3.5 Eberron campaign- Suggestions for Party

[blueteam5]

Hello, I am looking to run a game in Eberron that is with an optimized playgroup and looking for suggestions on how to build a NPC that is a focus to the story that travels with the party. I've banned Forgotten Realms Material and any other campaign specific material, otherwise all books are open.

Currently the players I have are this:
Human varient wizard/shadowcraft mage
Thri-Kreen Hood (Jumping Charger)
Asherati Archivist/Walker in the Waste
Race unknown Thrallherd

The character I am piloting is Illumian Warmage/Rainbow Servant (w/early entry)
This character is the focus of the story and I want to see how she should be built out without taking away the spotlight by being party face.

Using Pathfinder feat system (every odd level)

I've never run a NPC with the party in this fashion and looking for ideas on what would be the best approach. Also looking for ideas to challenge the party but not make them feel insignificant. Thanks for any suggestions.

[blueteam5]

Also to add to it, I plan on using the worm that walks elder evil as a focus for the back story. I want the npc to guide the story for the most part. I am not sure what a good build would be to do with the rainbow servant beyond the quicken/persist route, the only problem I have with persist is the walker in the waste character is doing this already and I do not need to add more to that focus. So I am left with quicken as far as the ideas I've located in the warmage and rainbow servant handbook and guides. I am curious as to your thoughts on what else she could do as far as a focus.

I want to avoid draconic heritage and persist. Based on that what would be a good direction for build? I know adding domains to their spell list helps to broaden their capabilities. With this in mind I was thinking after Rainbow Servant to take a max of 5 levels in Sovereign Speaker (Faiths of Eberron) for extra domains from the Sovereign Host.

I want to also try and challenge the party, in doing so, I'm looking for suggestions to make it so, without always overwhelming them. Thanks for any advice that you may be able to give for a little direction. The story is pretty well planned out, at least major plot points, and wanted some further advice on where to go from here.

[Kol Korran]

Hey Blueteam5, welcome to the forums!

We need more information, some things such as:
1) What level does the party start at? What level do you expect them to get?
2) You keep saying that this NPC is "the focus", and that it should "drive/ guide the story". In what way exactly? It's the main quest giver? does it travel with the group? Is it their leader? Or do they protect it? Is it supposed to be in the same competence level? More? Less? Why such a competence level? Is it a true ally, or does it guide them to some unknown doom? (The worm that walks that you mentioned for example?)
3) You speak of the character only in terms of classes, not it's role, personality, or place in the party. That might help us fill in the gaps you need.
4) A general intro to the campaign and what you expect to happen in it may be of aid.

I get the feeling that this is NPC is supposed to be an accompanying party member, and that it's supposed to drive the story. I suggest to avoid it if you can- players HATE that! (It's often called a DMPC). Players want the story to be around THEIR characters. If an NPC is important to the story, that is ok as long as it's transitory and that they don't hog the spot light, and let the PCs shine, make the important decisions, and move the story forward.

Perhaps with more info we can help... Good luck in any case!

[blueteam5]

Thanks for your reply!. Sorry to not include some crucial details, I'll fill in the blanks.

1. the party is starting at level 10 and plan to get to level 20. I've only allowed a total of 4 classes (base and prestige combined) for each character.

2. The NPC travels with the characters and by focus, her back story plays a large role for the party members. She is also level 10 and taking a side roll in the party as far as information goes. She fills in the blanks for the most part. She aids them when necessary and tries to not be the focus as she was in hiding for so long seeing that the remaining couatls (very few) are being removed.

3. She is going to be of a supporting role mostly. Only problem with this is that won't be until level 10 of Rainbow Servant when she gets cleric spells to be a support role. She currently has warmage spells mostly blasting spells, and significantly less than any other party member can deal. This is ok but there will be consequences if she dies (such as major events that make the foes more difficult or they receive more information more quickly and a time limit ends up being put in place for certain tasks) and this is why the party is driven to keep her alive.

4. She is being targeted by the Lords of Dust (one of the overlords being combined with the worm that walks). She is a descendant of the couatls and is trying to find help and protection from the PCs in trying to stop the release of the worm that walks. The Rakshasa's have elite members of the Lords of Dust the party will have to face and reoccurring villains that will try and thwart them. The NPC will try to travel with the PCs to Argonnessen (island of the dragons) to try and convince them to rejoin in the cause to stop the Lords of dust from this inevitable evil. They will have to Stop one recurring Villain from obtaining the pieces that will release the worm that walks from his tomb.

I do want her to travel with them, the issue as you said, is making her not be the spot light of each event. Of course other events will take place where she has no tie to them at all. She is mainly there to be protected by the PCs but I do want her to have the same competence level as they do in order to fulfill a lacking role in the group. Maybe thinking of gearing her toward buff/debuff as this is their largest gap, however, I'm avoiding persist to not step on another players toes with his sand golems and his own personal buffs. This is the issue i'm coming across to try and find what she could do that they cannot do. If there is another set of classes entirely, that would be better for this role that are on the same level, I am also open to that. Also I am aware of Ur-Priest spell progression and deliberately omitted it from my choices. The rainbow servant feels like a good class to take due to her tie to the couatls.

Thanks again and I look forward to reading any suggestions.

[blueteam5]

Bumping.

I was debating Dread Necromancer over Warmage, does this sound like a better choice as far as having different capabilities? What are your experiences with the class as far as the role they play? I know little about the class, but it seems like they are mostly summoning undead. Don't know if there is a different way to build them where that is not their primary role. Thanks for taking a look at what I've put together.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Beguiler from PH2 instead of Warmage would give the character superb utility instead of blasting. Illumians are Humanoid (Human) so give her the feat Able Learner from Races of Destiny and she can keep up her ranks in all your favorite Beguiler class skills.

Be sure to give her two flaws (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/characterFlaws.htm) (more here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=258440#30)) for Improved Sigil: Krau and Sanctum Spell at 1st level, to start out Beguiler 1/ Warmage 9. Say she hired an NPC Psion for a Psychic Reformation (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/psychicReformation.htm) to trade those out for more useful feats once she was high enough level to cast 3rd level spells normally. Throw in Sculpt Spell and Invisible Spell (qualified for via Sanctum Spell, now meeting the prerequisites of each other) for some nice tricks.

[blueteam5]

Thanks for your suggestions!

I think the Beguiler would be the better route as you mentioned. I'm not too keen on the flaws, I should have mentioned that originally, as I'm using the pathfinder feat progression which allows more feats than normal. I do want to set a limitation on and not go the feat swapping direction only because I don't want to make her have too much power to pull any strings she wants. Looking to still make sure the pcs are directing the game for the most part, but she will be the focus of story plots when it comes to getting information on the worm that walks and Lords of Dust for example. Beguiler into rainbow servant seems the best. I can make her the battlefield control type with that setup, at least before she gets to cleric spells.

I appreciate the advice greatly.

[Kol Korran]

Ok, got the story a bit better now. You seem set on using her, so a few thoughts:
1) Don't go Dread Necro if you're using the full Eberron lore. The dragons of Argonessen are REALLY against necromancy (at least if you're using Dragons of Eberron). It would be weird for them to support it.

2) I'd suggest to avoid a full caster. You're DMing a game at high levels, and you'll be busy enough running the game, the monsters, the setting, and dealing with the shenanigens of 4 high level characters. Having you to work another character in is just going to complicate stuff.

I suggest therefore to make the character either a warlock or a dragon fire adept- striaghtforward classes, who came be easily themed for your purposes, and that have few easy to use and useful abilities, but not overly powerful, letting the party be the main guys.

Beguiler is great but is somewhat complicated, and it steals the role of "party talker" from the PCs, which you don't want to do.

3) You keep talking about using cleric. Again- the cleric is one of the most versatyle casters in the game- you're inviting MAJOR headache! Instead have the character have a high UMD or just an item that can specifically be used by it that grants some potent healing (or whatever else you need, like simple buffs). Call it some sort of a gift from the couatls or something... Just don't go with the entire range of clerical spells, or you'll never get out of it, and the party will start nagging you to have her memorize this or that psecific spell/s.

To sum things up: If her roles are to move the story, and to provide some sort of support, do JUST that, but don't get overboard with it. High level games suffer from enough drag and book keeping as it is!

Good luck to you!

EDIT: Also, have Argonessen refuse to help, showing their arrogance, and just "a few" dragons of the Chamber willing to assist... somewhat... It's always nice to be the ones who ACTUALLY save the world, and not just call the big brothers to do so.

[blueteam5]

Thanks Kol Korran for the great advice!

I think you are definitely right about keeping her out of a cleric role. I will probably look to the suggested classes that are less powerful so that the PCs will feel like they are protecting her. I could easily make her a UMD user and that would help fill what missing roles their are without having any PC's toes stepped on. I am interested in keeping the lore pretty close to what is in the book. I will definitely make the Argonessen dragons arrogant enough to deny help except maybe here and there with a few of the members that will merely give what information they can to assist. The input is helping me get a better idea on where I need to direct her efforts. I will look into the UMD user and give some feedback on how it would work out with the game. What Wands/staffs or any other items would you recommend be good? I will probably put in one item that has the potent use as you mentioned if I go this route for sure.

Thanks again for giving some good input.