Going to be starting STAP soon and my players have come up with some character ideas.
So far we have:
Warmage
Healer
soulknife
Bard
How do you think this party would do in the campaign?
Would they have any particular problems?
I don't know much about the soulknife class, but from the looks of the other classes I presume he'll be the primary melee combatant, with the Bard serving as a backup for him. Things could get a little dicey in places without a true melee warrior in the group. Hopefully the Warmage can dish out enough damage to make up for that somewhat, expecially when he comes into those really fun 3rd level spells. They'll definitely be challenged in certain places (the Rhagodessa in the first battle could tear them to pieces if they can't take him out from range), but not so much that they won't be able to function. Having two people capable of using healing magic will certainly help their survival odds.
Going to be starting STAP soon and my players have come up with some character ideas.
So far we have:
Warmage
Healer
soulknife
BardHow do you think this party would do in the campaign?
Would they have any particular problems?
Are any of them thinking of taking levels in melee classes?
There are a lot of grappling monsters in STAP so a strong melee combatant is a thing your group should include.
Bard seems a worrying choice for a group that small. They tend to do well in large parties, where their combat boosts affect a lot of allies, and poorly in smaller groups. A set of four characters can't really afford to have a generalist amongst them, and that party is definitely going to have a tough time in some encounters.
This is an interesting party but its got some issues. I think it can make it but it will sometimes be a rocky road.
Soulknife is the parties fighter but the Soulknife has some issues. First off early on the Soulknife does not do much damage. The larger problem is that the Soulknife has weak armour. Soulknives make better support fighters in a larger party then main line fighters. They are good at moving around and attacking enemies in the flank and such. Access to Psionic feats can make them phenomenally mobile and they are a light armour based build. The problem here is that the Soulknife is the parties tank. He has no choice but to stand there and suck down the Hill Giants power attack because there is no one else around that can do it. One benefit is that the Soulknife does not need to spend treasure on a magic weapon. Like the Monk there is more money left over to spend on defensive items and stuff that increase attributes and saving throws.
Healer is an interesting choice. No undead turning but that's usually pretty minor. In fact I tend to feel that Undead are not usually that tough for their CR. Low hps tend to really do them in so the loss of turning is not that much of a loss. However the Healer has some issues. Heals phenomenally and there is a lot to be said for that but the spell list is horribly constrained. The first time the healer has a spell that can potentially damage an opponent is at 17th level when it gets gate. Also very few buffing spells - really only some defensive orientated ones like freedom of movement and deathward not what's really thought of as buffing - more like preventive measures. So Cleric roll of backup mage is out. Healer also does not have much in the way of armour either. That's bad news as the Cleric usually serves as the parties backup fighter but the healer can't. It needs to be protected not the other way around. This characters high skill points are interesting - there should be co-ordination with the Bard here. Usually the Bard is the parties spokesperson but the Bard has a lot of class skills compared to the Healer. If at all possible the Healer should take the party spokesperson role and the Bard should concentrate on one of the many other areas he can focus on in terms of skills. My biggest concern with the Healer would be player boredom. Healers are amazing healers - but that's just about it. The Unicorn will help elevate that eventually however. Unicorns can fight - and their kewl and stuff too.
Warmage is interesting. Now I'm biased against Warmages. Sorcerers are my favourite class but I think Warmages really, really suck. They have a killer flaw. Basically as one moves up in levels one starts needing the arcane caster to overcome problems. If you can't cross a chasm the party turns to the mage, if they have to remove a impediment like a wall - well making it go away is the mages job. Basically the arcane caster has 'problem solver' as part of their job description. Sorcerers still have that role - or at least a well thought out one does. While a Sorcerer can't get access to as many utility spells as a Wizard it can potentially cast fly on every member of the party if that's what's required for the adventure. What all of this has to do with the Warmage is that they can't fill the problem solver roll. Essentially a Warmage is a variation on the longbow specialist Ranger, its not a mage at all it just looks like one and its range weapon makes more noise. All that said this party might get some use out of a Warmage. Helps with the killing and the party is a little weak on offensive punch. Still the lack of buffs and utility spells for this character as well is a concern.
Bard will be a critical class in this party. This player is going to have a lot of fun in this campaign. Because of the composition of the rest of the party the Bard is now the go to man for a stunning number of roles. First off both the Healer and the Warmage have very circumscribed spell lists - they can do one thing and one thing only. The Bard is this parties general spell caster. The party will look to the Bard for all their utility and buffing spell needs as the other casters can't take these rolls. Still there are gaping holes in this parties capabilities and the Bard is going to have to take up the slack. Use Magic Device Skill should be pumped to max. This party needs wands and scrolls to fill out area's that they don't have spell cover for. They probably need a lot of wands and scrolls. Especially Find Traps. No one has that on their list and their is no Rogue. In terms of Skills the Bard should consider some of the Physical ones. Not only is the Bard the doing most of the utility spell casting for the party and acting as a back up mage and back up cleric - but the bard in this party is the back up fighter. in fact he's kind of the 3/4's fighter because the Soulknife probably can't handle the job alone. High tumbling and jump should allow the bard to be everywhere he needs to be to full fill his roll as everything to everyone. As I said - the bard player should have a blast. As icing on the cake this party should probably divide treasure into 5 and have a full share set out to buy consumables like a find traps wand and some buff spell wands and scrolls - in fact there are probably a good dozen spells that every party should have access to that's not on any of these characters lists. Get them on wands and scrolls - then give them to the Bard who can use them with the Use Magic Device Skill. So while the magic items are technically owned by the party its the bard that is going to carry and use them. Essentially this boils down to the equivalent of two shares of treasure as well as being both the mage and the fighter. Should be a fun game for this character.
Anyway this party will work but the players will have to work to make it work - if you get what I working toward.