Our previous campaign was coming to an end, and we were discussing what classes we would like to try out. One player quickly claimed the Inexonerable Iron Magus, another wanted to be a Cloistered Cleric having previously played a Barbarian. I had my sights on the Bard, and the final player said he'd like to be a tanky and protective fighter or champion.
"Perfect!" I thought. We'd have reliable healing and generous buffs supporting two flanking martials in the fray! This looked like it was going to be a well-oiled machinery. Come session zero last Tuesday, and the "fighter or champion" had suddenly switched out his character for a Witch, making our party consist of the aforementioned Primal Witch, a Cloistered Cleric, a Maestro/Warrior Bard and only a magus left to front the party in combat.
Needless to say, this doesn't look like a party that's going to benefit as much from having a bard as it would have being rounded out by a different class, so it seems like I'll be tossing 4-5 months of meticulous planning, character development, spell selection, and item & equipment research out the window.
I've been looking towards playing a Champion so I can at least keep some of the charisma I had envisioned for my character, even if it might be a bit wonky pre-remaster.
My questions:
1) Is redeemer champion a sound choice to round out this party?
- (Witch, Redeemer champ, Iron Magus, C.Cleric)
2) What do you think of this build? It's a bit hastily put together, all things considered. Might be open to try Liberator as well. We are allowed two bonus ancestry feats at lvl 1 & are playing with Free Archetype.
So far, we heave the beastbrood (raksasha-spawn), the grimspawn (daemon-spawn), the hellspawn (devil-spawn), the pitborn (demon-spawn), the riftmarked (qlippoth-spawn) and the shackleborn (Velstrac/Kyton-spawn).
That leaves the Faultspawn/Asura-spawn, Foulspawn/Demodandspawn, Hungerseed/Oni-Spawn, and Spitespawn/Div-spawn. Does anyone know if these lineages are on the horizon? I'm terrible at browsing and wouldn't know where to look for news of such releases. Personally hoping for a div-spawn release for character reasons.
So my 3rd lvl tiefling animal instinct barbarian crit failed her wis save against banishment and was sent to Abaddon for seven days with no way of returning...
Now, does banishment work on tieflings? If it does, then my actual question is answered. It simply happened, and is a hazard I'll have to be on the look out for. Though, if I remember my 1e rules correctly, banishment does not work on tieflings normally. They are outsiders, though native to the material plane and so forth. Chalk it up to a late game on a work day, and not wanting to spend 15 minutes of precious game time to look for rule clarifications.
My actual question stems from this; We decided to go for it, anyway. I'm more into story development and tension building, than I am into strict rule following and this certainly made for a very chaotic cliffhanger. We even made private plans on a 1 on 1 session before the next game, to detail what my little vacation to hell was like and not clog up the next session with me taking the spotlight. Retconning it, to abide by rules would be a little anti-climactic now. There might also be a backstory reason explaining that she actually is native to Abaddon, but that's besides the point.
Now, my question: Seeing as I might have imposed a fairly big penalty to myself, that wouldn't ordinarily be there, I might need some mechanical benefit to counteract it. How would you guys solve it, in a balanced way?
A few easy solutions might be;
1) The banishment spell did in actuality fail, though forces from beyond used the abjuration energy to pull me over for a specific reason (GM plot hook), meaning future uses of the spell wouldn't affect me. Not too fond of grand destinies or implied "chosen one"-storylines, but it could be used as an explanation.
2) The GM and I privately agree to never have the banishment spell be apart of the game again, so this effectively becomes a one time issue.
But this is not why I've gathered you all here, I've gathered you to ask for help in finding a mechanical counter-balance to accepting a weakness I wasn't originally meant to have. Maybe I was being a bit too unearnestly modest when I said I cared more about story, but oh well.
If it helps, flavourwise, my tiefling is of the hitherto unconverted div-spawn/Spiteborn tiefling variant. More precisely, the Shira, which are bipedal lioness-like div that enjoys hunting strong prey. Thus, a catfolk/tiefling animal barbarian was fairly apt. She is also a neutral evil worshiper of Urgathoa, so she isn't completely out of place in Abaddon. Though I still role played her as being fairly scared, having only known the comfortable material plane in her young life.
We did look up the div trait which alludes to greater darkvision, but also imposes weakness to cold iron and good-aligned attacks. Not exactly a penalty I'm keen on for a front-line attacker.
TLDR: What would be a good mechanical counterbalance to having your pc tiefling getting the extraplanar subtype?
Starting up War for the crown shortly as a player. We've been given a little lee-way in our build and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the feat options. As war for the crown is a social heavy campaign there will be some feat choices for flavor alone. I am filling the role of the team's beastly striker. A vain adopted baron's daughter by day who lashes into a frenzy at the scent/sight of blood. Mainly unarmed/maneuvers. Also hoping to jump like a cat!
I am hoping that the perceptive eyes of Paizo can point out some room for improvement or other feedback.
GM's lee-way: Two extra ancestry feats at lvl 1 and the free archetype custom ruling.
Class: Barbarian
Race: Catfolk/Tiefling (adopted as an exotic vanity project, enabling violent and anti-social traits in the shadows)
Class: Raging Intimidation, Deer Instinct ("They have horns, just like me!")
Ancestry: Nimble Hooves, Fiendish lore, Hellspawn
Skill: Darkvision, Land on your feet, Lie to Me, Multilingual, Intimidating Glare
Any feedback is welcome - even positive would make me more assured. As I am very new to second edition it would be nice to know if I'm heading in the right direction.
So, I had a go at building a tiefling monk for Pathfinder 2E and I’m looking for a little feedback/some ideas regarding feat progression. I have never played any games of 2E as of yet.
The build came about from an idea and is intended for a role play heavy campaign (War for the crown), and thus you’ll see some flavor-induced feats you might not have otherwise reccomended. I’m not married to any particular monk concept, but I know I want the following.
1. An unarmed character that fights with their bare hands. No monastic weaponry. I’ve considered an animal spirit barbarian, but…
2. A mobile/dodging/jumping character. Not really keen on the sluggish mountain stance.
- Cassandra Cain, X-23 and eventually Catra from the new She-ra Cartoon are the biggest character influences. Prioritizing High AC seems like a worthy investment considereng the new crit system. Plus, who doesn’t love survivability? This is why I currently have my button on the monk over the barbarian. Crane stance, though limited to a strike with a low damage dice, seems the most fitting.
3. The ability to use the environment/harrass/impairing foes
- This one isn’t so much about what I want, as it is about finding a niche that synergizes well with the rest of the party. The party will feature a fighter and possibly a warpriest or champion. Maybe it will be okay if I prioritize ways to dibilitate foes over damage output and otherwise be a very mobile tank? Maybe use the class skills that bypass resistance to get in some debuffs?
The GM has allowed us three ancestry feats at lvl 1 to distinguish the ancestries more. We missed some of the flavor from 1e.
Monk Tiefling (Human) :
Str: 18 Dex: 16 Con: 12 Int: 10 Wis: 10 Cha: 12
Skills: Acrobatics, Athletics, Deception, Lore (Mercantile, Legal), Performance (Vielle), Society, Stealth, (Intimidation + Religion if I go for Fiendish Lore)
1. Crance Stance, Ki Rush*, Flurry of Blows, Multilingual, Lie To me
Ancestry: Hellspawn, Natural Ambition*, Fiendish Eyes (Darkvision). (Might go for lore (Intimidation, Religion as skills) or Nimble Hooves (+ movement))
2. Stunning Fist, Quick Jump (meshes well with crane stance)
3. Toughness, +10 feet, Mystic Strikes
4. Wholeness of Body (LOVE the idea of healing myself), Rapid Mantel
5. + Acrobatics, Ability Boost (Str 19, Dex 18, Con 14, Wis or Cha), Nimble Hooves (+5 Feet), Alertness, Expert Strikes
6. Crane Flutter, Powerful Leap/Cat’s fall (not sure about the skill feats from here on)
7. Path: Boost Will saves, Canny Acumen: Boost Fortitude
8. Class: Maybe something to get more focus?, Skill: Wall Jump?
9. Devil Magic (Invisibility and Misdirection once per day sounds good both in and out of combat)
As I’m gradually progressing throughout the build, I’m less certain on what to go for. I think I have the mobility covered. Run/jump out of harms way (or get all the way up to the pesky mage) in order to stun/shove/trip them
1. Crance Stance, Flurry of Blows, Multilingual, Lie To me, Darkvision, Land on your feet
Ancestry: Hellspawn, Nimble Hooves (+5 feet)/Catfolk’s Luck (reroll ref saves 1/day), Fiendish Lore
2. Student of Perfection dedication (Early athletics boost, Ki strike), Rapid Mantel
3. Toughness, +10 feet, Mystic Strikes
4. Wholeness of Body, Quick Jump
5. + Acrobatics, Ability Boost (Str 19, Dex 18, Con 14, Wis or Cha), , Alertness, Expert Strikes
6. Crane Flutter, Powerful Leap?
7. Path: Boost Will saves, Canny Acumen: Boost Fortitude
8. Class: Maybe something to get more focus?, Skill: Wall Jump? Kip up?
9. Devil Magic (Invisibility and Misdirection once per day sounds good both in and out of combat)
«Loses» StunningFist, but unlocks a lot of utility – Might work better with a different stance/focus on feinting or initimidation.
So, what's this? The 100th thread on natural attacks? Pardon my cheekiness. I've tried to scout the web for threads on this for a few hours now, but haven't really come up with anything conclusive. I will gladly delete this post, if I'm directed towards any of the threads I haven't read..
I'll try to be quick. Started pondering about playing a follower of Urgathoa, and with Oracle being my favorite class, the hunger (gluttony) curse came to mind. I love the flavor of curses.
It provides a bite, which will eventually lead into a free grab. Then the Tiefling's alternate racial "Maw or Claw" which offers two claws as primary attacks came along.
1) My first Question: Can the two be combined in a build somehow? I'm a complete noob as far as natural attacks go. I figured it went something like this;
Bab 1-5
Standard action: 1d6 Bite OR 1d4+1d4 claws
Bab 6-x
Full-round action: 1d6 Bite AND 1d4+1d4 claws
etc.
2) My second question: How do I take this further?
Feats: Improved Natural Attacks, Power Attack, Feral Combat Training?
Classes: Oracle dip? LE Monk? Barbarian? Rage Prophet? Even considered Bloatmage, even though I doubt they mesh with melee builds. I'd actually love an antipaladin delivering cruelties through natural attacks. Or some nasty monk style feats.
What I don't like: Animal companions (Going for a crazed loner type as an initial characterization), Alchemist potions for extra limbs (Barely looks cool on paper IMO, plus I want this character to be feral - not the type to think of strange brews and concoctions)
Character Fluff:
An unwanted Tiefling child, adopted and brought up in a cult, literally starved and depraved of any natural interaction in order to unleash a ferocious, amoral being of carnal desire into the world
I’m looking for some input/feedback on a party of six that’s about to come together. A lot about the characters have already been decided. Races are not up for debate for one. One glaring problem with the current lineup is that there might be too much of a melee-focus and not enough caster-bases covered (especially on the arcane side). I guess what I’m asking for is this: What choices could we make in order to cover the most bases and still keep with the general theme?
I’m presenting the party with the general idea attached, with some brief notes under as to what the current development is.
Human: Sword & Board-build. Bull-rushes and rages.
- Might go for the viking archetype. Might multiclass with Barbarian. Might perhaps go superstitious barbarian with fighter lvls in order to cover Sword & Board Feats. Initially planned as a full martial class.
Half-Orc: 2 hand martial with orc falchion. Possibly battle Cleric?
- Both Gorum and Sarenrae are flavourful deities for the character. Maybe use separatist to mix domains. Not sure which would be the best combo. Might go for Glory domain as it’s available to both Sarenrae and Gorum.
Half-Orc: Inquisitor of Sarenrae. Archer?
- Someone more sneaky. Perhaps Ranger would be a better, less feat intensive choice. Divine spells are a plus. Is the twin sister of the above-mentioned half-orc.
Human: Alchemist or Empiricist Investigator
- A skill monkey. Sort of a tinkering character. Wants to be utility focused.
Aasimar (Agathion-kin – Con/Cha): Straight up Oradin.
This one is pretty much set as the party healer.
Tiefling (Demon-spawn – Str/Cha): Token evil party member.
Initially wanted to be a monk or a brawler. Ability scores suits a bloodrager. Maybe even a magus. Is NOT interested in claws or natural attacks-focus.
Hey, everyone. I'm here again, looking to bring another concept into cold black and white stats! I don't think it's the most unconventional of concepts, fairly straight forward, but still I'd like some pointers in what way to pull it off.
Idea: The concept started with a relentless warrior, one who flew screaming into battle with their opponents swinging at them. At this description alone, I see the barbarian class with it's rage class feature and fast movement as a fitting choice. And more than likely, Improved Bull rush as a feat!
Here, comes the tricky part: I want the character to use a sword and a shield. The warrior archetype swinging a huge heavy knife 75 % the length of their own bodies simply doesn't appeal to me (Guts and Amiri get a pass here, of course). I'd rather have a character who alternately slashes and smashes (or at least uses the shield as part of a bull rush, to knock opponents off their feet).
Now, I am aware that sword/shield-builds are typically feat intensive which is why I'm open to the inclusion of fighter lvls in the build. This makes sense thematically, as the character is noble born, though to a father who was initially an adventuring Ranger. The character is essentially too reckless to not become an adventurer, but would probably still know a thing or to about high society and formal combat training.
A stat block I had in mind that, though far from optimized, would still fit the character is as follows:
Sorry that I can't provide much in terms of a started build as I'm not really sure where to start.
I would love to mainly go for the Barbarian. The tireless blows suits the character's theme. Though, I'm still not adverse to multiclassing in order to get some vital feats in.
I'm playing a human Cleric of Gozreh with the Growth Domain in our current campaign. I originally went for a reach build, but I'm looking to do battlefield control as well through summons among other things.
Character theme: A Shoanti "Warrior Shaman". Reach build w. Longspear goes well with fluff. As does summons which could represent ancestral images or totem beasts. The extra skill points of the Herald Caller would help to portray her as someone with the skills of a wilderness upbringing.
Party set up: Buff-focused Bard, Human Slayer, Orc Fighter - Thus, a Battlefield Control Cleric might not be the worst addition?
Multiclassing: I considered a dip in Fighter to regain armor proficiency, but medium armor prof might do the trick if Mithril heavy comes into play. The bonus feat is always welcome, of course, and unlocking class skills such as Climb, Handle Animal, Intimidate, Knowledge (Dungeoneering, Engineering), Ride, Survival and Swim as are pretty much thematically appropriate for a Shoanti to have as class skills.
Human Reach Cleric (Herald Caller) of Gozreh
Alternate racial trait: Heart of the Fey - Grants Lowlight Vision, +1 to Ref and Will saves and Perception and Knowledge (Nature) as class skills. Suits the fluff of a "wilderness Cleric". Replaces Skilled.
Or, an alternate route with a Fighter Dip. Delays the good stuff by one level, but frees up TWO feat slots, nets me heavy armor prof instead of just medium as the straight cleric build would have gone for, and hands me tons of thematically delicious class skills. Still not sure if worth..
*Some suggestions for what these feats might be spent on. Improved Initiative/Heighten Spell is the most likely pick as it opens up for Preferred Spell at fifth. If you're wondering why there is no sacred summons, it's because Gozreh is true neutral and I understand there is little to benefit from there.
I have a concept in the making that needs help in order to be brought into life. In the future we'll be starting up Rise of the Runelords, and I wanted to play a Shoanti Human of the cleric class and really embrace the "one with nature/Fish out of water in urban society"-theme, as is one of my favorite type of roles to play.
My character is a 6'3" (190 cm) young woman and among the warrior-shamans (Clerics) of the Lyrune-Quah/Moon Clan, shaped by the rugged landscapes of the Cinderlands. She's strong, capable of fighting in melee, practicing magic, and enduring and maneuvering through the wilderness. Upon ending up in Sandpoint she feels uncomfortable being perceived as a barbarian or "savage" by some due to her height or mannerisms, despite Shoanti society in itself not lacking in civility or advance, just practices culture in a different way.
Her stats ended up looking like this (15 point buy):
Str: 17 Dex: 12 Con: 14 Int: 10 Wis: 14 Cha: 7
I planned on running her build along the lines of a really cool build I found in one thread here on the boards, utilizing the Wolf Domain (druid) and Anger Inquisition with the separatist archetype. People might dispute the legality of this, and I'll have to say: Don't worry! - Our games sometimes even allow 3rd party material and home-brewed solutions to be used (within reasoned evaluation, of course), as encounters are usually always beefed to make them "more interesting", anyways. Our GM usually hints that we need all the help we can get, so we have to be smart about things.
The Wolf domain caught my interest in particular. It grants Improved Trip for free which is precisely what I'll want seeing as I'm interested in using a spear. The Exotic Weapon Totem-Spear to be exact, something I home-brewed in as a deity favored weapon seeing as my Cleric practices totem worship. The "Bloodhound" domain-spell is also extremely flavorful, as is "Aspect of the Wolf" which will be available as a 3rd lvl spell, boosting her physical stats nicely. All in all, this fits quite well for a battle Cleric and especially for what I had in mind. I wanted her to be this big mama-wolf of the party, after all.
Long winded introduction aside; here comes my actual questions(!):
Two of my co-players has hinted that their plans are to play heavily melee focused characters, thus making me feel that a melee focused Cleric would be a bit superfluous. It has me thinking I should change my build to being more support-oriented, something that I'm not initially against. I haven't played a Cleric before and their potential for buffing, healing and aiding their allies through divine magic is something I'd love to explore.
I'd still like to keep the spear, the wolf domain and the build leaning towards a rugged nature-forged human, if possible, though I am very well aware that a Cleric is not a class that gets to have cake and then eat it to. It's one or the other, right?
One conclusion that popped into my mind is the possibility of me simply playing a different class. If anything, a Ranger seems far more suited for this type of character - Though I'd very much love to have divine magic from the get-go. I've also played a ranger before. Part of me wants to avoid the druid as it doesn't seem they benefit from the wolf domain in quite the same way as a Cleric would.
So if possible, A Cleric with a nature (preferably wolven) persuasion with a spear that supports and fights?
I guess I'm bordering on becoming a novice player at this point. I've become familiar with neat feat chains, multiclass options and ways to pull off unlikely build concepts. But I have yet to play a Wizard.
Overall, I see the class heralded as "the god", "the tier 1", "The one capable of doing basically anything better than anyone" etc. Okay. Imagine my surprise when I (accustomed to playing classes with colorful progressions, swimming in class feats i.e. Rangers, Rogues, Swashbucklers, Paladins etc.) gazed upon the barren level progression table that is the wizard's.
So, I've learned a bit since then. It's time to see what the fuss is about. It's time to explore my first wizard.
Right off the bat, I should inform you that I'm planning on making a Kitsune wizard, utilizing the "keen kitsune" alternate racial trait that grants +2 to int instead of Cha. Far from optimized, it's more that I have a fairly obvious favorite race.
For ability scores, we're using the 15 point buy system. I also thought about using the "middle-aged" modifiers, which actually proved beneficial with 'optimized' stats. My current suggestions are these:
Str: 5
Dex: 16
Con: 12
Int: 19
Wis: 12
Cha: 8
Then there is probably the more ideal..
Str: 6
Dex: 14
Con: 12
Int: 20
Wis: 12
Cha: 8
The thought is to make the character an aging wizard, one with the kitsune's taste for the fine arts. Very intelligent and knowledgeable with the sage-like wisdom that comes with age and perhaps a bit of a prune-y, toothless vibe whereas his charisma is concerned (his fox shape would be graying and somewhat stiff in the joints).
As an old man, he wouldn't have the highest constitution, though I do find it very appealing to give him a high dex score, somewhat superior to the average human, accounting for the Kitsune's innate acrobatic skills. "How can an old man make a jump like that?" people might ask. A dex score of 16 drives that point home fairly well. Then again, Int is everything in the wizarding world and the lower statblock might be strictly better in most ways.
Speaking of which: Is having a strength stat of 5 a bad idea, even for a wizard? I thought of solving it using spells like ant's haul and whatnot, but still?
Then there is the question of which school to pick. I've been wanting a somewhat versatile style for this wizard. Someone with a trick up his sleeve for every occasion. Oddly enough, people seem to suggest the Conjuration school above playing a universallist, as it in many ways is the most versatile choice. I'm not terribly interested in summoning, are there any other viable options?
As for staring feats, I've been thinking of selecting Toughness, Improved Initiative, combat casting, or a form of spell focus. The line on from there would probably be "Greater" spell focus and metamagic feats. Any other tips?
I'm in a group that runs multiple Pathfinder AP's depending on who has time to GM. I love plotting in crossovers between these AP's. An NPC who's disappeared in our Kingmaker campaign, reemerged in our Skull & Shackles campaign, which is set two years in the future from the Kingmaker campaign's timeline, for instance.
Time has come for me to GM Rise of the Runelords. As I've understood, Jade Regent is something of a sequel to Rise of the Runelords, and it would be fun to follow up with it after. Now, for the question..
Question: Seeing as Rise of the Runelords is the first AP of pathfinder, I wanted to have it take place further back in time, ca. the year 4688, as opposed to 4707. Would this be a problem, regarding continuity and events that transpire on Golarion?
(Pardon my hyped rambling, the following isn't necessary to read..)
The reason I want to set it back in time, is to evoke more of a primal feel. Have it really feel like the one that started it all. Thus I will avoid some of the more exotic elements, such as gunpowder and stick to concepts that seems somewhat familiar within core lore. Of course, with the pulp fantasy nature of pathfinder and the somewhat urban setting of Varisia, high fantasy is far from possible. In stead I want to try and invoke something of a cult B-movie feel, utilizing humor (Goblins), grandiose nightmarish horror (Lamashtu worship) and tongue in cheek smut (possible NPC relations) side by side, which it seems like RoTR very well can be fitted to. Planning on doing an 80ies movie binge, before I start planning. Though I'm digressing..
I might de-age some of the characters to try to adjust the timelines a bit, should it be an issue, such as e.g Kendra Deverin being a young aspiring mayor for instance.
This is a duplicate thread. I accidentally sought help in the wrong advice section creating the original thread here: http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2upng?-Martial-Speaker-for-the-past-Shaman-with - I'm unaware of how to delete threads here, and grant permission to any admin to delete the formerly mentioned thread. I'm reposting the thread here, hoping it gains more traction
I'm making a GMPC for an upcoming campaign to round out a party as the 4th pc. I'm planning on using him as an expository and utility character in the beginning. My thoughts crossed making a flavourful Shoanti Human Shaman. As I've served as the party's buff/debuff witch in a previous campaign, I'm wanting to change things up and have a more diverse role with different gimmicks. Thus the Speaker for the past archetype caught my eye.
The idea is to make a human shoanti shaman that could partake in melee, run some buffs and heal adequately and offer some utility spells. Already it looks like I'm spreading the butter a bit thin on the bread, but from my impressions of the shaman, this seems like it could be viable. As stated earlier, I am one for flavour. He doesn't need to be optimized (I might even spend some feats for flavour), though I wouldn't mind some formidability. Thus I am making this thread to ensure it's not a build that would come completely apart later in the games.
NG Human (shoanti) Speaker of the past/Monk 1 (martial artist)
Ancestral revelations
Restoration Spirit (Variant of life spirit) (Or poooossibly battle spirit...)
It seemed reasonable to keep some defensive stats. Int would help with library function, as the Speaker of the past archetype gains a few interesting class skills as well as open up for combat expertise and feats that it allows. Wis ensures a heal check and a healthy access to aiding spells. I figured the melee potential could be buffed with divine spells such as bull's strength.
The reason for the monk level: Wis to AC to name one. Also this; The ancestral revelations grant you a summon of an ancestral Simple or Martial Weapon that will gradually advance in enhancements from masterwork to +1 and onwards. I figured I could fluff in a monk weapon in this case such as a quarter staff, a bow (ranged simple/martial) or a temple sword or something else. If I use the monk bonus feat to gain Ascetic style, I'll be able to deliver unarmed strikes with said weapon, which will open up for Hex strike. As this weapon would be summoned, I could do so after casting the initial buffs and spells at the beginning of combat.
In short: Martial speaker of the past using ancestral revelation monk weapon with hex strike. I'm not completely sold on Hex strike, but I saw it as one way to utilize the monk level. Ability scores and choice of spirit is also up for discussion, but I am adamant that I'd like to find a way to build a melee Shaman with the mentioned archetype.
That's my current idea, though I have no idea how to build this. From the looks of it, this already looks fairly feat-intensive which might cause me to forsake the previously mentioned potential flavour feats. Another con is that it might take a few levels in order to become functional.
In a positive light, this is still a GMPC, mainly there for support and exposition initially, which might excuse why I would keep him in the background until he advances.
I'm making a GMPC for an upcoming campaign to round out a party as the 4th pc. I'm planning on using him as an expository and utility character in the beginning. My thoughts crossed making a flavourful Shoanti Human Shaman. As I've served as the party's buff/debuff witch in a previous campaign, I'm wanting to change things up. Thus the Speaker for the past archetype caught my eye.
The idea is to make a human shoanti shaman that could partake in melee, run some buffs and heal adequately and offer some utility spells. Already it looks like I'm spreading the butter a bit thin on the bread, but from my impressions of the shaman, this seems like it could be viable. As stated earlier, I am one for flavour. He doesn't need to be optimized (I might even spend some feats for flavour), though I wouldn't mind some formidability. Thus I am making this thread to ensure it's not a build that would come completely apart later in the games.
NG Human (shoanti) Speaker of the past/Monk 1 (martial artist)
Ancestral revelations
Restoration Spirit (Variant of life spirit) (Or poooossibly battle spirit...)
It seemed reasonable to keep some defensive stats. Int would help with library function, as the Speaker of the past archetype gains a few interesting class skills as well as open up for combat expertise and feats that it allows. Wis ensures a heal check and a healthy access to aiding spells. I figured the melee potential could be buffed with divine spells such as bull's strength.
The reason for the monk level: Wis to AC to name one. Also this; The ancestral revelations grant you a summon of an ancestral Simple or Martial Weapon that will gradually advance in enhancements. I figured I could fluff in a monk weapon in this case such as a quarter staff or a temple sword. If I use the monk bonus feat to gain ascetic style, I'll be able to deliver unarmed strikes with said weapon, which will open up for Hex strike. As this weapon would be summoned, I could do so after casting the initial buffs and spells at the beginning of combat.
In short: Martial speaker of the past using ancestral revelation monk weapon with hex strike.
That's my current idea, though I have no idea how to build this. From the looks of it, this already looks fairly feat-intensive which might cause me to forsake the previously mentioned potential flavour feats. Another con is that it might take a few levels in order to become functional.
In a positive light, this is still a GMPC, mainly there for support and exposition initially, which might excuse why I would keep him in the background until he advances.
Thanks to generous help from other users I was able to pull off a very successful build consisting of Swashbuckler 5/Barbarian X.
The dex boosting rage (or rather Serenity from the 3d party Serene Barbarian) helps me land most hits and rack up an impressive amount of damage each round combined with Fencing grace and the Swashbuckler Opportune Parry & Riposte.
Obviously, I'd like to delve further into barbarian levels to prolong the duration of rage (6 rounds is barely cutting it right now). The thing is that my second level of barbarian won't tick in until level 7. I dipped once at level 2 to get the rage feature, but I strongly wish to prioritize two more levels of Swashbuckler (currently Swash 3/Barb 1) in order to nab the bonus feats at lvl 5 and Weapon specialization (more ab/dmg and improved critial early and free) as quickly as I can to be more functional.
To get to the point; What rage powers are viable at level 7? The levels will progress slower, so any scaling bonus seems hardly worth it. My first rage power will come in at 7th, the second and 9th, 11th and so forth..
+2 dmg/-2 ac from reckless abandon at level 9, seems fairly underwhelming.
Option A) Possible Rage powers:
I've been thinking of going with Fight response or guarded life at 7 and then delve into renewed vigor at 9 and go from there. Alternately pick superstition at 9th and ghost rager at 11th.
I've also thought about the moment of clarity line.
Impelling disarm has also been noted, hadn't it been for my rather sub par CMB from being a finesse fighter. I could go for quick reflexes which would allow me to take agile maneuvers at lvl 5 in stead of combat reflexes, but I feel that I'd rather have combat reflexes' not-rage dependent use in the levels to come as it's near mandatory for the swashbucklers deeds to be effective.
These were previously suggested to me and are quite good picks which would definitely give the build an extra edge, though still, I wonder if their use will be too situational, too feeble or too feat requiring this late in the game.
Option B) Delve into a barb archetype that Doesn't have rage powers. I'm not sure if such an archetype exist though.
Option C) Take an extra level of Barbarian and be satisfied with the +2 rage rounds and uncanny dodge, then move on to a prestige class. Here I am also completely blank as to what would suffice.
I realize I might be asking a lot, and that I've probably painted myself into a corner with the persistent multiclassing, though it doesn't hurt to check ones options.
In short; What are good late entry (7th lvl ->) rage powers, or should I branch into new territory?
There is this NPC in our campaign that served as my PCs sword mentor. My PC is a swashbuckler that sort of took his own personality with him into her teachings. She originally hails from the Ushinawa isles, an island group populated mostly by Tian-Min humans. She defected and lives as a hermit in the woods. I need some ideas for how to build her.
I began looking into the Samurai class at first, but didn't find it's features particularly interesting or relevant and times confusing. Essentially I'm looking to build a weapons master that is particularly proficient with a katana (or a similar exotic weapon), single handed or 2H. I thought maybe looking into combinations of fighter, monk, ninja or possibly an archetype of samurai if I need to. Kensai Magus -is- an option, but it does look a little over the top and flashy.
Essentially I could just make a vanilla fighter with exotic weapons proficiency and be done with it, but I'd like to add some more mystery to it. Multi-classing with Monk could be cool as I'd love a reason to add some wisdom into the build, and the ki-system is really cool, despite the dangers of going MAD. I saw Weapon Master (fighter) 3/Sohei (Monk) 6 suggested in one of the threads as a way to get flurry of blows with a katana. That's definitely something along the lines of what I'd like to look into. Especially if I could utilize items such as this one:
TLDR:Thing is, I know fairly little about the above mentioned classes. I guess I'm looking for a simple, yet colorful build that doesn't go too much into situational bonuses. The character is basically a neutral hermit swordmaster. No need for mounts, orders or the likes.
If anyone would like to suggest builds the stats we're using are 15, 14, 13, 12, 10 & 8. She's human and might have the "middle aged" template apllied. (-1 to str, dex, con. +1 to int, wis and cha)
Yet another thread on this class/race combo? You betcha!
Sometime in the future, my group will most likely begin the Skulls & Shackles AP. I have only played pathfinder for about a year. In this time I've gotten to roll dice for support, caster, debuff and sneaky themed characters. This time I wanted to go full melee. Seeing as how foxes are my favourite animal and how I usually end up filling the role of the party face (despite previous characters lacking in the charisma department) I was delighted to see that the Kitsune could play to both of my interests. The obvious choice was to go for the Swashbuckler.
The idea is to make your typical outcast turned romantic, eccentric adventurer & gentleman bandit. Made for social skills, but might also be able to skill monkey into a few handy professions.
We're playing with a preset stat distribution of 15, 14, 13, 12, 10 and 8. With racial modifiers applied, I was thinking of distributing them as this:
Str 10 (-0) Dex 17 (+3) Con 14 (+2) Wis 10 (+0) Int 8 (-1) Cha 15 (+2)
The reason Wis is so low, is because I'll be taking the feat "Steadfast Personality" by level 3 which will allow me to use Cha for the will saves instead of Wis. I'm also selecting the shifting mind racial ability which gives +2 to will saves. I'm also asking my GM for permission to use the Earthkin Kitsune which grants me one Hp and one sp for every level in exchange for agile (+2 to acrobatics)
I am open for redistributing these, of course.
Traits:
Strong Swimmer: Needed something to combat the horrible strength stat, in case I fall in the water
Childhood crush: Mostly for flavor, but it also lends me an incidental chance to get +1 to saves. Trait is tweaked to concern any person he develops a crush on, which is safe to say, quite a few.
I have selected a drawback which nets me one more trait. Open for suggestions.
I was planning on going for the common Inspired Blade archetype, in order to be set with weapon focus (rapier) from the start. As I'm not really a fan of the dandy swordsmen type, I've been permitted to tweak the archetype to revolve around a d6 slashing sword with slashing grace in stead to invoke the menacing swift blade-slasher. Been watching Samurai Jack, okay? Relax, no katanas, though =P
Progression I had in mind:
1 [Finnese, Focus: d6 slashing sword] Slashing Grace
2
3 Steadfast Personality
4 Bonus: Combat Reflexes, +1 dex
5 [Improved critical d6 slashing sword] Outflank (Teamwork feat which the fighter might also take.) If not, suggestions? Battle Cry?
6
7 Swift Kitsune Shapechanger
8 Bonus: Agile Maneuvers, +1 Cha
9 ???
10
11 Vulpine Pounce
12-20 ???
As you all can see, this is not a complete build. I'm open to suggestion, whether it's about any glaring mistakes I have made or obvious opportunities I have missed. I'm even open to multiclass suggestions.
Hello! Just a quick introduction here, feel free to skip to the technical stuff below in order to get to the point :)
I'm a fairly new pathfinder player. I've been part of a single on-going campaign for about a year and a half. In our ever expanding adventurous world, each player has controlled two characters. We switch character every other session depending on what plot point we are following up on. Personally, I've been playing a ranger and a witch. Recently, I was tasked by my GM to make stats for a key character from the Witch's background story, with hints that he might become a playable character in a future intermediate session which would bring him into the main story. I've been wanting to check out one of the less "noob friendly" classes, and decided I would go for the alchemist as it suits the information previously given on the character. His theme will limit some optimal choices, but I'd still like to make him as savage as possible.
I will begin this post with the thematic fluff I had in mind and then move on to the more technical crunch aspects, which is where I'll need your help and tips.
The Theme:
Our guy is not a very sympathetic man to the point where I'd be tempted to say he's CE. I wanted to try this alignment mainly as a response to how my other characters have all been Neutral Good at worst to the chagrin of my CN/LE team players. I'm going out of my comfort zone with an evil character, and it's going to be fun!
But no, I'm not making some cliché gung ho, murderous loner lunatic who kills for sport. I'd rather justify the alignment by saying he plays by his own rules, often doing what seems beneficial only for the time being, with needle thin amounts of conscience. He's arrogant, narcissistic and possibly delusional. He's also impulsive, manipulative and charming, traits that could be interesting to play from a CE standpoint. Think The Swede from Hell on Wheels. I'll try to make him work as a team player by having his team mates be viewed as beneficial contributors to his journey (perhaps they have money or access to places?) or simply someone that will make things less boring. He's kind of on a soul searching quest to rediscover himself.
Backstory: Growing up both intelligent and driven, he began the prestigious & studious road to become a doctor. It seemed like the logical thing to do for a man of his intellect & skills. Finding himself indifferent or even disgusted from treating his patients, he quickly quit his practice as a doctor and went into making and selling drugs, soon making a name for himself with the local crime lords. There is more to his story, but I think we have what we need to move over onto the build!
The Technical Stuff - This is probably the relevant part.
First of all, I want to clarify that none of us are optimizers. We start by creating the role, then looked into what would suit said role. We sometimes even forego obvious choices if it simply doesn't fit. With that said, we have become increasingly aware that some feats, races and classes synergize better than others and strive towards making functional builds that can dish out some useful dmg!
Ability Scores: We use 15, 14, 13, 12, 10 and 8 as base stats and can distribute them as we like.
Race: He was originally meant to be a Half-Elf. I'm willing to adjust it to Changeling or other suggestions, as long as he keeps an elven appearance.
Class & levels: I've decided to primarily go for a Vivisectionist build. I think it would go well with his medical background as well as sinister, un-empathic undertones. Also, he's a professional. Bombs lack finesse!
I've looked into other builds that recommended pairing Vivi with the Beastmorph archetype, which I'm no stranger to doing as making him nightmare-ish and scary is all part of the plan. The other builds relied too much on options I don't have in my campaign which is why I'm requesting help here.
I'm also considering taking a level dip in Rogue (Smuggler-archetype) to reflect of his previous occupation as a drug dealer and open up for some of the social skills that will let him be more manipulative (Smugglers have some circumstance bonuses here!) And hey, Sneak Attack! Vivisectionists likes those, right?
Suggestions regarding other level dips & multiclassing is also welcome. His starting level might be anything from 5 - 10 depending on when we get to him.
Gear: Magical items, +1 belts, amulets or the likes have been a rarity in our campaign :( This is why some of the other builds turned me away. Still, I might have a sizeable starting wealth to squander so it might not be completely out of option. Crafting is a world we have never even began to think about. Maybe this is a good time to start considering it? Not a necessity though.
Feats: I'm pretty much blank. I've considered running with the dex-based Finesse, natural attacks focus, vestigial arms etc. But I'm open to anything.
Thanks in advance for the help! If you read everything you have my utmost gratitude and respect!
Hello, everyone. I'm aware the title of this thread sounds gimmicky as hell, so I pray I'll win you all back with what I am about to say next. I'm currently playing my first PF campaign ever (Kingmaker, lucky me) and my character has gained the Leadership feat upon founding their kingdom in Part 2, which we're currently about to complete. My character's cohort is his younger sister and she works as his informant.
I've been encouraged by the GM to stat her out myself as a way for me to become more familiar with the technical side of PF. I've done some research and have tried to come up with some flavourful alternatives. Last session, she was possessed by a demon though thankfully rescued. I imagine the possession would have left it's mark on the poor girl. She has picked up the Abyssal language among other things. Overall, her personality has grown darker and she has gotten determined to never let a demon possess her again. I figure she'd probably be suited for a stealthy build, capable of delivering tough hits along with being generally good at escaping and bluffing.
Build-wise, she's currently an open slate save for a few known facts:
1) She dual wields
2) She's likely not a caster beyond the occasional spell-like ability
3) She's human
4) She's currently about lv 4, but will advance.
5) She most likely has at least a level in type of Rogue or something similar.
6) I might use traits to deal with her specialization towards demons.
6) If you could think of a better prestige class/build that would still suit the aforementioned concept I'm all ears :)
I figured her ability score might be distributed something like this:
STR 10
DEX 18
CON 13
INT 8
WIS 12
CHA 14
Below are the entry builds I've thought of thus far. I'm open to suggestions be it improvements of the ones I've suggested, or other ideas completely.
Swashbuckler Rogue3/Ranger2 (SD at lv6)
lv1 Rog 1 - Weapon Finesse, Dodge
lv2 Rang 1 - (For favoured enemy (evil outsider))
lv3 Rog 2/Rang 1 - Combat Reflexes, Piranha Strike
lv4 Rog 2/Rang 2 - TWF
lv5 Rog 3/Rang 2 - Mobility
lv6 SD
Might get an additional Rog lvl at 7th..
lv7 Rog 4/Rang 2/SD 1 Exotic WP (Sawtooth Sabre), Offensive Defense
Continuing mostly with SD lvls, though a few Rog lvls might happen.
Initial thoughts: Misses out on 1d6 Sneak Attack, but gains a little more HP, Saves and so on + gets a tiny edge against demons.
Might do the same Rogue level at lv7 as mentioned in the previous build.
Initial thoughts: Might be best to get that extra 1d6 of Sneak attack for a character who'm superior skills lies in her stealth? Featwise, these two are identical. The only difference would be the what else the classes provide with the levels.
Initial thoughts: A slight departure from the other two. Slower entry, but capable of grabbing a few more feats a long the way + Might end up with better saves/defense overall.
