PF 1e - Advice needed - Building a small healer mounted archer

[Antarx]

Hi.

We are going to start a Jade Regent campaign over the next weeks. 25 point buy, level 1.

My son wants to play a healer, but he is interested in mounted archery. It's not about power gaming, but about having fun.
So I thought he can play a halfling (no real bonunes here, but it's small) Erastil (for animal domain and bow proficiency) cleric.

My worries are that probably the campaign is going to end about level 8, so I would want to make the character effective before that ever happens.


We have no class or splatsbooks limitations, but our master dislikes weird races for rp reasons, Multiclass is allowed if needed.
Just one trait available, because the other one must be invested on campaign traits.
Any suggestions for a viable healer?

[Kurald Galain]

A great option is Life Oracle using the life link ability, with two levels of Paladin so you can lay on hands (incidentally, the Divine Hunter paladin gets a free archery feat).

This means that every round, all your allies get a free-action heal that comes out of your own hit points, and then you use swift-action Lay On Hands to heal yourself. And you have a full round left for oracle spellcasting and/or archery; and dividing "wounds" in this way works great with Channel Energy.

[stack]

Hunter or inquisitor (sacred huntmaster) seem like natural enough fits. Each have access to basic healing spells and can get an animal companion. Both can use bows out of the gate too. Animal domain cleric doesn't get a companion until 4th, but could work if willing to buy mounts until then.

Biggest issue I see is dealing with the huge number of feats archery needs. Points blank shot and precise shot are required just to avoid penalties. Rapid shot and deadly aim are needed for damage. There are plenty more you can benefit from as well.

Regardless of which way you go, grab a wand of CLW.

[Antarx]

Oracle has nice synergies with the halfling charisma bonus, and probably, spontaneous caster is better for a newbe, but oracle does not have proficency with bow or the deity weapon, and also, life mistery does not give anything like a mount.

I also considered crusader cleric archetype, but almost all the bonus feats are melee related

[Kurald Galain]

oracle does not have proficency with bow or the deity weapon
But the paladin dip does.


life mistery does not give anything like a mount.
You don't need a class feature to buy a horse. :smallbiggrin:

[Antarx]

Well, Finally we found another solution: Play a human child

Since the player is actually a child, I asked our DM about using a human child instead of halfling. Is probably more fun for him (because he can feel more represented with the character) and because it opens other possibilities, for example, growing up at some level or after some time, just in case the player decides to open himself to melee options, or because he becomes bored of archery.

Our DM allowed us to use the "reduce person" modifiers to represent a child, so the character ends with a feat and an extra skill point, and the small size modifiers (+2 dex, -2 str, small size modifiers to ac, BaB and weapon damage)

The characters is like that by the moment

25 point buy
human Child cleric 1 of Erastil
Str 12 (10), Dex 16 (18) Con 12, int 12, Sab 15(+2 human) Car 12
Feather and Plant domains (plant is actually fun because the granted power allow him to "grow" for a few rounds. Cool for many RP reasons)
5 skill points (great for a cleric that needs ride and animal handle, and also for spot, knowledge religion and heal
Weapons, Cestus, Longbow (actually a short bow) and a morningstar.
AC 20 (Hide armor, buckler, size, dex)
And a pony (no cash form more at lvl 1)

About the traits, I picked a campaign trait related to gain spot as a skill. I don't know what to do with the other one. (there is another campaign trait to gain +2 points healed with any cure spell, but not sure about that one)