Help with character building in different type of campaign

[Angelenigma]

So I will get to the point right away, the build i need to make isn't the normal type because the setting is not in Faerun. This is a campaign where the DM has asked that we make a character as if we suddenly had class levels biased on our own abilities. The other thing is it is to be set in this time period. I, unfortunately, have not read all the D&D books and my only issue stopping me from reading them at the moment is college homework/preparing for tests. So I literally have no clue what class is the best class for someone like me, oh and before I forget we have to have the same alignment we would be as we are now.

So me as a person, Love helping others, my best ability is empathy, when I was younger I empathized with animals then broadened to other humans. I have been able to make someone's emotional status go a full 180, from being angry and punching walls to calm and relaxed. I have no clue what class something like that would be.

Now for alignment. I am good, no getting past that, but my only issue is that I will help others but I look at benefits vs risks. Are the benefits of getting this person help worth the risk of momentarily loosing my own emotional stability. The example I gave earlier had me closing my eyes and shutting the rest of the world out for a bit to get my own emotions stable again. So is that neutral good? chaotic good? no clue....

I hope I gave you a good enough explanation of my crisis in as condensed form I could.

DM says 3.0/3.5 and PoW are viable, no dragon magazine but compendium is allowed. Also We were gestalt.

[torrasque666]

Nature Bard maybe? I believe they still have diplomacy as a class skill, as well as the charm​ line of spells. And they get a ton of druid features while still retaining that flavor of being semi-sociable.

[Troacctid]

Or Urban Druid? Unlike normal Druids, they have access to calm emotions.

[Angelenigma]

My DM informed me that 3.0/3.5 and PoW are on the table, no dragon magazine but Compendium is fine. Also We were gestalt


Or Urban Druid? Unlike normal Druids, they have access to calm emotions.

hmmm... That seems viable though I have no clue book wise where that would be


Nature Bard maybe? I believe they still have diplomacy as a class skill, as well as the charm​ line of spells. And they get a ton of druid features while still retaining that flavor of being semi-sociable.

I did look at bard but my only thing is bard in my opinion isn't exactly what I'd be going for.

My co-players and DM suggested cleric because of the heals which is another thing I would love. For me it is a challenge because it has been established that everyone else in the campaign are all evil....

[Troacctid]

hmmm... That seems viable though I have no clue book wise where that would be

Dragon Compendium. They get some healing as well.

Oh, as far as whether you're chaotic or lawful, would you consider yourself driven more by impulse and emotion, or are you more disciplined and logical? If the former, you're probably chaotic; if the latter, lawful is more likely; if you're somewhere in between or you're not really sure either way, go with neutral.

[Angelenigma]

Dragon Compendium. They get some healing as well.

Oh, as far as whether you're chaotic or lawful, would you consider yourself driven more by impulse and emotion, or are you more disciplined and logical? If the former, you're probably chaotic; if the latter, lawful is more likely; if you're somewhere in between or you're not really sure either way, go with neutral.

Thank you! it will help now that I can go straight to the book, as for the Alignment the way you explained it makes it clearer to me :) thanks!

[torrasque666]

If bard's rub you the wrong way, the nature bard that I recommended above does trade out most of its bardic music abilities for druid stuff. And if you need you can always take Perform(Persuasive Speech) for your perform skill.

[Extra Anchovies]

If bard's rub you the wrong way, the nature bard that I recommended above does trade out most of its bardic music abilities for druid stuff. And if you need you can always take Perform(Persuasive Speech) for your perform skill.

There's also a number of good feats that let you spend uses of Bardic Music on other stuff. Lyric spell is a good one; cast a spell without using a spell slot by spending (spell level +1) bardic music uses.

[PraxisVetli]

My co-players and DM suggested cleric because of the heals which is another thing I would love. For me it is a challenge because it has been established that everyone else in the campaign are all evil....
DM also stated that Alignments and classes should be chosen exclusively by the individual, with absolute disregard to other players.
We are as we are, no exceptions.

[Troacctid]

Well, if you can be friends with evil people in real life, your character should be able to be friends with their evil characters in-game.

[prufock]

So me as a person, Love helping others, my best ability is empathy, when I was younger I empathized with animals then broadened to other humans. I have been able to make someone's emotional status go a full 180, from being angry and punching walls to calm and relaxed. I have no clue what class something like that would be.
You want
- animal empathy
- high diplomacy
- high charisma
- charm spells
- high sense motive skill
- calm emotions spell
- animal companion?

Nature bard and urban druid would both be fine choices, as would cleric with Animal and Charm domains. You won't get Wild Empathy or an Animal Companion from this, but you could always pick up the Wild Cohort feat, or dip into another base class or a prestige class that grants similar things (Beastmaster, Animal Lord, etc).

[Extra Anchovies]

Seconding/thirding/whatevering Urban Druid. If you don't want the Urban Shape, see if you can trade it (and your armor/shield proficiency) for the deadly hunter UA variant: AC and speed bonuses as a monk (including wisdom to AC), favored enemy, Track, and swift tracker as a ranger. Then, if you don't want favored enemies, trade those for Favored Terrain (another UA variant).

[PaucaTerrorem]

Commoner. I mean is there really any other option?

[Extra Anchovies]

Commoner. I mean is there really any other option?

Hey, I at least like to think that we have at least one level of expert, maybe two once we graduate from college (or expert 1/warrior 1 if we served in the military). I don't know about you, but I'm capable of using multiple simple weapons, not just one.

[PaucaTerrorem]

On the subject, has anyone made the 'cook/chef' class? Cause I would love to see that as a PC class. Thinking medium BAB; good reflex; prestidigitation at will (prettying up a dish); proficient with daggers and maces; heal, certain knowledges, profession, and craft as class skills.

Thoughts anyone?

[Extra Anchovies]

On the subject, has anyone made the 'cook/chef' class? Cause I would love to see that as a PC class. Thinking medium BAB; good reflex; prestidigitation at will (prettying up a dish); proficient with daggers and maces; heal, certain knowledges, profession, and craft as class skills.

Thoughts anyone?

I think there's been dozens of "cook" classes made (baker's dozens, even). I know my IRL friends and I have made two (one in middle school, one in high school), I've already seen at least two GitP versions in the month-ish that I've been on this forum, and there's probably more lurking in the homebrew thread archive.

Honestly, my opinion: If you want to play a cook, put ranks in to profession (chef), call your character a cook, occasionally use class features for mundane food preparation, and make lots of in-character food references. It works for Clerics, it works for Swordsages, it works for Wizards, it works for Maho-Bujin (although their cooking might be a little questionable), it works for anyone with Profession as a class skill.

[nedz]

This might be wide of the mark, but what about a Cleric of Valarian ?
Take the Animal and Fey domains.

It's kind of half Cleric / half Druid.

[jiriku]

If you are gestalt, then druid/divine bard would be an easy choice. The divine bard variant is in Unearthed Arcana. But if every other character in the party is evil...and their players self-describe as evil... watch your back.

[Ettina]

My co-players and DM suggested cleric because of the heals which is another thing I would love. For me it is a challenge because it has been established that everyone else in the campaign are all evil....

Skoraeus Stonebones is a Neutral diety who has Healing as one of his domains. If he's your patron god, you can have a True Neutral, Chaotic Neutral, Lawful Neutral or Neutral Evil cleric, who won't mind teaming up with evil guys. I'm sure there are other non-good dieties who grant healing.

[Angelenigma]

If bard's rub you the wrong way, the nature bard that I recommended above does trade out most of its bardic music abilities for druid stuff. And if you need you can always take Perform(Persuasive Speech) for your perform skill.
A good idea, I will look into it


There's also a number of good feats that let you spend uses of Bardic Music on other stuff. Lyric spell is a good one; cast a spell without using a spell slot by spending (spell level +1) bardic music uses.
hmm... intresting, I've never heard that before....


You want
- animal empathy
- high diplomacy
- high charisma
- charm spells
- high sense motive skill
- calm emotions spell
- animal companion?

Nature bard and urban druid would both be fine choices, as would cleric with Animal and Charm domains. You won't get Wild Empathy or an Animal Companion from this, but you could always pick up the Wild Cohort feat, or dip into another base class or a prestige class that grants similar things (Beastmaster, Animal Lord, etc).
I'll look at them, I looked at urban druid and am going to use that as one of my classes so I will look at the domains before deciding on going or not going with cleric


Seconding/thirding/whatevering Urban Druid. If you don't want the Urban Shape, see if you can trade it (and your armor/shield proficiency) for the deadly hunter UA variant: AC and speed bonuses as a monk (including wisdom to AC), favored enemy, Track, and swift tracker as a ranger. Then, if you don't want favored enemies, trade those for Favored Terrain (another UA variant).
I will bring that up to my DM because when I looked at urban druid I wasn't really interested in the shapes... Thank you


This might be wide of the mark, but what about a Cleric of Valarian ?
Take the Animal and Fey domains.

It's kind of half Cleric / half Druid.
No clue where that would be is it a deity that I have to look up of an actual class?


If you are gestalt, then druid/divine bard would be an easy choice. The divine bard variant is in Unearthed Arcana. But if every other character in the party is evil...and their players self-describe as evil... watch your back.
In a way I don't really need to watch my back until a certain character gets to world domination because as we are in RL we are friends and they are evil so it should be ok, my only problem when I state it would be hard for me is not falling back to normal D&D where good and evil don't work at all.


Skoraeus Stonebones is a Neutral diety who has Healing as one of his domains. If he's your patron god, you can have a True Neutral, Chaotic Neutral, Lawful Neutral or Neutral Evil cleric, who won't mind teaming up with evil guys. I'm sure there are other non-good dieties who grant healing.
My only issue is as I am in RL I am good so that doesn't really have an effect...

[Waker]

What about races? That is, are you only allowed to be a human or can you be something else? Because the Half-Elf variant for Bard from Races of Destiny might have some abilities you could enjoy. Soothing Voice for instance would go well with your calming people down trait.

[PraxisVetli]

Races are limited to 'have to be able to look human without effort'.
So half-elves are fine.
Especially since one player is a Mechantrix.