Last week, I promised you that I was going to show off a bloodrager build that I’ve been working on for my PFS catfolk. (If you didn’t know, Catfolk were one of the GM options for this year’s GenCon.) Now, fair warning—this build uses an archetype that I wrote. However, that archetype is the best-named archetype ever with (to paraphrase Eleven) the most “bitchin’” lore behind it, so I don’t feel bad.

Nope. Not at all.

Let’s get started!

Build Concept

Any information important to understanding the build or its roots goes here.

• Classes: Bloodrager (prowler at world’s end, metamagic rager) 12
• Feats: Power Attack (1st), Legendary Influence (3rd), Quicken Spell (5th), Extend Spell (6th; Bonus), Catfolk Exemplar: claws (7th), Extra Rage (9th), Extra Rage (11th)
• Abilities: blood casting, blood sanctuary, bloodline, bloodrage, chosen of the spirits, damage reduction 2/–, eschew materials, fast movement, metamagic rager, spirit, spirit bonus +1d6, uncanny dodge
• Bloodline: destined strike (4th), fated bloodrager (9th), certain strike (8th)
• Legendary Influence: Weapon Focus (Champion), Raging Vitality (Guardian), Combat Reflexes (Marshal), Cunning (Trickster)
• 1st-Level Spells Known: shield; burning hands, cheetah’s spring, enlarge person, protection from evil, stone throwing, true strike
• 2nd-Level Spells Known: blur; false life, huntmaster’s spear, pouncing fury, see invisibility, vine strike
• 3rd-Level Spells Known: fly, force hook charge, haste, vampiric touch

Play Description

Okay, so the basic idea of this build is to play a Southern Mwangi catfolk who’s joined with the society’s Silver Crusade to stamp out evil. He channels the spirits of ancient “big cats” charged with purging evil from Golarian to accomplish this. So, how did I build this character?

First, I decided that the essential feats for my build were Power Attack, Quicken Spell, and Extend Spell. Those last two are the metamagic feats that I’m going to want to apply to my buff-heavy spell list using the metamagic rager class feature, Extend Spell lets me spend 1 round of bloodrage to double my spells’ duration, while Quicken Spell lets me cast some of my spells as a swift action. This is super helpful, as my build is largely built around claw natural attacks until I channel the champion. To this end, casting vine strike on myself and extending it for a round of bloodrage is a crucial part of my build. When I get enough rounds of rage to quicken enlarge person on myself (or others), however, things will get FUN fast. You never realize how many spells there are on the bloodrager spell list that you would cast if only it didn’t gobble up your full attack! Like a lot of those damage-based spells—quickened vampiric touch, followed by a full attack? Abso-freaking-lutely!

To go along with my claws build, Catfolk Exemplar was a must-have. The weapons version of the feat boosts my claws from d4 to d6, so I’ll be SUPER happy to have that come online. Between that feat and my vine strike, I’m basically hitting for greatsword damage with every swipe, which is awesome. To make sure I could use my powers frequently, I grabbed Extra Rage twice for 12 extra rounds of rage. (Aka 3 whole uses of Quicken Spell!) And to round out my feat selection, I picked Legendary Influence for some extra specialization and flavor.

This is a good time to go into what the spirits do for me. Prowler at world’s end loses most of its bonus feat and delays its bloodline powers substantially to get spirit powers, like a medium. Each spirit is associated with a big cat (leopard is guardian, lion is marshal, tiger is champion, and cheetah is trickster), with the archetype not gaining access to archmage or hierophant. Additionally, it gains spirit powers on a slightly delayed tack, and doesn’t get any of the cool shared séance buffs a standard medium has. In the end, my spirit priority looks like this:

Tiger (Champion): I get Weapon Focus and proficiency with the fauchard when I bind this spirit, plus eventually the ability to move and full attack. The fauchard is an 18-20/x2 polearm with reach, and I’m flavoring mine as a specialized jungle spear. I also get sick combat benefits and bonus damage for binding the Champion, and for combat scenarios this is my go-to.

Leopard (Guardian): I get Raging Vitality and bonus feat, the ability to wear heavy armor and a shield, and get bonuses to CMD. Eventually I’ll get energy resistance and better-than-bloodrager DR (DR/– equal to half my bloodrager level). This spirit is for when the flavor text makes it sound like we’re going into a really rough scenario, or when our group doesn’t have someone who can take a punch.

Lion (Marshal): I get Combat Advice, a séance boon from any spirit I want, and the ability to spirit surge anyone’s attack rolls, saving throws, ability checks, concentration checks, and skill checks. Eventually, I’ll be able to buff people with a +1 competence bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls. Honestly, I don’t foresee myself using this spirit; it doesn’t synergize well with my abilities and the action economy doesn’t really get good until later

Cheetah (Trickster): I get Cunning as a bonus feat, ranks in two skills of my choice equal to my level (and those skills count as class skills), and eventually the ability to lesser sneak attack foes with surprised strike. This spirit is actually pretty darn good, a close contender with champion after I get surprise strike. I’d probably pick it if I had someone melee in the group to flank with, like a rogue, or if I was entering a scenario that I knew was going to be skill-based. Between Cunning, the Séance boon, and the Trickster’s Edge power, I basically get to pick three skills and get full ranks equal to my bloodrager in those skills, and they all become class skills for me. It’s REALLY great in scenarios where we might need to shore up a party weakness. (Oh no! No one in our party is a face?!)

And that’s my bloodrager build for my catfolk! I’m pretty excited about it, but what do you think? What do you like about my build? What would you do differently? Leave your comments below, and I’ll see you next week for another new article! Ciao!

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.