You would have to use a light shield to make it work by RAW.
Inquisitors can be good at a lot of things, so you need to determine what you need him to be good at, other than fighting before suggestions can be made.
|
Two-handing a shield can be very effective.
I don't think that you especially need the extra AC as an Inquisitor. Their spells, Judgments, and other defenses keep you alive.
The only feat that you really need for that style is Improved Shield Bash so that you don't constantly lose your AC bonus.
All other feats can be selected just like any two-handed style melee character.
The Shield Slam feat can be a very strong ability to have at your disposal, but you need a couple prereqs that will be useless.
There's also a debate on how this feat works that could be annoying.
Bane only affects one weapon. There's a feat for that. I don't recommend it.
Bashing Finish is going to be kind of useless too, because of the 19-20 max crit range of a shield (with Improved Critical). It's not going to come up often enough to justify taking four feats.
As far as it being silly looking, that only applies if you're not an Ulfen Shield Bearer. Those guys are awesome. They're typically Rangers, but an Inquisitor could fit right in too. It's not an archetype/prestige class or anything, but it's a cool concept IMO.
There's a Trait for it. +1 damage is nice.
You would have to use a light shield to make it work by RAW.
Inquisitors can be good at a lot of things, so you need to determine what you need him to be good at, other than fighting before suggestions can be made.
Is there an FAQ on that, because all DM's I've rolled with said, "if you can't use a weapon, you're hand's not free enough to cast either."
I mean maybe they're wrong, but...
No FAQ that I've found, but James Jacobs (Creative Director and self-proclaimed "not-rules-guy") has said the opposite of your GM's.
Also, most people I've seen rule that moving your weapon from one hand to the other is a free action; thus you can move your sword from your "wielding hand" to your (light) shield hand, cast the spell, then move your weapon back to your "wielding hand" without breaking action economy (that is, if you didn't want to just use your light shield hand for the somatic components).
Quickdraw Feat + Quickdraw Shield: don or remove shield as a free action. Attack with a sword two-handed, free action: don your shield.
I don't recommend two-weapon fighting for an inquistor - a lot of feat investment for almost no gain.
Something I've never really seen attempted is a build using pole arms alongside shields. I always thought spears and the like were somewhat lackluster considering their inability to strike adjacent targets, but having the shield to bash with might be able to account for that weakness. And the reach is certainly an excellent thing to have when you're on the front lines.
EDIT: Upon further research, I see that spears and their cousins are two-handed weapons, making it pretty much impossible to wield them with a shield. Such a pity, I was excited about that build for a minute.
Something I've never really seen attempted is a build using pole arms alongside shields. I always thought spears and the like were somewhat lackluster considering their inability to strike adjacent targets, but having the shield to bash with might be able to account for that weakness. And the reach is certainly an excellent thing to have when you're on the front lines.
EDIT: Upon further research, I see that spears and their cousins are two-handed weapons, making it pretty much impossible to wield them with a shield. Such a pity, I was excited about that build for a minute.
Somewhat ironic considering the greek hoplite/roman legion combat style which was so very effective over the years.
There's a 3rd party feat, but those are always third party.
Thanks for the link, that hoplite image is exactly what I had in mind and this feat doesn't look that bad.
Inquisitor of Ragatiel to get the bastard sword proficiency. Then a light shield in the offhand. Take a race that gets an arcane SLA to qualify for arcane strike. That way you can up your damage (in turns you have your swift action free) without needing PA.
Something I've never really seen attempted is a build using pole arms alongside shields. I always thought spears and the like were somewhat lackluster considering their inability to strike adjacent targets, but having the shield to bash with might be able to account for that weakness. And the reach is certainly an excellent thing to have when you're on the front lines.
EDIT: Upon further research, I see that spears and their cousins are two-handed weapons, making it pretty much impossible to wield them with a shield. Such a pity, I was excited about that build for a minute.
I don't wanna derail from the conversation too much, but would two levels of Titan Mauler barbarian fit your build? Because it lets you wield two-handed weapons sized for you at a -2 attack. Rage might not fit in, but you could flavor it as Spartan thirst for battle.
the two easiest ways to do it are the quickdraw trick or just use a buckler on your off hand and accept the -1 attack penalty and loss of shield bonus when going 2 handed for the round.
For 25 point buy, I'd go something like
Str 18, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 15, Cha 8 for a human or half-human with the floating +2
01 Quick Draw
02
03 Power Attack, Precise Strike (bonus)
04 +1 Str
05 Furious Focus
06 Outflank (bonus)
07 (insert feat here)
08 +1 Str
09 (insert feat here), Escape Route (bonus)
10
11 (insert feat here)
12 +1 Wis, bonus teamwork feat
Lookout, Shake It Off, Stealth Synergy, and Pack Attack are also decent choices for your bonus teamwork feats. Inquisitors can change one of their bonus teamwork feats with a standard action, so play around with them to find ones that suit your playstyle and group.
As for the rest of the regular feats, pretty much anything you want. Improved Initiative is a staple, and compliments cunning initiative. If you go half orc, Deepsight can be really nice. Judgement Surge makes one of your judgements per day more effective (especially nice at 12th because all the judgements tick up a point at effective inquisitor level 15).
|
|
System mastery won't be a problem - I prefer playing oddball characters that don't behave the way anyone else's do. And the Ulfen sound interesting. Maybe my character left the north because he was a bit of a runt (only 6' tall) and has some major insecurities as a result.
Do you think the stat spread seems reasonable?
Love the concept. There's a trait for that too!
The stats look good, but I would drop Dex to 14 so you can eliminate the Cha penalty.
You're missing points too. I count only 20; in the OP you said 25pb at your table.
If you do have 25pb, try this:
Str: 18 (16+2)
Dex: 14
Con: 14
Int: 10
Wis: 14
Cha: 10
All Inherent/level bonuses to Str.
A 14 Wis is more than enough to take advantage of an Inquisitor's spellcasting ability for a good long while. If you get to higher levels, just buy a headband to gain full access (6th level spells).
The difficulty in presenting your holy symbol is an issue (as others have mentioned).
Simply pay to have your shield made a Reliquary. It is inexpensive (+250gp) and should be available in any reasonably sized town/city. You would have to take one hand off of your shield to cast spells, but you could just put it right back after you're finished.
It is true that Warpriest fills a similar role. We won't know exactly what that class will look like until Gen Con, but it is probably just as good as Inquisitor. There will be some changes to the Blessings and the favored weapon issue will be worked out. I thought about playing a Warpriest, but it's too mechanically similar to my Inquisitor to make it attractive right now.
@boring7 Mithril Fullplate requires spending a feat on proficiency and will reduce movement to 20'. I don't recommend fullplate for an Inquisitor.
I think that this style would be best served by a Mithril Breastplate and a Mithril Heavy Shield. The Protection Judgment can make up for the shortfall, for as long as AC matters anyway.
IMO, avoid Shield Spikes. While the larger dice are appreciated, moving from piercing to bludgeoning stinks. The Weapon Versatility feat is something to consider.
Instead of a reliquary shield, I'd just grab the birthmark trait and have it on your face or some other easily presentable body part.
I'd agree with the comment earlier that you don't really need the shield AC bonus. I've got an inquisitor (not a super-maximized build, as he's the first one I made, but he's here if you want to take a look) who is a lot of fun to play and can do a ton of damage with his elven curve blade. He can buff up really well if he's got a moment before combat, and still do pretty well on short notice. And blistering invective is so much fun - just say very mean things to people and they catch on fire!
Don't shield bash with an Inquisitor. You'll suffer a -4 Penalty because you are not proficient with it.
Get heavy armor proficiency and a full plate. Cast Magic Vestment on it and your shield. You already have good saves. Boost them with Heroism. Get a defensive domain like Liberation. Maybe even be a Dwarf with Steel Soul. You'll be very hard to bring down. And if need be, you can use defensive Judgements and spells like Divine Shield.
Sword and Shield can still have pretty effective offense because the Inquisitor has so many ways to improve his damage that don't care about one- or two-handed weapons. Sure, you'll want high strength and power attack, but you also got Divine Favor/Power, Judgement, Bane and Precise Strike. Use your spells and Judgement for either offense or defense, depending of the situation.
Something I've never really seen attempted is a build using pole arms alongside shields. I always thought spears and the like were somewhat lackluster considering their inability to strike adjacent targets, but having the shield to bash with might be able to account for that weakness. And the reach is certainly an excellent thing to have when you're on the front lines.
EDIT: Upon further research, I see that spears and their cousins are two-handed weapons, making it pretty much impossible to wield them with a shield. Such a pity, I was excited about that build for a minute.
Somewhat ironic considering the greek hoplite/roman legion combat style which was so very effective over the years.
There's a 3rd party feat, but those are always third party.
I really like that third party feat.
It makes phalanx fighter pointless… but I like the feat better than a whole archetype.
especially since, the idea of spears only being two handed weapons is ludicrous, in light of the well known historical facts that they were not wielded that way.
I like the spear should be Two handed as a simple weapon and one handed as a martial.
I don't like having to take an archetype for it.
My wife had a blast in curse of the crimson throne with a dual wielding inquisitor (saw toothed sabres)
She had quick draw, weapon focus, judgements, standard two weapon feats. Loads of fun and damage.
Spell casting was largely heals, buffs and other out of combat type casting.
Combat was largely two weapon fighting and judgements or bane… she regularly routed fighters, like red mantis, hell knights and grey maidens.
The whole thing about needing two proficiencies for shield bashing needs to be drop kicked out of the park… The class description says "Proficient with shields" not 'defensively proficient with shields'
Something I've never really seen attempted is a build using pole arms alongside shields. I always thought spears and the like were somewhat lackluster considering their inability to strike adjacent targets, but having the shield to bash with might be able to account for that weakness. And the reach is certainly an excellent thing to have when you're on the front lines.
EDIT: Upon further research, I see that spears and their cousins are two-handed weapons, making it pretty much impossible to wield them with a shield. Such a pity, I was excited about that build for a minute.
Somewhat ironic considering the greek hoplite/roman legion combat style which was so very effective over the years.
There's a 3rd party feat, but those are always third party.
I really like that third party feat.
It makes phalanx fighter pointless… but I like the feat better than a whole archetype.
especially since, the idea of spears only being two handed weapons is ludicrous, in light of the well known historical facts that they were not wielded that way.
I like the spear should be Two handed as a simple weapon and one handed as a martial.
I don't like having to take an archetype for it.
To be honest, something just feels off about that archetype. The feat makes so much more sense.
To be honest, something just feels off about that archetype. The feat makes so much more sense.Something I've never really seen attempted is a build using pole arms alongside shields. I always thought spears and the like were somewhat lackluster considering their inability to strike adjacent targets, but having the shield to bash with might be able to account for that weakness. And the reach is certainly an excellent thing to have when you're on the front lines.
EDIT: Upon further research, I see that spears and their cousins are two-handed weapons, making it pretty much impossible to wield them with a shield. Such a pity, I was excited about that build for a minute.
Somewhat ironic considering the greek hoplite/roman legion combat style which was so very effective over the years.
There's a 3rd party feat, but those are always third party.
I really like that third party feat.
It makes phalanx fighter pointless… but I like the feat better than a whole archetype.
especially since, the idea of spears only being two handed weapons is ludicrous, in light of the well known historical facts that they were not wielded that way.
I like the spear should be Two handed as a simple weapon and one handed as a martial.
I don't like having to take an archetype for it.
agreed…. I would play spear types way more, if that were the case. As it stands, in the course of over 30 years playing the game… I have played a spear character 4 times…ever.
1) I think it must have been 1987, My starting out monk in 1e had a spear, he mainly rain away when there was a fight… which prompted the party fighter to dub his spear "the italian rifle"….Brand new! Only dropped once.
2) Earlier int he 80s In Basic Rules I played an elf who had a spear and a sword, It was a preen character.
3) I played an Elf Ranger in CoT, Two weapon fighting was his fighting style, He used a shield and a short spear….I can't remember why. Later he often used an elf curved blade.
4) I played a phalanx fighter after watching too much 300, in kingmaker.
I don't think any of those characters lasted more than 6 sessions.
Inquisitor of Gorum with the Shield Trained trait which makes proficient with shields and heavy shield counts as a light weapon so your twf penalties are smaller. Birthmark trait for a greatsword on your face!
That's a cool trait. Didn't know that.
|
Inquisitor of Gorum with the Shield Trained trait which makes proficient with shields and heavy shield counts as a light weapon so your twf penalties are smaller. Birthmark trait for a greatsword on your face!That's a cool trait. Didn't know that.
Just for reference the feat is here . Specifically it doesn't make you proficient in shields as weapons - it makes them count as simple weapons. So most classes would be proficient.
Hmmmm... I see an Ulfen Gorumite Brawler with the Shield Champion archetype in my future.
I could see me playing a Gorumite Dwarf Slayer sometime in the future.
After some feats/talents I'd rock heavy armor (spiked for fluff), TWF without dex, heavy shield as light weapon, tons of skills. With favoured target and a situational sneak attack to up the damage./derail
The problem with gorum, while allowing you to take that nice trait, is that he gives a two-handed favoured weapon and as such you'd still not have a good one-handed weapon for sword and board.
That's why I suggested Ragatiel earlier in this thread.
On the other hand there ARE some simple one-handed weapons that can be used. The morning star for example.
For stats I'd go str > con = wis > int > dex > cha
Going half-orc would allow you to use longswords through the city raised alternate race trait, would give you a bite attack through toothy and, if you like it as much as I do, endurance through shaman's apprentice. You are steel, you don't want to take off your armor at night, do you?
Without dumping you could have: STR: 18 DEX: 12 CON: 14 INT: 13 WIS: 14 CHA: 10