Suggest me an interesting melee character for a small party


Advice


I've played Pathfinder for a few months, but I'm not terribly experienced with the system and the character options.

So, starting a new campaign as a player, rolled stats, four players. Although the other characters aren't set in stone, it looks like we'll have an healer paladin/oracle who uses archery, an inquisitor (unknown build), and either a ranger or alchemist.

This gives us healing and plenty of ranged damage (although it has the potential for three archers.) The healer has a massive charisma, so we're set on having a party face. Depending on the inquisitor build, we may not have any frontline melee characters, and we likely won't have any rogues.

That's where I fit in, it seems. I'm trying to plug the holes in this party. My thought is to run either a rogue (to give us the skills) or a clanky front-line melee character (to stand in the doorway and keep the baddies off of all the squishy folk.)

I'd like to play rogue, but without another melee character, I'd never have a flank, and would be the only character in reach of all those nasties. That makes the melee fighter/? more likely.

The problem is, I have no desire to play a 'stand on X, roll to hit every round' fighter. I want a degree of decision making in how I approach fights so as to keep the game from becoming an endless repetition of a single action, over and over.

Here are some limitations:

~Rules are Pathfinder, but the GM is running it in Eberron.

~This is a very casual group. There is little to no role-playing, unfortunately. That means I can't compensate for a character with dull mechanics by giving him an interesting personality.

~Stats were rolled. I have either:
17, 13, 13, 13, 12, 8
or
17, 15, 13, 13, 10, 8

~Core Rulebook and Advanced Players Guide are available, and I may be able to take options from other Paizo products.


With an inquisitor, and possibly a ranger you party will not be lacking on skills. You also have characters that are able to fight in both melee and ranged. What this party is lacking is arcane spell casting. The alchemist’s big problem is that his extracts only affect himself. A full arcane caster may be of more use to the party. If you want to do the rogue you may want to consider an archeologist bard instead.


The main skills I was concerned about was Disable Device, along with the supporting rogue bonuses. It probably isn't a huge issue.

As to arcane caster - I just finished playing a wizard in our last campaign, and for the same reason - it was the only thing missing. I don't particularly care for arcane casters, and won't be doing it this time.


Half-Orc barbarian/rogue (skulking slayer/scout)
Bestial Leaper rage power lets you take an attack action during your move which allows vital strike.
Skulking Skayer gives you automatic sneak attack with a charge. (Does not combine with vital strike unless your DM houserules it.)
Scout gives automatic sneak attack when you move more than ten feet. (Combines with beastial leaper and vital strike.)

Great mobile build that can let you finish off targets the archers don't put down or let's you move and hit a new target hard after archers finish off your opponent.

Grab some alchemist levels if you want to stack mutagens with extracts of bulls strength and enlarge person.


I will look at that.

A couple of other notes I should have mentioned:

~While I'm not going to gimp a character, I'm not really looking to create the perfect min-max optimized character, either.

~We're starting off at level 6.


Hmm.. your party member are covering a lot of thematic bases for you already. Three Hit/Healers... I think playing a new Race, one with interesting abilities combines well with Barbarian. Or you could go with a Fighter/Thief.

I like less archetypal combinations. A Dwarven Fighter thief is not overdone for example. My Drow noble Barbarian seemed to never exhaust the potential tricks of his racial feats. This helped offset the relative mechanical simplicity of Barbarian and made for a fun game.


I just Started making a Melee wrestling character. I took one level of maneuver master and and the rest I went Lord Warden. With ki throw, binding throw, and what ever maneuvers you prefer. Your character can debuf/ pin characters/ and deal a decent although not amazing amount of damage.

So far this is been the best character I've ever played. Because I have so many maneuvers I get to pick and choose how to engage each fight. Plus it's hilarious to fight a boss, And blind him, trip him, grapple him, and still have a free attack of opportunity to deal damage (all of this on a charge action).

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

i know you said an arcane caster is not high on your list, but that might be worth revisiting... depending on whether or not your GM has houseruled against meeting requirements with SLAs. if you start with a ranger with the trapper archetype you get trapfinding and proficiency with all martial weapons at 1st; at 2nd take one level of wizard with the divination school and the scryer sub-school, which allows you to always act in the surprise round and gives you a 3rd level SLA. starting at 3rd level you can go eldritch knight until 12th.

at 6th level you'd have a +5 BAB (with 5d10+1d6 HD) and cast as a 4th level wizard (the magical knack trait will put your caster level at 6th, no additional spells though). learn a couple buffs that you can throw in a surprise round or when you know there's about to be combat, a couple ranged/AoE damage spells for when needed, and you can use the bulk of your spells for utility. that way you can cover the front line, fill the arcane casting hole, and be a better rogue than a rogue (find traps and invisibility are both available as low level spells).

arcane armor training/mastery and still spell are all useful in a build like this to allow you to benefit from armor use without losing spells to Arcane Spell Failure %. if you're going to play past 12th level, a 2nd level of wizard at 13 will get you +1 BAB and another level of casting, after that you'll have to figure out what you want to focus on (if your GM allows the hellknight signifier prestige class taking 8 levels of that after you finish EK is a very strong option).

Liberty's Edge

Alternately, you could go Magus. Arcane caster and front-line melee in one easy-to-make package. Possibly less boring than standard Fighters as well due to having, y'know, spells as well, though IME a lot of those do get used on Shocking Grasp.


What about a bear shaman or lion shaman Druid? You get wild shape into some excellent melee forms, a tough AC, and lots of summons to meat shield the squishes.

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

oh yeah- starting at 6th you have some good druid options. a druid 4/barb 2 on the way to barb 4/druid X-4... take boon companion and/or shaping focus (you'll want both eventually) and you'll have really solid melee abilities, tons of options with wildshape, and spells to boot. take ferocious companion as your 4th level rage power to really ramp up your companion when needed.


I think you have options of Monk, Eldritch Knight, or Dragon Disciple. You could also try Arcane Duelist Bard. While monk gives you good saves, the other options gives you arcane spells while decent in melee.


I would second the Magus option, but I'm also a fan of the druid. If you are looking for something "different" the debuffer type white haired hexcrafter magus might be fun (search "The defiler" in this guide Magus Hexcrafter Guide: The Complete Guide For Dealing With The Devil ). Reason being you aren't necessarily the "nuked it to death in one hit" damage dealer, you actually are more of a control type character. You get into melee to start a grapple and inflict all sorts of penalties on the opponent (which helps the rest of the group).

Edit: Actually if you guys/gals are playing Ebberon, look at d20pfsrd for Dreamscarred Press' psionic classes. A Soulkife or Aegis might be just up your alley if you are looking for something different (psion/wilder would probably be too close to an arcane caster than you want to play). Neither class makes extensive use of psionic powers so you wouldn't have to worry about a new rule set, the classes are fairly self contained.


Fighter/Rogue (Thug) using a lucerne hammer or dwarven dorn-degar along with combat reflexes, bludgeoner, and enforcer. Someone provokes from you, you hit them for nonlethal damage, make a free action intimidate, and immediately make them frightened for one round.


I allway like the brute Rogue. Focusing on a two handed weapon and str as a rouge gives some combat options a normal fighter does not have. If you deal sneak attack/power attack damage you can intimidate/debuff enemys for free... + so many skills.

Something like this:

Race: Half-Orc
Class: Fighter 1/Rogue (Scout/Thug) 6

STR: 17 +2 race + 1 @ 4th level
DEX: 13
CON: 13
INT: 13
WIS: 8
CHA: 12

Feats:
________________
1st Bonus: Power Attack
1st Level: Weapon Focus (Greataxe)
2nd Talen: Offensive Defense
3rd Level: Skill Focus(Intimidate)
4th Talen: Combat Trick(Furious Focus)
5th Level: Intimidating Prowess
6th Talen: ???
7th Level: Cornugon Smash

Equipment
________________

Belt of Thunderous Charging 10000 gc
Rino Hide 5165 gc
+ 1 Greataxe 2050 gc

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