Empress Matilda

[sonofzeal]

I have been tasked by a friend with building a character based off Empress Matilda. Yes, really. No, I don't have any ideas.

http://willofjehovah.com/Family%20History/_Rowe/from%20Adam/__samothes/__illustrations/Matilda-flanders_sm.png

ABILITIES
- dynamic leader
- gifted war-time strategist
- escaped one castle by climbing out of a window
- escaped another by disguising herself as a corpse
- walked 8 miles through a blizzard with only a white cloak.

STRENGTHS
- intelligent
- cunning
- independent

FLAWS
- stubborn

ACCEPTABLE BREAK FROM REALITY
- some magical ability is accepted, though probably not a full mage

RULES DETAILS
- lvl 10, standard wealth
- all official content allowed
- PHB races preferred though not mandatory

CAMPAIGN DETAILS
- Think "post-zombie-apocalyptic", but with more vampires and some eldritch abomination (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EldritchAbomination) that's trying to move things from a Class 1 to a Class X-4 apocalpyse (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ApocalypseHow). As such, mind-affecting and precision damage are both going to be very limited, unless they work on undead.


Any suggestions?

[Geigan]

I don't wanna say factotum because that would be too easy.

Maybe a multiclass between bard and like one level of some spellcaster that gets endure elements or a class that gets survival as a class skill. The only thing that doesn't fit about bard is the surviving through the storm bit. Unless she cast alter self to take an anti cold humanoid I'd say you need at least 1 level in maybe cleric, since that would be the most useful dip for domains and such

[sonofzeal]

Factotum's possible, but I'd want to throw a PrC on there, something to set her apart a bit. We've had a whole series of Factotum characters so far, of mixed effectiveness, so some kicker would be good.

Bard's another viable option though. Is there a way to make Bards Int-based?

[Cog]

Marshal might be good for a dip. You can pull of Knowledge Devotion with it in a pinch (4+Int skills and all knowledges), and at least get Knowledge (history) for tactical matters; the auras can be used to boost checks (such as bluff/disguise for the corpse escape) or saves (Fortitude for cold endurance), in addition to the various tactical boosts. Once you get the few auras you want, though, run for the hills.

Edit:

Bard's another viable option though. Is there a way to make Bards Int-based?
There's a UA variant that makes them partially Int-based. If you don't offer a save with either a spell or a music effect, you can get by without Cha entirely.

[Godskook]

How about:

Marshal 5/Chameleon 5

Feats:
Able Learner
City Slicker

That nets you 3 auras, giving you +Cha on Int/Cha/Str based skills, allowing you to effectively skill monkey in all 3 areas, as well as chameleon, which should allow her to remain level appropriate, and if she's willing to cheese it, soulmelds provide a lot of back-up later on, after she 'discovers' her ability to use them.

[sonofzeal]

How about:

Marshal 5/Chameleon 5

Feats:
Able Learner
City Slicker

That nets you 3 auras, giving you +Cha on Int/Cha/Str based skills, allowing you to effectively skill monkey in all 3 areas, as well as chameleon, which should allow her to remain level appropriate, and if she's willing to cheese it, soulmelds provide a lot of back-up later on, after she 'discovers' her ability to use them.
Excellent idea!

What soulmelds would you recommend?

[Cog]

What soulmelds would you recommend?
Using the Chameleon bonus feat, you can swap them out. I'd recommend having fun trying a variety of them. To be a little cheesier about it... note that losing the feat doesn't unshape the soulmeld you created with it.

[Godskook]

Excellent idea!

What soulmelds would you recommend?

That depends entirely on what you're looking for.

And for a more advanced progression, she's probably going to want to dip back into marshal for the dex-aura, but I prioritized prestige entry for the initial build.

[Aemoh87]

She just feels bard to me. She is daring and can inspire those around her. I can't see her any other way other than inspire courage.

[sonofzeal]

Right now I'm thinking about a Bard/Marshal mix, potentially with the full Regalia of the Hero. What sort of mix would you recommend? Any feat/gear choices I should consider?

[Geigan]

Cloak of comfort from Complete Mage would be appropriate.

[sonofzeal]

Any other ideas on getting a 10th lvl Barshal off the ground?

[Doc Roc]

I'm very pro-factotum here! You can totally fate/stay this all up ins, and take her to 11, all anachronistically using iajatsu. Marshal's been openly useless every time I've used it.

[sonofzeal]

I'm very pro-factotum here! You can totally fate/stay this all up ins, and take her to 11, all anachronistically using iajatsu. Marshal's been openly useless every time I've used it.
fate/stay?

And I'm pretty much set on Barshal for now, unless the player in question decides to go for Factotum. Marshal is potentially effective, they just need something more to do with their standard actions, and Bard provides that. There's also some items that help the two classes synergize, specifically the Regalia of the Hero.

But you're right, Marshal is pretty low-tier, and Bard is middling at best. I don't think Dragonfire Inspiration is appropriate here. Is there something more fitting you'd suggest to help make either side effective?