The gaming group is moving to Pathfinder. I've never played Pathfinder before and it's been years since I played D&D 3.5. We're going to start with Kingmaker.
The first problem is that we only have 3 players. Player 1 is a melee fighter. Player 2 is a melee cleric. That leaves me to cover arcane casting, ranged combat, diplomatic encounters, and skills. Oh, and because we're a 3-person party, the GM has told me I probably need to "hit hard."
Problem number two is that I (allegedly) make concept characters with a very narrow focus and aren't good outside that very narrow area. I will admit to being very poor at optimization. (Truth be told, I SUCK at min-maxing.)
So, I need help in making a very hard-hitting generalist. I would like to at least cover ranged and arcane areas. Covering skills / people skills is a bonus.
Characters I have been considering:
1 - Halfling wizard (Conjurer) focused on summoning.
2 - As above, but cross-class into Psion and go for Cerebemancer class.
3 - Syncretic (sp?) summoner.
4 - Half-orc druid with weather domain instead of an animal companion.
5 - Rogue / wizard --> Arcane trickster (don't really want to play this, though).
6 - Bard --> Arcane Archer (they laughed when I suggested a bard).
7 - Magus/Myrmidarch archer.
The only non-core book allowed is Psionics Unleashed (and even that is borderline). Player's, Advanced Player's, and the Ultimate books are allowed. I have told my group that, due to their mocking, I will build something monstrous and broken. I don't think they believed me.
We're making characters on Friday. I am open to all suggestions. I have read most of the guides on the guide page.
I would suggest an Archeologist Bard. The Archeologist Bard will give you the best skill set of the entire game. They also replace performance with luck which will work even better. Instead of boosting your allies you get a bonus that can be used for just about anything Including attack and damage rolls. The bardic lore is going to mean you will have good knowledge's without having to invest a lot of skill points. Your spells will also be useful but more for control, information.
Don't look at it as you are playing a bard, look at it as you are playing a mystic rogue. In my opinion this is much better than a Arcane trickster. This also means that you will be able to better spread your points because you will not need anything really high. A Char of 16 should be more than enough.
I would not bother going the Arcane Archer, but rather stick with a straight bard. Play a human and use the favored class bonus for extra spells.
If you want to go for something a little more martial I would suggest an Urban Ranger. Go for a Switch Hitter as per Treantmonk's guide and you will do fairly decent.
Greetings, fellow traveller.
Your group seems kinda... interesting. While they seem to play whatever they want, you have to make up for their shortcomings and cover everything else?
Anyways. I try to keep it spoiler-free (I GM a KM group).
I'll start looking at some basics. Three person group is below the assumed average of 4. I do not know at what point-buy you're creating PCs, but usually I would suggest picking a class which can bring a buddy to the table (is Leadership allowed at your table?).
KM as other APs is designed for a 15-point-buy PC group of 4 - if you're on a higher budget having one less person in your group will matter less, of course. So, a druid or summoning arcane caster come to mind. Mind you, social is big in KM, true. But so is wilderness.
- The wizard class could give you a dedicated summoner and skills are there, too. Social situations might be handeled by investing in skills (Cha usually being a "dump stat" - though I don't like that concept myself).
- Druid is also strong when summoning is needed, having a more combat-only oriented list of choices. Skills are decent.
- Bard has changed completely. Don't try to compare it to D&D3.5. Just don't. Making an archer bard covers ranged, arcane and social. And it has become a really good class! The typical example is a lvl 7 bard which can cast haste via a meta magic rod of quicken spell (swift action), start inspire courage as a move action and casts good hope or heroism to give another bonus to to-hit and damage. All of the bonusses stack, giving you and your group something in the range of +5 to hit and damage and a bonus on saves! Just make sure to remind your group that it's your contribution making them shine.
As Mysterious Stranger pointed out I would not go into a Prestige Class. PF has succeeded in giving each and every class interesting abilities from level 1 to 20 (though you won't reach that in KM).
Ruyan.
My favorite class has always been druid. That being said, when people accused the 3.5 druid of being unbelievably broken, my first thought was "how?"
The other players usually make solidly performing classical characters. I'm the guy in the corner who makes the crazy one-off useless character "because I have a cool concept." I've been challenged to make someone useful for once -- not my terms.
The bard thread didn't have good opinions of the Archaeologist bard because it gives up Inspire Courage. Is it worth the trade?
So, after two replies, I'm looking at:
1- Druid
2 - Summoner wizard
3 - Bard
I forgot to add: we haven't decided on how we're going to generate stats. The last thing the GM said was that he was thinking of 2d6+6. Even though I roll horrible stats usually, I think I can get a pretty good array from that setup.
With your melee heavy group and you needing to provide damage as well, I would not give up Inspire Courage (it works with ranged weaponry as well - so archer is still an option).
Druid has been toned down a bit when compared to D&D3.5, but is still a powerful class. If you pick e.g. a large cat as companion or a wolf, you can have it contribute to melee while you (wildshape and) stay in the background buffing and controlling.
For starters I would suggest looking at the guides on these boards - Treantmonk has written guides to all three of your classes (what a coincidence) - but he covers only the CRB. You can find them here.
Ruyan.
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any spell caster with item creation feats would be a good idea.
i personally would go with a conjurer wizard. but i wouldnt play a halfling. i would play an elf and use a bow + utility spells.
augment summoning, point blank, rapid shot, item creation feats that you like. you cant really go wrong with vainsh + summon monster, or gravity bow + rapid shot.
Master Summoner. Take ALL the summoning feats and concentrate on summoning every round. Make your GM pay for taunting you by having a few dozen pets to manage every round. X D
I gm a Kingmaker game and the bard is probably one of the most important character in the game. Bards rock in Kingmaker.
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As a party of 3 the melee Cleric and yourself should probably have decent charisma. Consider the leadership feat. It will pad out your party and give you a few more player controlled characters filling certain rolls you won't need to worry about until the 2nd and 3rd modules.
Ideally if you wanted to take up the mantle of leadership some sort of Charisma based character would be ideal. I realize a conjuring sorcerer is harder to play then a conjuring wizard, but it less you be less mad (where prioritizing Cha as a Wizard would be both MAD and mad.)
Kingmaker is just made for the Druid but a Ranger is also nice there as he can cover most of the needed skills and excellent ranged combat.
But given your party I'd say play a Wizard (I can't recommend the Summoner because I find it cheesy) and pick up a Bard cohort asap.
An Inquisitor won't cover the arcane part, but he'll have good damage, good utility, many skills per level, the possibility to be the party face with some inquisition if need be, and be a jack-of-all-trades that doesn't suck.
I'd go for this.
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An Inquisitor won't cover the arcane part, but he'll have good damage, good utility, many skills per level, the possibility to be the party face with some inquisition if need be, and be a jack-of-all-trades that doesn't suck.
I legitimately love Inquisitor...but are you implying Bards suck? Because they really don't. They're less personally and more group focused than an Inquisitor, but that makes them more effective, not less.
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I always list the Synthasist as by far the most broken class in game. They handle arcane (buffing), and usually have a 18 Cha for being the party "face".
Half-elf biped synth (alt class bonus: +2 will saves, +1 on spell completion items)
All bumps to +1/4 evolution point
Str: 7
Int: 14
Wis: 14
Dex: 7
Con: 10
Chr: 20
Feats: 1) Combat Reflexes 3) Combat Expertise 5) Improved Trip 7) Greater Improved Trip 9) Power Attack
In form:
Str: 18
Int: 14
Wis: 12
Dex: 12
Con: 13
Chr: 20
Evolutions:
1) Bite, Reach (Bite), INA
2) -INA, trip feature on bite
3) INA
4) Improved Str, Slam attack (claws on feet now)
5) INA, level bump to Con
At this level you are:
Str: 20
Int: 14
Wis: 12
Dex: 14
Con: 14
Chr: 21
Attacks: +9 each damage d8/d6/d4/d4, each +5, trip CMB +11 on bite if it hits. 3 AOOs per turn, with reach on bite. You probably have Bracers of Str for +1 more
HP: 28 (technically 38, but you separate at 28 to avoid death) + 22 temp (about 50)
AC: 10 + 4 (Evo) +6 (class NA) +2 (dex) +4 (usually Mage armor) = 26.
Your spells:
1) Shield, Mage Armor, Enlarge Person, Grease
2) Invisibility, Summon Eidilon, Haste
Invis / SE are mostly if you get caught sleeping; Shield and Mage armor in case you really need a 30 AC)
But we continue:
6) -INA, +2 Str
7) INA
8) -Str (both), Large Size, +2 Dex
9) -slam, claws, -2 Dex, Spell Resistance, Improved damage (claws)
10) INA
So now we are:
Str: 29 (got your level 10 Bump)
Int: 14
Wis: 12
Dex: 16
Con: 18
Chr: 22
Attacks: +8 BAB +9 Str +1 GReater magic fang (cast with an extend rod for all day performance) -3 (Power Attack) -1 size = +14 for d8+16 (5 attacks). If bite hits, you are +24 to trip.
AC: 10 +8 (natural) +3 (Dex) +6 (evo natural) +2 (size natural) +4 (extended mage
Armor) = 33
Bear in mind, all of this is without ANY non-all day buffs or magic items; actual numbers will be much higher.
You also have black tentacles for crowd control, are usually flying (thanks to overland flight), and can drop out evolutions on the fly. You also have SR of 20, making it very hard to hurt you. Usually you open combats with haste, and in dungeon setting spend the first 3 hours under your final extend for the day (heroism). In the event they get through SR, your saves are actually pretty good too.
That should do ya right :).
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Wis is 14 in all cases, not 12. Your ranged attack usually involves flying at the archers, at 7 you can sprout wings if necessary (lesser evo surge), at 7 you can also black tentacle the group if they are human-ish. Haste gets party to close quickly as well. At 10 with 50K your magic items should be:
Belt of +2 Dex/Str (10000)
Circlet of persuasion (5500)
Cloak of Protect +3 (9000)
ioun stone +1 saves (4000)
Headband of Cha (4000)
Lesser wand extend (3000)
Lesser wand widen (for grease and tentacles) (3000)
Ring protect +1 (2000)
Ring of sustenance (1250). Sleep 2 hrs/day, since you lose Eidilon while sleeping
Amulet of mighty fist (acid damage)
Assorted wands / scrolls (UMD, so whatever class)
Notice I have a big emphasis on saves; they are the only way to affect you eventually.
So after items:
Str: 31
Int: 14
Wis: 14
Dex: 18
Con: 18
Chr: 24
Skills: Diplomacy, UMD (+23 each), Bluff (+14), Perception (+12), use other 5 points in assorted stuff.
AC: 34
Saves: Will +7 class +2 Eidilon +4 magic items +2 Wis = +15
Fort/Ref +3 class +2 Eidilon +4 magic items +4 stat = +13
Attacks:4 @ +15 (usually +17 bc of heroism) for d8 + 16 + d6 each. +25 on trip.
If you arn't interested in playing a bard (I personally dont like it) you can also play a Magus with the Archer Archtype. That will give you a decent amount of damage and allow you to fill the arcane side of things.
Also they usually have plenty of skills considering their casting stat is Intelegence. Also remember that unlike 3.5 when you gain Intelegence bonus for 24 hours it retroactivly provides you with extra skill points, so as you level and pump up Intelegence you will get better and better in the skills department.
Also for any skills that the Magus lacks that you might need there are usually character traits that can provide you with said skill in class.
Just my 2 cents. Im also unfamiliar with Kingmaker, but do they have alot of traps in that game? You might need to run a class or archtype with Trapfinding.
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I'll add another vote for bard archer.
I am wrapping up the last book of Kingmaker as the DM, and our bard became the king. We had a large party, instead of a small one, but inspire courage is ALWAYS good! As the party is smaller, Leadership would be less problematic in your game than in mine with so many players. My bard took it anyway, but simply made his cohort the spymaster of the realm and magic item creator for its rulers.
Kingmaker is unusual in that there are few dungeons. You have fewer fights per day and can generally "go nova" more than in a typical game. Also you have many fights in open ground - a mounted character is viable into high levels. My game's fighter/cavalier, on a vital strike charge with his lance, can crit for almost 300 HP, and deals a minimum over 100 at level 16.
Bard will be able to cover a lot of your bases very well. I second that you find Treantmonk's guide to Bards - he has an archer build there, if I recall correctly.
You'll be versatile rather than broken, but you'll be a solid member of the team.
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I'd negative the barcher; they do not hit hard. It doesn't cover arcane, but if you want range, rangers are skill monkeys and the best archers in the game. Bards are pretty mediocre, especially in a 3-person party; and if you were asked to bring out the big guns but don't want to be as broken as a summoner, they do great. You can let the melee cleric be the "face"
Half-elf Urban Ranger
Str: 14
Int: 12
Wis: 14
Dex: 18
Con: 12
Chr: 7
Skill focus: Diplomacy from half-elf (negate that Cha penalty)
1) PBS
2) Precise Shot
3) Rapid Shot Shot
5) Boon Companion (if legal, or deadly aim)
6) Improved Precise
7) Multishot
9) Deadly Aim (weapon focus)
10) Pinpoint targeting
At 10 you should have a diplomacy of +18 even with the 7 Cha (take a trait for +1 and class skill). If allowed your boon companioned animal will be a force on the front as well.
You can trapfind, and shoot hard. Good saves. Good damage. Favored enemy (Human, then undead, then evil outsider) further increases your bonus, and you get in-town bonuses for being an urban ranger.
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I'd negative the barcher; they do not hit hard.
How hard do you want to hit? With Inspire Courage they really do pretty well, and make the rest of the party hit A LOT harder.
Not as well as a Ranger or Fighter...but the Ranger's going to completely fail at the diplomatic encounters (another thing he said he needs).
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Not really; a barcher will have Cha 14 and needs to be human to keep up with feats; a ranger will have Cha 7 and skill focus: Diplomacy (half-elf). If both have talent for +1 diplomacy (and class skill for ranger), the bard starts at +7, the ranger at +6. At 10 bard will be 16 Cha after magic item, ranger's feat goes to +6. So +18 Ranger, +17 Bard. It's easy to be a party face.
The bard archer suffers from the lack of improved precise; especially when the rest of the party charges forward the archery will be blocked a lot. Improved precise is huge, and bards don't get it until 15. Against humans (prevalent in this series), the ranger will outpace even further.
Besides, hopefully that melee cleric is an Evangalist so they already have bardsong covered :).
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Not really; a barcher will have Cha 14 and needs to be human to keep up with feats; a ranger will have Cha 7 and skill focus: Diplomacy (half-elf). If both have talent for +1 diplomacy (and class skill for ranger), the bard starts at +7, the ranger at +6. At 10 bard will be 16 Cha after magic item, ranger's feat goes to +6. So +18 Ranger, +17 Bard. It's easy to be a party face.
Being an actual good face (which you need in Kingmaker, not just a guy who can fake it a little) involves Bluff, Diplomacy, and Sense Motive (and possibly Intimidate) all at the level you're talking about. A Ranger simply can't do it. Well, if he invests both his Traits and Cosmopolitan and doesn't dump Charisma...but it's never gonna be as good and effective.
The bard archer suffers from the lack of improved precise; especially when the rest of the party charges forward the archery will be blocked a lot. Improved precise is huge, and bards don't get it until 15. Against humans (prevalent in this series), the ranger will outpace even further.
Having played an Archer Bard, it's really not that big a deal. You just position yourself correctly to avoid literally shooting through party members and you're good. Some coordination is needed so they intentionally move so as not to obscure your lines of fire, but that should be workable.
Besides, hopefully that melee cleric is an Evangalist so they already have bardsong covered :).
That's...a hell of an assumption. If it happens to be true, non-Archetype Bard is indeed redundant (multiple performances not stacking), but it's hardly a likely scenario.
I second the Archeologist Bard. Flavor wise it's just fits perfectly in the King Maker.
The archeologist bard can fill the role of arcane caster and trap finder. Go with archery as you will want to stay at range for spells and since you don't have much going for melee.
You know, you can multiclass ranger and bard...
+1 for bard archer.
And by the way, Inspire Courage is LESS useful with a small party, than with a big one.
Finally, go back to the group and DEMAND that they have well-rounded characters. You want to be a melee fighter, that's fine. But you better be able to swim and climb and anything else we need.
Likewise the cleric. Either take some of the knowledge skills that clerics get, or heal, or something. There are a lot of good skills that run off of wisdom as well.
Or grab scribe scroll, so that you can be prepared for whatever might happen. Something.
Kingmaker will be less fun for them if all they can do is fight. The game is built around exploration, role-playing, and conflict. Ignoring those in a small party will cause issues.
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Sense motive? Urban rangers can destroy that.
Bluff? Urban rangers get a bonus there too, though I'd just keep things diplomatic. Too many skills to pop around, you can get bluff if you want, but I usually find it redundant (thanks to all of the "is this bluff or diplomacy" questions, I think they should be the same skill).
Seriously, I run the bars archer too (well, evangalist); maybe I'm unlucky, but party members always get in the way. Period. And his friends are running forward.
The ranger brings another melee machine, as many skills, and far better combat damage than the bard can hope for. When someone asks for a min-maxed character, bard archer is far from the list (summoner is the only one who can fully match the bill he is looking for; but that may also be too).
Sorry for the odd post - my phone doesn't seem to work well with this board.
I've been reading a lot of the guides, particularly Treantmonk's guides. I like the concept of the god wizard. The idea of a bow wielding wizard with summons and battlefield control has caught my imagination for the moment. Is it a workable concept?
I'm not familiar with the master summoner archetype. I'll have to read up on it. We may be getting a 4th player and he loves bards, so I'm going to stay away from Bards for the moment so as to not steal his glory.
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Sense motive? Urban rangers can destroy that).
Not readily. Certainly to a far lesser degree than an Oratory or Singing Bard.
Bluff? Urban rangers get a bonus there too, though I'd just keep things diplomatic. Too many skills to pop around, you can get bluff if you want, but I usually find it redundant (thanks to all of the "is this bluff or diplomacy" questions, I think they should be the same skill).)
Uh...they do completely different things. One makes people believe you when you may not be truthful, the other makes people like you. Those are...very different things, both in reality and the game. I've met likable bad liars and good liars who were obnoxious as hell, and seen both in fiction, too.
Seriously, I run the bars archer too (well, evangalist); maybe I'm unlucky, but party members always get in the way. Period. And his friends are running forward.
Yeah, but they should be able to do so at an angle, take 5-foot steps, etc. to give you a clear shot. I mean, that's just really basic team coordination.
The ranger brings another melee machine, as many skills, and far better combat damage than the bard can hope for.
Personally? Sure. Counting damage and to hit bonuses on allies? I wouldn't bet on it.
When someone asks for a min-maxed character, bard archer is far from the list (summoner is the only one who can fully match the bill he is looking for; but that may also be too).
He asked for a min-maxed character to do a specific range of things (including Arcane Magic if you'll recall). Bard's the one that does them all.
Synthesist is a possibility...but not actually that good a face (low skill points, no class skills), and both makes the entire party melee (usually a bad call) and might steal the spotlight from the other melee folks.
EDIT:
Sorry for the odd post - my phone doesn't seem to work well with this board.
I've been reading a lot of the guides, particularly Treantmonk's guides. I like the concept of the god wizard. The idea of a bow wielding wizard with summons and battlefield control has caught my imagination for the moment. Is it a workable concept?
I'm not familiar with the master summoner archetype. I'll have to read up on it. We may be getting a 4th player and he loves bards, so I'm going to stay away from Bards for the moment so as to not steal his glory.
If another Bard's potentially entering the scene, then yeah, God-Wizard is perfect to really fill out that Arcane Caster stuff.
And the bow would be cool at low levels, but will rapidly become obsolete by around 5th or 6th level or so (so be an elf if you want to do that).
The best skill monkey in the game is the Alchemist Mindchemist with the Breadth of Experience Feat. Since the Mindchemist can also use a Mutagen boost to Charisma as well, you can use that to give you a boost in social situations, feel free to disguise it as a cocktail.
For hitting hard, an alchemist is also excellent at that as well. As Kingmaker has usually only one battle per day, a nova style Alchemist can do some serious damage and your friends will never say you aren't optimized again.
On top of all that, you get some useful extracts and the ability to act as a backup healer, although with a cleric in the party, that shouldn't be a problem.
Tell your party friend to ditch his useless fighter build and pick something that can actually help the party out of combat.
Kingmaker is probably one of the most out-of-combat focused modules, so if he doesn't change his class, focus on staying out of combat to piss him off.
PF doesn't really require an arcanist. So you don't HAVE to play an arcane caster.
Cross class skills don't cost double, so there is no reason the others can't have a decent intelligence and cover some of the skills.
The cerebromancer will be a long time before it really comes into it's own. Plus since kingmaker seems to be primarily 1 combat a day you will rarely have a chance to make use of you huge number of powers.
I have not seen the magus archer done well, but I've read about it.
I would think magus, alchemist, or maybe barb/sorc/DD would be very good choices in combat. They are capable of pretty horrendous effects when they go nova. And since you are in kingmaker with only one combat a day, you can go nova on almost every combat.
Actually, the fighter will probably not look as good as usual for the same reason. A lot of the appeal of the fighter is that they have the staying power. As long as they have hit points, they are just as effective all day long. But a fighter going nova is about the same as a fighter conserving himself for later.
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If you've got a possible bard coming in (and a bard lover almot HAS to play a bard in an AP like Kingmaker - it's just too awesome!), I'd suggest magus or inquisitor.
From what I've seen, magi do very well in nova combat - and it's very rare that you have to worry about having many encounters in a day.
I find the inquisitor to be tons of fun, and very versatile. With bane, you'll be able to put out a lot of damage against certain enemies when needed. Teamwork feats tend to favor melee, but their good proficiencies, buff spells, bane and judgements make ranged a reasonable backup strategy when necessary. You'll have a good number of skill points for whatever skill holes may need to be filled in the party, and the minor healing can be handy in a pinch.
Wow. Tons of good advice. Thanks. I'll try to compose a couple of decent replies and questions after I get out of work.
If your group is only 3, my vote is hands-down for the Summoner, no archetypes. You can build a beast of a melee Eidolon who will hold his own beside the fighter, leaving the cleric and yourself to support from the back. Grab a bow (half-elf summoners are the best for favored class bonus, and can get martial prof with 1 weapon) and pluck away.
You said you want overpowered and broken, so show them you can do it. Casting is based on Cha so you should easily be able to be the party face. You won't ever need higher than 16 charisma, too.
I would take a Sorcerer. It has the charisma to be a king, has the damage potential to be useful in the adventure. But also I look at it from an after the adventure fluff, and there is no class more terrifying than an 18+ level wizard//sorcerer. The idea that they can nuke armies that even think of invading is a great deterrent to have on your side. The bard is a great class, but an 18th level bard doesn't inspire terror.
arjack,
what i haven't seen addressed really is why you a. don't bring in a fourth player to balance? and b. Is rolling with that crew really that enjoyable is they're dumping on you for making concept characters?
play for the fun, and it sounds like you enjoy the story of the character rather than the mechanics of it. It is a role playing game, after all.
Maybe you need to talk to the gm about making some accommodations for what concept you're bringing to the game.
Addressing a couple of questions about the group dynamic:
We've been playing together for a couple of decades now, so we're pretty used to each other's playstyles. They weren't dumping on me to be mean but to help me deal with the dissatisfaction with my character I usually experience after a couple of sessions. We do have a 4th but he can only play when he has "permission" from his wife - the rest of us are single / divorced (kids can do their own thing while Dad plays his weird games with his buddies).
They'd rather I had fun and they think that I design characters a little too narrow in focus (such as a 'terrormancer' concept I had - a spellcaster who only takes spells with fear effects).
So I told them I'd make a character that would blow them away. I told the GM that I'd make a broken character and he just laughed. We're out to have fun and there's really no bad feelings between anyone. We just need an 'out' from the daily pressures and responsibilities that's cheap and doesn't include alcohol :D
As to characters, if the bard-lover doesn't play a bard, I will be taking a serious look at an archer bard (and a lot of summon monster spells). Master summoner also looks cool.
Right now, I'm thinking that I will take an elven wizard and focus on conjuration (and get Augment Summoning asap). I'll grab a longbow for backup, and focus on a couple of skills.
Is it feasible to pick up stealth, perception, and survival on a mage?
Sorry for the odd post - my phone doesn't seem to work well with this board.
I've been reading a lot of the guides, particularly Treantmonk's guides. I like the concept of the god wizard. The idea of a bow wielding wizard with summons and battlefield control has caught my imagination for the moment. Is it a workable concept?
I'm not familiar with the master summoner archetype. I'll have to read up on it. We may be getting a 4th player and he loves bards, so I'm going to stay away from Bards for the moment so as to not steal his glory.
Another reason for Master Summoner: Inspire Courage would apply to anything that could perceive the bard's performance. Start looking down that tree. Once you get to 5th level (3nd if you're allowed to use alternates from various Adventure Paths), they're all buffed by your friend. More creatures = more overall buff.
Keep in mind that there's a good chance your GM will make you manage all the monsters, and you'll want to get really good at it. The vote for Master Summoner was only half-serious for this reason; it can really slow down a game if you and/or your GM don't get really good at it. That said, for Kingmaker, it might not lag so much, and it would probably be a lot of fun, due to the few combats per day. It's one of the few times I wouldn't, as a DM, groan at someone using Master Summoner.
BTW, don't forget to take Leadership and get another Master Summoner as a cohort. } : D Or follow James Jacobs' advice, and give your eidolon Leadership too. And so forth....
Addressing a couple of questions about the group dynamic:
We've been playing together for a couple of decades now, so we're pretty used to each other's playstyles. They weren't dumping on me to be mean but to help me deal with the dissatisfaction with my character I usually experience after a couple of sessions. We do have a 4th but he can only play when he has "permission" from his wife - the rest of us are single / divorced (kids can do their own thing while Dad plays his weird games with his buddies).
They'd rather I had fun and they think that I design characters a little too narrow in focus (such as a 'terrormancer' concept I had - a spellcaster who only takes spells with fear effects).
So I told them I'd make a character that would blow them away. I told the GM that I'd make a broken character and he just laughed. We're out to have fun and there's really no bad feelings between anyone. We just need an 'out' from the daily pressures and responsibilities that's cheap and doesn't include alcohol :D
As to characters, if the bard-lover doesn't play a bard, I will be taking a serious look at an archer bard (and a lot of summon monster spells). Master summoner also looks cool.
Right now, I'm thinking that I will take an elven wizard and focus on conjuration (and get Augment Summoning asap). I'll grab a longbow for backup, and focus on a couple of skills.
Is it feasible to pick up stealth, perception, and survival on a mage?
Ehhhh...yes, but you may have to give up a spare Knowledge skill, and you'll want traits that can give you one or two of those skills as class skill. Or dip something if it gives you another good bonus, but only in that case.
You'll never summon as well as an MS, though. Their class-ability summons last 10 times as long, for one thing, making them useful even at level 1 (10 rounds versus a nearly useless 1). Nobody else can do that as far as I know. On the other hand, wizards are, well, wizards (by definition awesome). And you'll annoy your GM far less as a wizard.
Right now, I'm thinking that I will take an elven wizard and focus on conjuration (and get Augment Summoning asap). I'll grab a longbow for backup, and focus on a couple of skills.
Is it feasible to pick up stealth, perception, and survival on a mage?
No. Stealth you can pick up via one of my favourite traits: highlander, which doesn´t really fit with an elven wizard. If you want more arcane casting than the bard has, take a sorcerer. You wrote you need diplomatic skills, especially an elven wizard will not provide that.
I just had a revelation. Let's see if you guys agree with my conclusions.
I play a lot of MMORPGs. In WoW I played a Hunter and a Warlock to max level. In City of Heroes I played an Illusion / Storm controller to 50. In City of Villains I played a Mastermind to 50. All pet classes, all the time.
I think the logical conclusion is that I should play a Summoner of some sort. Probably a Master Summoner.
Now, how to max out a master summoner? :D
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I just had a revelation. Let's see if you guys agree with my conclusions.
I play a lot of MMORPGs. In WoW I played a Hunter and a Warlock to max level. In City of Heroes I played an Illusion / Storm controller to 50. In City of Villains I played a Mastermind to 50. All pet classes, all the time.
I think the logical conclusion is that I should play a Summoner of some sort. Probably a Master Summoner.
Now, how to max out a master summoner? :D
It's pretty straight forward. I would suggest having write ups of monsters you will summon to speed up encounters.
Now, how to max out a master summoner? :D
Not an expert on summoners, but a good choice, since the summoner works on Charisma. As for feats: Spell focus: conjuration and Augment summoning and your good to go, i´d say.
Have fun, Kingmaker is a BLAST!!!
Made characters last night. We have a Fighter, Cleric (Protection & Strength domains), Bard, and myself, the Master Summoner. Game starts next weekend.
Thanks for all the great advice. I appreciate it. :D
If you arn't interested in playing a bard (I personally dont like it) you can also play a Magus with the Archer Archtype.
Could you point out where that archetype can be found? A quick search hasn't returned anything of notice (only that terrible Myrmirdach archetype).