Beast Heart Adept build help!

[Admiral Squish]

so, paging through my books, and I stumbled across the Beast Heart Adept PRC in dungeonscape. I gave it a really good look now that I have some more knowledge with the system, and I really like the idea of it. However, it seems like the magical beast companions will all be useless soon enough. The class is self-contained. No synergy with ranger or druid, the typical companion classes. It's got full BaB, so that's certainly a plus, but taking all the levels is a serious drain for most classes. It grants assistants, so maybe a buffing class would work? Dragon shaman or marshal might work, if they didn't suck. Bard could do it, but you're sacrificing all your usual bard goodies to do it. Crusader, perhaps?

So, playground, give me a hand. I need a build based around Beast Heart Adept that can make it relevant, and keep it relevant even beyond the 10th level of the class.

[TheGeckoKing]

Maybe Wildshape Mystic Ranger 10/Beast Heart Adept 10? You get special 5th level Ranger spells, and it's all nature-y and stuff. I guess you would take Wild Cohort with this build, and maybe Draconic Cohort and co?

[Urpriest]

The Iron Chef competition for Warchanter had a build that used a splash of Beast Heart Adept for minionmancy. Getting more levels of Beast Heart Adept and less of Warchanter would probably not be a bad idea.

[RaginChangeling]

A Barbarian or Totemist with share soulmeld can synergize pretty well with it, especially if you use a bunch of mounted feats to make use of the Pegasus that is your (likely) third companion.

You may want to see if you can get natural bond to apply to your monstrous companions, then you can use the higher level ones without horribly gimping them.

A Bard can synergize pretty well if you max out inspire courage, Song of the Heart, Vest of Legend, Words of Creation and Inspirational boost along with the proper Masterwork instrument can get you some great bonuses to attack and if you combine it with Dragonfire Inspiration you do a lot of damage.

You also want to pick the right companions and right feats, Girallons and Owlbears are both good choices as are Ankhegs. Have them take Shape Soulmeld (Sphinx claws) and Open Least Chakra (Hands) for pounce with their natural weapons. Then see if you can also get them to take Improved Unarmed Strike and Superior Unarmed Strike for Kung-fu action.

Equip the companions properly too, masterwork barding is a pittance by the time you enter the class. Necklaces of Natural Attacks can help a lot as can healing belts.

[Akal Saris]

Some other synergistic classes:

-Wilderness Rogue (Unearthed Arcana): To me having 4 companions that grant the entire party free attacks of opportunity and give extra bonuses for flanking screams for a class that wants to flank all the time. BHA won't advance sneak attack, but it will let you apply it through AOO's lots of times. I'd like to try a build focused on flanking with adjacent allies using a reach weapon to get a ton of free hits off.

-Sneak attack fighter: Same idea

-Crusader: Already mentioned, but the crusader can be awesome for this. Again, synergy with the flanking stance, as well as AOO's.

-Marshal: A 1 or 2 level dip just to give more buffs for your minions. Charisma to flanking damage could be nice!

[Amphetryon]

Some other synergistic classes:

-Wilderness Rogue (Unearthed Arcana): To me having 4 companions that grant the entire party free attacks of opportunity and give extra bonuses for flanking screams for a class that wants to flank all the time. BHA won't advance sneak attack, but it will let you apply it through AOO's lots of times. I'd like to try a build focused on flanking with adjacent allies using a reach weapon to get a ton of free hits off.

-Sneak attack fighter: Same idea

-Crusader: Already mentioned, but the crusader can be awesome for this. Again, synergy with the flanking stance, as well as AOO's.

-Marshal: A 1 or 2 level dip just to give more buffs for your minions. Charisma to flanking damage could be nice!

Didn't you use a Beast Heart Adept in an Iron Chef entry, Akal?

[Dusk Eclipse]

Didn't you use a Beast Heart Adept in an Iron Chef entry, Akal?

I think that was in the Warchanter contests, as Ur-Priest already mentioned.

[Akal Saris]

Didn't you use a Beast Heart Adept in an Iron Chef entry, Akal?

I did indeed! I think it was the last time I got the gold :smalltongue:

The Green Knight, CG Human Paladin of Freedom 5/Warchanter 10/Beast Heart Adept 5 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=8580412&postcount=115)