FelineArchmage
2018-02-15, 12:42 PM
We aren't done with our current campaign yet, but I'm in the process of brainstorming my next character for when we do start a new campaign with new characters. Our DM is really big into intrigue, so I wanted to play something closer to that aspect (and I just want to try something new and jump a little out of my comfort zone).
My idea is to be part of the dragonmarked houses, and be part of House Phiarlan (perfect for intrigue). Originally, I was going to go with Bard/Rogue (as it fits thematically with the house), but as I was assigning my skill points, I seemed to be stretching myself thin.
My (rolled) stats were as follows: (includes racial modifiers for being an elf)
STR 12
DEX 17
CON 11
INT 14
WIS 13
CHA 16
My thought process for the character was to really play up the performer aspect - be a sweet-talker and avoid all questions about my true motivations, all the while doing missions for my house and still being able to shank someone when needed. I don't need to be dragonmarked and I don't need to have the bard's magic, but I still want to have the talents of a performer so I can be all "Yes, look how great of a singer I am for the Entertainer's Guild! There's no sneaky information-brokering going on in House Phiarlan! How could you suggest such a thing??"
So - questions and thoughts:
Should I stick with bard/rogue and just figure out my skill point allocation? Or should I switch to something else? What would you suggest?
Are Perform skills considered cross-class? If not, do you think I can get away without being a bard and doing something else while still keeping my cover? The only thing I'd be worried about, if I'm giving off the persona of a bard/performer, is being expected to do bard-y things by the rest of my party without actually being a bard... (it is not uncommon in our group for the players to keep their character's affiliations and such secret from the other players, so I'm not worried about getting mad at by other players when it comes to "You never told us that about your character!!" out of character. I'm worried about in-character accusations of "I thought you were a bard???")
Are there any other classes that I could do (for starting off at level 1) that would fulfill what I want to do for my character? There are so many options in 3.5, so it's really easy to miss things. We usually can pull from any of the core books, and I know my DM will consider Dragon Magazine options as long as they're not too OP.
Prestige Classes: What prestige classes would you recommend that I could possibly work towards? For either side - performance or being sneaky.
Feats (#1): We have a homebrew rule (that we will probably keep for future campaigns - I hope) that we get feats much more often than compared to the core rules, so I will never have to worry about being feat-starved. What would you suggest I take that are class-related? If I stick with the performance route, I will probably be taking Versatile Performer.
Feats (#2): Should I take the Least Dragonmark feat? Is it a worthwhile feat in this campaign setting in terms of mechanics? I know it is capable of giving you lots of advantages with your house as long as you're in good terms with them, but I don't know if it's worth it mechanic wise. I can always take it, and manifest the mark, at a later level.
Feats (#3): Same question as Feats #2, but for the Favored in House feat. I've only played with one character who has the Favored in House feat, and he... never...utilizes it... I'm sure it has a lot use when you need stuff though, so I'm highly considering taking it.
I'm not worried about group optimization with the other players and what they would be making - our DM is really good about setting us up with encounters and situations that work with all of our classes. And since we're gestalting, it's easier to cover areas that we're missing. I'm sure that, by the time everyone has chosen a new character, we will cover most bases that you would normally see in a party.
Thank you!
My idea is to be part of the dragonmarked houses, and be part of House Phiarlan (perfect for intrigue). Originally, I was going to go with Bard/Rogue (as it fits thematically with the house), but as I was assigning my skill points, I seemed to be stretching myself thin.
My (rolled) stats were as follows: (includes racial modifiers for being an elf)
STR 12
DEX 17
CON 11
INT 14
WIS 13
CHA 16
My thought process for the character was to really play up the performer aspect - be a sweet-talker and avoid all questions about my true motivations, all the while doing missions for my house and still being able to shank someone when needed. I don't need to be dragonmarked and I don't need to have the bard's magic, but I still want to have the talents of a performer so I can be all "Yes, look how great of a singer I am for the Entertainer's Guild! There's no sneaky information-brokering going on in House Phiarlan! How could you suggest such a thing??"
So - questions and thoughts:
Should I stick with bard/rogue and just figure out my skill point allocation? Or should I switch to something else? What would you suggest?
Are Perform skills considered cross-class? If not, do you think I can get away without being a bard and doing something else while still keeping my cover? The only thing I'd be worried about, if I'm giving off the persona of a bard/performer, is being expected to do bard-y things by the rest of my party without actually being a bard... (it is not uncommon in our group for the players to keep their character's affiliations and such secret from the other players, so I'm not worried about getting mad at by other players when it comes to "You never told us that about your character!!" out of character. I'm worried about in-character accusations of "I thought you were a bard???")
Are there any other classes that I could do (for starting off at level 1) that would fulfill what I want to do for my character? There are so many options in 3.5, so it's really easy to miss things. We usually can pull from any of the core books, and I know my DM will consider Dragon Magazine options as long as they're not too OP.
Prestige Classes: What prestige classes would you recommend that I could possibly work towards? For either side - performance or being sneaky.
Feats (#1): We have a homebrew rule (that we will probably keep for future campaigns - I hope) that we get feats much more often than compared to the core rules, so I will never have to worry about being feat-starved. What would you suggest I take that are class-related? If I stick with the performance route, I will probably be taking Versatile Performer.
Feats (#2): Should I take the Least Dragonmark feat? Is it a worthwhile feat in this campaign setting in terms of mechanics? I know it is capable of giving you lots of advantages with your house as long as you're in good terms with them, but I don't know if it's worth it mechanic wise. I can always take it, and manifest the mark, at a later level.
Feats (#3): Same question as Feats #2, but for the Favored in House feat. I've only played with one character who has the Favored in House feat, and he... never...utilizes it... I'm sure it has a lot use when you need stuff though, so I'm highly considering taking it.
I'm not worried about group optimization with the other players and what they would be making - our DM is really good about setting us up with encounters and situations that work with all of our classes. And since we're gestalting, it's easier to cover areas that we're missing. I'm sure that, by the time everyone has chosen a new character, we will cover most bases that you would normally see in a party.
Thank you!