Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Ferol, Debtor of Torm 12-06-07, 12:03 PM	I have a Cleric 1/Ranger 4/ Beastmaster 4 that I'm having trouble figuring out his final last few levels for. Things I want by level 15: Better Will save Evasion One more Animal Companion bump Rage This is what I was planning: 10th - Divine Oracle 11th - Divine Oracle (Evasion + Will Saves) 12th - Barbarian (Rage + Shared Rage) 13th - Bear Lord 14th - Bear Lord 15th - Bear Lord (Animal Companion bump) This build gets me evasion first but I won't get my final animal companion bump until 15. Alternatively I could do this: 10th - Bear Lord 11th - Bear Lord 12th - Barbarian (Rage + Shared Rage) 13th - Bear Lord (Animal Companion bump) 14th - Divine Oracle 15th - Divine Oracle (Evasion + Will Saves) What is more important at higher levels, evasion and good will saves or a beefy animal companion?
MwaO 12-06-07, 12:26 PM	You might want to mention what race, feats and stats you have. I think that influences what to do. Not keeping your animal companion current tends to really hurt, though. I'd stay far away from Divine Oracle as that manages to hurt your BAB and companion. Just look at it this way - you're giving up 2 jumps for your animal companion, possibly 3 if you pick up Natural Bond if you don't have it already...
Ferol, Debtor of Torm 12-06-07, 12:45 PM	This character is human. His stats are: Str 22 - 16 base + 2 level bumbs + 4 Belt Dex 12 Con 16 - 14 base + 2 Amulet Int 10 Wis 12 Cha 10 Feats: Power Attack Practiced Spellcaster (Cleric) Craft Wonderous Skill Focus (Handle Animal) Natural Bond I've already accepted that I'm going to miss one bump for my companion as I really want rage. Also, another lost BaB seems well worth it for +3 to will saves, Oracle Doman power, and Evasion.
sparkle 12-06-07, 02:18 PM	I think you need Skill Focus (Knowledge Religion) for Divine Oracle. I say skip it and work on stat boost items for Con to "walk off" those darn fireballs. With the campaign ending soon you are looking at maybe the 12th level feat left unless you can pull off playing all the way to 15th. I am hoping to get to 12th with my PC due to work and family but your mileage may vary. I think having two front line bruisers is pretty nice to have and that whole tag team flank is cool. My suggestion is 10th Bear Lord 11th Bear Lord 12th Barbarian - get Shared Fury and retrain Practiced Spellcaster to Extra Rage 13th on Bear Lord and Barbarian mix I don't think Beastmaster progresses spell casting so it looks like you are casting level 2 spells tops. Yeah, with PS they last like an 8th level casting but in high levels you may get in one round to buff before the baddies act so time wasted getting "armored up" means more time for the squishy types in your party to get hosed. In the first round you could Rage along with your Beast, move and attack. You can do this three times a day. If you have time maybe a Bless or even Magic Fang (if you can cast it) or buffs that last minutes. There are some favors floating around to get access to a Ring of Evasion if you can save up the cash but that is hit or miss depending upon the module. I've seen it a few times as an item or as a generic "any rod, staff, wand, or ring up to 25K" Saves you a feat, at least. Good luck.
CdrcJsn 12-06-07, 03:50 PM	Frankly, I think it's a mistake to concentrate on your animal companion. The only non-druid animal companions I've seen viable at high level tables were ones that are used as mounts. A fighting AC has too many problems overcoming DR or other challenges. The only reason druid ACs remain viable at all is because the druid has spells to buff it. That's something you'll lack and won't be able to get. If I were you, I'd retrain my feats to be an archer and just ride a flying AC around (Dire Bat is good for this purpose). Not exactly the advice you were asking for, but I don't see how else you can remain viable at APL12+, especially if you're considering dipping into classes that don't improve BAB (hurting your melee capability). Retraining Practiced Spellcaster, ranger specialization and getting a couple levels of fighter will give you enough feats to make a very effective archer. A flying cavalry type is also viable.
Ferol, Debtor of Torm 12-06-07, 04:28 PM	Definitely not the type of advice I was looking for, but I appreciate your honesty.
MwaO 12-06-07, 04:36 PM	10th Bear Lord 11th Bear Lord 12th Barbarian - get Shared Fury and retrain Practiced Spellcaster to Extra Rage 13th on Bear Lord and Barbarian mix He can't do that - he used Practiced Spellcaster to qualify for CWI. Not to mention, he doesn't have Rage at the level he got Practiced Spellcaster - in fact, I think it is impossible for him to qualify for Divine Oracle, get to Divine Oracle 2, bump his Animal Companion, and get Rage - he needs to retrain out Power Attack with a Fighter Bonus feat in order to open up the feat slot, and that means something has to go. He may not be a Druid, but at the same time, he's a mostly fullBAB BDF with an animal companion to help him out. I think switching to archer would be a mistake. 10: Animal Lord(Wolf) 1 11: Animal Lord(Wolf) 2 Bonus to Survival >>>> Intimidate 12: Barbarian 1: Extra Rage 13: Animal Lord(Wolf) 3 Scent >>>> Claws 14: Ranger 5(more favored enemy) 15: Ranger 6: ITWF?, Shared Fury
Ferol, Debtor of Torm 12-06-07, 05:07 PM	Good point. I suppose it could still pull everything I want off if I wait till 15 to take barbarian and take skill focus at 12. I chose Bear Lord over Wolf Lord mostly for RP reasons. This character is a cleric of Kord and I see bears fitting much better thematically with the Brawler than wolves. 10 Bear Lord 11 Bear Lord 12 Bear Lord - Skill Focus - Knowledge: Religion 13 Divine Oracle 14 Divine Oracle 15 Barbarian - Shared Rage I plan on using the new campaign card instead of taking Extra Rage.
MwaO 12-06-07, 05:54 PM	I think if you're going Bearlord for Roleplaying reasons, I'd just keep going up in Beastmaster levels.