsturmking |
Hi i want to make a pathfinder 1e build that is or resembles a Vampire with focus on melee fighting and self healing through drinking blood. We are using the Automatic Bonus Progression system. I am currently looking at the Dhampir race. I know that the templates for vampires exist but im not sure i would want to use it.
My plan so far is a bloodrager with arcane bloodline, metamagic rager and primalist archetypes. Maybe two lvls in vigilante for racial paragon for diverse palate 1 lvl in sorcerer for the Sanguine bloodline lvl 1 power or exotic eldritch Heritage. I think useing a vampiric weapon and taking the lesser Celestial Totem should provide a bit of heal. What could i add that would fit the vampire theme? Any ideas are welcome :)
rage powers:
strenght surge
lesser Celestial Totem
feats:
power attack
raging vitality
iron will
improved initiative
qickenspell
I would like to know what options are available. Here are the things i know about
dhampir racial feats
Blood Drinker
Blood Feaster
Blood Salvage
Diverse Palate
Life-Dominant Soul
Natural Charmer
fast healer
vampiric/greater vampiric weapons
magical fangs
vampiric touch
animal fury
beast totem rage powers
the spell Daywalker
Lenses of Darkness
naga bloodline
Exotic Heritage
items i would consider:
claok of fangs
pelt of the beast
magical tatoos
cord of stubborn resolve
ring of sustenance
Ring of Ancestral Blood Magic
blood thirsty armor
spell storing items
All info and advise is appreciated :)
| Tottemas |
I'd consider the Feral Combat Training feat (https://aonprd.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Feral%20Combat%20Training) so that you can bite multiple times per full-attack, allowing you to heal and drain them several times. I think it's supposed to work with Brawler's Flurry, otherwise you'd need to take levels of (un)Monk.
And you should definitely take two levels of Vigilante if you mean to use Blood Drinker more than once every 5 sessions. And even then it will be quite rare depending on the campaign.
===
"the spell Daywalker"
There is an alternate racial trait for Dhampirs that remove their Light Sensitivity if that's a concern. Which is easier to achieve than having a lv 5 spell cast on you every day. And there are alternate dhampirs, subraces, with different weaknesses and different ability score statlines. Worth a look if you're STR-based or want to avoid a CON penalty.
| Azothath |
Dhampir
A) so many classes and feats... you have too much going on and the PC won't be viable until 7th level...
B) the real issue is healing. PC Parties are very positive energy healing based and you'll be forever at the mercy of arcane casters with Fast Healing spells aanndd fast healing takes time (not so fast ehh?). Consumables are a Real Cash Drain and often take time to cast and if you're unconscious who'll be doing the casting or drinking??? ... so... be an arcane caster (cover thine own posterior). While a divine caster can do Inflicts, everyone in the party will be complaining if you channel negative energy plus dhampir divine casters are about as appealing as mooshy brown bananas (they have their uses).
The plan of drinking blood in combat (full round action) to recover 1-6HPs is a recipe for failure. Vampiric Touch is in the same boat as you spent a decent spell AND your action to touch then do 5d6 and get temp HPs... that is just ineffective at 10th+ level (compare to 10d6 Fireball at range to multiple targets)... Reach metamagic makes it a bit better.
C) Light Sensitivity is more PR than practical (the worry is way worse than the frequency and penalty in actual play). You can spend a trait or work around it with low level items or spells, a 5th level spell is wayyy tooo much. If you really want to avoid it be a samsaran or human.
| Trokarr |
If you don’t like all the negative aspects of being a Dhampir another option is to go with Human as a race and take take Racial Heritage (Dhampir) as one of your first level feats. This will give you access to all the Dhampir feats and traits without the negative racial traits and CON penalty.
| nordsturmking |
Thanks for the tips. This char is gonna join a party at lvl 11 or maybe even higher sorry i should have mentioned that.
For healing i might take the Life-Dominant Soul feat. With the grater vampiric wepon and lesser Celestial Totem power the char can heal 70hp in combat. Between encounters he can heal with the Sanguine bloodline lvl 1 power.
| Azothath |
Life Dominant Soul feat (dhampir) IMO no, not very good, see Pallid Crystal below.
Lsr Celestial Totem is okay if you are already a barbarian/skald, again not worth via multiclassing IMO.
Spell storing is good but always a round down on caster level. Only works once in combat as you have to recharge the item with the spell. Temp HPS work best at the start of combat.
(Y/N on bloodrager list) some Spells
Y: Break:T1 {remember broken + break = destroyed and some critters only have 1 weapon(gunslinger, archer, most PCs...) all brought down by a first level spell cast twice}
N: Death Knell:N1 {animals/vermin to avoid moral dilemmas}
Y: Long Arm:T1
Y: Infernal Healing:T1 (Wand!)
Y: Ablative Barrier:C2
Y: Dust of Twilight:C2 (your glitterdust occasional replacement)
Y: False Life:N2
Items
> Pearly White Cracked Spindle Ioun Stone [none] $3400, regen 1/hr {embed}.
> Tourmaline Normal Sphere Ioun Stone [none] $1000, +2 Con for dying, limit 1 {embed}.
> Pallid Crystal [neck] $3300, heal with Cure/Inflict.
= Boots of the Earth [feet] $5000, fast heal with cheese.
= Amulet of Channeled Life [neck] $12000(expensive), pos enrgy heals to temp HPs.
> Items that can save you thread
> Caster's Shield [shld] $3153(try for light metal quickdraw version), discount on scrolls.
| TxSam88 |
So aside from everything written above, in many campaigns Blood Drinking is an Evil act. Are you playing with a group that is ok with Evil characters, and is the party composition one that can handle it?
| nordsturmking |
Thanks so much for the great feedback. I had the idea of building my own race with the Creating New Races rules. Undead would be 16 RP -1RP for Light Sensitivity ans -2RP for Light Blindness. I really like this idea because its a true undead charakter then. My GM would be fine with it if i make it balanced. Maybe i could be lvl 9 instead of 10 like the other player or some thing. What do you think about the whole idea?
Life Dominant Soul feat (dhampir) IMO no, not very good, see Pallid Crystal below.
Lsr Celestial Totem is okay if you are already a barbarian/skald, again not worth via multiclassing IMO.
Spell storing is good but always a round down on caster level. Only works once in combat as you have to recharge the item with the spell. Temp HPS work best at the start of combat.(Y/N on bloodrager list) some Spells
Y: Break:T1 {remember broken + break = destroyed and some critters only have 1 weapon(gunslinger, archer, most PCs...) all brought down by a first level spell cast twice}
N: Death Knell:N1 {animals/vermin to avoid moral dilemmas}
Y: Long Arm:T1
Y: Infernal Healing:T1 (Wand!)
Y: Ablative Barrier:C2
Y: Dust of Twilight:C2 (your glitterdust occasional replacement)
Y: False Life:N2Items
> Pearly White Cracked Spindle Ioun Stone [none] $3400, regen 1/hr {embed}.
> Tourmaline Normal Sphere Ioun Stone [none] $1000, +2 Con for dying, limit 1 {embed}.
> Pallid Crystal [neck] $3300, heal with Cure/Inflict.
= Boots of the Earth [feet] $5000, fast heal with cheese.
= Amulet of Channeled Life [neck] $12000(expensive), pos enrgy heals to temp HPs.
> Items that can save you thread
> Caster's Shield [shld] $3153(try for light metal quickdraw version), discount on scrolls.
The list of items you posted is great thanks :)
| Azothath |
lol, about Undead as a creature type in the game? About building an undead race?...
TBH Undead are problematic from a roleplaying stance.
PC: #1 you're dead (consider that statement re-entrant, lol). Not much is gonna improve or change in a 'growth' way. It's about maintaining and gathering power (and pointedly ignoring obvious in-game thematics) so not too much different than standard power gaming play.
Healing is problematic as most parties are positive energy based. The Rate of Recovery is really cut down if you could only heal 1 point per round, combat & tactics would dramatically change.
GM: From the GMs viewpoint no NPC/animal/living creature likes undead (except necromancers) thus nearly everybody wants to destroy them and then say "we did a good thing". Undead defy physics/thermodynamics and regular magic rules so busted in several ways. Too much is left undefined (like eating, resting, recovery, blah blah blah) along with their monotonic/stereotypical behavior making them a dramatic prop or cardboard villain. This is what makes Anne Rice's Lestat so different.
on the other hand, yes, a shiny new toy is fun. Undead are suited to horror, fear, and other 'negative' emotions (and fear is a BIG motivator for humans). So if the home game setting theme is about that, then yes, another tool in your crayon box.
Sometimes you see irony like Aadams family or the film Reanimator where it is horror-comedy. That's hard to maintain and dramatically it is building horror tension then relief via comedy.
I played a "leng ghoul" wizard Mordiggian who got to decent level and then the GM granted me life which totally ruined the concept but I understand he thought it was a reward and I appreciate his kindness. One point was Mordiggian lamented his lost life and tried to teach how precious living was. Regular ghouls are too typecast so they are stuck as cardboard.
Mechanically in the Game the templates are powerful for intelligent Undead. That in turn drives CR to higher than normal which for PCs subtracts from any class levels when you do a CR balancing... that's hard, Wiz 20 or emancipated undead 6 & Wiz 14...
with all that... here's my Vermiseffodi Helminth Swarm CR:3{or worse] <evil grin>