Hey everyone
Needed some help with an inquisitor I have decided to make for carrion crown. I would like to be sneaky and relatively versatile (possible switch hitter). Half orc or dwarf or something else is okay too. No small races.
Stats were rolled. 11, 13,13,15,16,12
Thanks in advance
...which god? The stats are pretty solid for doing different things. When you say a switch-hitter, which side of the switch is the primary focus? Are we talking a big, strong character who can attack with a ranged weapon when it's convenient, or an agile character who draws a melee weapon if they really need to?
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Unless you're looking to have a particular domain ability (travel's a nice one) or looking to roleplay a character with a specific set of values, I would start by choosing which favored weapon you want. Gorum's nice for his Greatsword proficiency, or if your looking for a little more AC, you could go with the Empyreal lord Ragathiel and take the bastard sword and have a buckler as well.
Both of them have good domains for doing damage, however you don't need to take one of their domains. You could instead take one of the inquisitions from Ulitmate Magic. The abilities range from stuff like using wisdom instead of charisma for social skill, to removing fear and gaining immunity to fear, to being able to rage for a few rounds a day.
Problem with inquisitors is that they don't get a lot of feats though. Or, they do, but they're bonus teamwork feats, which aren't all that useful for archery (except friendly fire maneuvers, it's a must have for ranged inquisitors.)It's going to be a while before you're effective at archery, but if you take power attack and quick draw as 1st and 3rd level feats, your can take archery from there on out. Since it does take so long to start doing good damage with a bow, you may want to consider going with the Sacred Huntsmaster archetype from the ACG. You give up the judgement abilities for an Animal Companion, and some of the Hunters animal focus abilities. That way you can focus on ranged attacks while your animal companion focuses on keeping enemies from reaching you.
Inquisitors actually make decent switch hitters because most of their abilities can be used either with melee or ranged attacks. Both Judgments and Bane work equally well with either type of attack, as do most of their spells. The fact that their domain may or may not increase this is not all that important since they have many other ways to improve their combat abilities. The key to being a decent switch hitter is having proficiency in a good two handed melee weapon. The inquisitor already has proficiency in most ranged weapons. So either your deity or race needs to provide proficiency with a good melee weapon.
The best two handed melee weapon is the falchion so this gives the half orc the advantage. They can also choose either the human or half orc favored class bonuses both of which are very good. The human gets extra spells which is incredibly valuable to a spontaneous caster. The half orc gets a bonus to both intimidate and monster lore. Combine this with improved monster lore and you get your level as a bonus to identifying monster. The bonus to Intimidate means the half orc inquisitor can have the equivalent of double his level in skill point to intimidate.
The dwarf is a good choice also but probably not as good as the half orc. All the weapons you get proficiency in are martial one handed weapons. They all have a good critical multiplier they also all only critical on a 20. Getting more critical hits is better than having a higher multiplier. The extra damage from a high multiplier is fun, but most of the time is wasted. It can be dramatic to totally destroy something but most of the time it ends up being the minion instead of the boss that gets destroyed. The bonus saves for the dwarf is nice but you will already have good saves, and can also get some bonus as a half orc.
Fate’s Favored is a good trait for an inquisitor especially a half orc with sacred tattoo. Just make sure to take divine favor and latter divine power.
Thanks guys. Yeah, I am going to focus mainly on melee with an okay archery skill. I am going to be the party sneak and face so I am taking the heretic archetype with the conversion domain.
I will take half-orc and use a falchion. We also have a monk and a paladin so we will have melee pretty much tied up. I am guessing the other members are going to be casters.
Stats array
Str 15, dex 16, con 13, int 12, wis 15, cha 11
Any suggestions on first level feats? Improved initiative? Judgement surge?
Thanks again guys I really appreciate the advice.
STR is going to be more important than DEX for a melee build so swap those like rorek55 suggested. I would put your level 4 stat increase in WIS instead. WIS is going to be more important than DEX. It gives you more benefits in the long run. Use 8th level for DEX.
Antagonize is a good feat for an inquisitor, but may be too good. Many GM’s ban the feat for a reason. Cornugon Smash is a great feat for your character, but since it requires 6 ranks in intimidate you can’t get it till 7th level. Pick up power attack at 5th and if you really want to go insane take intimidating powers at 3rd. Also make sure to take Blistering Invective as soon as you get 2nd level spells. Being able to use intimidate on all enemies within 30’ is worth a spell.
Thanks for the advice. Yeah, I will swap the stats s suggested and I will be taking the favoured class bonus for lore and intimidate. However does blistering invective and intimidate work well on undead?
Since this is taking place in Ustalav and I have been warned repeatedly that half orcs aren't liked and usually lynched on site, I have taken pass for human as my first level feat.
3rd level will be power attack, followed by intimidating prowess and cornugon smash.
Now... I would highly hint that you go the ranged route.
Why? You have 2 melees and it is sometimes hard to get a third one down the line. Second you get bow for free.
I play an inquisitor of besmara with bow or underwater crossbow and it pays off VERY well. Especially as most monks are bad with ranged weapons, and you can deal a world of hurt without problem.
And nothing is as bad as sitting there, unable to do a thing because the first two spots are taken!
Now... I would highly hint that you go the ranged route.
Why? You have 2 melees and it is sometimes hard to get a third one down the line. Second you get bow for free.
I play an inquisitor of besmara with bow or underwater crossbow and it pays off VERY well. Especially as most monks are bad with ranged weapons, and you can deal a world of hurt without problem.
And nothing is as bad as sitting there, unable to do a thing because the first two spots are taken!
With his feats and race he can do either melee or ranged equally well. All he needs to do is carry both weapons and use whichever one is appropriate at the time. When they need an extra front line combatant he steps up, when they need someone to shoot something he draws his bow. That is the essence of a switch hitter. As I said earlier most of his class abilities work equally well on both melee and ranged.
Not every archer needs to be identical with the same feats as every other archer.
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I'm not familiar with any of the lore of Ustalav that makes them particularly hostile to half-orcs, other than their proximity to the Hold. Even still, you're a skillful character (6+INT/level) and with your stats, you didn't take a hit to CHA like most inquisitors. A simple trait to bump your Disguise checks would probably be a lot easier than taking a whole feat dedicated to replicating the 1st level spell "Disguise Self", which you also have access to.
Unless there is a specific reason to be suspicious, most people don't even get a check to notice according to the Disguise Skill in the CRB, and even then it's assumed they're just taking a 10, so you're looking at something roughly about a 15-16.
I'd find a different feat.
I'm not familiar with any of the lore of Ustalav that makes them particularly hostile to half-orcs, other than their proximity to the Hold. Even still, you're a skillful character (6+INT/level) and with your stats, you didn't take a hit to CHA like most inquisitors. A simple trait to bump your Disguise checks would probably be a lot easier than taking a whole feat dedicated to replicating the 1st level spell "Disguise Self", which you also have access to.
Unless there is a specific reason to be suspicious, most people don't even get a check to notice according to the Disguise Skill in the CRB, and even then it's assumed they're just taking a 10, so you're looking at something roughly about a 15-16.
I'd find a different feat.
If the person giving him the warning is the GM he would be well advised to heed the warning. He is also planning on being the party face so will probably be under closer scrutiny than most characters. A trait gives you +1 not +10 and he still takes the -2 for disguising himself as a different race the feat also allows him to take 10 which means he does not have to roll. With the feat he has a 24 disguise (Taking 10) at 1st level, without it he has between a 4 and a 23 with an average of 13.5. Once his cover is blown it is going to be hard fool anyone.
Thanks guys. Yeah, I am going to focus mainly on melee with an okay archery skill. I am going to be the party sneak and face so I am taking the heretic archetype with the conversion domain.
I will take half-orc and use a falchion. We also have a monk and a paladin so we will have melee pretty much tied up. I am guessing the other members are going to be casters.
Stats array
Str 15, dex 16, con 13, int 12, wis 15, cha 11Any suggestions on first level feats? Improved initiative? Judgement surge?
Thanks again guys I really appreciate the advice.
Put you 12 on Wis and put the 15 CHR is you want to be the party face. Put you stat boost at 4th, 8th, 12th and 16th on Wisdom. This will keep inline with the stat able to cast the spells when you get them.
I'd got STR 15, DEX 15, CON 13, INT 11, WIS 12, CHR 15. The higher CHR means you will be better at the social skills. Divine Protection for you saves is good with +2 from Chr at 5th level. Also it stack Sacred Tatoo and Fates Favored from the Half Orc which is good choice to take. Divine Favor is Luck bonus too so +1 to that as well. +4 to your saves is awesome on Inquisitor due to Stalwart at level 12 and headband can increase that to +7.
Yeah, with the feattax for half-Orcs i'd recommend going Human and simply taking a Weapon Proficiency feat with the Human Bonus feat and still having the regular 1st level feat free.
Falchion prof or even Elven Curve Blade springs to mind.
Thanks guys. Yeah, I am going to focus mainly on melee with an okay archery skill. I am going to be the party sneak and face so I am taking the heretic archetype with the conversion domain.
I will take half-orc and use a falchion. We also have a monk and a paladin so we will have melee pretty much tied up. I am guessing the other members are going to be casters.
Stats array
Str 15, dex 16, con 13, int 12, wis 15, cha 11Any suggestions on first level feats? Improved initiative? Judgement surge?
Thanks again guys I really appreciate the advice.
Put you 12 on Wis and put the 15 CHR is you want to be the party face. Put you stat boost at 4th, 8th, 12th and 16th on Wisdom. This will keep inline with the stat able to cast the spells when you get them.
I'd got STR 15, DEX 15, CON 13, INT 11, WIS 12, CHR 15. The higher CHR means you will be better at the social skills. Divine Protection for you saves is good with +2 from Chr at 5th level. Also it stack Sacred Tatoo and Fates Favored from the Half Orc which is good choice to take. Divine Favor is Luck bonus too so +1 to that as well. +4 to your saves is awesome on Inquisitor due to Stalwart at level 12 and headband can increase that to +7.
His archetype and inquisition allow him to use WIS for most of his social skills. CHA is not needed.
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The best two handed melee weapon is the falchion? Huh? I totally disagree. And yes, I am familiar with Falchion Fred.
I'd say the best weapon for a melee Inquisitor is the longspear. By a large margin. Like, it's not even close. Longspear offers equal or better offense, drastically superior defense, and doesn't cost a feat. My melee Inquisitor would fight with a longspear over a falchion any day of the week, even if falchion proficiency were free. To each their own, though :-)
Now, if you are talking about the best sidearm, meaning a weapon you wear all the time on your person, as opposed to a primary battlefield weapon that you have to carry into battle, then yes, falchion is an excellent choice. If my longspear were lost of broken, falchion would make an excellent backup weapon.
Nothing is written in stone yet, There may be another player who wants to play a bard. If that happens Pass for Human may not be necessary.
My GM is basically told us that anything that isn't human is going to be seen with some degree of distrust and hostility. NOt in all of Ustalav, but in some places they are very xenophobic. Half-elves also have a sometimes been accused of being vampire kin, and fey are very suspicious. Half-orcs are tolerated, but in many places they are targeted outright, just because of the fact that Orcs helped keep the whispering tyrant on his throne. Will it be necessary no, will it help yes.
Without pass for human I will have a +4 to disguise and though a 10 is all that is necessary to fool most common folk and being a foot soldier to Pharasma I will have certain leverage and freedoms.
How would a spear be more effective than a Falchion? AoOs?
Thanks again.
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How would a spear be more effective than a Falchion? AoOs?
Reach tactics. In that (contrived) example using reach tactics improves attack ratio from 1:2 to 3:1. That's a six-fold improvement. In actual game play it's not nearly a 6:1 superiority, but it's still often better than 2:1. Reach tactics dominated battlefields for many centuries, and were only rendered obsolete by advanced firearms.
Caveat: this tactic is far less effective if some of your allies are 'tactically challenged', or don't wish to think about, or be bothered with, tactics. You are your own ally.
P.s. Note that the spear is, historically speaking, a primary battle weapon since the dawn of recorded history. Swords get better cultural representation, but were generally backup weapons (aka sidearms) for when one lacked a primary battle weapon. Anyone who has done historical fencing or martial arts with these weapons knows that the person with the spear has a big advantage over the person with the sword. Sample Youtube sparring video. Pathfinder reach and AoO rules faithfully represent this historical reality.
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P.s. Note that the spear is, historically speaking, a primary battle weapon since the dawn of recorded history. Swords get better cultural representation, but were generally backup weapons (aka sidearms) for when one lacked a primary battle weapon. Anyone who has done historical fencing or martial arts with these weapons knows that the person with the spear has a big advantage over the person with the sword. Sample Youtube sparring video. Pathfinder reach and AoO rules faithfully represent this historical reality.
To be fair, the Roman Republic overran the classical western world after they phased out the phalanx in favor of the celtiberian shortsword and the pilum... . But it's definitely true the sword is over-represented. By the late Middle Ages, polearms that evoloved from combining the best features of the spear and the two-handed axe were everywhere.
I wouldn't put too much stock in reenactment, to be honest. Play-fighting with rules in place to make sure nobody gets hurt doesn't have a lot of bearing on what actual life-or-death combat by highly trained warriors was like; the extreme awkwardness of the 'swordsmen' in that video being a good case in point. I made the mistake of casually pointing out to some otherwise intelligent, dedicated and sincere Norse historical reenactment types a while ago that the two most common types of fatal or disabling wounds of that era - a strike to the head or the middle-leg - were disallowed by virtually all reenactment types, along with the often-chronicled heavy blow that breaks a shield and/or shield-arm. I was ... not invited back.
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Indeed. It's not a very good video, but it does illustrate the point. Modern martial arts have all these fussy safety considerations. The more realistic you get the higher the injury rate gets, with the upper boundary set by litigation. I've practiced a silat-style combat art for 28 years, used to practice kenjutsu, dallied with the SCA, and have sustained four broken bones in assorted armed and unarmed sparring sessions. So, basically, I suck, but I've learned a thing or two in the process of sucking. I agree with everything BadBird said.
There are certainly historical instances of the sword being a primary battle weapon. The Roman gladius comes to mind, along with the cavalry saber. Big swords like the Scottish claymore and the greatsword were certainly primary battle weapons, but they were not carried as sidearms.
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How would a spear be more effective than a Falchion? AoOs?Reach tactics. In that (contrived) example using reach tactics improves attack ratio from 1:2 to 3:1. That's a six-fold improvement. In actual game play it's not nearly a 6:1 superiority, but it's still often better than 2:1. Reach tactics dominated battlefields for many centuries, and were only rendered obsolete by advanced firearms.
Caveat: this tactic is far less effective if some of your allies are 'tactically challenged', or don't wish to think about, or be bothered with, tactics. You are your own ally.
P.s. Note that the spear is, historically speaking, a primary battle weapon since the dawn of recorded history. Swords get better cultural representation, but were generally backup weapons (aka sidearms) for when one lacked a primary battle weapon. Anyone who has done historical fencing or martial arts with these weapons knows that the person with the spear has a big advantage over the person with the sword. Sample Youtube sparring video. Pathfinder reach and AoO rules faithfully represent this historical reality.
Corollary, if your god grants you a martial or exotic reach weapon that's even better. But it's not something I would build around, unlike the domains and inquisitions granted which are more important.
Okay to really pull this off all I really need for feats are
PBS, power attack, and rapid shot? Combat reflexes if I take a reach weapon.
Question on inquisitions vs domains. What are generally better if I end up not being the face, repose and zeal seem to be solid.
Thanks again
Hey everyone so the party is finally together
Asimar sword and board paladin
Damphir melee monk
Air elementalist
Elven cleric of Erastil
Elven bard
And me half orc inquisitor of Curchanus
That all being said I have decided to just go straight archer. Stat arrays are as follows
Str 13 dex 16 con 13 int 12 wis 17 cha 11
Str 13 dex 18 con 13 int 12 wis 15 cha 11
Dilemma is now do I take the first or second array and do I take improved initiative and have a great init right off the bat or take point blank shot as my first feat?
I keep being told wisdom is extremely important and that improved initiative is a very powerful feat due to the fact that going first opens a lot of options, lie buffing.
I don't plan on trying to harm a lot of things with my spells but who knows.
Thanks again
