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Pathfinder: KingmakerRoahin's Main Character Builds(55 posts)(55 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted October 13, 2020
That depends on what kind of character you want to make. Although traditionally melee, nothing actually FORCES you into it. Three levels of Divine Hunter, for example, gives you Precise Shot and the all-important aura that gives your whole team the feat too. Combining that with Eldritch Archer which will let you channel spells through your bow is an incredibly effective combo. The only real problem is that Eldritch Archer is Intelligence-based and the Paladin is Charisma. But an Elf would be a good compromise. Sinking just enough into Charisma to make Divine Grace worthwhile (at least a 14), and then letting their natural Dexterity help for Archery. Something like 10/19/10/16/10/14 as a base, then fiddle with it from there.

The most obvious synergy though is going to be with an Eldritch Scion. It's the only Magus class that casts off Charisma, which obviously pairs so well with Paladin levels. And if you choose a Draconic bloodline you can take some Dragon Disciple levels, if that's your thing. Very few Paladin builds don't benefit from a bump in Strength. But even if you don't go that route, you can take the Celestial bloodline to accentuate the holiness of your Paladin. Popping those angel wings looks good on any Paladin.

And then frankly with whatever kind of build you're leaning toward, being a Paladin that can chuck a fireball is always immensely satisfying.

EDIT: Responding to Edit
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ArcaneFlash: I was thinking of an Aasamar (Angelkin), Iomede, Possible BS, switches to Magus (ES) uses BS to smite or use Magus blade enhancements. Possible Gold dragon bloodline. I was thinking of going no more than medium armour.

In DDO, it used to annoy me that I had to carry all these different BSs in different elements/specialty uses. I like that Magus lets you do that. But I also like Paladin, hence, my conflict.
Angelkin are statistically and conceptually the most appropriate heritage for a Paladin. I'm not usually too fond of using Bastard Swords for my main character. Although they're in my top three favorite weapons in D&D (Bastard Swords, Two-Bladed Swords and Flails) the fact that Owlcat did you the dirty of giving you not just one but TWO companions who specialize in Bastard Swords makes slim pickings. And then they flooded the game with enchanted longswords, many of which are Holy and are the favored weapon of Iomedae. Worse, Bastard Swords are supposed to be useable without a feat two-handed, but they're not here!

Still, all that aside, they are viable choices. The Gold Dragon bloodline is a good, appropriate pick too. Most of this concept you're interested in largely writes itself. I guess the main question is are you looking for this character to be more damage-oriented, or did you want him to be a tank? At the end of the day, that's going to inform where most of your feats and the meat of your build goes.
Post edited October 13, 2020 by Roahin
Posted October 13, 2020
ok, I want Pal/ES STR build with BS, can use Smite, cast Flame blade, and use Ghost Blade from Magus Arcana. So, what do you think I'm looking at? INT is fine, I like skills.

Lightning blade would be a bonus.

I can deal with a longsword.
Post edited October 13, 2020 by ArcaneFlash
Posted October 13, 2020
Just to be clear, you're looking for only like a 2-3 level Paladin dip, but mostly Gold Dragon Magus after that. Anything else like Dragon Disciple included, or just Paladin / Magus? I'm starting to cobble something together now.
Posted October 13, 2020
At least 2-3 levels of Paladin.

Gold Dragon Magus (ES, probably fits). Not familiar with DD, not more than DD 4, but sounds interesting.

I'm looking forward to testing this.
Post edited October 13, 2020 by ArcaneFlash
Posted October 13, 2020
Alright, here's a first ten level build to get you on your way. Obviously anything can be tweaked, from weapon choice, to even some attribute movement. (You mentioned liking Int for skills, for example, but those points can easily be redistributed).

ArcaneFlash's Paladin
Role: Melee Damage
Race: Aasimar (Angelkin)
Alignment: Lawful Good
Final Build: Divine Guardian 3 / Eldritch Scion 3 / Dragon Disciple 4

Starting Stats
Divine Guardian-1
16 Strength
14 Dexterity
14 Constitution
14 Intelligence
10 Wisdom
16 Charisma
Skills: Mobility +1, Lore (Religion) +1, Use Magic Device +1
Feats: Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Bastard Sword)
Notes: The only real difference between three levels of core Paladin/Hospitaller and Divine Guardian and that's the Divine Troth By level 3 the Divine Guardian can just target himself and functionally have a +4 unclassified bonus to his AC.
Mobility we take in case you ever want to Fight Defensively in the future. 3 ranks is an inexpensive investment for a permanent payout. Religion and UMD both get racial bonuses to them.


Leveling Stats
Level 2 - Divine Guardian 2
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Trickery +1

Level 3 - Divine Guardian 3
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Trickery +1
Feats: Weapon Focus (Bastard Sword)
Notes: This early on, the name of the game is just landing hits, so we take Weapon Focus. However, if worst comes to worst and you find yourself stepping in for the fallen tank or being targeted outside her... Assuming you're wearing Chainmail or better and Tartuccio's Ring, you have at least a 23AC with Divine Troth, and 26AC when fighting defensively. Not bad for no shield or crane style!

Level 4 - Eldritch Scion 1
Attribute: Charisma +1
Bloodline: Gold Dragon
Skills: Knowledge (Arcana) +3
Spells: (1) Enlarge Person, Shield
Notes: Arcana is for eventual Dragon Disciple levels. With the spell Enlarge Person your attack bonus remains the same (size penalty canceled out by STR mod), but your bastard sword now does 2d8+6 over its former 1d10+4. That's a pretty impressive damage boost. Shield will get you up to 30AC if you find you need to tank with this guy.


Level 5 - Eldritch Scion 2
Skills: Knowledge (Arcana) +2, Lore (Religion) +1
Feats: Power Attack
Spells: (1) Shocking Grasp
Notes: You get Spellstrike this level so there was no sense taking Shocking Grasp last level. But now you can begin channeling those attacks into your sword. I'd probably save my spell slots for Enlarge Person though, at least until you level a bit more and Shocking Grasp starts doing real damage.
Also, and I've noticed a lot of people don't seem to realize this. When you're NOT casting, you should NOT have Spell Combat up. It makes you one-hand your Bastard Sword, weakening your Strength bonus and your Power Attack output. I usually recommend disabling Power Attack if you are using Spell Combat. You really ought not have them both active simultaneously, it's a waste.
Most people have the Stag Lord defeated at 5. Remember that afterwards in your new Capital, Hassuf sells a +1 Flaming Bastard Sword!

Level 6 - Dragon Disciple 1
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Use Magic Device +2
Feats: Dragon Resistance (Nat Armor +1), Natural Armor (Nat Armor +1) (Total Natural Armor: +2)
Spells: (1) Mage Armor (Free)
Notes: Dragon Disciple stacks with your Eldritch Scion levels for determining your Gold Dragon abilities. It should also be noted any fire spell you cast now does +1 damage per die rolled. Nothing you can take advantage of... yet.

Level 7 - Dragon Disciple 2
Attribute: Strength +2
Skills: Lore (Religion) +2, Use Magic Device +1
Feats: Cleave, Toughness
Spells (1) True Strike
Notes: You will occasionally run into frustrating bosses who seem to need 20's to even land a hit. It behooves you to have True Strike on your repetoire.

Level 8 - Dragon Disciple 3
Attribute: Charisma +1
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Use Magic Device +2
Spells: (2) Mirror Image, Frigid Touch, Resist Energy(Free)
Notes: Why not either fire spell? Scorching Ray is liable to miss more times than hit without Precise Shot, and Molten Orb is just 2d6+2 with your racial, well under what just a regular attack would do and WELL under channeling Frigid Touch into your attack.

Level 9 - Dragon Disciple 4
Attribute: Strength +2
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1, Use Magic Device +1
Feats: Cleaving Finish, Natural Armor (Total Natural Armor: +3)
Spells: (2) Blur
Notes: You're now sitting on an unaugmented 20 Strength, but probably at least a 22 with a belt by now. From here on out though, we're going straight Eldritch Scion.

Level 10 - Eldritch Scion 3
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1, Use Magic Device +1
Feats: Extended Magic
Spells: (2) Glitterdust
Notes: Most of your self-buffs tend to have short durations of 1m/level, like Enlarge Person, Mirror Image, Blur, etc. It's not a bad idea to cast those Extended as much as you can. Maybe get a few encounters worth out of each one and free more spells to be channeled into Shocking Grasp or Frigid Touch.

Some general advice going past this point. I probably wouldn't put too many more points into Use Magic Device. The DC to cast from scrolls is 20+Spell Level, so popular choices like Restoration DC 24, Raise Dead DC 25, Heal DC 26, Greater Restoration DC 27, etc. are already pretty close to your wheelhouse since you're at about a 20 anyhow without any items buffing your Charisma up AND you'll be raising Charisma as you level besides. I'd probably go Religion+1/Persuasion+2 for awhile. Eventually segue your high Charisma and high Strength into Cornugon Smash.
Improved Critical is a good pick too. There are a lot of great Bastard Swords in the game, but not too many of them are keen (or any of them that I remember, frankly). You should get your Community rank to a III asap so you can unlock the North Narlmarches region and from there, get the vendor Shaynih'a. She'll make you a +4 Bastard Sword that increases Charisma by +6. Surprisingly, it's one of her lower and easier to obtan items.
Once you hit third level spells, it's time to start investing in fire spells proper to take advantage of your gold dragon heritage. Those 10d6+10 fireballs are intense, especially when you hit Eldritch Scion 6 grab Empowered Magic and start making them do another 50% on top for free.
Lastly, I'd avoid spending too many (or any) feats into tanking abilities like Crane Style, Dodge, Armor Focus and the like. Unless your goal is tank from the outset, you should really focus more on just increasing your damage output and let your designated tank (probably Valerie) do her job. You've covered your bases with having Mobility-enhanced Fighting Defensively, innate Natural Armor, self-targeted Divine Troth without having to have sacrificed levels of feats to get them. That should normally be enough.
Posted October 13, 2020
i've read over it. I like it. Time to try it out.

Ty, You have done well.

Does adding a Pal 4 help or hurt?
Post edited October 13, 2020 by ArcaneFlash
Posted October 14, 2020
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Roahin: Dwarven Defender
Role: Tank
Race: Dwarf
Alignment: Any
Final Build: Tower Shield Specialist 10 / Stalwart Defender 10

Build Notes: This is about as straightforward a tank build as can exist. It's all about HP, AC and immunities to make you close to invincible. I have a real soft spot for MC tanks, but more than that, I just love Dwarves.

Starting Stats
Tower Shield Specialist-1
16 Strength
14 Dexterity
16 Constitution
14 Intelligence
12 Wisdom
08 Charisma
Skills: Mobility 1, Perception 1, Persuasion 1
Feats: Dodge, Shield Focus
Notes: Mobility we're only taking to 3 for the synergy bonus to Fighting Defensively, Persuasion is always useful even with a relatively low Charisma, and Perception will eventually be a class-skill and he has a racial bonus to it. Cultivating it now will pay dividends down the road. Note than an 8 is the lowest I will allow an attribute to sink to, and even then only if it was brought there by a racial mod. Anything lower is scummy min/maxing to me. Also, with this build, your Dwarf will begin the game in Scale Mail with a regular Tower Shield. Your starting AC is 23 without even fighting defensively!

Leveling Stats
Level 2 - Tower Shield Specialist 2
Skills: Mobility +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Improved Unarmed Strike
Notes: IUS is to set us up for Crane Style next level. This alleviates the need to take pointless and RP-ruining dips into Monk.

Level 3 - Tower Shield Specialist 3
Skills: Mobility +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Crane Style
Notes: This is a HUGE level for your Tank. By now you've got Tartuccio's Ring and hopefully bought a suit of plate mail from Oleg. With your Mobility and Crane Style enhanced Fighting Defensively, you're at a 32 AC. Any spells or buffs you choose to give him past this is just gravy. The Treant Bear, Staglord and rest of the Act bosses should be laughable speed bumps for you and your party now.

Level 4 - Tower Shield Specialist 4
Attribute: Strength +1
Skills: Knowledge (World) +3
Feats: Armor Focus (Heavy)
Notes: We no longer need to level Mobility, and with Armor Check Penalties, it's a bit of a waste to do so. Where you dump your remaining points is a matter of opinion, but I favor either Nature or World. Your character will ALWAYS be at camp, and having the ability to cook or hunt for the party is invaluable. I like the idea of the Dwarf being a cook, so I go with World. Also, I also like his three remaining skills to level evenly, so I prefer to go World 3, Perception 3, Persuasion 3 over say, World 1, Perception 4, Persuasion 4.

Level 5 - Tower Shield Specialist 5
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Combat Expertise
Notes: Another big level for the Dwarven Defender, he gets Tower Shield Specialist at this level and loses the painful -2 to attack with Tower Shields. This is perfect timing since you'll now have Combat Expertise toggled on at all times with Crane Style and Fighting Defensively, losing those -2 to hit again, but gaining +2 AC. Assuming you've found no new gear since 3, your AC should be about 35 now. Enough that the Staglord is a cakewalk, and setting you up to easily clear the Trolls of Act 2. SPOILER: The Dwarven Defender has a racial +4 AC against Trolls!

Level 6 - Tower Shield Specialist 6
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Missile Shield
Notes: Why Missile Shield and not Weapon Focus -> Weapon Specialization? First, you're reaching an AC where the only missiles that're going to hit you are lucky 20's. Mitigating a natural 20 every round will go a long way for you, especially later in the game when the AI likes to drop boatloads of archers on you. Second, this game abounds with great magical one-handed weapons. How often have you had a cool weapon that was some weird type that no one had weapon focus for, like a club or a rapier? By electing not to focus on a specific weapon style, your tank can just use the best items that come along.

Level 7 - Tower Shield Specialist 7
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Toughness
Notes: Toughness is the last requirement for Stalwart Defender. Also, the second rank of Armor/Tower Shield Training at 7 is the last important level you're going to need from Tower Shield Specialist.

Level 8 - Stalwart Defender 1
Attribute: Strength +1
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Notes: Strength is now an even number, Perception's become a class skill and chances are your AC is mid-40's. Here's where I was when I fought Hargulka: 10 Base + 11 Blessed Path (armor) + 5 Flameguard (shield) + 1 Amulet of Nat Armor + 1 Tartuccio's Ring + 3 Dexterity + 2 Heavy Armor/Shield Focus + 1 Dodge + 1 Stalwart Dodge + 4 Fighting Defensively + 3 Combat Expertise + 2 Defensive Stance + 4 Racial Giant Dodge = 48AC. I can't describe the satisfaction of watching him sit there in a rage wiffing and wiffing.

Level 9 - Stalwart Defender 2
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Blind Fight, Internal Fortitude(B)
Notes: Your AC is basically going to take care of itself from here on. Your Stalwart Defender levels, Combat Expertise, Defensive Stance, gear, it'll all continue to scale up. What we're working on now is building up immunities. These're going to help a LOT later on. Blind Fight gives you Gaze immunity, and Int Fortitude gives you Sickened and Nauseated immunity. (This is actually pretty fun if you want to throw a Stinking Cloud on him when he's surrounded.)

Level 10 - Stalwart Defender 3
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Uncanny Dodge(B)
Notes: Yet more defenses with Uncanny Dodge always passively active.

Level 11 - Stalwart Defender 4
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Skill Focus (Perception), Fearless Defense(B)
Notes: You're at 10 ranks of Perception now, so Skill Focus is a +6 bonus. This should put you at least at +22, assuming you have nothing else raising it (and you should). The later the game gets, the more fantastic the items are and they're all gated behind Perception checks. Not every party will have Jaethal's crazy Perception checks, and even if they do, she can roll 1's. Having your MC be a Perception machine is always a good idea. Also, you're now immune to Shaken and Frightened. The list of immunities continues to grow!

Level 12 - Stalwart Defender 5
Attribute: Strength +1
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Damage Reduction 1/-

Level 13 - Stalwart Defender 6
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Persuasive, Increased Damage Reduction (DR 2/-)
Notes: Persuasive, like Skill Focus, now gets a 10 rank upgrade, further boosting your great Perception check and also helping your Persuasion score too. The Damage Reduction isn't great yet, but the more you foster it, the more it'll grow...

Level 14 - Stalwart Defender 7
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Improved Uncanny Dodge
Notes: You're now immune to flanking. Also, your Perception should be in the +30's somewhere.

Level 15 - Stalwart Defender 8
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Steel Soul, Increased Damage Reduction (DR 5/-)
Notes: Steel Soul is Dwarf specific and essentially amounts to taking Great Fortitude, Lightning Reflexes and Iron Will all at once. Also, your Damage Reduction now deducts 5 points from anyone lucky enough to have rolled a 20 and broken past your godlike AC. Since it'll be more likely that you'll be hit by barrages of small attacks where they're more likely to roll a 20 from sheer volume of attacks, than a big attacker who can hit your enormous AC, those 5 points of DR add up rapidly.

Level 16 - Stalwart Defender 9
Attributes: Strength +1
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1

Level 17 - Stalwart Defender 10
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Iron Will, Renewed Defense(B), (DR 7/-)
Notes: You COULD take Roused Defense, but honestly, I usually give the MC the Heart of Ira (plenty of other slots to get Natural Armor from) to make him immune to Fatigue and Exhaustion already. If you don't, then the Fatigue immunity is probably the better bet than the on-demand 5d8+Con Mod heal.

Level 18 - Tower Shield Specialist 8
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Greater Shield Focus
Notes: Why back to Fighter? I'd really thought hard about turning him into a Paladin. A Divine Guardian of Torag fits his concept great. But really, I don't care for dips usually, and you're not getting much for it. Immunity to Diseases which you'd probably have aced the checks on anyway. A few Charisma abilities that are weak as all get-out at this level. Nah, better to keep to the concept and stick with Fighter.

Level 19 - Tower Shield Specialist 9
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Improved Iron Will

Level 20 - Tower Shield Specialist 10
Attribute: Strength +1
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Combat Reflexes

There you go. If your gear path was anything like mine, I had an AC in the mid/high 70's, around 300HP, immune to just about every status ailment, DR 7, a Perception check in the 40's and no matter how high I cranked the difficulty, I just couldn't die.
Hell yes thanks to this build I'm finally playing as a Sword & Board Dwarf thanks Roahin btw what was your Armor/Gear loadout?I'm mostly focusing on AC myself any suggestion's on key gear/accessories that might help my Tank?
Post edited October 14, 2020 by BobZilla84
Posted October 14, 2020
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ArcaneFlash: Ty, You have done well.

Does adding a Pal 4 help or hurt?
I'm glad you like it. If you end up with any feedback, like maybe something's not working or there's something you feel like it's not doing well, let me know. I'm happy to go back and retool it.

As for Paladin 4, ultimately it's a bit of a loss. Since you'd only mentioned going to Paladin 3, that's why we went with the Divine Guardian sublcass. Part of the drawback for Divine Guardian is that a normal Paladin gets spells at level 4, whereas a Divine Guardian doesn't.
Both of them get another use of Smite Evil for the day at 4, though honestly Kingmaker has shockingly very few evil creatures. About a billion neutral and chaotic, but almost no evil ones. So that's not a huge loss. The only other level 4 ability is Channel Positive Energy, but at level 4 it's just a little 2d6 burst that'd end up healing the enemies too unless you burned yet another feat on it that you don't really have to spare.

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BobZilla84: btw what was your Armor/Gear loadout?I'm mostly focusing on AC myself any suggestion's on key gear/accessories that might help my Tank?
I don't remember my exact gear loadout, but I have a screenshot of him near the end of the game. Most of what he's wearing can be extrapolate from it.

https://i.imgur.com/jtlava9.png

As far as upgrades, your best friend in the world is going to be the Artisan Dragn. He gives you six different pieces of plate armor, one of the best Tower Shields in the game AND if you're like me and like your Dwarves wielding hammers and axes, he gives a ton of exceptional ones as well!

Here are some pieces of gear that I kept an eye out for:

TOWER SHIELDS
Right at the beginning of Act II when you're in your Capital, Hassuf will sell you "Flameguard", a +1 Tower Shield that grants Fire Resist 10 and +3 to Reflex. This is going to be the first enchanted Tower Shield you can find, and it's not too expensive at 8000g.
Then there's the "Defender's Bulwark", this is a +3 Tower Shield that gives a stacking DR 2/- with your Stalwart levels. You can find that in the dungeon where you chase after Tristan.
Dragn makes a Tower Shield called "Unbreakable Bastion" that's a +4, gives +4 to all saves, and a +4 Deflection bonus to AC.
At the end of the game when you're at the House at the Edge of Time, that Nixie will sell you the grand poobah of tanking shields: "Walls of the Sanctuary", +5 Tower Shield, +6 Deflection to AC, and you can make your whole team (minus the tank) go invisible so all enemies redirect their attacks back to the tank up to 20 times a day!

FULL PLATE
Honestly, I'll usually just splurge and get regular Full Plate from Oleg right at the beginning as soon as I have the 1500 to blow. You CAN get +1 Half Plate which is nearly as good pretty early, but I don't like to mess around with my tank's AC.
My Dwarven Defender (Argyle Scornshield) was Lawful Good (I still adhere to the days when a Dwarven Defender had to be lawful!), so I got to use "Blessed Path", a suit of plate available in the Troll dungeon. +2 Full Plate, +2 to Wisdom/Charisma. By the time this shows up, you're not likely to have found better nor replace it anytime soon.
After these I basically just farmed Dragn for upgrades.
Post edited October 14, 2020 by Roahin
Posted October 14, 2020
The Adamantine Halfling
Role: Tank
Race: Halfling
Alignment: Non-Lawful
Final Build: Fighter 4 / Invulnerable Rager 8 / Stalwart Defender 8

Build Notes: This was originally a variant for a Half-Orc tower shield-wielding Invulnerable Rager / Stalwart Defender I'd made. For those not aware, the Damage Reduction from Rager stacks with the Damage Reduction from Defender stacks with the Damage Reduction from gear. The Tower Shield Defender's Bulwark gives 3/-, the Ring Sentinel gives 2/-, Greater Ring of Protection gives 2/- and Armor of Wealth gives 5/-. There might be more than that out there, but I know about those for sure. A 10th level Rager who takes all the rage feats for DR can pull another 11/-, and a 10th level Defender with all defense feats for DR can pull 7/-. All told, that's 30/- and given you're using a tower shield and can take Guarded Stance for your barbarian rage, you can hit some pretty impressive heights with AC.
This build goes a different way, focusing heavier on Dexterity and Dodging while still maintaining a very high Damage Reduction. The high Dexterity and dodge will keep your Touch AC shockingly high (mine ended in the high 50's/low 60's). Also, I admit, I get a kick out of a little halfling with a tiny dagger tanking enormous monsters a dozen times his size. Moreover, 90% of the Halfling Tank builds that exist online are Scaled Fists, and God am I tired of those.

Starting Stats
Fighter-1
10 Strength
19 Dexterity
16 Constitution
10 Intelligence
10 Wisdom
12 Charisma
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1
Feats: Weapon Finesse, Dodge
Notes: Why Dodge and not Weapon Focus, setting up for Fencing/Slashing Grace? This game is littered with Agile weapons, some even available as early as Act I. There's multiple in every chapter, all the way to some impressive +5 ones in the endgame. There's no need to blow 2-3 extra feats or dip Rogue to get Dex to Damage.

Leveling Stats
Level 2 - Fighter 2
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1
Feats: Improved Unarmed Strike

Level 3 - Fighter 3
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1
Feats: Crane Style
Notes: I'm a sucker for timing Crane Style for level 3 when the Mobility synergy hits Fighting Defensively simultaneously.

Level 4 - Fighter 4
Attribute: Dexterity +1
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1
Feats: Piranha Strike
Notes: Don't be concerned about the stacked attack loss from Piranha Strike and Fighting Defensively. This build has a very high Dexterity and full BAB to +20. Plus, down the road, the cost for FD is only going to be a measely -1.

Level 5 - Invulnerable Rager 1
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Perception +1
Feats: Cautious Fighter
Notes: The unique Halfling feat that grants a free +2 AC. As a Dodge ability it both stacks with all other Dodge sources AND your touch AC.

Level 6 - Invulnerable Rager 2
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Perception +1
Feats: Guarded Stance, Damage Reduction: 1/-
Notes: While you CAN rage in combat now, I'd advise holding off unless you're comfortably ahead of the attack bonuses of the enemies you're facing. It's only a -1 to AC, but in short enough order that penalty will be gone.

Level 7 - Invulnerable Rager 3
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Perception +1
Feats: Crane Wing, Fire/Cold Resistance 1

Level 8 - Invulnerable Rager 4
Attribute: Dexterity +1
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Perception +1
Feats: Lesser Beast Totem, Damage Reduction: 2/-
Notes: Your AC now has no penalty for raging.

Level 9 - Invulnerable Rager 5
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Perception +1
Feats: Crane Riposte

Level 10 - Invulnerable Rager 6
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Perception +1
Feats: Beast Totem, Damage Reduction: 3/-, Fire/Cold Resistance 4
Notes: Your AC now increases when you rage.

Level 11 - Invulnerable Rager 7
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Perception +1
Feats: Toughness

Level 12 - Invulnerable Rager 8
Attribute: Dexterity +1
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1, Perception +1
Feats: Increased Damage Reduction, Damage Reduction: 6/-, Fire/Cold Resistance 8
Notes: Your AC now increases by 4 when your rage, making it one of your better defensive abilities, ironically.

Level 13 - Stalwart Defender 1
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1
Feats: Increased Damage Reduction, Damage Reduction: 8/-, Fire/Cold Resistance 12
Notes: "Roahin, can I go into rage AND defensive stance at the same time? Do all those bonuses to AC stack?" Yes you can and yes they do.

Level 14 - Stalwart Defender 2
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1
Feats: Internal Fortitude

Level 15 - Stalwart Defender 3
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1
Feats: Increased Damage Reduction, Damage Reduction: 10/-, Fire/Cold Resistance 16

Level 16 - Stalwart Defender 4
Attribute: Dexterity +1
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1
Feats: Fearless Defense
Notes: With Fearless Defense, Internal Fortitude, Blind Fight, etc. we're just building up our immunities to status effects. By this time, your AC is so high little is getting through, your HP is monstrously large (Con 16 + Toughness + Gear), and you're deducting double digit damage off anything lucky enough to land a hit. The only thing left to worry about are status effects.

Level 17 - Stalwart Defender 5
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1
Feats: Blind Fight, Damage Reduction: 11/-

Level 18 - Stalwart Defender 6
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1
Feats: Increased Damage Reduction, Damage Reduction: 12/-

Level 19 - Stalwart Defender 7
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1
Feats: Armor Focus (Light), Damage Reduction: 14/-

Level 20 - Stalwart Defender 8
Attribute: Dexterity +1
Skills: Athletics +1, Mobility +1
Feats: Increased Damage Reduction, Damage Reduction: 15/-

While the Armor of Wealth IS a great piece of Damage Reduction gear, I'd stress strongly to use the Royal Guardian armor. You should have a Dexterity bonus of +11-12 by the end, and the only armor with the Max Dex to take advantage of that is the Royal Guardian armor.

That said, if you do want to know where all that Damage Reduction gear is..

Sentinel (Ring: +2 Shield AC, DR 2/-) crafted by Mim, the Silverstep Artisan
Defender's Bulwark (Tower Shield: +3, DR 2/-) found in the Abandoned Keep/Verdant Chambers, Dire Narlmarches
Greater Ring of Ultimate Protection (+5 all Saves, +5 Deflection AC, Spell Resist 24, DR 2/-) looted from Spawn of Rovagug, Tenebrous Depths
Armor of Wealth (+5 Scale Mail, DR 5/-) sold by a Merchant at Brineheart, Kamelands
Post edited October 14, 2020 by Roahin
Posted October 14, 2020
I have looked over the original Pathfinder kingmaker P&P campaign. I've searched but is there a reason only Amiri survived to the computer version?
Posted October 14, 2020
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ArcaneFlash: I have looked over the original Pathfinder kingmaker P&P campaign. I've searched but is there a reason only Amiri survived to the computer version?
Amiri was originally from around here so it makes sense for her to be around. (I found her and her story to be rather bland though)
As for the rest of the iconic characters, I guess they preferred to write their own companions.
Posted October 17, 2020
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Roahin: Dwarven Defender
Role: Tank
Race: Dwarf
Alignment: Any
Final Build: Tower Shield Specialist 10 / Stalwart Defender 10

Build Notes: This is about as straightforward a tank build as can exist. It's all about HP, AC and immunities to make you close to invincible. I have a real soft spot for MC tanks, but more than that, I just love Dwarves.

Starting Stats
Tower Shield Specialist-1
16 Strength
14 Dexterity
16 Constitution
14 Intelligence
12 Wisdom
08 Charisma
Skills: Mobility 1, Perception 1, Persuasion 1
Feats: Dodge, Shield Focus
Notes: Mobility we're only taking to 3 for the synergy bonus to Fighting Defensively, Persuasion is always useful even with a relatively low Charisma, and Perception will eventually be a class-skill and he has a racial bonus to it. Cultivating it now will pay dividends down the road. Note than an 8 is the lowest I will allow an attribute to sink to, and even then only if it was brought there by a racial mod. Anything lower is scummy min/maxing to me. Also, with this build, your Dwarf will begin the game in Scale Mail with a regular Tower Shield. Your starting AC is 23 without even fighting defensively!

Leveling Stats
Level 2 - Tower Shield Specialist 2
Skills: Mobility +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Improved Unarmed Strike
Notes: IUS is to set us up for Crane Style next level. This alleviates the need to take pointless and RP-ruining dips into Monk.

Level 3 - Tower Shield Specialist 3
Skills: Mobility +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Crane Style
Notes: This is a HUGE level for your Tank. By now you've got Tartuccio's Ring and hopefully bought a suit of plate mail from Oleg. With your Mobility and Crane Style enhanced Fighting Defensively, you're at a 32 AC. Any spells or buffs you choose to give him past this is just gravy. The Treant Bear, Staglord and rest of the Act bosses should be laughable speed bumps for you and your party now.

Level 4 - Tower Shield Specialist 4
Attribute: Strength +1
Skills: Knowledge (World) +3
Feats: Armor Focus (Heavy)
Notes: We no longer need to level Mobility, and with Armor Check Penalties, it's a bit of a waste to do so. Where you dump your remaining points is a matter of opinion, but I favor either Nature or World. Your character will ALWAYS be at camp, and having the ability to cook or hunt for the party is invaluable. I like the idea of the Dwarf being a cook, so I go with World. Also, I also like his three remaining skills to level evenly, so I prefer to go World 3, Perception 3, Persuasion 3 over say, World 1, Perception 4, Persuasion 4.

Level 5 - Tower Shield Specialist 5
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Combat Expertise
Notes: Another big level for the Dwarven Defender, he gets Tower Shield Specialist at this level and loses the painful -2 to attack with Tower Shields. This is perfect timing since you'll now have Combat Expertise toggled on at all times with Crane Style and Fighting Defensively, losing those -2 to hit again, but gaining +2 AC. Assuming you've found no new gear since 3, your AC should be about 35 now. Enough that the Staglord is a cakewalk, and setting you up to easily clear the Trolls of Act 2. SPOILER: The Dwarven Defender has a racial +4 AC against Trolls!

Level 6 - Tower Shield Specialist 6
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Missile Shield
Notes: Why Missile Shield and not Weapon Focus -> Weapon Specialization? First, you're reaching an AC where the only missiles that're going to hit you are lucky 20's. Mitigating a natural 20 every round will go a long way for you, especially later in the game when the AI likes to drop boatloads of archers on you. Second, this game abounds with great magical one-handed weapons. How often have you had a cool weapon that was some weird type that no one had weapon focus for, like a club or a rapier? By electing not to focus on a specific weapon style, your tank can just use the best items that come along.

Level 7 - Tower Shield Specialist 7
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Toughness
Notes: Toughness is the last requirement for Stalwart Defender. Also, the second rank of Armor/Tower Shield Training at 7 is the last important level you're going to need from Tower Shield Specialist.

Level 8 - Stalwart Defender 1
Attribute: Strength +1
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Notes: Strength is now an even number, Perception's become a class skill and chances are your AC is mid-40's. Here's where I was when I fought Hargulka: 10 Base + 11 Blessed Path (armor) + 5 Flameguard (shield) + 1 Amulet of Nat Armor + 1 Tartuccio's Ring + 3 Dexterity + 2 Heavy Armor/Shield Focus + 1 Dodge + 1 Stalwart Dodge + 4 Fighting Defensively + 3 Combat Expertise + 2 Defensive Stance + 4 Racial Giant Dodge = 48AC. I can't describe the satisfaction of watching him sit there in a rage wiffing and wiffing.

Level 9 - Stalwart Defender 2
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Blind Fight, Internal Fortitude(B)
Notes: Your AC is basically going to take care of itself from here on. Your Stalwart Defender levels, Combat Expertise, Defensive Stance, gear, it'll all continue to scale up. What we're working on now is building up immunities. These're going to help a LOT later on. Blind Fight gives you Gaze immunity, and Int Fortitude gives you Sickened and Nauseated immunity. (This is actually pretty fun if you want to throw a Stinking Cloud on him when he's surrounded.)

Level 10 - Stalwart Defender 3
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Uncanny Dodge(B)
Notes: Yet more defenses with Uncanny Dodge always passively active.

Level 11 - Stalwart Defender 4
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Skill Focus (Perception), Fearless Defense(B)
Notes: You're at 10 ranks of Perception now, so Skill Focus is a +6 bonus. This should put you at least at +22, assuming you have nothing else raising it (and you should). The later the game gets, the more fantastic the items are and they're all gated behind Perception checks. Not every party will have Jaethal's crazy Perception checks, and even if they do, she can roll 1's. Having your MC be a Perception machine is always a good idea. Also, you're now immune to Shaken and Frightened. The list of immunities continues to grow!

Level 12 - Stalwart Defender 5
Attribute: Strength +1
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Damage Reduction 1/-

Level 13 - Stalwart Defender 6
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Persuasive, Increased Damage Reduction (DR 2/-)
Notes: Persuasive, like Skill Focus, now gets a 10 rank upgrade, further boosting your great Perception check and also helping your Persuasion score too. The Damage Reduction isn't great yet, but the more you foster it, the more it'll grow...

Level 14 - Stalwart Defender 7
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Improved Uncanny Dodge
Notes: You're now immune to flanking. Also, your Perception should be in the +30's somewhere.

Level 15 - Stalwart Defender 8
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Steel Soul, Increased Damage Reduction (DR 5/-)
Notes: Steel Soul is Dwarf specific and essentially amounts to taking Great Fortitude, Lightning Reflexes and Iron Will all at once. Also, your Damage Reduction now deducts 5 points from anyone lucky enough to have rolled a 20 and broken past your godlike AC. Since it'll be more likely that you'll be hit by barrages of small attacks where they're more likely to roll a 20 from sheer volume of attacks, than a big attacker who can hit your enormous AC, those 5 points of DR add up rapidly.

Level 16 - Stalwart Defender 9
Attributes: Strength +1
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1

Level 17 - Stalwart Defender 10
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Iron Will, Renewed Defense(B), (DR 7/-)
Notes: You COULD take Roused Defense, but honestly, I usually give the MC the Heart of Ira (plenty of other slots to get Natural Armor from) to make him immune to Fatigue and Exhaustion already. If you don't, then the Fatigue immunity is probably the better bet than the on-demand 5d8+Con Mod heal.

Level 18 - Tower Shield Specialist 8
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Greater Shield Focus
Notes: Why back to Fighter? I'd really thought hard about turning him into a Paladin. A Divine Guardian of Torag fits his concept great. But really, I don't care for dips usually, and you're not getting much for it. Immunity to Diseases which you'd probably have aced the checks on anyway. A few Charisma abilities that are weak as all get-out at this level. Nah, better to keep to the concept and stick with Fighter.

Level 19 - Tower Shield Specialist 9
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Improved Iron Will

Level 20 - Tower Shield Specialist 10
Attribute: Strength +1
Skills: Knowledge (World) +1, Perception +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Combat Reflexes

There you go. If your gear path was anything like mine, I had an AC in the mid/high 70's, around 300HP, immune to just about every status ailment, DR 7, a Perception check in the 40's and no matter how high I cranked the difficulty, I just couldn't die.
I loved this class on BG!!! And i also love how your builds arent min - maxed
Posted October 19, 2020
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Roahin: Inferno Priest of Asmodeus
Role: Ranged Nuke
Race: Tiefling (Hellspawn Heritage)
Alignment: Lawful Evil / Lawful Neutral / Neutral Evil
Final Build: Sorcerer 4 / Ecclesitheurge 6 / Mystic Theurge 10

Build Notes: Tieflings are a race that have vexed me for some time. I prefer Devils and the Lawful Evil fiends over the Demons and the Chaotic Evil ones. But the Hellspawn (LE) heritage is a +2 Con, +2 Wis, -2 Cha unless you take Sorcerer / Eldritch Scion levels with the Infernal bloodline. I can't NOT take one of those classes and know I'm forever lugging around a -2 attribute penalty I didn't have to take, but at the same time, who wants a Sorcerer with +2 Con and +2 Wis? Are there any two stats worse?
I fiddled around with Clerics of Asmodeus who just took the -2 hit to Charisma, but couldn't get past it. I tried Eldritch Scions but found the attributes didn't make sense and were wildly ineffective. Then this build clicked. It does everything I'd ever wanted a Priest of Asmodeus to do. Burn everything. Burn the heretics, burn the lawbreakers, burn the rival countries, burn it all.

Starting Stats
Sorcerer-1
Bloodline: Infernal
10 Strength
14 Dexterity
16 Constitution
10 Intelligence
16 Wisdom
16 Charisma
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Spell Focus (Evocation), Spell Specialization (Magic Missile)
Spells: (1) Grease, Magic Missile
Notes: While the Hellspawn gets a +2 on Perception checks, it never becomes a class skill and there really aren't the points to burn on it.

Leveling Stats
Level 2 - Ecclesitheurge 1
Deity: Asmodeus
Domains: Fire, Law
Skills: Knowledge (Arcana) +1, Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1
Notes: With Spell Specialization - Magic Missile, you can step away and level Cleric for now. In the earlier levels, a Sorcerer 1 / Cleric 3 is worth more than a Sorcerer 4.

Level 3 - Ecclesitheurge 2
Skills: Knowledge (Arcana) +1, Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Point Blank Shot
Notes: There are going to be a lot of Ray spells down the road, Precise Shot should be taken ASAP.

Level 4 - Ecclesitheurge 3
Attribute: Wisdom +1
Skills: Knowledge (Arcana) +1, Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1
Notes: You might be tempted to switch Spell Specialization over to Arrow of Law. After all, that'd make it do 3d8 damage and there are a LOT of Chaotic creatures in this game, but resist the temptation. You don't have Precise Shot yet and Magic Missile hits everything, Chaotic or not.

Level 5 - Sorcerer 2
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Precise Shot
Notes: Remember as an Eccleistheurge you can prep ALL your Cleric spells with Domain spells. So if you want to use all Scorching Rays, you can and now is a good time to do it since you no longer have the -4 penalty for firing into melee.

Level 6 - Sorcerer 3
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1
Spells: (1) Shield, Protection from Good(Free)
Notes: Your SS-Magic Missile now fires 3 missiles.

Level 7 - Sorcerer 4
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Elemental Focus - Fire, Spell Specialization (Burning Arc)
Spells: (2) Burning Arc
Notes: It's a judgement call on switching Spell Spec. 7 uses of 3d4+3 Magic Missile vs 4 uses of 6d6 Burning Arc that will bounce around between targets. I personally find Burning Arc more useful, but play it by ear.

Level 8 - Mystic Theurge 1
Attribute: Wisdom +1
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Spell Specialization (Magic Missile)
Spells: (1) Ray of Enfeeblement, (2) Molten Orb
Notes: I know what I said for 7, but for 8, SS-MM is worth more. The reason is that it now does 4 missiles, and in addition to your 7 Sorcerer slots, thanks to Mystic Theurge, you can now prep your 4 Cleric-2lvl slots with it as well. By about this time you're just machine gunning down every Troll you come across.
Also note that your Cleric bonded Holy Symbol? This works on Arcane spells that you prepped with your Cleric slots. So, really, you've got 12 casts/day.

Level 9 - Mystic Theurge 2
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Greater Spell Focus (Evocation)
Spells: (3) Fireball

Level 10 - Mystic Theurge 3
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1
Spells: (1) Burning Hands, (2) Scorching Ray, (3) Haste
[i]Notes: Magic Missile now fires all 5 missiles.

Level 11 - Mystic Theurge 4
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Greater Elemental Focus (Fire)
Spells: (4) Controlled Fireball

Level 12 - Mystic Theurge 5
Attribute: Wisdom +1
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Spell Specialization (Scorching Ray)
Spells: (2) Mirror Image, (3) Displacement, (4) Dragon's Breath
Notes: Why the switch? Magic Missile now natively is maxed out at 5, Spell Spec doesn't help it anymore. But it will give you a third Scorching Ray ray for a total of 12d6 damage. And between your Cleric and Sorcerer slots, that's a lot of rays.

Level 13 - Mystic Theurge 6
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Spell Penetration
Spells: (5) Fire Snake
Notes: Roahin, what should my spell lists be looking like? Assuming you have no stat buffs to increase limits and you're just looking for pure blast damage: Sorcerer: 7 Magic Missiles, 7 Scorching Rays, 7 Fireballs, 5 Controlled Fireballs, 3 Fire Snakes; Cleric: 6 Burning Hands, 6 Scorching Rays, 5 Fireballs, 4 Controlled Fireballs, 2 Flame Strikes. As you can see, the name of the game with this build is TONS of high damaging spells. I generally recommend having your team pre-buffed with both Fire Resistance spells so you don't have to sit there trying to work them out of the area of effect (that'll let you drop Controlled Fireball for Dragon's Breath which does more damage). You will never run out of spells, and you're going to find that even if a tough mob out there is making his reflex saves, you're going to be burning them down like nothing anyhow. And when you're dropping 40+ damage to like eight targets simultaneously, you're really doing hundreds of overall damage per cast.

Level 14 - Mystic Theurge 7
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Spell Specialization (Fire Snake)
Spells: (2) Blur, (3) Stinking Cloud, (4) Obsidian Flow, (5) Cloudkill
Notes: Your Scorching Ray now natively fires all three rays. Fire Snake is one of the few spells that can still benefit from increased caster level at this point.

Level 15 - Mystic Theurge 8
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Greater Spell Penetration, Spell Specialization (Hellfire Ray)
Spells: (6)Hellfire Ray

Level 16 - Mystic Theurge 9
Attribute: Wisdom +1
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1
Spells: (4) Volcanic Storm, (5) Vampiric Shadow Shield, (6) Sirocco

Level 17 - Mystic Theurge 10
Skills: Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Weapon Focus (Ray)
Spells: (7) Firebrand
Notes: God, Firebrand is such a great spell. For those unfamiliar, you make your whole team immune to your fire spells and all their weapons count as flaming.

Level 18 - Ecclesitheurge 4
Skills: Knowledge (Arcana) +1, Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1

Level 19 - Ecclesitheurge 5
Skills: Knowledge (Arcana) +1, Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1
Feats: Improved Critical (Ray)

Level 20 - Ecclesitheurge 6
Attribute: Wisdom +1
Skills: Knowledge (Arcana) +1, Lore (Religion) +1, Persuasion +1

Some might recognize this as a variant of my Firelord build for Tristan in the Companions page. Given both Saranae and Asmodeus are fire Gods, there's some obvious overlap. But whereas Tristan's build also focused on healing and buffing, the Inferno Priest is just a tactical nuke, clean-sweeping encounters away. It should be noted that even on Unfair difficulty, I found this build was making things too easy. Maybe that's a boon to you, maybe it's a drawback.
What weapon would you recommend for this build Roahin a crossbow or bow?
Post edited October 19, 2020 by BobZilla84
Posted October 19, 2020
Hey Roahin I would love to see your take on a Grenadier build I have tried a few others but they were a little to min/max for me.Any chance you could give it a shot bud?
Posted October 20, 2020
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BobZilla84: What weapon would you recommend for this build Roahin a crossbow or bow?
As I recall, neither Cleric nor Wizard can use a regular bow, so crossbow. Not that it matters, by about the time you move to Chapter 2 you're never going to run out of spells to autoattack again.

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BobZilla84: Hey Roahin I would love to see your take on a Grenadier build I have tried a few others but they were a little to min/max for me.Any chance you could give it a shot bud?
Grenadier builds are incredibly straight-forward. Still, I'll put one together in a bit.
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