Pretty much anything could fit well enough and/or built well and there is really nothing to go on in your post... so I am not sure how best to answer.
I would probably look at things from the area and see what sparks your interest.
Aldori Swordlord - Thematically fits very well as the campaign kicks off in the city these folks are from. Can be a VERY effective build (I would suggest fighter w/ the archetype and 2 lvls of master of many forms).
Razmiran Priest - Actually a sorcerer, but I would play it up as the primary healer in the group. Take Infernal Healing, the higher level version, and extend metamagic and you are healing just fine, especially once you throw in UMD... which you will excel at. Thematically the nation of Razmiran is not far off from where this takes place. Would be fun to be the primary healer of the group as an arcane caster.
Mounted Charger - Any of various builds will work fine here. Unlike many campaigns there is a LOT of encounters in which this will work just fine. If there is a perfect campaign to be a mounted character this is it.
Bard - Frankly a high cha face man can do very well in this campaign.
Anyway... just about anything will work. Any preferences? What are other people doing?
Sean
I have some advice but I don't know how much you know about the kingmaker game. So depending on how much you know my advice could come as a spoiler.
Do you know much about the kingdom building system that is part of the Kingmaker game?
I have some advice but I don't know how much you know about the kingmaker game. So depending on how much you know my advice could come as a spoiler.
I'd say anything not covered in the player's guide should be treated as a spoiler.
good point.
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Human paladin with the Fey Foundling feat, using a longsword two-handed with Power Attack.
Take the Sword Scion campaign trait for +1 to attack with longswords and the Armour Training combat trait to reduce the ACP of mwk chain shirts and mithral breastplates to zero.
If your party needs a backup healbot then take Greater Mercy at 3rd.
16 Str +2 (human bonus) =18, 17 Cha increased to 18 at 4th.
At 4th your (mwk) longsword attack will be +10 (1d8+6), or +8 (1d8+12). With Smite Evil it will be +14 (1d8+10), or +12 (1d8+16), bypassing DR with a +4 deflection bonus to AC. You'll be able to Lay On Hands 6/day, healing 3d6 if your mercy isn't needed; the Fey Foundling feat makes that 3d6+6, 6 times per day for you as a swift action. That's 99 hit points per day! In combat! That'll save your main healbot some juice!
Take Diplomacy as your main skill; you'll be a secondary face and ideal leader material!
Good luck!
My group is 5/6 of the way through Kingmaker and have got by ok without either a decent healer or a wizard/sorcerer. At various stages we have had a ranger, witch, fighter, and paladin. All worked fine. Play whatever you want and have fun.
There are so many different roles you can take within the kingdom that any strong stat will be of benefit when it comes to kingdom building.
ps. I second the comment about crafting. Heaps of time for making your own magic gear.
Play something that rides a horse or some other mount.
From what I've heard Kingmaker is one of the few APs where a Mount is actually useful and even very helpful.
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If you've ever wanted to play a Druid, this class shines in the Kingmaker adventure path. Your character probably wouldn't be a civilization-hater, as you'll be building a kingdom, of course. You'll be appreciated for your solid perception and survival checks, as well as magic tailored for outdoor campaigns such as this. I suggest focusing on casting and giving up the animal companion in favor of the Eagle Animal Domain or Weather Domain. If you do take the summoning path of feats (spell focus (conjuration), augment summoning, sunlight summons, superior summons, etc.) consider a Bear, Lion or Saurian Shaman archetype as you'll be able to summon young, advanced and/or giant animals as a standard action well into late game. Otherwise a shaman archetype is a hard sell. A human for the extra feat and skill ranks makes sense, but any class will do. You're ability scores would probably be prioritized as follows: Wis > Con > Str > Dex > Int > Cha. While you'll have many opportunities to use Wild Empathy, and the Fast Empathy feat would come in handy, in later levels you just aren't going to encounter as many animals. Hence the low priority of Charisma. That's not to say that it should be dumped.
I hope you have a blast, I know I sure did :)
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Second for the Mount concept; really, a lot of the more outdoor/lots of space ability really shine in Kingmaker. It's got its share of dungeons, but the chance to use your super-awesome-celestial-mount as more than a means of getting from Dungeon A to Dungeon B is a rare one.
I would take advantage of it.
Cavalier is fun; I've honestly always wanted to try out a Paladin who goes with the Divine Mount.
Empyreal Knight would be a blast. You get to ride around and shine and be awesome, then start flying around your kingdom like a boss.
Bonus round: Dragoon. IMA FLY OFF MY HORSE AND STAB YA WITH A LANCE. /teatime with the nobles!
Had Paths of Prestige been out when we started our Kingmaker campaign, I would surely be a mounted barbarian/ Mammoth Rider, as it was one of the few campaigns that has had enough outdoor space to ride a huge mount.
Human paladin with the Fey Foundling feat, using a longsword two-handed with Power Attack.
I'm playing Kingmaker, book 4 right now. I have a 12th level human paladin with Fey Foundling:)
I can honestly say I've really enjoyed my half-orc ranger/cleric of Erastil (Animal and plant domains) in the Kingmaker AP so far (midway through 3rd book). I gave him the Keen Scent feat and also Boon Companion when he got to the point of getting an animal companion.
Human paladin with the Fey Foundling feat, using a longsword two-handed with Power Attack.I'm playing Kingmaker, book 4 right now. I have a 12th level human paladin with Fey Foundling:)Excellent! How has Fey Foundling worked so far?
What stats/race/traits/feats/weapons/armour?
It's been excellent so far.
Here's an 11th level build. His bonded mount is a large wolf. "Dawn's Edge" is an intelligent weapon with "transformative" that has three forms: Falchion, Lance, and Longbow.
Hector
Male Human (Taldan) Paladin 11
LG Medium Humanoid (human)
Init +1; Senses Perception +15
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Defense
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AC 29, touch 14, flat-footed 28 (+13 armor, +1 Dex, +2 natural, +2 deflection)
hp 126 (11d10+22)
Fort +18, Ref +13, Will +16; +2 vs. death
Immune charm, fear, disease
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Offense
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Speed 20 ft.
Melee Dawn's Edge (Lance) (+3 on first hit) +22/+17/+12 (1d8+15/x3)
Melee Dawn's Edge (Scimitar) (+3 on first hit) +22/+17/+12 (2d4+15/15-20/x2)
Ranged Dawn's Edge (Longbow) (Str +10) +13/+8/+3 (1d8+11/x3)
Special Attacks smite evil (4/day)
Spell-Like Abilities Detect Evil (At will)
Paladin Spells Prepared (CL 8):
3 (2/day) Burst of Speed, Litany of Sight
2 (3/day) Litany of Eloquence, Martyr's Bargain, Paladin's Sacrifice (DC 18)
1 (4/day) Grace, Hero's Defiance, Litany of Sloth, Word of Resolve
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Statistics
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Str 26, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 8, Cha 22
Base Atk +11; CMB +19; CMD 33
Feats Fey Foundling, Furious Focus, Improved Critical (Falchion), Mounted Combat (1/round), Power Attack -3/+6, Ride-by Attack, Spirited Charge
Traits Armor Expert, Bastard, Flame of the Dawnflower
Skills Acrobatics -3 (-7 jump), Climb +4, Diplomacy +20, Escape Artist -3, Fly -3, Handle Animal +10, Heal +3, Knowledge (nobility) +5, Knowledge (religion) +5, Linguistics +2, Perception +15, Perform (oratory) +7, Perform (sing) +7, Perform (string instruments) +7, Ride +16, Sense Motive +5, Spellcraft +5, Stealth -3, Swim +4 Modifiers bastard
Languages Aklo, Common, Sylvan
SQ animal companion link, aura of courage, aura of good, aura of justice, aura of resolve, divine bonds (cochram, wolf), lay on hands (5d6) (11/day), mercies (mercy [nauseated], mercy [sickened], mercy [staggered]), paladin channel positive energy 6d6 (5/day) (dc 21, share spells with companion, summon mount (2/day) (2/day)
Gear +4 Full plate, Dawn's Edge (Lance) (+3 on first hit), Dawn's Edge (Longbow) (Str +10), Dawn's Edge (Scimitar) (+3 on first hit), Amulet of natural armor +2, Belt of giant strength +4, Vest of mighty constitution +2, Cloak of resistance +3, Efficient quiver, Eyes of the eagle, Handy haversack, Headband of alluring charisma +4 & intelligence +2 (Perception), Ioun stone (dusty rose prism), Ring of protection +2, Ring of sustenance, Airwalk boots (3/day),
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Special Abilities
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Animal Companion Link (Ex) You have a link with your Animal Companion.
Armor Expert -1 Armor check penalty.
Aura of Courage +4 (10' radius) (Su) You are immune to Fear. Allies within aura gain a morale bonus to saves vs Fear.
Aura of Good (Ex) The paladin has an Aura of Good with power equal to her class level.
Aura of Justice (10' radius) (Su) You may expend two uses of your Smite Evil ability to allow your allies within aura to Smite evil, using your bonuses.
Aura of Resolve +4 (10' radius) (Su) You are immune to charm. Allies within aura gain a morale bonus to saves vs charm.
Bastard -1 CHA skills vs. Brevic Nobility, +1 Will save.
Detect Evil (At will) (Sp) You can use detect evil at will (as the spell).
Fey Foundling Magical healing works better on you
Flame of the Dawnflower +2 damage with a scimitar on a critical hit.
Furious Focus If you are wielding a weapon in two hands, ignore the penalty for your first attack of each turn.
Lay on Hands (5d6) (11/day) (Su) You can heal 5d6 damage, 11/day
Mercy (Nauseated) (Su)
Mercy (Sickened) (Su)
Mercy (Staggered) (Su)
Paladin Channel Positive Energy 6d6 (5/day) (DC 21) (Su)
Power Attack -3/+6
Ride-by Attack
Ring of sustenance
Share Spells with Companion (Ex)
Smite Evil (4/day) (Su) +6 to hit, +11 to damage, +6 deflection bonus to AC when used.
Summon Mount (2/day) (2/day) (Sp) summon your mount to your side.
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Human paladin with the Fey Foundling feat, using a longsword two-handed with Power Attack.I'm playing Kingmaker, book 4 right now. I have a 12th level human paladin with Fey Foundling:)Excellent! How has Fey Foundling worked so far?
What stats/race/traits/feats/weapons/armour?
It's been excellent so far.
Here's an 11th level build. His bonded mount is a large wolf. "Dawn's Edge" is an intelligent weapon with "transformative" that has three forms: Falchion, Lance, and Longbow.
** spoiler omitted **...
Very cool. : )
I'm assuming you use your (+3?) falchion two-handed with Power Attack for -3/+9?
cna a transformative melee weapon actually change into a ranged weapon? i thought it was limited to similar handedness (which means lance would be a no-go unless mounted, and even then it seems iffy) and other melee weapons.
I'm going to vouch for an alchemist with the Hyde build. This would allow you to serve as a healer/buffer for the party, provide muscle, and provide debuffs with a few good bomb discoveries. Although alchemist is good for almost any build in general.
Plus, with the spontaneous healing discovery, you can get 5 points of fast healing/2 levels of alchemist per day that doubles if you get the healing touch discovery. So that would end up basically the same as 5 extra hp per level. You can seriously tank with an alchemist. And since they use extracts rather than spells, you could dip into something with heavy armor and shield proficiency for further tankage. There are other discoveries that also make it harder to kill you, but these two are the most immediately gratifying to me.
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The great thing about Kingmaker is that you really can fit in just about any kind of character and style of play. There is lots of exploring and traveling, so mounts work better than they might in more dungeon delving type campaigns. Not only can you use social interaction to get around encounters, it is often better that way. Plenty of fights still, with random encounters being normal.
The group I'm playing with is on the third part right now. I've been playing a bear shaman druid follower of erastil with a summoner build. Took the trait Erastil's Speaker to get diplomacy as a class skill since I want to be king. So I'm the healer and face of the group along some moderate buffing and melee. The build has been working out great.
My suggestion is look at what role you want to fill in the kingdom. Do you want to be the leader, general, treasurer, marshal, grand diplomat, magister, high priest, etc? Once you know that you can decide on a class and ability score that fits it and go from there.
Druid and ranger obviously shine in this campaign. Out in the wilderness all of their nature oriented skills and spells and abilities really shine. An animal companion you can ride is a major boon. Also, greater wild empathy and fast wild empathy feats from ultimate magic can be a way to be the face of the group without the usual social skills.
Alchemist can be a really good option as well. They do have survival as a skill. So you can play it more like a natural herbalist. That is real good if you pick up healing abilities. There was also an archetype that lets you bottle bugs then release them as giant vermin.
Cleric's are always popular and Paladin's should not have any problem with this campaign. I would recomend following Erastil. He fits well with both the theme and some of the adventures in the campaign. Favored weapon is the longbow so you can be a cleric archer that hangs back with ranged support or a mounted paladin that does ride by shootings.
I played through with a Ranger, 2 lvl dip into fighter, and finished with 2 lvls of Horizon Walker. Seemed the perfect fit for the campaign for me. Heaps of skills, started of as a swich hitter but pretty much stuck to archery in the end. Favoured terrains were obvious to choose when the time came.
Druid is great in the A.P. I just played a caster/ summoner type and brought utility, scouting, healing, skills, & combat control to the table and had a lot of fun with it. My only regret was NOT picking up a domain and having an animal companion (though my animal was very handy for the first 6 levels or so). Beware the trap of losing elemental wild shape as being an Air Elemental flying around kept me out of trouble and helped the party to no end. Any archetype that retards wild shape and doesn't offer a flying form is a trap- beware.
My buddy also rocked with a Wizard. Of our two melee types, the Monk excelled while the Ranger was ok- not what is expected I know.
I'm just a scant couple of hours away from heading off to my own Kingmaker game!
I decided to use Kingmaker as my attempt at the Half-elf oracle/sorc/mystic theurge concept. I know there's been a lot of ink spilled over that already, so I won't try to repeat too much of it here. Needless to say, my DM has let me take the 3.5 'Practiced Spellcaster' feat for both classes. I decided to Improved Focus in Enchantment spells and further enhance that with the Fey Bloodline (which conveniently fits well into the campaign.) Naturally, my character was a shoo-in for Ruler, but there have been times (no skill points!) when I wish I had chosen to go straight Bard.
I can second (third? fourth?) that druids and rangers can go gangbusters in this Adventure Path. Our own Druid has been damn near essential. Who'd have thought that the 'crop-growing' version of the Plant Growth spell would actually produce a mechanical benefit in a campaign?
All-in-all, Kingmaker has been one of my favorite campaigns so far. After 25+ years of D&D it's been a long-awaited dream to actually have PCs running their own nation. My one disappointment is that most of our group is made up of folks for whom the kingdom-building parts are just 'boring math' and opportunities for intrigue and politicking are brushed under the carpet...
I was going to say a Bard is very useful in Kingmaker, but you've said someone has that covered.
Druid and Ranger both thrive in Kingmaker, also a Cleric of a nature god would do well.
I ran Kingmaker and noted little need for a Rogue, one party member had a few Rogue levels and handled any traps easily.
Best advice I can say is play what you want to play, just check with the DM to see if he has any tips on how to build your character.
The right traits and feats can fit any character into the campaign.
DBH
Top Characters for KM
1) Druid- OMG entangle is stupid good in this campaign, just gets better with natural spell/animal form
2) Zen Archer/Ranger/Fighter/ any class focused on the fantastic bow feats. Ranger and Zen do well as perception monkey to boot.
3)Battle field control wizards
4) Mounted Combat builds
5) Summoner- especially if your DM allows Master summoner
6)
Bad fits:
1) any monk but zen archer- flurry of suck
2) rogues rarely get to shine- all my KM rogues ended up multiclassing
3) Paladins- not for mechanics, this guy just creates too many arguements when you have a ruling council total buzzkill
Sag_Hell_,
At higher levels I would have benefited from some added spells and probably from domain powers. Our particular party just didn't need the pet meat shield as the casters all summoned like crazy.
Ramlatus,
I can't imagine getting through the KM adventure path without the Druid or without the Wizard. At least for our style of play those particular characters got us out of a lot of trouble.