Which Pirate's Life for Me?

[mechaPoet]

I'll be joining a Skull and Shackles campaign soon, and I know there will be about six of us, but I don't know what anyone else plans to play (I do know that someone plans to play a swashbuckling finesse bard, but that's it). So I'm going to go in with a few different characters and see what's needed. The problem is picking which ones to make. Help me narrow down my choices?

We start at level 1, 20-point buy. No races with innate flight or swim speeds.

Here's the list of things I'm considering: (and I'd be happy to consider anything I don't have here either)

Melee combatants: Sea Reaver barbarian, Corsair fighter, Freebooter ranger, kobold Swarm Fighter fighter, half-orc Skulking Slayer

Ranged: gnome Experimental Gunsmith

Casters: Inquisitor of Besmara (perhaps with the conversion inquisition for face skills), Siege Mage, Oracle with Winds mystery, Shark Shaman druid

EDIT: To clarify, essentially what I'm asking is what handful of these should I bring in to have all my bases covered so I don't overlap too much with my group, without knowing what they might have.

[Krul]

Some nice choices there, but I'd like to add a few possibilities

For Casters: Why not Oracle of Waves, or Storm Druid? or an Air or Water Elemental Wizard? All of them seem thematic to a pirate campaign. You might also consider the witch with the flight and water lung hexes,

For Ranged, consider the potential of ranger archer, the zen archer, and an arcane archer can add some in some interesting possibilities, especially if you want to ruin the day of some other ship on the sea, a web or black tentacles attached to your arrow can be nasty.

For melee.. a Monk of the Four Winds some really nice capabilities that lend toward a sea based game, though some of the better ones only come into play at level 17 or so.

Race Wise: Elves have Spirit of the Waters, and Humans Have Heart of the Sea alternate traits, for other races, if they are allowed, Aasimar and Sylphs don't start with flight, but can get it down the road, and Tieflings have some nice things for a pirate concept.

[mechaPoet]

I considered some of the other water/air/weather based casters, but I just don't know which one I would pick. They're all just ever so slightly different from each other, I'm not sure which one would be best for S&S (although I suspect any of them could be effective). What if I just took weather-control-type spells on a siege mage? I think a pirate ship presents a unique opportunity for a cannon wizard, and the only thing standing in my way of taking weather-affecting spells is that I don't know the wizard spell list very well.

I think the freebooter could actually serve just fine as an archer ranger, I put it under melee but there's nothing inherently melee about it.

As far as melee is concerned, I'm not a big fan of monks. I've got enough trouble choosing from what I've already listed. :P

[Daelen]

Waves Mystery Oracle/Rogue (or Ninja, but less thematic for pirate campaign). Take Deaf Curse, and Water Sight revelation and go ranged, dropping an Obscuring Mist on an enemy ship right before boarding. Bonus if you can talk at least a portion of the rest of the party to take classes that get something similiar to Water Sight.

For Race, go Half Elf to keep favored class bonuses going the whole way, and maybe to pick up longbow proficiency

[Umbranus]

I would make the freebooter in both the melee and ranged versions and the inquisitor. Both can fill multiple roles and are rather versatile.
They are both skill monkeys (sure, the bard will be, too. But having skills is never bad), both can use wands, fight and have special abilities that make them useful out of combat.

If you want a full caster to round it up I would take the oracle or a druid.

I don't know the AP but before making a specialized siege mage I would check with the GM how much of the AP will really be on the ship.

[*Khan*]

I'm currently playing an aquatic seaborn sorcerer, which fits the campaign greatly so far. Push and bullrush effects can easily become deadly aboard a ship.
It has a lot of flavor as well beside Swim speed at level 3 !
Khan

[Kolokotroni]

mechaPoet wrote:

I'll be joining a Skull and Shackles campaign soon, and I know there will be about six of us, but I don't know what anyone else plans to play (I do know that someone plans to play a swashbuckling finesse bard, but that's it). So I'm going to go in with a few different characters and see what's needed. The problem is picking which ones to make. Help me narrow down my choices?

We start at level 1, 20-point buy. No races with innate flight or swim speeds.

Here's the list of things I'm considering: (and I'd be happy to consider anything I don't have here either)

Melee combatants: Sea Reaver barbarian, Corsair fighter, Freebooter ranger, kobold Swarm Fighter fighter, half-orc Skulking Slayer

Ranged: gnome Experimental Gunsmith

Casters: Inquisitor of Besmara (perhaps with the conversion inquisition for face skills), Siege Mage, Oracle with Winds mystery, Shark Shaman druid

EDIT: To clarify, essentially what I'm asking is what handful of these should I bring in to have all my bases covered so I don't overlap too much with my group, without knowing what they might have.

Keep in mind that skills are rather important in this campaign. (At least what I've seen in the first chapter), particularly social skills, but lots of often neglected skills are critical in this adventure early on. For that Reason, I'd racommend from your choices: The Ranger in both Melee and Ranged forms, and the inquisitor. I would recommend strongly against a low skill character because particularly in the first half of chapter 1, you are going to be either frustrated or bored alot of the time without a descent selection of skills.

[Riggler]

An aquatic druid works very well, and there will probably never be a campaign more suited to play one.

Playing a race with a base movement of 30 feet is highly recommended, no matter what you choose. Trust me.

[Gnomezrule]

This can be a very rp heavy AP I suggest pick the personaluty and flavor and go from there. Are you a swashbuckler, a scary sage setting the superstious pirates on edge, a coniving scoundrel, a dour thug, and so once you know what personality nitche the class is easier to settle.

[Tom S 820]

Melee combatants:
Sea Reaver barbarian 2/Oracle of wave 4/ Rage Prophet 10
Freebooter ranger 10/ Tactician Cavalier 6

Skulking Slayer Rogue 12/ Manuver master Monk 4 dirty Trick and Stuninng fist with Hierloom Weapon +2 dirty trick.

Ranged: gnome Experimental Gunsmith 14 with 2 level of Divener with Arcane Strike Feat to make all shot with the gun magic and for the hand full gun spells and true strike.

Casters: Inquisitor of Besmara 12(perhaps with the conversion inquisition for face skills)/ Thug rogue 4 with Cornugon Smash, Enforcer, Sap Adept, and Sap Master feats

Oracle with Winds mystery with Eldritch Heritage chain
(Air Blood line) or (Djinni Bloodline)

Shark Shaman druid with Eldritch Heritage chain (Aquatic Bloodline)

Most of this list are twist of what you said but, with minum of +4 skill points per level.

To much skill use and roll play to go with any +2 skill class

[Lazurin Arborlon]

I am playing a conversion Inquisition inquisitor of Besmara and he is working out great. Half Elf, built towards crits with his trusty Falcata. Ended up being voted captain because of my social game and still had room to squeeze in profession sailor. It really is a nice build with stuff to do at all times....you won't be the best at anything, but you will be good at just about everything.

[Haladir]

I'm playing a gnome sorceress with the elemental (water) bloodline. Character has a 14 Int, and I've been putting the favored class bonus in skills. (or, 5 points / level). Coupled with her 18 Cha, she's pretty much the party face. She has maxed out Bluff, Intimidate, Profession (sailor), Spellcraft, and Use Magic Device.

Hydraulic push is an amazing spell to use in ship-to-ship combat... particularly in shark-infested waters!

[Ravingdork]

Our group started with a catfolk, tengu, a vanara, a vishkanya, and a red mantis assassin in our Skull and Shackles game.

We jokingly called them the Furious Five.

Sadly, the tengu and vishkanya perished and were replaced.

Our group now consists of the following characters, which you are welcome to for inspirational purposes:

Dirgah Hammerhead - Toughest salt beard this side of the Inner Sea
Fire-Eye Sang - A ferocious beast made legendary for never having been harmed in combat
Luna Redclaw - A feline vixen as exotic as the firearms she wields in combat
Morgana Adams - New scourge of the Shackles and admiral of the Whore's Fleet

Also, feel free to check out my Crazy Character Emporium, where we keep over 150 free character ideas just waiting to inspire you. See the comments thread for it here.

[Lincoln Hills]

I suppose they were trained by a mysterious kitsune known only as, "He Who Is Cranky?"

(I know, I know, the original was a red panda, not a fox. But only WoW has Pandarians, and even they're not Lesser Red Pandarians.)

[Daelen]

He could also be a Tanuki

[Lincoln Hills]

Oo, PF has those now? That's a better fit. ;)

[Ravingdork]

Lincoln Hills wrote:

Oo, PF has those now? That's a better fit. ;)

Sure does!

[Sereinái]

Sea Witch seems like a fun caster for a pirate. Witches also feel like they could play well with a sort of voodoo mystic type background and would fit a pirate campaign.

[Atarlost]

mechaPoet wrote:

I considered some of the other water/air/weather based casters, but I just don't know which one I would pick. They're all just ever so slightly different from each other, I'm not sure which one would be best for S&S (although I suspect any of them could be effective). What if I just took weather-control-type spells on a siege mage? I think a pirate ship presents a unique opportunity for a cannon wizard, and the only thing standing in my way of taking weather-affecting spells is that I don't know the wizard spell list very well.

I think the freebooter could actually serve just fine as an archer ranger, I put it under melee but there's nothing inherently melee about it.

As far as melee is concerned, I'm not a big fan of monks. I've got enough trouble choosing from what I've already listed. :P

Shark Shaman will disappoint you. The wildshape delay hurts. A lot. Summoning sharks is pretty much useless even in a naval campaign since they can't attack people on a ship. It's pretty much pure fail unless you're building a merfolk NPC the party will have to fight underwater.

Siege Mage is, if anything, worse. It's just a really terrible archetype. Fireball is better than a cannon and siege mage gives up far too much of your ability to be a functional wizard to do something that doesn't come up often that, frankly, you can leave to NPCs.

[Lazurin Arborlon]

Ravingdork wrote:

Lincoln Hills wrote:

Oo, PF has those now? That's a better fit. ;)

Sure does!

Dang it, now I actually want to play a gunslinger so I can be Rocket Racoon!

[Mir]

I have to say for Oracle Heavens mystery also works very well.

Guiding Star gives you your Cha bonus to Wis skills under the night sky and you always know where you are. Lure of the Heavens, and Moonlight Bridge are good for movement. Awesome display/ColorSpray is great and the others definitely have there place as well.

[Story Archer]

Our group consisted of a Human Invulnerable Rager, a Human Rogue a Human Sea Singer and a Half-elven Master Summoner. All were great, worked well as a team and each had their moments... but the most impressive by far was the Master Summoner.

His eidolon was designed to be able to both fly and breathe underwater with high perceptions and stealth skills (small eidolon remsembling a winged sea sprite)... that's a damned effective scout, whether you're searching the horizon for ships or exploring underwater sea caves, especially considering its darkvision and ability to communicate telepathically back to its master.

Moreover, the Master Summoner (who almost exclusively summoned elementals) always had the perfect tool for the job. Air Elementals to foul rigging and sails, Water Elementals to mitigate the difficulties of fighting underwater, Fire Elementals to wreck havoc aboard enemy ships, Earth Elementals to walk through the walls of enemy holdfasts and pound on land-lubbers and on and on it goes. And then of course there's spells.

The other three were great characters who filled their roles well, and the group worked superbly as a team, but the Master Summoner was just... wow.

[Ravingdork]

Yeah, my party proved conclusively over and over again that air elementals DESTROY enemy ship-board encounters utterly (or, well, any encounter with water nearby).

Simply using their whirlwind to sweep the decks of all foes and hurling them into the water really cheapens an encounter (to the point where the PCs don't even have to fight).

The fact that an air elemental can use its vastly superior movement rate to move over someone again and again, forcing multiple saves is just salt on the round for some GMs.