I wanted to build a PFS legal melee character and healer character that I could use as needed, whenever I roll a new character. The idea being since I can completely retrain my character once he/she has enough experience to reach level 2, why not create a character that I can always use up to that point, and then retrain to what I wanted to play at level 2.
Melee Build
Human Mad Dog Barbarian
True, I give up rage but I gain a Wolf companion. D12 hit dice, two handed weapon with power attack makes this character a big hitter at level 1. Add in the wolf for flanking and additional damage and thats gravy.
Healer Build
Halfling Cleric
Domains: Fire and Weather
Basically this character would fill in whenever I felt we needed a healer/caster presence as the majority of the PFS tables I've been at are melee heavy. Both domains would give me daily uses of damage spells which at first level are not awful.
Does anyone else have a fallback level 1 build for PFS play that they find effective?
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
When I want to be effective... there's a lot of choices. If, however, I want to just break a PFS game:
Level 1
Gnome Theologian (cleric archetype)
Pyromaniac alternate racial trait
Domain: Fire
That alone, without any feats or traits or special abilities from other classes, means you have 4d4 damage Burning Hands. I prepare those in my 1st level spell slots, wear the heaviest armor I can, and use Channel Energy to heal my allies.
Properly built you're tossing out 13d6+26 damage fireballs at level 8. Or more. I think you can get it higher than that pretty easily by that level. I could find the thread where I crunched numbers for it.
Inlaa, thats very nice and I will need to look into that to verify I have all the books available for use. This is only a 1st level build as I will rebuild each of these characters once they gain enough XP to hit level two. But, I will then use these char builds again on my next character I roll up.
The most powerful at level 1 is probably the summoner, if you just want something to let you survive.
I am making multiple characters, these are only for the level one slog so I dont have to play an odd build character that will not be as effective at level 1 and I can just skip to that build at level 2 with the free retrain for PFS. Idea is to max survivability and party helpfulness at 1st level.
OK, am I calculating this correctly?
Level 1
Gnome Theologian (cleric archetype)
Pyromaniac alternate racial trait
Domain: Fire
Fire Bolt: 1d6 + 2
Burning Hands: 4d4 (3 spell slots, so 3 times per day)
Produce Flame: 1d6 + 4 (Once a Day)
Channel to Heal: 1d6
|
I thought you wanted to do both healing and melee at once.
Cleric of Saranrae or Milani
Human:
Traits: Fates favored and cleric "of the society" trait (+1 channel)
Domains: healing and something else (or take Merciful Healer and have healing as your only domain)
Feats: Selective Channel, Combat Reflexes
Str 18, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 14--well, you're planning to rebuild aren't you? Wis 12 is as good as anything lower than 20 when it comes to healing.
Equipment: Longspear, four mirror armor, scimitar or morningstar, cleric's kit.
Alternately, if you want healing but think your party is too melee centric
Human
Cleric of Erastil
Human:
Traits: Fates favored and cleric "of the society" trait (+1 channel)
Domains: healing and something else (or take Merciful Healer and have healing as your only domain)
Feats: Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot
Str 14, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 14--well, you're planning to rebuild aren't you? Wis 12 is as good as anything lower than 20 when it comes to healing.
Equipment: longbow, 20 cold iron arrows, four mirror armor, dagger, club, backpack, holy symbol. (And that's about all you can afford).
I have about a dozen "perpetual 1st level characters" that I built to use when playing at 1st, especially for balancing a table.
Here's my melee/back-up healer, Kermitus, cleric of Immonhiel.
Kermitus, Cleric of Immonhiel
NG Medium Human Cleric 1.0
Init +2 ; Senses Human Standard ; Perception +6
Defense
AC 18, touch 12, flat-footed 16 (+2 Dex, +6 armor) ; -2 AC when enlarged
hp 15 (1d8+6+1)
Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +3
Offense
Speed 20 ft. (30 ft base, reduced by Armor / Enc.)
Melee Hooked Lance +4 (1d8+6, 20/x4, P, Reach, Trip) ; gauntlet +4 (1d3+4, 20/x2, B) ; hand axe +4 (1d6+4, 20/x3, S)
* Enlarged Melee Hooked Lance +4 (2d6+7, 20/x4, P, Reach, Trip) ; gauntlet +4 (1d4+5, 20/x2, B) ; hand axe +4 (1d8+5, 20/x3, S)
Ranged Sling +1 (1d3+4, 20/x2, 50 ft range inc, assumes using rock rather than actual bullet)
Special Channel Energy to harm undead (1d6 positive energy, 30 ft radius, DC 12 Will save, 5x/day), Swift Action self-Enlarge Domain Ability 4x/day (doubles reach)
Statistics
Str 18, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 7, Wis 12, Cha 14
Base Atk +0; CMB +4; CMD 16
CLAs (Cleric) Aura, Channel Energy (1d6 positive energy, 30 ft radius, DC 12 Will save, 5x/day), Orisons, Spells ; Spontanious Casting (Cure) ; Domains: Healing/Restoration (Restorative Touch 4x/day ) & Plant/Growth (Enlarge 4x/day)
Traits Seeker (Social Trait, +1 Perception & Perception is a class skill, UCamp), Heirloom Weapon (Equipment Trait, Gain Proficiency in specific weapon [Hooked Lance], AA)
Feats Combat Reflexes, Tribal Scars (Raptorscale)(PoTN),
Skills* Diplomacy+6 (1r), Knowledge (Religion)+2 (1r), Perception**+6 (1r), ; * - armor check penalty of -5 would be applied to any Dex- or Str- based skills (four mirror armor), ** - +1 trait bonus and trained skill bonus applied due to seeker trait *** ; +2 to untrained acrobatics (Raptorscale)
Languages Common (Taldane), Kellid
Spells Per Day (CL 1, Concentration +2, DC 11+ Spell Level): 3/1 (+1 1st L spell from wisdom bonus, +1 1st level domain spell)
Spells Normally Memorized
0 Level (3) Guidance, Light, Resistance
1st Level (2+D) Bless, Protection from Evil ; Enlarge Person (D)
Equipment Four Mirror Armor ; Hooked Lance, Hand Axe, Sling ; Cleric’s Kit, Healer’s Kit, Smelling Salts, extra 50’ of hemp rope, wooden holy symbol of Immonhiel x2, starting clothing
Other Wealth 1 gp, 10 sp
Appearance & Background
6’3”. 265 lbs. Sinewy build. Dark eyes. Long, brown hair, streaked with white. Kind blue eyes, seemingly aged on a face which looks too young for his eyes. Tien-forged armor worked with subtle vines. An old, but well-cared for hooked lance, with vine & toad motiff upon it.
Kermitous always remembers the smell of his grandmother's tea brewing. The sharp scents contrasting with the almost musty herbs from her apothecary. The warming liquid a balm to both body and soul when he was ill with a fever that would have claimed any, but one in care of his grandmother.
The other Raptorscales were somewhat in awe of him after that, the only child who survived the coldblight fever that year. His mind was ravaged by the fever, but it seemed the fever only tempered his body.
When strangers came amongst them, he was as surprised as any when his grandmother welcomed them and showed her own worn compass - a wayfinder, she said. The strangers told of a cabal of cultists who served Apollyon who had been setting the sicknesses upon the people of the Mammoth Lands for generations. They needed a guide. Kermitous was happy to help guide the folks who would avenge his lost mind and those of his generation who did not survive. Their excursion was a success, but in the weeks that they travelled, his grandmother did not survive.
She left him a letter, however, and with the recommendation of the Pathfinders whom he assisted, he has joined their organization to continue to follow in his grandmother’s footsteps, aid and heal others, and to brew a most excellent tea.
Notes
Favored Class Bonus – Cleric – Skill Points
Skills per Level: 3 (2-2 Int, min 1+Human+Fav Class)
Faction – _______________________________ (tbd by PFS#)
Encumbrance (STR 18) 101 lbs (Med Enc). (Light = < 101lb ; Medium 101lb – 200lb ; Heavy 201lb-300lb)
Roles: Melee (Primary) / Minor out-of-combat healing (Secondary)
Immonhiel
Balm-Bringer
Source Inner Sea Gods pg. 322
Details
Alignment CG
Pantheon Empyreal Lords
Areas of Concern Herbs, medicine, toads
Domains Chaos, Good, Healing, Plant
Subdomains Azata, Growth, Restoration, Resurrection
Favored Weapon Handaxe
Symbol Herb-covered wooden toad
Sacred Animal(s) Toad
Sacred Color(s) Brown, green
No, as Inlaa missed part of the theologian text where it specifies that domain powers get the +2 caster level, spells do not
Good catch. The build still works at later levels but not so much at level 1 then.
What can you get with a 13 int?
The trouble is you need to be human to get that. Still, that's a 3d4 Burning Hands or whatever spell like that you choose at level 1 (with the applicable domain). Tack on this trait...
...and your Burning Hands deals 4d4 at level 1 still. 1 from Cleric, 2 from Spell Specialization, 1 from Gifted Adept.
The human cleric build will thus be better for your 1-level exchange-for-a-new-character setup. The gnome cleric has an advantage later in the game thanks to the alternate racial trait.
So, level 1: Theologian, Fire Domain, Human, Gifted Adept, Spell Specialization. It's what you need to make this work at level 1.
|
I have about a dozen "perpetual 1st level characters" that I built to use when playing at 1st, especially for balancing a table.
Here's my melee/back-up healer, Kermitus, cleric of Immonhiel.
** spoiler omitted **...
Wow, that really is the ultimate 1st level character. I'd definitely edit him if I were going beyond first level, but damn!
|
I made this Besmara Cleric to be my eternal Level 1 if I ever decide to play her:
Basics:
18 AC, 19 HP
+5 Fort, +4 Reflex, +5 Will
+3 Perception, +4 Initiative
Falchion
Melee: +5 (2d4+7)
Sudden Shift 4/day (teleport 10 feet after opponent misses you with melee attack, must still be in range of attacker)
Protection from Evil (x2) and Disguise Self as domain.
@Zerika Could you elaborate on that, so that it's clear what comes from where?
|
|
I am bothered by the idea of the eternal level 1 character. I think you may be missing out on the chance to explore at level 1 and really try stuff out with a build. Sure, you're not as strong as you might be at level 2, but you'll get to know more about your character and how it works if you play him up from the start.
Am I weird?
|
|
Just click my profile:
Race: Half Orc
Alt. Raicials: Sacred Tattoo (+1 luck bonus to all saves), Shaman's Apprentice (Gain Endurance as a Bonus Feat) and Skilled (+1 Skil rank at each level)
+2 to Str
------------
18 Str, 14 Wis, Con, and Dex.
------------
Feats: Tribal Scars (Raptor Scale) - +6 HP, +5 movement speed, +2 Acrobatics)
Traits: Fate's Favored (+1 to all luck bonuses) and Reactionary (+2 Initiative)
--------
Class: Cleric (Besmaran)
Familiar (from Besmaran Cleric): Toad (+3 HP) - or weasel for +2 ref save for +6 on all saves.
--------
Gear:
Four Mirror Armor
Falchion
Stuff
--------
All saves are +1 (Luck) +1 (Trait) +2 (Stat) + 2 Fort and Will (Cleric) = +6 Fort, +4 Ref, +6 Will
HP is 8 (d8) + 6 (Tribal Scars) +2 (Con) +3 (Toad) = 19
AC = 10 + 2 (Dex) + 6 (Four Mirror) = 18
--------
Melee: 1d20+4 to hit, 2d4+6 damage
Can throw up an occasional Divine Favor to increase hit and damage to:
1d20+6 to hit, 2d4+8 damage, 1d20+8 with flanking to hit, 2d4+8 damage
--------
Initiative = +4 (+2 Reactionary, +2 Dex)
Perception = +4 (+2 Alertness from Familiar, +2 Wis)
---------
"Source Pathfinder #55: The Wormwood Mutiny pg. 72
A cleric of Besmara may give up one domain in exchange for a bird, blue-ringed octopus (Ultimate Magic 117), king crab (Ultimate Magic 119), monkey, or any of the familiars presented in the Core Rulebook. The cleric uses her cleric level as her effective wizard level for this purpose. A ranger who worships Besmara may select any of the creatures listed above as a familiar instead of choosing an animal companion. The ranger’s effective wizard level for this ability is equal to his ranger level – 3."
Did not know about that before... Had to do a fair bit of searching to find it too...
Thanks for explaining :)
Also I'm working on an inspired blade build - guess he or she will be a follower of Besmara as well