gestalt builds for a story

[DM Cuc]

Not sure if I am in the right section but oh well, here goes.

I am currently trying to get back into writing and to help me (as I tend to focus solely on world building and never write) I am using the Pathfinder system and adventure paths to write stories (not trying to get published or anything, just to get me back into writing). I am currently going to start on the Kingmaker campaign as I have an idea to establish a religious nation. My dilemma is that I am not the greatest at building characters, and am new to the gestalt characters. I am using gestalt characters to give more flavor to my characters and just to have fun with different builds and what they can do. I am probably going to make a party of 4 or 5 and I know the "leader" will be something like a sorcerer/oracle due to them both being kind of "chosen" and somewhere else on the forum I got the idea from about like an angel reborn or something similar to that. Any help with cool ideas that can play up the religion theme would be greatly appreciated. Also I plan to have the characters all be linked to divine power somehow. Thank you in advanced for any help.

PS: I am not really looking for "power builds" mostly cool gestalt ideas that I can really play up flavor. Again I am no trying to be published but mostly just getting back into the rhythm of writing.

[DM Cuc]

The more I think, alignment will not be a HUGE part, because I continue to think about somehow potentially turning "nation" more into like a evil, "you must accept our religion" type nation and then I can make another group of characters "dethrone" the first group to return the nation back to how it use to be. Sorry for the rambling I am still processing these ideas and I keep getting more as I type lol. This just hit me, I think I may have the leader of the first group, end up declaring himself a God among men and that leads to the next adventuring group/story.

[GM Arkwright]

Religious Party
Leader- Sorcerer (Imperious Bloodline)/Oracle (Ancestor Mystery)
Fighter- Paladin/Cavalier, the Holy Knight
Thief- Rogue (Sanctified Rogue)/Inquisitor
Secondary Caster- Cleric/Summoner (Celestial evolutions)

Dethroning Party
Leader- Cavalier/Bard
Caster- Druid/Sorcerer (Sage bloodline)
Secondary Fighter- Ranger (Horsemaster)/Barbarian (Mad Dog)
Thief- Alchemist/Magus

[DM Cuc]

Those are some AWESOME ideas! Thanks!

[nate lange]

i'd avoid a paladin if you're planning on having an evil-ish feel to the first party... maybe something like this?

religious party:
Leader- LN (or LE) cleric/empyreal sorc (empyreal covers angel motif and makes casting Wis based)
Enforcer- barbarian/inquisitor (2hand build, intimidation expert)
Scout/Assassin- gunslinger/inquisitor (bane+judgment+touch attacks? yes please)
Adviser- bard/lore oracle (party face, all the knows)

[DM Cuc]

The alignment isn't a huge issue, as the start of the campaign they will be set out for "good," but the leader ends up slowly becoming self-absorbed and, due to his extremely high Charisma, slowly starts to turn the party more "evil." I am thinking kind of a cult like feel, but this won't happen until they establish their first city. Eventually I want the leader to become a self-proclaimed God, and since it is a story I do not have to worry about following all the rules exactly and can have some freedom, I am still working out some of the details of how he and his party, who end up becoming almost slave like to him, still can use divine magic. It may be that the leader proclaims himself the chosen of a certain deity and it goes from there, but that will come with writing the story.

[Zilfrel Findadur]

Religious Party:

Leader- Oracle 1/cleric 10/sorcerer 19/evangelist 10 (ISG)
Justicar- Paladin 20/Fighter 20 or cavalier 20
Man of Sorts- Zen Archer Monk 20/Rogue Archer 20

I don't see the reason of adding more people xD

Atheists (Academic Knights):

The Brain- Wizard 10/Rogue 20/Arcane Trickster 10 PrC
The Executioner- Kensai Magus 20/Swordlord Fighter 10/Aldori Swordlord 10
The Void Knight- Fighter 10/Wizard 20/Eldritch Knight 10
The Shutdown- Witch 20/Summoner 20

Savage people:

The Meta Conan- Barbarian 20/Fighter 20
The Savage Dragon- Barbarian 19/Sorcerer 11/Draconic Disciple 10
The Mageslayer- Ranger 20/Monk 20
The Naturalist- Druid 20/Alchemist 20

Diabolists:
Antipaladin 20/Monk 20
Diabolist 10/Wizard 10/Summoner 20
Hellknight Commander 10/Fighter 10/Cavalier 20
Hellknight Enforcer 10/Cleric 10/Wizard 10/Fighter 10 (this is a little bit too much xD)

[boring7]

Abadar is essentially the god of "civilized society" and is Lawful Neutral. His followers can be "The Light of Culture and Reason" or "The Exploitative Imperialist Jerks," sometimes at the same time.

Religious party:

Team Leader and wannabe pontifex: Oracle/Synthesist summoner. Blackened curse and solar mystery he believes in bringing light to darkness, even if it burns the world. His eidolon synthesis is a manifestation of his holy power making him stronger, tougher, and more skilled. In the end he claims to be an apotheosis, both the herald of (abadar?) and the diety itself.

Defender of the Faith: Cavalier 20 on one side, and barbarian 10 followed by Paladin 10. She started as a savage barbarian, but after a run-in with TL she became a paladin. She is zealous in the ideals of order, control, and honor and he hates the ravening beast she used to be. Unfortunately she still has her savage berserker beast, and she's wound so tight that if/when she snaps she becomes a murderous monster. Her mount is an Alce Gryphon, they're best friends.

Loyal Squire: Bard/Wizard, the Jimmy Olsen to TL's superman and the Alfred to DotF's Batman, he's a genius, he's charismatic, he ALWAYS has relevant information (bardic lore) and if not for his crippling self-doubt which is only dispelled by serving TL and DotF he would probably be some highlord or religious leader himself. Good-natured, naive, he basically has "I will be murdered tragically to complete the hero's fall into darkness" tattooed on his forehead.

The Spy: Inquisitor on one side/rogue 10 assassin 10 on the other. He began as the specialist, spy, and hunter. Cold and focused he could survive in the wilderness or the city and bend or break the rules that the lawboys couldn't when they needed to slip out of a city, create a distraction, or get ahold of a macguffin. After winning, he became the master of whispers. At first he was just keeping tabs on threats and solidifying the TL's position, but then he started getting sent on darker and darker missions, being ordered to kill people for machiavellian reasons or obtain "entertainments" that grew more debased and less righteous. The Spy is the most world-weary of the group, having seen light and shadow and having never been quite as deluded as the rest about his own "perfection." Twist ending, he's been tossing backchannel assistance to the Dethroning party because, "if the gods are so smart, they'll sort it out."

Dethroning Party

Leader of La Resistance- Wizard/bard, d'Artagnan the deist. He's pro-secular power, a skilled fencer, and carries a lot of arcane power. He was really good at the mage academy, but his disobedience and political nature got him expelled. Now he's going Robin Hood.

Wise Caster- Druid/Monk, he plays part Merlin, part Miyagi and is the one who taught (and still teaches) LoLR how to move like water and strike like thunder.

Shadowdancer- Ranger/Rogue going Fighter/Shadowdancer. She was a "hand" of The Spy and the only one to escape him (faked her own death). There is a big question of whether he knows she is still alive and whether or not he LET her escape.

Mad Scientist- Alchemist/Magus with a construct familiar. She is your standard gearhead/mad scientist who is both dumber and smarter than LoLR depending on whether you want airship that can fly to the moon or the ability to survive the g-forces and atmospheric decompression of the trip. She likes making robots, tools, and giant bombs.

[DM Cuc]

Boring7, those are some freaking awesome ideas, and are really making me rethink some of my idea's and original thoughts behind where I was heading with the story. The whole Abadar distinction really helps me find a way to not make them outright evil but more all about how their religion is the greatest and you must conform to their religion or face the wrath of the The Spy aka the Holy Assassin.

[DM Cuc]

Thank you to all four of you guys that posted stuff on here to help me. it means a lot. I am really excited to get back into writing and think this will be an easy kick start to get me back in the groove so I can eventually focus on my own thing. There are so many good ideas and I now am rethinking everything and how I want to make this work. Also some of these ideas I can def see bringing into a different story.

[nate lange]

i think paladins can worship LN gods can't they?

if so, you could build your leader as an empyreal sorcerer/warpriest...
with fervor to mimic Lay Hands and good combat skills he could present himself as a paladin of Abadar- that way as he slides into tyranny he can continually point to the fact that he hasn't lost his abilities as evidence that he must be right/good... you could even have one of the party members be a real pally who he eventually has to have murdered to avoid a public betrayal.