I'm looking for a build that will do just about the same action all the time, or no action. something that is so predictable, that another player could guess with 95 % accuracy what that character would do the next round.
Reason is I've found with video chat the GM can't always tell who is being looked at and feels like a question is directed at him, when I ask something in character to the group - and answers what my character might know, but in a way that's rather like another character.
Having a full GM-PC would suck because A. balance and B. monstering taking all his attention.
However, the squire feat becomes available to me next level. He could play my cohort, if I could come up with something for him to do in combat that helps the group enough to be worth bringing him along.
Edit: since I started writing I had a conversation with him about this, and came up with the idea of trying to include more references to who exactly I'm talking to, to adress the problem (such as "Hey, Nigel says to the group, blablabla...") - Still I sometimes get the feeling it would be cool for him to control something on our side as well. So question still stands. What's the most "hands off" build you can come up with?
For a high level we did this past weekend I made a healer cleric. 13 Channels per day, specialize in Charisma only for the purposes of Selective channeling, and if someone isn't hurt, she may aid-another her personal charge, but it's not likely.
Besides squire feat, that's a couple other 3pp feats that give you helpful cohorts, the one from my game was like 'Personal Guardian' but we came across a couple other ways to get a helper.
As for passive builds, a full tank that can't heal is probably a fine consideration. Tribal Scars and Undefeatable archetype will make them hardy, if potentially a slightly larger draw on resources...
H-orc Magic Missile master build stands in the back with his wand and just blasts away, every round. Doesn't meet the 'all martial prof' req though.
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I can't quite understand the situation you're describing. If you want a cohort who will stay in the background I think that a Bard would be ideal, but if you really need the cohort at 3rd level I guess that won't work.
That being the case you could consider a "bodyguard" cohort with the Bodyguard feat. A halfling with the Helpful trait could be very good at this. There are also some feats which allow halflings to share other AC bonuses with allies.
Sensei? Easy to play him as a hands-off 'teacher' character.
His actions in combat would basically consist of Inspire Courage + Aid Another. Lets the PCs make all the decisions/perform all the actions, he just makes them slightly better at it.
Even provides a good in-character reason for why he's giving them advice.
EDIT: Missed the all martial proficiency thing. Erm... Cavalier? (Makes sense for a Squire-type). You can still do the Aid Another build, he just won't be quite as good at it.
A figther archer( or a zen archer with a dip to get the weapon proffs) he will stand and shoot every round.
The zen archer have the advantages of good defense so he wont die all the time. Both can have relatively low int and cha so it will be natural for them to stay in the background.
I vaguely remember in Baldur's Gate the bard couldn't do other stuff when he was performing, but he could perform all the time, right?
Anyone with the Flagbearer feat does that... Dazzling display is a fullround action, but I guess on its own the shaken debuff is rather minor, even though you wouldn't have to beat the DC by much to keep it going if you're gonna keep displaying, right? Ups... wrong. DC goes up by 5 each round... :(
Hmpf. - I guess firing etc. are simple enough to run (about as intensive as running an enemy mook) but they're still not quite passive, not quite "on/off".
There's that pirate ranger archetype that can give allies a to hit bonus vs an enemy in sight - all day long if he wants to.
I want no resources to have to be tracked (I guess you could handwave it for mundane arrows on an archer but... hmpf) - besides HP I guess.
A bard who could inspire all day long as full round actions would be great... - but man would it ever be boring to play that as a player.
Why aren't there cooler NPC classes? That should be one. :)
Actually, the sensei monk build makes sense - he took 1 level of paladin/ranger/fighter/whatever floats your boat at 2nd level. Problem solved. :)
Sensei still only gets to advise for a very limited number of rounds a day! - and he'll be level 1 by the time I get the feat - and aid another still requires beating a DC 10 - and then it's only for +2 unless he's a halfling or something.
A skald does that while still having martial proficiencies. But still quite limited number of rounds. Don't want to keep track of resources.
I can't quite understand the situation you're describing. If you want a cohort who will stay in the background I think that a Bard would be ideal, but if you really need the cohort at 3rd level I guess that won't work.
That being the case you could consider a "bodyguard" cohort with the Bodyguard feat. A halfling with the Helpful trait could be very good at this. There are also some feats which allow halflings to share other AC bonuses with allies.
Ha, this actually works quite well. Our dwarven teenager sorceress is rather impulsive sometimes, having something stand there and give some AC bonus would be great. Wonder how far one could take that build with combat patrol and what not to increase the reach, so he could help others as well when she's not in danger.
There's some cavalier order (Dragon?) that further boosts the aid another bonus. - and one archetype or order grants the bodyguard feat... not sure if you still need combat reflexes... but I guess it wouldn't hurt if there are multiple attacks...
Could an animal (say guard dog for 25 gp) take the "aid another" standard action to boost her AC by 2?
The Order of the Dragon increases your Aid Another bonus to +3 at 2nd level, +4 at 8th level, and +5 at 14th level. You could ask the DM if the increase from the Helpful trait for halflings would stack with this. The Honor Guard archetype for Cavaliers also gives you Bodyguard as a bonus feat. If you wanted even more AC boost the Cavalier's mount could take the Bodyguard archetype for mounts. If the Cavalier has Mounted Combat and uses it to defend the mount the entire team should be pretty tough to hit.
The Benevolent armor enchantment can boost the AC bonuses for Aid Another even higher. There's probably some danger of overdoing all this, so you might want to discuss such plans with the DM to work out any house rules or limitations in advance (or even just get a thumbs up)
@Scott Wilhelm - I'm still curious to see how the FAQ blog for grappling rules on maintaining the grapple in the round when you initiate it.
That's pretty complicated and very high level. - but definitively kinda cool.
So let me get this straight:
level 1 move action to point out some weakness on an enemy the group wants dead. Then just stands there with his claws in case someone gets near?
level 2 boost sense motive through the roof so you can waste one enemy action -- if your sense motive roll is higher than your AC / their attack http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat-feats/snake-style-combat-style
level 3 hit enemies back when they miss you (which sense motive might make more likely for one enemy, see level 2)
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat-feats/snake-fang-combat
Also hit them when they provoke AoO's -- however when would that be? claws don't have reach...
At this point let me ask - don't we need to meet the prerequisites (i.e. ranks in things, such as 3 in Sense motive at... level 2?) -- Unless are we maybe talking master of many styles?http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/monk/archetypes/paizo-- -monk-archetypes/master-of-many-styles
Also do claws even count as unarmed strikes? If not, can you flury with them?
Then the second half of things in the build were things I'd expect but that add up to requiring a fairly high level total. - Was this supposed to be feasable all the way from low to high, or just as a high level cohort it would work?
Thanks though, for pointing out the style feat. Made me look up those things and they're pretty cool.
Anyways, I'm not sure I understand all of what you posted. could you expand on it a bit, and maybe add what archetypes you're using?
Just found the [url=http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/monk/archetypes/paizo---monk-archetypes/sohei]Sohei[url] gets martial proficiencies - does he work with sensei?
I didn't mean he didn't have reach so people with reach could hit him - I meant he doesn't have reach and he doesn't move, so when is he ever going to get an AoO?
I mean passive. Like fire and forget. Maybe as much as "stay within 5 ft of character x) or such kind of movement, but nothing you'd have to think about.
And I guess I need it to be level 1, since getting Squire at level 3.
From what has been posted sofar, archer seems to be the best idea, since it's really just rolling attack rolls and damage which in roll20 is a click or two.
However, amazing would be no notacible actions, just flat bonuses.
Maybe another Oradin... Oracle 1, Life link, self heal when injured heavily... but no martial proficiencies, so... out.
HA! "Technically, any of the native outsider races get full proficiency due to being outsiders. So Aasimar, Tiefling, the 4 elemental ones, and more. PF put in a lot of outsider playable races." (Thread
Interesting. So an Aasimar Oradin? Selective channeling feat. Heal when ever we yell "HEAL!" and life link the person most wounded, which takes a standard action anyway. Otherwise keep life link up and standard heal. I like it. Makes me wish my character wasn't already an Oradin :D
If you allowed the Squire feat, would you allow someone to get an Aasimar Oradin follower? - 1st level Oracle, 2 levels paladin, few more oracle for more life links and rest palain for awesome swift self healing?
Although the point of a build like that is still to make the healing swift and thus keep one's standard actions free. What would they be doing in standard actions? buffing?
I didn't mean he didn't have reach so people with reach could hit him - I meant he doesn't have reach and he doesn't move, so when is he ever going to get an AoO?
I mean passive. Like fire and forget. Maybe as much as "stay within 5 ft of character x) or such kind of movement, but nothing you'd have to think about.
just ranged fighter type you just full round at the nearest target consistently.
For Ranged Attacks of Opportunity, look at the Snapshot Feats. The archer I've been most interested in building is an Alchemist archer. The Grenadier Archetype at level 1 may be proficient in longbow and infuse flasks of Alchemist Fire to his arrows. At level 4, he can infuse Alchemist Bombs to his arrows, too. Make him a Goblin, and he can take the Burn! Burn! Burn! feat for another 1d4/arrow.
But now, of course, my archer just became complicated...
I guess the build can be complicated, as long as it isn't that hard in actual play. Combined with the advice below (Target at closest evil thing unless instructed otherwise) could be sweet, except bombs damage friends too, right? Maybe target at the furthest away enemy with a reasonable to hit chance, that way spellcasters and such would be first to be aimed at often.