Hello everyone,
I have been trying to dabble into classes I haven't played in a long while, and straying away from martial classes [except that obsession with Fighters some of you may have seen me posting around about :D].
So, this time I am wondering how to bring into fruition a concept, and have been revolving around the Sorcerer, Wizard, Summoner and.... Bard :D
The thing is I am attempting to build a Kingmaker character, starting at level 7 - I have a couple of ideas for what I want him to be, but not the exact perspective on how to build him - lets talk roles:
The Sage - Since this is Kingmaker, and this guy is meant to fill a gap in the Arcane Section for the group, I want him to blow Knowledges out of the water - I envision him as the Kingdoms' Sage and main Advisor -> Anything one wants to know about anything, he SHOULD be the one to be spoken to;
On this subject, the Wizard seems to pull ahead of the Sorcerer and Summoner, simply because he packs Intelligence and its associated skill point and knowledge bonuses - plus, he is Intelligent :D
But I wander about the Bard for this one - with a medium investment in Intelligence, I have the feeling the Bard will pull ahead of the Wizard in a flash - Am I looking at it wrong?
The Tide Turner - This guys is the Kingdoms' Arcane so... When he shows up for a fight, he should make a difference, whether raining down death from the sky, summoning creatures from beyond to eat his opponents, banishing foes to another plane to be imprisoned or die slowly, bringing along his constructs with him to spread mayhem on the battlefield, making his companions and their troops veritable implements of destruction with Arcane buffs, or controlling the battlefield sending entire legions to their doom as the earth opens up to swallow them (I guess you catch my drift...).
Here I am definitely at a standstill - The Bard does not seem able to do this, his buffs are well known and amazing, but he doesn't seem to project that same "I have arrived!! Cower in fear!!" effect in a larger scale, nor his augmentation seems so effective when moving away from a smaller group.
I think all the three - Summoner, Wizard and Sorcerer can do the above in different ways, so I would say there is a tie here, though a few things set the classes apart for me (maybe incorrectly) - The wizard has versatility, he knows more spells than anyone else, can easily pack wands, scrolls and whatnot to add to all of this BUT he cannot cast them spontaneously, and being able to do so is just REALLY nice, because it kinda means you are always prepared. Sorcerers and Summoners have less versatility, and by versatility I mean buff and battlefield control spells will have to be very carefully selected, since they do not get access to the whole phonebook like the wizard. I wanted to ask to those more used to playing these classes, can Summoners and Sorcerers be versatile enough to be considered an implement of destruction AND a truly effective buffer and battlefield controller?
Also, I am kinda biased towards Summoning - I just like it, and of course the Summoner seems the most logical option in this area for me, but only IF he does not lose the remaining versatility I pointed out above, hence my request for your opinion. Additionally regarding summoners - Is Master Summoner really worth it? It seems to hit the Eidolon pretty hard. And I am not even going into Eidolon building because that would a whole different thread - Suggestions ARE welcome though :D
The Solutions Man/Elf/Tiefling/whatever - This one probably ties in with versatility, but the big Arcane guy in town offers solutions - "Hey we need to evacuate a village" - POOF! Village evacuated via mass teleport; "Yeah but now we do not have enough manpower to assist in taking care of the refugees" - BAM! Magical servants all around; "Ok, now they are safe, but we the heroes need to go there and fight the bad guys" - SPLAT! Everyone is now flying, thank you very much, or wait... Lets just take my flying carriage, something I have been researching... Stuff like that make us remember the most memorable arcane guys in town - Raistlin was always in a bad temper, but even at lower levels when he opened his mouth (if not coughing up blood), everyone stopped to listen to his offered solution; Gandalf spends 50% of his time finding solutions - a pall has fallen over Dol Guldur heh? Let me check... Damn! Its Sauron! Rohan is being invaded huh? Ok, we need to ride to Minas Tirith - now Osgiliath has fallen but still they will not ask for aid? Why my dear hobbit, will you light that fire over there?
In terms of a solutions guy, I am guessing no one class has an advantage over another - it is more a question of dedicating oneself to the game, and roleplaying it out. But still... The damned Bard seems like he would always have something to say :D
I'm gonna stop right here - I would have more to say but I don't want to increase an already brutal wall of text - Am simply looking for advice on how to build this particular character from people more experienced, or with different ideas from the ones I posted.
Thanks in advance for any feedback!
I think you are really underestimating the bard when it comes to ability to make a difference in combat with his magic. Bards have access to summon monster line of spells so he can be just as good at summoning as a wizard. They also have access to a lot of illusion spells so controlling the battle field is a natural for them. At higher levels they have Shadow Conjurations, and Shadow Evocation which will add even more versatility.
Bards are also a charisma based class with UMD as a class skill. With the right scroll, or wand you can pretty much cover any magical need. A wizard a very versatile spell list, but some things he is simply not able to do. A bard with a maxed out UMD and the right scroll can cast any spell in the game. Pick up a couple of wands for blasting and you will have no problem contributing to combat.
Don’t tell people you are a bard to keep an aura of mystery about your character. Avoid dressing and acting like the typical bard. Don’t go around singing and dancing dressed as a fop. One minute you are casting a fire ball (Using a wand), the next you are removing a curse (Using a scroll). While the other players will probably figure out pretty quick what you are their characters and NPC’s should have no clue.
You are correct in the fact the bard will out class the wizard as the sage. Not only will you have more skills at a higher level, you also have lore master which is a huge advantage. You will also have the skill points to invest in things besides knowledge’s. Sense motive, perception, appraise, and linguistics are also things that will be useful for a sage type.
I think the fact that the characters you have described, both by name (Raistlin, Gandalf) and by implication (Elminster, Humphrey the Magician) are--more or less--wizards kind of answers the question for you.
The wizard is also quite good at being the solutions guy, simply because he can have a truly massive collection of spellbooks (once your kingdom gets up & running, start looking for spellcasters to get spells out of their books, rather than buying scrolls to scribe into your spellbook - it saves a ton of money), which means that, especially once you have enough spell slots to leave a few open, you have a spell for everything.
Add in some scrolls or similar consumables that you've crafted, and not only is the character smart enough to provide a solution, but you've got the tool for that solution.
And in Kingmaker, I think the wizard, especially, is suited to kingdom improvement. I've been talking with my GM about devising loosely priced items for the kingdom to use; items not useful in adventuring but useful to the kingdom, so we price them in BP rather than in GP.