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Wycen Adamantite |
So, I got a follower |
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So my noble character (master class from Green Ronin) has got a follower now. The mini I'm going to use is the jester looking guy here:
http://paizo.com/image/product/catalog/RKH/RKHCDCH03_500.jpeg I'm actually using Vladar the Arrogant as my figure. Anyway, our group needs the extra
firepower. Besides my diplomat, we got: battle sorcerer fairy cleric wanna be mystic theurge Without going into too much detail, none of these are characters
that can put the smack down. We've survived to 6th and 7th level by having sometimes as many as 7 players at the table. Life and the usual things have
widdled us down to 4 players. I'm looking for suggestions on how to stat up my follower. I'm thinking of going with a fighter/rogue multiclass. We just
burned a scroll of gaseous form to get past a locked door and thanks to locking another door before running away, a bad guy escaped. I've also considered a
wizard or cleric, but I don't want the NPC to steal the limelight from actual party members. So I'm looking for any advice on creating a fun, but more
important effective follower NPC.
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Wycen Adamantite |
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Hmm, formatting seems to be an issue with these yucko boards. Anyway I forgot, my cohort will start at 5th level.
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Bloodfeaster |
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A jester? Seems like a figure whose sole purpose is to steal the limelight from others!
If you are light in melee crunch, consider giving your aristocrat a bodyguard--probably a single class fighter of the same race as your character, or maybe a Fighter/Ranger hybrid. Personality-wise, think of the Secret Service men and women who guard the President, and play him that way...though perhaps a bit more proactive when it comes to violence. You want him killing enemies, not pinning you to the ground or frog-marching you out of the dungeon while your comrades cover your escape! a.k.a. Damien the Bloodfeaster
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Wycen Adamantite |
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A body guard type is actually close to what I'm thinking. Our party is something of a cobbled together goon-fest. The fairy cleric is an anarchist,
infected with "choas" (mutation from Monte Cook stuff) and she and I had a disagreement, considering my character is a member of the new aristocracy.
2 of the players who dropped out also had noble backgrounds. The other cleric/mage is a weakling. With Bracers of Armor +1 his AC is 10. His attack bonus is
negative. He talks with a really whiny voice and over reacts to any damage. The battle sorcerer fried my ass last session with a lightening bolt (I was hiding
in an illusion so I can't fully blame him). For some reason, Penfold of Danger Mouse seems like a good idea for personality. How do I force a paragraph
break with yuku?
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Deepcut |
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I would think that a fighter type might be too weak to play that roll given that he will be 5th level in a party of 7th levels pc's. He will not be able to
play meat shield effectively and will end up going down hard against the BBEG.
So...I think the best roll for a cohort is force multiplier: have the npc be a cleric with lots of buff spells, or a mage with similar, or go for the bard with buff spells. The constant is of course, buff spells, and the fact that the npc will be away from the front lines. You could also try a ranged sneak attacking rogue.
"...In ancient times, hundreds of years before the dawn of history, an ancient race of people... the Druids. No one knows who they were or what they were doing... "
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Sen the Collector |
roguish fellow | ||
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I would suggest a rogue/bard. Give him at least 1 level in rogue so he can detect and disable magic traps, then add bard levels for the "buffing"
spells and bardic music. Bards get enough skill points that even if Search and Disable Device are cross-class skills (I don't know off-hand) he should
still be able to keep 'em maxed out.
He'll be able to help the party as a whole, but (I hope the pcs aren't THAT pathetic) won't outshine anyone. |
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Seppuku Squirrels |
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scout/rogue so he can skirmish as he runs away from monsters and still have lots of skills to drop on lock opening and trappiness.
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Deepcut |
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Yeah, I would be more worried about the party's survival than the one-upsmanship if your cohort is stealing the thunder.
"...In ancient times, hundreds of years before the dawn of history, an ancient race of people... the Druids. No one knows who they were or what they were doing... "
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Bloodfeaster |
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A bodyguard follower is feasible if you focus on defense--take Combat Reflexes, and have him attack defensively, provide cover for your character, use Aid
Another to boost AC, and so forth. He shouldn't be used as the party's primary tank.
Then again, looking at the list of characters, a well-built 5th level PC may well be on par with the other 7th level characters. It sounds like your group has bigger issues than your follower, though. I'd be tempted to "clear the field" with a TPK and bring in some less bizarre characters. Or maybe join a different group with some less bizarre players? a.k.a. Damien the Bloodfeaster
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Seppuku Squirrels |
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I'm slightly confused by this:
battle sorcerer fairy cleric wanna be mystic theurge This could be one PC. Class followed by race followed by 2nd class followed by the PrC which the preceding qualifies the fairy for. How many PCs are there? |
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Deepcut |
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Damien, I like your thinking: "Lets nuke it from orbit, it's the only way to be sure!" lol
"...In ancient times, hundreds of years before the dawn of history, an ancient race of people... the Druids. No one knows who they were or what they were doing... "
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Wycen Adamantite |
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Because apparently I don't know how to do paragraph breaks with yuku, those all ran together instead of being listed in a column.
PC #1 is a human battle sorcerer. PC #2 is a human noble/fighter, (my character). PC #3 is a spryte (Arcana Unearthed/Evolved) cleric. PC #4 is a human cleric (cloistered cleric I think)/wizard. If that runs altogether, the periods will properly separate them. The group started with another human fighter (Thug variant from UA), a sibeccai urban ranger, an elven shadowmancer (from Tome of Magic). We had an eladrin from Savage Species but he died. And a binder from Tome of Magic got swapped for the battle sorcerer. |
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Wycen Adamantite |
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After visiting Henchman R' Us, I have rudimentary stats for one. I told everyone he was here on a trial basis, but that may or may not be the case. We
might have a party member die from a grapple attack, so if that happens, who knows what role he'll chose to fill.
Penfold is a halfling Rogue 2/Fighter 3. Feats: Improved Initiative, Quickdraw, Point Blank Shot and Arcane Battle Mastery (feat prereq for Monte Cook's Book of Iron Might). His only special equipment at the moment is a halfling sized Tentacle Blade from the Book of Eldritch Might. He had some bad dice luck in his first session, but he was able to climb into a window into a house occupied by bad guys and hack through some of them. Why the window? Our battle sorcerer was invisible, waiting outside the door, which was locked, except the guys inside the house were arguing about who had to go outside and fight us. So they never opened the door and faced the spell he was holding. |
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Deepcut |
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Henchmen can be either great asset or they can be discouraged by DMs. They sap the party xp and treasure pools. But they can add flavor and depth to the party.
"...In ancient times, hundreds of years before the dawn of history, an ancient race of people... the Druids. No one knows who they were or what they were doing... "
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Wycen Adamantite |
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Cohorts don't sap xp. I guess I never mentioned he was supposed to be a cohort.
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Diabolus |
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Dragon Shaman with a Spiked Chain makes a kickass cohort, even several levels below the group.
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Deepcut |
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All it takes is one direct hit from a giant or a minotaur to humble the below APL cohort who wants to play meat shield.
"...In ancient times, hundreds of years before the dawn of history, an ancient race of people... the Druids. No one knows who they were or what they were doing... "
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Diabolus |
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You have a very "squishy" and underpowered party.
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Deepcut |
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Squishy like a bood soaked mop. :-)
"...In ancient times, hundreds of years before the dawn of history, an ancient race of people... the Druids. No one knows who they were or what they were doing... "
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