NPC class builds...


Pathfinder First Edition General Discussion

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VoodistMonk wrote:
The party is only considered heroic because they are willing to do what others are not.

Strictly speaking, that’s not true. Player Characters are a distinct cut above the majority of the population by virtue of their Hwroic stat array—compared to the NPC’s basic array.


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Phoebus Alexandros wrote:
VoodistMonk wrote:
The party is only considered heroic because they are willing to do what others are not.
Strictly speaking, that’s not true. Player Characters are a distinct cut above the majority of the population by virtue of their Heroic stat array—compared to the NPC’s basic array.

True.

PC's do get much better stats. At my table, they are also most likely gestalt... and combine both classes starting wealth... taking the maximum for both... which is probably a larger lump sum than most peasants see at any point in their lives.

However, if the party chose to spend their starting wealth on booze and hookers instead of armor and weapons... if they chose to instead be cowards rather than taking action... then heroes they would not be. Regardless of their stats or gear or how many classes they gestalt, it still be their actions that defines them as the heroes of the story.


The more I think about it, the more I’d love to try Gestalt. Multiclass and VMC are fine for what they try to do, but at the end of the day they entail compromises for the sake of game balance. Gestalt is like an unapologetic vehicle to play, e.g., Elric of Melniboné without conceding anything.

Sovereign Court RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8

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Just found this thread.

Here's my contribution. Adept on the border of human/orc lands, serves as a source of low level magic, and lore.

Aud Greenskin CR 3
XP 800
Half-orc adept 5/bard VMC
N Medium humanoid (human, orc)
Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +3
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Defense
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AC 12, touch 11, flat-footed 11 (+1 armor, +1 Dex)
hp 32 (5d6+10)
Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +7 (+1 vs. enchantment effects)
Defensive Abilities orc ferocity
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee mwk falchion +3 (2d4/18-20)
Adept Spells Prepared (CL 5th; concentration +8)
2nd—cure moderate wounds, delay poison
1st—cure light wounds, detect evil, sleep (DC 14)
0 (at will)—mending, purify food and drink (DC 13), read magic
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Statistics
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Str 10, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 17, Cha 10
Feats Harrowed[ISWG], Skill Focus (profession)
Skills Diplomacy +2, Heal +11, Intimidate +2, Knowledge (arcana) +7, Knowledge (geography) +7, Knowledge (local) +7, Knowledge (nature) +7, Knowledge (religion) +7, Profession (fortune-teller) +16, Sense Motive +5, Spellcraft +5; Racial Modifiers +2 Intimidate
Languages Common, Giant, Orc
SQ bardic knowledge +2, orc blood
Other Gear mwk falchion, bracers of armor +1, MW Harrow Deck, 925 gp in plot related goods.
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Special Abilities
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Bardic Knowledge +2 (Ex) Add +2 to all knowledge skill checks.

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Arcane Familiar Hen Wen CR –
Pig (Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Magic 113)
N Small magical beast (animal)
Init +1; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +5
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Defense
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AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed 15 (+1 Dex, +4 natural, +1 size)
hp 16 (1d8+2)
Fort +6, Ref +3, Will +5
Defensive Abilities improved evasion
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee bite +3 (1d4)
Special Attacks deliver touch spells
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Statistics
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Str 11, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 8, Wis 13, Cha 4
Base Atk +2; CMB +1; CMD 12 (16 vs. trip)
Feats Great Fortitude
Skills Diplomacy -1, Heal +6, Perception +5, Sense Motive +3, Spellcraft +0
Languages speak with master
SQ empathic link

I didn't give her traits


With 5HD, only two feats, and Bardic Knowledge... is Aud Greenskin VMC Bard? Either way, I love that she has the harrow deck. A very flavorful addition. Thank you for posting her.

Sovereign Court RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8

Ok, one more.

Ancelyn can fit in the game in a variety of ways. He's envisioned as the bastard son of a noble, with a blade he self-learned how to wield from his elven parent. He's convinced he's destined for greatness, his house has the fox as its mascot, and he has the familiar.

So he could be the idiot the party's hired to keep alive. He could be the mastermind for a starting adventure's band of thugs. He could be the idiot that the partyis hired to rescue. He could be the party's patron.

Did I mention he could be an idiot?

Ancelyn Gamalachi CR 1
XP 400
Half-elf aristocrat 3/sorcerer VMC
CN Medium humanoid (elf, human)
Init +3; Senses low-light vision; Perception +7
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Defense
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AC 17, touch 13, flat-footed 14 (+4 armor, +3 Dex)
hp 21 (3d8+3)
Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +2; +2 vs. enchantments
Immune sleep
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee mwk elven thornblade +6 (1d6+1/18-20)
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Statistics
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Str 13, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 8, Cha 14
Base Atk +2; CMB +3; CMD 16
Feats Weapon Finesse
Skills Bluff +8, Diplomacy +8, Intimidate +8, Knowledge (nobility) +5, Perception +7, Sense Motive +5, Survival +4; Racial Modifiers +2 Perception
Languages Common, Elven, Orc
SQ arcane bond (Arcane Familiar, fox [animal exemplar]), bloodline (arcane), elf blood
Other Gear mwk chain shirt, mwk elven thornblade, courtier's outfit, jewelry[UE], signet ring, 85 gp worth of alcohol, drugs, or other plot related items
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Special Abilities
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Arcane Familiar Hanse CR –
Fox (animal exemplar) (Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Magic 112)
N Tiny magical beast (animal)
Init +2; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +10
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Defense
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AC 16, touch 14, flat-footed 14 (+2 Dex, +2 natural, +2 size)
hp 10 (1d8+1)
Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +4
Defensive Abilities improved evasion
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Offense
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Speed 40 ft.
Melee bite +3 (1d3-1)
Space 2½ ft.; Reach 0 ft.
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Statistics
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Str 9, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 7, Wis 12, Cha 6
Base Atk +2; CMB +2; CMD 11 (15 vs. trip)
Feats Skill Focus (Perception)
Skills Acrobatics +2 (+14 to jump), Bluff +1, Diplomacy +1, Intimidate +1, Perception +10, Sense Motive +4, Survival +3 (+7 to track by scent); Racial Modifiers +4 Survival to track by scent
Languages speak with animal (same kind only)
SQ empathic link, influence animals
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Special Abilities
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Empathic Link (Su) You have an empathic link with your master.
Improved Evasion (Ex) No damage on successful reflex save; half on failed save.
Influence Animals (Ex, Sp) Gain influence and spell-like abilities with animals of your own kind.
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in dim light, distinguishing color and detail.
Scent (Ex) Detect opponents within 15+ ft. by sense of smell.
Share Spells Spells with a target of "You" can be delivered by a familiar with a range of touch.
Speak with Animals of its Kind (Ex) You can communicate verbally with animals similar to yourself.

Sovereign Court RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8

VoodistMonk wrote:
With 5HD, only two feats, and Bardic Knowledge... is Aud Greenskin VMC Bard? Either way, I love that she has the harrow deck. A very flavorful addition. Thank you for posting her.

Yup the VMC rules got my brain going.

Funny thing I realized about Ancelyn. He actually is somewhat of a threat to a level 1 party, and could be a nuisance to a party. Fighting defensively makes his AC 19, and he still has a +2 to hit.


I have very seriously considered VMC'ing Adept with Cleric. Getting the Cleric's Spontaneous Casting at level 1 frees up our Adept from needing to prepare cure spells. Legit. Probably worth it, already. But the real magic comes in at level 3, with a Domain Power... a lot of these powers are touch attacks with no save, usable 3+Wis times per day. At 3HD, our Adept VMC Cleric is still CR1, and can probably get 5 or 6 uses of their Domain Power...

This can also be true of Bloodline Powers with VMC Sorcerer. Some of those first level Bloodline Powers could completely change an NPC's flavor and purpose.

I very much like what I am seeing with these examples of NPC classes combined with VMC... this is something I must explore further.


Just for fun, this is a short list of abilities potentially gained by NPC's with 3HD and VMC Sorcerer... each generally usable 3+Cha times per day, a lot of them at range, and most without a save:

Acidic Ray, claws, shaken, nonlethal damage + sickened, Familiar, force damage + penalty to reflex and AC, frost weapon property, divine damage or healing, reoccurring nonlethal damage, trip at distance, insight bonuses, give stuff the broken condition, Electricity Ray, Lullaby, entangle, lose a round laughing, confusion, gain class skills with an insight bonus to those skills, Trap Runes, daze, Frost Ray, immediate action sacred bonus, poison, morale bonuses, untyped damage + shaken, gain spells known, glibness, circumstance bonus to craft checks, poisonous bite, nonlethal damage + dazzled, Hardened Fists, gain low-light vision and cannot be dazzled, fire damage, shock weapon property, shaken that can become frightened, insight bonus to AC, disarm/steal/trip with 15' range, bonded object...

Conditions like dazzled and $#!+ like 1D2 Str damage poisons actually matter at CR1 levels, the pathetic 1D6+1 damage a lot of these ranged touch attack elemental rays do actually isn't that pathetic at CR1 levels, confusion straight up is a condition rarely seen at these levels... there are some fun things available, and some of those things entirely change how you use that particular NPC. Suddenly, that random Aristocrat became A LOT more interesting. Lol.


Has anyone given an Adept the Dreamed Secrets feat? Lol. But seriously... Adept 7, with Dreamed Secrets could probably provide something different than expected. Such as using Summon Monster. If we had a level 13 Adept that was to VMC Cleric or Paladin to gain an Aura, they could use Dreamed Secrets and Sacred Summons to outclass VMC Summoner at its own summoning game... but without an Eidolon.

Although, probably thee absolute best use of Adept VMC Cleric would be a Kobold Dragon Disciple via the Scaled Disciple feat. Coming in at roughly CR12, standing at 3 foot nothing, and a weighing a whooping 33lbs. Lol.
Adept 5/Dragon Disciple 10/VMC Cleric
BAB +9
Base saves +5/+4/+9
CL 11, 3rd-level spells
Channel Energy 6D6
Both Domain Powers of chosen Domain

So, the Adept Channel feat does become a little more interesting when combined with various VMC options, though...

Adept 5 VMC Paladin with Adept Channel gives us a very mild, much less murderhobo "Paladin" that could still be provide some help to the party in a campaign or situation where Detect Evil might be useful. They don't have Smite Evil, yet, but they also do not have the BAB to support such an ability, anyways. They have better spellcasting than a Paladin, and a Familiar to deliver healing spells. Their rather pathetic Channel Energy could be used to stop bleed damage, which is brutal at early levels. At CR3, or even CR2 if Kobold, this NPC provides a cheap support character to aid the righteous.

Adept 13 VMC Monk could have Adept Channel, Ki Channel, and Scribe Scroll or Brew Potion for some pretty fun resource recycling when used with the Tea of Transference alchemical item. They only have BAB +6, but they do have Improved Unarmed Strike with 1D10 damages if provoked. They aren't a Brawler, though, as the real resource would be their near endless spells to turn into scrolls or potions... you regain 5 points of Ki per Channel, and can convert 1 point of Ki into another Channel, or replace a spent spell slot. He's just an old "monk/priest" in a monastery/church somewhere that makes wine and offers minor healing services to the needy.

Variant Multiclassing NPC classes allows for believable stand-in NPC's that fill specific or out of the ordinary roles without fully stepping up to using those PC classes. I think the diversity, alone, is worth promoting the use of VMC NPC's. I honestlt think your worlds will be more rich and fun because of it.


Forgot to mention that our friendly, neighborhood Kobold Dragon Disciple could also have an Animal Companion from their Domain... like a freaking Dinosaur with an Effective Druid Level of 13 from the Saurian Subdomain... or like an EDL 13 Constrictor Snake/Viper from the Scalykind Domain... or pretty much anything you want from the Animal Domain, but it comes in at EDL 11. No room for Boon Companion without retraining, since you get your second Domain Power in place of your level 15 feat.

Still, it's a pretty awesome use of a Kobold Adept, in my opinion. A little, wannabe dragon NPC trying their very best to be a real dragon, like Pinocchio wanted to be a real boy... oh, and he has a pet dinosaur, quite literally. Little "dinosaur"... big DINOSAUR. It's hilarious. And, even with a Dinosaur Companion, our level 15 Kobold NPC barely qualifies as a CR12 "encounter". You don't have to feel bad using something like this. At all. Ever.

But it does provide a wonderfully unique NPC, that could be introduced at any point where this Kobold and their dinosaur makes sense. Lest we forget, the little Kobold has but a BAB+9, and only 3rd-level spells at CL11... however threatening you actually find that should matter much more than 15HD the Kobold might have. Any choice of Dinosaur Companion would only be at BAB+8, and any actual Animal Companion outside of a few selected snakes would come in even lower, at BAB+6... so the addition of a literal dinosaur actually does not overthrow the balance of this NPC. Especially considering this Kobold must divide his meager NPC wealth (<45000gp) between him and his pet.

They also do not have to be given a animal/dinosaur companion of any sorts, other than the Familiar they will have regardless. You could just as easily get Leadership for a level 13 Cohort from the Nobility Domain, so there's way more powerful options than a pet dinosaur... I just find the mental image of a Kobold with a Dinosaur on a leash goshdarn hilarious. And I think picking a dinosaur that could possibly be thought to share the same shape as a Kobold very fitting and flavorful when considering how badly this Kobold is trying to be a "real" dragon... like an Allosaurus or Deinonychus, also kind of sharing that chicken-lizard profile/shape. Everyone is running because of the actual dinosaur, but the Kobold thinks they are running from him. It's adorable.

You could easily play this Kobold as a "antipaladin/paladin" depending on alignmemt, a "warlock/warpriest", a "cleric", a "druid", or even a "ranger"... could be an enemy just as easily as someone to help the party for a specific quest.

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