Consolidated Binder Handbook (3.5e Guide)/Classes

Other Classes to Dip

Other Classes for a 1-4 level Dip

With Improved Binding, you won't get new access to any vestiges past 15th level. That said, you can maintain a +16 BAB by 20th just by going Binder 11 / KoSS 5 / any medium BAB 4 or medium 2 / full 2 and still get 3 vestiges and 3 Pact Augmentations and 2 bonus feats. Your main sacrifice is that you need 4 levels of Binder in epic to get access to 4 vestiges simultaneously, but that's not bad, plus it gives you something to shoot for, since there's no official epic Binder progression, yet. Here's some suggestions (more are welcome):

Totemist: You'll get more natural weapons, greatly enhancing any charging or melee build.

Paladin: Stacks w/ KoSS, but the main thing is the synergy with Cha to saves. See the Heterodoxy variant in ToM for the full implications of adding Paladin to your build.

Rogue: You'd want to start out as Rogue, if you did this, of course, and add Able Learner to your feat choices. Ashardolon + maxed Search gives you a search check of +33, without items.

Fighter: A few bonus feats ain't bad.

Warblade: A few maneuvers ain't bad, either.

Cleric: For the Tenebrous Apostate PrC, which is ok.

Scout: Same as the Rogue, plus it adds to charging builds nicely.

Warlock: Doesn't add much that you don't already have, really, but 4th level taking 10 on a UMD is really nice.

Hexblade: Cha synergy to the curse, and further debuffs when combined w/ Chupoclops and Focolor.

Dragon Shaman: The 4th level would allow you to qualify for the breath weapon feats, which you could apply to Amon's Fire Breath, and a few of the auras would stack nicely (Vigor aura + Buer, for example).

Marshall: Better earlier, but the Motivate Charisma aura can turn your diplomacy based Binder from a diplo-monster into a diplo-god with no feats required. I still think its cheesey, though.

Swordsage, Warblade, Crusader: All add some nice options to melee focused Binders. If you go with Swordsage, don't dump your Wis.

Warlock / Hellfire Warlock : You splash a single level of Binder with the Warlock / Hellfire Warlock builds. Naberius makes you regenerate ability damage really quickly, which is a side effect of the Hellfire Warlock. Its a gimick for boosting your Eldritch Blast damage.

Prestige Classes

The Anima Mage: This is the Pact Magic version of the Mystic Theurge, combining Soul Binding and Arcane Magic. Its special abilities allow a spellcaster to temporarily suppress or sever part of its connection to its vestiges to augment the casting of spells. Like other combination classes, you trade access to the most powerful abilities of either class for the versatility of advancement in both. As it is possible to enter this class with only one level of Binder (using the Improved Binding feat) and either 3 levels of a wizard progression class or 4 levels of sorcerer progression class, access to 9th level spells is possible by level 20. Tip: The Vestige Metamagic ability can be used with any metamagic feat you possess and does not raise the spell’s level. This could eventually allow you to make a 9th level spell persistent, for example.

KoSS Vestige Choice

This depends a large amount on what role you are emulating the most. You want to pick both a vestige that you won't be bothered binding regularly, and a vestige that has a powerful ability that is normally only usable once every 5 rounds. For a generalist, there's a few poor choices: Any vestige without the powerful 1 use per 5 rounds abilities Ronove, Naberius, Haagenti, Dahlver-Nar, Focalor, Geryon, Otiax, Shax, Vanus, and Marchosias: they all have 1/5 round abilities that are either underpowered or there would be little need to use them more than 1/5 rounds. Any of the new psionic vestiges: limited power points per day makes these not really generally useful. There are a few that are particularly good: Chupoclops: Serves 3 of the 4 party roles - Scouting, Wizard, Melee. Have to wait until 11th for KoSS. My favorite to use with KoSS. Two rounds of Etherealness gets you anywhere you want. Amon or Orthos: Breath weapon damage twice in a row rocks! Wait for Orthos for this Paimon, Andras, Acerak: Dance of Death, Smite, and Paralyzing touch for the win. Also, no wait for KoSS! Halphax or Ashardolon: Frequent Iron Walls and Fear spells make a funky battlefield control mage. Either's DR with Apotheosis means you have DR 10/everything. You have to wait until 16th for this. Balam has a specialized usage: if you want to do the impossible, this is your choice. Two uses of the reroll immediately once per day is wicked.

The Knight of the Scared Seal: With full BAB and a d10 HD, this class is designed for a more melee oriented Binder. It is a five level class that grants Proficiency with Heavy Armor, Martial Weapons, and Shields. These proficiencies will allow a binder to spend their bonus feats on skill enhancing feats. A level 20 Binder 15/ KotSS 5 will have a BAB of +16. In exchange for the above and some melee buffs, the KotSS will lose 2 pact augmentations, a bonus feat, and the Mind Blank Soul Guardian ability, when compared to a straight level 20 binder. Tip: Depending on your patron, the Vestige’s Surge ability in conjunction with the Empower feat (can be taken twice), can boost a knight's damage by a decent amount.

The Scion of Dantalion: This class is also a five level class. It gives some cool upgrades to Dantalion’s granted abilities in exchange for the loss of one BAB and the level 16-20 binder special abilities (same as the KotSS above). As the KotSS allows you to pick your Patron Vestige, Binder 10/ KotSS 5/ SoD 5 is possible for a more combat oriented Scion (regaining a BAB of +15 at level 20). If you take Dantalion as your patron, your Vestige’s Surge ability will further augment your improved Dantalion granted powers. Tip: The Improved Thought Travel ability in conjunction with the Spring Attack feat can allow a SoD to use Spring Attack in relative safety.

The Tenebrous Apostate: This is a very strange class. It does not require Divine Casting to enter, but advances Divine Casting and Soul Binding, four out five of levels. A level of cleric, druid, or even better Archivist, to have some spellcasting to advance, would be highly recommended. Tip: The L4 ability is crazy good: incorporealness for BL rounds. Combine with Chupoclops, and you can freely hit your enemies while they have a 50% miss chance IF they have magic weapons. L4 also only loses 1 BAB, and with 1 level of Cleric, Druid, or Archivist gets you L3 divine spells. Crazier still is the fact that you could combine the Anima Mage free metamagics on those spells...

The Witch Slayer: This class does not progress Soul Binding and is in fact designed to kill Soul Binders and other creatures with possession-like abilities.

Buer all day long. Its ridiculously effective, and is a great strategy if you are also binding Karsus and/or Fogalar in the "backup arcanist" role.

Others: There are some possible flavorful and fun PrCs possible with a few simple house rules. If you let any class that advances spellcasting advance soulbinding instead, and let Su abilities count as specific spell prerequisites, some interesting and fun results could be generated! For example, a Malconvoker / Binder (Zecyryl focused), a Master of the Unseen Hand / Binder (Ronove based), etc.

That's all for now, I'll consider more later. I highly recomend two levels of Totemist, and 2 levels of something like Fighter or Warblade to finish it out, if you don't want 4 vestiges simultaneously.