YASD
2013-07-18, 08:55 PM
First time poster, but I am going to be starting a new pathfinder campaign in a while and while I have a good idea, there are some details I would like to bounce off of the mavens of this board. I did not include the character’s back-story, but the history he has can fit any of the flavors discussed below.
Class is fixed because I really want to be a summoner, but I hate eidolons. They are too anime for me, and it bothers me (greatly) that the two main features of the class are mutually contradictory. Browsing through the SRD gave me the Celestial Commander as the only archetype that does not have an eidolon, and I dig the paladin flavor.
Flavor wise, the Celestial Commander does not get an eidolon, but they do get buffed summons (1 + 1/3 level luck bonus to hit/damage). They are also divine (vice arcane) casters and get medium armor and shield proficiency. They also get bonus summoning feats and a domain. Unless someone has a good alternative, I will probably take the Tactics Domain. Lastly at level 6, as a standard action, they can buff 1 + 1/3level allies with a +2 insight bonus to hit, AC, and skills (it also gives chr bonus temp hps).
Other than pure summoner, the only possible option is to take a two level dip into paladin, but unless the fiendish celestial minds here are more clever than I am, I don’t see how such a dip would justify losing a level of summon monster.
For race, I have the tentative approval of my GM to play an Assimar (being thematic and all), either a standard (+2 Wis&Chr) or the Angel type that gives +2 Str & Chr, along with a delicious Alter Self once a day. Of course Human is always possible in case anyone here has clever ideas for the extra feat and skill point. The GM uses an 18 point stat build, and every 4 levels he gives +1 to two different stats (vice just one). I’ll start at level 1, and expect to spend most of the campaign between levels 5-13 (perhaps higher, but likely not).
As far as builds go I see two paths, I grab a reach beatstick and go all 2h dps on things, or I forgo dps, tank up and spend all of my time buffing. Either route taken, sweet spot for this guy is probably level 9, where he can summon 1d4+2 augmented Lantern Archons, each with a +4 luck bonus to hit and damage, two teamwork feats, and the PC’s charisma bonus for smites. For those playing the home game, that is an average of 9 ranged touch attacks @+7 to hit each doing 1d6+4 unresistible damage, add another +5/3 to hit/damage versus evil, or 50 points of damage a round vs non-evil AC12 touch foes, lasting the duration of the encounter, all for the low cost of 1 standard action. Frankly at that point he could spend the rest of the combat drinking lemonade and still do the most damage.
If I go 2h damage route, I use the angel option and have.
Str 14 (+2)
Dex 14
Con 14
Int 10
Wis 8
Chr 14(+2)
My initial strategy will be to cast summon, enlarge person, and then stand behind summons. Aside from power attack, I am not sure what feats to take. As a side note, I can almost certainly convince the GM to let me use a Fauchard (1d10 18x2 reach). My concern is that my lower hps and ¾ BAB will set me up for trouble since downing the summoner is a very viable way of clearing out summoned monsters. At level 8 I can use the tactics power to grab any useful feat as needed (including specific use teamwork feats to use with the summons). While this works at low levels, I am concerned that I just won’t be able to cut the mustard at higher levels
For the tank and buff flavor, I keep a simple weapon (Morningstar probably). Going standard Assimar I start with:
Str 12
Dex 14
Con 15
Int 12
Wis 7 (+2)
Chr 14(+2)
This guy will still put level up points into chr, but instead of putting the others into Str, he will raise wis and con to make him tankier. After level 6 he will almost always use his action to buff allies or for battlefield control. More con and the freedom to take more defensive feats should make him much tougher. He also gets 50% more skill points per level (hey, fun with low numbers).
Here is my tentative feat list, but I am really uncertain here:
Level 1: Angelic blood?
Level 2: Augment Summons (class feat)
Level 3: Superior Summons (class feat)
Level 3: Power attack?
Level 5: Heavy Armor (or eldritch heritage for an item bond)?
Level 7: Leadership (or ???)
Level 9: Improved critical?
Level 11: Angelic wings?
Level 13+: ???
My big concern with feats include spending two feats to get Angelic wings for a (slow) dispel immune form of flight on a class that has overland flight in its spell list, missing something critical (note the lack of improved initiative in that list), or lost opportunity since my summons will have from 1-3 teamwork feats that I can leverage.
For traits I lean towards birthmark and heirloom weapon, but not strongly. The former is thematic and because I hate losing my holy symbol as a divine caster. This GM has a fondness for taking and/or sundering gear, which is both a mark in favor of, and against an item bond. On one hand it is a pearl of power equal to my highest spell casting ability, but seriously hinders me without it. On the other hand, it does give me an excuse to enchant one item any way I wish (good for an heirloom weapon) and the full repair each morning helps to thwart sundering attacks.
As far as gear progression goes, the world is low magic (essentially no magic item stores), and the GM tends to award no treasure for quite a few sessions (or even levels) and then dump a glut of magic/treasure on the group. As a result wealth by level varies from 0.5 to 2-3x book values, but tends to the lower half of that; with about a 50-50 mix of random and tailored magic items. Generally the GM is pretty willing to allow special materials (e.g. mithril) as desired.
Does anyone have thoughts or suggestions on how to improve my build or concept?
Class is fixed because I really want to be a summoner, but I hate eidolons. They are too anime for me, and it bothers me (greatly) that the two main features of the class are mutually contradictory. Browsing through the SRD gave me the Celestial Commander as the only archetype that does not have an eidolon, and I dig the paladin flavor.
Flavor wise, the Celestial Commander does not get an eidolon, but they do get buffed summons (1 + 1/3 level luck bonus to hit/damage). They are also divine (vice arcane) casters and get medium armor and shield proficiency. They also get bonus summoning feats and a domain. Unless someone has a good alternative, I will probably take the Tactics Domain. Lastly at level 6, as a standard action, they can buff 1 + 1/3level allies with a +2 insight bonus to hit, AC, and skills (it also gives chr bonus temp hps).
Other than pure summoner, the only possible option is to take a two level dip into paladin, but unless the fiendish celestial minds here are more clever than I am, I don’t see how such a dip would justify losing a level of summon monster.
For race, I have the tentative approval of my GM to play an Assimar (being thematic and all), either a standard (+2 Wis&Chr) or the Angel type that gives +2 Str & Chr, along with a delicious Alter Self once a day. Of course Human is always possible in case anyone here has clever ideas for the extra feat and skill point. The GM uses an 18 point stat build, and every 4 levels he gives +1 to two different stats (vice just one). I’ll start at level 1, and expect to spend most of the campaign between levels 5-13 (perhaps higher, but likely not).
As far as builds go I see two paths, I grab a reach beatstick and go all 2h dps on things, or I forgo dps, tank up and spend all of my time buffing. Either route taken, sweet spot for this guy is probably level 9, where he can summon 1d4+2 augmented Lantern Archons, each with a +4 luck bonus to hit and damage, two teamwork feats, and the PC’s charisma bonus for smites. For those playing the home game, that is an average of 9 ranged touch attacks @+7 to hit each doing 1d6+4 unresistible damage, add another +5/3 to hit/damage versus evil, or 50 points of damage a round vs non-evil AC12 touch foes, lasting the duration of the encounter, all for the low cost of 1 standard action. Frankly at that point he could spend the rest of the combat drinking lemonade and still do the most damage.
If I go 2h damage route, I use the angel option and have.
Str 14 (+2)
Dex 14
Con 14
Int 10
Wis 8
Chr 14(+2)
My initial strategy will be to cast summon, enlarge person, and then stand behind summons. Aside from power attack, I am not sure what feats to take. As a side note, I can almost certainly convince the GM to let me use a Fauchard (1d10 18x2 reach). My concern is that my lower hps and ¾ BAB will set me up for trouble since downing the summoner is a very viable way of clearing out summoned monsters. At level 8 I can use the tactics power to grab any useful feat as needed (including specific use teamwork feats to use with the summons). While this works at low levels, I am concerned that I just won’t be able to cut the mustard at higher levels
For the tank and buff flavor, I keep a simple weapon (Morningstar probably). Going standard Assimar I start with:
Str 12
Dex 14
Con 15
Int 12
Wis 7 (+2)
Chr 14(+2)
This guy will still put level up points into chr, but instead of putting the others into Str, he will raise wis and con to make him tankier. After level 6 he will almost always use his action to buff allies or for battlefield control. More con and the freedom to take more defensive feats should make him much tougher. He also gets 50% more skill points per level (hey, fun with low numbers).
Here is my tentative feat list, but I am really uncertain here:
Level 1: Angelic blood?
Level 2: Augment Summons (class feat)
Level 3: Superior Summons (class feat)
Level 3: Power attack?
Level 5: Heavy Armor (or eldritch heritage for an item bond)?
Level 7: Leadership (or ???)
Level 9: Improved critical?
Level 11: Angelic wings?
Level 13+: ???
My big concern with feats include spending two feats to get Angelic wings for a (slow) dispel immune form of flight on a class that has overland flight in its spell list, missing something critical (note the lack of improved initiative in that list), or lost opportunity since my summons will have from 1-3 teamwork feats that I can leverage.
For traits I lean towards birthmark and heirloom weapon, but not strongly. The former is thematic and because I hate losing my holy symbol as a divine caster. This GM has a fondness for taking and/or sundering gear, which is both a mark in favor of, and against an item bond. On one hand it is a pearl of power equal to my highest spell casting ability, but seriously hinders me without it. On the other hand, it does give me an excuse to enchant one item any way I wish (good for an heirloom weapon) and the full repair each morning helps to thwart sundering attacks.
As far as gear progression goes, the world is low magic (essentially no magic item stores), and the GM tends to award no treasure for quite a few sessions (or even levels) and then dump a glut of magic/treasure on the group. As a result wealth by level varies from 0.5 to 2-3x book values, but tends to the lower half of that; with about a 50-50 mix of random and tailored magic items. Generally the GM is pretty willing to allow special materials (e.g. mithril) as desired.
Does anyone have thoughts or suggestions on how to improve my build or concept?