[PF] Need help deciding on a 4th character for a campaign

[Kon Lesh]

Greetings. I am going to be running a campaign for a group of friends but I have a small problem in the fact that I only have 3 players. We don't want to have to go through the hassle of driving/busing people to the apartment so I have decided to add a NPC to the party. But I don't want to put to much stress on myself so I only want to add a single NPC. The problem is that I can't decided what to make.

This is in a homebrew campaign world but using the pathfinder gods. The game is starting at level 7 with 25 point buy. The party consists of a:
1. Control/Manipulation Wizard
2. Lore Warden Fighter/Duelist
3. Cutpurse Rogue

My PCs have mentioned that they would be interested in a heal bot, range combatant, front line tank, or a creature summoner.

I can't think of a way to do all of these without decreasing a characters abilities in everything. So I am here to ask what members of the forum would think would be a good addition. My ideas consist of:

1. Life oracle in heavy armor. Selective channel feat and then summoning feats.
2. Ranger sniper with giant mantis or rhino animal companion.
3. Paladin with weapon bond (makes a powerful switch fighter and can heal through lay on hands/channel energy)

Does someone have a better idea? Is one of these obviously better then the others? I am open to anything.

[ThiagoMartell]

Well, you don't need 4 characters. I'm pretty sure you can build an Inquisitor to fit all mentioned roles, though.

[StreamOfTheSky]

It's painfully feat heavy, but a cleric of Erastil with the Guided Hand feat (requires a completely worthless pre-req; and then you need the big 3 archery feats, too) can be a heal bot and archer. And he has the full summon monster spell list, though there's alignment restrictions. A few buff spells and he can front line tank, too.

Once a druid starts getting medium, large, and huge elemental wild shapes, they're decent as archers, with the new ultimate equipment property to have the bow auto-adjust to your changing str mod. Can't recall the name right now, but it's a flat +1000 gp cost. Probably would be...at level 7 you're not quite there yet.

Paladin really is not a good stand in for a healer, but it's better than no healing, and smite works just as well on a bow.

They're asking for an awful lot of roles out of you. I assume the rogue is pretty much dead weight in combat and the fighter/duelist can only barely hold his own?

When you say "control" wizard, do you mean battlefield control? Like...clouds and tentacle fields and pit spells? If so...it's neither a healer nor an archer nor a summoner, but I have a Ranger dual shield using concept that is excellent at bull rushing enemies into mires of suck created by a spellcaster. Basically go Weapon and Shield style w/ ranger for 6 levels or so, grabbing Shield Slam at 2 and Shield Master at 6, and the Bull Rush and TWF feat lines along the way, and using two spiked bashing heavy shields. Then into Brawler Fighter or something.

[Blyte]

gaaarg has a life oracle+paladin build that is capable of meat shielding and spamming channeled heals + swift layhands.

1/2 orc master summoner could start to get into his power upswing around level 7 as well. carry a few staves/wands and take skill focus UMD. augment summoning + ferocious summons would make for some fine meat shields. Your eidolon could also have a pretty high UMD as well, and if you take leadership you could try to fanangle your DM into allowing you to make him your cohort, to keep his level up to relevant and give him a niche.

[grarrrg]

My PCs have mentioned that they would be interested in a heal bot, range combatant, front line tank, or a creature summoner.
...
1. Life oracle in heavy armor. Selective channel feat and then summoning feats.
2. Ranger sniper with giant mantis or rhino animal companion.
3. Paladin with weapon bond (makes a powerful switch fighter and can heal through lay on hands/channel energy)

Of the 4 things you'd like for the character to do, any 2 would be feasible together. Possibly 3 if you really stretched. But all 4 is right out.

In the "Healbot+Tank" role we have,

gaaarg has a life oracle+paladin build that is capable of meat shielding and spamming channeled heals + swift layhands.


Who? (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RunningGag)
Oradin link (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=13120545#post13120545)
As coincidences would have it, you want a level 7 build, and the Oradin comes online at level 7.

In the "Tank+Summoner", and part-time Healbot role we have,
Master Summoner (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/summoner/archetypes/paizo---summoner-archetypes/master-summoner)
You get a 1/2 progression Eidolon, which is just enough to make a good Defense build (offense will suck), BUT you can have your Summon Monster ability active at the same time. And you get an extra 2/day uses of your Summon Monster, so even if the Eidolon goes down, you still have plenty of gas in the tank.
The part-time Healbot is because it's a High-CHA class with UMD on it's skill list, throw him a Wand or two of Cure and you're set, Summoner Heals while the Minions take the hits.


As far as Straight up Healbot choices go, you're looking at Cleric (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/cleric), Life-Oracle (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/oracle/mysteries/paizo---oracle-mysteries/life), or Hedge Witch (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/witch/archetypes/paizo---witch-archetypes/hedge-witch).
All of them can Spontaneously cast Cure spells, NONE of them need to actually Learn Cure spells (Cleric>Full list, Oracle>gets for Free, Witch>says right there "don't need to know").
2 of them have Channel Energy, the third has a Healing Hex, which is basically 1/day Channel Energy (can only affect any given target once per day).

[watchwood]

Have one or more of them take the leadership feat if they need extra bodies in the party, and let them design their own personal assistants.

[Larpus]

Personally, I'd advise you against making a summoner or anything that increases the bodycount on the map too much, as that will be more work for you in the long run, having to manage summoned creatures and your monsters, not to mention have to plan around it.

By the way, the Rogue player is dead set on Rogue or he just wants a character that sneak attacks (or sneaks, or skillmonkeys, or something else Rogues do)?

If it's the latter, show him the Ninja (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/alternate-classes/ninja) or Alchemist (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/alchemist) (Vivisectionist (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/alchemist/archetypes/paizo---alchemist-archetypes/vivisectionist)) classes, they're rather sadly "better at Rogue than a Rogue". Otherwise, still show them the Alchemist to him anyway (Ninja is an alternate for Rogue, so it's one or the other), since the Rogue gravy stops coming at around level 3 or 5 and sneak attack progression stacks.

I'm quite biased, but Alchemist gets some interesting options overall (flight for a discovery, natural weapons, can actually use poison without fabricate, limited fast healing 5, etc) and gets 3/4 "potion" buff-based spellcasting that can really help the party survive and stride (he just needs the infusion discovery).

[Than]

Since we're talking pathfinder you always have the option of a Flurry of Bows Zen Archery build. The archetype was either in the Advanced Rulebook or Ultimate Combat. There's even a feat that will remove your AoO with ranged weapons and another couple that will give you an increasingly large threat range. Combine with combat reflexes and, if 3.5 feats are allowed, ranged trip.