Starting a new campaign and the players have asked to play gestalt charcters. I have a feeling some are going to need help coming up with character ideas. The group is more interested in flavor and synergy from combining the classes than power gaming max power out of their characters.
Can you explain the flavor behind those?
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Paladin/Sorcerer: A paladin with the celestial bloodline, an archangel reborn, a mighty wielder of heaven's wrath and mercy.
Hexcrafter Magus/White-Haired Witch: Long-haired master of the arcane, flowing through the battlefield wild and unabashed.
Sensei Monk/Inquisitor: A monk/inquisitor with the Conversion inquisition. A former leader in a powerful group of religious militant monks, the wise martial artist, walks the land, spreading the tenants of divinity through self perfection.
Paladin/Inquisitor; Solomon Kane!
Bard (Detective)/Monk: Sherlock Holmes!
Gunslinger/Ranger: Roland of Gilead!
Barbarian/Rogue: Conan the Cimmerian!
What about those classes make them like the people that are listed? I'm actually not too familiar with any of those characters. Although from what I've heard the character House was based on sherlock holmes and I really don't see him, nor the sherlock holmes from the movies to be anything like a monk.
Generic descriptions would be much more helpful to me than just a name.
We are mostly late 28-31.
Player 1- In most games (video games, online) he plays a paladin type character as far as their background, the typical hero. But so far in pathfinder he has stayed away from that archtype. He says that building a character is his least favorite part of playing and that he really doesn't care what he is playing.
Player 2- Usually plays a rogue in D&D/pathfinder, but to her a rogue translates into a la femme nikita type character that uses seduction as much of a weapon as her typical weapons. In our recent games she played an alchemist that focused on bombs and really felt it was lackluster. In our other current game she is a rogue/swashbuckler I think, but she is DMing that game and plans to kill her char off as it's too much work for her to do both.
Player 3- Somewhat a newcomer to our group. Her last 2 characters were an oracle and an inquisiter/2weapon melee. She is the only one that has come up with an idea so far and is talking about a ranger/zen archer type character.
Player 4- She doesn't want a lot of paperwork, but she wants options in combat. Last 2 games she played an oricle fully based on healing (refused to do anything that was offencive) and her current druid who decided to calm down the seaserpant that sunk our ship instead of helping us kill it. She also offered to feed the serpant crewmembers that died when the ship sank as a druid wouldn't care that an animal was eating a dead person. She had more trouble getting into character with the oricle than the druid.
Player 5- He is probably the most experience player in the group and I doubt I will need to help him with his character. Last time he played a paladin who had a really hard time getting along with the group. He retired that character and made a wizard that I wanted to wrath of god out of the game as he was abusing teleportation spells. I'm guessing if I have any trouble with this character it will be needing him to tone down his character as to not outshine the others.
Player 6- my 9 year old son, also needs a low amount of paperwork. He is really enthusiastic about playing, but also inexperienced. Last game was his first time playing and he played a half-orc barbarian. The half-orc part gave him some trouble as he didn't like being treated differently. I was thinking about suggesting to him to play a caster of sorts to see a different side of the game.
Not all of these players will likely be playing during every session.
here's a couple of obvious ones:
druid/ranger or barbarian- a rugged woodsman (or woman) intensely connected to nature.
paladin/cleric or oracle- a sacred warrior truly and completely chosen by the gods (or a god).
sorcerer/oracle- a child of remarkable birth (if it were me i'd actually make the character quite young) with an innate mastery of magic.
and a few less obvious ones:
alchemist/gunslinger- a clever, eccentric, and dangerous warrior who crafts bombs, gunpowder, and alchemical cartridges to aid him in combat.
oracle/summoner- a powerful, odd (if not outright mad) seer with a special connection to some other plane from which he summons his eidolon and receives divine power.
monk/magus- an extremely disciplined, extremely well trained warrior who seeks to master the self through martial and arcane study.
barbarian/bard- a warrior/poet who collects tales of epic battles by wading into them and writing of it afterward.
wizard/druid- an elf who can tap into the divine power of nature and learns to shape arcane energy with natural(material)components.
and a couple of unexpected ones:
gunslinger/ninja- a member of a secretive order of bounty hunters/assassins who use firearms as their calling card.
magus/wizard or sorcerer- definitely not optimized but possessing an unrivaled mastery of arcane power
any combination of cleric, inquisitor, and oracle- like the last one, definitely not optimized but unrivaled mastery of the divine.
very nice Nate, I esp like the barbarian/bard. A character who is motivated by finding a great story to share by experiencing it.
What do you mean by not optimized in the last few?
i started my response then watched 2 episodes of dr. who before finishing it- so i completely missed your post about the group... here's a few suggestions:
player 1- fighter/inquisitor: could be very paladin-esque, but with enough flexibility to fit in with any party and diversify in and out of combat.
player 2- bard/ninja: a geisha type character who's very skilled at using seduction as a weapon, but also deadly and able to vanish into thin air.
player 4- fighter/sorcerer: tons of combat options but relatively little paper work (for a caster at least)
player 6- how little paperwork do you really want?
- fighter/barbarian: brutally effective in combat, virtually no paperwork
- monk/magus: let him ease into magic using without too much paperwork
- or, sorcerer/oracle: a lot of spells/day to track (paperwork) but will definitely get him used to playing a magic user.
hope something in here's helpful.
very nice Nate, I esp like the barbarian/bard. A character who is motivated by finding a great story to share by experiencing it.
What do you mean by not optimized in the last few?
gestalt character don't get to double up on divine casting or arcane casting, so a wizard/magus would only get the better spell progression (wizard)- though that creates interesting issues for abilities that only work for magus spells (issues which you'd need to sort out before playing); likewise an inquisitor/oracle would lose out on all his inquisitor spells. i think they're ideas with potential, but losing out on all that spellcasting makes them much less optimized than a character that gets everything from every class (like a most of the other combos would).
ps- the barbarian/bard could be a good fit for player one also if he's into playing the "typical hero" (think viking champion who leads his brethren into battle then leads them in the mead hall singing when they celebrate their victory)
For expansion on the oricle/sorcerer i was thinking ancester oricle destined sorcerer. The character is born to lead and guided by his ancestors. How do you think this would play out in game?
Here are two classes that I have been wanting to gestalt for a bit, but likely take a touch of rule smudging
Gunslinger/Zen-Archer: I would consider this character to be a wizened/ older adventurer that has been around three blocks. He would rather have lived on a farm or some other simple life, but alas that didnt happen. Everywhere he goes people need his prowess to solve a problem.
Monk/Barbarian: pretty much think Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde, or Bruce Banner/Hulk. The character wants to lead a peaceful life, but ends losing his/her temper and smashes everything up.
The Monk/Barbarian is possible through one of two ways.
The first is the Martial Artist monk archetype because it removes the alignment restriction. The other is the Maenad race from Dreamscarred Press' Psionics Unleashed, because Maenads have a racial ability that allows them to be Lawful and no become ex-barbarians.
Honestly? Play a non-Class based system. Your players will not have to force square pegs through round holes.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Team Dragonball Z!
Goku: Fighter(Unarmed Fighter)/Sorcerer(Destined)
Vegeta: Barbarian/Sorcerer(Wildblooded-Brutal)
Picolo: Monk/Sorcerer(Abberant)
Broly: Barbarian(Invulnerable Rager)/Alchemist -> Barbarian(IR)/Master Chymist
Trunks: Fighter(two-handed)/Sorcerer(Crossblooded-PitTouched+Karmic)
Gohan(mystic): Monk/Sorcerer(Wildblooded-Empyreal)
|
very nice Nate, I esp like the barbarian/bard. A character who is motivated by finding a great story to share by experiencing it.
What do you mean by not optimized in the last few?
gestalt character don't get to double up on divine casting or arcane casting, so a wizard/magus would only get the better spell progression (wizard)- though that creates interesting issues for abilities that only work for magus spells (issues which you'd need to sort out before playing); likewise an inquisitor/oracle would lose out on all his inquisitor spells. i think they're ideas with potential, but losing out on all that spellcasting makes them much less optimized than a character that gets everything from every class (like a most of the other combos would).
ps- the barbarian/bard could be a good fit for player one also if he's into playing the "typical hero" (think viking champion who leads his brethren into battle then leads them in the mead hall singing when they celebrate their victory)
You would get all your spells. The unearthed arcana even talks about all the spells the soorcerer/wizard would get
You would get all your spells. The unearthed arcana even talks about all the spells the sorcerer/wizard would get
wow- i actually just went and looked that up, and my mind was slightly blown... i've only actually played one gestalt thing and i think we must have house ruled against doubling up on arcane or divine casting.
in that case, nevermind the bit about not being optimized- all my suggestions were awesome :)
to the OP- i think an ancestor oracle/destined sorcerer could be fun to play but it sort of requires a party that's ok with that character always feeling entitled to be in charge of everything. other cool pairings might be heavens/starsoul, lore/arcane, or dark tapestry/aberrant (for a lovecraft-ish flavor).
J3, if you ever get to make a Barbarian/Martial Artist (which is an awesome combo- ignore fatigue at like 5th lvl) you should check out the dragon style feats in ultimate combat.
I was also looking at wind oricle with stormborn sorcerer. Was trying to make a character like ang from last airbender, but it fell short.
This alias is a half Orc monk/cleric gestalt character that I ran thru Red Hand of Doom. A preachy halfOrc servant of the Dawnflower.
normally my players have insane stats, so Im used to them over powering equal CR level opponents. This time the OP-ness will be from the gestalt part as we are doing a 15 point buy. It will be interesting to see how extra abilities compare to extra stats.
This alias is a half Orc monk/cleric gestalt character that I ran thru Red Hand of Doom. A preachy halfOrc servant of the Dawnflower.
I wondered why you looked so familiar! How was that game?
My back-up character for the Interplanar express game I'm in is a Bard(Archivist)/Wood Elementalist Wizard(Scroll Master).
He's a scholar that knows how to make magical items, and won't go all out on an enemy unless they threaten his books. Of course, his all all involves wands of metamagicked spells. If he actually casts a spell than things get even more fun.
A concept I have always loved is Fighter/Sorcerer (Shadow Bloodline) with the fighter half going into Shadowdancer as soon as he fulfills the prerequisites. Definitely not optimized but an expert at all kinds of shadow magic.
Player 1- I probably gave a bad description on player 1. In video games he is all about playing the good guy making all the "good" choices, but so far in any P&P RPG we've played he has been about as vanilla as he can be. I'd like to see him to play a paladin or barbarian to have to have a tilt towards a code of some sort, but instead he would play a fighter so he doesn't have to make a solid choice between law/chaos and good/evil. He plays almost all of his characters as "go with the flow/ opinionless" characters.
For player 2, I will absolutely suggest the bard/ninja for her. I think she has a stigma against the bard (typical seeing them as silly performers), so hopefully she can set that aside and try out the character. I think she would love it. Can you suggest any archtypes that will help out the idea of getting away from the silly dancing/singing part of the bard?
Player 4, who is my wife, said to tell you that the fighter/sorcerer was a miss. She really needs a deep character that pushes her in a specific direction. I think that making a character first then assigning figther and sorcerer as her classes for mechanics could work, but I don't see her taking sorcerer and figther and making a character from the classes.
For player 2, I will absolutely suggest the bard/ninja for her. I think she has a stigma against the bard (typical seeing them as silly performers), so hopefully she can set that aside and try out the character. I think she would love it. Can you suggest any archtypes that will help out the idea of getting away from the silly dancing/singing part of the bard?
Archaelogist, Dervish Dancer, Daredevil, and Archivist spring to mind.
What about a Bard/Cavalier? Such a character would be both a brave and daring knight and a dedicated patron of the arts. Imagine either the chivalrous knight taken to the next level, or a flamboyant and dashing warrior or mercenary. The Bardic team buffs and Cavalier teamwork feats also meld together well. Not sure if it's right for any of your group (Player 4 or 6, maybe?), but it's the most flavorful thing I can think of.
detective also does not do any performance in combat at all. He gives teamwork advice which then lasts for 1 hour at a time. I actually have one in PFS that has no perform skills.
geisha as well
also could have someone go fighter/cavalier and be the ultimate horse warrior
but for pure flavor I think a Bard/Summoner would be a blast
Do the brood master one with a bunch of snake eidolons and name him Patrick and talk with an Irish Brogue. (yes i know in theory cleric works better but, i would want to buff my little snakes)
This alias is a half Orc monk/cleric gestalt character that I ran thru Red Hand of Doom. A preachy halfOrc servant of the Dawnflower.I wondered why you looked so familiar! How was that game?
RHoD is one of my two or three favorite adventures ever, and I've been playing since AD&D days. We had a great time playing it, and made a good chunk of progress. Eventually something came up with the DM, and he dropped out. I'd give my left eye to play that adventure again.
I always rather liked the idea of the Paladin/Sorcerer. Brought up with a code for the destruction of evil and trained to that goal, he has been born with the exact tools to be able to do the job.
Druid/Fighter could also work, although less emphasis on armour than might be expected. The idea being that you are the ultimate protector of nature, a whirlwind of the destruction of anything that harms nature
I always rather liked the idea of the Paladin/Sorcerer. Brought up with a code for the destruction of evil and trained to that goal, he has been born with the exact tools to be able to do the job.
Druid/Fighter could also work, although less emphasis on armour than might be expected. The idea being that you are the ultimate protector of nature, a whirlwind of the destruction of anything that harms nature
Gestalt Pally/Dragon Disciple//Sorcerer is my favorite way to play that combo, Jestem. If you can talk the DM into allowing it that way, of course.
I would like to play a paladin//rogue. All good saves + Charisma to all saves=win! :-) Also, very defense capable, with evasion, uncanny dodge, swift action lay on hands, immune to disease and fear, etc. etc.
Not to mention smite + sneak attack. And Full BAB + 8 skill points.
I think a cavalier//inquisitor would be fun, if only because of all the Teamwork Feats. Maybe cavalier//bard or bard//inquisitor for tons of buffing.
A ranger//inquisitor would make an excellent holy hunter, and would also have evasion + stalwart and all good saves.
A paladin//inquisitor might make an interesting Captain America-like build.
Also, oracle//sorcerer would be a fun and relatively easy spellcaster to run.
Ive had an idea that ive been kicking around for a while, not entirly sure how it would work but here goes;
go rage chemist alchemist/titan mauler barbarian and after 2 levels of barbarian go to ether two weapon fighter or two weapon ranger. with the alchemist you "discover" two extra arms, the barbarian allows you to use two handed weapons one handed, and you can hold 4 (5 if the tentacle works with this as well) two handed weapons! main thing im unsure about is multiattack. you used to be able to gain improved and greater multiattack but now there seems to only be the base version. a house rule might be needed here to allow it but this im unsure about.
another way might be to go alchemest and barbarian/ranger so you can get them and keep a high strength.
Fighter//Soulknife/Aegis/Soul Archer/Metaforge. Your mind is stronger than steel-- it is harder, it is sharper, and it is deadlier.
Monk//Aberrant is similarly awesome but much more disturbing.
Kensai//Archaeologist is kind of an adventuring party in a can.
|
I always rather liked the idea of the Paladin/Sorcerer. Brought up with a code for the destruction of evil and trained to that goal, he has been born with the exact tools to be able to do the job.
Druid/Fighter could also work, although less emphasis on armour than might be expected. The idea being that you are the ultimate protector of nature, a whirlwind of the destruction of anything that harms nature
I have players trying these combos in my game right now. They're loads of fun. Damage and tactical capabilities can get in the 'lolz!' area if they have time to prepare and buff up. ;)
Gunslinger(mysterious stranger)/Paladin (oath against undeath)- Zombie annihilator
Alchemist (vivisectionist)/Witch - Ultimate thematic buff/curse witch - tinkerer of life
Barbarian/Summoner (synthesist) - Totemic avatar
Druid/Magus (Staff Magus) - Geomancer
Cavalier/Ranger - Caravan captain
Druid/Magus (Staff Magus) - Geomancer
I really like that idea. Never thought of that one before....
I've got an Alchemist - Mindchemist / Void Elementalist Mage concept that I really like. Nothing like keeping it cerebral, also gets all good saves, which is nice, not to mention being able to get really high save DC's and the ability to have a Tumor familiar and a bonded item. Lots of good things going on here.
Infernal Sorceror/Summoner - Warlock
Anti-paladin/alchemist (reanimator)- Death knight
Superstitious Barbarian/Witch Hunter Inquisitor - Occult Slayer
Gunslinger/Rogue - Pirate
Aquatic Druid/Waves Oracle - Ocean Lord