I've had the idea for this bizarre Hatter character floating around in my head for a year now. I finally have a game for him and I'm SO excited to play him but I'm not sure about his build.
I appreciate any advice you awesome pathfinders can give me.
RP Background:
He's NOT a Lewis Carroll character
He's based on a 19th century English Hatter suffering from actual Mad Hatter's Disease (aka mercury poisoning) with a Captain Jack Sparrow twist
He's 22, so he doesn't have the advanced symptoms yet but he comes from a long line of hatters & he's been exposed to mercury since he was a boy
He's nonsensical and paranoid; prone to babbling incoherently, bouts of delirium, and suicidal tendencies; he's generally somber and people shy; he prefers misdirection to outright assault but when cornered (or surrounded by bunnies) he goes especially mad, throwing weapon after weapon at the enemy
Like all British, he drinks lots of tea
He frequently pees on dead animals (aside from being funny, this is actually how they used to make hat felt)
In addition to standard hats, he crafts weaponized millinery items such as blade-brimmed fedoras, collapsible hat shields, arrow-tipped (or poison-tipped) hat pins, boomerang hat pins, etc..
He uses his weaponized hats to attack (preferably with more than one per round, preferably dual-wielding)
He still carries the trappings of his trade, often walking up to random characters without so much as a hello to measure their heads with a tape measure (which is also weaponized)
Though usually somber, when engaged in a mission, he a very-in-your-face sort of crazy, not at all the kind of guy you befriend easily; he's not a bad guy but his methods are bizarre, for example he has been known to meander up to an unsuspecting opponent babbling nonsense and nursery rhymes at them and then, when their guard is down, pull a hat pin from his hat and use it to stab them in the jugular or slit their throat with his weaponized tape measure
What I'm Working With:
My stats are set from 3d6 rolls, but I got pretty lucky with... 16, 16, 16, 15, 13, 12
I don't have a race yet, but I'm not picky
He feels Chaotic Neutral to me
He's suffering from both a drug overdose and an illness, so he'll need penalties
I have an awesome GM who is willing to work with whatever I need to build the character I have floating around in my head
Also, I game with a group who enjoy in-game character conflict, so them disliking my character is not a problem for game progression
Build Advice?
Several people have suggested Alchemist to me and I've looked into it in depth. It can see it working for several aspects of my character (mutagens for mercury poisoning effects, using poisons on the hat pins, throwing random crap, etc) but it seems to lack the roguish multi-attack quality. Am I wrong?
I am seriously considering taking Alchemist 8 then switching to Duelist to get that combo but I'm not sure how that will work with improvised weapons. Any suggestions?
Thanks to everyone who took the time to read this.
My Bard 7 / Cav Strategist 4 / BH 7 "Cheerleader" generally only rolls a d4 for Mirror Image & the occasional Dazzling Display Intimidate Check but my party won't do anything without her.
Between Tactician, Drill Master, Lingering Performance, Inspiring Command, Haste, & Good Hope she can give allies:
+6 to hit (+10 if flanking),
+5 damage,
+1 AC,
+30 movement speed,
An extra hit on a Full Round,
Pluses to all saves,
And a little bit of DR.
Of course, she can't actually do any damage on her own (you have to sacrifice something) but she has SM III in a pinch.
Also, most of her actions are not spells (useful in situations that render casters impotent) & at this point they're swift actions, so she can feasibly do 3 things a turn.
My ex played D&D, and my buddy's wife(also a cheerleader) played D&D.
They both have their own set of dice.
I also still play with a couple of former Highschool Football teamplayers, who are now Military men.
I think that says more about you than it does about cheerleaders or high school. Either that you know lots of atypical people or that you break the mold yourself. I suspect both. I would have probably liked cheering with your cheerleaders...none of the girls on my squad could have told you what a d6 was.
I'm all for shattering stereotypes. But I'm also all for playing silly characters. I refer you to my Treesinger for any further explanation.
2. Know any good weapons that could double as PomPoms?
How about a Bladed Scarf? You could put tassles on the ends for the Pom Poms. And it fits the whole 'hidden weapon for dancers' vibe.
Or maybe Fighting Fans?
Those both take Exotic Weapon Proficiencies, except if you're Varisian (and why wouldn't you be?) you can get Bladed Scarf proficiency with the Tattooed Varisian regional trait.
This is a great idea! Thanks!
And thanks to everyone else for all your suggestions.
Who has had such a bad interaction with Cheerleaders?
I dated a Cheerleader in Highschool, and she was a great person.
Best break up too. Still talk to her from time to time.
I think media plays them in an unwarranted dark light.
I agree. I've had little if any interactions with cheerleaders-- not because they were stuck-up or "out of my league" but because I had nothing in common with any of them.
I don't know where all the vitriol in their media portrayal comes from. I suspect it's a bit of sour grapes, a bit of mis-remembered high school angst, and a bit of narrative convenience-- they're easy to dehumanize because they all wear the same uniform, and they're easy to mock because most people don't see "cherrleading" as its own sport.
That said, the OP clearly HAS had bad experiences with cheerleaders, and "evil cheerleader" has kind of become a character archetype in American pop culture, so if that's what she wants, that's what she gets.
There's not nearly as much vitriol, angst, or even annoyance as you seem to think. Sure, I couldn't stand my cheer squad. They were fake, shallow, and gossipy and I don't mesh with that mentality, (besides, when was the last time you met a cheerleader with her own set of dice and minis?) But they weren't the only ones like that. Lots of people are. And mocking the stereotype is just for amusement.
I build all my characters to be as ridiculous as possible. They're more fun to role play when they're silly,(probably because I'm silly).
Some of my other characters include an uber-hugging half-orc social worker who runs a goblin dog shelter and campaigns for equal rights for hideous dark dwellers everywhere. And a Treesinger druid who is ashamed of her elfness, spends all her time as a plant, has a treant boyfriend (aka liveoak), worships asparagus, & when she dies she wants her body donated to the vegepygmies so she may be reborn as a higher being.
So the shallow & obnoxiously perky half-orc cheerleader on the prowl for her perfect human husband fits right in. In fact, after the reactions I got in her 1st scenario, I think she may steal the show. She's certainly a hell of a lot of fun to play. :P
*with as gravelly and low-brow an accent and dialect as a keyboard can manage* "Cheerleader, eh? We dun 'preciate yer kind 'round here...."
I sure hope that's directed at my character and not me, or else we may have to throw down.
I plead 'Unfortunate Accident' to all charges of Cheerleading. I only did it for 1 year and I promptly told my whole squad off for being shallow idiots as soon as we finished our final competition. It was rather epic actually. So at the very least I deserve redemption points, if not a full pardon.
Also, as an aside, I wonder if there are any Barbarians on the sports teams. Are Paladins and Clerics preps? How does your Half-Orc gal feel about multiclassers?
That depends on whether they're Human or not. :P Elves are also acceptable. If they're Half-Orc or Gnome, then forget it.
She, like all the other girls on my cheer squad, is shallow as hell.
I definitely misread that Adopted Trait description. Thanks for clearing that up. And thanks for all your input. It's very helpful.
Also, for my pompoms, could I mod the handle of a weapon? Like by knotting a bunch of colored leather strips to/through it? Society (at least the group I play with) likes things straightforward, ie easily explained in a 30s character intro, so it'd have to be a minor mod. Seems to me that would work. Any ideas?
Hi all. I've had the silly idea of making my latest society character into a mockery of cheerleaders -- as a former cheerleader I'm entitled to do this without repercussion, so no hating allowed. ;) Though I could definitely use some build advice. Here's what I have so far:
Background:
BACKROUND:
A Half-Orc Bard raised by Humans who denies her Orc side (she tells everyone she's "half-human") and is on the prowl for a Human husband. She's not above stooping to deceitful means (ie Alter Self, etc...) to snag her man. In fact, the whole reason she joined up with pathfinders was to scope out the boys.
Alignment:
ALIGNMENT:Lawful Neutral
(I'd make her Lawful Evil if it was allowed.) I'm playing the Lawful part like a high school hierarchy where cheerleaders & sports stars (aka bards & fighters) are at the top of the food chain and the social structure must be maintained. She will reprimand anyone who steps out of line.
Role/Flavor:
ROLE/FLAVOR:
I want her to be support & buffs, but mostly to act & play like she's cheering on her team. I'm even doing all her spells/performances as cheers. :P
Spells:
SPELLS: I'm a bard noob, so I welcome input here.
Level-0
Dancing Lights
Detect Magic
Message
Lullaby (for putting people to sleep as she goes on an on about how awesome she is & what she's looking for in a guy)
Level-1
Charm Person
Hideous Laughter
Disguise Self
Summon Monster I (this is more to support being useful in random parties, but I'm going to play it so that she gets up in someone's face and says things like "Oh yeah, well, I summon a herd of Unicorns to kick your butt!" and 1 frog appears.)
Sleep
I don't have any level-2 spells picked yet.
So....QUESTIONS:
1. I'm thinking of going Bard/Standard Bearer/Battle Herald. Is BH a decent PrC? Any specific archetype recommendations? I like the Order of the Cockatrice (esp Braggart) but is Cavalier worth it?
2. Know any good weapons that could double as PomPoms?
Right now I've got a Scorpion Whip based on a recommendation) but after researching it, I don't think the guy understood how it worked. I like the idea of being able to trip/disarm people (because I don't usually bother with CMs) but can I do that with the Scorpion Whip? And is it even worth trying? Or is that useless to the party?
Either way, I'm dead set on anything that passes for PomPoms.
3. **EDITED**
4. I'm considering trading in Orc Ferocity for a belly button ring (aka Sacred Tattoo) :P Though ferocity has saved my butt in the past. So I'm wondering...Is it a worthwhile trade off for +1 to saving throws?
Anyone in the Chandler or East Valley area (Mesa, Tempe, Scottsdale, etc) looking for a new player? Or looking to start a new group?
I'm a semi-experienced Pathfinder but it's not my first P&P RPG. I'm looking for a dedicated group that can meet on a regular basis -- Weekly, bi-monthly, or even monthly, just as long as it's consistent. Laid back people are a plus.
For months I've wanted to create a character based on the phrase "a murder of crows" as a backup for my current campaign. I'm thinking a Tengu Pack Lord or Beast Master with 2-3 "Crow" companions and maybe some summoned "Crows" or a "Crow" Familiar that all act as though they've convened a hearing, judged their enemies, and either deem them innocent & worthy of help or guilty & deserving of death.
I think this character would be a heck of a lot of fun to roleplay. My play style is RP heavy, so I always start with concept then roll the character to fit, and my GM allows rule-bending privileges for good RPing, so I'm flexible on the build but I'm not sure how to make it work. Or if it even can work. I'm hoping you guys can help.
FLAVOR: I also plan to make regular use of any non-combat spells that add to my flock numbers but don't increase my turn time (ie Charm Animal, etc)
The problem stuff...
FEATS: Tengu Wings & Raven Form (unless I can do this with Wild Shape & still keep the Crow flavor?), Boon Companion, Then maybe have my companions take team feats
COMPANIONS: I need Multiple "Crow" Companions (at least 2, I'm thinking Axebeaks or but any crow-like animal would work as my GM will allow for creative renaming -- but not reclassing, so I can't make a "crow" swarm)
THE BIG PROB: How can I make multiple companions effective in combat & keep them from getting one-shotted? (The GM actually plays all companions & he roleplays them according to their (my) alignment and will happily march them to their deaths if they're not up to snuff) Has anyone made a functional multi-combat-companion build & lived to tell the tale? If so, what classes? Feats? Alternative ideas?
FAMILIAR: I'd like to have some sort of "Crow" (Raven) familiar too. Is that possible with a companion?
FIRE POWER: I'd like to be able to summon additional "Crows" in combat like SNA spells (creating the "murder"/flock effect) though I can give this up if my companions are strong
So.... Any recommendations?
Maybe a Pack Lord Druid/Horizon Walker 1/Nature Warden? (with boon companion to get around the Druid Level Companion level problem?)
Or a Pack Lord Druid/Beast Master Ranger? (Can I have companions from each class? Or just one?)
What about a Shaman Druid with levels in Beast Master?
I'm open to anything that could make it viable in combat. Oh, and my current character is level 11.
*I know this is a wall of text & a ton of questions. So thanks in advance to anyone who actually makes it this far & double thanks to anyone who is kind enough to offer help.
