Class / Build that compliments character's personality and story


Advice


So, this is my first time posting in a forum of any kind so I will try and keep this short.

I've loved the idea of tabletop games for a while and being a writer my imagination goes wild when it comes to these things. Pathfinder is my second tabletop game and one I'm determined to master if I want to continue playing games like these.

I have an original character that is, to say the least, complex. A "TL;DR" explanation at its basics is that he is self-serving and is a misanthrope (someone who hates other people). He will ruthlessly exploit weaknesses and break people mentally for either fun or to achieve his own goals. He prefers to stay away from the battlefield and in the shadows out of sight, picking people off one by one. His primary weapon are his words which he will use to lie, turn, or hurt someone to save himself or get what he wants; he is a dangerous opportunist and has an insatiable lust for knowledge. Think if Petyr Baelish (Game of Thrones) and Rumpelstiltskin (Once Upon a Time)had a love child and that child was Heath Ledger's Joker. This is who he is.

The background of his story is irrelevant outside he was a boy in Pripyat, Russia shortly before the Chernobyl nuclear power disaster.

Again and again I have been trying to translate this complex character (having so many sides to him it is hard to play him properly and with others in an organic way in an environment I cannot always control) into Pathfinder. It's fairly easy to nip and tuck certain abilities and features for the sake of falling in line with the rules but I've always failed at playing classes that he as a character would excel at but with my problems separating my own mind from his, not asking enough questions, and having a remedial comprehension of Pathfinder's complex rule system, I failed constantly in bringing my character to life.

I've been given a chance to play him again by my our DM as he understands the raw character more and wants him to be implemented into the game. This time, it will be easier as we'll be playing in a modern day setting with ley lines and portals to Golarion.

My question is is I want to build him a class that he will exceed at, and was wondering if I could get a second opinion from the community here:

As said before, his tongue is his most used weapon. He will come across as meek and timid in order to attack while his enemies' guards are down. Or he will do so at night sneaking around corners and using magic to distract and attack as he sees fit.

Down to it, I would like him to be a magic user with heavy rogue attributes (no double classes, just allocating points into the right slots). I cannot use third party classes unless they're "Ultimate Psionics", as our DM doesn't allow third party classes.

At this time, it was suggested I take a sorcerer with the Accursed bloodline and shape him into a rogue-like magic user. The Accursed bloodline stems from what happened to him in Chernobyl as he is heavily disfigured (radiation burns, deep scars from battle, etc.) He is classified as human, unless there is a better alternative since technically he is not. But for all intents and purposes he is human, and was at the time of the disaster.

I was wondering, considering that, while insane and prone to Alice in Wonderland quips, he is also cold, calculating, and manipulative. He will pull any dirty move from a book to make his ends meet. His weaknesses are knowledge as he regards it as "humanity's greatest weapon", and will actively seek knowledge in any form he can whether it's magic or information on someone.

He does not have to be a magic user, but as his raw story deals with quantum physics and the ability to traverse the Multiverse and bend certain aspects of reality, magic would make the most sense.

Once more, I've overdone my explanations but for a dangerous opportunist and manipulator I was wondering if I could get a second opinion outside Accursed Sorcerer.

I'd like him to be able to use magic and be manipulative, but I know there will be times when he cannot do either and would like him proficient with at least a knife or crossbow. If anyone could help me with suggestions on builds (race included so long as aesthetically he remains human, sadly it's important) for this devious character.

I want to actually keep him alive this time. I've been thoroughly reading how a sorcerer class works. And am open to other suggestions which I will also be reading. Our summer campaign does not start for another two weeks so I have time to build and do research.

Thank you for your time in reading this and thank you for taking the time to answer my questions,

Grotesque Audio

PS: Feel free to suggest builds that utilize magic, manipulation, and at least basic physical combat if possible. I know I cannot be a god and certain attributes will definitely be tossed in the end.


Sounds like what you are looking for is a bard. An archeologist bard is actually a better rogue than the actual rogue class, but they give up bardic performances for luck. The sandman archetype also fits, but gives up bardic knowledge which also fits what you are looking for. If neither of those archetypes work for you a plain vanilla bard may be the best option.

Keep in mind that bards don’t have to be singers or musicians. Perform act, comedy, oratory are all equally valid forms of performance. Perform oratory is definitely something your character should have if he is going to use words as weapons.

Bards also have proficiency in light armor and a decent amount of weapons. They can even cast in light armor without a chance of spell failure.


Or, possibly, a mesmerist. They're like bards in many ways but more manipulative/dominating and less supportive by way of their class features.


Maybe mastermind investigator?


First and foremost thank you for your replies. Sadly, I cannot play a bard. It had crossed my mind to either go with a Bard Arcane Duelist or as Mysterious Stranger said, Archeologist. As much as I want to explore these ideas another member of the group has already established themselves as a bard, and I felt a different class would be wanted for both myself and the other player. We had an issue some time ago when someone created a character strictly for purposes to destroy the usefulness of the bard character that another was playing. It made the game un-enjoyable and while I'm sure there are ways I can create a bard to compliment theirs, I'd rather not have them feel I'm moving in on them. I know, that sounds ridiculous right? All the same, thank you for the advice.

Avr wrote:
Or, possibly, a mesmerist. They're like bards in many ways but more manipulative/dominating and less supportive by way of their class features.

I just read up on the mesmerist and this has actually caught my eye significantly as it really seems to fall into line with something my character would do, and that is use his abilities in language to ruthlessly exploit others. The mesmerist is also proficient in simple weapons which help if, say, he's gagged or made unable to speak. Already my mind is racing with ideas and I simply love the archetypes available to it. Avr, could you tell me as I cannot see on the Pathfinder website whether or not a mesmerist is a third party class? Sadly I cannot choose these unless they fall under Ultimate Psionics. The DM disallows them due to either them being over-powered or him not understanding enough and not wanting to go through the steps of "is this acceptable?" or "can I do this?" If not this may very well be one of my biggest choices. Thank you very much for this class idea!

Killer Pixie wrote:
Maybe mastermind investigator?

As I said above, I cannot do third party classes. Is the mastermind third party? I also enjoy the mastermind in general due to the personality traits I'm reading right now. Using a network of minions/spies is something my character would do. Having "little spiders" in everyone's ear would be an ideal way for him to gather information. Now looking this up I'm looking at a whole new section of the website called "Hybrid Classes". What are these exactly? Some of these classes look amazing and something I can easily use.

The funniest thing about all of this is that the harder and more difficult the classes seem to green players, the easier I find myself able to understand them.

I'll run these by my DM and see if either can be used.

Please feel free to keep suggesting classes and also feel free to ask for more details on my character to help you in suggesting a class


Witch or Mesmerist.


Mesmerist is from Occult Adventures, which is from Paizo and thus is not third-party.


Grotesque Audio wrote:


Avr wrote:
Or, possibly, a mesmerist. They're like bards in many ways but more manipulative/dominating and less supportive by way of their class features.
I just read up on the mesmerist and this has actually caught my eye significantly as it really seems to fall into line with something my character would do, and that is use his abilities in language to ruthlessly exploit others. The mesmerist is also proficient in simple weapons which help if, say, he's gagged or made unable to speak. Already my mind is racing with ideas and I simply love the archetypes available to it. Avr, could you tell me as I cannot see on the Pathfinder website whether or not a mesmerist is a third party class? Sadly I cannot choose these unless they fall under Ultimate Psionics. The DM disallows them due to either them being over-powered or him not understanding enough and not wanting to go through the steps of "is this acceptable?" or "can I do this?" If not this may very well be one of my biggest choices. Thank you very much for this class idea!

I thought I'd in my two cents. Mesmerists are some of the new (ish) psychic spellcasters. This is a new category from arcane and divine. Find Occult Adventures Here. (This is the PRD. Should be safe) Part of this is that instead of verbal and somatic components, they have emotion and thought components. Instead of needing to be free to move, you just can't be affected by other effects changing your emotions. Rather than verbal, it just gets really hard to concentrate if you have to. This is better/worse for different people and based on taste.


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Grotesque Audio wrote:
he is self-serving and is a misanthrope (someone who hates other people).

So why is he with a party?

You need to answer this for any realistic roleplay.

/cevah


Honestly if playing a bard is going to cause problems then this concept is going to cause problems no matter what class you choose. Your class is just a group of game mechanics that don’t mean anything other than from a rules standpoint. This is especially true when archetypes are factored in. An archeologist bard would be more likely to conflict with a player playing a rogue than another bard.

If you use a different class and have essentially the same abilities and skills how is that any different?


Hey guys! Thanks for getting back to me so quickly.

Johnnycat93 wrote:
Witch or...

Thanks for the suggestion. I actually did play a witch build before and it panned out rather well for me. Considering what you know, however, what kind of witch would you suggest? My biggest concern was my familiar's safety. Sadly it was that very worry that killed me as I decided instead of sparing my life I'd get into harm's way to save the damn serpent.

MageHunter wrote:
I thought I'd in my two cents. Mesmerists are some of the new (ish) psychic spellcasters. This is a new category from arcane and divine. Find Occult Adventures Here. (This is the PRD. Should be safe) Part of this is that instead of verbal and somatic components, they have emotion and thought components. Instead of needing to be free to move, you just can't be affected by other effects changing your emotions. Rather than verbal, it just gets really hard to concentrate if you have to. This is better/worse for different people and based on taste.

I have a page of "Occult Adventures" lined up on my tabs. But what is PRD? And emotional spell casting could be beneficial and may not be. He's not the most stable person but can concentrate his emotions if he needs to. Sometimes his shut off though and he becomes a bit blank, would that adversely affect his ability to make his spells manifest? Do you have some examples of the pros and cons to this type of spell-casting?

Cevah wrote:
So why is he with a party? You need to answer this for any realistic roleplay.

Thanks for the question, Cevah! Yes, for all intents and purposes, Nikolai is a self-serving manipulative bastard. However this is not always the case whether he forms a rare bond with someone, or the person he's allied himself with has something he wants or can do something to help him achieve a personal goal. As said earlier, he was 12 when Chernobyl exploded and before being swallowed up by the radiation storm he was spared by a very ancient entity that had existed for a long time. My DM has approved this entity but has assumed any control over it if it decides to speak. But from twelve to an undetermined time in the future he spent his days in a black realm without any form of contact until it decided to speak to him. His mind is broken and he has a jaded view of people and the world, which is heavily influenced by this darkness. However there are parts of him that remain human and he will end up stumbling across the party and finding out that below the streets are a secret gathering of magic users; all coming from portals from Golarion and living their lives here on earth. He is going to be seeking a way to cleave himself from the darkness while keeping his knowledge and power. At least that's how I have it figured now. Game won't be starting for a few more weeks so I have time to iron out the details. :)

Mysterious Stranger wrote:
Honestly if playing a bard is going to cause problems then this concept is going to cause problems no matter what class you choose. Your class is just a group of game mechanics that don’t mean anything other than from a rules standpoint. This is especially true when archetypes are factored in. An archeologist bard would be more likely to conflict with a player playing a rogue than another bard... how is that any different?

That's actually a very good point, and I'm glad you made it. I suppose I don't quite know why I'm hesitant to play a bard. Maybe I saw someone use the class wrong and felt I couldn't step up to plate. Maybe I don't want to play a class that someone else is playing, whether or not it is a different archetype. But I have considered a few character ideas that would utilize a bard's powers so I'm not completely avoiding it. I think the main reason is the person playing the bard really got screwed over by someone else who created a character for the explicit purpose of making theirs useless and I want to avoid any potential conflict as I have not met this individual. And on the other hand I feel that the bard is not the best fit for my character reading over it, but another. All the same, I appreciate your advice and I'm glad I posted here!

+++

Right now I've got it narrowed between Accursed Sorcerer and a Mesmerist with a potential archetype. I want to thank you all for the help you've given me. I'll be sure to re-visit this place and give back to the community. Do svidanya! :)


Just a vanilla witch. Evil Eye, Cackle, Slumber, that sort of thing. Hex vulnerability.


The PRD is the product requirements document, it's maintained by Paizo and has their core material(hardcovers) listed in it there is also D20pfsrd which has items from the hardcovers, softcovers, and third party material though they have to remove mention of things that are property of Paizo like the names of the various Deities or locations.

You can find the Mesmerist here and the Mastermind which is an archetype for the Investigator class from the ACG here

Community / Forums / Pathfinder / Pathfinder First Edition / Advice / Class / Build that compliments character's personality and story All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.
Recent threads in Advice