I just found out I will be joining a new campaign next week, playing Rise of the Runelords. I assume the anniversary edition.
I have never actually played it.
Without giving away too much in the way of spoilers, what are some of the best class/race combos to play, either mechanically or flavor wise?
What about some of the worst?
How about Archetypes, and Traits, as well...?
The best Race/Class combinations I could reccomend, based on my experience:
Kitsune Sorcerer (Fey or Sylvan Bloodline) focusing on Enchantments.
Tiefling Paladin (Oath of Vengeance) with the favored class option to maximize his Lay on Hands.
Dwarven Ranger (Infiltrator) with his favored Enemy as Giants maxxed out.
Half-Elven Master Summoner with a flying eidolon as a scout or a Halfling Master Summoner with a flying eidolon as a mount.
Human Barbarian (Invulnerable Rager) with a reach weapon.
Elven or Human Wizard (Conjuration or Void Elemental school).
I'm running that AP right now, I hope you like it becasue it is a ton of fun.
At least early on, the half orc invulnerable rager that takes toothy and has lesser beast totem does way more damage per round than they expect.
Minor spoiler below, but it is a gear recommendation, that I do will all characters I play now, so take it as you will.
Gunslinger is amazing considering that most of your opponents will have the touch AC of kleenex
On the other hand, I don't know how it is for other players, but stealth has served us well so far, and it seems like gunfire would make it harder to keep quiet.
Would a crafting based character do well in this AP?
I've been having no trouble finding time to craft, but my GM may be giving us a bit of extra downtime to help with that, so take my words with a grain of salt.
First off, not one... but TWO threads for you to read on this very topic! I hope they're helpful.
However, for two quick and easy choices, I'd say a Dwarf Fighter and a human wizard. Dwarves, rangers and wizards have the most to go on in this AP, from a roleplay and mechanics perspective.
Defensive Training: +4 AC vs giants.
Two races get this ability. Dwarves and gnomes. Spoiler alert, but it will take you far. There are a LOT of giants in the later stages of the path. (Meaning also that rangers will have a great time with certain favored enemies: goblin and giant being chief among them). Roleplay wise, this makes the most sense for a Dwarven war veteran who's been fighting giants for his entire life. He's a little disconnected from the ancient human empire that the AP revolves around, but there are enough of his racial enemies around to keep him entertained. Furthermore, greed is one of the central themes of this adventure path, and who loves treasure more than a dwarf?
Thassilon was an empire of human wizard lords. THere's a lot for a wizard, especially one with an academic interest in the subject, to go on here, and a LOT of spellbooks, magical items and gear catered to wizards interspersed throughout the adventure. Take a look at the Thassilonian Specialist in Inner Sea Magic.
Varisians and Shoantis all have long-forgotten ties to Thassilon as well, so if you wanted to play a gypsy or barbarian they're all solid choces. Worshippers of Desna will probably have a great time with some of the Lamashtu cultists the PCs run into, as well, and a varisian woman is an awesome pick for reasons detailed (spoileriffically) in the second link above.
As for crafters, I'd say this is a good adventure path for it. The PCs even encounter an ancient magical forge at the end of the fifth adventure. I have a PC shooting for the craft construct feats and a robot army. I'm pretty stoked!
RPG Superstar 2011 Top 32
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I've both played in and run this AP and I've seen a dwarf druid both times. Seemed to be very effective.
In fact, once giants start rolling in, big pets have plenty of room to exist. Easily able to fit large animal companions, mounts, and eidolons in the areas of the later adventures, in general.
A lot of potential crafting time in this AP is players playing "chicken" with the GM/major NPCs. Nothing says you have to move on right now, but every week you sit and craft the bad guys *might* be getting stronger.
Bad characters? It would be tough to be a PC goblin. Characters who hear "ancient powerful evil being" and think "let's work for it!" A party completely unable to handle haunts might have...problems. A character who thinks all "monsters" exist to be killed might make things tougher than they need to be.