A standard alchemist chucking bombs about could work, or a mutagen boosting archetype (not sure about those, flavor is off for me.) A melee built wildshape druid is an option. And if you are considering aggressive bard archetypes check out the Skald class, or heck warpriest as an alternative to cleric.
|
What is the make up of your party? Skalds to a great job as aggressive support characters but will feel lackluster compared to a bard unless the other members of the party are also martially oriented (and don’t also have their own form of rage)
Half orc skald with a level dip in bloodrager, grabbing a bloodline familiar with the valet archetype in place of your 1st level power, and getting Amplified Rage is a fun way to go. You get +8 Str and Con when using inspired rage, your allies can benefit from shared rage powers, and you can utilize Saving Finale, Galant Inspiration, and haste to buff allies.
Alternatively you can go a debuff route with a mesmerist; making your enemies easier to kill by your party through your offensive mind affecting spells. Mesmerists also get touch treatment and tricks to aid allies. That would be a primarily offensive spellcaster role if you are looking for a change of pace; if you don’t want to cast spells that rounds you can pick up Dazzling Display and Signature Skill (Intimidate) to cause enemies to run away from you.
Another good options is Oracle. Oceans Echo archetype is flavored for merfolk but you could totally justify an aquatic elf or an Undine to be able to take that archetype. They gain inspire courage like a bard, and can utilize a fair few offensive or buff revelations and spells. Battle mystery is a good one. If not Oceans Echo, dual cursed, war sighted, or spirit guide are all great archetypes that could mix aggressive combat with support role. FWIW, Oceans Echo oracle seems to be the fastest option to cast Greater Shout at the lowest level- they get it as a 6th level oracle spell when it’s normally a 6th level bard spell or 8th level wizard spell. It’s pretty neat.
Bard of course is a good option. Archaeologist is good if you’re not too worried about using inspire courage for allies; you still have access to your amazing spell list of buffs. But that would be for a more rogue like character; if you’re going an aggressive route and consider archaeologist I’d just point you back to the Skald again.
Alchemists are one of the best buffers in the game but I feel like you get caught between just doing the bare minimum of support and prioritizing damage or vice verse. You’re either throwing bombs in a combat or using tools to help allies, usually not both. The characters I suggested can switch roles in an instant, even in the middle of a combat.
There are some great suggestions here, but I'm going to add the Occultist.
The Transmutation Implement keeps you competetive for damage output on its own (use Legacy Weapon to add Bane to your weapon). I did the equations, and my occultist with a starting strength of 14 can keep up with dealing damage until level 12 with ZERO feats invested in combat (putting the resonant power in Strength and upgrading my 1d10 weapon appropriately). I then use my spells and other powers for defence and utility. If you sant to break the game you can take the "Trappings of the Warrior" Panoply (best time to take it is level 6) and you become a 6/9 caster with full BAB who gets more spells than a sorcerer and who can cast in armour without needing a free hand for spells (btw you don't need Trappings of the Warrior to keep up, that's just if you want to go overkill).
Bards are way better played as a frontliner benefiting their own Inspire Courage than they are standing in the back with a lute in Pathfinder's ruleset. If you want to fulfill the healer role as well you could consider an Oath of the People's Council Paladin, which gets Inspire Courage instead of Smite Evil but still gets all of the juicy Paladin utility (including the Mercies you need for condition removal).
If you want to fulfill the healer role as well you could consider an Oath of the People's Council Paladin, which gets Inspire Courage instead of Smite Evil but still gets all of the juicy Paladin utility (including the Mercies you need for condition removal).
OotPC Paladin is my favorite archetype these days (And I Looove Paladins). I think it would make the best base for an Oradin.
EDIT: *Technically the archetype is the Oathbound Paladin, but you know what I mean =P
With the right options a sorcerer or wizard can do support and out of combat healing. So long as you're OK with working out your aggression via spells, and casting the odd spell to buff your own defence it works fine.
Alchemists, Bards, Oracle would work out.
But I think the Occultist would probably give you the nicest form of aggression
Since you only have 4 in your party, then I recommend summoner. The eidolon can be as aggressive as you want, while the summoner offers support.
|
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Separatist cleric. Feather domain and Eagle domain.
Make the animal companion a bodyguard, and the eagle familiar a protector.
Now cast child companion on the animal and shield other on the fighter (or other front liner).
An time the fighter or animal gets his you share the damage between you and you familiar, if the fighter gets attacked the animal can body guard in the way to take the hit.
This is the key:
All of this damage sharing happens with no actions, aoos (to boost ac), or an immediate action. This allows you to spend most of your time casting offensive spells or attacking and attacking with your animal. Once in a while you will want to channel in combat, but that is made effective you take damage focused on one pc and spreading it out to 4 creatures.
Plenty of ideas for such a character.
Paladin (Chosen One) to let your familiar go around healing people.
Oracle (Pei Zin Practioner) for lay-on-hands-esque powers.
Shaman (Witch Doctor) can really be all you want it to be
My particular favorite in the niche is the Summoner (Spirit Summoner) with an Agathion eidolon and the Life Spirit. Not only will you get channel energy and access to hexes, but your eidolon will get Lay On Hands (at 8th level). You'll be able to build your Eidolon however you want, your summoner however you want, and still be able to fill that healing/status removal/smash face nice that you like so much. Thrown on a VMC option (variant multiclass) and the sky is the limit (provided you can part with those feats).
|
It really depends on your definition of support/utility. Some characters that I have played that might be suitable:
Strength-based Bard/Dragon Disciple
Mirror-Image allows you to get into the thick of things. Solid melee damage output.
Dawnflower Dervish Bard
More durable than a regular bard, but no inspire courage for others (you can still buff the party with Haste and Good Hope). Sky-high attack bonus. Allows you to play a 3 ft tall, 30 lb halfling that can go toe-to-toe with giants.
Strength-based reach Shaman
Full range of healing spells, especially with the human or half-orc FCB, and lots of utility spells. Not much in the way of enemy miss chances, so you have to be a bit careful at higher levels.
Inspired Blade Swashbuckler 1/Empiricist Investigator
High AC allows you to really wade into melee. Healing through infusions, at a somewhat slow progression. Plenty of skills.
If you're actually replacing the Cleric, I highly recommend Alchemist. Bards are fine for HP healing but don't have Remove X/Lesser Resto/etc. Vivi's Sneak Attack is nice but very much a bonus and not a "plan out every turn for flanking" set-up. They're not Rogues - Mutagen and Transmutation extracts are the reliable way to get damage and do so extremely well. The Preservationist archetype stacks with Vivisectionist and is worth looking into if you want to fill a support role. Summons greatly expand what sort of tools you have access to in any given situation.
I'll also second Syries' vote for the Skald. Except probably don't bother with the Bloodrager dip if you're starting at 5th level. Just pick up a familiar with Eldritch Heritage or Wasp Familiar. One of the benefits of the Bloodrager dip (bigger Rage) is invalidated at 8th level, which isn't very far away (also saving a feat or two isn't worth being late on class features). Skalds aren't as good as Alchemists at healing but Spell Kenning can make up for it in a pinch. If your party doesn't benefit much from Rage, consider instead going Half-Elf and taking Twilight Speaker. You get basically Inspire Courage but you can still add Rage Powers to it. Twilight Speakers also get the Community domain, which fits the support role well, and the ability to per day treat spell trigger/completion items as though they were on your spell list - another benefit as a healer.
Finally, like a few have already mentioned, why not just be a Cleric? The Evangelist archetype is great at support. Between Inspire Courage and Channel Energy, you'll have buffs and HP healing mostly covered, so you can pretty freely use spells for your needs instead of party needs. While I'm of the opinion that all you need to be a pretty impressive battle Cleric is Divine Favor (and Divine Power later on), you could also consider the Rage subdomain. Destruction's base power gives you a decent Smite attack, and pairing that with Rage, Inspire Courage, and Divine Favor makes you a very impressive attacker.
|
|
That’s true about the unneeded bloodrager dip, but having played a bloodrager1/skald 10 I can tell you my feats were spoken for at every level, so squeezing in two more for skill focus/Eldritch Heritage or even just one for the wasp familiar can be a bit difficult until you hit 11 or so. Primarily because skalds can suffer Sudden Barbarian Death syndrome, having lingering performance and possibly even diehard are highly suggested.
I am doing the skald/bloodrager and it is pretty fun. I think the cleric evangelist is godly if you are ok not having too many skills
That’s true about the unneeded bloodrager dip, but having played a bloodrager1/skald 10 I can tell you my feats were spoken for at every level, so squeezing in two more for skill focus/Eldritch Heritage or even just one for the wasp familiar can be a bit difficult until you hit 11 or so. Primarily because skalds can suffer Sudden Barbarian Death syndrome, having lingering performance and possibly even diehard are highly suggested.
Wasp Familiar, Amplified Rage, Power Attack, Lingering Performance only take you to 7th. You could also go Community-Minded and put Lingering off until 9th, grabbing either the Eldritch Focus line or Skald's Vigor. Also, you might be better off ditching Lingering and using Community-Minded exclusively if you have a Superstition using Skald, since Lingering can prevent key spot healing with the Skald.
Diehard seems like a particularly bad solution to Sudden Death Syndrome because it is Sudden Death Syndrome. Sudden Death Syndrome happens because you're still standing when you should have gone down, so enemies hit you until you're for real dead. Diehard is another known player killer for that same reason. I know it can prevent you from going down due to Sudden Death but it won't prevent you from going down because you're still standing in front of the thing that just nearly killed you.
I played a Skald from 3-14 and got Sudden Death'd just once. That instance, the hit was less than 10 damage away from killing me by itself - a higher roll on the damage die and I'd have been dead whether or not I was mid-Rage. "Sometimes enemies do the extra 10 or so damage needed to actually kill you (but really only at levels 6+)" isn't a good reason for me take a feat. If the feat incidentally protects from that while offering you other benefits like Lingering Performance it's definitely a bonus but it shouldn't be why you're taking the feat. I know not everyone has the same playstyle though and maybe Sudden Death is a more likely occurrence for some people, so I suppose take me with a grain of salt. We are in a thread for AGGRO support : )
A lot of you mentioned skald, and of course that was automatically the first thing that came to my mind. But considering that A. I don't know what the party comp is even going to be, and B. one of the people playing is the complete opposite of me. (skittish and worrying about everything instead of focusing on one thing) Honestly, I would not be surprised if she went full healbot support and told me to do what I always do.
I think Skald is fine in that situation. You're only slightly behind a Barb on Rage power, so just one other person who accepts the song is good enough. You still have spell buffs for folks that are worried about the AC penalty or casting. You seem to be into the idea of a Paladin, though, which is also a great choice!
I’m currently playing a Totem Skald in Iron Fang Invasion and he smashes face. He is currently level 11 and has been out damaging the two weapon fighting slayer when the slayer is flanking. It has been one of the most fun and versatile class I have played. Great in melee, good skills [knowlege/face], nice utility with spells.
I’m also playing a melee bard in another campaign. He can hold his own but is not as good as the skald because the totem skald has 3 attacks (5 when pouncing), fast healing when raging (from skalds vigor), DR (from planer wild shape), and can smite evil (again from planer wild shape), add rage powers into the mix and it isn’t even close.
Now the bard is slightly better with skills, your allies are more likely to accept his song, and the sound striker archetype is a great ranged option.
Good luck, I’ve found that 3/4 bab, 6 level spell casters to be the most fun to play.
I'll vote for a Stonesinger bard. You buff and debuff amazingly - and it stacks with Dirge Bard, if you want to do some fear stacking. No sudden death syndrome either!
I really think the skald is the best way since you like to smash things. So at the least when built right you would provide +8 str and con to yourself. As you level it just gets better. Since this is a home game you can pick up celestial totem lesser. If nobody takes the rage you have all the bard's spells
Here's one that hasn't been mentioned sorceror with the unicorn bloodline and take the vmc cleric. You get most of the basic healing spells. You also pick up chanelling later (albiet weak channelling). Remember you can take inquisition in place of a domain, so you can pick up an animal companion or mount. You can also grab a bloodline familiar.
You won't want to be in the melee directly, but you have a ton of spells to throw around and enjoy.
Edit: There's also the Phoenix bloodline if you like to specialize in fire spells.
Occultist - conjuration gives decent healing. Trappings of the warrior gives full BAB. Haunted champion gives bonuses to hit and damage.
For utility, you have haste. And the ability to grant others weapon enhancements.
I love the Occultist, Legacy Weapon is such a huge boost that you really don't need much else to be hitting hard enough. From there you have a myriad of spells and focus powers to add support and versatility to your character.
Trappings of the Warrior will make you AMAZING in combat (unbalanced really), but having looked at it I honestly don't think you need it. It's not a bad choice, since Transmutation has the most spells that you'd want and Abjuration has some as well, but I found that I wanted more versatility in my spell list.