I have an evil carnival featuring mites.I want to make some elites w/class levels - jugglers, acrobats, maybe a silly version of a strongman. I was thinking of Monk but what do you think?
Ninja's are always fun. Vanish and all that.
Anyone with a number of illusion or transmutation spells/effects would make a good carnie.
certainly some useful rogue archetypes, maybe the charlatan, or chameleon
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I have a theory that if someone asks "What class fits this concept the best?" 99% of the time it's Bard.
This is the 99%.
Wizard, of course. :-)
Just because they're the best at everything.
A harrower or arcane trickster PrC spellcaster seems like a good fit, along with the other ones mentioned.
Any of the classes that can tumble or do sleight of hand could work, and a barbarian would make a good strong man. A weapon specialist (archer, knife thrower, gunslinger) could put on a good show. A druid could have an animal do tricks, or a cavalier could do riding tricks.
An expert with the right skill selection could do a lot of these things, too. It's pretty wide open. Decide what their act (or con) is, and go from there.
I have a theory that if someone asks "What class fits this concept the best?" 99% of the time it's Bard.
This is the 99%.
So you're saying...Bards are the 99%? I didn't realize they were having so many problems finding jobs or with taxes in the Inner Sea area. Who's the 1%, Monks?
An Alchemist (with physical mutations) or an Oracle could be a different spin on it. Both would be the sideshow freaks, that the players may not realize are the big fish they're after. After all, the BBEG must be the Ring leader, not the guy who you pay 5 silvers to hit with a rubber mallet.
Alchemist with Stage Magician trait. :)
Alchemists and Master Chymists might be selling their wares at an "evil carnival".
The theme offers a lot of possibilities for any class really.
A barbarian for your strongman.
A bard as the carnival barker "Step right up folks!"
You can have players use various skills at different booths. A dunk tank might be fun too.
It might be fun to have a player picked out of a crowd for a "magic show" and then have them replaced with a doppleganger.
Lots of hooks and oppourtunites for roleplaying and maybe using the seldom used skills or spells.
You could even have several monsters being forced to perform or held against their will and have the PCs saving the monsters from the terrible humans for a change of pace.
So the "act/con" is this: 5 1st level PC's go to a gypsy carnival. Several performances will have buffoons accompanying them; these are the mites. The mites are reviled for their ugly features and thus the crowds make fun of them, jeer and holler insults, etc.
Coming back to the fair grounds later that night the PC's encounter the mites and their "pets", a host of giant vermin. I have these little vignettes in my head; a trio of them using group acrobatics to hurl one another at the party, a juggler hurling clubs,plus some of the "clowns" making fun of the townsfolk.
You could even have several monsters being forced to perform or held against their will and have the PCs saving the monsters from the terrible humans for a change of pace.
Funny you mention it; since it's an evil fey carnival that leads into a larger dark revel thing, they've got a dryad who can be part of the solution if the party goes to save her.
Other monsters I'd thought about including: a worg, a korred, and a Fey Animal/Badger named Lucky (he wears a tiny bowler.)
The point of the whole thing is since my players hate roleplaying they won't use any of the devices you're talking about and therefore their initial visit to the faire will more than likely be exposition. (if they actually get into it I've got games and gather info stuff they can p/up just in case)
Anyway, since the carnival will be inconsequential, they'll go there, go meet their contact at the bar and have a bar fight (mites sneak in and annoy the patrons into a rage. Drinks floating and spilling, prestidigitated sour-tasting beer, over-salted food that's chilled, and soiled pants that fall down, just for starters). After the bar they realize that most of the town is deserted and run into one of the "monsters" from the carnival. That's when they realize that the threat's actually from there and head back to the fair ground at night... and now the mites have taken over and turned the tables on the mean and insulting customers...
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We're actually in the process of creating a group of carnies for our RotRL campaign that'll start the second the book comes out. So far, we have:
My Magic/Trickery Cleric - his themes will be illusion magic and fortune telling.
An Unbreakable Fighter that starts with endurance, die hard, toughness and Fast Healing - the idea is that this guy is an endurance artist sort of like David Blaine
A sorcerer, aiming for arcane trickster
A master summoner - lots of rabbits out of lots of hats I guess