So I'm making a character for a game in the Emerald spire module, and from what I've read it looks like a single big dungeon crawl. Other than animal companions/mounts probably not being a good idea, any suggestions for characters that flourish underground in tight spaces? For some reason I'd really like to play a wizard, and apparently the game it 15 point buy if that helps any.
If the game is one Big dungeon with very little downtime i suggest a sage blooded sorcerer as an alternative to the wizard.
The wizard need some downtime to really shine IMOP.
But it is not hard to find a good wizard guide if you need one.
I think super dungeons are the one place that can favor martial classes over the magical ones, simply because of resource management. This is especially true for lower point-buys, IMO. If the super dungeon is more like a chain of 5MWD's, then this does not apply.
Martial classes are definitely the way to go as long as the party has a reliable source of healing. If you roll up a Barbarian, make sure you have sources of Rage regeneration. Such as Destroyer's Blessing, Fore Fiend, and/or my personal favorite Raging Deathblow. Assuming you make it to level 11.
Spontaneous casters like the Oracle and Sorcerer are going to really enjoy their extra spells and versatility, as well as lack of spell preparation in the morning.
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I'll echo Gherrick and 952 here. When we played the level 1 tier of Siege of the Diamond City, there's a part where you just have to beat wave after wave of baddies. Fortunately for us the party consisted of a barbarian, paladin (me), wand-happy cleric and a gunslinger. Any normal spellcaster would've run out of spells at a quarter of the time we spent fighting.
That said, consider the Invulnerable Rager barbarian archetype. DR can add up if you have lots of little fights. Alternately, go for heavily armored fighters or paladins, who also have a lot of staying power.
A melee cleric :-)
A melee cleric :-)
I'll second the melee focused divine caster. Dungeons are more than killing things there are often traps and other environment hazards to deal with. Having some magic will help with that. Depending on the character level, a wildshape focused Druid, sacrificing the animal companion for more spells/day, could be fantastic.
That it's 15 point buy (seriously? why do people insist on playing games at point buys that yield lower results than the average of 4d6d1), does dampen that a bit, though. Divine casters are a little MAD. A dervish dancing Magus might be slightly better.
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Don't neglect skill points. Things you can do over and over and over again are useful when you can't easily stock up on resources or rest.
Hrm, so I'm seeing notes to focus on survivability by having extra consumables, high AC, and backup spells and tricks. I also really like that flaming sphere idea, why stop with one bad guy when you can keep burning them turn after turn?
I second the idea that you want to avoid skills and abilities that require extended down times. In Rappan Athuk I had a Gnome Wizard with item creation feats and they were effectively wasted.
So I'm making a character for a game in the Emerald spire module, and from what I've read it looks like a single big dungeon crawl. Other than animal companions/mounts probably not being a good idea, any suggestions for characters that flourish underground in tight spaces? For some reason I'd really like to play a wizard, and apparently the game it 15 point buy if that helps any.
We're looking at it too and right now we're thinking about making it our first all-Dwarven party (Cleric with the Heroism and Healing Domains, two Invulnerable Ragers and a Savage Skald) which, as you can see, will have no full arcane caster.
We're not locked in on that concept yet and, to be honest, the reason why is one of us is seriously considering a Human Sorcerer with the Arcane Bloodline - probably the most versatile full caster in the game. That would be my recommendation for you as you'll get a massive number of spells known (without having to worry about finding spell books) giving you just what you need in any situation, a Bonded item and incredible effectiveness with metamagic spells on the fly. Sage-blooded looks nice on the surface, but giving up the Arcane Bond seems like too much just to switch casting stats.
Of course, if allowed, I suspect a well-built Master Summoner could really shine here as well, and if you must have a prepared caster, I would definitely take a Witch over a Wizard for the near inexhaustible use of Hexes.
So I'm making a character for a game in the Emerald spire module, and from what I've read it looks like a single big dungeon crawl. Other than animal companions/mounts probably not being a good idea, any suggestions for characters that flourish underground in tight spaces? For some reason I'd really like to play a wizard, and apparently the game it 15 point buy if that helps any.We're looking at it too and right now we're thinking about making it our first all-Dwarven party Cleric with the Heroism and Healing Domains, two Invulnerable Ragers and a Savage Skald) which, as you can see, will have no full arcane caster.
We're not locked in on that concept yet and, to be honest, the reason why is one of us is seriously considering a Human Sorcerer with the Arcane Bloodline - probably the most versatile full caster in the game. That would be my recommendation for you as you'll get a massive number of spells known (without having to worry about finding spell books) giving you just what you need in any situation, a Bonded item and incredible effectiveness with metamagic spells on the fly. Sage-blooded looks nice on the surface, but giving up the Arcane Bond seems like too much just to switch casting stats.
Of course, if allowed, I suspect a well-built Master Summoner could really shine here as well, and if you must have a prepared caster, I would definitely take a Witch over a Wizard.
A badly built Master summoner works just as well and that is i one of the problems:)
+1 for witch. they can bring a lot of utility through their spells and their hexes have an unbelievable effect on resource management. in a 15 point dungeon crawl a 1/2 orc scarred witch doctor would be super good.
a base summoner would be crazy good too! your eidolon is a nearly limitless resource (meaning he can be in every combat, regardless of how many you fight), big E also doesn't scale with point buy so he'll be even more effective compared to your melee teammates than normal. the summoner itself has very little stat dependence which is great in low point buys, and can be very successful doing little more than toss the occasional buff; you could either build him similar to a reach cleric, or spend the feats for eldritch heritage[arcane] and improved familiar (to further break action economy).
i kind of like the EK suggestion too... but mostly just because i like EKs, it would probably be way too MAD to really be effective in a 15 point buy. if you wanted to try it, your best bet would probably be a tiefling with 1 level of trapper ranger (for trapfinding and extra skill points), 1 level of wizard with the scryer subschool (for the 3rd level SLA), and then EK from there- you'd want to go largely buffs/utility for spells (cause your points will be spread thin enough that your DCs won't be great) and archery for combat (so you can invest less in Str/Con than a melee guy, plus there's some feat overlap for ray spells); you could even dip Arcane Archer after 7th if you don't mind losing another caster level or two...
ANY class that can get an animal companion adds THAT MUCH MORE to the party.
i know that oracles, cavaliers, and clerics all have the ability to have animal companions (cavaliers don't HAVE to use it as a mount, and beast-rider is awesome)
cavaliers with the beast rider can get ALOT of animal companions, and they have banner and tactician and such (which works especially well in close quarters)
heck a small cavalier might STILL get to ride its mount as a mount. Lions and such are very nasty.
oracles and clerics add the ability to heal along with the companion, and can easily be useful reach weapon combatants.
alchemists with splash and stuff are always fun.
bards add a lot to the party (especially if you are stuck within 30 ft)
and can even act as a very effective secondary healer( via cure spells, spells that can do your songs for you, and soothing performance)
yes, a gecko riding-ceiling clinging archer cavalier can be great
A versatile cleric build can be a neutral cleric with the Versatile Channeler feat and the Death Domain. You can channel negative energy and heal yourself while you harm enemies. Makes it really easy to hold a confined area with little to no support and stay in the fight. One of the channeling phylacteries would be a great choice as well. And you can still channel positive energy for those pesky undead and the burst healing of your party. Extra Channeling, Selective Channeling and Improved Channel are all great feats to take for this build.
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When I briefly played Rappan Athuk (only quitting because my wider schedule forced me to), I played a Necromancer Mystic Theurge - this would probably be much harder when you only have 15 points (we were given 25 - it was Rappan Athuk, after all - and even playing a Samsaran, I still strained a bit to meet the Intelligence/Wisdom/Charisma demands), but if you can hack it to your satisfaction, you've got one versatile magician whose broad necromantic powers will prove of exceptional value in most "superdungeons" (Our Motto: Waste Not, Want Not - that, and Sic Gorgiamus Allos Subjectatos Nunc).
Rogue, to disarm magical traps.... What?
To be fair the Tremorsense most likely need the familiar to be on the Ground and you dont get to use it. So the benefit May be limited.
Do take a closer look at races for what they can offer.
As an example, Grippli. (+dex/wis, -str) small, stealthy, Darkvision and Climb Speed. Proficiency with nets (or alternately rapiers) isn't bad either.
A versatile cleric build can be a neutral cleric with the Versatile Channeler feat and the Death Domain. You can channel negative energy and heal yourself while you harm enemies. Makes it really easy to hold a confined area with little to no support and stay in the fight. One of the channeling phylacteries would be a great choice as well. And you can still channel positive energy for those pesky undead and the burst healing of your party. Extra Channeling, Selective Channeling and Improved Channel are all great feats to take for this build.you cant heal yourself and deal damafe sorry you pick one, you can damage or you can heal you cant do both
Normally true, but the Death doman's granted ability changes the normal rules:
"Death's Embrace (Ex): At 8th level, you heal damage instead of taking damage from channeled negative energy. If the channeled negative energy targets undead, you heal hit points just like undead in the area."
The channel is a burst centered on the cleric. So unless the GM house rules something different (which is always a valid consideration) a case can be made that if you channel negative energy to do damage (which you would take as well w/o the Death domain) you now heal that amount (with the Death domain). Now if the OP's GM has house ruled something different, then yes, that would invalidate my offered concept. But RAW, it's doable (admittedly you need to reach level 8 first, so...not without it's drawbacks).