Stabbing skill monkey with pet(s)?

[Julix]

I'm going lvl 3 Knife Master/Scout - Skill monkey and flanking. I rolled really well, but I'm not sure how I want to distribute that ideally.
-Rolls were 18, 16, 16, 14, 12, 10

These are my options:
Str 10, 12, 14, 16
Dex 20
Con 14, 16
Int 14, 16
Wis 10, 12, 14
Cha 12, 14, 16

I want a pet, and spent days researching how to get one and came up with some crazy options (including a wild rider or falkner dip), however most options sucked upon looking closer. 3 didn't.

2 lvl Umbral Weaver+ 3 lvl Shadowdancer -> magically prepare for the dark, magically create the dark, see in the dark, kill in the dark! --- but quite a ways away from now.

1 lvl Ranger (Trapper/Freebooter): proficiencies (kuri w/ 18-20 crit range, starknives w/ 20 ft throwing range, medium armor: attach armored kilt to my leather for +1 ac with no downsides; use a masterwork buckler for those rounds where I can't fit in the full attack); Trapfinding (for disarming magical traps, also +1 to disable device); Wild empathy and handle animal should make for easy buy animal/use well. (some other skills like Kn Geo, survival and track) I also get to point out a target (as move action) and give +1 bonus attack & dmg against said target for self and allies. Once I have my store bought critters I'd train them to flank/attack the selected target as well...

Lots of bonuses and they're all now, rather than later. OR

1 (or 2) lvl Witch for a talking UMD wielding Raven or a flank-grappling Weasel (which damages while grappling). The ranger could train weasels, but I'm not exactly sure if they'd ever hit anything, while the Weasel uses my bab! Also I'd take Prehensile Hair (grows out 10 ft, has hand's dex of 20, and int mod str of 3 - so I could punch someone in the face with my mustach or pick their pocket with my freaking hair! Disable device? With 10 ft range I could even just use it to trigger it from afar... Or Healing for healing all my critters (including 4 allies) once / day. Or Feral Speech (Su) to be able to bluff and intimidate (but sadly not diplomatize, since INT is too low) animals. Or Evil Eye for -2 to one kind of rolls for 1 enemy for 7 rounds. Or Ward for +2 AC and +2 saves for one selected ally until they get hit. With magical knack I also cast 0th and 1st spells as though I was 3rd CL.

The last option is to play it clean, and level in Rogue: scout - for the ability to sneak on charge attacks - however I don't have a way to pounce yet, so that leaves me sneak attacking with only one hand. :-(

I'm pretty sure the ranger dip will work/be worth the boni. I'm rather sure with magical knack trading 3 levels as for spell options and 1 lvl for CL for 2d8 sneak and a ****load of skill points would be worthwhile even if I like it and decide to stay a witch (when doing a coup de grace after putting someone asleep using slumber the sneak damage will make it significantly less likely that they'll pass the fortitude check.) And if I don't, extra levels in rogue will give skill points that can go in spellcraft which can be used to make scrolls of all the situationally cool spells for rather cheap.

As for traits, if I go witch (thus stick to daggers instead of kuri) I'll go River Rat (+1 damage with daggers); Or Adopted->Animal Friend (Gnome), to get handle animal as class skill and +1 to will if animal is within 30 ft ?; And Magical Knack (+2 cl).

For the Ranger Adopted->Helpful (Halfling) for +4 instead of +2 when helping; or Adopted-> Elven Reflexes for +2 Initiative - and Armor Master or Extremely Fashionable.

What do you think? If you have any better ideas of how to get a pet and be more useful (Sorcerer? Wizard? Cavalier? Alchemist?), I'd be glad to hear them!

Here's what the witch might look like
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AsDvxp_JebLndGNvVjA5ME5QRFBleTAtUWlqSkViT Hc&usp=sharing

And here's a Ranger
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AsDvxp_JebLndFZSV3NyYWlfODdGQWdVM3JrX2VfU 0E&usp=sharing

Some advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your time,

Julian


P.S. I thought I sent this this morning early am, but I searched the forum and can't find it, so I assume I must have closed it prematurely?

[Coidzor]

What material do you have available to you?

If 3.5 material, Wild Cohort (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a) may be of interest. Or you could see about converting it to Pathfinder if you're playing that rather than some variant of 3.P. Not sure how you'd go about that, exactly, though.

If pathfinder, Eldritch Heritage (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/general-feats/eldritch-heritage) grabbing the arcane bloodline for a familiar & Improved Familiar (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/general-feats/improved-familiar) can get you a chassis that isn't too shabby if you can take a few blows and are willing to invest in protecting it. Sure it's 1-2 feats, but its familiar abilities scale with your character level rather than levels in familiar-granting classes and the most important things, BAB, HP, saves, and skill ranks aren't affected by the hit to effective master level.

I'm guessing you want this pet to primarily act as a flanking partner, right?

[Julix]

Pathfinder only.

I did consider that feat before, since being human I can go Alternative Race Trait-> Skill Focus (at lvl 1, 8, 16) instead of bonus feat, that would lessen the blow of having to take a skill focus in a knowledge AND a feat... :-S I guess knowledge local (black market, access to underground organizations, etc.) or geography (I love knowing where I am) could be useful - which would you recommend?

Note however that the important stuff (attack/saves/hp/HD, even skills!) of a familiar are already based on character total level! What do I care the it's the int is 6 or 15? Though it does affect natural armor, which is cool. Do familiars gain feats?

However, normally I'd skill focus for perception or make use of that feat, and I'm TWF, which is feat intensive later on... Can I afford losing feats? With the dip in other levels I actually gain cool stuff, while losing either a rogue talent or some sneak damage. I need to do damage, and I need to actually hit... :-S

Alright so if I go Ranger, I'll want to use Kuri, and starknives but my character concept sofar was about juggling knives, throwing them and stabbing with knives. Would be weird having to switch weapons in between, however he's no longer in the circus. He's in the "real world" now, learning "life is not a show" and to adapt makes sense. Using martial knives and better armor (bigger crit and throwing range, +1-2 AC bonus), handle store-bough animals... It's a solid/safe choice.

With the witch I'm very vulnerable to DM decisions on my creative interpretations of what I can and can't do. Because of magical knack I'd have +2 to CL, so right after level up, I'd be casting 1st lvl spells at 3rd CL; and I'd be using my extending hair for 3x 1 min intervals to steal stuff, for dirty fighting/feint - like punch/poke them in the eye and blind them using my mustache hair and then sneak stab. Maybe even to help me balance when climbing.
And after the next level I'd get either Feral tongue to permanently be able to talk with mammals - Charm to get hostiles to be unfriendly for 3 rounds instead and thus listen to reason, then use silver tongued+diplomacy for making friends...
If I go Feral tongue I might use the Ventriloquism to imitate the sound of any mammal! If the sound of a tiger right behind you won't make you susceptible to a sneak attack from right in front of you, I'm not sure what would... basically thinking someone is flanking should be as good as someone actually threatening that area, right?

I just realized witches have archetypes! Which means I can be a White-Haired Witch to grapple people with my hair as a natural attack! That's crazy! It's basically the extended hair thing described earlier, but instead of 16 seconds per day it's all day long, a natural attack of 1d4+3 and if I hit enemy is automatically grappled, while I'm not considered grappled. And then if he fails to un-grapple he has to face full-on sneak attack!

I'm so going to be a witch, unless you tell me a good reason not to within the next 15 hours or so :D


UPDATE: Now I really have it! 1 lvl dip in Witch for that awesome hair and then off for a Sorcerer dip for craaaaaaazy free feats! I'm still weighing my options but consider this one "Dodge, Extend Spell, Iron Will, Mobility, Mounted Combat, Ride-By Attack, Skill Focus (Knowledge [religion]), Weapon Finesse." and my summons get 1 DR/evil per 2 caster levels.

Heavenly Fire (Sp): Starting at 1st level, you can unleash a ray of heavenly fire as a standard action, targeting any foe within 30 feet as a ranged touch attack. Against evil creatures, this ray deals 1d4 points of damage + 1 for every two sorcerer levels you possess. This damage is divine and not subject to energy resistance or immunity. This ray heals good creatures of 1d4 points of damage + 1 for every two sorcerer levels you possess. A good creature cannot benefit from your heavenly fire more than once per day. Neutral creatures are neither harmed nor healed by this effect. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.