Tricks to making whips effective?

[Kraken]

I'm interested in getting a whip wielding character to work in Pathfinder, under the assumption that large characters can strike with a 30' reach, and threaten a 15' range via improved whip mastery. Are there any feats, classes, or other abilities that would, for instance, stop movement if I hit with an attack of opportunity (ala 3.5's large and in charge from Draconomicon), grant free trip attacks or similar (ala 3.5's knock-down (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/divine/divineAbilitiesFeats.htm#knockDown)), or other useful battlefield control tricks?

[NightbringerGGZ]

Whip Mastery (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat-feats/whip-mastery-combat)
Improved Whip Mastery (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat-feats/improved-whip-mastery-combat)
Greater Whip Mastery (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat-feats/greater-whip-mastery-combat)
Serpent Lash (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat-feats/serpent-lash-combat)
Fury's Snare (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat-feats/fury-s-snare-combat)


There's a few feats to get your started. One of my favorite whip builds is with a Magus since you can self-buff and cast quite a bit of magic damage.

[Red Fel]

One of my favorite build concepts involves going with a Soulknife (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/classes/soulknife)/Pyrokineticist (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/psionic-prestige-classes/pyrokineticist). (Here's a thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?359631-Unlimited-Fireworks-Help-with-a-PF-Pyrokineticist-Build) where I was toying with the idea.) The Pyro can form a Fire Lash; thanks to Soulknife, she can use it as her Mind Blade. Further, the Fire Lash qualifies for any whip-related feats, such as those listed by Nightbringer.

She can take the Weapon Special Blade Skill to enable the Mind Blade to brace, disarm, or trip, and can switch them out when shaped; in the alternative, she can take it multiple times to give it each at once. And if you don't like dealing Fire damage, there are several Blade Skills that let you switch it out for a different damage type.

There are also Blade Skills that upgrade your trip and disarm abilities. For example, if your Mind Blade has the Weapon Special (trip), Toppling Strike, and Improved Toppling Strike abilities, you effectively gain a combination of trip and Cleave - you can make a single attack at your highest BAB, then a free trip attempt, and if you succeed, you can make another trip attempt. And another, and another, for every adjacent foe within your reach.

As an aside, Pyro also gives you the Hand Afire ability, so you can threaten adjacent enemies with your burning fist of rage, even while using your whip for reach.

[Afgncaap5]

If you can use 3.5 material to supplement the Pathfinder stuff, Complete Scoundrel has a skill trick called Whip Climber that might interest you.

[Amphetryon]

IIRC, a City-Bred Half-Orc can start off with proficiency; building that Half-Orc as a Torture Subdomain Inquisitor makes for a reasonably capable whip-wielder and debuffer.

[Psyren]

Hobgoblins get it too, using the Pit Boss racial. They also make good whip-users due to their Dex bonus.

[deuxhero]

Wyroot whip.

Easy ki or arcane pool recovery.

[inertia709]

The warpriest's sacred weapon (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/hybrid-classes/warpriest#TOC-Sacred-Weapon-Su-) class feature replaces the measly 1d3 base damage with a monk's unarmed strike damage progression.

[Kudaku]

Weapon Finesse + Slashing Grace means you have a decent damage output to go with your ridiculous number of AoOs. :smallsmile:

[FocusWolf413]

What about the dagger whip from AEG?

[phlidwsn]

What about the dagger whip from AEG?

Useful for 3.5, but OP spec'd pathfinder

[Fotta]

The Stand Still (http://www.archivesofnethys.com/FeatDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Stand Still) feat stops movement on attacks of opportunity.