I'm not getting much inspiration on where to turn for this party. Currently I only know two of the classes, which are Arcanist and the other is some Weapon Flurrying Warpriest of Gorum build.
So I wonder what will fit in here without knowing the 4th party's choice. Usually I fill to help me narrow down my options, but I feel like with the two classes selected it could go a lot of ways.
Note: We are playing in the Emerald Spire superdungeon, which makes me hesitant to play any kind of archer. So if people know differently in that arena concerning that module I'd be happy to know it.
Thanks for all the advice given in advance.
You have an arcane caster and a melee bruiser with a bit of divine clout. It would help to also know how the arcanist is built (CC, damage, summoning?)
From a quick think, a skill/stealth monkey who can also hold the front line would be useful (slayer, bard, skald, hunter?) as would a full divine caster (druid, cleric, oracle).
Archer works fine in emerald spire - there are some enclosed bits but also enough opportunity for arrow spam.
Can you ask the 4th party? That would help you a lot.
I think your best bet here is a Switch Hitter - you have several options, Slayer, Ranger, Magus, Occultist...
The Warpriest of Gorum will be very skill starved, while the Arcanist is probably going to spend most of his skills on UMD, Spellcraft and a couple of Knowledges.
Slayer seems like the safest bet here - you can help in the frontlines when needed and snipe when that's needed as well. You can also pick up Trapfinding and give the party some needed scouting ability.
Want a sample build? (If so, let me know level, point buy and wealth).
Easy choice would be a Bard - you've got a tank "priest" who might not be so good with buff/fix type magic. You can easily bend a Bard to fit better as you level to whatever the mix ends up as. Start with Improved Initiative (everyone loves bard song early!) - pick ranged/melee feats after, or other types if appropriate.
I second the choice for a bard. Not only do they get decent skill points and have quite a bit of skills that you are otherwise lacking, but the additional healing and party buffs are sure to go a long way.
@Blakemane - Unfortunately I can't ask him at present. I can however wait for a response from him since this is an online game. The Arcanist is likely going to going blasty, so as you said it makes me lean towards either something skill heavy or full divine casting.
However, with the divine I might go down the Shaman route.
@Secret Wizard - I had definitely considered a switch hitter. Ranger, Slayer and Magus all came to mind for that area. Not quite sure how a Magus would work out though other than just using a bow at times.
I have really wanted to do something similar to an Arcane Archer but was uncertain if Magus was the right path for it. Slayer would be the immediate alternative.
@Majuba - Bard... I really do want to try out a Bard but I've been really interested in a divine flavor for one. This might suit both scenarios if there's something in this realm? That being said, I could challenge myself to make something interesting. My only current concept for a Bard is one who wants to be a Pirate based on the storybook version of Pirates which doesn't really fit in with Emerald Spire.
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Ask the Arcanist what his speciality is. If he specializes in debuffs/crowd control, consider building a character based around buffing. If he specializes in buffing and defenses, consider building a character themed around crowd control. If he specializes in damage, then you probable need to shore up both group enhancement and enemy disabling.
Any of those circumstances scream bard to me. The gorumite will appreciate the attack/damage buffs that stack with his, you can grab a reach weapon and you can lay some smack-down from behind him, or you can consider the old whip-it-&-trip-it bard build to get him bonus attacks while knocking enemies prone.
Alternatively, a Lore Warden fighter would help as well, focusing on combat maneuvers and disabling foes. There's the web-popular Eldritch Guardian dirty-trick specialist that combines combat teamwork feats with his Mauler familiar to get all sorts of crazy shenanigans on your foes.
Alternatively, if you felt like you needed a bit more of a divine buffer than the Warpriest, you could consider an Evangelist cleric for some crowd control and superior buffing. It's basically THE go-to build for party support, with the reach version getting a special shout-out.
If you need someone to deal damage at range, consider a Kineticist. Yeah, yeah, their ranged damage isn't SUPERB, but you can pack a LOT of utility into your wild talents, and being able to act as a scout/occult skill monkey for your group could be pretty darn useful considering that you can put out average damage at range.
@Davor - Actually I totally forgot about the Evangelist archetype. That fits right in with Divine Bard, and shores up the party perfectly. I think that will likely be my choice.
But more input is still welcome. 10 days till the game, plenty of time to sell me on other things :).
@Majuba - Bard... I really do want to try out a Bard but I've been really interested in a divine flavor for one. This might suit both scenarios if there's something in this realm? That being said, I could challenge myself to make something interesting.
It's simple to add divine flavor to a Bard. You can make them a charlatan/false-prophet sort, or even 'worship' Razmiran, or be a true believer, maybe a religion trait or religious feat (Inner Sea Gods has a few great ones for bards). Theme the inspire courage as blessings from his god - citing the great battles of the order or somesuch.
@Secret Wizard - I had definitely considered a switch hitter. Ranger, Slayer and Magus all came to mind for that area. Not quite sure how a Magus would work out though other than just using a bow at times.
I have really wanted to do something similar to an Arcane Archer but was uncertain if Magus was the right path for it. Slayer would be the immediate alternative.
Magus switch-hits the same way that the Occultist - Scorching Rays to the face.