I'm playing with a group where most of the players are new to the Pathfinder game, and it's Strange Aeons, which I understand can be a little tougher to survive. I'd like to live.
Here are the hints from the players guide:
"while psychic casters tie in well thematically to this Adventure Path, they might also encounter more difficulties with this campaign than usual". So no psychic casters.
The reason why is the second hint: "there is a greater chance to run into fear effects and effects with the emotion descriptor."
A third hint: "any character classes that excel at removing negative conditions from themselves and other characters would be useful in this campaign."
Hint number four: "Since much of Strange Aeons takes place inside cluttered estates, mystical libraries, and haunted laboratories, characters with mounts are not suggested."
Hint 5: "learning Aklo might help"
Hint 6: "have at least one party member with access to a number of Knowledge skills. The most useful among these are Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (dungeoneering), Knowledge (history), Knowledge (nobility), Knowledge (planes), and Knowledge (religion)"
Hint 7: "including a party member with ranks in Disable Device will prove useful for many challenges."
Our GM is letting us start with 2 traits plus a campaign trait, and I'll be taking a drawback for another trait. This is thematic as SA asks us "To heighten the horror elements in this Adventure Path, consider making a character that has an obvious weakness or vulnerability. "
I'm not looking to build a character that can necessarily do everything above, but bear it all in mind. I'm considering a slayer build but it's still preliminary. What would your approach be? Also FYI we are not don't point buy, but roll 4d6/drop lowest.
J
I think a character who wants to get close to what you're fighting is going to have problems in a few spots. If you want to do damage, "being good at archery" is a good plan. I played an Archer Occultist, which I think was a good choice.
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Slayers have poor will saves and little reason to pump WIS. They also have no way of removing conditions. While they have lots of skill points most of the suggested skills are not class skills. They can get disable device as a class skill fairly easily.
My suggestion would be an archaeologist bard. They have good will saves and can boost it with luck. They are spell casters with some condition removal spells and a CHA based class with UMD as a class skill. They get a bonus on all knowledge skills so only need to put in a few points. The get a bonus on disable device and perception but need a trait to make it a class skill. Take fates favored for another trait. Half elf gives you keen, and adaptability allows you to pick up skill focus perception. Lingering performance, weapon finesse, weapon focus rapier and fencing grace are good feats.
Make sure to take heroism as early as you can. It stacks with your luck bonus and gives you a bonus to nearly everything including saves and skills. Between those two things you have a huge bonus when you need it.
Android investigator would be the more munchkin option. But I think investigator is just good in general for this.
Well, android is the kind of munchkin that just subverts the whole point of the campaign. Being immune to emotions means that you are immune to a lot of the intended challenge.
Investigator is just good for the campaign in general. Good investigation and decent defense against the challenges without just outright ignoring it.
My suggestion would be an archaeologist bard. They have good will saves and can boost it with luck. They are spell casters with some condition removal spells and a CHA based class with UMD as a class skill. They get a bonus on all knowledge skills so only need to put in a few points. The get a bonus on disable device and perception but need a trait to make it a class skill. Take fates favored for another trait. Half elf gives you keen, and adaptability allows you to pick up skill focus perception. Lingering performance, weapon finesse, weapon focus rapier and fencing grace are good feats.
I second this suggestions, though I am biased. I've played one before and it went ... very well.
I would definitely advise talking to your GM before you show up with a Paladin in this adventure. It's absolutely mechanically strong, but Strange Aeons is unique in that the GM has more control over your backstory than is normal, and there's stuff for the GM to figure out there.
I am very drawn to the archaeologist bard, it has a good mix. What about that in contrast to the Trap Breaker, Crypt Breaker or Vaultbreaker Alchemist, or possibly the Underground Chemist rogue? I was also reading through and missed that the PG suggested someone skilled in Bluff and Diplomacy.
Based on having played the AP:
- Don't be a paladin. Really, don't be a paladin.
- At least one knowledge skills character, but you don't have to go overboard on it (I specialised that way and hit all of the DCs on 'Library Research' encounters ridiculously easily).
- I'm not sure if it says it in the AP, but characters that are human or look human fit some parts of the AP better than obviously non-human ones.
- Because of the way the AP plot plays out, playing an iconic at 1st level and swapping to a preferred character at L2 doesn't really work.
Our party was Human Witch, Dhampir Inquisitor (with a dip into warrior) and Human Cleric of Nethys/Wizard/Mystic theurge specialised in summoning. We had a pet bard for a couple of books, and a lot of the combat was done by summonations. That seemed to work fine.