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So I'm working on a challenge with a DM friend of mine and he needs a party built. 8 characters, each a tribesman of a barbarian tribe his players will be meeting. Each character should be unique, and have their own feel or "vibe" to them. None of them are set in stone "crunch-wise" and he's asked me to see what petiole come up with for an all-barbarian-themed 8 man party of characters.
The only stipulations are the following:
-Each character should have a tribal feel
-Not all need to be actual barbarians. All classes are allowed.
-11th level
-20 point buy.
-Preferably atleast one witch, one alchemist(themed on the hulk), and one barbarian.
-No 3PP, Paizo only
-Mostly human, but other races welcome if they fit the tribal theme.
I really look forward to setting what people come up with for this party, and what people think of when they think tribal. Any questions feel free to ask.
What sort of "barbarian tribe"? Are we talking natives with stone-age weapons, or guys sacking Rome? What's the climate like in the area?
This guy could be leveled to 11 to fit into a barbarian tribe.
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Barbarians as in fitting with the archetypical tribal barbarian image espoused by fantasy. Savage(though not necessarily evil), noble, shamanistic. Big swords/axes, fur and hide garb with bone trinkets/trophies. As for climate, that is up to the creator of the "party", but the DM would prefer wintery or temperate.
Also, he would prefer the group to be mainly neutral in alignment but it isn't completely necessary.
STR: 20 (14 base + 2 racial + 2 level +2 belt)
DEX: 14
CON: 16 (14 base + 2 belt)
INT: 16 (14 base + 2 headband)
WIS: 12
CHA: 8
Human Barbarian 1 / Alchemist 8 / Master Chymist 3
Feats/Discoveries/Advanced Mutagen
1: Power Attack, Extra Rage
3: Preserve Organs, Extra Discovery: Preserve Organs
5: Master Alchemist, Feral Mutagen
7: Preserve Organs, Extra Discovery: Infusion
9: Combine Extracts, Extra Rage
11: Extend Mutagen, Toughness
PC level gear: Headband of Vast Int +2, Belt of Physical Might +2 (STR/CON), +3 Breastplate, +2 Buckler, +2 Warhammer, Cloak of Resistance +3, and fluff gear (will include consumables, things I'm too busy to look up in Ultimate Equipment)
NPC level gear: Belt of Strength +2, +1 Warhammer, +1 Composite Longbow, +1 Breastplate, +1 Buckler, +1 Cloak of Resistance, various consumables, etc.
That's the basic run of it. Variant of a Hulk-esque alchemist I was thinking of last week.
Obviously there should be at least one actual barbarian. A ranger would work as a wise warrior type. A druid as the shaman for the tribe would be another obvious choice. A hedge witch for a healer would also work. For arcane power a sorcerer would be better than a wizard. A savage skald bard will give you your skill monkey and knowledge's. A couple of fighters would also fill out some roles.
Here's one plan I like: all humans, all mounted.
If it's possible to get an animal companion mount, do that. If it's not possible, take Leadership and choose one of the following: Giant eagle, Pegasus, Howler, Giant vulture, Unicorn, Griffon, Leudrotta, or Manticore.
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- Barbarian(Mounted Fury)
- Cavalier(Beast Rider)
- Ranger(Beastmaster)
- Druid(-)
- Rogue(Scout)
- Alchemist(Beastmorph)
- Bard(Savage Skald)
- Witch(Hedge Witch)
By being mounted, the entire group is highly mobile both in and out of combat.
The Bard and Cavalier boosting abilities are especially effective in such a large party.
All four casters (Druid, Bard, Alchemist, Witch) are capable of healing, but mostly kick butt, so the party will recover quickly after battles.
I'd go with a group consisting of the following classes.
Barbarian, Druid, Sorcerer (Witch works too) and Rogue (or Savage Skald Bard).
Then again, Barbarians come in more flavors than one so it might vary depending on some factors.
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@Blueluck, I really like that idea but unfortunately the DM wants them to not be mounted characters except for maybe one. So I'm probably going to stick the cavalier as a keeper.
The alchemist build is nice, I'll have to keep that one in mind if nothing else catches my eye.
I hadn't thought of using Amiri but that's an interesting idea. I'll see what he thinks. I kinda like the idea of the female "am barbarian" character. I'll try to think of some other builds that could work, I've liked all the suggestions so far.
Isn't there a Savage Skald archetype for Bard that does terrifying things with Barbarian rage?
I'd definitely try to get a sizable Barbarian (the class) representation in the group to take advantage of that. Although of course some characters could be one level of Barbarian followed by 10 levels in something else.
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I really like the idea of the shaman with the familiar matching the totem. They are dragon totem barbarians, so the idea is very cool.
As for the alchemist, I see what you mean, but he's going to be something more along the lines of a feral brewer, clay pos instead of glass, something along those lines. He is a rare tribesman who drinks "dragon blood" and grows into a feral rager of tooth and claw.
A ranger with Two-Handed Weapon or Archery combat style and Favored Enemies Dragon, Human, and Animal.
He'd function as their stealth character while still being a really tough hit-taker, Focusing on Str and Dex, with moderate Con and Wisdom.
1. Barbarian (Beast Totem Natural Attack build)
2. Magus (Skirnir archetype)
3. Bard (Savage Skald archetype)
4. Barbarian (Two Hander build, x4 weapon)
5. Rogue (Crit fisher build, pair above Barbarian)
6. Druid (Bear/Wolf Shaman or Pack Lord Archetype)
7. Witch (Winter or White Hair build)
8. Ranger (Archery Build, Animal Companion same as Druid's choice)
I would play the hell outta that group. A castery Oracle might be a good fit, too.
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The ranger in the group will definitely have favored enemy dragons. Probably going to make him archery based as I've always liked archer rangers.
As of right now, only three characters are locked in, though none are built.
-Anyanka the Reaper- She carries a large falchion into battle and wears armor of hide and bone. She is known for being hard to put down in combat and when she calls on the dragon spirits, she brings death without mercy.
-Baern Dragonson- While a strong man, Baern is not a fighting man. He typically is found brewing concoctions and talking of formulae. The Dragonson on the other hand resides within him, and should Baern unleash his alter ego, few can hope to survive his wrath.
-Valas- Seemingly frail, Valas is an expert marksman. He brings a rain of death with his arrows and the tribe respects his skill as well as knowledge of how to slay the dragons that wrong the clan. He wears a cloak of black dragon hide half his face is scarred from acid burns.
How about twin fighters with teamwork feats? They're a tribe, so they have had lots of time to learn to work together. Maybe add some planned tricks to do extra damage or temporarily disable a character.
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I'm not much of a fan of the scarred witch doctor, the con for casting is nice, but the witch is just too weak to make a good combatant in my eyes. Maybe some kind of white haired witch debuffer build combined with scarred witch doctor?
Unfortunately those archetypes don't stack. However, I love a level dip into Barbarian and taking the Raging Vitality and Extra Rage a couple of times. Then pick up Split Hex, Accursed Hex, and Extra Hex as you see fit and you are sitting pretty with high DCs and versatility for your characters.
Even better is if you take the Barbarian dip at first lvl you get that d12 for HP and you get medium armor proficiency. Then you wear an Armored Coat while using Hexes and when you need to cast spells you spend a move action to take it off. Combined with the Scar Shield and a decent Dex you can have a good AC while slinging Hexes.
But I have to admit I'm biased because I am having a lot of fun with a very similar build.
I was thinking about this today actually, though I'm in the habit of building 3 person parties.
Bard (Savage Skald)
Barbarian (Invulnerable Rager)
Alchemist (Ragechemist, could be the outsider of the group, not born to the tribe but a mild mannered researcher who wandered into the wild live away from civilization so as to avoid unfortunate property damage incidents. Maybe saved or was saved by a member of the tribe who witnessed his "change" and was impressed, and this in turn impressed this person who was always considered an outsider.)
Barbarian (Scarred Rager)
Witch (Hedge Witch)
Oracle (Ancestor mystery)
Rogue (Scout archetype)
Sorcerer (Draconic bloodline)
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Couple of Options, note these are bare bone builds.
Barbarian 1/Witch 10
1: Racial Heritage (Orc), Raging Vitality, Rage
2: Scar Shield
3: Improved Unarmed Strike, Prehensile Hair
4:
5: Weapon Focus (Prehensile Hair), Evil Eye
6:
7: Feral Combat Training (Prehensile Hair), Misfortune
8:
9: Hex Strike (Evil Eye), Cackle
10:
11: Accursed Hex, Major Hex (?)
She will get a lot of debuffing strikes in with here Prehensile Hair. Your to hit will be a bit low at 6 BAB+3 Rage+Con Mod+1 Weapon Focus+AoMF (?); assuming a 24 Con and an AoMF +2 you will have a +19. In Rage your Hair will also deal 1d3+15 damage plus what ever hex you deliver.
Barbarian 1/Witch 10
1: Racial Heritage (Orc), Raging Vitality, Rage
2: Scar Shield
3: Extra Hex (Cackle), Evil Eye
4:
5: Extra Hex (Sleep), Misfortune
6:
7: Extra Rage, Sleep
8:
9: Extra Rage, Cauldron
10:
11: Split Hex, Major Hex (Cook People... Just because we can)
You have 22+Con Mod Rounds of Rage/day and have a nice arsenal of spells, potions, and a wide variety of Hexes. This is more of a support Witch but should still be pretty nice.
I like the Oracle with Ancestor mystery and add in the sight curse and you can play it off like the near sighted witch from your favorite fantasy b movie.
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Oracle and witch are both in, just need to decide how I want to do them. The witch will be be based on the hexer above, with an improved familiar taking the for of a pseudodragon.
Oracle will most likely be battle or ancestors. Still debating which I prefer, and I kinda want her to be the party's face, or atleast very beautiful, high charisma.
Not sure about any other characters, maybe another barbarian? Or maybe a cavalier(beat master)? I haven't checked but can they get dragons or anything remotely draconic?
This thread confirms for me that no one here ever reads more than one post above their own contribution, myself included.
Oracle and witch are both in, just need to decide how I want to do them. The witch will be be based on the hexer above, with an improved familiar taking the for of a pseudodragon.
Oracle will most likely be battle or ancestors. Still debating which I prefer, and I kinda want her to be the party's face, or atleast very beautiful, high charisma.
Not sure about any other characters, maybe another barbarian? Or maybe a cavalier(beat master)? I haven't checked but can they get dragons or anything remotely draconic?
Well, if you're going with a draconic theme, a Flame oracle could work too. How about for the other barbarian... a Sorcerer 1 / Barbarian 5 / Dragon Disciple 5 ? Might not be the most optimized character but from their standpoint in the group should certainly have an interesting role. Could even reverse the Barbarian and Sorcerer levels if you needed more caster power, but the DD's abilities seem to make him want to mix it up at the front.
If you want to add a dragon disciple you could mix that with the savage skald. So he'll be a char who not only sings about the heroics of his people, he slowly changes into their totem, too.
hmmm... this sounds fun, but its almost 4am here. i know this comment is pointless but it will make it easy for my to find this thread again if i have any time to post some builds in the next couple days ;)
edit: i'm an idiot/glutton for punishment...
Archaeologist's Luck says nothing about being based on Cha, Dex, or Int, or requiring patience or concentration, so a Barb can use it while raging. give him lingering performance to effectively triple how long he can use it. by fifth level he'll have uncanny dodge. take Arcane Heritage and Improved Arcane Heritage for the draconic bloodline; this won't stack, level-wise, with blood of dragons but it will double the number of rounds/day you can use claws (and bite), and give extra breath weapon (with higher effective level). make him very strong- then enjoy an extra +4 from dragon disciple, +4 from rage, and +4 if you can get a Bull's Str... (you can actually make this even more effective by taking the abyssal bloodline instead, but i don't like that, thematically). do whatever you want with all the other feats/skills (he needs Knowledge[arcane] though)
tell us more about this tribe's alignment/outlook/goals. i have one idea for a leader but he's basically a villain.
personally i'd do:
babarian (urban/invulnerable rager) as a leader type,
bard (savage skald) as the advisory type who knows ALL the things,
there's a ranger AT that gets rage/rage powers who'd be cool as a second-in-command.
have a druid or witch as the shaman-type
throw in anything else you want and flavor to taste.
What I'd personally go with would be a group like this.
Barbarian, Druid, Witch (or Savage Skald Bard) and Trapper Ranger.
ok, so i was going to try to do full builds but i really don't have time, so here's some notes on the 'tribe' i would make:
stats something like: str14 dex12 con20(16+race+levels) int10 wis10 cha13
curses: Haunted (never improves), Lame (EL=6)
mystery: Bones; revelation- Bleeding Wounds
rage powers: lesser spirit totem, renewed vigor, spirit totem, regenerative vigor, greater spirit totem
skills: bluff, diplomacy, intimidate, stealth
feats: toughness, raging vitality, fight on, power attack, weapon focus[falchion], improved critical
pretty face; married to leader; spirit totem shaped like dragons
Barbarian 1/Alchemist (Ragechemist and Vivisectionist) 7/Master Chymist 3
str22(18+race+level) dex10 con12 int13 wis10 cha8
mutation: burly (the Dragonson- CN half-dragon)
discoveries: feral mutagen, infusion, tentacle (grows as a tail)
skills: appraise, craft[alchemy], disable device, perception, spellcraft
feats: iron will, improved iron will, toughness, power attack, weapon focus- claws, improved natural attack- claws, extra rage
i'm not even gonna write him up- +6 favored enemy dragons; archery style; max stealth
str18(14+race+level) dex12 con14 int11 wis14 cha12
rage powers: lesser fiend totem, reckless abandon, fiend totem
skills: acrobatics, craft[weapons], perception, sense motive
feats: power attack, toughness, dodge, iron will, alertness, exotic weapon proficiency- falcata, weapon focus- falcata, weapon specialization- falcata, improved critical- falcata, critical focus
two-hands a large sized falcata (has heavy blades for weapon training)
wow, this is really time consuming... i'm gonna cut down to just concepts...
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Really love everything you've done Nate, those are absolutely awesome. Though I might have to change the "leader" to something other than titan mauler, maybe have him use sword and board, and be an armored hulk? I contemplated making Anyanka a titan mauler with a LARGE earthbreaker to really make her brutal, but I'm hesitant. Any suggestions?
i (obviously) built Anyanka as more of a supernatural threat, so in that build i'm not sure the large earthbreaker is the best fit... after all, she's the only one besides Valas and the Singer (Adviser) with a Str below 18. the 'tempest' could easily be switched to a titan mauler (with the same rage powers and keeping the eldritch heritage feats), and that might be a better fit. although, based on the RAW (as far as i understand them) you can't actually use a large sized earthbreaker...
Inappropriately Sized Weapons: A creature can't make optimum use of a weapon that isn't properly sized for it. A cumulative –2 penalty applies on attack rolls for each size category of difference between the size of its intended wielder and the size of its actual wielder. If the creature isn't proficient with the weapon, a –4 nonproficiency penalty also applies.
The measure of how much effort it takes to use a weapon (whether the weapon is designated as a light, one-handed, or two-handed weapon for a particular wielder) is altered by one step for each size category of difference between the wielder's size and the size of the creature for which the weapon was designed. For example, a Small creature would wield a Medium one-handed weapon as a two-handed weapon. If a weapon's designation would be changed to something other than light, one-handed, or two-handed by this alteration, the creature can't wield the weapon at all.
a large two-handed weapon would go up to category that doesn't exist, so i can't be done. i believe that's why people generally have a negative opinion of the Titan Mauler (the idea of the archetype's ability is, i think, so that if you kill a frost giant leader who has a large-sized battle axe +5 with frost burst you could use it as a two-handed weapon rather than selling it for half-price).
hope that's helpful! i'd love to hear exactly what you end up with (and what you do with them).
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EDIT: now i feel bad that i didn't give Valas a write up at all.
something like str10 dex20 (race+4th) con12 int10 wis16 (8th) cha8
favored enemy: magical beasts +2, dragons +6, humanoid[giants] +2
favored terrain: cold +4, mountains +2 (i picture them being northern barbarians)
skills: climb, know[geography], know[nature], perception, stealth, survival
i'd bond with companions rather than take an animal companion (mostly to avoid temptation to spend a feat on boon companion)
feats: just go to town on archery feats (nothing else, just archery feats)... with this much melee precise shot and imp. precise shot are definites, in a party like this i also like taking point blank master, snap shot, and imp snap shot (and combat reflexes- the exception to the only archery feats rule). there's enough melee that you don't need them (in most situations should easily be able to stand away from fighting), but i really like the idea (and think its very 'barbarian') of an an archer who wades in with the melee guys; it would also allow him to provide a flank (while outside of melee range) which makes the Dragonson even more brutal (since all of his 4 natural attacks, with 32+ Str and power attack, will do 4d6 sneak attack damage...). that's just a personal preference, though- he's just as effective (maybe even more so) if you build him as a traditional archer
and now that i've written that i find myself wanting to add notes about some of the other builds... perhaps another post later.
the simple solution is to replace the druid (shaman) with a witch... their spell selection is sort of similar, so they fill kind of the same role (i just like wild shape better than hexes- especially when there's a bard around who can sing you into rage if you don't want to be casting). i picture them being from the north (as mentioned in Valas' write-up), so winter witch might be a good fit. if you do this, you could drop the dragon familiar from the bard (give it to the witch instead) and free up a couple of his feats.
i also understand the desire for a mounted guy. honestly, if they're all going to be fighting together i think the mounted guy will get hosed most of the time- its going to be tricky to get good positioning with a large (or bigger) mount with 5-7 others engaged in melee, and almost impossible to charge... if you do decide to include one, i suppose the brawler makes sense to replace, in terms of not having any big flashy cool trademark. she would punch for somewhere around 2d8+20 (depending on how your DM interprets Dragon Ferocity), 4 times a round, often ignoring DR... that's kind of a trademark (ummm, that girl just punched that iron golem for 30 damage, without critting!?!). the other option would be to ditch the 'tempest' and roll some of his elemental stuff into one of the other characters.
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I may give both the witch and the bard a familiar, one having a pseudodragon, the other having a tidepool dragon.
You're correct on then being from the North, they are winter barbarians for sure. I'm in the process of drawing the "leader" at the moment, with Anyanka and Baern/Dragonson coming after I finish "leader"(I really should name him, I'm thinking Sigurd or Sigmund)
i can't see any way to effectively get a dragon or half-dragon mount. you could take one of the dinosaur mounts with the beast rider and pretend? or you could take leadership for a monstrous mount but at 11th level you can't get a dragon big enough to ride. you might be able to get a half-dragon, but none are on the list so it'd require some GM tweaking- probably a half-dragon version of something that's normally CR 1-2 would be inline with other monstrous cohorts at that level (i would have said 2-3, but it seems like the flying mounts are all slightly lower CRs), that would basically limit you to a horse or auroch. the silver lining is that any character could take leadership and the ride skill and do that.
i prefer Sigurd. and, like i said, i'm really looking forward to hearing what you settle on, and what happens with them.
Here is a fighter for all ranges: Martial Artist 5/ Ranger 6.
Close ranged is unarmed strike, melee weapon is a Guisarme for reach/trip (which will be maxed thanks to the monk levels and you can get imp trip and still dump your Int), and a bow for long range.
You will get tons of skills, par excellent combat versatility, and you can save money on your armor slot.
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As of right now, here's what I've got. Just bare bones "fluff" for them as before. I'm really looking forward to drawing all of them.
--Sigurd the Dragon Prince-- Leader of the tribe, Sigurd earned his position by dint of intelligence and skill at arms. When he falls into his rage, it is the cool collected fury of the murderous. He is respected and admired by each of the tribe, especially Kaanos. He wears heavier armor than most of the others, heavy breastplate sporting draconic designs and a heavy shield bearing the symbol of the Wyrmchilde Clan. He carries a deadly battleaxe, edged in runes of fell might, that always glows with the cold it sheds.
--Anyanka the Reaper-- The wife of Sigurd, Anyanka is a wise woman of rare attractiveness for someone who's blood is mixed with orc descendency. She is tied to the spirit totem of the tribal elders, specifically Aeragos the Mother Wyrm, and calls on her during her rages. She carries a beautiful falchion known as "Wyrm Cutter", passed down to her from her father. Her hide armor bears trinkets of bone, and her left pauldron is the skull of the first dragon she slew in combat.
--Baern bearer of the Dragonson-- One child in every generation is born bearing the mark of the Wyrm Father, born into blood their mothers die during childbirth and the child is taken from the father to be raised by the shamans and witches of the clan. Baern was always a strong boy but when he learned to brew the dragonwhiskey that would allow him to awaken the Dragonson, he became a feared but respected clansman. Wearing little armor, Baern charges into battle, letting free the Dragonson, growing into a massive brute of terrifying strength and ferocity.
--Valas Dragoneye-- A simple hunter and scout for the tribe, Valas lost much to a foul black dragon, including a wife and son. He eventually found the dragon, and with help, brought the beast lore but not before receiving burns that would cost his left eye. He still wears the dragon's hide as a cloak, and his quiver is always filled with jagged, wickedly barbed arrows more resembling harpoons. His bow, solid black wood, exudes hatred, focused on draconic creatures.
--Kaanos Battlecaller-- It is a sacred duty to call the clan to war, and the most powerful of the skalds can stoke the fires of rage in his fellow clansmen. Kaanos is one such skald, and when his voice bonds out war songs, his people swell with rage and pride. Carrying a light shield and dragon etched sword he fights with song and sword, singing praise and odes to the fallen. At his side, a tidepool dragon named Kiklos follows, his friend and ally.
--Satira Hagsdottr-- A shockingly beautiful woman, she is the lover of Baern and a witch of no small repute. She wields the cold fury of winter and the white dragons that revel in it. At all times she is accompanied by Hamas, her pseudodragon familiar. She often wears a flattering corset and skirts made of white dragon hide, edged in black fur that gives her a distinct appearance. She is one of very few capable of calming the Dragonson when he is in the heights of his devastating fury.
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It appears that I come back too late to this thread as ideas have settled in a direction that is likely not compatible with my suggestion.
I will still leave it here in case someone ever gets interested in my idea :
100% half-orcs, as many as possible with Amplified Rage (and thus need Rage as a class feature). And a Cleric with the Foment the Blood feat.