Character Advice

[subject42]

The character that I'm currently playing in one of my campaigns has a tendency to end up grievously wounded and in negative hitpoints in almost every session. Resurrection is also quite uncommon in the setting. As a result, I've been building a stable of "backup characters" that I can use when he inevitably dies.

I've started cooking up a new backup character below and I'd appreciate any suggestions on both fluff or mechanics that you would be willing to provide.

For backround, our group uses a Pathfinder foundation with pretty much any 3.5 supplement. In places where two sources conflict, we use the Pathfinder version. One notable house rule is that "+2" feats are considered "half feats" and you may take two of them on the same feat.

Without further ado, let me present the character idea as he stands.

I was struck today by the idea of playing a highly charismatic Tent Revivalist Huckster character that, despite his deceitful, greedy, and cowardly nature, has actually been blessed by some unnamed God of Perverse Humor with a considerable talent in healing that he uses to raise up the infirm and score serious coin until he gets run out of town for his various moral failings.

Thaddeus exists in a bit of a moral quandary. He knows that the gods must exist, but he never worshiped any of them with any more than the most tepid of lip service. Since the awakening of his abilities, he's not sure what to think. The gods are real and his prayers are answered, but which god is doing it? Should he follow the moral commandments of Pelor? Moradin? Bahamut, maybe? Even with the confusion that faces him, he realizes that he must be doing something right or the gods wouldn't favor him. He does what he has been doing over his entire life with great vigor and favor, proclaiming that his drinking, whoring, and scamming are the will of his God, and that his small trickeries are meant to alert people to their own failed vigilance before a greater evil befalls them.

After seeing a lifetime of suffering in his travels, he does make a special effort to aid the lame and afflicted. He may rob them blind, but he'll make sure to restore their site before he leaves. You just can't leave someone with nothing.

Just to be safe, though, he carries a BURLAP SACK stuffed with multiple copies of every single holy symbol that he knows, in the even that he figures out which god is watching over him.

He tries to stay out of fights, hoping that he'll either be slick enough to keep them from happening or fast enough to run the heck away from the angry mob with the pitchforks. If he's totally cornered, he'll attempt trip attacks with a whip and then run away, despite being just as likely to lash his own face open as he is to succeed in knocking somebody over.

When acting with a group, he will go to great pains to keep them as strong as possible, as strong party members keep the angry monsters with pointy bits away from him.

Thadeus Haggard - Human Cloistered Cleric 11

True Neutral (Maybe Neutral Good)

Domains: Trickery, Healing, Knowledge

Traits: Sacred Conduit, Fast Talker

Feats:
1st: Dynamic Priest
Human Bonus: Deceitful, Stealthy
3rd: Improved Diversion
5th: Extra Channeling
7th: Selective Channeling
9th: Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes
11th: Divine Vigor

At the moment I'm aware that he's not optimized, but I've never put too much effort into making optimized characters. If he does actually have a deity, I think it might be Olidammara.

[Sir.Swindle]

He doesn't have any class levels from before he was blessed? That whole thieving and gambling thing.

He's also thematically closer to a favored soul, since he's blessed not worshipful, but cleric is generally considered better any way.

One idea i did have was why don't you tak to your DM about maby getting somthing like the factotum has. Where you can cast some spells as an alternate class feature of rouge.

[erikun]

I would say Chaotic Neutral (maybe Chaotic Good). I don't see anything in his stealing, boozing, whoring ways that would indicate anything beyond an exceptionally individualistic personality.

I also wonder what he does when fighting undead, fighting four-legged creatures, or when he inevitably gets his whip pulled out of his hands.

Other than that, what advice are you looking for? Especially when you state you aren't looking for optimization.

[subject42]

He doesn't have any class levels from before he was blessed? That whole thieving and gambling thing.

I debated a level of rogue or bard, but it seemed that Cloistered cleric covered the same idea mechanically.

He's also thematically closer to a favored soul, since he's blessed not worshipful, but cleric is generally considered better any way.

I also thought about the Favored soul, but I'd rather not use a class that isn't available in Pathfinder. Also, channel energy is useful for the OMGHEAL background of the character. In addition, the favored soul lacks skill points.

One idea i did have was why don't you tak to your DM about maby getting somthing like the factotum has. Where you can cast some spells as an alternate class feature of rouge.

I thought about using a Facctotum at one point, but then I realized that he only gets healing, rather than divine SLAs. Maybe I can hash that out with the DM.

[subject42]

I would say Chaotic Neutral (maybe Chaotic Good). I don't see anything in his stealing, boozing, whoring ways that would indicate anything beyond an exceptionally individualistic personality.

I also wonder what he does when fighting undead, fighting four-legged creatures, or when he inevitably gets his whip pulled out of his hands.

Other than that, what advice are you looking for? Especially when you state you aren't looking for optimization.

When the whip doesn't work he does what he does anyway, which is run like a coward.

I'd love to hear some optimization suggestions, within the confines of the concept. DMM Persist Divine Power is good, but it doesn't make sense with this guy.

[erikun]

Well....

Zen Archery can be used to sit back and fire arrows, crossbow bolts, sling stones, throwing hammers, daggers, chairs, fragile china while screaming like a little girl, etc. with your Wisdom modifier, rather than your Dexterity modifier. It won't work with the whip though, which is a melee attack.

It sounds like you're pushing more towards a buffer/debuffer role. Bane, Doom, Enthrall, Hold Person, Bestow Curse, Blindness/Deafness, and so on. A brief look through the Cleric spell list indicates a few other spells which might be appropriate, such as Augury, Status, and Hide from Undead (if Augury indicates there will be undead). You have some good divinations available, if you don't mind spending a few spells at the beginning of each day, and a number of "leave me alone" spells. However, trying to keep stuff from attacking your character isn't generally effective if you don't do much yourself.

Overall, the buff allies/debuff enemies seems to be the most appropriate action. Double check the buffs, because several are Personal-only rather than something you can share.

[Telonius]

He sounds (thematically) like a Rogue/Wizard/Master of Masks/Arcane Trickster I played once.

My advice: don't play a Rogue/Wizard/Master of Masks/Arcane Trickster.

Two levels of MoM for the Angel, High Priest, and Gladiator masks can be nice. It only loses you one caster level, gives you proficiency in everything and some thematically nice stuff. (Do not take more than two levels).

[subject42]

Rather than Zen Archery, would Slippers of Battledancing work? I saw them on the X to Y thread and they it looks like they would pair well with Dynamic Priest feat, as well as the "run away and buff/debuff" strategy.

[subject42]

Two levels of MoM for the Angel, High Priest, and Gladiator masks can be nice..

What is MoM? Master of Masks? Which book is that from and what is it, roughly?

[Eldariel]

What is MoM? Master of Masks? Which book is that from and what is it, roughly?

Complete Scoundrel, gains a bunch of masks that grant a various bunch of powers. Most interesting is the Gladiator-mask which grants all Exotic Weapon Proficiencies. See Haberdash the Masked.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

If you're going to have the Healing domain, you should use the spontaneous domain casting variant from PH2 for that one. It's almost identical to spontaneously casting Cures, but now you'll get Heal, Regenerate, and Mass Heal added to the list of what you can spontaneously cast.

I'd definitely focus on the buffing/debuffing role, and make it a priority to remove negative effects from your party members. The spell Healing Lorecall can help with that, and get a few lesser Strands of Prayer Beads to have a Bead of Healing on hand in case you've run out of a given remove effect spell. Also remember to have Dispel Magic prepared a few times, it's especially good for removing AoEs like Web and fogs, enemies' buffs, summoned creatures, debuffs from allies, etc.

You could go with an almost completely different build and still fill the same role/fluff. For example, make him a Gnome and go Cloistered Cleric 7/ Shadowcraft Mage, qualifying via Dark Way (SC) with Heighten Spell. Take spontaneous domain casting for either of the Illusion or Gnome domains and use Heighten Spell with Earth Spell to spontaneously convert a prepared spell into a Silent Image that mimic a Shadow Conjuration/Evocation. That way all of your prepared spells can be cures, debuffs, remove effects, dispels, divinations, etc. but you could spontaneously convert any of them into an offensive spell on command. It really helps to have an encyclopedic knowledge of evocations and conjurations when playing this build, but just looking through a few books and picking out your favorites at each level should be sufficient to succeed. Here's a guide if you're unfamiliar with how Shadowcraft Mage works. I'd probably actually go Cloistered Cleric 5/ Shadowcrafter 2/ Shadowcraft Mage 5/ Shadowcrafter +8 for the final build, with both the Gnome and Illusion domains.

[Telonius]

Complete Scoundrel, gains a bunch of masks that grant a various bunch of powers. Most interesting is the Gladiator-mask which grants all Exotic Weapon Proficiencies. See Haberdash the Masked.

Also available free from Wizards here.