Pathfinder 1E Starting skulls and shackles campaign.Char Build Suggestions?

[Fooly_Cooly]

Hello all been a long time since I posted here. So my group is starting the Skulls and Shackles AP next month and I need a char for it. All pathfinder books are game and its 25 point buy. Common and featured Races only. I was really wanting to try either a pirate rogue or a gunslinger. My GM isn't sure if he will allow the Gunslinger yet so I'm focusing on the Rogue for now. I like the pirate arch type for this campaign but it seems I would need to only use 1 1 handed weapon. This really seems to limit my characters combat effectiveness. Any Ideas on how to compensate for that? or ways to still get 2 weapon fighting? Thanks in advance for any advice .

 

[Ramaster]

If you want a pirate that wields 1 weapon but can fight with it as if using 2 weapon fighting then I suggest Monk (Martial Artist). You get a very acrobatic guy (no armor, Acrobatics as a class skill, plus some monk goodness) that fights that way, has a ton of other abilities and good saves. The other hand is even free, so you can wield a firearm in there!

If gunslinger is you choice and featured races are allowed, then Goblin is you guy to go. +4 DEX, Small and great replacements for Racial features (there is a replacement that gives you more perception!). You even get a feat that lets you wield Medium Sized firearms called Goblin Gunslinger. On later levels you pick up two weapon fighting and starting on level 5 you add your DEX to damage. After that… well, there are little incentives to remain on the Gunslinger path, so just multiclass to something else.

 

[billd91]

As someone who's playing it now, at the beginning, skills figure very heavily in your actions. It also gets kind of sandboxish so having good knowledge local is useful for figuring out good places to go and who is who in the Shackles.

As far as combat type builds, pirates will do a lot of fighting by boarding (it's the best way to capture a ship, after all), but don't devote your efforts on close combat to the exclusion of having some good ranged attackers in the party.

And channeling energy is a great way to heal a bunch of crewmen all at once. Seriously. You really don't want all of the clerics on board to be evil or negative energy channelers.

 

[Fooly_Cooly]

Thats why I was thinking Pirate Archtype for the rogue. Still gets lots of skills and woul be useful in ship to ship combat. But to use its abilities you need to use only a one handed weapon to be able to swing from the rigging and stuff. If I can only use 1 1 handed weapon that kinda makes my damage pretty weak.I suppose I could try to flavor a monk to be pirate esque...Just seems wrong though.

 

[radja]

Thats why I was thinking Pirate Archtype for the rogue. Still gets lots of skills and woul be useful in ship to ship combat. But to use its abilities you need to use only a one handed weapon to be able to swing from the rigging and stuff. If I can only use 1 1 handed weapon that kinda makes my damage pretty weak.I suppose I could try to flavor a monk to be pirate esque...Just seems wrong though.

just go for 2 weapon fighting anyway, and make sure you get quickdraw. A guy swinging towards you on a rope, cutlass in hand... dagger between the teeth... it just screams "YAR! I'm a PIRATE!"

 

[Grogg of the North]

I know it's not a Pathfinder feat, but if you go the one sword route ask your DM to look at the Graceful Edge feat. It definitely helps give a Dread Pirate Roberts feel to your character.

Graceful Edge was published in the Age of Worms AP, which was also written by Paizo.

 

[Fooly_Cooly]

I'll take a look at Graceful Edge but doubt my DM would allow it just so I could make my Char more deadly hah. Most likely I will just go TWF and sheathe my weapon when needed. Maybe a cutlass and a Kukri.

 

[JediSoth]

I'm running an all-goblin PC Skull & Shackles campaign, and lemme tell ya, druids ROCK the boat (warp wood on a ship? Let your imagination run WILD). Also, the stealth bonus goblins get is KILLER. I don't know how many challenging encounters they've outright bypassed by sneaking around and coup-de-gracing NPCs in their sleep.

You don't want to neglect Charisma and social skills, though. Most of the 1st book in the AP is about relationship-building (getting allies so you don't stand alone when the time comes).

 

[Fooly_Cooly]

I always enjoy role playing so I never neglect social skills. I'll post the build that I come up with later tonight. Any suggestions for feat path for TWF Rogue with Kukri and cutlass? I'm not too experienced with making TWF. Yikes I just found out rogues aren't proficient with either weapon...Well that sucks.Looks like im stuck with a rapier dagger combo. BTW the race I'm going with is catfolk with the climber alternate racial trait.

 

[Grogg of the North]

With the exception of damage type (P vs. S) couldn't you just wield a rapier and call it a cutlass?