Build Advice: Skillmonkey Scout

[Alistaroc]

The system? Pathfinder.
The situation? Unknown.
Hotel? Trivago.

Aaanyways. I'm looking to create a scout/skillmonkey character for a potential upcoming game. We usually run with all Paizo, DSP, and Spheres, with anything else usually allowed but requiring a look-over. Should be level 3.

Currently I've got a Hummingbird (Bloodforge Infusions: Feathers and Fur) Tengu with Carrion Sense who took a bunch of extra traits, drawbacks, and major drawbacks. Empiricist Investigator, with Student of Philosophy, Bruising Intellect, and Cunning Liar. Also has Weapon Finesse, Deadly Agility, Vestigial Wings, and Shape Veil for Sheikh's Spectacles (+2 Perception and at-will detect magic).

Thing is I kinda want Darkvision, which Tengu don't get, and a full version of Scent would be nice as a scout. Quite honestly this is theoretical, I don't have much experience as a player, mostly a DM.

The Zoog from Sandy Peterson's Cthulhu Mythos are actually perfect (and adorable), but do you think they're a little too powerful? I'd drop Vestigial Wings (am kinda bummed there) but it would give climb speed, Darkvision, Scent, Burrow, pretty juicy stuff for a scout.

TL,DR;
1) Are Zoog too imbalanced for a player race given all DSP and C7S races are allowed?
2) Are there any other good races with mobility and Intelligence?
3) Are there any tricks or items I've missed that would be useful?
4) I always wall of text, sorry -\_(°o°)_/-
EDIT : I'm going to go with the Castilonium's advice - Zoog Martial Mageknight 1 / Empiricist Investigator 2, I have an empty feat slot though, any suggestions? I already have Finesse Fighting + Deadly Agility.

[Castilonium]

1) Zoogs seem to be on par with the power of most other Bloodforge races, so you should be fine there.

2) Hummingbird is the premier high mobility dex/int race. It's even proficient with Elven Curved Blades right off the bat. Zoog will be better for your purposes if you really want that +4 perception and +2 disable device.

3) If you're fine with dipping 1 level of something else, grab a Spheres class that's both a caster and practitioner for 2 free magic talents, a martial tradition, and whatever else you get from the class. Good choices are Reaper (Magekiller), Prodigy, Hedgewitch (Martial Hedgewitch) with spiritualism, or Mageknight (Martial Mageknight). Make liberal use of sphere-specific drawbacks to get as many skill-improving talents as you can. From War sphere, get Favorable Momentum (another +1d6 to your skills). From Light sphere, get Telescope (+int to perception) and Chameleon (+int to stealth and hide in plain sight). From Scout sphere, get Heightened Awareness (makes Sheikh's Spectacles redundant) and Lurker (you're not auto-detected by special senses).

Another thing you can do is get the Transformation feat to use an Alteration sphere form without limit. Dedicated Elemental Transformation (air) or (fire) might be up your alley.

[Alistaroc]

1) Zoogs seem to be on par with the power of most other Bloodforge races, so you should be fine there.
Okay, thank you :)

2) Hummingbird is the premier high mobility dex/int race. It's even proficient with Elven Curved Blades right off the bat. Zoog will be better for your purposes if you really want that +4 perception and +2 disable device.My rationale for the Zoog was actually the scent, Darkvision, climb, and burrow. Are they not as valuable as I thought?

3) If you're fine with dipping 1 level of something else, grab a Spheres class that's both a caster and practitioner for 2 free magic talents, a martial tradition, and whatever else you get from the class. Good choices are Reaper (Magekiller), Prodigy, Hedgewitch (Martial Hedgewitch) with spiritualism, or Mageknight (Martial Mageknight). Make liberal use of sphere-specific drawbacks to get as many skill-improving talents as you can. From War sphere, get Favorable Momentum (another +1d6 to your skills). From Light sphere, get Telescope (+int to perception) and Chameleon (+int to stealth and hide in plain sight). From Scout sphere, get Heightened Awareness (makes Sheikh's Spectacles redundant) and Lurker (you're not auto-detected by special senses).

Another thing you can do is get the Transformation feat to use an Alteration sphere form without limit. Dedicated Elemental Transformation (air) or (fire) might be up your alley. Oh wow, I didn't realize Light and War would be where I found cool stuff in Spheres :p
I'd do the dip in a heartbeat, Hide in Plain Sight is particularly awesome, but I'd lose Fast Stealth from Investigator Talent. Actually though Chameleon specifies it's half speed only, so I suppose that's moot. And I can definitely see the advantage of Hummingbird for the 1/2 speed boost, I guess it comes down to the worth of the other movement and senses. I'll definitely take one of those dips though, thank you!

EDIT: If I wanted to get nasty, a Dragoon Martial Mageknight could have a Roc animal companion as a mount, 80 ft fly speed so long as I keep under 43 lbs...

[Kris Moonhand]

If you've got DSP, you could pick up the Mixed Blood trait for outsider blood to get Darkvision. You could get into Eclipse (C7S), which has a lot of skillmonkey stuff and has special Akashic Darkvision.

[Alistaroc]

If you've got DSP, you could pick up the Mixed Blood trait for outsider blood to get Darkvision. You could get into Eclipse (C7S), which has a lot of skillmonkey stuff and has special Akashic Darkvision.
At this point I think I'm sold on Castilonium's Spheres dip and going Zoog, I do love Eclipse though, I had a player run one and it became a joke:
"Roll initiative"
"I spawn my occultation"
:smallbiggrin: