[Spheres of Might] Increase Unarmed Damage

[LuminousWarrior]

I've got a player that I'm helping build a new character for an upcoming game and I'm trying to help him boost his damage output a bit. His basic idea for the character is a unarmed fighter in heavy armor built around battlefield control. Most of the core build is already set. He's a Medium Centurion Ironborn Sentinel with the Darkness Defender archetype and Crushing Juggernaut martial tradition, starting at 3rd level. I'm looking for a way to increase his damage a bit without sacrificing his other spheres. Maybe a way to have him count as Large for unarmed strikes?

[StSword]

Well if you want to do more damage with unarmed attacks, the Axe Kick talent, which allows you to add 1.5 times your strength modifier to unarmed attacks made as an attack action, aoo, or additional attack granted by a class feature or talent seems useful.

With the unarmed training talent from equipment, some weapons are considered unarmed strikes, including for the above talent.

So if the player is willing to be flexible with what is considered "unarmed," they could pick up an enchanted gauntlet or knuckle axe or boot blade to increase damage, and deal 1.5 times strength damage as a bonus with Axe Kick.

[JerichoPenumbra]

You could rule that unarmed strikes count as natural weapons (normally a slight grey area) and have him take Improved Natural Attack at earliest convenience. There's the Drunken Boxer talent in the Barroom Sphere; while drunk increase unarmed damage by one size and expend the drunk status to do max damage on an attack. Otherwise, his damage will go up on it's own as he gets more of the unarmed training spheres (Boxing, Brute, Open Hand, Wrestling).

[DrMartin]

Smash, hammer, and follow through from the Brute sphere work well together for extra damage and crowd control. You deal your unarmed damage as bonus damage when you bull rush, you deal damage based on target size when you bull rush someone into something (or someone), and any successful attack grants you a free bull rush attempt. Your unarmed strike don't deal more damage per se, but you get several things that can trigger damage that otherwise wouldn't.

[Eldest]

Just making sure, you know that there's a rule stating the more talents you have in the "unarmed" spheres (Boxing, Brute, and Open Hand), the more damage you deal? He'd at least be doing 1d4 base, and he's halfway to 1d6 just off what he gets from that martial tradition. Small damage boost, but basically free, right?

[LuminousWarrior]

Yes, I am aware that the number of unarmed talents increases your damage dice. However, the player has three spheres that he's focusing on, and I'm looking for ways to increase his damage output without sacrificing too much in the Guardian or Berserker sphere. He's also considering becoming Large. While doors will become his enemy, it would definitely give him a massive boost in combat power.

We've mostly figured out what we're going to do with him now. He's most likely going to take Hammer and Smash. Being able to do damage while moving his enemies around is very useful, and it fits in well with his character concept.