Hey there everyone, I need a little help for a dilemma 'm facing. I recently (finally) caught an Iron Gods game, and suddenly hit a character block. Now the other three players have theirs together and I'm here looking like a yutz.
What we have so far are...
- Android cleric of gozreh. Melee focus, Iron Priest archetype.
- human Archer fighter. Archer archetype. Very complex.
- aasimar savage technologist barbarian. Sword and shield until he finds a gun.
What I'm seeing is a lack of skills, healing (the cleric specifically is avoiding "healbot") and arcane casting. Likely also a need for another bit of melee for when angelbarian gets his gun.
Anyone have suggestion or insight? If it helps I'm leaning heavy ratfolk for my race.
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My first choice for an Iron Gods character is a Ratfolk Numerian Scavenger Rogue. That seems like that would fit the party well -- skills, Technologist unlocks, secondary melee.
Another possibility would be something like an Investigator or Alchemist. Or maybe some flavor of Ranger.
If healing is a real issue, you might see if some sort of Oracle or Bard strikes your fancy.
How about a Witch with the Healing patron? That covers everything but melee and plays to the racial strengths of a Ratfolk.
Bard would cover all of your bases (skills, healing, arcane, and melee) but is a bit less ideal for a Ratfolk. Most of the healing that a Bard can't cover can be covered by your Cleric as needed -- surely he would be willing to prepare Restoration or Raise Dead the next day if you end the day with a party member dead or drained?
Other possibilities open up if you are willing to give up one of your four goals. It is tough for one chaacter to cover that much effectively.
A bard could work, great skills, healing, buffing (inspire courage would be great here), does have arcane casting, but not much in the way of direct damage. An Archeologist Bard loses inspire courage, but gains rogue abilities, and is a little better in melee (best with fates favored). A bards charisma doesn't have to be sky high if you focus on spells that don't require saves. A dip into inspired swashbuckler could give dex to damage, but I doubt that is needed.
Alchemist could work too, with the infusion discovery and brew potion you could help with healing. Skills 4 + int on a int based class for many skill points, you could use a trait to increase the number of class skills, perhaps cosmopolitan if needed. Trap breaker adds many rogue like abilities (such as trapfinding), vivisectionist (I think you can take both) adds sneak attack for extra melee damage. Ratfolk have great ability score adjustments for this class.
Some of the extracts give limited aoe like breathing fire, and bombs can do aoe if you don't take vivisectionist that trades them out.
I honestly think looking to do healing effectively is a fools errand give your cleric a CLW and expect the cleric to prep spells like restoration when the need arises.
So that leaves you with arcane/melee/skills
So I'd go bard/Magus/Occultist/Alchemist
The Alchemist and bard more easily slot into the buffing secondary combat role with range support from bombs in the case of alchemists, Magus and Occultist are more using thiernclass features to become melee beasts themselves.
Bards get loads of skills and the others are all int based so you got that covered
Healing in Pathfinder is done primarily via wands of CLW. Status removal is a day away with your cleric, assuming they don't normally prepare condition removal spells. Scrolls can also make up for it, when it's absolutely necessary.
My point here is, don't think you need to play some sort of healer.
What you're party could really use is a skillful/arcane caster. Which means playing a wizard, which is sort of the lottery my friend.
Pickup the technologist feat and invest in all sort of knowledge skills.
If you're worried about having melee, just make sure you prepare summon monster spells to help out in combat. As well as other battlefield control spells.
Going to agree that you shouldn't need a healer, as long as the cleric is willing to cast some restoration-type spells. If he's going to be a pain about it, a healing patron witch is a good option.
With such a small party, I'd be tempted to go with a summoning build. An arcanist occultist would be very versatile, while keeping the party safe with summons.
But personally, I'd make an android empiricist investigator. Because it's a good match for that group and something I always want to play.
A crypt breaker alchemist could do well here. They can handle the skills side including traps, their bombs do extra damage to constructs and with a discovery or two the bombs can do battlefield control as well. They can handle melee if necessary, especially once they get polymorph extracts.
And they can do some healing if the cleric gets stuffy about that too.
Wizard/Sorcerer... Technomancer
As far as healing goes there are also technological items that represent some healing spells. Nanite Hypogun, Trauma Pack and Trauma Pack Plus.
(1) Empiricist Investigator works well with Ratfolk and with the Infusion Discovery gets you some healing options. You might consider a natural attack build. The Sharpclaw feat gets you two primary claw attacks, and the Sharptooth feat gets you a primary bite attack. Three full BAB attacks in a round is nice for delivering lots of that Studied Combat damage. You could even add a Ratfolk Tailblade for a 4th (but secondary) attack.
(2) If you are really concerned about helping out with healing, you might consider an Occultist. They have a surprising number of Healing/Status Removal options.
Occult Skill Unlocks
-Faith Healing (Heal): Suppress, suspend, or remove ability damage, curses, diseases, or poison.
-Read Aura (Perception): Determine whether a creature is wounded, poisoned, diseased, confused, disabled, dying, nauseated, panicked, staggered, stunned, or unconscious.
Level 0 Spells
-Detect Poison (Divination)
-Stabilize (Conjuration)
Level 1 Spells
-Cure Light Wounds (Conjuration)
-Diagnose Disease (Divination): Can be used to detect a number of conditions
Focus Powers
-Flesh Mend (Conjuration): gives you a way to heal hit points using Mental Focus instead of using up spell slots.
Level 2 Spells
-Calm Emotions (Enchantment): Can be used to suppress fear conditions and confusion
-Cure Moderate Wounds (Conjuration)
-Delay Poison (Conjuration)
-Status (Divination): Can be used to detect a number of conditions
Focus Powers
-Purge Corruption (Conjuration): Duplicates the effects of the Neutralize Poison and Remove Disease spells. It's really valuable since neither of those spells is on your lists.
Level 3 Spells
-Age Resistance, Lesser (Transmutation): Can suppress the negative effects of age
-Cure Serious Wounds (Conjuration)
-Dispel Magic (Abjuration): Can end spells which place conditions on you or your allies
-Gentle Repose (Necromancy): Can help preserve your fallen comrades until a better healer is available
-Symbol of Healing (Conjuration)
Level 4 Spells
-Age Resistance (Transmutation): Can suppress the negative effects of age
-Break Enchantment (Abjuration): Can remove enchantments, transmutations, and curses
-Cure Critical Wounds (Conjuration)
-Death Ward (Necromancy): Can temporarily remove the penalties from negative levels
-Freedom of Movement (Abjuration): Can remove paralysis, grappled, and the like
Level 5 Spells
-Cure Light Wounds, Mass (Conjuration)
-Dispel Magic, Greater (Abjuration): Can end spells which place conditions on you or your allies
-Temporary Resurrection (Necromancy): Can help preserve your fallen comrades until a better healer is available
Level 6 Spells
-Cure Moderate Wounds, Mass (Conjuration)
-Heal (Conjuration): Can remove ability damage, blinded, confused, dazed, dazzled, deafened, diseased, exhausted, fatigued, feebleminded, insanity, nauseated, poisoned, sickened, and stunned
They also have decent Skills, although nowhere near that of an Investigator. Haunt Collector Occultists can be great at combat.
(3) I'll mention Cabalist Vigilante as an oddball choice. You get the Witch spell list so you are an Arcane Caster with plenty of Healing options. With your high Int you'll have a decent set of Skills. Your Social Talents might also prove useful. The Ratfolk size bonus to Stealth works great with the Spill Blood/Bloodbound Spell/Bloody Horrors sequence of abilities. I'd consider using the natural attack build that I mentioned for Investigator but with Lethal Grace and Arcane Strike to replace Studied Combat.