I was just wondering if anyone had any opinions on classes that cant be lived without.
None.
In Pathfinder APs no class is ever a 'must.' Certain roles are important, but many classes can fill those roles in different ways. In Kingmaker, having someone skilled at wilderness exploration and mapmaking is important, but even that role can be filled with an NPC hireling if you wish.
In short, everything is flexible but Perception and Survival skills are important early on, and Diplomacy and perhaps Perform (Oratory) later.
A much better question to ask is which classes shine in Kingmaker. It's an AP nearly tailor-made for Cavaliers, as opposed to several which are almost entirely city/dungeon based with no room for a mounted character. Kingmaker is also great for Druids, Rangers, Witches, and the Leadership feat. In fact, any character who ever wanted to be head of a group, organization, guild, or even mercenary company is going to have that chance (and love it) in Kingmaker.
An arcane caster of some sort, wizard or sorcerer, would be very useful. I certainly wouldn't want to attempt it without one, unless you specifically want to see how a party without arcane magic works in game.
Have you read the player's guide? If not, do so. And ask the DM if he has a theme of his own for the campaign you should be aware of.
For that matter, does the group have an idea where they want to take the story? It's well known that there are fey in the Stolen Lands; so what opinion do you have of fey? If you're deciding to oppose them, maybe even cleanse the area of their influence, you would be looking at a very different environment than if you're trying to befriend them.
So I'd recommend a sorcerer.
For bloodline... well, you are exploring a wilderness area, so there will be animals aplenty and fey. And of course humans. Keep that in mind for spell selection.
You'll also have the highest charisma, so you'll probably become the ruler. Depending on how you play, that makes Sense Motive and Diplomacy (and perhaps Bluff) very important skills. It doesn't come up in the rules, but probably in the role-playing. So, you'll need a decent intelligence for skill points and wisdom for Sense Motive.
Bloodlines that have useful class skills.
Diplomacy:
Serpentine bloodline: Good feats and the bloodline arcana is a great fit for the AP.
Infernal: Good choice if you want to use lots of charm spells.
Sense Motive:
Dreamspun bloodline: Only bloodline to give you sense motive. And depending on how you play, it might not be a necessary skill for the rules.
Knowledge(nature): In a wilderness infested with fey perhaps the most important skill to find out what you're fighting. And since none of the other characters has it as a class skill, this might be useful.
Fey: Perfect for compulsion spells.
Starsoul: Good for evocation spells. Gets fire based bloodline spells. Gets low light vision.
Stormborn: Good blaster (electric or sonic).
Verdant: Seems the weakest of these four bloodlines... but could have a lot of flavor.
For equipment, remember to get some cold iron weapon, if you can afford it. Suggest it to the other players as well. You know the area is infested with fey.
The game will be a game of exploration. That means a lot of time you're walking/riding through the wilderness, trying to map the place. So encounters more than once a day will be extraordinary and most of the encounters will be bandits and the natural inhabitants of the area (see player's guide). And let's not forget natural hazards. Crossing rivers without bridge isn't something we often consider today, but it will be a common problem, as you can see in the map in the player's guide (the map on the front is the area you'll most likely explore during the story).
It's not explicitly said, but I think the warning is necessary: Normal dungeon crawls (i.e. situations where you fight more than two battles a day) happen. The crawls are rare, but all the more deadly for it, because your character is likely to be build in a fashion that helps in the most common situations. It's something to keep in mind.
The game is also very sand-boxy - that means, unless you have strong characters (backstory, ...), the adventure path may become a bit bland. Develop a backstory for the character, and ways to develop the character during the adventure... you will be spending years in game time in this adventure. Build a home. Perhaps have family. Have neighbors (at least until you move to a castle). Interact with realms beyond your borders. Have servants. There's a lot of stuff that will happen in this story other than combat, so having a strong character is essential. So make sure to develop the character a lot further beyond 'I'm a sorcerer."
I've recently found this here; you may want to talk with your DM about using a questionnaire like this:
Cintra Bristol wrote:
Questionnaire:
There is someone in Brevoy with whom you’ve had substantial conflict. Who is it? Why is there conflict between you? How does the conflict usually play out? The idea is to create a connection to someone back home that can be a source of friction.
Someone back home has been a substantial ally of yours; you get along very well. Who is it? Describe an occasion when the alliance came into play. The idea is to create a connection to someone back home that has been a positive influence for you. They need not belong to a PC class. Perhaps they will communicate news and rumors to you, or send new settlers or quests your way. They might even come to your assistance (or expect you to come to their assistance) in time of great need. OPTION: Briefly define up to three separate allies, each with a different relationship to you (parent/sibling/mentor/friend/colleague).
You carry a possession that has great meaning to you. What is it, and why is it so important? Preferably something other than a weapon, implement, armor, or standard gear. It is most interesting when it has a bit of story connected to it.
You have a secret that you hide from others (including the other PCs). What is this secret? e.g. A shameful failure or misdeed in your past that continues to haunt you; a bastard child; a broken betrothal; a fear or desire that affects your decisions. NOTE: This secret should affect the way you play your character, and/or reasonably be brought into play by the DM (eventually).
There is a troubling mystery for which you don’t know the answer. What is this mystery? e.g. A sibling (or your betrothed/ lover/ best friend/longtime rival/mentor) vanished while traveling abroad (or from home or their workplace); you lost something precious to you; an unusual object keeps reappearing in your possessions no matter how often you lose or destroy it; an animal or person keeps watching from a distance, though you never get close (or learn nothing useful when you do); you were once found wandering in the woods with no recollection of how you got there or what happened for a missing period of 10 days/2 weeks/2 months. NOTE: This should be a mystery your character wants to solve, that can reasonably be brought into play by the DM at some point in the campaign; the DM has creative control of this mystery’s final answers.
You have a particular patron who suggested you for the exploration of the Greenbelt. Who is it? What is their interest in this project? What is it about your relationship that makes them think you’ll be a particularly good agent for their interests? The intent is to give you a connection to someone with a political axe to grind. Possible “interests” might include: stabilize the southern border as an future ally for Rostland against the north (Issia); report to someone whose loyalty is to the north (Issia); find means to help prevent civil war between Rostland and Issia; find valuable resources that can be exploited for profit by wealthy investors from Brevoy; represent a specific noble house or other person or group’s interests; OR, your patron might be someone who is politically connected and to whom you owe a debt, and you may not know their actual agenda at this time.
Describe your ideal spouse. This campaign will span years of game time – and many if not all PCs will eventually have families of their own. Assume this, and give some thought to how you want this to develop for your PC. You may already be betrothed or have a beloved. You may already be married. More likely, you will find your true love during the campaign – but it is up to you as the player to help make this happen, both by being open to it, and by providing the DM with enough information to ensure that good candidates can be introduced. You are quite welcome to help create your NPC future spouse, within reason.
What do you like to do when you have down-time? What sorts of hobbies and interests does your PC have? The idea is to make your PC more rounded and interesting by thinking about things other than adventuring that he likes to do – and what sorts of businesses he’ll eventually be interested in promoting. Does he collect something? Make something? Play a musical instrument? Would he rather carouse in a tavern or read a book? Does he enjoy the theater? Dancing? Gambling? Fine food?
Define your family. You have some options here. Choose ONE, and provide the answer on the back of this page:
• Create your immediate family tree. Provide name and gender; for at least five still-living relatives (siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts/uncles, cousins), give a sentence-fragment comment about them or their relationship with you.
• Briefly define three to five members of your family who are (or may become) important to you. These may be immediate family or distant kin; provide appropriate names. You needn’t have a strong relationship with them (e.g. the titled cousin you’ve never met), but then you leave them to the DM to develop…
• If your background doesn’t allow for this many relatives, define caregivers and others who are your “effective family” i.e. people you grew up around, for better or for worse. This can be in combination with the above options (e.g. family tree shows two living relatives, and you list three people who were like family: your kindly but clueless nanny, your cruel tutor, and the saxophone player who lived under a nearby bridge and gave you your love of music.)
What non-Ruler posting(s) will you as a player be aiming for? For optimal player cooperation, aim for a listed role, and let the eventual “ruler” be chosen by the party for in-game reasons. Each role utilizes ONE of the two attributes listed.
• Councilor: WIS or CHA
• General: STR or CHA
• Grand Diplomat: INT or CHA
• High Priest: WIS or CHA
• Magister: INT or CHA
• Marshal: DEX or WIS
• Royal Assassin: STR or DEX
• Spymaster: DEX or INT
• Treasurer: INT or WIS
• Warden: STR or CON
