Best base building class?

[Hobokhajiit]

So I'm going into a new campaign soon where we will be likely to end up building a base/outpost of sorts. I'm currently thinking of making a Cleric (Of the forgemaster Dwarf racial archetype) but I was wondering if anyone knew of any better methods? My character would ideally be the general item crafter for the party (Magical and/or mundane.) and perhaps also having a ranged weapon focus.

Cheers for any ideas in advance :)

[Oblivion Disciple]

Hobokhajiit wrote:

So I'm going into a new campaign soon where we will be likely to end up building a base/outpost of sorts. I'm currently thinking of making a Cleric (Of the forgemaster Dwarf racial archetype) but I was wondering if anyone knew of any better methods? My character would ideally be the general item crafter for the party (Magical and/or mundane.) and perhaps also having a ranged weapon focus.

Cheers for any ideas in advance :)

You should look into wizard! Their high INT makes them great for item crafting and they get free item creation feats every few levels or so. The also can get a handful of spells that can be used to build walls, shape stone, and boost crafting skills. I'm also pretty sure that one of their schools helps with crafting. For traits you will probably want either spark of creation (+1 to craft and -5% crafting cost), or hedge magician (just -5% on crafting cost). You may also be interested in the master craftsman feat which allows you to craft certain magical items using a single craft or profession skill. This feat is especially useful if you plan on sticking with cleric.

[PossibleCabbage]

A high level geokineticist's ability to rework the landscape is pretty much unparalleled, since you'll have all-day zero cost stone shape and move earth at your disposal eventually.

You'll need someone to do the fine details, but you can build rough castles on top of mesas all day long without getting tired.

[Athaleon]

Depends on the level. Classes with access to Create Demiplane almost win by default at high levels.

[Doomed Hero]

Wizard.

Wall of Stone. Wall of Iron. Move Earth. Stoneshape. Polymorph any Object. Fabricate. Telekinisis. Planar Binding.

Take Craft Construct and build yourself a Rune Guardian that can cast Unseen Servant at will. Use Animate Dead for a tireless work crew. Create Undead for a Skeletal Champion Bard who can play a Lyre of Building without ever needing to stop.

[SmiloDan]

Guards and Wards, Magnificent Mansion, Secret Hut, Tiny Hut, Passwall.

Use Leadership: Your cohort can be your castellan and you can use the underlings as your underlings.

[Coidzor]

Depends on what level you'll get started on building the base and at what level you expect it to no longer be relevant what the base itself actually is.

Also, what sources and subsystems are on the table, and how much of stocking the base like a dungeon you want to do, and whether you need to recruit or create guardians, etc.

At, say, level 1, the Druid rules the roost with Expeditious Construction, Expeditious Excavation, Call Animal, and the Wild Empathy class feature. So they can build walls, dig holes(62.5 minutes worth of digging saved per 5' cube), and attract CR 1 or lower Animals from the surrounding area to them and potentially befriend them or influence them to live in prepared dens and the like. It wouldn't be great, but using only class features and spells, a character could make an actual dungeon.

As one gets higher level, Clerics start to get some nifty things like Glyph of Warding and Wizards get a whole boatload of Symbol of X spells.

In terms of creating raw material or constructing a physical base and structures within it, the Wizard wins, followed closely by the Druid. In terms of acquiring denizens for it, the Druid starts with an uncontested lead with Call Animal and Wild Empathy then the Cleric enters the fray with Animate Dead and then after that, Wizards get Planar Binding.

In terms of making traps, I'd say that the Wizard starts in the lead due to Incendiary Runes being the only real trap-creating spell at 1st level, then Cleric pulls ahead with Glyph of Warding, then the Wizard pulls back ahead again.

[Mister Socks]

The Blood Alchemist can stone shape all day at level 7. They have a lot of terrain altering spell-like abilities in their kit, and they can use them as long as they have a circle down.