Hrothdane |
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Remember that the available domains are based on the deity who sent the familiar. So Law isn't available if you're a paladin of a NG deity, while Good isn't available if your deity is LN. And there are subdomains on many of them.
Of course.
Your diety's alignment also has an affect on which improved familiar you get, so deity alignment is important to keep in mind when making a Chosen One.
ZanThrax |
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I took a quick look at the archetype just now, and while I wasn't really impressed at first, I think I'm coming around. The familiar lay on paws and channel abilities are too expensive outside of emergency use, but that was already the case with Paladin channelling anyhow. And given that I tend to avoid classes with animal companions, switching the Paladin's mount for a divine advisor is actually a pretty good idea. And once I saw someone mention Arthur & Archimedes I got past the idea of this archetype being just another anime-enabling option.
I could really see this as a great way to build a Paladin who's from too poor a background to fit in with the usual shiny armour wearing fancy pants horse riding stuck up noble types who get to go to formal Paladin schools.
I'm envisioning a street urchin who's saved from a life of crime by the strange animal that starts talking to him (yeah, fine, the familiar isn't supposed to be able to talk until level whatever. handwave it.) and teaching him to protect the other kids in his alley. While the regular paladins-in-training his age are studying, he's protecting his friends from gangs of older kids and finding ways to keep them fed other than petty theft.
I could really enjoy playing a paladin who barely even knows the name of his god, let alone chapter & verse of the holy text. Probably needs to have an older brother who goes evil and forces the Paladin to kill him. (Or maybe gets a death-scene redemption.) It certainly has a lot more possibilities of tone than the Sailor Moon inspiration - it could work even in a particularly grim campaign, given a friendly DM.
CheezWizrd |
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ZanThrax emphasizes a really important aspect of this Archetype: that it's built for a campaign where the GM and Player can really work together.
There can always be a great deal of imagination, inspiration, and interplay between player and GM when an Animal Companion, Familiar, or Mount are in play, but when a Martial class has a highly intelligent Familiar, whose objective is potentially shrouded in mystery? Well, that's plat-hook gold for a good GM.
I could even see a 'Black Blade' type sentient object, Construct, or Clockwork/Steampunk-type Improved Familiar taking the place of the default Familiar, with a range of potentially (by turns) hilarious, bizarre, inscrutable, ominous, or sage directives emerging from it...
Wuzen Skymouth |
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This is one of my favorite archetypes, hands down (or paws perhaps).
I've built about half a dozen different backup characters with wildly varying backstories, personalities, and motivations, all Chosen Ones.
More possible character inspirations (as if we need any more):
- Pinnocchio & Jiminy
- Young Hercules & Phil
- Mulan & Mushu
- Luke Skywalker & Backpack Yoda
- A younger Filch & Ms. Norris
- Eustace & Reepicheep (Narnia books anyone?)
Also, two of my favorite characters I've created that I look forward to being able to play are an Idyllkin Aasimar with a cat/silvanshee familiar, and an aspiring Order Of The Torrent human Hellknight with an as-yet-TBD aquatic familiar.
Semagoro |
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It's funny, I made the classic Disney Princess Chosen One of Shelyn about two months ago, and before reading this thread I had no idea how popular a choice that was! So far I've only been adding GM credit to him, but I'm still looking forward to the day I can see him in action.
Besides, nobody said that being a male Nagaji means you can't be in touch with your sensitive side. :)
Dresdran |
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I've actually been constructing one for a little while now and hes basically my not-ranger. Basically he was the apprentice of a ranger but after finding an unusually intelligent animal learned that something was screwy, so his master sent him to go so a cleric friend of his and soon learned that the familiar was from an Agathian Empyreal Lord (it's a Silvanshee in disguise, but I'm not sure what familiar to take to compliment him and what lord to follow). Basically he's an archer paladin that forgoes heavy armor and melee weapons for a longbow and stealth (if the enemy is irredeemably evil and he knows it, why fight fair?).
Wuzen Skymouth |
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I've actually been constructing one for a little while now and hes basically my not-ranger. Basically he was the apprentice of a ranger but after finding an unusually intelligent animal learned that something was screwy, so his master sent him to go so a cleric friend of his and soon learned that the familiar was from an Agathian Empyreal Lord (it's a Silvanshee in disguise, but I'm not sure what familiar to take to compliment him and what lord to follow). Basically he's an archer paladin that forgoes heavy armor and melee weapons for a longbow and stealth (if the enemy is irredeemably evil and he knows it, why fight fair?).
If you want to add a bit of ranger flavor to your pally (favored terrain FTW), "Holy Guide" archetype stacks with Chosen One!
CyderGnome |
Dresdran |
SunstonePhoenix |
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I currently have a lovable ditz of a Chosen One paladin that I run in PFS. She's a farmer who was sent on a divine mission from Erastil, using her neighbor's herding dog as a mount and a rat sent by Erastil himself as her spiritual guide. Being a halfling, I liked the rat being an extension of my core character concept, a great force in the world coming in a small and quite ordinary package.
Words cannot describe how much I love the Familiar Folio. It is the only player companion that I have as of now, and boy, am I glad that I chose FF over anything else. Not only do I love the Chosen One archetype, but I love the Eldritch Guardian as well.
Plus, figment familiars.
So much love for that book.
Fromper |
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I currently have a lovable ditz of a Chosen One paladin that I run in PFS. She's a farmer who was sent on a divine mission from Erastil, using her neighbor's herding dog as a mount and a rat sent by Erastil himself as her spiritual guide. Being a halfling, I liked the rat being an extension of my core character concept, a great force in the world coming in a small and quite ordinary package.
Words cannot describe how much I love the Familiar Folio. It is the only player companion that I have as of now, and boy, am I glad that I chose FF over anything else. Not only do I love the Chosen One archetype, but I love the Eldritch Guardian as well.
Plus, figment familiars.
So much love for that book.
I like the concept of a halfling paladin of Erastil. I'm assuming she's primarily an archer, given his favored weapon, and the halfling dex bonus?
And I agree with really liking the Familiar Folio. I have about a dozen Pathfinder splat books from the various lines, and quite a few of them are useful in different ways, but this one's just FUN.
The Shaman |
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I'd argue it's not full magical girl, though, because there's no transformation sequence. A magical girl would be closer to a vigilante archetype with a familiar (and enabling early quick changes between identities).
I´m a bit late, but I can imagine the smite evil being a sort of transformation. After all, your attacks are now much more powerful, you shrug blows aside... you are just missing the cosmetics. Although, granted, the cosmetics matter in that genre. Hm, how about you do that with the spells? You´ve got your verbal component, and you use your focus... Maybe divine favor or vestment of the champion?
ColonelMidas |
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Disappointed I didn't see this thread when it started, Chosen One has skyrocketed to the top of my favorite archetypes. I'm playing a Nagaji Chosen One in PFS with a 5 intelligence and it's a blast to roleplay him being corrected by his familiar all the time. He just reached 7th level and his Thrush turned into a Cassisian Angel.
Haven't actually gotten a chance to play him yet since he hit seven but the shapechange ability Cassisians have is incredible. "A child-sized angelic humanoid wearing a proportional helmet matching the cassisians' true form." Which means hands. Thanks to this my familiar is now running around with First Aid Gloves in addition to lay on paws and a Quarterstaff of Entwining Serpents to chuck endless Magic Missiles during fights. Going into combat? Take off your helmet and let your friends watch it grow into a child. Everyone you play with will love you for having a holy little kid running around with defibrillators.
Honestly, I spent a good bit of time looking at the improved familiar options for Chosen Ones and Cassisian just seemed the best by far.
Limited Aura: Give your angel kid a piggyback ride and you get free defenses vs evil. Bonus points for using In Harm's Way/Paladin's Sacrifice to keep the aura going.
Truespeech: Someone in your party speaks EVERY language. Need I say more?
Shapechange: HANDS.
Breath Weapon: Fearing swarms? Who needs alchemist's fire when your helmet is a limitless source?
Perfect Memory: Forgot the mayor's name? What were we doing again? Is that Iomedae's Holy Symbol or Gorum's? You forgot, your character forgot, but your angel buddy's got your back.
SLAs: Free Aid when you want it, Daylight to counter the enemy tiefling/dark lurker/etc, and Commune for every scenario/week? Please and thank you.
Fromper |
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Something that occurred to me about this archetype: How quickly can the familiar use Lay on Paws?
It's supposed to be like the paladin's Lay on Hands, so that would normally mean swift action on yourself and standard action on anyone else. So I'm assuming the familiar can swift heal itself. And I'm assuming both the familiar and the paladin can take a standard action to heal the party's wizard or barbarian.
But what about the paladin and familiar healing each other? Is that a swift or a standard? Given the way characters and their familiars generally share class abilities, do they count as "self" for the purposes of Laying on Hands/Paws as a swift action?
Das Demonica |
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This thread is wonderful.
Just built a chosen one paladin of Lymnieris: it seemed thematically appropriate. He concerns Himself with rites of passage and chosen one's are just coming of age, He also aids good-hearted virgins. She has a hare for her familiar, since it's Lymnieris' sacred animal and also a pretty good familiar.
Chosen Ones seem to be unique among paladins in that they didn't choose to be a paladin, they didn't choose to have a bond with their God; their God (or Lord) chose them and they're kinda just going along with it. It would be interesting to have a Chosen One and a vanilla paladin of the same god in the same party, the potential role-play would be delicious.
Speckledorf |
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In a very non-paladin way, I'm necro-ing this thread. I'm currently working on a PFS build of this archetype. Here's the idea: make the founding member of the Gnomish Red Cross, or the Pathfinder Red Cross, since that fits the society a bit more.
Play as a Gnome Paladin with a focus on healing and defence. Have a cheeky familiar that helps her heal the wounded.
It's very much still in the concept phase, but I'm excited about this.