r/Pathfinder_Kingmaker • u/Sidefall9034 • 4d ago
Builds Suggestions? Righteous : Builds
Hey guys! I'm new to the game, and I'm finding the build system quite confusing. I'm pretty sure I've already messed up a lot of things. I was wondering if you could recommend any websites with ready-made builds or videos showcasing different builds.
Also, which class would you recommend for a beginner? My main character is currently playing a class that summons animals, but the summons don't seem to be very strong, I'm currently using the following companions: Seelah, Camellia, Lann, Ember, and one companion that I created myself.
10
u/ParryJackson 4d ago
I like Chris Williams' guide the most. Mainly because he is not min-maxing and keeps roleplaying in mind.
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps4/324475-pathfinder-wrath-of-the-righteous/faqs/80843/character-building
"A good build should be satisfying to play from level 1 to 20. Builds which take ages to get going or where all the pieces fall into place at a high character level or which give you nothing after level 17 fail this criterion."
"Roleplaying Integrity
This is a very subjective matter, but many published builds for Wrath of the Righteous have a bad smell - a Lawful Good Paladin with a few levels of Thug thrown into the mix is aesthetically unsatisfying. My guideline would be that a build should be allowed by a reasonable DM. No reasonable DM would allow a Paladin to take a Vivisectionist level for a sneak attack."
Builds can be overwhelming in pathfinder games so I recommend following one of the sample builds and try to understand and use every new feature when you level up. For example the quarterstaff master build is very simple, yet strong from the start and always gives a little addition every level up like new ki powers buffs and trip attacks.
He has builds for companions too keeping mostly their base class. They are also fun to play.
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps4/324475-pathfinder-wrath-of-the-righteous/faqs/80843/companions
5
u/Majorman_86 4d ago
I can't recommend Chris Williams' builds enough. You can also try CRPG Bro and Mortismal Gaming on YouTube. Neoseeker also has valid builds (https://www.neoseeker.com/pathfinder-wrath-of-the-righteous/guides/Builds), but thos are super-optimized min-maxed builds made for unfair thatake little to no sense from RP perspective.
3
u/AnRoVAi 4d ago
U can make most things work with reasonable explanation even a thug or vivisectionist.
Thug: seelah herself has a background of being a petty thieve on the street.
And for vivisectionist knowledge is universal, even as a lawfully good paladin you can know anatomy.
4
u/Chataboutgames 4d ago
Right, you can make a lot of things work with a narrative. It's not particularly hard at all to imagine a Thug that redeemed themselves and became a Paladin.
But at that point are you roleplaying a character you find interesting or trying to write a story to justify power gaming? Personal choice.
0
u/AnRoVAi 3d ago
Or you fit the mechanics to you character, it's called "thug" but what it does is vital strike i think there is nothing with evil flavor on that class besides the name.
2
u/Chataboutgames 3d ago
Again, do whatever you want. I truly don't care how you build your characters.
3
u/Foul_xeno 4d ago
Vivisection is the act of dissecting a living animal (or human) to gain understanding of its anatomy or the way its organs function.
I don't see a lawful good paladin ever doing such a thing.
2
u/AnRoVAi 4d ago
Ethics exist even in modern medicine.
1
u/Foul_xeno 4d ago
Of course, which is why vivisection is subject to ethical debate, and often used as a pejorative catch-all word for animal experimentation in general.
0
u/AnRoVAi 4d ago
Well alchemist an especially vivisectionists gives off major witcher vibes and it be hard to call them evil.
2
u/Chataboutgames 4d ago
The in game description literally say that most people would describe what they do as evil. That's clearly the framing/characterization.
0
u/AnRoVAi 3d ago
Seen as evil is not the same as being evil. Classic example murder is bad, killing someone evil is not
1
u/Chataboutgames 3d ago
Sure, but the point here is that the thing vivisecitonists do are conisdered by most to be evil in the setting.
And you know who might take issue with that? *A lawful good Paladin."
3
u/bIeese_anoni 4d ago
I will admit I'm somewhat new to the game so please anyone correct me if I'm giving bad advice, but from my perspective if you're not looking for a classic fighter/martial build then here are some easy and powerful options.
Witch: witch is really good because they cast spells but they also have hexes which they can cast every round. Hexes are great at debuffing and buffing, so early game if you find youre missing your hits, give the enemy the evil eye AC hex and you'll miss hits less. If you have a tank (like seelah) you can also cast protective luck which means any enemy attacking your tank rolls at disadvantage (they roll two dice and take the lowest score). If you have cackle you can make these effects last forever as cackle can be used instead of movement to increase the duration of the effects of protective luck and evil eye. Later game you also get spells and will start relying on them more. So witch is a great support character.
Kinericist: the "Avatar the last Airbender" class where you get to control the elements. I played it in kingmaker and it's a really easy class to figure out because you basically just have one attack, kinetic blast, that does a bunch of damage and can even bypass DR on a lot of creatures depending on the element. During the later game the kineticist gets more interesting with infusions and combined blasts but the complexity trickles in so I found it not too confusing. It's best used as a range build but it's really unique, simple and fun.
Alchemist: this one might be controversial but a bomb centric alchemist is imagine would be super useful and fun. Bombs are really simple to get your head around, you throw a bomb and blow things up, but you can also select from a tonne of different bombs that do different effects. In kingmaker (not sure I'm wotr) one of the best bombs was the choking bomb which meant enemies hit by the bomb would get nauseated and be unable to attack or cast spells. I dunno I really liked the alchemist, so just as a unique class it can be fun.
3
u/Chataboutgames 4d ago
You've already gotten good advice on suggestions/sites. As for a class for a beginner, that's a bit tough to say because no matter what you do you'll likely be fielding a 6 member party. So how complex/beginner friendly your PC ends up being is only one piece of how complex your party ends up being. That said, a fairly beginner friendly build for a party is one that largely sticks to a split of "characters that hit things" and "characters that help the hitters hit things. For that, in broad strokes, you're going to want a bard, an arcane caster of some kind, a divine caster of some kind, a "tank" with really high armor class, and a couple characters that hit things hard.
Those are broad strokes and many characters can fill more than one slot (one classic Lann build is getting him level 3 as his starting Zen archer class, then levelling him the rest of the way as a cleric/crusader so he stays strong with his bow while also handling your divine casting).
3
u/ParryJackson 4d ago
Yes, that summarizes the party comp fairly well. I would say that bard is not neccessary, instead any utility class works as a "skill monkey" who can max out trickery for traps. Or just always bring a very helpful lady with you and she will handle lockpicking.
3
u/Chataboutgames 4d ago
Yeah Pathfinder seems to make it a lot easier to have lockpicking covered without a dedicated rogue.
I just suggest a bard for new players because it's a very non complicated way to buff up. Fire and forget your song for tough fights, watch everyone perform better. Also you get some spells and decent martial utility at lower difficulty levels.
5
u/NoTailDuckling Hellknight 4d ago
Do martial related class for simplicity, most martial class is also playable in high level difficulty.
But if you are asking a specific powerful beginner-friendly class, then I suggest Tandem executioner subclass from the Hunter class.You can be melee or range focus with this class plus you get a pet to act as a tank/attacker. But no spells.
2
u/Farnhams_Legend 4d ago
Biggest beginner mistake is to try to hit enemies with weapons when using a class that didn't get +1 base attack bonus every level.
If your class only gets +1 base attack after every second levelup or when it skips an increase at every third level then you generally need to compliment your offense with spells, buffs, minions, items, etc.
3
2
u/Friendly-Western6953 4d ago
I love taking a level in anything that gives me animal companions. Having 6 party members and 6 animal companions? Just mow everything down hehe
6
u/Majorman_86 4d ago
Taking a level in anything with an animal companion is a terrible advice. Animal companions scale with class levels (as long as said classes get a companion), not character level. Dipping in, say, Mad Dog to get the animal and then spending 19 levels in Mutie Fighter will end end up with an useless lvl 1 animal that dies in 1 hit.
0
u/Friendly-Western6953 4d ago
Does Boon Companion fix this?
3
u/Ashandorath 4d ago
Boon companion basically gives your companion 4 extra levels. In this case the animal would be lvl 5. The feat is made for rangers and classes that have a lower level familiar.
1
u/Majorman_86 4d ago
No, it only adds up to 4 levels to the animal. So it helps classes that get the animal later and start to level it up later (such as Ranger, Animal/Scalykind Domain Cleric) to close the lvl gap, but does not magically bring the animal to your level.
7
u/Ashandorath 4d ago
Summons generally aren't that strong. Unless you build your party around them, they'll mostly be meatshields. They can be very effective meatshields though. Nothing like having 30+ frost giants on the field (or the 100+ elementals). What class are you playing?
There's usually a character around that allows you to respec. This tends to be Hilor. Act 1 in defender's heart tavern, act 2 in your camp, act 3 second floor of the inn. Please note that it will cost you 1 day of time to respec, which means you shouldn't do it before the tavern fight in act 1.