Author Topic: [PF] Pumping up STR to break through the walls of any dungeon  (Read 3420 times)

Offline Libertad

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[PF] Pumping up STR to break through the walls of any dungeon
« on: February 02, 2016, 04:33:34 PM »
I'd like to say in advance that this is not my own, but rather an interesting thread on the Pathfinder subreddit I found.  I'll quote them for posterity:

Quote
So he discovered a DC50 strength check just lets you rip open a three foot thick wall of pure marble, DC35 for one foot.

He wants to build a character that can rip open walls. The fact that he'll hit like a fucking panzer tank is purely coincidental, the main aim of the game here is to open walls up and make hilarious strength checks.

Now, obviously a Strength domain cleric, up to level 8/9 gives some pretty boss powers, but after that, HUGE quest must find a new direction.

The goal is not sanity. It is not an effective fighter. Bonus points, of course, if you can make someone who isn't a gurgling mess strong enough for anything but ending their own suffering, and is actually able to functionally utilize the uber-mod... but the sole goal of this is to make the number as high as physically possible.

Mythic is enabled for this particular campaign.

Extra points for bullshit increases to size.

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Base 18 - Untyped
Orc +4 - Racial
Levels +5 - Untyped
Mutagen +8 - Alchemical
Blood Rage Spell +10 - moral
Stat Belt +6 - enhancement
Inherent (Eldrich Heritage) +6 -Inherit
Profane Ascension +6 - Profane
Form of dragon 3 +10 Size
Mythic +10 untyped
Mythic +2 Untyped Total: 85 = +38 Modifier
Barbarian rage power Strength surge a+20 to a STR check
Bloodsworn Retribution +5 morale bonus to ability checks
Moment of greatness (Doubles Bloodsworn) +5
Prayer + Fates Favored +2 luck bonus
Mythic Strength surge or whatever +20 untyped

That's like a +89 to a single str check? I think that breaks down most walls. I don't doubt you can go higher.

DC for a 3 foot thick hewn stone wall is only a 50.

On a related note I'd be interested to how Applied Engineering stacks up.

EDIT added size bonuses and mythic bonuses

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Screw the entire orc thing, just cast parasitic soul and take control of the great white whale you just bought. After that, cast polymorph any object so you can still wear equipment.

Even though the level bonusses and the eldritch heritage bonus don't carry over we can still throw another +5 inherent bonus on the whale from a statbook. This makes it so we have:

Base 49
Mutagen +8(snatch a level 20 alch's mutagen so you only have to go 1 level in alchemist)
Blood Rage +10 morale
Heart of the Mammoth +8 enhancement
Profane Ascension +6 profane
Form of the Dragon III +10 size
Statbook +5 Inherent
96 strength, or a +43 modifier.

Combined with the other boosts you already listed, that's a total of a +75 to a single strength check, or +50 if you don't want to use abilities that only apply to one check.
This also gets you some of those sweet bonus points, as natural attacks work quite well with high strength. Then loses 1,000,000 of them for relying on a friendly neighbourhood 20th level alchemist and by being killable by a single 3rd level spell.(Being dispel magic)

PS: Theoreticly you could go to strength 103 by using magic jar on Chtulu, good fucking luck on that though.

Offline zook1shoe

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Re: [PF] Pumping up STR to break through the walls of any dungeon
« Reply #1 on: February 03, 2016, 03:44:14 AM »
There's prob a cracked ioun stone and some traits that'd help for +2-3ish
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Offline awaken_D_M_golem

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Re: [PF] Pumping up STR to break through the walls of any dungeon
« Reply #2 on: February 03, 2016, 04:23:58 PM »
Quote
So he discovered a DC50 strength check just lets you rip open a three foot thick wall of pure marble, DC35 for one foot.

He wants to build a character that can rip open walls ... the main aim of the game here is to open walls up and make hilarious strength checks ...

So they're like Passwall and Dimension Door are nonstarters (or polymorph into earth elemental, etc).
Your codpiece is a mimic.

Offline Ice9

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Re: [PF] Pumping up STR to break through the walls of any dungeon
« Reply #3 on: February 03, 2016, 06:33:18 PM »
Those methods aren't nearly as entertaining.  Plus, if you go the Strength route, you can use Stunning Irruption and be the Kool-Aid man.

Offline deadkitten

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Re: [PF] Pumping up STR to break through the walls of any dungeon
« Reply #4 on: February 03, 2016, 07:43:55 PM »
I have been working on a  single classed Skald build in my spare time that could reliably grant the entire party an almost guaranteed success on the DC 35 check by level 9.

I haven't gotten quite there but from my estimates I can get the party to pass the check about half the time assuming a minimum strength of 10 for the rest of the party.

Offline SorO_Lost

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Re: [PF] Pumping up STR to break through the walls of any dungeon
« Reply #5 on: March 09, 2016, 02:31:00 PM »
So I figured I'd help the D&D side.

18 (base), +4 racial (orc), +4 racial (proto), +2 racial (wild), +5 unnamed (level), +5 inherent (tome/wish), +2 deformity (warp touch), +4 circumstance (clockwork armor), +2 unnamed (silthilar muscles), +2 unnamed (horseshoes of flame), +2 unnamed (arm of nyr), +2 unnamed (psionic meditation), +1 unnamed (faustian pact), +1 unnamed (worm of minauros).
=54 (+22) before buffs.

+32 unnamed (giant size), +16 enhancement (bite of the wearbear), +4 unnamed (spider curse), +4 moral (valiant fury), +4 profane (infernal transformation), +4 sacred (holy transformation), +4 unnamed (greater visage of the deity), +2 size (righteous might), +2 unnamed (death kneel), +6 unnamed (greater rage), +4 alchemical (battlewine), +4 unnamed (rage zyme), +2 racial (ring of the white wyrm).
=142 (+66) after buffs.


Feel free to add any Class Features on top of that since everything listed is essentially race+items, through some of those Spells would have to be cast using Scrolls if you don't obtain your own spellcasting. Through to be honest, Strength Checks take a Standard Action in D&D so no matter if the wall's DC is 5 or 50 you can only break one wall per turn. Sundering walls on the other hand takes an Attack Action which combined with Spring Attack would let you move through any number of walls up to your normal Movement Speed.

Offline sambojin

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Re: [PF] Pumping up STR to break through the walls of any dungeon
« Reply #6 on: March 25, 2016, 07:16:19 PM »
You can slap an extra +10 on any of them if a lvl20 Divination Wizard touches you with his Diviner's Fortune archetype power. This goes for any stat/skill checks. It's PF's version of the 3.5e Bard's  Inspiration spell, or 5th's Guidance cantrip (but kind of better, coz it scales but is still "free" a few times a day).

It's actually a very cool archetype power. While you do everything (because you're a Wizard and have magic), you can help the peons (sorry, other party members) not suck so horribly at whatever it is that they do.

In this case, smash through walls.
« Last Edit: March 25, 2016, 07:37:38 PM by sambojin »

Offline Endarire

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Re: [PF] Pumping up STR to break through the walls of any dungeon
« Reply #7 on: August 16, 2016, 06:18:56 PM »
Everybody needs an understudy.  Oh yeah!

Offline Garryl

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Re: [PF] Pumping up STR to break through the walls of any dungeon
« Reply #8 on: August 16, 2016, 06:48:16 PM »
Max out Charisma on a Marshal cohort (or an equivalent if it's not PF-valid) and use Motivate Strength to boost your Strength check. I don't know how high that goes, but that should add at least another +30 (Soro's got a lot better optimization fu about this than my measly memory). If you want to do it yourself without aid, it's just a 1 level dip, although some of the Charisma-boosting is mutually exclusive. Likewise, you can get Int to your check with Factotum 3.