[3.5] High Level King/General NPC Class

[ajfonty]

Hi all,

I haven't had much experience with unique or rare classes as NPCs, but in this case I'm looking for a class/multiclass high-level (i.e., 18 or higher) NPC to act as a king or general, or other such purpose. He's going to be evil, and hopefully he'll be strong in both conventional combat and spellcasting.

Is there any class or multiclass that will allow him to gain this sort of strength, particularly if it is evil/demonic in nature? Or will I have to create this character as a unique individual with certain higher level spells as a sort of "evil gift" bestowed on the character by an evil force? I know a lot of high end demons, such as Balors, have natural spell abilities that don't necessary correspond to a class level -- should I take this approach with the NPC I am creating?

Specifically, I'm hoping to create a tough opponent, with high Charisma for flavor, that can cast spells such as Blasphemy or, at the very least, a spell such as Harm. Thanks in advance for your help!

[JellyPooga]

Well, you can't go wrong with a straight up Cleric.

Combat? Check.
Spellcasting (including Harm and Blasphemy)? Check.
Evil? Check.
Divine favour? Check.

All you got to do is choose a deity (but only if you feel like it!).

[Greenish]

Yeah, cleric or favoured soul are pretty neat options. For a more martial bent, Cleric/Crusader/RKV (with maybe a dash of Ordained Champion) does well.

[Urpriest]

Ability to cast Blasphemy and Harm, high level, use for high Cha, brutal in combat...

My friend, you want an Ur-Priest!

Ur-Priests steal divine spells from the gods rather than praying for them. It's a prestige class in Complete Divine. It's tough to get into, but it gives you divine spells faster than normal classes do. There are a lot of things you can do with it, here's one example:

Duskblade 3/Monk 2/Ur-Priest 2/Sacred Fist 10/Hierophant 5

This gets you Divine spells, up to 9th level with Caster Level 18 and the ability to punch people like a 12th level monk, plus channel spells into your melee attacks. With a high Charisma and maybe an Extra Turning you can use Divine Metamagic (Persistent Spell) to use spells like Righteous Might 24/7, making your king a ferocious blasphemous killing machine.

Edit: Also, you need a feat to get Bluff on your class list to qualify with this setup. Without it, you'll want to replace some or all of Duskblade with Warlock.

[Seharvepernfan]

Warblade is a good class for "elite" npc king/general types. Give him martial study (mighty throw) for sense motive, probably focus on white raven.

You could go with crusader too.