Skull and Shackles campaign - character ideas

[Ryulin18]

Hey guys!

I'm level 5 in a skulls and shackles campaign, and can't decide what character to make. Any ideas that spring to mind?

I'd like some sort of melee character to back up our monk, but apart from that, I'm easy

Current Team:
Ratfolk Witch
Undine Monk
Catfolk Bard
DEAD - Aasimar/Human Swashbuckler

Ideas:
TWF Rogue
Two-handed Ranger
Polearm fighter
Barbarian / bloodrager

[Kudaku]

My first thought was actually Inquisitor of Besmara. S&S more than most APs reward classes with a decent skill set, so I'd avoid the polearm fighter. I'd strongly suggest using slayer over rogue if you want to go with the TWF option, since PF rogues are... Well, not all they can be.

What kind of material do you have available? What kind of point buy/ability score spread are you working with?

[Ryulin18]

What kind of material do you have available?

Sorry, forgot to add that part. Our DM is kind and experienced, allowing us pretty much everything, except firearms and firearm classes. No 3rd party too.

[oldkingkoal]

Skull and shackle sounds like a great setting to actually get use out of the aquatic base that a summoners eidolon can take. Eidolons can be pretty effective in melee.
I tried it once but the game died before the character got any use. I was going for a tentacled sea monster with limbs re-flavored as tentacles.
I named him Krakkers...
...
.....
RELEASE THE KRAKKEN!

[(Un)Inspired]

Merfolk diva bard named Ariel.

[NightbringerGGZ]

Merfolk Oracle with the Flame Mystery. Pick up the Strong Tail alternate trait and the Cinder Dance mystery and you can move 25 feet per round. Pick up Wings of Flame at level 7. Oracles make decent melee characters and you can Dervish Dance to maximize your Dex bonus. This character will be very amusing.

Since you're starting at level 5, an Investigator will be good in melee combat and will grant you a ton of skill points. Plus you get some of the best aspects of the Alchemist class.

A Magus would also be a good option.

[Othniel]

I'm currently in a Skull and Shackles campaign as well, although we just started (and are halfway through a 1-month break due to several group members, including myself, having scheduling issues!). I'm playing a Half-Orc Skald that's focusing on defensive feats (Endurance, Diehard, Deathless Initiate) to be really, tough to kill while boosting the party and being decent in combat.

A Merfolk Skald would be awesomely fun, though not very fast on land. As several others noted, you should almost always take the Strong Tail ability for Merfolk, or you're going to be a liability 90% of the time (from what I've heard, the vast majority of the campaign takes place either on a boat, or on land, rather than the water). Even with that, your landspeed is 15 ft (you can bump this to 20 with a feat). Take the Sea Singer alternate racial trait for +2 to Perform (Sing). A better choice would be a Merfolk Barbarian (+10 base landspeed for the class, putting you at 25).

Both of the above classes have decent piratey archetypes.

The problem with Merfolk is that, while they have awesome stats, you have to do some sort of gymnastics to get around the landspeed issue. Unless you are playing a primarily underwater campaign, I'd skip them (unless you have extra feats to throw around to improve your landspeed). If you want a swim speed and the ability to survive underwater, go with an Undine with the amphibious alternate racial trait. -2 Strength, but you can work around that, particularly if you take a class that doesn't rely on strength that much. My backup character for if/when my Skald kicks the bucket is an Undine Swashbuckler taking dual archetypes (Corsair/Inspired Blade). Undine Adept Druid is pretty strong, and fits the theme without sacrificing too much in the way of power on land/ship. You could also go an Undine Skald, and dual archetype with Dragon Skald and Totemic Skald (they can stack since neither archetype has an ability that overlaps). Totemic Skald lets you pick an animal like the new Hunter hybrid class and add its bonus to your raging song. You could, of course, do this with any race if you don't want to sacrifice the 2 strength points for waterbreathing and a swim speed.

[Fouredged Sword]

I'm gonna suggest a sap master build off a skulking slayer / scout half orc rogue. You wield a merciful greatclub and deal nice damage with your surprise follow through sneak attack cleaves.

Str > Con > Int > Dex > Wis > Cha. Favored bonus likely going to HP, you play like a barbarian rather than a rogue. Keep moving in combat, and you render your target flat footed due to scout. Sap Master makes sure you hit with enough force to put the target down in one hit (6d8+12 sneak attack damage on top of the normal hit).

You also get to yell "SNEAK ATTACK!" every time you charge into combat without losing the ability to actually MAKE sneak attacks.