Help me build a dwarven explorer / settler for Kingmaker

[Bengaijin]

Hi all,

I have a character concept for a kingmaker campaign a friend is starting, but am unsure how to build it. I'm quite excited about the prospect of focusing on exploration, settlement, and governance in this campaign and want to build a character focused on these issues. I'm picturing a dwarven explorer based a bit on the Victorian explorers/Indiana Jones types, but also on the early American settlers like John Smith. He should be comfortable in the wild, but with the attitude of taming it for settlement, a man with a technical and strategic mind. He should be a character with a fairly broad range of knowledge and skills - He should have knowledge of geography, local, history, nature, and engineering, maybe profession (architecture), definitely survival, maybe diplomacy.

In some ways rogue seems like a good base, but the whole stealth and sneak attack aspect seems a bit misplaced. Ranger seems like a good base too, but lacks a lot of the qualities I would put into a character who is such an overt agent of civilization. Bard has some appropriate characteristics, but is also a magical singer of magical songs, which seems oh so wrong for a map-drawing, tree-chopping, dam-building dwarf. Pathfinder seems like an appropriate prestige class thematically, but I've read some sharp criticisms of its in-game effectiveness.

So what do you think? Should I make him a rogue/ranger multiclass? Am I missing a great option elsewhere?

Thanks!

[Deadmanwalking]

Honestly? I'd go Ranger, grab a couple of appropriate Traits and maybe the Cosmopolitan Feat and call it good. The Ranger class does what you want mechanically, while the Traits and Feat can provide the flavor, with some serious mechanical backup.

[Esquilax hortensis]

Ranger does seem the best fit, but spell-less ranger makes a lot more sense than the stock ranger. It gives you the skilled (and perhaps educated) frontiersman flavor that you so clearly want. I don't know what sort of animal companion you'd go with, but it never hurts to have a fantastic horse.

I could perhaps see cleric working, especially if he's a strong community leader type, which it sounds like he would be.

Would paladin be too obvious? A paladin of Erastil in particular would fit in well with the adventure path and could work for a lot of what your character seems to be.

Alternatively barbarian could work. He'd have the familiarity with the woodland, village construction skills, and an appreciation for the importance of a solidly-built community. Note that his flavor doesn't necessarily have to be "savage," just his skill set and fighting style.

[Aureus]

Really interesting thread as I have a back up character for my ranger just in this direction!

Though I see my dwarf much more on the side of Trapsmith. (In the worse case) He has to replace the current cartographer, but he is more the Knowledge (architecture) type then the Knowledge (nature). He is there to build homes, temples and fortifications (the kingdom) and to explore the ruins of the Stolen Lands (the dungeons).

[Benicio Del Espada]

Ranger with a single level of bard (to open up all those +3s to knowledge and people skills) sounds good. Try not to skimp on your int and cha scores, and you'd have a very competent leader.

[Anonymous Visitor 163 576]

The key to your concept is really skill points. As long as you're getting plenty a level, you'll be able to build the character you want.

The rest of it is just gravy.

You could go with Ranger, Druid, or something a bit further away, like the Noble class from the Freeport guide, or an updated 3.5 Marshal.

[tlc_web tlc_web]

Depending on your DM, I would consider taking a level in Barbarian for the fast movement. The reason is that you will be doing a LOT of exploration. The random encounters are based on time (you get one check basically ever 12 hours) and distance traveled (everytime you enter a hex there is a check). So if you are moving really slow then you may find yourself getting hammered by random encounters. Given that your character is wilderess man it would not be hard to slip in a level of barbarian.

Ultimately the value of this advice will depend on the GM's style. If your GM feels that exploring a hex can't be done from horseback, then this a very good idea. And if your GM likes to pull hijinks on horses to the point you don't want to ultize them, then it is a good idea. If your GM declares that certain hexes can't be explored from horseback (in my game I don't allow mountains and swamps to be explored from horseback, and could see some STs expanding this forests), then it might be a good idea. But if your GM is not going to do any of these, then I think you can do without the level.