Friday, May 26, 2017

Bloodrager, Primalist, Urban Bloodrager, Destined; Human

Self-Interested Preface: I like this character a lot!  Issues a lot of tank(-y) builds can run into are some combination of specific weaknesses- martial classes end up with weak non-Fortitude saving throws, warpriests covered in spells can be dispelled or hit with Reflex-targeting magic, melee characters need some way to close with a mobile enemy, etc.  This character has a ton of options to circumvent the typical downfalls that come with being a front-line war machine, and I'm about to describe the fuck out of em.

Bloodragers are a little MAD (multiple-ability dependent), being barbarians who trade their rage powers for special bloodline powers and CHA-based spellcasting, requiring a minimum of 14 CHA to cast their four levels of spells.  In addition to that, you've got CON for hitpoints, STR (typically, as bloodrage still boosts STR/CON) for damage, DEX for AC and Reflex, and the attempt to keep their weak-progression Will saves up with WIS, leaving INT as their only real dump stat.  Utilizing Weapon Finesse at level 1, Dervish Dance at level 3, and the Urban Bloodrager archetype, STR becomes a dump stat too, and Reflex and AC jump up impressively.

Human's the choice for this build for Shadowhunter (since it ought to have Iron Will anyway),  Fey Thoughts to give it Fly and Use Magic Device (so you're a wand user too), and the +2 DEX with no -ability.  Traits are Threatening Defender (since Combat Expertise should always be on), Fate's Favored (the Destined bloodline adds luck bonuses) and the religious trait Blade Of Mercy, which is fucking amazing and a feat-equivalent trait which'll be especially important from level 11 forward.

Offensively, at level 1 as stated above Weapon Finesse means you're using a light weapon for higher attack, though with Urban Bloodrager's Controlled Bloodrage you can choose which physical stat you want to boost (and can still use wands!) so you can switch to extra damage if you're not having trouble hitting or dodging something.  Destined Strike is a Destined-bloodline free-action +3 insight bonus on a chosen melee attack, three times per day, which is one of those abilities that's only unimportant if you forget you have it.  Level 3 buys Dervish Dance, bringing the 18-20 crit. range scimitar into play and completely negating STR's effect on anything this character's built to do.  At level 4, spellcasting shows up, which I'll get into more after defenses, though I'd like to mention the Long Arm spell which adds 10' reach to get that use out of your attacks of opportunity which come from Combat Reflexes at level 5.  Level 8 brings in Savage Intuition, which, after level 10's Greater Bloodrage, brings in some amazing action economy as you auto-rage at the beginning of all combats, applying one spell of 2nd level or lower even without acting in the surprise round!  Level 9 bumps your scimitar crit. range to 15-20, freeing up the enhancement bonus you mighta spent on Keen.  At level 10, you can fly on your own power, using spells (instead of the bloodline rage powers of your barbarian compatriots) to improve your mobility.  Then, at level 11, fucking everything changes- the Advanced Divine Fighting Technique: Way Of The Merciful, which notably doesn't include the non-Advanced version as a prerequisite, heals the character by 2d6 once every round it attacks non-lethally with a scimitar.  That's fucking crazy.  I've brought it up in one or two of my other builds, but seeing as this character's MEANT to tank, that's like having fast healing 2d6 for the cost of two feats and ten ranks of Heal!  Level 12 has the incredible Come And Get Me, which was tailor-made for this build's crazy amount of attacks of opportunity, great AC, and easily-attainable reach.  Arcane Strike shows up at level 13- it's not bad but this character has an amount of swift-action and immediate-action spells in addition to doing reasonable damage without it.  Surge Of Success at 15's excellent for a scimitar-wielding human to get a floating +2 on whatever, especially with level 16's Destined-bloodline power Unstoppable, which automatically confirms all critical threats (man, seriously, that's some capstone shit).  Riving Strike comes in at level 17, with Blooded Arcane Strike at 19, just 'cause.  This character's capstones're amazing, but no one ever fucks with level 20 characters so I won't even detail 'em.

Defensively, this character gets nuts quick.  At level 1, a saving throw spread of +5/+3/+4's pretty great for a martial character, an AC of 10 + 3 DEX + 4 chain shirt + 1 Combat Expertise / + 1 DEX rage (+4's the DEX cap for a chain shirt) = 18/19, which isn't bad with its d10 + 3 CON + 1 favored class bonus hitpoints.  Like a normal barbarian, it gets Uncanny Dodge at level 2, which is welcome considering DEX is its attack ability score.  At level 4, though, it starts its impressive saving-throw ascent with the Destined-bloodline's Fated Bloodrager luck bonus to all saving throws reacting nicely with Fate's Favored to bring saving throws up to +9/+6/+6 as well as introducing spellcasting which, though I'm still not getting deep into it yet, adds another layer of protective versatility.  Level 7 has a feat tax for the Advanced Divine Fighting Technique of Great Fortitude, which isn't completely useless but is clearly the worst feat buy in this build.  Level 8, however, introduces Superstition, the barbarian rage power that boosts saving throws against spells and spell-like effects to ridiculous levels in exchange for forcing the user to also save against harmless spells, with saving throws going up to +14/+9/+8 unbuffed and rageless, and +18/+13/+12 (before applying the DEX or CON boost) in a rage, which I'd like to state again is at LEVEL EIGHT WITHOUT ITEMS.  Level 10 is the earliest this character can fly on its own power, which is as much a defensive ability as it is an offensive one.  Level 11, as stated before, changes everything by giving this character what amounts to 2d6 fast healing every round it attacks non-lethally.  Level 12 brings both the ever-useful Diehard and the rage power Good For What Ails You, which lets the character re-attempt saving throws against most conditions when drinking alcohol.  The character's not supposed to be spending the action drinking- a cohort or NPC or someone else is supposed to be administering the alcohol as a potion, saving money on non-alcohol potions and saving actions.  The idea's that this character kind of doesn't fail saves, really, so my general guess is it was probably a natural-1-style fluke that got it there.  Indomitable Will at 14 adds another +4 against enchantment effects in a rage.  Level 15's Surge Of Success can be used on a saving throw, which is nice.  Level 16, just to say so, has a base unbuffed no-item saving throw spread of +20/+14/+13 which, in a rage, goes up to +26/+20/+19 against spells and spell-like effects before applying the floating ability score boost or magic items.  Just trying to keep everything in perspective.  Also, critical threats against the character're only confirmed on a natural 20.  At 18, out of any other useful bloodline feats, Lightning Reflexes shows up.  Just to show off one last time, as a naked level 20 DEX-raging barbarian, this character has an AC of 10 + 9 DEX + 6 Combat Expertise = 25 (touch!) AC, saving throws of +23/+23/+15 or +30/+30/+22 against spells and spell-like abilities with an additional +4 against enchantment effects, and a hitpoint range of 20d10 + 60 + 20 which averages to 190, plus Diehard if things get too nuts, along with the Destined-bloodline capstone of immunity to daze, paralysis, petrification, stagger, and stun and when it raged, it automatically applied some spell, probly Haste or something, I dunno.

So far as skills, since this character needed 13 INT to get Combat Expertise, it has five per level which I recommend using on Perception and Use Magic Device.  At level 10 it can fly on its own power, so that'd be an alright time to start maximizing Fly, though it's not at all necessary.  It does, however, need ten ranks in Heal by level 11 so it can get the Advanced Divine Fighting Technique.  Other than that, this character has an amount of versatility, since unlike an actual barbarian it has a positive CHA modifier.  Could make this an alright party face, or a secondary Spellcraft identifier- talk to the other players to see what additional roles're worth filling!  It's not unreasonable to also mention your character's nearly un-fuckin-killable.

Alright, spells time.  This preface is already pretty fuckin long, so I'll try to do it brief.  Here's the bloodrager spell list if you wanna look at it.  I'll mention now the last Destined-bloodline power in effect, which is Adopted Magic, a power that lets the character steal spells from other classes.  I demand you bear with me, 'cause even though I write this fuckin blog and spend an amount of time meticulously researching power builds, I've never played a bloodrager so different spells're for different playstyles.  By level, with a short explanation for each one, here're the spells my build of this character ends up with:

Lvl. 4
1st- Long Arm (10' reach is great, and even better with Combat Reflexes)
Windy Escape (an invaluable early-game spell- immediate-action 10/magic DR against an attack for emergencies.  keep in mind that most creatures using natural attacks, even late game, don't have magic ones)

Lvl. 5
1st- Feather Fall (pretty cute emergency utility spell for the barbarian to have)

Lvl. 6
1st- Cheetah's Sprint (swift-action change your base land speed to 400' in a straight line, for emergency chases or getaways)

Lvl. 7
1st- [Bloodline] Shield (a nice-enough bloodline spell, since you can't use a shield due to archetype and Dervish Dance limitations)
2nd- Animal Aspect (a neat spell that gives you a climb or swim speed equal to 1/2 your land speed)
See Invisibility (extremely important when it's important)
[Adopted, Bard] Heroism (with Adopted Magic you can get this a spell level early with the same effects!  70 minutes of +2 to all the important stuff)

Lvl. 8
2nd- Glitterdust (an invaluable spell, meant to negate invisibility in a wide area, good combo with See Invisibility after you can cast spells for free when raging to reveal an invisible enemy in one round and still move)

Lvl. 9
1st- Stone Shield (this isn't meant to be used as it's described- you're not really trying to protect yourself from an enemy's attack.  the cover applies to whoever, so this is for the wizard behind you to cast without being counterspelled, or the rogue behind you to scramble away- opportunities they didn't have that you can give them as an immediate action)
2nd- Mindshock (has fantastic synergy with level 11's Advanced Divine Fighting Technique, letting you swing for lethal damage while still dealing non-lethal to heal yourself, with the added bonus of 1 round confusion on a critical hit)

Lvl. 10
2nd- [Bloodline] Blur (neat but hopefully unneccessary due to crazy AC)
3rd- Fly (you can fly on your own power!  a wizard's had Overland Flight for a level, but it's good to be able to do it yourself and at the same level as a regular barbarian with Greater Elemental Blood)
Haste (wizards have been able to cast this for five levels by now, but it's good to have redundant options when the outcome is as good as Haste)
[Adopted, Bard] Arcane Concordance (this is more for you than your allies, adding metamagic to spells cast in a 10' radius.  errata's weird- it mentions it boosts your allies but in the next sentence it says "any creature that casts a spell" so you'd wanna clear that up before charging into melee with this effect on)

Lvl. 11
3rd- Wind Wall (it's not your role, deflecting arrows and stuff, but it's not a bad thing to save your spellcaster an action, especially since it automatically deflects ALL arrows and bolts)

Lvl. 12
1st- True Strike (you're about to get Dimensional Blade, but this has its uses for when you absolutely have to hit something.  at this level you auto-cast a spell when you enter rage, which is a free action, so a +20 attack in addition to your physical stat boost is comparable if not better to/than the barbarian rage power Strength Surge.  that's, like, what True Strike was made for.)
2nd- Iron Skin (scaling 1 minute/level natural AC boost, up to +7 at 15th level)
3rd- Greater Magic Weapon (currently +3!  to add special abilities, of course)

Lvl. 13
3rd- [Bloodline] Protection From Energy (another alright redundancy bloodline spell)
4th- Caustic Blood (pretty serious action economy IF you're getting hit since it sprays acid every single time you're hit)
Dimensional Blade (it's the Brilliant special ability as a spell!  especially neat because it's EVERY attack in the round you use it)
[Adopted, Magus] Greater Invisibility (hell the fuck yeah, invisible barbarian)

Lvl. 14
4th- Flash Forward (Flash Forward's a conditionally-useful spell meant to be used as a surprise action, since it lets you standard-action perform a full charge rather than the truncated version and zap back if you want to, which you almost certainly do because otherwise you're trading one attack for opening an enemy up for performing a full attack)

Lvl. 15
2nd- Stone Discus (at this level, it's a ranged attack with a range of 60' dealing 4d6x3 bludgeoning or slashing damage that counts as adamantine, just for an additional alternative attack method)
3rd- Locate Weakness (especially useful next level, when every critical threat's a critical hit)
4th- Touch Of Slime (this is mostly here because it's PERMANENT- if you ever have a leftover 4th-level slot before going to sleep, cast Touch Of Slime on your non-sword hand and it stays ready forever until you use it)

Lvl. 16
4th- [Bloodline] Freedom Of Movement (and ANOTHER alright redundancy bloodline spell)
[Adopted, Magus] Forceful Strike (this is the kinda thing you combo with True Strike to be certain you bull rush a demon back into a summoning circle, or something)

Lvl. 18
3rd- Gloomblind Bolts (these're here because they're like a Stone Discus but their description doesn't give their damage a type for some reason?  so, 4d6x3 untyped damage with a ranged touch attack with a range of 280 ft., which is really really good even though it's not what this character's built to do.  there's a Reflex save, but it's only to negate a blindness effect and does not affect the damage)
4th- Horrific Doubles (I just think this spell's cute, though probly not worth casting unless you've got high DCs somehow.  at level 20, you can apply any spell as part of your rage, so it's sorta neat to imagine getting mad and suddenly there's eight of you and they're all spooky)

Lvl. 19
4th- [Adopted, Bard] Mass Heroic Fortune (this is here because it's 1000GP total to give one Hero Point to an infinite amount of creatures as long as they're each 30ft. or less apart and I was sort of imagining, as a 19th-level character, you're pretty down with ridiculous shenanigans)

Lvl. 20
1st- [Swap out Windy Escape] Wave Shield (does the same thing at this level but better, not that it matters at all by now)

Geez; that's a ton of fucking words and damn, I'm good at this.  And hey, thanks for reading it!

This build created in January of 2017, and kinda fucked with May of 2017.




Bloodrager, Destined (Primalist, Urban Bloodrager), Level 20
[Must be Chaotic Good and worship Sarenrae]

Race: Human, +2 DEX (+1 Hit Point/+1 Skill Point/+1 to rounds of bloodrage per day)

Racial Traits
Fey Magic: Urban (Fly and Use Magic Device become class skills; can cast Detect Poison, Mending, Light, and Longstrider at character level once each per day within urban environment)
Shadowhunter (free Iron Will feat; can always hit incorporeal creatures for ½ damage as if attacks were magical; +2 to saves removing negative levels; heal 2 ability score damage per day if source was undead)
Low-Light Vision

Character Traits/Drawbacks
Drawback:
Combat: Threatening Defender (Combat Expertise penalty to attack reduced by one)
Faith: Fate’s Favored (+1 to any luck bonuses)
Religion(Sarenrae): Blade Of Mercy (Do not take -4 for attacking with slashing weapons as non-lethal, +1 non-lethal damage when attacking with slashing weapons as non-lethal)



Class Skills: Acrobatics, Climb, Craft (Any), Diplomacy, Fly, Intimidate, Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (Local), Linguistics, Perception, Profession (Any), Ride, Spellcraft, Swim, and Use Magic Device.

Known Languages: Common


1: Bloodrager, Destined (Primalist, Urban Bloodrager) 1 (d10 Hit Die), +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +1
            Base Saves: +5/+3/+3
New Feats: Simple and Martial Weapon Proficiencies, Light and Medium Armor Proficiencies, Bloodrager Arcane Spell Failure, Destined Bloodline, Controlled Bloodrage, Fast Movement, Destined Strike 3/day, [Shadowhunter] Iron Will, [1st Level Feat] Weapon Finesse, [Anti-Hero] Combat Expertise Skills(5): Acrobatics, Climb, Perception, Swim, Use Magic Device
Base Rage Frequency/Effects: 7 rounds per day / +4 between STR, DEX, and CON.

2: Bloodrager, Destined (Primalist, Urban Bloodrager) 2, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +2
            Base Saves: +6/+3/+3
New Feats: Uncanny Dodge
Skills(5): Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (Local), Perception, Spellcraft, Use Magic Device
Base Rage Frequency/Effects: 9 rounds per day / +4 between STR, DEX, and CON.



3: Bloodrager, Destined (Primalist, Urban Bloodrager) 3, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +3
            Base Saves: +6/+4/+4
New Feats: Restrained Magic, [3rd Level Feat] Dervish Dance
            Skills(5): Perception, Perform (Dance), Perform (Dance), Use Magic Device
Base Rage Frequency/Effects: 11 rounds per day / +4 between STR, DEX, and CON.

4: Bloodrager, Destined (Primalist, Urban Bloodrager) 4, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +4
            Increased Ability Score: DEX +1 (17)
            Base Saves: +9/+6/+6
New Feats: Blood Casting, Bloodrager Spellcasting, Eschew Materials, Fated Bloodrager +1 (+2 with Fate’s Favored bonus)
            Skills(5): Perception, Use Magic Device, +3 others
Base Rage Frequency/Effects: 13 rounds per day / +4 between STR, DEX, and CON; can still cast Bloodrager spells.

5: Bloodrager, Destined (Primalist, Urban Bloodrager) 5, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +5
            Base Saves: +9/+6/+6
New Feats: Improved Uncanny Dodge, [5th Level Feat] Combat Reflexes
            Skills(5): Perception, Use Magic Device, +3 others
Base Rage Frequency/Effects: 15 rounds per day / +4 between STR, DEX, and CON; can still cast Bloodrager spells.

6: Bloodrager, Destined (Primalist, Urban Bloodrager) 6, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +6/+1
            Base Saves: +10/+7/+7
New Feats: [Bloodline Feat] Weapon Focus: Scimitar
            Skills(5): Perception, Use Magic Device, +3 others
Base Rage Frequency/Effects: 17 rounds per day / +4 between STR, DEX, and CON; can still cast Bloodrager spells.

7: Bloodrager, Destined (Primalist, Urban Bloodrager) 7, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +7/+2
            Base Saves: +12/+7/+7
New Feats: Adopted Magic (7th), [7th Level Feat] Great Fortitude
            Skills(5): Perception, Use Magic Device, +3 others
Base Rage Frequency/Effects: 19 rounds per day / +4 between STR, DEX, and CON; can still cast Bloodrager spells.

8: Bloodrager, Destined (Primalist, Urban Bloodrager) 8, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +8/+3
            Increased Ability Score: DEX +1 (18)
            Base Saves: +14/+9/+8
New Feats: Fated Bloodrager +2 (+3 with Fate’s Favored bonus), [Primalist Rage Powers] Savage Intuition and Superstition
            Skills(5): Heal, Heal, Heal, Perception, Use Magic Device
Base Rage Frequency/Effects: 21 rounds per day / +4 between STR, DEX, and CON; can still cast Bloodrager spells; +4 to all saving throws against spells/spell-like abilities/supernatural effects, must attempt to resist all spells; can always rage at beginning of first round of combat.

9: Bloodrager, Destined (Primalist, Urban Bloodrager) 9, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +9/+4
            Base Saves: +14/+10/+9
New Feats: [Bloodline Feat] Endurance, [9th Level Feat] Improved Critical: Scimitar
            Skills(5): Heal, Heal, Heal, Perception, Use Magic Device
Base Rage Frequency/Effects: 23 rounds per day / +4 between STR, DEX, and CON; can still cast Bloodrager spells; +4 to all saving throws against spells/spell-like abilities/supernatural effects, must attempt to resist all spells; can always rage at beginning of first round of combat.

10: Bloodrager, Destined (Primalist, Urban Bloodrager) 10, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +10/+5
            Base Saves: +15/+10/+9
New Feats: Adopted Magic (10th)
            Skills(5): Fly, Heal, Heal, Perception, Use Magic Device
Base Rage Frequency/Effects: 25 rounds per day / +4 between STR, DEX, and CON; can still cast Bloodrager spells; +4 to all saving throws against spells/spell-like abilities/supernatural effects, must attempt to resist all spells; can always rage at beginning of first round of combat.

11: Bloodrager, Destined (Primalist, Urban Bloodrager) 11, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +11/+6/+1
            Base Saves: +15/+10/+9
New Feats: Greater (Urban) Bloodrage, [11th Level Feat] Advanced Divine Fighting Technique: Way Of The Merciful
            Skills(5): Fly, Heal, Heal, Perception, Use Magic Device
Base Rage Frequency/Effects: 27 rounds per day / +6 between STR, DEX, and CON; can still cast Bloodrager spells; +4 to all saving throws against spells/spell-like abilities/supernatural effects, must attempt to resist all spells; can always rage at beginning of first round of combat; can cast one spell of 2nd level or lower automatically which lasts for the duration of rage unless its duration is one round.

12: Bloodrager, Destined (Primalist, Urban Bloodrager) 12, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +12/+7/+2
            Increased Ability Score: CHA +1 (14)
            Base Saves: +17/+12/+11
New Feats: Destined Strike 5/day, Fated Bloodrager +3 (+4 with Fate’s Favored bonus), [Bloodline Feat] Diehard, [Primalist Rage Powers] Come And Get Me and Good For What Ails You
            Skills(5): Fly, Fly, Fly, Perception, Use Magic Device
Base Rage Frequency/Effects: 29 rounds per day / +6 between STR, DEX, and CON; can still cast Bloodrager spells; +5 to all saving throws against spells/spell-like abilities/supernatural effects, must attempt to resist all spells; can always rage at beginning of first round of combat; can cast one spell of 2nd level or lower automatically which lasts for the duration of rage unless its duration is one round; can open up to attacks to incur one higher-priority attack of opportunity per attack made; can drink alcohol to reroll saving throw against most conditions.



13: Bloodrager, Destined (Primalist, Urban Bloodrager) 13, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +13/+8/+3
            Base Saves: +17/+12/+11
New Feats: Adopted Magic (13th), [13th Level Feat] Arcane Strike (currently +3)
            Skills(5): Fly, Fly, Fly, Perception, Use Magic Device
Base Rage Frequency/Effects: 31 rounds per day / +6 between STR, DEX, and CON; can still cast Bloodrager spells; +5 to all saving throws against spells/spell-like abilities/supernatural effects, must attempt to resist all spells; can always rage at beginning of first round of combat; can open up to attacks to incur one higher-priority attack of opportunity per attack made; can drink alcohol to reroll saving throw against most conditions.

14: Bloodrager, Destined (Primalist, Urban Bloodrager) 14, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +14/+9/+4
            Base Saves: +18/+12/+11
New Feats: Indomitable Will
            Skills(5): Fly, Fly, Fly, Perception, Use Magic Device
Base Rage Frequency/Effects: 33 rounds per day / +6 between STR, DEX, and CON; can still cast Bloodrager spells; +5 to all saving throws against spells/spell-like abilities/supernatural effects, must attempt to resist all spells; can always rage at beginning of first round of combat; can open up to attacks to incur one higher-priority attack of opportunity per attack made; can drink alcohol to reroll saving throw against most conditions.

15: Bloodrager, Destined (Primalist, Urban Bloodrager) 15, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +15/+10/+5
            Base Saves: +18/+13/+12
New Feats: (Arcane Strike damage increases to +4), [Bloodline 15th] Improved Initiative, [15th Level Feat] Surge Of Success
            Skills(5): Fly, Fly, Fly, Perception, Use Magic Device
Base Rage Frequency/Effects: 35 rounds per day / +6 between STR, DEX, and CON; can still cast Bloodrager spells; +5 to all saving throws against spells/spell-like abilities/supernatural effects, must attempt to resist all spells; can always rage at beginning of first round of combat; can open up to attacks to incur one higher-priority attack of opportunity per attack made; can drink alcohol to reroll saving throw against most conditions.

16: Bloodrager, Destined (Primalist, Urban Bloodrager) 16, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +16/+11/+6/+1
Increased Ability Score: DEX +1 (21)
            Base Saves: +20/+14/+13
New Feats: Adopted Magic (16th), Fated Bloodrager +4 (+5 with Fate’s Favored bonus), Unstoppable
            Skills(5): Fly, Fly, Perception, Use Magic Device, +1 other
Base Rage Frequency/Effects: 37 rounds per day / +6 between STR, DEX, and CON; can still cast Bloodrager spells; +6 to all saving throws against spells/spell-like abilities/supernatural effects, must attempt to resist all spells; can always rage at beginning of first round of combat; can open up to attacks to incur one higher-priority attack of opportunity per attack made; can drink alcohol to reroll saving throw against most conditions.



17: Bloodrager, Destined (Primalist, Urban Bloodrager) 17, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +17/+12/+7/+2
            Base Saves: +20/+14/+13
New Feats: Tireless Bloodrage, [17th Level Feat] Riving Strike
            Skills(5): Fly, Perception, Use Magic Device, +2 others
Base Rage Frequency/Effects: 39 rounds per day / +6 between STR, DEX, and CON; can still cast Bloodrager spells; +6 to all saving throws against spells/spell-like abilities/supernatural effects, must attempt to resist all spells; can always rage at beginning of first round of combat; can open up to attacks to incur one higher-priority attack of opportunity per attack made; can drink alcohol to reroll saving throw against most conditions; no fatigue penalty afterward.

18: Bloodrager, Destined (Primalist, Urban Bloodrager) 18, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +18/+13/+8/+3
            Base Saves: +21/+17/+14
New Feats: [Bloodline Feat] Lightning Reflexes
            Skills(5): Fly, Perception, Use Magic Device, +2 others
Base Rage Frequency/Effects: 41 rounds per day / +6 between STR, DEX, and CON; can still cast Bloodrager spells; +6 to all saving throws against spells/spell-like abilities/supernatural effects, must attempt to resist all spells; can always rage at beginning of first round of combat; can open up to attacks to incur one higher-priority attack of opportunity per attack made; can drink alcohol to reroll saving throw against most conditions; no fatigue penalty afterward.

19: Bloodrager, Destined (Primalist, Urban Bloodrager) 19, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +19/+14/+9/+4
            Base Saves: +21/+17/+14
New Feats: Adopted Magic (19th), [19th Level Feat] Blooded Arcane Strike
            Skills(5): Fly, Perception, Use Magic Device, +2 others
Base Rage Frequency/Effects: 43 rounds per day / +6 between STR, DEX, and CON; can still cast Bloodrager spells; +6 to all saving throws against spells/spell-like abilities/supernatural effects, must attempt to resist all spells; can always rage at beginning of first round of combat; can open up to attacks to incur one higher-priority attack of opportunity per attack made; can drink alcohol to reroll saving throw against most conditions; no fatigue penalty afterward; Riving/Arcane Strike is automatically applied to all attacks.

20: Bloodrager, Destined (Primalist, Urban Bloodrager) 20, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +20/+15/+10/+5
Increased Ability Score: DEX +1 (22)
            Base Saves: +23/+19/+15
New Feats: (Arcane Strike damage increases to +5), Fated Bloodrager +5 (+6 with Fate’s Favored bonus), Victory Or Death, Mighty (Urban) Bloodrage
            Skills(5): Fly, Perception, Use Magic Device, +2 others
Base Rage Frequency/Effects: 45 rounds per day / +8 between STR, DEX, and CON; can still cast Bloodrager spells; +7 to all saving throws against spells/spell-like abilities/supernatural effects, must attempt to resist all spells; can always rage at beginning of first round of combat; can open up to attacks to incur one higher-priority attack of opportunity per attack made; can drink alcohol to reroll saving throw against most conditions; no fatigue penalty afterward; Riving/Arcane Strike is automatically applied to all attacks.

Monday, May 22, 2017

"Undead-Owning Untouchable Blaster Bird-Druid" Druid, Menhir Savant, Eagle Domain; Samsaran

Self-Interested Preface: I've never played a druid in Pathfinder.  I've read about them- I guess I'd describe them as a utility-focused prepared divine caster with a series of nature-relevant tricks- far worse at direct offense than most wizards or sorcerers, and less directly defensive or supportive than most clerics.  I tried to subvert that!  You can judge whether or not I've failed.

A samsaran has a racial ability called Mystic Past Life that allows it to pick spells from classes that use the same source (arcane or divine) to add to the character's spell list.  I've fucked with it an amount and felt like that ability, along with its +2 wisdom, makes it perfect for a build like this.  The spells it gets are Sanctuary, Desecrate, Animate Dead, Breath Of Life, Boneshatter, and Blade Barrier- this character's meant to be impressively supportive and tough to kill as well as a flying long-range bomber.  Animate Dead felt like the easiest, most consistent way to affect ground combat every round, with Desecrate boosting it immensely (I recommend owning a wand of it over keeping it memorized, though).  Sanctuary's a cheap, powerful low-level spell for switching to a support role, and Breath Of Life's a great emergency life-saver, especially considering the character's higher mobility in bird form.

Menhir Savant's a really good archetype- it trades Nature Sense (yawn), Wild Empathy (CHA's a druid dump stat), Woodland Stride (yeah okay imagine there's enough treeshit to impede the party- do you really want your druid to take off alone because it can?), Trackless Step (this character flies and even if it didn't, why would something tracking the party give a fuck that there's one less person), and A Thousand Faces (yawn, again) for Spirit Sense, which is like a constant free detect spell on fey, outsiders (!), and astral/ethereal/incorporeal creatures (!!!), Place Magic which is a free-action +1 to caster level equal to WIS + 3, Walk The Lines which is a fantastically exploitable version of Teleport to a clever person with seeds, and Empty Body, which is Ethereal Jaunt for one-non-consecutive-round-per-level.  Lemme get into a little more detail as to why these are amazing.

Spirit Sense gives you an idea of the location of some insidious fucking creatures, for free, FOREVER.  It's the equivalent of a ton of different spells- I'm not gonna look just for the sake of saying this so correct me if I'm wrong, but there is no Detect Outsider spell, is there?  There's a Detect Undead, for ghosts, but it wouldn't work on ethereal creatures, like Ethereal Jaunting wizards or planewalking rape goblins.  It's an incredible and thematic class feature, and I wish Paizo would add useful shit like it more often, instead of spending all their time sacrificing function for lame-ass Lord-Of-The-Rings-LARP-style decorum.  Place Magic, at its level 2 inception, adds a distributable +8 to caster level.  At that level, why not just cast a spell as if you're a level 10 druid?  It's amazing for extending the duration of spells, adding function to spells that scale their effects with level, and overcoming spell resistance, and it never gets worse- another fascinating fucking success on the part of this archetype designer which tells me they have people working on this stuff with GOOD ideas they should tap more often.  Walk The Lines / Transport Via Plants comes into play at level 9, when a wizard would learn Teleport, but it's BETTER and let me tell you why (this gets its own paragraph):

Teleport is a fifth-level wizard/sorcerer conjuration spell that lets the caster move 100 miles per caster level, bringing one additional medium-sized creature per three caster levels, with a percentage chance of failure.
Transport Via Plants is a sixth-level druid conjuration spell that lets the caster move through one plant to another of the same plant at any distance, bringing one additional medium-sized creature per three caster levels, with no chance of failure.
I'm pretty sure "any distance" implies planar travel, which is fucking amazing, but let's ignore that for now in favor of a hypothetical scenario.
At character creation, using some of your druidic 2d6 x 10 GP starting wealth, you buy some seeds (or just tell the DM you found some on the ground, you're a fuckin druid).  Whereever you'd like to go, whereever you think you might want to return, plant a fuckin seed.  It's gonna be a tree!  If it'd somehow be conspicuous there, put it in a pot or plant it a little further away.  Then, cast Plant Growth on it or wait until it's big enough- from level 9 forward, you can go back and forth between any of those trees at will, barring an enemy's use of Dimensional Anchor on a tree.  Other than that ridiculous scenario, there's no limiter aside from "only" being able to do it your WIS modifier per day!  It's an amazing spell, and a fucking amazing class ability, especially since you're not supposed to be able to cast it until 11th level.  Just so much potential.

Lastly, Ethereal Jaunt's neat, and being able to parcel out the rounds is neater (for moving through walls and dodging telegraphed attacks and stuff).

Went with the Eagle Domain for Nature Bond for the incredible Evasion-while-flying at 6th level and Improved-Evasion-while-flying at 12th level since this character's supposed to stay a bird, always, forever (using a Ring Of Eloquence to communicate), and for the hawk familiar, which'll have the Valet archetype and Shake It Off at first level, which, teamed up with the Wasp Familiar, gives this character and his flying pals an untyped +2 to all saving throws when they hang out.  Hawkeye's surprisingly useful considering how good this character'd already be at Perception with its high WIS, point investment in a class skill, and aerial vantage point.  The domain spells aren't the best, but they're good enough and include Overland Flight in case being a bird's inappropriate for some event.  All around, it's a good domain.

Apparently the errata for Wasp Familiar (now?) includes the line, "You can have only one familiar."  I don't think that was always the case?  This doesn't break the build, but warrants further research as to whether that's a blanket statement for all of Pathfinder or just relevant to that feat.  I'm gonna leave Wasp Familiar in, 'cause I'm not sure of the alternative, or if I'd recommend still getting Shake It Off if it was only a +1 to all saves.

So far as feats, this character goes familiars early for the above reasons, and ends up with some slots to play with.  Improved Initiative at level 3 isn't absolutely necessary, but considering all the different debuffs available to a druid it's pretty useful to go first.  Natural Spell at level 5 IS necessary, allowing casting while shifted, as is Planar Wild Shape, adding some especially good shifted defenses that add darkvision, SR, resistances, and DR which can be selected when shifting based on the situation.  There's a little synergy with the trait Scorned By Magic, which is like +1 to your SR when you have it.  Other than Divine Interference, the build's pretty much complete at level 7- Spell Penetration, Quicken Spell, and Spell Focus are all useful but kind of standard.  It's lame to say, but as I stated I've never played a druid in Pathfinder and in my research I didn't find much more that'd make this build a ton better.

This character's a flying bird druid with familiars that boost its already-impressive saving throws, tons of resistances and defenses including evasion and the natural protection that comes with flight, a good amount of spells, reasonable hitpoints, the improved action economy that comes with permanently-summoned creatures including an undead minion, and an improved spell-and-ability list for support that outperforms other druids, being able to teleport without error, boost its caster level, and Breath Of Life.  If I wanted to play a caster druid, this'd be it.  I told a GM about it, intending to play it in a game, and he kind of forbade it (you meet the antagonist at the beginning and I told him I was gonna put potted plants on his ship so we could go back whenever we wanted to murder him in the night) which is one of the best compliments I can receive for one of these builds.

This build created in October of 2016.



Druid (Menhir Savant), Level 20
(must be Chaotic Neutral and worship Calistria)

Race: Samsaran, +2 INT, +2 WIS, -2 CON (+1 Hit Point/+1 Skill Point)

Racial Traits
Lifebound (+2 to saves against death effects, negative energy effects, negative levels, and to stabilization checks)
Mystic Past Life (add a number of spells of the same source as your spellcasting type equal to your primary spellcasting ability modifier plus one to your list of spells at first level)
Spells Added (6): (1st) Sanctuary, (2nd) Desecrate, (3rd) Animate Dead, (5th) Breath Of Life, (5th) Boneshatter, (6th) Blade Barrier
Low-Light Vision

Character Traits/Drawbacks
Drawback: (Detriment, Circumstance)
Combat: Reactionary (+2 to initiative)
Faith: Beacon Of Faith (1/day can cast a domain spell or use a domain ability at +2 caster level)
Magic: Scorned By Magic (spells count as one level lower for overcoming your spell resistance or dispelling you)

Class Skills: Climb, Craft (Any), Fly, Handle Animal, Heal, Knowledge (Geography), Knowledge (Nature), Perception, Profession (Any), Ride, Spellcraft, Survival, and Swim.

Known Languages: Common, Samsaran, Druidic

1: Druid (Menhir Savant) 1, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +0
            Base Saves: +3/+2/+7 (+2/+2/+2 when adjacent to familiars)
New Feats: Druid Weapon Proficiencies, Druid Light and Medium Armor Proficiencies, Druid Shield Proficiency, Druid Spontaneous Casting, Nature Bond: Eagle Domain, (Eagle Domain) Familiar, (Eagle Domain) Hawkeye, Spirit Sense, [1st Level Feat] Shake It Off, [Anti-Hero] Wasp Familiar
Skills(4): Climb, Knowledge (Geography), Knowledge (Nature), Perception
Base Spells Per Day*: 3 Lvl. 0, 3 Lvl. 1
            *Also, one specific domain spell per spell level above 0.
            Familiars: Hawk and Wasp (flying Greensting Scorpion), (both) Valet archetype

2: Druid (Menhir Savant) 2, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +1
            Base Saves: +4/+2/+8 (+2/+2/+2 when adjacent to familiars)
New Feats: Place Magic
Skills(4): Knowledge (Nature), Perception, Survival, Swim
Base Spells Per Day*: 4 Lvl. 0, 4 Lvl. 1
            *Also, one specific domain spell per spell level above 0.

3: Druid (Menhir Savant) 3, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +2
            Base Saves: +4/+3/+8 (+2/+2/+2 when adjacent to familiars)
New Feats: [3rd Level Feat] Improved Initiative
Skills(4): Knowledge (Nature), Spellcraft, Spellcraft, Perception
Base Spells Per Day*: 4 Lvl. 0, 4 Lvl. 1, 2 Lvl. 2
            *Also, one specific domain spell per spell level above 0.

4: Druid (Menhir Savant) 4, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +3
            Ability Score Increase: CON +1 (14)
            Base Saves: +6/+3/+9 (+2/+2/+2 when adjacent to familiars)
New Feats: Resist Nature’s Lure, Wild Shape (4th) (1/day)
Skills(4): Knowledge (Nature), Spellcraft, Spellcraft, Perception
Base Spells Per Day*: 4 Lvl. 0, 5 Lvl. 1, 3 Lvl. 2
            *Also, one specific domain spell per spell level above 0.

5: Druid (Menhir Savant) 5, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +3
            Base Saves: +6/+3/+9 (+2/+2/+2 when adjacent to familiars)
New Feats: [5th Level Feat] Natural Spell
Skills(4): Knowledge (Nature), Knowledge (Planes), Spellcraft, Perception
Base Spells Per Day*: 4 Lvl. 0, 5 Lvl. 1, 3 Lvl. 2, 2 Lvl. 3
            *Also, one specific domain spell per spell level above 0.

6: Druid (Menhir Savant) 6, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +4
            Base Saves: +7/+4/+10 (+2/+2/+2 when adjacent to familiars)
New Feats: Aerial Evasion (6th), Wild Shape (6th) (2/day)
Skills(4): Knowledge (Planes), Knowledge (Planes), Spellcraft, Perception
Base Spells Per Day*: 4 Lvl. 0, 5 Lvl. 1, 4 Lvl. 2, 3 Lvl. 3
            *Also, one specific domain spell per spell level above 0.

7: Druid (Menhir Savant) 7, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +5
            Base Saves: +7/+4/+10 (+2/+2/+2 when adjacent to familiars)
New Feats: [7th Level Feat] Planar Wild Shape
Skills(4): Knowledge (Planes), Knowledge (Planes), Spellcraft, Perception
Base Spells Per Day*: 4 Lvl. 0, 6 Lvl. 1, 4 Lvl. 2, 3 Lvl. 3, 2 Lvl. 4
            *Also, one specific domain spell per spell level above 0.

8: Druid (Menhir Savant) 8, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +6/+1
Ability Score Increase: WIS +1 (21)
            Base Saves: +8/+4/+11 (+2/+2/+2 when adjacent to familiars)
New Feats: Wild Shape (8th) (3/day)
Skills(4): Knowledge (Nature), Knowledge (Nature), Spellcraft, Perception
Base Spells Per Day*: 4 Lvl. 0, 6 Lvl. 1, 4 Lvl. 2, 4 Lvl. 3, 3 Lvl. 4
            *Also, one specific domain spell per spell level above 0.

9: Druid (Menhir Savant) 9, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +6/+1
            Base Saves: +8/+5/+11 (+2/+2/+2 when adjacent to familiars)
New Feats: Venom Immunity, Walk The Lines, [9th Level Feat] Spell Penetration
Skills(4): Knowledge (Nature), Knowledge (Nature), Spellcraft, Perception
Base Spells Per Day*: 4 Lvl. 0, 6 Lvl. 1, 4 Lvl. 2, 4 Lvl. 3, 3 Lvl. 4, 2 Lvl. 5
            *Also, one specific domain spell per spell level above 0.

10: Druid (Menhir Savant) 10, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +7/+2
            Base Saves: +9/+5/+12 (+2/+2/+2 when adjacent to familiars)
New Feats: Wild Shape (10th) (4/day)
Skills(4): Knowledge (Nature), Spellcraft, Perception, +1 other
Base Spells Per Day*: 4 Lvl. 0, 6 Lvl. 1, 5 Lvl. 2, 4 Lvl. 3, 4 Lvl. 4, 3 Lvl. 5
            *Also, one specific domain spell per spell level above 0.

11: Druid (Menhir Savant) 11, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +8/+3
            Base Saves: +9/+5/+12 (+2/+2/+2 when adjacent to familiars)
New Feats: [11th Level Feat] Divine Interference
Skills(4): Knowledge (Nature), Spellcraft, Perception, +1 other
Base Spells Per Day*: 4 Lvl. 0, 6 Lvl. 1, 5 Lvl. 2, 5 Lvl. 3, 4 Lvl. 4, 3 Lvl. 5, 1 Lvl. 6
            *Also, one specific domain spell per spell level above 0.

12: Druid (Menhir Savant) 12, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +9/+4
Ability Score Increase: WIS +1 (22)
Base Saves: +10/+6/+14 (+2/+2/+2 when adjacent to familiars)
New Feats: Aerial (Improved) Evasion (12th), Wild Shape (12th) (5/day)
Skills(4): Knowledge (Nature), Spellcraft, Perception, +1 other
Base Spells Per Day*: 4 Lvl. 0, 6 Lvl. 1, 6 Lvl. 2, 5 Lvl. 3, 4 Lvl. 4, 4 Lvl. 5, 3 Lvl. 6
            *Also, one specific domain spell per spell level above 0.

13: Druid (Menhir Savant) 13, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +9/+4
Base Saves: +10/+6/+14 (+2/+2/+2 when adjacent to familiars)
New Feats: Empty Body, [13th Level Feat] Quicken Spell
Skills(4): Knowledge (Nature), Spellcraft, Perception, +1 other
Base Spells Per Day*: 4 Lvl. 0, 6 Lvl. 1, 6 Lvl. 2, 5 Lvl. 3, 5 Lvl. 4, 4 Lvl. 5, 3 Lvl. 6, 1 Lvl. 7
            *Also, one specific domain spell per spell level above 0.

14: Druid (Menhir Savant) 14, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +10/+5
Base Saves: +11/+6/+15 (+2/+2/+2 when adjacent to familiars)
New Feats: Wild Shape (6/day)
Skills(4): Knowledge (Nature), Spellcraft, Perception, +1 other
Base Spells Per Day*: 4 Lvl. 0, 6 Lvl. 1, 6 Lvl. 2, 5 Lvl. 3, 5 Lvl. 4, 4 Lvl. 5, 4 Lvl. 6, 2 Lvl. 7
            *Also, one specific domain spell per spell level above 0.

15: Druid (Menhir Savant) 15, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +11/+6/+1
Base Saves: +11/+7/+15 (+2/+2/+2 when adjacent to familiars)
New Feats: Timeless Body, [15th Level Feat] Greater Spell Penetration
Skills(4): Knowledge (Nature), Spellcraft, Perception, +1 other
Base Spells Per Day*: 4 Lvl. 0, 6 Lvl. 1, 6 Lvl. 2, 5 Lvl. 3, 5 Lvl. 4, 5 Lvl. 5, 4 Lvl. 6, 2 Lvl. 7, 1 Lvl. 8
            *Also, one specific domain spell per spell level above 0.

16: Druid (Menhir Savant) 16, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +12/+7/+2
Ability Score Increase: WIS +1 (23)
Base Saves: +12/+7/+16 (+2/+2/+2 when adjacent to familiars)
New Feats: Wild Shape (7/day)
Skills(4): Knowledge (Nature), Spellcraft, Perception, +1 other
Base Spells Per Day*: 4 Lvl. 0, 6 Lvl. 1, 6 Lvl. 2, 5 Lvl. 3, 5 Lvl. 4, 5 Lvl. 5, 4 Lvl. 6, 3 Lvl. 7, 2 Lvl. 8
            *Also, one specific domain spell per spell level above 0.

17: Druid (Menhir Savant) 17, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +12/+7/+2
Base Saves: +12/+7/+16 (+2/+2/+2 when adjacent to familiars)
New Feats: [17th Level Feat] Spell Focus (as desired)
Skills(4): Knowledge (Nature), Spellcraft, Perception, +1 other
Base Spells Per Day*: 4 Lvl. 0, 6 Lvl. 1, 6 Lvl. 2, 5 Lvl. 3, 5 Lvl. 4, 5 Lvl. 5, 5 Lvl. 6, 3 Lvl. 7, 2 Lvl. 8, 1 Lvl. 9
            *Also, one specific domain spell per spell level above 0.

18: Druid (Menhir Savant) 18, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +13/+8/+3
Base Saves: +13/+8/+17 (+2/+2/+2 when adjacent to familiars)
New Feats: Wild Shape (8/day)
Skills(4): Knowledge (Nature), Spellcraft, Perception, +1 other
Base Spells Per Day*: 4 Lvl. 0, 6 Lvl. 1, 6 Lvl. 2, 5 Lvl. 3, 5 Lvl. 4, 5 Lvl. 5, 5 Lvl. 6, 3 Lvl. 7, 3 Lvl. 8, 2 Lvl. 9
            *Also, one specific domain spell per spell level above 0.

19: Druid (Menhir Savant) 19, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +14/+9/+4
Base Saves: +13/+8/+17 (+2/+2/+2 when adjacent to familiars)
New Feats: [19th Level Feat] Greater-/Spell Focus (as desired)
Skills(4): Knowledge (Nature), Spellcraft, Perception, +1 other
Base Spells Per Day*: 4 Lvl. 0, 6 Lvl. 1, 6 Lvl. 2, 5 Lvl. 3, 5 Lvl. 4, 5 Lvl. 5, 5 Lvl. 6, 4 Lvl. 7, 3 Lvl. 8, 3 Lvl. 9
            *Also, one specific domain spell per spell level above 0.

20: Druid (Menhir Savant) 20, +1 Hit Point
            BAB: +15/+10/+5
Ability Score Increase: WIS +1 (24)
Base Saves: +14/+8/+19 (+2/+2/+2 when adjacent to familiars)
New Feats: Wild Shape (infinite)
Skills(4): Knowledge (Nature), Spellcraft, Perception, +1 other
Base Spells Per Day*: 4 Lvl. 0, 6 Lvl. 1, 6 Lvl. 2, 6 Lvl. 3, 5 Lvl. 4, 5 Lvl. 5, 5 Lvl. 6, 5 Lvl. 7, 4 Lvl. 8, 4 Lvl. 9
            *Also, one specific domain spell per spell level above 0.

Domain Spells
1st—aspect of the falcon
2nd—eagle’s splendor
3rd—fly
4th—river of wind
5th—overland flight
6th—eagle aerie
7th—animal shapes (birds only)
8th—sunburst
9th—winds of vengeance