Hello everyone!
I've recently started Kingmaker, and I'm playing a Sorcerer/Draconic Disciple Multiclass.
I'd like to be playing a sorcerer as a frontliner, I know Magi do it better, but they are not dragons and I just happen to like 'em. The AP ends around 18th level, and I had most of my build figured out, when i felt that with DEX+2, I was wasting the potential on a Celestial Armor.
I'm looking to get my Armor bonus as high as possible, but also keep an arcane armor failure of 0%.
The loss in mobility makes me think that once i go for medium armor, I should double down and go for a full plate in the long run, but I haven't found a way to reduce a 35% to 0%, and since im not good with numbers I'm a little stuck trying to find a good combination of feats and equipment.
I know there are several ways to improve AC as a whole, but I'm specifically stuck on my Armor bonus.
Should I go for Medium Armor, Double down for Heavy armor, or should i give up and be glad that Mithril chain shirts can be enchanted to +5?
(My DM has restricted all the content from sources after the launch of Kingmaker, further limiting my choices. Oh well!)
There are a couple strategies to consider for making a sorcerer/DD front-liner:
1) Dip in a martial class (preferably before sorcerer for the extra hp). For a melee-focused character, barbarian or bloodrager (for the Str boost when raging) would probably be a good route. Personally, I would recommend two levels of barbarian to pick up a rage power, with Moment of Clarity being gained either at that point or via the Extra Rage Power feat to have the ability to cast a spell while in a rage (given the drawbacks of fatigue); the trait Magical Knack (Sorcerer) is pretty much a "must have" to keep CL reasonable.
2) Take the Arcane Armor Training feat at 3rd character level (barbarian 2/sorcerer 1) and acquire a mithral chain shirt by 4th character level. When you gain 5th level spell slots (~14th character level), retrain the feat to Quicken Spell and switch to a magical haramaki; at this point, the swift action casting is much more powerful than a few points of armor bonus (the haramaki is also more cost effective than bracers of armor, as well as being able to apply more armor qualities).
3) After barbarian 2/sorcerer 3, take 4 levels of dragon disciple. Then, switch to eldritch knight; eldritch knight has full BAB progression and 9/10 spell progression, which makes for a better combatant and spellcaster at higher levels. By 20th level, take one more level of sorcerer for barbarian 2/sorcerer 4/dragon disciple 4/eldritch knight 10 (BAB +17 and spells as a sorcerer 16).
4) Spellcasting should mostly be one or two rounds of buffs and/or battlefield control/blasting before raging and using melee as a "finishing" tactic. Other than magi, it is very difficult to mix casting and fighting in the same round.
You could also go magus 4/bard* 1/dragon disciple (increase magus spellcasting) 4/magus +11 for a dragon-themed magus.
*- or skald
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(My DM has restricted all the content from sources after the launch of Kingmaker, further limiting my choices. Oh well!)
So if I'm reading that right, this means you are essentially limited to material from the Core Rulebook only, correct?
The best you can do with that is get your heavy armor down to 5% arcane spell failure. Mithral, Arcane Armor Training, Arcane Armor Mastery. Expensive and takes two feats.
Another option is make heavy use of the Still Spell metamagic feat. Spells without somatic components do not have a chance of arcane spell failure. It does use up a higher level spell slot and changes a standard action cast to a full round.
Or carefully choose your "in combat" spells as ones that don't have somatic components. True strike (for example) is V,F only. For "out of combat" (most divinations, some conjurations, and long duration buffs like greater magic weapon) you can get out of your armor before casting. A mix of this and Still Spell for when you really want a combat spell with a somatic component would work.
Finally, remember that Quickened Still spells do not have a somatic component. Not helpful at the start, but by the end of the campaign you will be able to cast some of your low-level spells that way and avoid the increased casting time.
On a related note, don't forget that if you're not proficient with the armor the Armor Check Penalty applies to attack rolls! For a mithral fullplate, that's -3. So you'd almost have to dip (or spend three more feats on the proficiencies).
If you want an armored dragon disciple, I would stick with medium armor instead of going for heavy armor. With a mithral breastplate and arcane armory mastery you can get the arcane spell failure down to 0%. The difference between full plate and a breastplate is only 3 points of AC. If you can find it Celestial Plate is considered medium armor and has an arcane failure rate of 20%, It is considered medium armor for all purposes so does not require heavy armor proficiency. With Arcane Armor mastery you can reduce the arcane failure on celestial plate to 0%.
I would not dip into a martial to gain proficiency with armor. Dragon Disciple is already costing you 3 caster levels, so losing any more would put you too far behind. Magical Knack does not give you spell slots or spells known; it only affects level dependent aspects of the spells. For example, it will increase the damage of your fireball by up two dice but will not give you more spells known. So, at 15th level you will have the spells of a 10th level sorcerer but cast them as if you were a 12th level sorcerer. I would still take magical knack. This would give you’re the spells of a 12th level sorcerer, but you will cast them as a 14th level caster.
If you don’t mind going with a divine caster you could go with an oracle. Legacy of dragons has a dragon mystery that gives you a lot of dragon themed revelations. You could even take the feats racial heritage (Kobold) and scaled disciple to allow you to go into Dragon Disciple and advance your oracle spell casting.
So if I'm reading that right, this means you are essentially limited to material from the Core Rulebook only, correct?
Also APG, if i recall correctly, but essentially, yeah.
I would not dip into a martial to gain proficiency with armor. Dragon Disciple is already costing you 3 caster levels, so losing any more would put you too far behind.
I agree, I'm already in pain at the loss of the 3 caster levels and not being able to compensate with Prestigious Spellcaster.
I did not know celestial armor had a plated version, and considering the other aspects of my build it feels like it's something I should aim for.
Even if I cannot take all the advice i received so far, thanks everyone for such detailed answers! The tactics advice have also been greatly appreciated!
Thanks everyone!
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Finally, remember that Quickened Still spells do not have a somatic component. Not helpful at the start, but by the end of the campaign you will be able to cast some of your low-level spells that way and avoid the increased casting time.
Quicken Spell (Metamagic)
Source PRPG Core Rulebook pg. 132
You can cast spells in a fraction of the normal time.Benefit: Casting a quickened spell is a swift action. You can perform another action, even casting another spell, in the same round as you cast a quickened spell. A spell whose casting time is more than 1 round or 1 full-round action cannot be quickened.
A quickened spell uses up a spell slot four levels higher than the spell's actual level. Casting a quickened spell doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity.
Special: You can apply the effects of this feat to a spell cast spontaneously, so long as it has a casting time that is not more than 1 full-round action, without increasing the spell's casting time.
Quicken Spell doesn't provoke, but it doesn't remove somatic components.
It’s too bad that the Advanced Class Guide is not available to you, because an Eldritch Scion with the Draconic Bloodline is essentially what you’re asking for—a spontaneous spellcaster Magus who suffers no chance of arcane spell failure while wearing medium armor at 7th level and heavy armor at 13th.
Is the goal to wear armor or to have a high AC?
Assuming the latter you could dip 1 level into scaled fist archetype of monk. This would let you add your Cha to AC in addition to any Dex. Adding your natural armor and mage armor you can get a decent AC.
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Does nobody read OPs delima?
You could like, go into dragon disciple via Bloodrager. Steelblood perhaps and have no spell failure chance in heavy armor?
Mechanically, if you want to set people on like, fire as a Bloodrager, take blood intensity at level 8, have a bunch of level 1 runestones of power and a ring of vengefull blood magic.
Grab burning hands and have basically a class level xd4 flame thrower as an AoO.
Is the goal to wear armor or to have a high AC?
Assuming the latter you could dip 1 level into scaled fist archetype of monk. This would let you add your Cha to AC in addition to any Dex. Adding your natural armor and mage armor you can get a decent AC.
My DM has restricted all the content from sources after the launch of Kingmaker, further limiting my choices.
Kingmaker is from 2010
Means we're only looking for CRB options. No archetypes, no advanced classes, no hybrid classes, not even magus