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Hey all,
Our group will be running the Return of the Runelords AP in roughly a month and I plan to play a former gray maiden. The Sister-in-arms Cavalier sounds like a great fit for our melee heavy party. She will be accompanied by a Shifter, a Battle Shaman, and an Arcanist. Two of them plan to use shields which may aid in some of the teamwork feats. We won't have much healing but we can focus on offense and defense.
Race: Human (feats will be hard to come by… but with 20 levels in the AP, we can make some good chains.)
The Cav SiA look like a great defense booster with challenge bonuses, Heavy armor/ shield, the Sisterhood Style feats, And The tactician teamwork sharing... Things could get pretty solid.
What I'd like to know is how to maximize the build. What are the best feats/ teamwork feats etc. to make her really shine?
She will go Order of the Dragon for edicts but will also gain the lion order benefits. Both orders give some great defensive bonuses. Her AC will get pretty high, and she can share some of that with adjacent allies through teamwork feats and the sisterhood style feats.
The goal is to make a Tank that can draw enemy attacks and still pull some weight in combat.
I have her built to lv6 but am open to changes.
Lora
Female human (Azlanti) cavalier (sister-in-arms) 6 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player's Guide 32, Pathfinder RPG Adventurer's Guide 83)
LN Medium humanoid (human)
Init +2; Senses Perception +0
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Defense
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AC 23, touch 11, flat-footed 22 (+9 armor, +1 Dex, +3 shield)
hp 57 (6d10+20)
Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +3 (+2 vs. effects that compel you at attack or betray allies)
Defensive Abilities devoted defender, maiden's loyalty +2
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)
Melee longsword +10/+5 (1d8+3/19-20)
Ranged longbow +8/+3 (1d8/×3)
Special Attacks banner +2, challenge 2/day (+6 damage, gain +2 AC, allies gain +2 to hit), tactician 2/day (Shield Wall, 6 rds)
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Statistics
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Str 17, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 14
Base Atk +6; CMB +9; CMD 21
Feats Bodyguard[APG], Gray Maiden Initiate (Faceless Maiden, Gray Maiden Endurance), Power Attack, Shield Focus, Shield Wall[APG], Sisterhood Style, Weapon Focus (longsword)
Traits accidental clone, armor expert
Skills Acrobatics -5 (-9 to jump), Bluff +3, Climb +0, Craft (armor) +2, Diplomacy +3, Intimidate +8, Knowledge (local) +4, Lore (Maiden Etiquette) +4, Survival +4 (+7 to provide food and water for allies or to protect allies from harsh weather), Swim +0
Languages Azlanti, Common
SQ aid allies, lion's call, maiden's order [dragon's edicts]
Other Gear Gray Maiden plate, heavy steel shield, longbow, longsword, 53 gp
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Special Abilities
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Aid Allies +3 (Ex) Aid Another grants +3 bonus.
Banner +2/+1 (60 ft.) (Ex) Allies within 60 ft. who can see your banner gain +2 save vs. fear & +1 to hit while charging.
Bodyguard Use an AoO to use aid another to improve an ally's AC.
Devoted Defender (Ex) Gain Bodyguard as a bonus feat.
Faceless Maiden (Ex) Gain +2 Intimidate bonus when wearing Gray Maiden plate.
Gray Maiden Endurance (Ex) Sleep while wearing Gray Maiden armor without becoming fatigued.
Gray Maiden Initiate (Faceless Maiden, Gray Maiden Endurance, Faceless Maiden, Gray Maiden Endurance Become affiliated with Gray Maidens and gain two benefits of your choice.
Lion's Call +2/+1 (Ex) Grant allies +2 save vs. fear, +1 to attack, new save vs. fear.
Maiden's Halfhearted Challenge +6 (2/day) (Ex) +6 to damage target, -2 AC vs. others when used, +2 dodge AC vs. the target of your challenge. Allies gain +2 to hit the target of your challenge.
Maiden's Loyalty (Ex) Gain bonus on Will saves vs. effects that compel you at attack or betray allies.
Power Attack -2/+4 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.
Shield Wall +2 to shield bonus if adj ally with same feat has a tower/heavy shield or +1 for smaller shields.
Sisterhood Style +1 on Reflex and Will saves and use teamwork feats more easily.
Tactician (Shield Wall, 6 rds, 2/day) (Ex) Grant the use of one of your teamwork bonus feats to all allies within 30 ft.
So far I’m thinking of taking:
Gray Maiden Initiate
Power Attack
Shield Focus
Weapon focus: Longsword
Shield Wall
Sisterhood Style
Sisterhood Rampart
Sisterhood Dedication
Extend the Bulwark
I’m also curious about stacking teamwork feats. How many can you use/share at a time with cavalier and sisterhood feats.
This reminds me of the Battle Herald concept I was planning on for Alexander Talionus (Lex Talionis, I know "so original" haha). However, while Sister-in-Arms is a strong Cavalier Archetype, I couldn't bring myself to play as a female character. lol
That being said: What exactly is your plan for this character? Is it Teamwork Feat sharing? Bodyguard and Block? Shield 'n' Slash or Shield 'n' Bash? All of these questions are important when making your character.
If you are a follower of Iomedae (the greatest Bash'n'Slash deity out there), Chosen of Iomedae might do you better. Armor Penalty can always be reduced by Masterwork Quality and later Mithril Material, whereas starting with a +1 Longsword that can turn into a huge Light Radius 1/day is rather strong. Accidental Clone is too funny to pass up, don't trait it out.
If you'ed rather be a Teamwork buffer, taking levels into Exemplar Brawler (and Battle Herald if you decide on it) would give you two separate pools of Tactician and Sisterhood Style, which would basically turn you into Opera. "You have a Teamwork feat, and you, and you, and everyone has one!" lol
Regarding your question: You can have 1 active (as many allies within the area of effect) with Tactician and another 2 shared (2 on one person, or 1 on two people).
(Edit) The build I was working on could share 3 Teamwork Feats at the same time. One from two different sources of Tactician, and another from Sisterhood Style.
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I was considering having her switch to a paladin of Iomedae as her story progresses.
Would a multi-class Cav/Pal be viable?
Accidental clone is a fun throwback to an earlier campaign (Shattered Star) where our characters met and mostly spared a certain group of Gray Maidens.
As for the goal... I'd like to be a Tank. Draw in attackers with something like Antagonize or Broken wing gambit, and be able to take the hits.
Some of the teamwork feats can allow you to buff each-other's AC. Shield wall, Extend the Bulwark... with the Cav's tactician ability causing a sort of feedback making her AC even higher. I may be misinterpreting the way that'd work.
That said, I'd want to be able to at least contribute to damage, though the others in the party will outclass her.
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To add to the last statement, another goal is to let her defend the rest of the party. Sisterhood feats tend to protect those around you. I like that idea.
Two of the three other characters will be using shields, so shield wall will share and be enhanced by the SHS feats.
I personally love the idea of the Gray Maidens, especially after the fall of Illiosa. Many of them didn't want to be there but were coerced through violence and magic to do horrid things. The opportunity to play an extremely tough yet emotionally nuanced character is very rich.
Themes of guilt, shame, and anger can be a bigger enemy than the monsters you fight, and overcoming those demons can make for an incredibly heroic character.
We play with a fairly mature crowd so playing a PC gender other than the player is pretty common and can be a rewarding experience assuming you do it in a respectful manner.
Check out this thread for a build that excels at protecting other party members.
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@ Sir Gavvin, this is a great guide! (The link didn't work but I was able to find it Here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Pathfinder_RPG/comments/70cl9t/the_bodyguard_build _or_how_i_learned_to_tank_in/ ).
Looks like Bodyguard and Cav is a great combo, can get some crazy high AC
@ Cavall, If only I could convince the others... However, a cohort could be a possibility.
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This item is cheap and fits the theme Maiden Promise
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@ Baba, it's a cool item! I'd need to work things out with the GM as to why she might have a set somewhere so she can "Purchase" them later when she has the gold.
Would also have to roleplay a good reason to give a piece to a non-maiden ally. I'll try to pick a favorite from the party.