So we got finished with our first session of mummy's mask last night. While we were doing okay, we were having trouble opening things and moving things and we have only one real "tank", a dex based slayer. So I said I was willing to switch to a different character, so far I'm thinking of a half drow magus( strength build) or another caster because of the lack of detect magic. Iwas thinking about elf paladin with permanent detect but I have never played with this GM before so I don't know how he would handle how I play my paladins. Also if you start with the what's wrong with a all dex based party I hope you stub your pinky toe every day for a month.
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I'm kind of wondering what you do have in your party. No one with a high STR and no one with detect magic and your only front line character is a slayer? Everyone else ranged strikers?
If you feel you need more staying power on the front line, I'd look at an Inquisitor or War Priest before a Magus. I love the Magus class, but they tend to just be offense focused while the other two are a bit more balanced.
I'd certainly agree on not playing a Paladin unless/until you talk it over with the group and the GM and everyone is comfortable with how your character would fit in the party.
A third option would be an animal companion class. Hunter, Nature or Lunar Oracle, Animal Domain Cleric, Druid could all give you 2 front line combatants for the price of one and magic.
DEX-based is not bad if you don't mind suboptimal builds, shrug.
If you need someone who can detect magic and take a frontline role, a few options come to mind:
- Knight of Coins Paladin
- Trappings of the Warrior Occultist
- Defensive Inquisitor
- Tanky Magus works, but I'm sure there's better out there
- Summoner with frontline Eidolon
I can keep coming up with these XD
But considering it's Mummy's Mask, Paladin sounds really really good.
What level are you at? Still level 1 or are you higher.
Skald makes a pretty decent tanky character if you build it for that and it brings some skills and magic. Phantom blade spiritualist is a great pick if you want a tanky version of the magus (good fort save and stellar will save, plus medium armor casting from level 1) and the ghost touch enchantment may come in handy. Just have a way to deal with fear if you want to keep casting. (I've never played Mummy's Mask so my suggestions are somewhat based on hearsay)
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It would really help to know exactly what the rest of the party is, but a whole party without strength or detect magic is pretty odd. There are fairly cheap magic items for accessing detect magic though, like the Lantern of Auras from the Advanced Class Guide.
But it sounds like you could use a cleric. That would get you channel energy, which is really useful for this AP and detect magic on the side, while still being quite tanky if you build for it.
I'd expect a party without a big strength guy to suffer in this AP too actually. There is a lot of low level Damage Reduction and even hardness. And most of the dexterity builds don't take off till around level 3.
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Bare bones reach weapon Cleric build.
Channel, condition removal, battlefield control... all useful.
And tell the Sorcerer to be smart/a team player until he can pick up Selective Spell. The party shouldn't have to worry about being nuked by their own blaster.
Well, if you want strength... how about Armored Hulk Barbarian 1/Investigator X? If you want Detect Magic and don't want to use an item, Questioner or Psychic Detective archetype for Investigator.
You can probably substitute strength checks with Stone Shape, though...
Well, if you want strength... how about Armored Hulk Barbarian 1/Investigator X? If you want Detect Magic and don't want to use an item, Questioner archetype for Investigator.
You can probably substitute strength checks with Stone Shape, though...
Investigator can scoff at any STR checks with Applied Engineering to be honest.
Not to lift heavy stone doors and stuff like that.
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Our party ended up being a grave warden slayer, an Alchemist Chirurgeon, A steel hound investigator, an unchained rogue, and my current character a gnomish innovative pistolaro. So yeah all dex based, lighter armors. So after a little bit of talking I'm not going pally (I don't feel like getting into argument over a code of conduct), but I'm going to go either Phantom blade Spiritualist or Black blade magus. I think I'll still go Half-drow, which will give me some fun conflict.
Also thank you everyone who responded, you were way more helpful than reddit.
Not to lift heavy stone doors and stuff like that.
Break DC of a Stone Door should be 30ish? 32?
You know what a 5th level Investigator can do to a 32 DC? It can do AWFUL things to it.
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That party is probably going to have some problems. An investigator, a rogue and a slayer. So much overlap. With only an alchemist for heals, in one of the few APs that basically beg you to bring a channeler.
If you feel stuck to your two choices, I’d go spiritualist so you can pick up a little of the healing you’re missing. Otherwise it’s probably only a matter of time until one of your party dies and rolls up a cleric or oracle.
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"Also if you start with the what's wrong with a all dex based party I hope you stub your pinky toe every day for a month." *Ahem* that said I shall have to point out vanilla ice cream, yeah there is vanilla bean, slow churned, home made, sugar free etc etc..They even all have slightly different flavors...but they are still vanilla. That said go chocolate my friend! :)
Sorry couldn't help it and just came from grocery shopping :P
I think there are major gaps in the group and while the party is effective..it isn't balanced and that can come back on the party in the worse way. You guys are a bit light on heals, no real str and worse no caster. I feel that a cleric would be the strongest link for the party, a full caster that uses str and can swap out spells on demand for a heal. Also as other people mentioned having channel seems to be a strong thing.
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2nd the reach-cleric proposal...and right alongside it as an option would be a charismatic small-race Animal-domain cleric or mounted paladin with Selective Channeling.
A Warpriest would round out your party nicely while also nearing the tankiness of a paladin.
A lot of parties are improved by the ever popular evangelist cleric.
But I have never seen a party begging for one more than this one.
Obviously not at all what the OP thinks he needs, but I can't imagine a better choice for this group.