Spirit Totem: Making a Buff Little Ghost Buddy?

[Spermy The Cat]

The Spirit Totem Rage Power gives you a little ghost buddy that slams things with 1d4+Cha negative energy, with the Greater Totem raising it to 1d8.
Cut to the chase, are you able to increase the damage further than that?
Improved Natural Attack, Enlarge Person, some Third thing, Magic Fang or Animal Growth if you try to be cute and have a lion with a ghost friend?
Thank you.

[Mysterious Stranger]

Despite the description you do not gain a “little buddy”. The Spirit Totem Rage powers do not summon or otherwise create a creature in game terms. The rage power simply gives the barbarian an extra attack he can use once per round without using up any of his attacks.

Since there is no creature, you cannot target the totem powers with spells that have a creature as a target. The damage is not defined as a natural attack, weapon or any other type of attack. Nor is the damage linked to the barbarian’s size. Effects that give a general bonus to attack and damage should usually work, but effects that work by boosting specific attacks or must target specific weapons or parts of a creature will not. Nor will affects that create changes to the barbarian.

So, none of the things you listed would work. But if the barbarian was under something like divine favor, he would get the bonus to hit and damage on the rage power.

[Azothath]

Totem Rage/Skald powers

Spirit Totems:

[PFS Legal] Spirit Totem (Su) (APG pg. 77): While raging... The spirits grant the barbarian a 20% miss chance against ranged attacks and melee attacks made by creatures that are not adjacent to the barbarian (typically due to reach). Req:lesser spirit totem rage power, Barbarian 6th+ level.
[PFS Legal] Spirit Totem, Greater (Su): While raging... Living enemies adjacent to the barbarian at the start of her turn take 1d8 points of negative energy damage. In addition, the spirit wisps can now attack foes that are up to 15 feet away from the barbarian and the slam attack deals 1d6 points of negative energy damage. Req:spirit totem rage power, Barbarian 10th+ level.
[PFS Legal] Spirit Totem, Lesser (Su): While raging, ... spirit wisps... make one slam attack each round against a living foe that is adjacent to the barbarian. Slam attack Barb's BAB +CHA for (1d4 +CHA) negative energy damage.
= = =

just a power doing its thing. It's an Su effect, so no weapon or creature to target with a spell.
Headband/circlet of CHA seems the easiest magic item.
= = =
Advice
realistically, BAB +CHA for (1d4+ CHA) damage ain't nothing compared to the barbarian 6th+ actual weapon attack & damage.
Blur:I2 would more than cover Spirit Totem.

[Spermy The Cat]

Mysterious Stranger wrote:

Despite the description you do not gain a “little buddy”. The Spirit Totem Rage powers do not summon or otherwise create a creature in game terms. The rage power simply gives the barbarian an extra attack he can use once per round without using up any of his attacks.

Since there is no creature, you cannot target the totem powers with spells that have a creature as a target. The damage is not defined as a natural attack, weapon or any other type of attack. Nor is the damage linked to the barbarian’s size. Effects that give a general bonus to attack and damage should usually work, but effects that work by boosting specific attacks or must target specific weapons or parts of a creature will not. Nor will affects that create changes to the barbarian.

So, none of the things you listed would work. But if the barbarian was under something like divine favor, he would get the bonus to hit and damage on the rage power.

So it's not even a slam attack as it says in the Rage Power?

[Spermy The Cat]

Azothath wrote:

Totem Rage/Skald powers

** spoiler omitted **

just a power doing its thing. It's an Su effect, so no weapon or creature to target with a spell.
Headband/circlet of CHA seems the easiest magic item.
= = =
Advice
realistically, BAB +CHA for (1d4+ CHA) damage ain't nothing compared to the barbarian 6th+ actual weapon attack & damage.
Blur:I2 would more than cover Spirit Totem.

To be fair, I'm asking more for using it on a Skald, or a Viking Fighter or even a particularly bullying Iroran Paladin.

Hell, the idea with the lion(s) would be funny to do it, if they can take Totemic Initiate.
But still, not even Enlarge Person to upscale the damage, that's rough.
But at least it's nice to know, so thank you for the help.

[Liliyashanina]

The FAQ says:

The barbarian decides who the spirits attack each round. The spirits are not affected by effects that aid their attacks or damage (such as bardic performance or bless) or penalize their attacks or damage (such as bane or darkness). The spirits always strike from your direction. They do not get flanking bonuses or help a combatant get one.

It can still be quite effective in mass combat, and I do have a Succubus-Spell warrior with it as a "frenemy" in a wrath of the righteous who is quite potent with it.

[Derklord]

Spermy The Cat wrote:

To be fair, I'm asking more for using it on a Skald

If you want to make the Spirit Totem attacks better, use the Wyrm Singer archetype and grab Divine Fighting Technique -> Desna's Shooting Star. This way you can have a fully charisma based Skald. Your allies actually use the Skald's cha modifier (and their own BAB) for the wisp attacks.

[Azothath]

Some Bard Advice/Examples
→ Party of bards, 2026/01
→ Class Guides at ZG, Azothath's Bard builds, Items that can Save You, etc, 2025/09

[Mysterious Stranger]

Since a skald can grant anyone who is under their inspired rage powers, the way to maximize it would be to affect more targets. There is no maximum range for Ragesong, but the target must be able to hear the skald.

The best way to do this would be using the spell Clarion Call. It is 1st level spell that makes your voice heard over long distances. The description states it reduces the DC to hear the casters voice by 15. A skald using Clarion Call can probably grant the rage power to an entire army. While 1d8 may not seem like a lot of damage, 1d8 x 1000 is a different story.