I have an idea for a chelaxian lawyer. He would be all about making binding contracts, dominating, legalese, and control.
Kind of like the Sarishian Binder from arcanis.
I am just bewildered what class/build/race would work best for the class. This would have to be pathfinder society legal and would be played mostly with the year of the demon mods in mind.
Thank you for any advice in advance!
Egorian Academy Infernal Binder also looks interesting...
Summoner or conjuration wizard if you want the infernal feel. I do like the enchanter idea, too. But regardless, you should take profession lawyer or barrister or something similarly. Definitely throw a couple of points into linguistics so your contracts will always hold up regardless of language.
Sorcerer with the Infernal Bloodline is the first thing that pops into my head, but there's probably better options. Can always grab he Eldritch Heritage line to pick up the bloodline abilities if you pick a different class.
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
A Legalistic Oracle going into Diabolist could definitely do very well. The only trick would be picking a mystery. I'm inclined to jump to Outer Rifts as the only "evil" mystery, but that one's more associated with demons than devils. Another Prestige Class to consider is the Divine Scion from Inner Sea Magic, which has full spellcasting progression and some interesting flavor, but might not be exactly what you're looking for.
Dude, I loved Arcanis! (Played when it was a 3.5 setting, haven't played their newer proprietary rule system)
Cheliax definitely seems like a good PF equivalent to the Theocracy of Canceri. The build would depend more on which side of Sarish worship you want to emphasize.
For example, the Inquisitor would be good that the aspect of binding oaths and hunting Infernals/oath breakers, but they can't summon or bind Infernals themselves. On the other hand, a Summoner is great at summoning Infernals, but doesn't have any abilities to discern oath breakers.
Cleric and Inquisitor would be good divine base classes to start with. Wizard, Sorcerer, or Summoner would all be good arcane classes.
Hellknight Enforcer, Darkfire Adept, and Diabolist (but not Demoniac).
Considering that the priesthood of Sarish also contained arcane casters, a dip into False Priest PrC, and the archetype for sorcerers, would be appropriate for arcane casters. Planes Walker also fits the Sarishian theme. The Tattooed Mystic PrC could also be useful.
I second the Diabolist idea. I picked up the "Princes of Darkness" sourcebook and have taken a liking to the class. Having a combat-ready imp companion is pretty nifty.
|
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Lore Oracle seems fitting.
Oooh, yeah! Combine a love of the law with an overwhelming knowledge of it. "According to the most recent Laws of the City (Annotated collection, fourth edition, with a foreword by Grandmaster Torch), magically enhanced firearms are a restricted class IV controlled weapon. Please present your permit for your musket or prepare to be immediately extradited and eviscerated according to Chelaxian....." Spends a move action each round explaining why the enemies are breaking the law.
Another bonus with Oracle/Cleric is that Animate Dead becomes viable. You can theme this around you having closed 'Post Mortem Labor Contracts' with the 'Corporeal Donors' while they were alive.
I second "profession (lawyer)", and it should be a human with the "heart of the fields" trait (half character level on profession check).
Also, maybe you want to use the cloistered cleric variant to effectively habe bardic knowledge plus wisdom (great for profession) as your main stat :-)
Oh, and you might want to put a lot of emphasis on linguistics skill - forgery and detect forgery might be up your alley as well... ;-)
Well, Oracle, with the Legalistic Curse is fitting.
Legalistic Curse? Never heard of it.
Legalistic Curse? Never heard of it.
Its from Blood of Fiends (Paizo Publishing).
Basically, you take penalties if you break your given word, and can swear oaths that give you a bonus to fulfill them.
|
We're talking about a lawyer people, and no one has mentioned the bard yet? For shame, for shame. A sound striker bard / diabolist would be glorious (though going straight bard would be mechanically better). When you use weird words on someone, it could be role played along the lines of your character invoking laws and doctrines in order to remove the threat from the area. "In recognition of section seven, paragraph 3, sub-paragraph 2 of the Articles of Thune of 1022, you are in violation of provisions blah blah blah blah..." (A prospect which certainly would cause me physical pain in real life!). Focus on enchantment, conjuration, and illusion spells.
Thanks everyone for the suggestions! Going to work on a couple builds tonight and post them!
|
|
TGMaxMaxer wrote:
If so, Variant Cha/Str Tiefling.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't Cheliaxians look down on teiflings?Depends on if they're Devil types or Demon types of parentage.
Chelaxians worship devils (lawful) and use them often. They hate demons (chaotic).
So a demon hating devilborn tiefling is fine.Actually, so is a demon hating demonborn tiefling with the right story, as most demonic offspring aren't the product of voluntary procreation.
Cheliax: Although tieflings are more common in Cheliax than in most other places on Golarion, they are despised and unwelcome, second-class citizens who bring shame on their houses. Cheliax strives for purity, and though one might think the infusion of infernal blood into a mortal’s family tree might elevate that family, exactly the reverse is true—the official line of Cheliax is that power comes through controlling and binding devils, and actually mating with one is a perversion at best and a show of weakness at worst. Of course, this general attitude also breeds a certain secret fascination among the decadent, bored, and rebellious, and even nobles may sometimes seek out tiefling lovers, bodyguards, and blood-sport fighters. It should be noted, however, that this strange love-hate relationship extends only to tieflings whose ancestry is infernal or in question— those of obviously demonic heritage, or who voluntarily identify as such, are rarely tolerated within Cheliax’s cities. Only the fact that most people can’t tell one type of tiefling from another allows demon-blooded tieflings to operate within the Hell-bonded nation.
Or a Tiefling Lawyer with a legal document claiming that he is of 100% human heritage, signed by a major authority figure. Let others try to accuse him of having devil/demon blood. He'll have them arrested for slander.
If interest I'm available on retainer.
** spoiler omitted **
Cheliax: Although tieflings are more common in Cheliax than in most other places on Golarion, they are despised and unwelcome, second-class citizens who bring shame on their houses. Cheliax strives for purity, and though one might think the infusion of infernal blood into a mortal’s family tree might elevate that family, exactly the reverse is true—the official line of Cheliax is that power comes through controlling and binding devils, and actually mating with one is a perversion at best and a show of weakness at worst. Of course, this general attitude also breeds a certain secret fascination among the decadent, bored, and rebellious, and even nobles may sometimes seek out tiefling lovers, bodyguards, and blood-sport fighters. It should be noted, however, that this strange love-hate relationship extends only to tieflings whose ancestry is infernal or in question— those of obviously demonic heritage, or who voluntarily identify as such, are rarely tolerated within Cheliax’s cities. Only the fact that most people can’t tell one type of tiefling from another allows demon-blooded tieflings to operate within the Hell-bonded nation.
So don't expect to be popular based on your race, but a Chelaxian tiefling character still makes sense. And you could still pick up powerful, influential patrons. You won't be adored by the common man, but if you fulfill a vital role (like legal expert in an extremely lawful country) you could still find your place. And don't tell anyone your demon-blooded, in fact, don't even have the character know that about themselves.
So I am thinking Cleric/Diabolist with the Contracts alternate channeling ability (harm for the compulsion spells). But I am unsure if there are really enough good compulsion spells to make it worth it for clerics.
The negotiator archetype for bards is pretty perfectly suited for this.
First, it gives 1/2 class level to bluff, diplomacy, intimidation, and sense motive- great skills for a lawyer.
It also has a performance that applies a geas/quest. it has a fantastic save DC (the classic 10+1/2 level+cha), and requires 3 rounds. It starts as lesser geas at level 6, and upgrades to regular geas at level 18. There is an HD limit equal to your own HD, and you have to keep up your end of the bargain for it to stay in effect. But this is pretty directly what was requested.
This tends to be more of an NPC archetype though- you lose inspire courage in return for some ability to mess with perceived value or something. You could get by as a pure caster.... but that still seriously hurts you abilities.