Hey everyone, and welcome to Iconic Design! Last week I got something I don’t often see around here—a character request! And yes, I do those! Today’s request comes from our dear Dovah Queen, who asked me to create her a build that would allow her to fight alongside her favorite Pokemon, Farfetch’d. A strange choice, but I don’t judge (much). With that out of the way, let’s begin!
Concept
Fun Factoid: Farfetch’d as a concept is actually a play on a Japanese idiom that basically refers to a person who sets up the means to their own defeat. It translates loosely to “a duck bearing leeks”, because leeks were commonly used to season duck soup. This is why Farfetch’d has awful stats in Pokemon.
Any information important to understanding the build or its roots goes here.
- Class: Summoner, unchained 12
- Feats: Combat Advice (1st), Summoner’s Call (3rd), Combat Reflexes (5th), Bodyguard (7th), Shield Proficiency (9th), Vanguard Style (11th)
- Class Features: aspect, bond senses, greater shield ally, life link, maker’s call, shield ally, summon monster VI, transposition
- Eidolon
- Subtype and Base Form: Bipedal Aberration
- Feats: Dirty Fighting (1st), Improved Dirty Trick (3rd), Improved Steal (6th), Enforcer (9th), Greater Dirty Trick (11th)
- Evolution Pool: 9
- Evolutions: ability increase (Strength; 2 points), flight (Ex; 2 points), weapon training (4 points)
- Summoner Spells Known
- 4th-Level (4): greater evolution surge, stoneskin, ANY TWO
- 3rd-Level (4): dispel magic, haste, heroism, restore eidolon
- 2nd-Level (5): barkskin, summon eidolon, ANY THREE
- 1st-Level (6): compel hostility, mage armor, ANY FOUR
- 0-Level (6): ANY SIX
Playing the Build
This build basically plays like any other summoner—the summoner buffs the eidolon and the eidolon wrecks face. The way I see it, the summoner is like a Pokemon trainer, using “items” in the form of spells and shouting out orders via the Combat Advice feat. Farfetch’d, on the other hand, has Pokemon themed attacks like Swipe (Improved Steal), False Swipe (Enforcer), status condition attacks (Greater Dirty Trick), and can even fly. Weapon training ensures that our Farfetch’d gets to use his signature leek in battle (preferably using the stats for a Tetsubo, a massive club with a x4 critical threat modifier).
I don’t like telling spellcasters what spells to take because it tends to make the builds rigid and unable to cope with the specifics of an adventure path. That having been said, I think that greater evolution surge will do a good job with giving Dovah Queen the ability to simulate what a “Mega Farfetch’d” would look like, and the -skin spells remind me of a DefenseX item from Pokemon. (Haste is AgilityX and Heroism is SpecialX. Summon eidolon is, of course, your Pokeball (though you’re going to want to be Ash and have your eidolon out all the time if possible).
With this build, you could EASILY build a battle duck that’s nothing to laugh at. For example, if you allocate Farfetch’d’s armor bonus to natural armor, you’re looking at an eidolon with Dex 18 and +12 natural armor (total AC 26). Then throw on barkskin for an extra +4 enhancement to natural armor, mage armor for an extra +4 armor, and stoneskin for DR 10/adamantine, and you’re looking at a beefy AC 34 monster that’s difficult to hurt that wields a Tetsubo and has a summoner who can use Aid Another to bolster AC, attack rolls, and Reflex saves (thanks to Vanguard Style). You’re likely going to want to pick up a weapon with the benevolent enchantment, and if you go halfling with the helpful trait then that’s just icing on the cake. Your GM might not even be all that mad at you; yeah, your eidolon is a MONSTER, but in order for you to buff it so effectively you basically need to be adjacent to it like a good Pokemon trainer. That means you’re easy to punch in the face. (Hopefully your eidolon’s greater shielded ally is enough to keep you safe!)
And that’s today’s build! Thanks to Dovah Queen for giving me a neat topic to build around. If you want to request a build too, ask me on our Discord! In the meantime, I’ll see you back soon for another installment of Iconic Design! Have an awesome week!
Alexander “Alex” Augunas has been playing roleplaying games since 2007, which isn’t nearly as long as 90% of his colleagues. Alexander is an active freelancer for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and is best known as the author of the Pact Magic Unbound series by Radiance House. Alex is the owner of Everyman Gaming, LLC and is often stylized as the Everyman Gamer in honor of Guidance’s original home. Alex also cohosts the Private Sanctuary Podcast, along with fellow blogger Anthony Li, and you can follow their exploits on Facebook in the 3.5 Private Sanctuary Group, or on Alex’s Twitter, @AlJAug.
