Pathfinder Pathfinder: Kingmaker - Enhanced Plus Edition - now with turn-based combat

[Sykar]

Anyone who is using Call of the Wild mod, here is a nice little early game fun:
Take Human, basic Arcanist. Get Evo spell focus and Spell specialization. Get Potent Magic exploit. Viola you start with an arcane caster who can cast Burning Hands at caster level 5 which eradicates everything not making its save and even those making their saves will take some serious damage. Alternatively start with 5d6 Snowball or 3 magic missles if you like more range.

 

[Yosharian]

Finally got started with my second playthrough! So much fun. I love this game.

Also started a fresh playthrough of FNV using the Viva New Vegas modlist, god that game is so good.

 

[Pink Eye]

I can't tell if Harrim is being an optimist or a pessimist...

 

[NJClaw]

I can't tell if Harrim is being an optimist or a pessimist...

Never took Harrim for a big Pop Rock listener. Well, there's always something to learn about this game.

 

[Horvatii]

What class should the PC (no monks) be if one intends to pick up the premade companions?
Is Thief or Wizard occupied?
Is there decent usage of Pickpocket, Lockpick, Stealth in the game?

 

[Haplo]

There is one Wizard-Thief package: Octavia who is set up to become an Arcane Trickster. Quite good in these roles.
Even though I love Arcane Tricksters in P:K, I never actually rolled one - I would feel rather redundant, as Octavia already does 90% of what I could achieve.

There's a fair number of Trickery checks to open stuff and more to disarm traps (need to spot them first, so high-ish Perception on multiple characters is advised - everybody gets to roll once).
Don't think there are many opportunities to pickpocket. Also Stealth isn't that great if you're not soloing I guess. Can alpha strike from stealth but that's about it.

IMO a solid tank is the best role for the PC. There's Valerie, but she will do no damage and be rather boring if you continue to build her like a traditional tank. She's much more useful as a Kinetic Knight, Bard or even an Eldritch Knight IMO.

Of course, Sword Saints are the best tanks in Kingmaker :D

 

[NJClaw]

What class should the PC (no monks) be if one intends to pick up the premade companions?
Is Thief or Wizard occupied?
Is there decent usage of Pickpocket, Lockpick, Stealth in the game?

It mostly depends on which companions you want to pick and how you want to build them. Take Valerie as an example: she starts as a Fighter, but you can build her as a Sorcerer, a Bard, a Kinetic Knight or even a Feyspeaker Druid. Since you can do the same thing with almost any companion, the possibilities are endless.

As Haplo said, Octavia can conver your "arcane caster" and "thieving skills" roles. However, if you want to play a Wizard yourself, there is another excellent pure Rogue available as a companion.

My usual tip is to play a Paladin, since it's one of the classes missing among companions and it's a very solid class all-around.

 

[Serious_Business]

Guys what is the absolute BEST BUILD in this game? What is the authoritative?

ended by a single blow to the head, this man's fragile dream was not meant to last

 

[Shadenuat]

a wizard

 

[Cryomancer]

Guys what is the absolute BEST BUILD in this game? What is the authoritative?

There are no "best build in the game".

There are the best utility build, melee build, damage build, etc. And all depends on your party composition and play style. A Sirroco sorcerer can have a easy time vs the wild hunt plague but be complete useless vs magical immune constructs. Kineticists are considered the strongest class for mid to late game in raw damage output. A druid with animal companion can give powerful buffs and heal to the party AND have a good tank that can increase the equipment load for the party. A Barbarian can be a amazing front line fighter and so on.

Instead of best build, you should have said something like "the best AOE DPR build" or "best build in survivability"

 

[razvedchiki]

Haplo what about a elven curved blade sword saint build? Dex based?

 

[Sykar]

There is one Wizard-Thief package: Octavia who is set up to become an Arcane Trickster. Quite good in these roles.
Even though I love Arcane Tricksters in P:K, I never actually rolled one - I would feel rather redundant, as Octavia already does 90% of what I could achieve.

There's a fair number of Trickery checks to open stuff and more to disarm traps (need to spot them first, so high-ish Perception on multiple characters is advised - everybody gets to roll once).
Don't think there are many opportunities to pickpocket. Also Stealth isn't that great if you're not soloing I guess. Can alpha strike from stealth but that's about it.

IMO a solid tank is the best role for the PC. There's Valerie, but she will do no damage and be rather boring if you continue to build her like a traditional tank. She's much more useful as a Kinetic Knight, Bard or even an Eldritch Knight IMO.

Of course, Sword Saints are the best tanks in Kingmaker :D

Stealth is nice to scout ahead and see where the patrols are and what type of monsters you are facing.

 

[Haplo]

Haplo what about a elven curved blade sword saint build? Dex based?

Eh, a bit monothematic, are we? All right. Doable, but not optimal IMO. Cannot do Spell Combat, worse damage then a greataxe Wielder, less reach then a fauchard... Can't use fencing/Slashing Grace, no Agile ECBs - basically NEEDS 3 rogue levels. But sure, if you insist it can work. One of the best perks of ECBs is that Clarity comes with Ghost Touch. As a Magus, you could Enchant your weapon with that anyway... But I guess you can save an Arcana feat that way.

 

[Serious_Business]

Guys what is the absolute BEST BUILD in this game? What is the authoritative?

There are no "best build in the game".

There are the best utility build, melee build, damage build, etc. And all depends on your party composition and play style. A Sirroco sorcerer can have a easy time vs the wild hunt plague but be complete useless vs magical immune constructs. Kineticists are considered the strongest class for mid to late game in raw damage output. A druid with animal companion can give powerful buffs and heal to the party AND have a good tank that can increase the equipment load for the party. A Barbarian can be a amazing front line fighter and so on.

Instead of best build, you should have said something like "the best AOE DPR build" or "best build in survivability"

Yes I know this boyo, I was being ironic. The amusing thing about optimizers is that they don't formulate what they optimise for ; the idea that you would make optimal choices in itself, makes little sense, because "best builds" are often only the best regarding certain criteria : in a certain party, at a certain point in the game, with certains parameters enabled. Optimisers need to eliminate all this complexity, they need the game to be a kind of "controlled environment", where all parameters are predictable - and games are such things, to a degree, but still, not enough to call any of this an exact science. It's practically a scientific rhetoric that makes the best "builds", which is really fascinating (see InEffect which is very authoritative, and so people trust what he says, because he sounds like he knows what he's doing).

 

[razvedchiki]

Eh, a bit monothematic, are we? All right. Doable, but not optimal IMO. Cannot do Spell Combat, worse damage then a greataxe Wielder, less reach then a fauchard... Can't use fencing/Slashing Grace, no Agile ECBs - basically NEEDS 3 rogue levels. But sure, if you insist it can work. One of the best perks of ECBs is that Clarity comes with Ghost Touch. As a Magus, you could Enchant your weapon with that anyway... But I guess you can save an Arcana feat that way.

im planning a custom 6 man party and want to cover all the notable weapons i didnt get on my previous playthroughs, i will get them 2handed axes but on a different char.
since you mentioned glaives/fauchards call of the wild added a feat that allows shields to be used with polearms/longspears! i can make phalanxes!

 

[NJClaw]

(see InEffect which is very authoritative, and so people trust what he says, because he sounds like he knows what he's doing).

How can InEffect be authoritative if he doesn't even have a blog?

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Guys what is the absolute BEST BUILD in this game? What is the authoritative?

ended by a single blow to the head, this man's fragile dream was not meant to last

Barbarian.

 

[Sykar]

Another playthrough and I wonder if I should finally try out that sketchy deal the major offers. Sounds sketchy, is it as bad of a trap that I think it is or is it not as bad as I fear?

(see InEffect which is very authoritative, and so people trust what he says, because he sounds like he knows what he's doing).

How can InEffect be authoritative if he doesn't even have a blog?

I know that this was meant in jest but he is pretty active on Steam and GoG forums though and seems to be... respected there. Even though his knowledge is actually half baked. People like Desiderius , Haplo or Pink Eye are better sources if information imho. What I read from him there was really nothing special.

 

[Saravan]

Alright I got tired of my knife rogue and want to try a sword-and-shield "tank". Any good build suggestions?

 

[Sykar]

Alright I got tired of my knife rogue and want to try a sword-and-shield "tank". Any good build suggestions?

You should tag Desiderius or Haplo when you have questions about builds. They are imo the most knowledgeable overall. Pink Eye is the monk master though.

 

[razvedchiki]

Alright I got tired of my knife rogue and want to try a sword-and-shield "tank". Any good build suggestions?

Pure fighter with a monk dip is really good, especially after owlcat added the advanced martial feats.
Paladin also works, cleric too.

 

[Lawntoilet]

Alright I got tired of my knife rogue and want to try a sword-and-shield "tank". Any good build suggestions?

How tanky are you thinking?
I played an Falcata-and-shield-bashing Slayer for Varnhold's Lot, it was pretty effective.
I'm thinking of running a similar shield-bashing Barb/Freebooter through the Alpha if I have time, still haven't beaten it with my current character.

 

[Saravan]

Alright I got tired of my knife rogue and want to try a sword-and-shield "tank". Any good build suggestions?

How tanky are you thinking?
I played an Falcata-and-shield-bashing Slayer for Varnhold's Lot, it was pretty effective.
I'm thinking of running a similar shield-bashing Barb/Freebooter through the Alpha if I have time, still haven't beaten it with my current character.

Basically I want to build my character to take the role of the main tank in the party. Falcata sounds like a cool weapon, I was thinking bastard sword first.

Alright I got tired of my knife rogue and want to try a sword-and-shield "tank". Any good build suggestions?

Pure fighter with a monk dip is really good, especially after owlcat added the advanced martial feats.
Paladin also works, cleric too.

I'm leaning towards a Paladin, gotta roleplay a little too. Which subclass and stat allocation?

 

[Xamenos]

Another playthrough and I wonder if I should finally try out that sketchy deal the major offers. Sounds sketchy, is it as bad of a trap that I think it is or is it not as bad as I fear?

It's bad, but I don't know how bad exactly is it you fear.

Would you like to know more?

Every building costs extra until you can finish a project to pay him back. It ends up costing you way more than you get, as should be expected.

Alright I got tired of my knife rogue and want to try a sword-and-shield "tank". Any good build suggestions?

Just copy Valerie's recommended builds. Tower Shield Specialist / Stalwart Defender, take every AC enhancing feat there is, and maybe also grab the demoralizing chain if you want.

 

[razvedchiki]

my favorite paladin sub is hospitalier, he can be a decent 2nd healer but also tank in the front line (looses on the smite evil usage though).
for stats i would go 18/12/14/10/8/16 if human οr 18/12/14/10/8/18 if aasimar (better to go aasimar because they get wings at lvl 10 which adds 3 ac). for best tanking get a 1 lvl dip into the monk archetype that uses cha to ac and dont wear armor.
i would strongly reccomend the eldritch arcana+ advanced martial arts mod, they add traits and alternative (but from the tabletop) race traits. this way you can get another +2 to whatever stat you want with an aasimar and you need those as a paladin.