Hey all, I'm looking to make an inspiring leader type for an upcoming Skull & Shackles game. Basically, I want to be a pirate king with as many minions as possible (not summons) and an emphasis on making others better through my actions.
To which I have a few options I think.
1. Bard it up. Just 20 levels of bard, well rounded with a nice inspire.
2. Pathfinder Chronicler.
3. Battle Herald, my preferred option.
So, I'm stuck with a conundrum. I want to do Battle Herald, take hHorse Master to make my mount (prime minion) powerful, but a horse on a boat? Ugh.
Also, I wanna do EHeritage Arcane for a familiar, improved if I can take it too, for another minion.
Finally, I wanna work Leadership, obviously.
Seems feat squeezed, though. Is it worth it all?
And should I work pathfinder chronicler in there or not bother?
Is there another better way to be the epic Pirate King I so desire?
Ok, this may seem a bit much, but a little while ago I built a pirate queen (king if you want), made her a noble scion (for the improved cohort), and built her a pirate crew. Here it is:
I made her a charisma-built gunslinger (human, bucaneer archetype) and made her cohort her first mate (a freebooter ranger).I've got a good mix of different types of crew (gunslingers/corsairs/pirates), as well as a basic sheet for the ship. It's all a theoretical buil, but it's a nice way to be more than just pure face. I hope you enjoy!
About the mount, maybe a Druid type guy with a roc animal companion could work well
Nature soul + Animal ally (from faiths & philosophies( would certainly be cheaper than eldritch heritage. But dont forget, already having a companion lowers your overall leadership rating. More companions, yes, but a less good cohort/ servants. I'll admit, I would tend towards less "direct companions" and more followers, since it's less trouble for the DM to manage when he considers the followers are working in the background. Although I have yet to have a chance to test out my pirate queen.
Sylvan Sorcerer with EH feats for Arcane bloodline will give you a companion and a familiar and plenty of buff spells to go along with a high Charisma. In that environment an AC will likely work better than a standard mount.
Our captain was a Sea Singer with a couple of levels of Lore Warden. Worked out great.
If you are going for nonmagical, and your GM allows 3rd party material, there is this cavalier archetype that may work well for you.
It allows single classed entry into Battle Herald, and like most other party-buffers, it raises the effectiveness of the entire party, so it doesn't create an imbalance in party structure. Of course, I wrote it so I'm a bit biased :)