Required FeatsThere are a few feats every Binder needs:
Improved BindingWeapon FocusBonus FeatsExpel Vestige (if you start below L4)
Rapid Pact Making (only if the feat bypasses the need for the drawing)
Sudden Ability Focus (if Rapid Pact Making is nerfed)
Improved Binding (if you start after L4, make this a bonus feat)
Ignore Special Requirements (you can afford to take this later, as the main benefit is to bind opposing vestiges)
Other Feat Choices, and Binder RolesThe other feat choices are all dependent on what party role you want to spend the most time doing. The * means the feat isn't really the most important for that particular role.
(Chupoclops based, add Ipos, Haures, Savnok)
Power Attack, Improved Bull Rush, Shocktrooper, Leap Attack, Improved Sunder*, Combat Brute*, 1 free
Pretty standard: you use Headless Charge to take off your full PA from your AC, using a spear and Chupoclops' bite for X3 and X2 PA damage and lots of Str damage. See the builds section for an example.
(Paimon based, add Chupoclops, Ipos, Ronove)
Improved Initiative, Dodge*, Mobility*, Martial Study*, Martial Stance*, Shadowblade*, Combat Expertise*, Deadly Defense*Dance of Death will provoke lots of AoO's, but adding Dex to damage and getting and extra 2d6 when you win Initiative is all very synergistic. Since Tumble isn't on your skill list, Mobility is actually very useful here. Deadly Defense adds d6 damage to all light and finnessable weapons when fighting defensively or taking 2 off for Combat Expertise, which is useful, as finessable weapons don't do much damage in general.
(Savnok or Aym based, add Dahlver-Nar, Halphax or Abysm, and Buer)
Dodge, Combat Expertise, Improved Buckler Defense, Shield Specialization*, Shield Ward*, Melee Evasion*, Combat Focus*, Combat Defense* This is one more than you have unless you went with a bonus feat race. Its an AC combination, obviously, and the most important feat here is Improved Buckler Defense, if you had to pick just one, but Dodge and Combat Expertise both add a lot. The PHB2 feats really add to the sword and board style of combat.
(can have any melee vestige as the basis; Agares, Otiax, Paimon, Balam, etc)
Combat Expertise, Improved Trip, EWP: Spiked Chain, Combat Reflexes, Knockdown*, Hold the Line*, 1 free
The most basic Spiked Chain combination I could think of. Only the first 3 are absolutely necessary (Combat Reflexes through Otiax, for example, or even EWP through The Triad). Agares gives a nice 10' ability to knock people prone, that gets full use of Combat Reflexes, if you decide.
(Amon or Haures based, add Zagan, Chupoclops, Focolor)
Ability Focus, Sudden Ability Focus, Favored Vestige, Rapid Recovery, Sudden Empower Supernatural Ability, 2 free.
Nothing in the rules says you have to bind different vestiges, so you could bind 4 Amons and use a 20d6 Fire Breath every round this way. Still, talk to your DM. This combination is too focused on one vestige, imo, but if you do it you definitely want all the above feats. Gerdreg developed this combination for high (ridiculous) DC Phantasmal Killers (I believe 43 once per day was the final DC).
(Focalor and Karsus based, add Halphax and Zagan)
Ability Focus: Lightening, Sudden Ability Focus*, Favored Vestige: Karsus*, Rapid Recovery*, Sudden Empower Supernatural Ability*, 2 free
Ability Focus for something you do every round is nice, and Rapid Recovery on Karsus lets you debuff more often. Still too focused on too few vestiges, imo. Realize that you can only use the dispelling ability of Karus once per day per Binder level.
(Malphus, add Andromalus, Karsus, and Tenebrous)
Improved Initiative, Quick Recoinoiter*, Martial Study*, Martial Stance*, Shadow Blade*, Telling Blow, 1 free
Improved Initiative works well on everyone. Quick Reconoiter is nice, assuming you didn't dump Wis too much, but even then you use the Bird's mods. I think these 2 feats are well worth the investment. Telling Blow gets more precision damage on a crit; make sure to get Keen weapons, somehow. Shadow Blade boosts damage, and Martial Stance: Assasin's Stance gets you and extra 2d6 Sneak Attack, which is nice.
(Leraje early, later Malphus, add The Triad, Andromalus, and Marchosias)
Point Blank Shot*, Rapid Shot*, Precise Shot*, Improved Rapid Shot*, Many Shot*, Ranged Pin*, 1 free
Ranged Pin is just funny. Precise Shot is a redundant prereq. You can pick the right vestiges and just emulate a Sniper easily; not really worth the feat investment.
Trapfinding (Karsus based, add Ashardolon later)
Shape Soulmeld: Theft Gloves*, Open Least Chakra: Hands*, Able LearnerOther Classes for a 1-4 level Dip
[spoiler]
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.
[/spoiler]
Prestige Classes
[spoiler]
The Anima MageThe Knight of the Scared SealSelecting a Vestige
[spoiler]
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.
[/spoiler]
The Scion of DantalionThe 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.
[/spoiler]
Magic Items of Note
[spoiler]
Equipment Every Binder Wants (in the rough order that you'd get it)
Chain Shirt, Morningstar, Longspear, Dagger, Standard Adventurer's Gear, some potions
Healing Belt (MIC), Vest of Resistance +X (CA), Chain Shirt +X
Morningstar +X, Mithril Buckler +X, Longspear +X, Rapier +X (if Paimon and Andras focused exclusively), Sudden Stunning enchantment for weapon (DMG 2)
- The Longspear is probably the best weapon you can use as a Binder... Reach and the AoOs makes it very worthwhile. It doesn't mesh well if you are trying to make a natural attack-based combination (Ronove, Ipos, Chupoclops), but otherwise is one of the better weapons (I prefer Morningstar for Greater Mighty Wollop abuse, myself, though).
- The Sudden Stunning enchantment is only 2k gp to your weapon, and has a Ref save or the opponent gets stunned d4+1 rounds, usable Cha mod per day, DC 10+1/2 level + Cha mod; this is crazy good on a Binder, even if it is a swift action to activate.
Implements of Binding +X (only for Expel Vestige use)
Cloak of Charisma +X, + strength items
Necklace of Health +X (for melee), Circlet of Persuasion (for social), Teeth of Dahlver-Nar
ToB "learn a maneuver" items (ToB)
Valorous weapons (for Chupoclops abuse)
Veil of Allure (Sandstorm), Soul Lens (ToM) (invaluable for boosting DCs on all Binders)
Vestige Philactery (invaluable before you get 3 vestiges at a time; ToM); remember that you can leave it unbound, then use it as a combination expel vestige / rapid pact making item later. I recommend retraining Expel Vestige when you can afford these.
Assasin's Dagger (exclusively for Marchosias usage); the item is so cheap that I think its worth the investment at high level
Tome of Leadership and Understanding +5 (not before you can afford +5)[/spoiler]