Yeah, Alchemists are easy to make into Witchers. I was just curious to see if anyone had any interesting ideas. I've played a couple of "Witchers" as melee oriented Alchemists, it's fun and pretty easy to build.
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It's been asked before and I've read countless discussions about the most optimal way to build a character similar to a Witcher, with the model of course being Geralt. I've considered Alchemist and Inquisitor for obvious reasons, but some people have argued that a template should be added before classes to simulate the mutations Witchers undergo at an early age, which would take out a chunk of reasoning behind the Alchemist class. My question is, what builds have you seen and thought to be most effective and what ideas do you guys have for building one? This is mostly brain-candy, but maybe I can implement a character who is Witcher-esque if we come up with something cool enough.
I thought about pure caster as well in the form of a wizard. It will be a touch difficult because of the setting we're playing in, but the GM says I can sort of flavor spells to help make it work if I'm willing to put in that effort, which I am.
The Summoner, I know, will be playing a heavy hitter kind of character. He's all about damage, though he's generally decent at making his characters relatively well balanced in the defense field as well. I thought about bard extensively. You think straight bard would work in this instance?
To clarify, we are limited to human and then "beast man" races, so orc, kitsune, things like that. No elves or anything of that sort. Classes are pretty open, including the Playtest ones. So there's that. Like I said before, 15 point buy, we have a healer, a summoner who's going to be melee, a rogue and a two-weapon damage dealer.
So, we're about to start a new game. It's level 3. 15 point buy, and I don't know what to play. We have a Tengu Rogue, a Kitsune Summoner, an Undine Oracle (Heals) and a Dual Wielding Ranger who hasn't chosen much for a race yet. It looks like a beefy character is needed above all else, but I'm kind of bored of Paladin and straight Fighters. Any suggestions?
On another thread I saw someone suggesting a pounce feature to make a TWF viable. This intrigued me, but I can't think of a way someone would actually be able to gain this short of Combat Style, which I wouldn't be using as a TWF to begin with. Any suggestions?
Stay away from the Artificer. It's poorly designed.
Knights of holy orders are where you need to look, because your standard chivalric knight is going to be more akin to a Cavalier.
First, thank you all for the advice. It's been (mostly) helpful. On the subject of whether or not I've warned him yet: no, I haven't. And I won't be forcing him to Fall until we've spoken about this at length and he's kept up his actions afterwards. I'm a GM looking for advice, not an a%~@%~% looking for an excuse to ruin somebody's fun. I'm genuinely perplexed by the matter, or was at the time of posting this. The actions he's been following have been largely on a morally gray path and while Iomedae is certainly a militant god, that is not a free pass to kill everything. It's not inherently good to kill something that is evil, just because it is evil - there is such a thing as being over zealous. Keep in mind some real world examples of men who've committed atrocious acts of oppression and genocide in the name of their god, in the name of their country and in the name of good. Good is a subjective term and while many can agree that there are several actions that are inherently good and bad, the act of killing will always (or at least, more often) fall in between. There's a point where it becomes too much, where the simple fact that someone has not once attempted to find another solution to a particular situation and you begin to wonder: Is he truly good, or is he a zealot? For the character that's involved in this game it's hard to tell, because as I've mentioned before, he doesn't participate much in RP so trying to figure out who he is has been a difficult task. That's why I came here in the first place. I have an e-mail sitting in his inbox now with some questions about his character, questions largely provided by Zenith's blogspot above (which again was super helpful, thanks!) and hopefully we'll be able to clear up our issues and get back to having fun.
The Should The Paladin Fall link actually proved to be very helpful and I think answered all my questions. Thanks!
Hey guys, I have a situation that I'm trying to resolve as easily as possible. I'm running a game where one of the players is playing a Paladin. His character was introduced while the party was around level 5 or 6, but they just hit 9. He is a Paladin of Iomedae, no archetypes I believe, and mechanically speaking he's very, very well built. He has a great damage out-put and his AC is the highest in the party at the moment, but outside of combat he's bland. He has little interactions with the rest of the party and his only motivation seems to be "grr kill bad guys," but to that degree he is entirely merciless to the point where I don't think he could be accurately described as Lawful Good. If anything, he's Lawful Evil - he has no care for who or what he kills, as long as it falls under the ___ Evil category. He describes himself as grim and angry, which I understand to mean that he can be harsh and sometimes toes the line between what's good and necessary, but he doesn't play that way. He plays like a blood-thirsty monster. The problem with this is, I as a DM want to say that he needs to shape up or he's at risk of falling, but I know the player traditionally does not handle things well when they don't go positively for him. He's brought the mood down at our games on more than a few occasions when he's failed to perform (poor roles, or the enemy is just particularly potent against his character) and when his original character came close to death he all but abandoned him and started making a new one in the same session. How would you suggest handling it?
YRM, thank you. Your summary of the Hound as a character is more accurate in my opinion when compared to most folk, who view him as a purely evil character. That build looks pretty good to me, but I think it's missing a Character trait. Still, thanks for the suggestions! I may try and put him to use and have fun with it.
Inspired by RaizielDragon's threads about making Daenerys Targaryen and Ser Jorah Mormont, I come to you with another Game of Thrones related character concept. Sandor Clegane, The Hound, equal parts monster and fearful child. Obviously, he's a martial class and likely a straight Fighter, but I was curious about your take on him and what sort of feat path you would take. Just for fun!
I'm running a Rise of the Runelords game and our magus uses Frostbite and some crazy stuff to dish out a whole bunch of status damage
Yeah, you made me remember that dual talent humans were a thing. I totally forgot. I have to make sure the DM is cool with it, he's super picky about races.
I read the guide and it had some very useful tips. The third Paladin type listed there (The Castigator Paladin), is definitely the style I'm going for. What about a Castigator Paladin as a dual talent human? That would make it easier to buff my STR and CHA without having to take as many negs.
We have enough ranged, we need another major melee character.
Sorry, it slipped my mind. Only core races are allowed. I'm probably going to be playing Human. As long as it's officially Paizo, all books are allowed. 15 point buy.
Hey guys, I'm playing in a Rise of the Runelords game and have decided to make a Paladin. I'm not super familiar with the class, though, so I'm not exactly sure how to build him. As far as healing goes, we have an abundance of wands and a dedicated, well built cleric. The party is fairly tanky, as well, so AC isn't the hugest concern. I don't need to be a wall to intercept damage. What I need most is upfront damage. I'm not sure how to build a Paladin to be a great damage dealer, however. Obviously, Power-Attack is a must but after that? No clue. If you guys have a suggested build or feat progression, I'd love to hear them. Thanks!
I really like the Arcane Duelist, so I'll likely take that.
I hadn't considered a Bard, strangely enough, and that's my favorite class.
Hey guys, I'm about to join a Carrion Crown game that's been going on for a short while already. I'll be second level when I enter, 20 point buy, and as far as I'm aware the class restrictions are no Gunslingers, Summoners, Samurai, Ninjas and Monks. Everything else is free game. The party consists of two Human Clerics (one melee, one who mixes between melee and ranged combat), one Halfling Rogue (who acts as the main ranged, a sniper), one Elf Wizard, and one Human Fighter who fights using TWF. My problem is, I don't really know what to make. Help?
I thought as much. Still, good to have someone confirm it. Thanks!
Hey, guys, I'm checking out the Mr. Hyde build and am seriously considering trying it out in a game I'll be joining. But, first, a question. Obviously, the cornerstone is the Feral Mutagen that gives you claw attacks and a bite. How do the multiple methods of attack work if I were to work them all in in one round? Am I able to hit with both claws and the bite as a full-attack action, and if so, do standard two/multi weapon fighting rules apply? Thanks.
Well, I think a Paladin as more of an off-healer. Couple that with the versatility of Alchemist and whatever wands we may or may not come across, and I think that we'll be good with the healing aspect and have an awesome front line. I'm also not familiar with building them, though, either. Any suggestions?
Well, I was thinking that a good way to supplement the role of both healer and tank would be to play some form of Paladin. What do you think? Right now, the fighters have good enough AC that a main tank isn't necessary.
Hey guys, I'm playing Rise of the Runelords with a group of six players total. We have an Alchemist, Sorcerer, Rogue, Fighter (Archery) and another Fighter (Lore Warden). Really, what we need most is a healer but I'm not experienced with clerics or spellcasting classes in general. Right now we're level one. What would guys suggest for a starting build? Restrictions are core races, it's 15 point buy. Any Paizo published feat is allowed.
What about if you have the POison Use class feature?
Are the rules for applying poison to natural weapons any different than applying poison to manufactured weapons? Meaning, if a contact poison is applied to a claw natural attack, will the creature in question have to make a save against the contact poison?
A big problem I have with the Ranger are his spells. IMO, they're not particularly great. I was thinking if I do go Ranger, I'd pick the Skirmisher and Infiltrator archetypes, which would replace Favored Terrain and Spells. I don't see losing Favored Terrain as a disadvantage since the GM has expressed that we'll be traveling a lot to various places of vastly different scopes, climates and cultures so it would be difficult to choose an appropriate Favored Terrain anyways.
The rogue mostly took the class I think for all the skills it offers, he's pretty heavily skill oriented and doesn't have a major combat role at the moment. He's going to focus on wizard throughout the rest and said that he will be grabbing more combat oriented spells in the near future. I was thinking Ranger because the added potential of a second stealth character can help supplement the Halfling's because he's going to become less and less focused on sneaking at higher levels (I'm assuming) so it's good to have some variety.
See, archer Ranger was my first pick. But from what I understand, to make archery effective you have to be pretty feat heavy and I'm not sure what all to grab. Obviously Point-Blank and Precise-Shot, but after that it starts getting a little more complicated than that.
The problem with the rogue is that he doesn't participate directly in combat, he's more of a character who sets things up for the rest of the party, utilizing items like acid flasks and traps and stuff more than his sneak attack. I think he chose the first level in rogue because he didn't know what else to be, and decided later he didn't quite care for it. Bard's a good suggestion and it's been a while since I've played one, though, so I'll definitely give it some consideration. In the meantime, I'm still open to suggestions.
Hey there everyone, it's me again. I was recently invited to join a game that I'm very interested in participating in, since my other game fell through and I now have no other obligations, I said yes. He gave me the lowdown and the party set-up as it is right now and I was looking for some advice on what class to choose and what particular role to fill. It's a party of three, I make the forth. We have an Elf Cleric 3, a Halfling Rogue 1/Wizard 2 and a Half-Orc Barbarian 1/Fighter 1. I'll be starting at level two, according to the DM. I have some limited resources. It is point buy (15) and races are core only. He allows all classes, feats, traits and archetypes from the Core Rulebook, Advanced Player's Guide, Ultimate Combat and Ultimate Magic. Generally speaking, the very basics of the main roles seem to be covered. The Cleric is the party healer, the Halfling is the skill-monkey for all intents and purposes, and the Half-Orc is a sword-and-board guy and acts as a tank. We're mostly missing a primary damage dealer, if even that, because from what I've heard the Half-Orc hits pretty hard himself and the Cleric's been known to mess some enemies up as well. I was leaning most heavily towards Ranger, but what do you guys think?
About to begin playing in a campaign that starts off at level 2. I'm interested in trying a character who's focused more on throwing weapons than anything else, knives in particular. I envision him as a sort of assassin-y guy, he'll likely be the party stealth character as well. Any ideas for a character who might fit this little description? What I have to work with is thus: 2nd level, point buy (15), core races only, no 3rd Party, and we're allowed to use any Paizo feat. Classes are from the Player's Handbook and the Advanced Player's Handbook.
Oooh. I hadn't looked at Inquisitions. Persistence is pretty awesome, and I was planning on getting the Step Up feat chain, this is a nice, free boost.
I'm not really concerned with mimicking the spells to be perfectly exact. It's not going to be 100% unless I homebrew a class, which I hate doing. As long as the character has a similar sort of feel to him, I'm fine.
The Signs are as follows: Aard: Basically a blast of kinetic energy, think Force Push. It does small damage, has a moderate knock-back, and occasionally stuns. Can affect multiple opponents in game. Yrden: A magical trap that temporarily immobilizes enemies who step on it. Up to three can be placed at a time at max level, and these three will act in unison to create an impassable barrier. Igni: Igni is basically a small fireball. Later levels give it a small blast radius, but the range is pretty limited. It's the highest damage output a Witcher has magically. Quen: Quen is a magical shield that absorbs damage for 30 seconds in game, it applies only to the person who cast it. At a later level it can absorb more damage and reflect a portion of it back as electricity damage to the attacker. Axii: It's a charm spell, making enemies your ally for a short time. Higher levels allow it to affect more people. It can be used sort of as a Diplomacy buff as well, convincing people during dialogue to do what you want. That's it for the Signs. Keep in mind, Witcher's don't cast Signs as their main method of combat. They're extremely limited in the amount they can cast before waiting for Vigor (a sort of mixture of a mana and stamina bar) to regenerate (which is slow, slow slow slow). A Witcher does not cast Signs with anywhere near the frequency a Wizard or Sorcerer would cast their usual spells. They're meant as tools to supplement them when appropriate, rather than as focal points for combat.
Oh, duh. That makes perfect sense (and is considerably less broken) thanks!
I can see Internal Alchemist being a decent choice. Most of the bonus feats wouldn't be helpful, but a couple aren't bad and I don't see my character making use of discoveries very much. Thanks for the suggestion!
I'm working on a character at the moment and looking over traits. One that caught my eye was the Adopted trait, which reads You picked up a race trait from your adoptive parents and society, and may immediately select a race trait from your adoptive parents’ race. I'm a little unclear on what that means, exactly. I get that I could use it to give a human the half-orc trait Darkvision 60ft, however, can it also be used to take the ability trait half-orc's get, granting him another +2 to any one ability of his choosing? Would it apply to any alternate racial traits they got as well, where I could take Acute Darkvision instead?
I just re-familiarized myself with the Inquisitor and I do believe that they are the best base class for the style I'm aiming for. I had considered a Magus initially, but as Katz suggested, they are a little too magic heavy and spell reliant. I think taking a couple of levels in Alchemist wouldn't be bad at all, maybe after I get a couple of levels of Inquisitor out of the way. I considered Ranger as well, but I'm a little tired of the class as a whole and the Inquisitor's Monster Lore fits pretty well with the idea of a Witcher. I'm trying to work out ability scores at the moment and with it being 15 point buy, I'm having some difficulty deciding what to put the most in. Wisdom is obviously a relatively high priority, because the Inqusitor's spells and most of their class features are based off of Wisdom to some degree, but at the same time to capture the essence of a Witcher I need him to be a heavy hitter in combat. Suggestions?
At the end of the month I'm starting in a new campaign that is far more limited as far as what I can and can't choose than my previous games, however I'm excited because it's a new group and I'm hoping that it works out well enough to keep going for some time. The character I have in mind could be likened to Geralt of Rivia from the Witcher games and book series. For those of you who are not familiar with the series, I will explain the concept briefly. A Witcher is (usually) a man who was trained from a very young age and subjected to various alchemical treatments for the purpose of hunting down monsters, specifically, those who prey on humanity. They use a combination of skills including incredible martial prowess, a small amount of magic Signs (explained as being the simplest form of spellcasting), potions to boost their abilities and are incredibly long-lived and more resilient than the average human. To my knowledge, all Witcher's are human, though the alchemical treatments they are subjected to makes whether they are still human a subject of debate. Now, naturally I know I can't do all of this without multiclassing a little bit, which I'm fine with. I need a point to start from, however. The campaign restrictions are as follows: Starting level: 1 Stats: Point Buy (15) Starting Gold: Max for class Allowed resources: Pathfinder Core Rulebook, Advanced Player's Guide, Ultimate Combat, Ultimate Magic Archetypes, traits and flaws are allowed. Do you guys have any suggestions?
I'm pretty much set on the Scimitar and Dervish Dance route, it seems the best possible combination for what I'm trying to accomplish.
I did look into it, yeah. I kind of love bards, but you're right about it being too far from martialness. It'd be a fun class to play, regardless, and I'll probably try out it sometime in the future.
weird idea. Duelist using a light shield with a shield spike one handed. That would negate pretty much everything the Duelist gets...
I don't deny the viability, but I'm anti-mounted combat. I don't care for the Cavalier at all as a class and don't enjoy lances, either.
Looking at level 8 in particular, I wouldn't be eligible for Weapon Specialization at that level simply because I don't have Weapon Focus yet. I could replace Step Up (as you suggested) with Weapon Focus and take my level in Fighter then for Weapon Specialization then, but I do really like the Step Up chain. I could replace Following Step with the prerequsite Step Up feat and then grab the next tier at level 9, though.
I understand, but isn't there another option? I'm leaning toward the Freebooter route more than the Guide route, regardless. Now I have a question about Feats, particularly in the Cleave path. Isn't there a Feat that you can take that allows you to take a 5-foot step after killing someone with Cleave to go on to another target? Or something along those lines? I know there's a Dwarf-specific Feat that is similar to that, but I could have sworn there was also a generic Combat Feat for it as well.
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