| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
My group is about to start a homebrew campaign with slow progression leveling. We will be starting at level three, and the DM expects the campaign won't got much past level 12. All hardcover books allowed, no splats or 3rd-party. While not all the party roles have been set, we have a rogue, a frontline melee of some type, and a sorc called (leaving me and one other player to finish the roster).
So, with slow progression, the level 12 as the cap, and the party make-up in mind, what classes would people recommend? I'm leaning towards a divine caster, since there isn't any in the lineup. Druid looks interesting, but so many options, it's intimidating for someone whose only been playing Pathfinder for 6 months. Thoughts?
What do you want to do in the game? That is important because it will be easier to choose a class once you decide that.
What do you want to do in the game? That is important because it will be easier to choose a class once you decide that.
From a gameplay standpoint, I want to compliment my party in combat but not be a full support. From an RP standpoint I'd prefer a class that doesn't dump CHA (or has social skills that aren't CHA dependent), as my last two character had a CHA of 7 and I couldn't do much social interaction.
I have no experience with actually tracking experience for leveling. When you say "slow progression" could you perhaps put it in terms of how many sessions you are likely to be at each level? I'm asking because you don't want to get excited about a kind of character just to start playing it and realize it won't meet your expectations until sometime next year.
Does your game allow retraining rules? If so you could consider shooting for something that comes online early and then perhaps retrain into a more complex build once you are high enough level to allow it to function.
Anyway, do you really want to play a divine caster or are you just trying to fill the niche? What exactly do you want to be able to do?
What do you want to do in the game? That is important because it will be easier to choose a class once you decide that.From a gameplay standpoint, I want to compliment my party in combat but not be a full support. From an RP standpoint I'd prefer a class that doesn't dump CHA (or has social skills that aren't CHA dependent), as my last two character had a CHA of 7 and I couldn't do much social interaction.
That sounds like a Bard to me. Performance makes everyone better at fighting, including you, and Bard has a fine selection of buffs as well as immediate action spells (look at X Finale spells) that allow some nifty action economy efficient support. You would also be a damn fine skill monkey on the side.
I have no experience with actually tracking experience for leveling. When you say "slow progression" could you perhaps put it in terms of how many sessions you are likely to be at each level? I'm asking because you don't want to get excited about a kind of character just to start playing it and realize it won't meet your expectations until sometime next year.
Does your game allow retraining rules? If so you could consider shooting for something that comes online early and then perhaps retrain into a more complex build once you are high enough level to allow it to function.
Anyway, do you really want to play a divine caster or are you just trying to fill the niche? What exactly do you want to be able to do?
From what's the DM's said, it will take about six to eight four-hour sessions to level, and we meet once a week. I don't think retraining has ever come up, so I couldn't say either way, but I can see it being allowed if the change in gameplay isn't so drastic it can't be explained by good RP.
I'm not set on divine caster. It's a type of character I haven't played, and it's something the party needs, so I'm not against it. However, I'm not ruling anything out that doesn't step on the toes of the other player's established choices.
Oracle may be a good bet. Depending on choice of mystery, they can be fairly competent damage dealers while still retaining the support ability inherent to any full caster. Use your mystery to improve your combat ability and your spells to focus on improving yourself and everyone else with buffs.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
What do you want to do in the game? That is important because it will be easier to choose a class once you decide that.From a gameplay standpoint, I want to compliment my party in combat but not be a full support. From an RP standpoint I'd prefer a class that doesn't dump CHA (or has social skills that aren't CHA dependent), as my last two character had a CHA of 7 and I couldn't do much social interaction.
I say go inquisitor. They are good in combat, ok in support, and have enough skills so that you wont likely be stuck twiddling your thumbs.
If you really want to focus on social settings you can go with the infiltrator archetype. It allows you to use wisdom and charisma on bluff and diplomacy checks.
Personally I think the base inquisitor is better.
If you wish to do more supporting, but still want to be a decent combatant then I would say go with a bard. You would need a decent charisma for spells however, however that will also help your social skills so it is not a loss.
+1 for inquisitor, it's a really fun class that does most things pretty well. Had a blast with mine, and because the spell list is limited, you only need to know what YOUR spells do.
That said, make sure lesser restoration is one of YOUR spells.
|
I have no experience with actually tracking experience for leveling. When you say "slow progression" could you perhaps put it in terms of how many sessions you are likely to be at each level? I'm asking because you don't want to get excited about a kind of character just to start playing it and realize it won't meet your expectations until sometime next year.
Does your game allow retraining rules? If so you could consider shooting for something that comes online early and then perhaps retrain into a more complex build once you are high enough level to allow it to function.
Anyway, do you really want to play a divine caster or are you just trying to fill the niche? What exactly do you want to be able to do?
From what's the DM's said, it will take about six to eight four-hour sessions to level, and we meet once a week. I don't think retraining has ever come up, so I couldn't say either way, but I can see it being allowed if the change in gameplay isn't so drastic it can't be explained by good RP.
I'm not set on divine caster. It's a type of character I haven't played, and it's something the party needs, so I'm not against it. However, I'm not ruling anything out that doesn't step on the toes of the other player's established choices.
that's not slow, that is snail pace. *shudder*
anyway, I would actually look into a druid, inquisitor, alchemist, swashbuckler, or bare with me, rogue. Yes rogue.
Druid- so much versatility its not funny, sometimes overwhelming. I prefer to shun the forums and build mine for versatility when I play one. Especially on 20 pt buy or higher. wild shape is fuuuuun
Inquisitor- some social skills that get wis/int bonus instead of cha. lots of RP flavor for certain campaigns. no one expected the PF inquisition
Alchemist- strange class, one I have never liked personally but a lot of other people do. Just recommend looking into it.
rogue- don't listen to the boards, rogues can be made to do exceptionally well with a little bit of finagling, also, for low levels rogues actually DO do well. caster's can't do what you do, fighters can't do what you do. You have no code, so each session you can come in and decide how you want to act that session. Lots of flavor to be had with a bit of imagination.
add on- If you like rogues, but want an "easier" martial class and prefer the "noble rapier wielder" over the generic rogue, look into swashbuckler.
If you go bard, you -will- be seen as a mobile buffing platform, and will disappoint every time you do something other than inspire courage.
I'm not very interested in Bard. Another player ran one in our last campaign, and it was just a buff bot most of the time at low levels.
Druids are definitely powerful. If I went a combat druid with a companion, would I still bring enough divine utility to cover that aspect for the whole party?
Inquisitor intrigued me, but I haven't looked into them very much. Would they come online by level three?
Alchemist is another option I know very little about but seems like it could be very versatile.
Don't want to go rogue since the group already has one, and Swashbuckler was my first character ever. Fun damage, but those terrible saves spell your doom the first time you don't roll exceptionally well.
1. The board almost never agrees on anything so when it happens it is likely true unless someone has good evidence to the contrary.
2. Druids are really versatile. They have good battlefield control, and can hold their own in combat. They can also provide some healing(not just hit points). If the party is pretty good in combat, tactics-wise, and the GM does not ramp up encounters to force you to heal then the druid will have no problem taking care of the party.
3. Most classes don't really come into their own until levels 5 to 7. As for the inquisitor it has a good skillset, and it is a decent melee combatant so you should feel useful right out of the box. When you get bane is when I expect for things to get better for you.
4. The alchemist is versatile, but it can not share its extracts unless it takes a certain discovery that allows it to do so. It has some utility, and it can put out decent damage.
5. The slayer is also nice, but you might step on the rogue's and fighter's toes if you take it. It is basically a combat class with skills.
I'd go cleric, actually. Maybe hangover cleric variant if your party can deal with someone who's neutral to evil.
That one requires good stats if everything aspect is to be utilized to its fullets. You're looking at something like;
Str>13 (14 is good, can be buffed if neccesary), Con>13(again, you really want to not die), Wis>13, and Cha>15, which hurts.
A setup could be str14, dex10, con14, int10, wis14, cha16(+2 from human) on a 20 point buy. Get as heavy armor as possible, and a shield, or a longspear for weak CC capabilities. In my experience they don't provoke much more than 1 aoo per turn though.
First feat is selective channeling, and then grab either of the useful variant channeling thingies. You might be able to fly Ability Focus(channel energy), which'd be great.
So: Feats are Selective Channeling-1, Ability Focus(Channel Energy)Human.
You options in combat are:
-DC 15 save for all bad guys vs piddly damage (1d6/2) and stunned or nausiated! for 1 round, 6/d.
-Spellcasting: Buffing and problem-solving spells is your forté, save or suck is hard for you, given your relatively low DCs. You can delve into necromancery too, if you want, and your party isn't squeamish. Sadly, summoning combines badly with negative energy.
-Whack-a-mole: +2, 1d8+2 or 3 isn't so bad. It'll kill goblins in one swing a little more than half the time, at least. Buffing and feats can improve this to the point of actually being quite good.
If you need to be good, or neutral AND can't worship an evil deity, I'd go evangelist cleric instead. Maybe focus on summoning, and turn skimp on the melee aspects.
str10, dex14, Con 12, Wis18, Cha 13 is an excellent starting point for this. More caster heavy than the other guy, and lack of armor and shield proficiencies means he's more scared of melée, so combat options isn't as plentiful. His summons aren't scared though, so you can get your damage itch scratched there, and bardic performance is still good for all the reasons other people reccommended bard.
Healing domain might actually be useful here, or maybe not. I'd take Glory(Heroism).
Feats:
1: Lingering Performance(for spell-casting and mileage out of your preaching rounds per day), Spell Focus (Conjuration)(it's a pretty worthless pre-req. Fun when using CLW offensively on undead, and that's about it.)
3: Augment Summoning (summons don't hang around long enough to be useful until about here regardless)
What do you want to do in the game? That is important because it will be easier to choose a class once you decide that.From a gameplay standpoint, I want to compliment my party in combat but not be a full support. From an RP standpoint I'd prefer a class that doesn't dump CHA (or has social skills that aren't CHA dependent), as my last two character had a CHA of 7 and I couldn't do much social interaction.
There are some odd things you can do.
Inquisitor with the conversion domain lets you have a very low charisma and instead use wisdom for the social skills.I have a cha 5 dwarf inquisitor who is usually the table diplomat.
I have seen a character that had a low charisma and then took the traits, feats, and magic items to still be good at diplomacy.
There are several classes that practically force you to have at least a decent charisma. Sorcerer, oracle, paladin, bloodrager, etc...
Friend of mine likes the irony of his feral-almost-bestial personality bloodrager is by far the party diplomat.
Some players of martial characters will dump charisma, have a decent wisdom, and pump ranks of sense motive. They don't do the talking, but are the lie detector. "Gronk smell lies on youse. Gronk no like smell lies. Grrr!" So they still are taking part in social setting even if not the major talking role. Also it helps the will save and perception.
Druids are definitely in the top tier power level of PC classes. They can definitely cover the necessary divine casting needs.
Having said that, they are also fairly complex to play. Right off the bat, you are trying o play effectively 2 characters and have to remember what each of them can and should do. Most druids also summon natures ally at times. That adds a whole nother list of things to know about. And then there is the whole druid wildshaping to fight better or cast safer.
They are powerful and fun, but definitely not simple. Not trying to scare you off if you want to give it a try, but it does require significant learning and organizing on your part.
Inquisitors are not top tier power wise, but they are still quite significant. They are definitely holding their own at level 3. They are more self buffers then party buffers. Especially with the swift action judgements. They have piles of skill points. And some nice benefits in social like Discern Lies and bonuses to intimidate.
They can be built for melee or ranged, but probably not great at both.
I know some people are absolutely in love with alchemists, but I've never been that fond of them. Unless of course you want to just blow up everything. ;)
Really from that description, you could make almost any class work pretty well. (Hmm... Rogue and monk might be tough, but nearly anything else.)
My wife wants the frontliner role, but hasn't picked a class. How much power would it add to the inquisitor class is she went melee inquis and I went bow inquis and we coordinated on teamwork feats? Would the synergy be cancelled out by us bringing the same spells to the party, or would it bring the overall value of both of our characters up?
Melee and ranged teamwork feats don't usually synergise well, sadly.
My wife wants the frontliner role, but hasn't picked a class. How much power would it add to the inquisitor class is she went melee inquis and I went bow inquis and we coordinated on teamwork feats? Would the synergy be cancelled out by us bringing the same spells to the party, or would it bring the overall value of both of our characters up?
One thing I like about this game is that two people can play the same class and bring different things to the table. The overlap is more about how you play the class, than the class at times. As an example if the party rogue is trying to be the scout and party face, and you play a bard who does similar things then you might step on his toes. But if you had been a rogue who focuses on other skills, there would be little overlap.
To answer your question: If you and your wife play inquisitors your teamwork feats are not likely to do much because one of you will be ranged. If both of you were melee it would work better. Most of the teamwork feats are not really that much of factor except in very specific circumstances.
If your wife wants the frontline role she might want to go barbarian. They can also have some utility so she does not get bored with just hitting things.
Warpriest could be appropriate as well, if she's up to keeping tabs on a bazillion different things.
Or maybe ranger.
Good to know. At this point I am leaning towards druid. I've got two weeks to read guides and learn the mechanics of the class, so that shouldn't be a problem.
The one big issue I still have is no guide will be able to help me decide which of the druid's many styles will work best in this slow progression campaign. Animal companion or domain? Combat focused in wild shape or caster focused? No idea how these stack up in practice, especially when starting at level three and spending 6-ish sessions at each level.
|
|
Good to know. At this point I am leaning towards druid. I've got two weeks to read guides and learn the mechanics of the class, so that shouldn't be a problem.
The one big issue I still have is no guide will be able to help me decide which of the druid's many styles will work best in this slow progression campaign. Animal companion or domain? Combat focused in wild shape or caster focused? No idea how these stack up in practice, especially when starting at level three and spending 6-ish sessions at each level.
animal campnion unless you are doing some wierd shtick, the AC is always THE BEST option.
and as for caster or fighter, thats up to your personal taste
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Evangelist cleric.
You can build them many different ways. Reach, Reach/Summoner, Summoner, Enchantment Specialist to name a few.
Cleric Bards are basically what they are. With Bardic performance you can keep yourself from having to prepare too many buff spells and it also helps your own offense. If you take Variant Channeling (i recommend it) you can get some pretty decent abilities through.
The whole group will love you and you will have plenty of time to shine. It will be strong Through the entirety of the slow progression campaign. Also it gives you every spell on the cleric list...this is not like the wizard who is itching for scrolls and spellbooks coupled with some downtime to fill his book. Your also not stuck with a selective list. You get bored of a spell or it doesn't work like you thought...ditch it and grab a new one.
Lastly unless you're building a caster style cleric (My favorite) you really don't need much stat wise. A 14 str, 16 Wis and a 12+ con will make a very decent reach cleric. So if you roll badly or only given a 15 point buy you will still be a solid performer. You can always choose animal domain and grab an Animal companion to double your melee prowess.
Good to know. At this point I am leaning towards druid. I've got two weeks to read guides and learn the mechanics of the class, so that shouldn't be a problem.
The one big issue I still have is no guide will be able to help me decide which of the druid's many styles will work best in this slow progression campaign. Animal companion or domain? Combat focused in wild shape or caster focused? No idea how these stack up in practice, especially when starting at level three and spending 6-ish sessions at each level.
If the game is only going to level 12 I would choose the animal companion, but you should also take at least one crafting feat so you can have enough loot to buy gear for both you and your companion. I took craft wondrous items, and craft arms and armor when I played a druid. Animals with pounce such as tigers will be decent in combat especially once they get large. However I think the smaller cats are better before level 7.
Druid is a good and strong option, but you wanted social interaction and they are bad at that.
Consider Ranger, Hunter or Cavalier as alternatives. They all get more skill points and come with animal companions. These are all substitutes for a melee rather than a caster Druid though, so if you want a caster it is Druid, Oracle, Shaman or Cleric.
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
If you do lean Druid I recommend the Spirit of the Beast build and taking Craft wondrous Item so you can craft the Amulets of mighty fist for both you and your companion. Also the Stat boost items and Cloaks of resistance fall under this category. It is one of the better crafting feats especially for a druid.
But Gregory Connolly makes a strong point that it does lack social skills. Inquisitor and Cleric can also get an animal companion. Inquisitor with Feather Domain is just freaking awesome. Picking up Boon Companion makes them full HD for both classes.
Myself I would roll a Evangelist Reach/Summoner Cleric with the Animal companion option. Start your performance, Send in your AC, move to control movement with reach tactics, and just get your pokes in. Later levels you take Boon companion and Sacred summons and your Performance becomes a move action.
Craft Wondrous is definitely a good idea, and I'll take it if no one else in the party grabs it for sure. Interesting idea on the cleric. Seems like it would be feat heavy to support reach combat, a companion, and summoning.
I really like the Oracle because it is a dozen different classes in one based on which Mystery you take. The class can be a great necromancer, an angel incarnate, something aproaching a druid, and so many other things.
It's also Charisma based. I'd really suggest just reading through all the mysteries and see if anything grabs you.
If the group is 5 or more, I would suggest at least 2 healers.
Druids are REALLY fun and versatile. Especially if you are going for slow progression, each session you can play differently: summoner, blaster, buffer, tank, battle field controller, scout, etc.
Go elf, and you can also be an archer.
I had fun with an inquisitor, too. I went half-orc, so I could use a great axe. d12s are fun!
And rangers are always great.
Paladins and Oracles of Life are great healers.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
My wife wants the frontliner role, but hasn't picked a class. How much power would it add to the inquisitor class is she went melee inquis and I went bow inquis and we coordinated on teamwork feats? Would the synergy be cancelled out by us bringing the same spells to the party, or would it bring the overall value of both of our characters up?One thing I like about this game is that two people can play the same class and bring different things to the table. The overlap is more about how you play the class, than the class at times. As an example if the party rogue is trying to be the scout and party face, and you play a bard who does similar things then you might step on his toes. But if you had been a rogue who focuses on other skills, there would be little overlap.
To answer your question: If you and your wife play inquisitors your teamwork feats are not likely to do much because one of you will be ranged. If both of you were melee it would work better. Most of the teamwork feats are not really that much of factor except in very specific circumstances.
If your wife wants the frontline role she might want to go barbarian. They can also have some utility so she does not get bored with just hitting things.
Personally, I disagree with some of this.
No, there doesn't need to be a huge overlap between 2 inquisitors. You don't get all that many spells known, so it is easy to not duplicate. Inquisitors get lots of skills, but it is easy to specialize in different skills. Feel perfectly free to have 2 inquisitors.
I very much disagree with the comment of the teamwork feats not being a factor except in very specific circumstances.
For some reason it seems to be fairly difficult to talk people into trying the teamwork feats. However, nearly every time I've seen people actually give it a try, they were amazing.
Just having the teamwork feats helps people actively consider ways to work together as a team rather than collection of individuals.
There are a couple of teamwork feats specifically intended for a ranged/melee pair. (Don't remember the name off the top of my head.)
Several are defense and/or movement teamwork.
Consider the feat Stealth Synergy. A lot of people will tell you stealth is a complete waste of time for a group, unless everyone completely specializes in it. Someone will roll bad and then the attempt is ruined. But we had a group of 5 people all take it. That is 5 rolls of the dice and everyone uses the highest number rolled. Even with only moderately decent stealth modifiers, we were almost never discovered getting into position.
Consider the feat Escape Route. Two people attempting to cover each other and with the inquisitors solo tactics ability, can run almost at will around the edges of a combat.
Consider the feat Shake it Off. Inquisitor in the front line and the archer standing right behind. Assume a 5-6 person group in a double file. This feat along with solo tactics, you both have a +3 to +5 to all your saves. A lot of people will tell you that Iron Will with a +2 to your will saves is worth while. If you make some effort the can be a +3 to al saves most of the time.
Not all of them are great for all builds. But they are better than most people think. Especially for inquisitors, cavaliers, and hunters. And most especially if you make some effort to try and gain the benefits.
Stealth synergy is really good. I've had a party that was more or less undetectable because of this. Thanks for reminding me, I needed something like this to stat up RHoD hobgobs.
Anyway, don't agree with you on Shake it off. You won't be able to set it up well.
Escape route can be good, but I am unsure whether it is worth two feats.
My group is about to start a homebrew campaign with slow progression leveling. We will be starting at level three, and the DM expects the campaign won't got much past level 12.That last sentence describes 90 percent plus of most home campaigns. So you're not really talking about something that unusual.
The speed of progression shouldn't matter unless you're looking for things that flower earlier than most.
8 5+ hour sessions per level is a lot though.
That is brutally slow progression.
I would vote Druid with animal companion, I rarely use Wild Shape on my druids, they have lots going on just being casters and such...
So many neat things, and something at every level...
Maybe Bard? With progression like this, roleplaying may actually occur, and Bards can be fun for that. :D
Or, if the GM is willing, consider playing a non-standard race, like centaur, or Moss Troll! :D
...
Anyway, don't agree with you on Shake it off. You won't be able to set it up well. ...
Depends upon the group and campaign. A lot of groups tend to stick in formation anyway just to support and protect each other. Some other groups instantly run all over the map. Either to get out of the potential AoE or because they don't work together.
Some campaigns the environments are so cramped you are effectively prohibited from spreading out anyway.But again if the PC's have it, they tend to plan for it. It is pretty damn powerful for everyone to have a +3 to +5 on all their saves.
Escape route is an 'it depends' kind of thing. Is your build, role, or play style such that you will often be wanting to maneuver around in threatened areas? Then way worth it.
I've seen players that are constantly moving around during a battle. That guy has taken damage so I will go over there to help finish him off. he could try to run around the end of our line to get to the squishies in back, so I will move over to block that. I'm going to try and get through the mass to their squishies. Etc...
On the other hand, what if you will be 'taking up station' and not moving very much (which might not be a bad choice for a melee ranged pair)? Complete waste.
.
.
8 5+ hour sessions per level is a lot though.My group is about to start a homebrew campaign with slow progression leveling. We will be starting at level three, and the DM expects the campaign won't got much past level 12.That last sentence describes 90 percent plus of most home campaigns. So you're not really talking about something that unusual.
The speed of progression shouldn't matter unless you're looking for things that flower earlier than most.
I think the biggest thing this says is, 'I don't what a build that only starts to work well when you get to around level 9 because it will take forever to get there and we will be almost done by then.'
After reading suggestions here and checking more guide, if I go druid I'll be taking animal companion. Now my real question is stat allocation and combat style. I could pump strength and go melee, which sounds more valuable at lower levels, or I could pump wisdom and really bring the pain in the second half of the campaign.
One cool option is the Saurian Shaman archetype, but I'm still waiting to hear from my DM if dinosaurs exist in his world. Wildshaping into a dino, commanding a dino companion, and summoning dinos as a standard action sounds hilarious.
On the other hand, the Menhir Savant archetype works really well with a mechanic in the homebrew game. Casters do not replenish magic when they sleep, but instead must meditate at nodes of power. All towns and cities are built on nodes of power, but in the wilderness between towns (which is much more dangerous than standard Pathfinder wilderness) casters must often leave the beaten trail to find nodes to replenish their spells at. The overall theme of the Menhir fits will in that setting. There will also be lots of undead, so the Detect Undead will be very helpful.
Just to note. Druids are known to often have difficulty with undead unless you plan for it. The animal companion and summoned animals often have now way to damage them. Even most of their spells don't work very well.
At low levels using a wand of CLW as a touch attack to damage will usually be sufficient. And a wand or many oils of magic fang will allow your animal companion or summoned animals to do their thing. An amulet of mighty fists (I don't remember if you can put ghost touch on one of those) seems almost a must have, if you expect much undead.
In the Advanced Race guide are two feats... I'm wracking my brain for the names.
One adds a level to your animal companion, the other grants you a shaman spirit animal ability to your animal companion.
In simple terms, a level one druid can have a 3 HD animal companion with fast heal 1.
CRB plus one book. No weird archetypes or multiclassing required.
If you are looking to have access to most of what the party needs divine casting wise but dont want to be a support character, druid is probably the best choice you can make. Particularly in a slow game that ends before you get really high levels.
A couple points for a relatively new player, playing a druid.
1. Check which animals you can summon via summon natures ally. Get their stats and print them out or write them out on index cards or something similar. Have them easily to hand, and have an easy list you can look through. Read them over and familiarize yourself with them. When you get a new spell level, do the same for the next level of the spell. Its an exceptionally useful spell, but if you arent prepared it can also take a long time to sort out and slow things down.
2. All animal companions are not created equal. If you want a combatant animal companion the 2 with pounce after their advancement are dramatically more effective then the others. Also those with multiple attacks are better then those with a single attack. Some are rather exotic, some are fairly mundane. My personal favorite choice is the big cat companion. Fairly iconic in terms of an animal buddy, but still among the most effective.
3. Animal companions can wear custom barding. In the equipment section there are rules for creating armor for creatures that are not humanoid. You can give your animal companion the light armor proficiency feat and get armor made for it. Check with your gm about if you can just have it or if you need to hire someone to specifically make it. But its right there in the core rules. And even just light armor (you can give it heavier armor later on if you like) is a massive boon for animal companions. At low levels they have some of the best defenses in the game as a result.
4. Druids can do just about anything, but not everything at once. Decide at the beggining if you want to your druid to be more casty or more fighty. Alocate your stats accordingly. Remember wildshape is still useful if you are not fighting as a utility spell. It can add mobility (flight, swimming, burrowing, earth glide), protections (add armor class, add elemental resistances etc), and help with stealth (who suspects a mouse anyway right?
5. Remember even if a class doesnt have specific things you want, you can get them otherwise. As a druid you get a ton of stuff. Specific social interaction stuff isnt there. But, since you have a ton of options, its still a possiblity. Druids for instance still benefit from a descent charisma score (wild empathy). So if you dont go combat, you can focus on wisdom and give yourself a descent charisma instead of say strength. You can then use traits to make social skills you want class skills (even if your dm isnt explicately giving you traits, you can take the extra traits feat). So you can still be relavent in social situations with a druid, with relatively little investment. And even if you arent a wildshaping badass yourself, you still have your companion, your control spells, and your summon spells in combat.
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
3. Animal companions can wear custom barding. In the equipment section there are rules for creating armor for creatures that are not humanoid. You can give your animal companion the light armor proficiency feat and get armor made for it. Check with your gm about if you can just have it or if you need to hire someone to specifically make it. But its right there in the core rules. And even just light armor (you can give it heavier armor later on if you like) is a massive boon for animal companions. At low levels they have some of the best defenses in the game as a result.
Save the Feat...MW studded leather has 0 ACP and later Mithral light armor has no ACP. you don't need the feat and your Animal companion will not suffer any negatives. A druid can not wear metal....Never read anywhere the Animal companion can not wear it.
Once they are in Mithral Chain then you can start adding enhancement bonuses to it.
Also different animals have different item slots they can wear. If you're a caster style druid its best to deck your Animal companion out with the gear you don't need to be wearing. Since your wild shaping into flight forms and staying out of combat the best you can. If you are going to be in melee a lot as well it is very prudent to take Craft feat so you can gear both you and your companions for less of a gold cost. Wondrous tends to be the best money saver as it covers a lot of gear.
@ChainsawSam - The progression number should be closer to six four-hour play session per level, so it's not quite that bad. Plus the DM has a solid reputation for crafting top notch homebrew campaigns, so I'm not too worried. However, I am going to seriously talk to him about allowing retraining, just for some playstyle variety.
@alexd1976 - Are you talking about Spirit's Gift from the ACG?
@ElterAgo - Are you talking about incorporeal undead? If I build my druid for combat, would I have to shell out for two amulets of might fists, one for myself and another for my companion? That seems a decent argument for going caster right there.
|
|
That group, with 3 or 4 martial combatants, sure would like to have Inspire Courage. That's possible through Bard, or through archetypes of Cleric and Monk.
Nice to see other people doing the slow advancement thing. I have one 5th level PC I've played for two dozen sessions. It's about the journey, not the destination.
Sounds like OP wants an animal companion. Great idea. Keep in mind, there are many different roles for an Animal Companion. E.g. You can ride it, or it might be your bodyguard.
A lesser rod of extend spell combined with greater magic fang can be used in place of an amulet of mighty fists. And other fun, long-term buffs.
...
8 5 hours sessions per level though. That is tediously slow.If your DM wants to play E6, just f&++ing play E6. Don't beat around the bush about it. Progression, even if it is just gaining a feat in E6, is interesting.
The chances of a story being so engrossing that it can keep my attention without character progression is super slim. I know, I've played a lot of Shadowrun (a game where character progression is not only slow, but it requires you to buy 'sidegrades' before buying upgrades to 'make room').
"Oh hey, the bad guys are doing X, how are we going to solve it?"
"Probably the same way we have been solving all of our problems for the last month seeing as we haven't gained skills, abilities, feats, spells, or capabilities since then."
Yawn. ...
Personal preference. Personally, I don't mind a slow progression if the party hasn't all built hyper focused one trick ponies. There could be all kinds of different situations that might best be solved with different methods. Even within the same level.
I think that is one of the reasons many players have such awful tactics. They haven't tried to learn what is possible with what they have. All they concentrate on is my new trick and what will be my next new trick.But I haven't found a slow progression group I was comfortable with in a long time.
.
.
...
@ElterAgo - Are you talking about incorporeal undead? If I build my druid for combat, would I have to shell out for two amulets of might fists, one for myself and another for my companion? That seems a decent argument for going caster right there.
Especially incorporeal, but even the standard corporeal undead can be a problem. Most of them have DR. Many have energy or negative energy attacks. Most of them seem to have specials that require lots of saves. Especially will saves. Haunts can only be harmed by positive energy. The incorporeals make touch attacks. Etc...
Just not the druid, animal companion, or nature's ally wheelhouse. So you have to plan for what you are going to do when it comes up.Yes, greater magic fang is an obvious work around. Once you get it and if you are willing to sacrifice all those spells. Some are not.
Out of curiosity, why has no one recommended Paladin? I've heard this class comes online early and is strong against undead. Is it just such an old class no one finds it fun anymore, or is it underpowered compared to newer classes like the Inquisitor?
Well you had listed your group had a front line melee and your interest in the druid.
True, but there's been many recommendations for inquisitor and a few other melee classes with pets. I'm definitely leaning towards druid, but my wife is still looking for a fronliner class, and I'm curious why Paladin never came up, since she expressed tentative interest in the class.