I've a pair of games coming up, and could use help in building characters for them. Neither allow casting, either arcane or divine. Similarly (as much as it pains me) neither allow ToB, though feats may be permitted with DM approval. The first campaign is a Renaissance Italy (well, a fantasy world that looks like Renaissance Italy, but with elves and dwarves and such.) Political Intrigue and Swashbuckling adventure game, and the second has been described to me as "...an adventure on the savannas with, like, Golden Age of Islam style governance and culture, except, like, with less technology and broken up like the various German states, and also with some influences from Japan's and China's respective Warring States Periods..." so really I'm not sure what it's going to look like, but I do know the characters are going to be from a tribe of nomads and should be able to function with minimal gear. Also, neither allow
Leadership.
Anyhow, house rules for the first:
[spoiler]The rules we'll be using are a sort of amalgamation between 3.5 and Pathfinder, and as such the classes that have not been updated may be a little different (the updates will be worked out by the player wanting to use whatever class we update and the DM, and voted on by the group). There is no magic, nor psionics, nor pact, truespeach, or shadow magic, et al. This is a non-gestalt game (well, kinda). We'll get feats every odd level, and skills are as detailed in the Pathfinder Core Rulebook. Combat Maneuvers and their respective feats (Trip, Grapple, &c.) are as in 3.5. The following feats are changed:
- We will use fractional BAB and Saves.
- Change Prices in Gp to Sp, Sp to Cp, etc. Starting wealth is unchanged (i.e. still measured in Gp).
- Precise Shot, Point Blank Shot, and Far Shot have been merged.
- Two Weapon Fighting and its tree are now one feat, providing one off hand attack per regular attack (except in some cases, as with Snap Kick), as are Multi-Weapon Fighting and its tree (which is usable with manufactured weapons and unarmed strikes).
- The various "Improved x" feats are as they were in 3.5, and are affected byWeapon Finesse.
- Combat Reflexes and Combat Expertise are merged.
- Power Attack works as it did in 3.5, and Deadly Aim has been changed to match.
- Bows count as two handed weapons for the purpose of Deadly Aim, composite bows fit a range of strengths (i.e. 1-5.5) and auto adjust, within their range, up to the character's strength-and-one-half.
- Flurry of Blows works with any weapon you are proficient with and allows a full attack as a standard action.
- Monk abilities work in light or no armor.
- Spring Attack and Shot on the Run are merged.
- Some weapon and armor enhancements (i.e. Keen, distance, speed, et cetera) are available as Ex: enhancements.
- Improved Feint makes feinting a free action.
- Dodge gives a dodge bonus to AC equal to one-half character level, rounded down, no less than one, and includes Mobility which adds either +4 to AC against attacks of opportunity or your dodge bonus (which is therefore doubled), whichever is higher.
- Any finesse-able one handed weapon counts as a light weapon for purpose of Two Weapon Fighting.
- Improved Unarmed Strike grants the Monk's Unarmed Damage Progression and works on improvised weapons, and Superior Unarmed Strike therefore works only as it does for monks.
[/spoiler]
So, with that in mind, I would like to build a character who is quick witted and gets by on skill and guile rather than sheer strength. I don't know what the rest of the party is playing (there's one Fighter 20//Aristocrat 20, that's all I know) so out of combat I'd like to be the Social and Sneak with plenty of skills, and play as Striker and Battlefield Controller in combat. I was thinking Swashbuckler 3 for
Insightful Strike and
Weapon Finesse then Rogue with the class stacking feat for those two, and a level of monk and
Ascetic Rogue (which advances
Flurry of Blows in addition to damage) and
Snap Kick along with
Multi-Weapon Fighting and
Combat Reflexes+
Improved Trip in order to effectively do BC.
Lunge will give me reach and
Improved Feint should make for easy sneak attacking. I may need some levels of fighter to get the feats, and I'd love to fit
Precise Shot,
Deadly Aim,
Investigate,
Research, and
Dodge+
Spring Attack in there. Also, I'd like two levels of Shadow Dancer as that will give me
Hide In Plain Sight,
Improved Evasion (As I'll have regular
Evasion from Rogue 2, the DM says they will stack),
Improved Uncanny Dodge (Again, having
Uncanny Dodge from Rogue 4), and Darkvision, all of which will be fantastically useful. For those keeping track that's 14 of my 10+however many else feats (
Daring Outlaw, Ascetic Rogue, Snap Kick, Multi-Weapon Fighting, Combat Reflexes, Improved Trip, Lunge, Improved Feint, Precise Shot, Deadly Aim, Investigate, Research, Dodge, and Spring Attack.) in fact, make that seventeen with
Leap of the Heavens,
Double Slice, and
Knowledge Devotion (though no one of them is a deal breaker). Which do you think are most important, and what order do you think I should get them in?
If there is a more elegant way to do this, then please let me know. Also, as far as out of combat skills and skill tricks go, I'm at a loss. Other than putting more ranks into Diplomacy, Bluff, Acrobatics, Disable Device, Disguise, Escape Artist, Heal, Knowledge (Engineering, Nobility, and Local or History depending on what the DM wants for
Knowledge Devotion), Linguistics, Perception, Perform (Dance 2 at the very least, as prereq for Shadow Dancer), Ride, Sense Motive, Slight of Hand, and Stealth, I'm not sure how to effectively do the whole skill monkey thing.
I also need help picking a race (I was thinking human or some variant thereof, for the bonus feat and skills), up to two flaws, and up to two traits (Quick and something else mayhaps), and spending my gold (which is now up-valued, as Masterwork Items only cost 30 more Gp rather than 300 more). Any ideas on what levels to put where, when to get which feats, and what to buy? Also, with third party books available (subject to DM approval) are there any feats you think might help. I know I'm not exactly hurting for feat choices, but if there's a real gem that I could nab I'm all ears.
Since our enemies will be humanoids or animals I don't think I need to worry about immunity to sneak attacks, criticals, &c.
Oh, and one other thing, we each will be gestalted with one or two other NPC classes. The first level must be Aristocrat, the rest are whatever we like. I was thinking mainly Expert for the skills (as we will receive the better BAB between classes (as normal) the better saves (so one could theoretically have perfect saves) and the skill points from both classes), though I'm open to suggestion.
Finally, for my weapon choice, I plan to wield a pair of Nimblewright's Rapier Hands, which are one-handed martial weapons and give a +4 to trip and disarm checks (and can be used for both), are
finesse-able, and deal 2d6 damage, crit 16-20/x2, and deal piercing and/or slashing. They cost 50 silver a piece, or 35 gold a piece for the masterwork variant.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Now for the second game's house rules:
[spoiler]
- This game is Gestalt.
- We will use fractional BAB and Saves.
- No Arcane or Divine casting, no ToB, but Psionics, Incarnum, Pact, Truename, and Shadow Magic are fine.
- We can advance PrCs simultaneously.
- Psions automatically gain their discipline powers, which do not count against their total powers known, and all the discipline bonus class skills are Psion class skills. Also, a Psion may learn off-discipline powers and Psychic Warrior powers (i.e. Nomad powers for an Egoist) as the level they are, rather than one level higher.
- The races Elan, Synad, and Empty Vessel are merged, gaining the ability mods of the Empty Vessel alone, and the racial traits and abilities of all three, and +0 LA.
- Synad's Oracle ability is usable once per day as written, and then again so long as the Synad spends 1*x power point to use it (where x is the number of times the ability has been used that day). The Multitask ability is similarly changed.
- The Psion may learn new powers as an Erudite does, and gains Psicrystal Affinity as a bonus feat in addition to its bonus feat at first level.
- The Meditant requires only one Deep Psychic Meditation, rather than three.
- All WotC published material is open, save ToB and the aforementioned Arcane and Divine magic, 3rd party is available subject to DM review and approval (Hyperconscious is approved).
- Tashalatora does not have Monastic Training as a prerequisite and advances Flurry of Blows, unarmed strike damage, armor bonus, and fast movement.
[/spoiler]
So I was thinking I'd like to play an Empty Vessel (/Synad/Elan, as they are combined) Psion//Incarnate (Law or Good) chrono-legionnaire/trancer type. But I'm unsure where to start, what PRCs to choose, etc. As far as feats go, at least up until level seven and psy-reform, I was thinking I'd take
Enhanced Elan Resilience, and
Psycarnum Infusion+
Azure Talent and
Midnight Augmentation as that will provide a recharge set up. Also,
Tashalatora and
Carmendine Monk could be quite useful. Other than that, I'm not sure what to get, but I like the idea of being able to swap roles by swapping feats, buffs, and melds. On that note, what melds ought I shape, and for what purpose? And again, I could use help with flaws and traits (two of each, one trait being Quick).
I appreciate any help with these two.
Edit: Oh, and for the second game, psionic items (and all other mystical items) will likely be in short supply, but if we can craft them ourselves then they are fair game, so I may want to get
Craft: Psionic Tattoo or whatever it's called.