In my current campaign my Players will be participating in a War that'll be like a cross between the American Revolution and Civil War. To add more depth to it, I'll be making NPCs based off of Historic Figures that'll serve as Allies and Enemies for the PCs.
So far I've figured I'll have Abraham Lincoln as a Human Brawler/Bard (Oratory focused), and Ulysses S. Grant as his Dwarven Cavalier companion. Now my campaign will slowly incorporate more and more of the more Steam punk elements of Pathfinder, and it got me thinking: what other historic figures could be adapted into Pathfinder NPCs? Tesla and Edison as rival Gnome Alchemist inventors?
What's the Hivemind's ideas on other Historic Figures that'd be fun to adapt into Pathfinder, and how wold ye go about it class/archetypes/race?
I'm not really familiar with American history before WWII, let alone before the American Civil War, but one character from your country I've read a little about is Benjamin Franklin. Mr Franklin must have some power to resist lightning and in PF he'd have developed spells to control it. Some academic knowledge, some social skills; he might be an arcanist perhaps?
To still be kicking around in the Civil War era he must have some elven blood, but he's not pretty enough for that to be more than half. As someone from a earlier generation he's unlikely to be amused by modern manners. That won't actually stop him meddling but it's possible the PCs or others might be able to use that to manipulate him a little.
would Benjamin Franklin be an alchemist then?
I'm pretty sure tesla is straight up wizard.
Is this more for flavor or accuracy? cause if accuracy most people would be experts or commoners.
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Everyone knows Queen Victoria was a brawler. She used to bare-knuckles battle longshoremen in the seedier slums along the Thames, wearing a mask and fighting under the name Regina Dentata.
Wait Wasn't Regina a shaman?
Is it because quibble and I have both posted here now? (If so I apologize in advance.)
I predict a high probability of this thread going off the rails.
Rails? I see what you did there...
Oh I missed that... So much shame... my cow is gonna be real upset.
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Speaking of cows, with a mere six levels of druid, Buffalo Bill could be a literal buffalo...
I thought I'd throw my hat in the ring here... Admittedly I don't know that much about figures from the civil war, but I'll put what I can think of.
Revolution figures
George Washington: either Fighter or some kind of battle bard. I'm not sure which just because he definitely was a martial type and a general, but he was a leader to his men as well. (Maybe Battle Herald?)
Ben Franklin: I LOVE the idea of taking his academic mind and exploration of lightning and running with it to make him a mage of some kind. I know that he would NEED to be one of the int based mages if we're going by that logic though.
Civil War figures
Lincoln: This guy wasn't much of a fighter at all, so I think he'd either be a particularly persuasive Expert, or a Bard.
Robert E. Lee: Straight Fighter, don't know too much about him but he was a general first.
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Lincoln: This guy wasn't much of a fighter at all, so I think he'd either be a particularly persuasive Expert, or a Bard.
Fun Fact: Lincoln was once challenged to a duel. He was given the choice of weapons. He picked cavalry broadswords "of the largest size."
So we know he probably had Martial Weapon Proficiency (broadsword) at least.
I'm going with Ranger with favored enemy (rails).
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Fun Fact: Lincoln was once challenged to a duel. He was given the choice of weapons. He picked cavalry broadswords "of the largest size."
So we know he probably had Martial Weapon Proficiency (broadsword) at least.
I'm going with Ranger with favored enemy (rails).
According to that source, the duel was called off after Lincoln demonstrated his strength and reach, so it's better evidence of his Intimidation skill than his weapon proficiency.
OTOH, Lincoln was widely known to be handy with an axe--at least against trees and lumber. It would be *really* tempting to build him as a slayer with axe-related feats, a la Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter...
The epitome of American rangers is, of course, Davy Crockett, "King of the Wild Frontier." If your game uses the mythic rules, he should have at least one mythic tier--he was famous for larger-than-life deeds in his own lifetime, and has achieved true legendary status in pop culture since then.
I was already considering having Benjamin Franklin in the campaign, but I hadn't considered the Arcanist as his class. Since the setting is currently pseudo-steampunk I was gonna have him introduced a early by having news papers he publishes serving as exposition expanding the scope and world lore of the campaign.
I hadn't considered Davy Crockett at all, he'd be an awesome addition to the setting.
I had Lincoln as a Brawler/Bard due to him having actually been basically a wrestler in real life and of course his skill at speaking.
https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2013/02/12/abraham-lincoln-was-a-skilled-w restler-and-world-class-trash-talker
Go to Wrestling Lingcoln!!!.
You started talking about lincoln and I was gonna say undead slayer but you beat me to it. Ninjaed like a week ago. ouch.
I see Robert E Lee as a battle herald, that one warpriest archetype for max combat, or a cavalier (with horse expert) 4/tactician X.