Good Freeport/Savage Tide characters?

[Morrow]

Mystara, Freeport, and Savage Tide? Excellent! Three great tastes that taste great together.

I'm running Savage Tide as a sequel to my group's Freeport campaign. We just finished the first adventure. It is pretty early, but I predict that my wife's druid with maxed out diplomacy is going to be a force to be reckoned with throughout the adventure path.

Morrow

 

[Goddess FallenAngel]

I've noticed a fairly decent amount of high-SR creatures in the AP I'm playing through... but how much of that is standard and how much is the DM altering encounters to the party I don't know. Later on, there are a lot of outsiders, so things good vs. them would be helpful (ranger with favored enemy, perhaps?).

 

[Graf]

I haven't played in it Savage Tides, or done more than read an adventure or two.

But some secret little part of me prays that the swim skill is more useful than normal.

Some tiny little shrunken part.

 

[Wycen]

Here goes. The first couple adventures are set in the city. After that you are often in the wilderness. Then later off in the outer planes. So, despite the fact Sasserine is a city, it is not an urban based adventure path.

Swim is useful more than once in the adventure.

Being able to suvive a grapple is by far the best advice anybody can give you. Grabby monsters are not nice.

 

[blargney the second]

The character that rocks the house in our Savage Tide campaign is a Xeph Swordsage/Fighter. The feat selection is what really makes it stand out. Up The Walls and Shape Soulmeld (Cerulean Sandals) give killer mobility - the ability to walk on liquids is unbelievably handy in any maritime game, and running up walls is amazing in the city. For offense, crank Dex and get Weapon Finesse and Shadow Blade.
-blarg

 

[Ambrus]

the ability to walk on liquids is unbelievably handy in any maritime game, and running up walls is amazing in the city.

It's funny but I was thinking along those very same lines myself. Why allow oneself to be boxed in by tall buildings and endless water when one can turn those obstacles into advantages?

I'd been thinking of combining Barbarian (for fast movement) and Ardent (for Freedom & Elemental mantles) and then branching off into Elocater (for Scorn Earth) and finally into Dervish (for Dervish Dance) while taking psionic feats such Up the Walls and Speed of Mind along the way. I'd end up with plenty of speed, the ability to swim like a fish at 2e level, run up walls at 3rd and run across water at 6th while combining it with a whirling melee fighting style. Nice to hear it'd prove a useful and effective approach.

 

[blargney the second]

If you're going that route, how about a pouncing build? Barbarian with two alternate class features: pounce instead of fast movement, and whirling frenzy instead of rage. A level of scout doesn't suck with that. Dervish wouldn't even be all that necessary anymore, so you could get more elocatery goodness.

 

[Ambrus]

If you're going that route, how about a pouncing build? Barbarian with two alternate class features: pounce instead of fast movement, and whirling frenzy instead of rage. A level of scout doesn't suck with that. Dervish wouldn't even be all that necessary anymore, so you could get more elocatery goodness.

Hm. I'd planned on taking the whirling frenzy option but hadn't seriously considered the pounce alternate class. Thanks for the suggestion.

My plan was to use speed to keep moving during combat, using my superior speed to keep out of reach of counterattacks; something which can be done handedly with a dervish. Pouncing on the other hand would ensure full attacks after a charge, but then I'd be stuck standing toe to toe with enemies to continue gaining full attacks. That standing around is what I'd like to avoid if possible. Still, easing up on class requirements a bit is tempting. I'll have to think about it some more.

 

[Deekin]

The character that rocks the house in our Savage Tide campaign is a Xeph Swordsage/Fighter. The feat selection is what really makes it stand out. Up The Walls and Shape Soulmeld (Cerulean Sandals) give killer mobility - the ability to walk on liquids is unbelievably handy in any maritime game, and running up walls is amazing in the city. For offense, crank Dex and get Weapon Finesse and Shadow Blade.
-blarg

Don't forget that you can expend your psionic focus to take 15 on any concentration check. It's handy when you are (ab)using Diamond Mind maneuvers.

 

[Av3rnus]

Savage Tide? Without giving away anything too spoilery, I'll say this:

- Swim, naturally, is an important skill.
- Climb may also come in handy from time to time.
- Profession (Sailor) will prove useful. Only one person in the party really needs to max it out, but it doesn't hurt for others to train in it.
- Prepare to be grappled. A lot.

As for classes, I don't think any of the classes have a big edge over the others, at least not with respect to this campaign. Just keep things like the above in mind when you're developing your character and I think you'll be fine.