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Since my Kingmaker game fell apart, I have a (mostly) new group and they want Lovecraft. I told them that they will start with amnesia, and so they voted to have me create their characters so they can discover them as they go. I could use some advice on builds, and specifically on party balance.
4-man, 20-point buy. Based on the player's preferences, here are the four characters I have in mind:
Human Slayer - Kellid Gorum-worshipping, greatsword-wielding dpr striker. Pretty much a barbarian without being a barbarian. Maybe even barbarian VMC? It's not like 2h style fighting requires many feats to be effective... Thinking of Pureblade, Spiritslayer, and/or Witch Hunter archetype (if the latter, maybe allow it to count against psychic magic instead of arcane).
Half-Orc Investigator - Empiricist archetype, knowledge and trap-guy. Might I just take this opportunity to complain about the fact that neither Fencing Grace nor Slashing Grace applies to a sword cane? Good thing this is a home game, but it seems silly that there aren't feats like Slashing grace for bludgeoning, and, especially, piercing weapons.
Dhampir Oracle - The dedicated caster of the group. Dark Tapestry mystery, Shattered Psyche curse. Also likely the main face. At first she will think she is human, but slowly the truth will be revealed...
Half-Elf Spiritualist - Usher of Lost Souls with an Anger spirit. Specifically the spirit of her dead child who is really mad at anyone and everyone who would threaten his mommy. Player wants to be a front-liner, so thinking she can be another two-hander, probably pick up armor proficiency, and wade into combat next to her spirit.
So, any suggestions? Builds, comments on balance (or lack thereof), or anything really. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!
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In order:
The striker seems a bit overcomplicated. Why do you want a barbarian that isn't one?
Investigator seems good for this campaign, but I feel the need to question the archetype choice, only because archetypes tend to be a bit lower in power for more specialization in a current direction. Have you considered how the empiricist archetype will specifically respond in this AP?
At first glance the oracle seems okay, but then we get to the weirdness that is going to come from a dhampir oracle: he's going to either need to learn inflict spells to heal himself and cure spells for the rest of the party, or someone is going without healing. While it's true that the spiritualist can pick up some of the slack for the rest of the party, have you thought about how that healing dynamic will play out?
The spiritualist is a complicated class, so keep that in mind; there's the risk he'll be taking up double the table time each combat. If you want a front-liner with a pet, wouldn't a ranger be more appropriate?
Looking at the party as a whole, you're very weak on arcane spellcasting, which tends to have a lot more control and versatility options than divine spellcasting. A sorcerer, wizard or even a psychic would be pretty valuable.
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@Adam Daigle: Yes, I have indeed read it! I believe the majority of these class/archetypes appeared in the suggested list. I am now checking to see if these specific combinations seem like they would work well together. :P
@Mergy: Well, the player of the striker already plays a barbarian in PFS. She wanted to try something different while still sticking with a melee striker.
Similarly, one of the few things the second player mentioned when I asked for a bare-bones idea of what sort of character he wanted was a "Sherlock-type". My mind immediately went to the Empiricist. I have never played an investigator, so am not terribly conversant with their power-level or how the archetypes interact.
Yeah, I had thought of that and looked for a racial trait or feat that reversed the negative energy affinity (no such luck). I figured that the majority of healing will be out of combat via wands, that the spiritualist would also pick up cure spells and be a secondary healer, and that, yes, the oracle would grab inflict spells. This was the last player to give me her character gist and she, too, wanted to be a beat-stick. I warned her that without a full caster in the party they would likely have a very difficult time against some kinds of encounters and so she agreed to being one as long as it was spontaneous, but I had to dangle the carrot of getting to be an unusual race (though she doesn't know what).
My last group had a summoner, and this looks fairly similar in how much time it will take up. That is partly why I was thinking to build the phantom as simply as possible so the go-to every round will be "it rushes up and hits things". A ranger might be simpler, but I really thought the flavor of the spiritualist fit better, and thought that my idea for the phantom would really mess with the player's head in delicious ways.
Also very true about the arcane casting part, and I had noticed that. None of my players were interested in playing one, however, so there is little that could be done. Maybe if one of their characters dies off early they will bring in a mage next.
SO, overall, looks like you're saying the party seems complicated and unbalanced. Crap. I'll see what I can do to change things up within the guidelines of what the players indicated they want to play. Thanks for the input!
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What about a bloodrager for the striker? It's part barbarian but with enough of a twist to be fresh and new.
Would it be possible for the oracle to instead be a wizard or sorcerer? A lot of the divine spells can be reproduced by the investigator and spiritualist. An arcane spellcaster can also gain infernal healing which provides fast healing (so it will work for all party members, regardless of energy affinity!). Dhampir make good sorcerers in the same way that they make good oracles.
I love the spiritualist flavour, and you know your player better than I do, so if you think he can run it quickly and effectively, then that's fine.
In general regarding archetypes, my advice would be to avoid them for these PCs. The overspecialization of them may leave a bad taste in the players' mouths, and it's guaranteed to make the playing and leveling process more complex, simply by virtue of increased page count.
EDIT: complex, not campaign
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Hi, not sure if you have already solved your problem, but I'm doing the same thing and building my player's PCs. Here is what I've settled in the end. Perhaps you could borrow a couple ideas:
Alika Loberi - female changeling witch (dark sister): Daughter of Grimzelda, this charming and ambitious woman once studied at the Sincomakti School in Rozenport under the wing of Prof. Meirtmane, at least until she killed her best friend when she answered Grimzelda's call and lost her scholarship, having to steal a couple ancient artifacts and getting caught. I've given her an amulet arcane bond (instead of a familiar) with the shape of a hag's eye... this eye belonged to her great-great-greatmother, a night hag that is imprisoned within. She'll work as the arcane caster and primary face for the group. I intend to create a side quest involving Grimzelda and the night hag her dark sister archetype allows her to summon will be the one trapped within.
Barek Whiteauroch - male human oracle (cyclopean seer): A one-eyed kellid descended man son of an alcoholic and abusive father. After killing his father after he blinded him, he joined a gang and a couple years later became a bandit roaming around Thrushmoor. Barek has terrible dreams now and them, unknowing that many of them are not just nightmares. He'll work as the primary healer and secondary melee combatant and face. I intend to give him a ton of terrible visions of the future, as well as a big role on book 3 in the Dreamlands.
Narsius Carollian - male half-elf investigator (sleuth/steel hound): A former deputy coming from Sandpoint after his younger sister was kidnapped. He knows the kidnapper as the White Wanderer, which is in fact the denizen of Leng Weiralai. He'll work as the party's skill monkey and ranged combatant. His background will give the party a second nemesis in the form of Weiralai, ensuring that when it returns on book 5, it will not be 'just another guy'.
Ormizd Al-Nashrab - male tiefling paladin (tortured crusader): Ormizd was a noble from Qadira who was kidnaped by derros during a diplomatic visit in Cassomir. After suffer to the little buggers, he was bought by Weiralai and then sold to Lowls. He will take the pass for human racial trait, the result of the derro's experiments and the pact with Weiralai. He will also be Kisetz's father in book 4, giving her purpose. He will work as the main melee combatant.
If I get a fifth player, then I'll also add:
Karvakk (no second name) - male half-orc spiritualist (exciter): Karvakk is a stupid and terribly fat slave that Lowls bought a couple years ago from the west. He was the favorite son of his now dead orc mother, who was also her tribe's shaman. Karvakk will have the chain fighter racial trait, and he fights with a large chained iron ball (heavy flail) that was once used to keep him prisoner. Linked to his dead mother, he is just a big (and ugly) baby to her. He'll work as a secondary combatant and a huge meat shield, and I intend to give him a great purpose when dealing with haunts.