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View Full Version : Optimization [Pathfinder] Kineticist Help.



Denomar
2016-02-19, 02:24 AM
I would like assistance in making a decently strong Geokineticist grappler. I want to make a dwarf that basically can wrestle giants with large rocks.

The dream is to use an Earth element Kineticist that grapples and throws and generally do battlefield control. How do I optimize this strategy (despite the inherent weaknesses in CMB based stuff over a long term campaign.

Edit: Other suggestions for how to go about making this concept a reality with other classes would be welcomed just as strongly.

Serafina
2016-02-19, 02:34 PM
You'll suffer severely from only having a medium BAB. Nor is there terribly much syngery with most of your class features. But if you really want to try it:

You'll want Agile Maneuvers (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat-feats/agile-maneuvers-combat), obviously. You won't be grappling all the time, so to-hit with your blasts is important and quite welcome for the extra initiative and defense as well.
You'll also want Combat Stamina (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/other-rules/stamina-and-combat-tricks-optional-rules) for it's assosciated trick with Agile Maneuvers. That way, you at least won't have to worry about size and can grapply everything.
As for other feats, go search the PFSRD for grappling-related feats.

For magic items, you'll want Brawling (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/magic-armor/magic-armor-and-shield-special-abilities/brawling) armor obviously.

Now, for actual class features/infusions?
First of all, grappling someone will effectively prevent you from really doing much with most of your abilities. It's...really a rather poor choice, I'm afraid. But there are two things that can help you:
Kinetic Form will increase your size to Large. This won't come with the Strength-bonus of Enlarge Person or such, but it still gives the size-based bonus to CMB. Oh, and funnily enough it doesn't care about your original size - so you can be a gnome that goes Large very easily.
Grappling Infusion. It should be affected by Grappling-related feats, and at least once you can pay the costs for the Infusion it's a pretty good one. However, at a cost of at least 6 burn, you'll have to wait for quite a while until you can use it more than a few times per day (at 14th level, specifically, or at 11th if you go for full-round gather power).
Jagged Flesh is a teeny-bit of bonus damage, though really 1D6 will stop being all that relevant soon.

Elxir_Breauer
2016-02-20, 09:48 PM
Kinetic Fist is a good one, since it adds half your Blast damage to your natural weapons/unarmed strikes, with Improved Unarmed Strike and later on Superior Unarmed Strike (Path of War, basically increases your Unarmed Strike damage much like a Monk). You can use Unarmed Strikes and Natural Weapons in a Grapple as an attack action, you don't even need to be in control of the grapple to do so, iirc.