The Warriors of Sunlight are the followers of the firstborn of the Great Lord Gwyn. They harness the power of sunlight, manifested as lightning powers.
A friend of mine is going to be starting up a Dark Souls themed game soon, and I'm trying to work out what I want to play. I know thematically, I absolutely want to play a Warrior of Sunlight(WoS). Mechanically, I'm struggling to come up with a class that fits. If possible, I would like something that can hit all of these points:
- Ranged lightning-based attack, similar to the Lightning Spear.
- Competence in melee combat.
- Ability to enhance melee attacks with lightning, similar to a Sunlight Blade
- Ability to wear armor of some sort.
We're starting at level 5, and my pre-adjustment stats are 17, 13, 12, 12, 11, 8. It's okay if it will take a few levels for me to get some abilities.
EDIT: It's totally cool if I need to pick up something through using a magic item, as opposed to an innate class ability.
A magus, shocking grasp gives the electric blade attacks. Pick up the reach metamagic for range lightning or wait for lightning bolt. It wears armor and is a melee class. Also it can enhance it's blade with shocking for even more electricity.
Druid maybe can fit this requirement. I'm not sure when it gets electrical attacks, but the air domain might speed that up. Get a shocking blade for electric blade.
There's a half elf alch archtype that feeds off sunlight. Spears, armour, sun powered.. that's a good start. Even potion drinking for that dark souls feel!
Hmm... interesting. What is the archetype called?
Try this
There's some good lightning stuff in there, but not much combat.
A magus, shocking grasp gives the electric blade attacks. Pick up the reach metamagic for range lightning or wait for lightning bolt. It wears armor and is a melee class. Also it can enhance it's blade with shocking for even more electricity.
Ohh! I like this one. I considered Magus earlier, but the lack of ranged options made me look elsewhere... I never even considered Reach though, that would totally work!
If you use Words of Power you'd have ranged electricity from level one.
Samsaran can get you a lot of spell versatility. Lightning Bolt is a Divine spell through Adept, for example.
I had a thread about this that I meant to update, but never got a chance to. Perhaps there is something to be picked up for you, though.
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2p3fu?Lightningbased-Divine-Caster-with-Martial
I should still have the build somewhere, if I remember tomorrow I'll dig it up. Spoiler alert, I'll probably forget.
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Play a Magus with VMC Oracle, taking Wind as your mystery, you eventually treat every weapon in your possession as a shock weapon, have a short range electricity attack which you could say is your greater lightning spear. Also being cursed is cool with the whole Dark Souls thing. Spend your 1st level spell slots on this spell and Shocking Grasp which is basically your normal Lightning Spear and enhancing your weapon with lightning. Then use Lightning Bolt as your daylight spear.
Magus isn't so great with armor, unfortunately. I suggest something like a suli with a shock weapon. You can pick the Energy Strike alternate racial trait and take electricity. Ask your DM if you can refluff Firehand's ranged touch attack into electricity damage. That gets you electricty-charged weapons, a ranged electricity attack, and whatever martial class you like for competence and armor. I suggest inquisitor, since it's good at fighting and very fun to play.
Although incremental elemental assault and extra elemental assault may be a somewhat painful feat tax.
If it's a Dark Souls themed game, I'd talk to the GM about some home rules.
I'd make a WoS a Paladin, and give them Lightning Spear as a spell.
If you want to have different versions, Lightning Spear is level 1, Greater LS is level 2, Sunlight Spear is level 3 and Sunlight Blade is level 4 (or something like that, I'm just spit-balling).
I think Paladins fit the theme really well (Jolly Co-op). There's probably an archetype that improves on it, but that's mostly flavour stuff.
(Sunlight Spear OP!)
As cool as Words of Power are, I would like to avoid it since this GM's first time running, and I would like to keeps things relatively simple. VMC might be okay, since that's a little more straightforward.
Praise the sun!
Sounds like an awesome campaign.
I feel like Sunbros should have some self healing to go along with their lightning miracles.
A battle cleric with the Air and/or Sun domains could be neat.
For Sunlight Blade, maybe cast Greater Magic weapon and reflavor it to cause crackling lightning to appear on the blade. That or get a shocking weapon.
Forceful Strike could be used similarly to the Force spell.
If you get a guided weapon, you can say it's Divine enchanted because it'll "scale" with your faith (wisdom) too!
Well, technically not lightning but its similar to it theme wise.
Straight Fighter, VMC Stormborn Bloodline Sorcerer, do eet.
I wonder if it would work as a Paladin Prestige Class or something like that...
If 3pp is ok you could take a look at the soulknife.
They can learn to deal electricity damage instead of weapon damage with their mind blade. Dazzling blade allows him to dazzle everyone within 30ft.
For ranged with some melee take the soulboltarchetype. For melee classic soulblade or one of the other archetypes like gifted (gets some psi powers), armored (can create a suit of armor and a weapon, both weaker) or a shielded blade (creates shield + weapon).
Be an elf with the lightbringer and darkvision alternate racial traits to be immune to dazzled, increase the DC of light based effects and get darkvision.
If 3pp is ok you could take a look at the soulknife.
They can learn to deal electricity damage instead of weapon damage with their mind blade. Dazzling blade allows him to dazzle everyone within 30ft.
For ranged with some melee take the soulboltarchetype. For melee classic soulblade or one of the other archetypes like gifted (gets some psi powers), armored (can create a suit of armor and a weapon, both weaker) or a shielded blade (creates shield + weapon).Be an elf with the lightbringer and darkvision alternate racial traits to be immune to dazzled, increase the DC of light based effects and get darkvision.
This, plus Aegis then going into Metaforge. Aegis gets a ranged attack as well and you could reflavor the armor as solidified light etc.
This really depends on what you perceive as a Warrior of Sunlight character. If you believe that it is all about the lightning spells and nothing else, then you probably already have a ridiculous selection of classes that can cast those spells, specialized or otherwise.
If you want them to a worshiper of the sun who fights for others for both honor and jolly co-operation, then there are a couple of different routes to take. A couple that could be very interesting would to be a War-Priest, which seems to fit a bit more into the play style a character like that would play, a follower of Sarenrae for a Cleric or Warpriest. The second thing you could do is play a Magus, and lastly perhaps if your DM can handle it, create a Paladin at 5th level, as a character wishing to Advance to a Warrior of Sunlight, make it a prestige class with discussion with your DM and make it a step to go to. Best I can think of at this time.
Thanks for the suggestions everyone. There are a lot of interesting options I never knew about!
Ultimately I'm going to build a Magus focusing on Metamagic, since that seems to let me hit pretty much everything major bullet point:
Abilties:
- Melee Combatant: Martial Weapons + Medium Armor at level 7.
- Lightning Spear: Reaching Shocking Grasp
- Sunlight Spear: Empower/Maximize the above.
- Sunlight Blade: Arcane Pool(Shock/Shocking Burst)
- Emit Force: Reaching Force Punch
The only thing I'm lacking is some sort of self-heal, but everything else works so well that I'm happy with this option.
Thanks again for everyone's help!
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The only thing I'm lacking is some sort of self-heal, but everything else works so well that I'm happy with this option.Thanks again for everyone's help!
Not the most powerful but: Infernal Healing
Not the most powerful but: Infernal Healing
The only thing I'm lacking is some sort of self-heal, but everything else works so well that I'm happy with this option.Thanks again for everyone's help!
Oh yeah, that will work! I'm sure the DM will be okay with me refluffing that as Replentishment.
Sean H: If you go the route of the Magus I would like to offer a couple of strong suggestions.
First is to take the Magical Lineage Trait for Shocking Grasp.
My second suggestion would be to take the Arcane Strike feat as with Magus getting full caster progression they get good mileage out of that feat.