Favored Soul Heal/Buffbot

[RMS Oceanic]

Our team (Currently a Fighter, Warmage, Ranged Ranger and Monk) needs a fifth guy. We have a fifth player, but in the style of adventures our DM hints we'll face, we need healing and magical buffs. The fifth player is uncomfortable with preparing spells in advance like a cleric or wizard, and is used to playing sorcerers. As a result, we comprimised and offered him a Favoured Soul instead, which gets use healing and he gets his spontaneous casting.

I've rolled up and equipped this character for him. He has lots of defense so he doesn't have to worry about his own safety while casting spells.

Human Favoured Soul Level 6 XP: 17,000 (The rest of our party is level six)

Alignment: Neutral Good

Original Roles: 12, 14, 12, 14, 15, 18

STR: 12 (+1)
DEX: 14 (+2)
CON: 18 (+4)
INT: 12 (+1)
WIS: 14 (+2)
CHA: 16 (+3)

Deity: Heironeous

Money: 2,030 GP (Started with 13,000, as wealth-by-level guidelines. All equipment bought at face price from this)

Base Attack Bonus: +4
Armor Class: 10 + 5 + 5 + 2 = 22 Flat Footed: 20 Touch: 17
Hit Die: 6d8 + 30 Hit Points: 63

Fortitude Save: 5+4 = 9
Reflex Save: 5+2 = 7
Will Save: 5+2 = 7

Weapon
+1 Longsword (1d8, Slashing, Threat Range 19-20)

Armor
Masterwork Breastplate (+5 AC, Check Penalty -3)
+2 Heavy Steel Shield (+4 AC (And +1 from Shield Specilization), -1 Check Penalty)

Equipment
Ring of Mystic Healing (All cure spells cast at +1 caster level, expend charges for extra healing)
Restful Crystal (Can sleep in medium/heavy armor equipped with crystal without fatigue)

Movement 20ft.

Attacks
+7 for 1d8+2 (2d8+4 on critical)

Total Skill Points: 36 (4 per level)
Max Class Skill: 9
Max Cross-Class Skill: 4 1/2

Concentrate: 9+4
Diplomacy: 4+3
Heal: 9+2
Knowledge (Religion): 5+1
Sense Motive: 5+2
Spellcraft: 4+1

Languages: Common, Celestial

Feats
Augment Healing (+2 hp on Conjuration [Healing] Spells per Spell Level)
Weapon Focus (Longsword - +1 to Attack Rolls)
Improved Toughness (+1 hit point per hit die)
Shield Specialization (Heavy - +1 to Shield AC)
Shield Ward (Keep Shield AC against Touch, Disarm, Bull Rush, Grapple, Overrun, Trip)

Qualities
Fire Resistance 10

Age

Spells Per Day: 6/7/6/4/0/0/0/0/0/0
Spells Known: 7/5/4/3/0/0/0/0/0/0

0th Level Spells:
Cure Minor Wounds, Detect Magic, Read Magic, Light, Purify Food and Drink, Virtue, Resistance

1st Level Spells:
Cure Light Wounds, Divine Favour, Sanctuary, Shield of Faith, Comprehend Languages

2nd Level Spells:
Cure Moderate Wounds, Bear’s Endurance, Bull’s Strength, Lesser Restoration

3rd Level Spells:
Cure Serious Wounds, Remove Curse, Dispel Magic

Would you recommend any changes to this line up? I myself am not sure about the spells I've picked for him. I was thinking of replacing one of the level three spells with mass lesser vigor, as that gives every target 7 hit points on casting due to augment healing, plus more each round. What do you think?

[Bears With Lasers]

Swap the 15 into STR, adding a point to make it 16. Take some personal buffs as well as group buffs, and he should be able to fight well on top of being a buffbot.

[RMS Oceanic]

The 15's in Cha because by the time I can cast 9th level spells, I'll have 19 cha, which is required for 9th level spells. Seriously, we've got combat sorted between the other characters, so all we need are healing and buffs.

[Falrin]

I'd go archer route. You might get bored buffing and healing.

Also Uou won't need that many different healing spells. I'm pretty sure you could drop CMW for

Shield other to make one fighter very happy
SM II to get some flanking
Resist Energy always comes in handy.
Cat's grace (depending on your party)

[Maryring]

If all you need is heal and buff, why the high wisdom? You'll have will as a strong save anyway, so you won't need it there. Rather, put it in Strength, or even Int. It will serve you better in either of those places.

[selfcritical]

Drop the weapon focus for the alternate class feature in PHB that grants temp hit points whenever you cast a buffing spell.

[Matthew]

I would have gone with:

Strength 15, Dexterity 14, Constitution 14, Intelligence 12, Wisdom 12, Charisma 18,

Then raise Wisdom and Charisma.

[Maryring]

There is no need for wisdom if he's only buffing and healing, (but then that must be the only thing he uses his spells for) since wisdom is only used for saves, if I remember correctly.

And, of course, because he already has good will save.

[Matthew]

A few of his Skills rely on Wisdom, as well.

[PlatinumJester]

Make his alignement CN and make him worship Kord so that he can get a greatsword

[Matthew]

That would be rather an odd turn around? This Character isn't really built around Power Attack and a Great Sword.

[Maryring]

Hmm... that's true. But the only skill I see that needs it is Sense Motive. Heal isn't that useful of a skill compared to most others (IMHO) and the greatest DC for heal checks is 15, except for Poisons and Diseases. That could be fixed with a simple neutralize poison or remove disease spell though... Honestly, I think wisdom is actually the skill that is least worth to him. He can still benefit from his entire Dex with a 14 in it. Still, he knows best, but that is my two feathers.

[Aximili]

Make the breastplate +1 (unless he intends on trading it). After all, he's got 2000GP remaining.

[RMS Oceanic]

Make the breastplate +1 (unless he intends on trading it). After all, he's got 2000GP remaining.

He does intend on trading it. Mithral Fullplate is always nice. He only got the masterwork'd version so he could apply the sleeping materia augment crystal.

Make his alignement CN and make him worship Kord so that he can get a greatsword

Uh, no. He's not about damage-per-round.

Honestly, I think wisdom is actually the skill that is least worth to him. He can still benefit from his entire Dex with a 14 in it. Still, he knows best, but that is my two feathers.

I can see where you're coming from, but he may swap out some spells later on for things like hold person, which will require a save. Also, anything that augments his already formidible and versatile defence can't be a bad thing. In addition, we're set in a city with conniving backstabbing guilds, and I've received word our regular rogue player may be joining as a sixth guy. Since this guy has fleeced us in past campaigns (Chaotic Neutral, what can you do?), Sense Motive can't hurt.

I'd go archer route. You might get bored buffing and healing.

True. I should get him a masterwork crossbow, as he won't be proficient with anything else. Will do!

Also Uou won't need that many different healing spells. I'm pretty sure you could drop CMW for

Shield other to make one fighter very happy
SM II to get some flanking
Resist Energy always comes in handy.
Cat's grace (depending on your party)

Our party is already pretty nimble, but I like the idea of Resist Energy. Thanks!

[JackMage666]

As for feats, if you have Lord of Madness, take Parrying Shield instead of Shield Ward. If I remember correctly, Parrying Shield allows you to add you're shield AC to all touch attacks, not just the ones listed under Shield Ward.

[Kurobara]

Actually, I've got a Favored Soul//Bard (gestalt) heal-and-buffbot in a game right now, and at a similar level too. Obviously the gestalt makes my skill and armor choices a bit different than what would work well for your friend, but I dunno, maybe you'd like to look at my spell choices. *shrug*

http://wiki.diepointyhat.com/ptolus:daina_godwin

Not all of the choices are optimal on mine, and I still need to swap out Magic Weapon (next level, I swear), but mostly they've worked well for me. I don't have Bull's Strength or Bear's Endurance because the cleric in the party is forced to prepare Bull's Strength every day (domain spell on both domains), and we've not really needed the extra CON (I blame gestalt), but they're both good spells in your friend's case.

Only thing I'd say is really a poor choice on the spell list you have is Comprehend Languages - it's a bit too situational for my tastes on a character with a limited list. Possibly Remove Curse too. I'm no expert, though, so I could be wrong, and even if I'm not generally wrong, those could be things that your particular DM likes to throw at you often. Also, the Vigor series is good, I've not really bothered learning it though because we've been using a wand of Lesser Vigor for out-of-combat healing pretty much all campaign so far (need a new one soon, it's almost out).

In retrospect, I probably would have taken the alternate class feature from PHBII that selfcritical mentioned.

[Legoman]

Vigor spells are almost always better than Cure * Wounds - unless a player is on the brink of death, you'll heal far more HP/Spell Level with Vigor, and your actions in combat are better spent doing damage to bring the foe down faster, thus saving your friends' precious HP.