HONORABLE MENTIONS

Honorable Mentions Character Builds: The article details six unique Pathfinder character builds that narrowly missed the top ten list.

1. The King in Yellow (Elder Mythos Cultist Cleric 5/Evangelist 10/Antipaladin 2/Cleric +3) – Tops out as only narrowly missing the top 10 due to technicalities.
2. The Red Riding Hood (Weretouched Shifter 4/Primalist Bloodrager 12/Magus 4): Fell short as a result of using several convoluted mechanics, enough to have a GM quirk an eyebrow and deny the character.
3. Gunslinger:Battle Host Occultist 1/Mysterious Stranger Gunslinger 1/Trench Fighter 3/Bard Juggler 7/Luring Musketeer Cavalier 8): Painfully close to the top ten, but two things push it out – FAQ Errata that weakens the build extensively & firearms are heavily limited in some campaigns.

Explore The Glass Walker’s Pathfinder 1E 2024 Honorable Mentions, where exceptional character builds captivate and intrigue players. Each build offers a unique blend of class abilities, skills, and optimization, presenting an exciting array of options for creating memorable and effective characters.

Builds with Unique Challenges: These builds are noted for their unique challenges, either due to mechanics, rule interpretations, or specific starting levels.

Insight into Complex Character Creation: Provides insights into more complex aspects of character creation in Pathfinder, emphasizing creativity and strategic thinking.

The Unholy Terror

This build, known as The Unholy Terror, is a hyperfocused Intimidancer Build that excels at sending enemies into a panic and then capitalizing on their fear. The build has a flaw in that it strictly bypasses immunities to emotional effects, potentially forcing characters to behave in a particular way.

The race recommended for this build is Ifrit with the Hypnotic Alternate Racial Feature, and the class progression includes Antipaladin(Tyrant) 3/Slayer 7/Red Mantis Assassin 10. Furthermore, the Trait, Ability Scores, Favored Class Bonus, Skills, Feats by Level, Slayer Talents by Level, and Equipment are all detailed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the build’s mechanics.

The Beast in the Woods

The Beast in the Woods presents a unique and fascinating character build that embodies the concept of cryptids or weird monsters.
It showcases a mix of Kraken Caller Druid and Beastmorph Vivisectionist Alchemist, offering an intriguing blend of class abilities and skills.
The build exhibits a strong inclination towards the ‘monster’ theme, which may raise concerns among game masters regarding its flavor and ability balance. While the reliance on certain mechanics and the necessary evil alignment diminish its overall ranking, it remains an enjoyable and eccentric build for players seeking an unconventional character experience.

The Seductress

The Seductress is a character build focused on using enchantments and divination spells to navigate social encounters with remarkable finesse and manipulate the emotions of NPCs.

This build is not only capable of influencing others through seduction and charm, but also maintains strong combat effectiveness as a full spellcaster.

Due to its social manipulative nature, the Seductress build may evoke discomfort in some groups, making it essential to ensure that everyone at the table is comfortable with this approach before introducing the character.

The Gunslinger

The Gunslinger makes a bold and enticing claim as the fastest shot in the world, wielding four pistols with impressive theatrics. However, this build narrowly misses the Top 10 due to a FAQ Errata that weakens a key ability and the divisive nature of gunslinger builds among Game Masters.

Featuring a diverse class combination of Battle Host Occultist, Mysterious Stranger Gunslinger, Trench Fighter, Bard Juggler, and Luring Musketeer Cavalier, this build offers a tantalizing mix of skills and abilities for the agile gunslinging enthusiast.

Requiring high Dexterity, Charisma, and moderate Intelligence, the Gunslinger’s favored class bonus grants additional Hit Points, compensating for the lower Constitution. Mandatory skills include Perception and Sleight of Hands, while the choice of other skills adds versatility to the build.

The Gunslinger’s carefully curated feat progression enhances ranged combat effectiveness, with abilities enabling improved mobility and diverse firearm use. Starting with a masterwork pistol and the freedom to choose additional firearms and armor, this build offers substantial damage potential and tactical flexibility.

The Red Raiding Hood

The Red Raiding Hood build from 3.5 was known for dealing excessive damage, but its Pathfinder version falls short due to clunkiness and the hoops required to achieve high damage levels. While the build is legal, it may raise eyebrows among GMs due to certain aspects.

The choice of the Deep-One Hybrid post-transformation race has been highlighted as the most clunky part of the build, as it provides bonuses for high Strength despite potential GM concerns, although it can be substituted with a human race at the cost of lower stats

The class composition consists of Weretouched Shifter 4, Primalist Bloodrager 12, and Magus 4. The build prioritizes high Strength and specific point allocations, favoring abilities that enhance damage output.

Feats such as Natural Jouster, Spirited Charge, Eldritch Heritage (Abyssal), and Improved Eldritch Heritage (Abyssal) contribute to the build’s damage potential at the cost of complexity, with additional details provided for a comprehensive understanding.

The King in Yellow

A young drow, uncommon on the surface, is reading a book near a fountain and is perceived as a demon worshipper by others due to her race. The drow’s smile piques the curiosity of a man, leading to a discussion about the Yellow Sign.

This build is an Elder Mythos Cultist Cleric 5/Evangelist 10/Antipaladin 2/Cleric +3. It suggests minor tweaks to create a powerful character, and the removal of Young and Advanced Templates is recommended to enhance the build’s legitimacy.

It focuses on the Young Advanced Drow Noble race, utilizing traits like Magical Knack and Warrior of Old to optimize Caster Level and Initiative. The ability scores prioritize Charisma, followed by Constitution and Dexterity.

Feats, skills, and favored class bonuses are specifically detailed, emphasizing the significance of certain feats like Weapon Finesse, Deific Obedience, Dreamed Secrets, and Selective Channel. Additionally, the recommended equipment includes a Rapier and a Chain Shirt, with the suggestion to acquire a Hat of Disguise.

Recap

Explore an array of exceptional character builds with unique class abilities, optimization, and thematic elements. Each build offers intricate mechanics and diverse playstyles, enriching the Pathfinder 1E experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

What distinguishes the The Unholy Terror build?

The Unholy Terror build distinguishes itself through its hyperfocused Intimidancer concept, inducing panic in enemies and capitalizing on their fear. However, the bypassing of immunities to emotional effects may lead to potential gameplay discomfort for some groups.

How can players optimize the ability scores for The Beast in the Woods build?

For The Beast in the Woods build, prioritizing strength, minimum intelligence, and wisdom with a recommended race of Ragebred Skinwalker ensures optimization for the unique class abilities and combat effectiveness.

What distinctly enhances the Seductress build’s effectiveness in social encounters?

The Seductress excels in social encounters due to its high Charisma scores, specific feats, and spells like Suggestion, Charm Person, and Dominate Person, culminating in exceptional social manipulation abilities.

What makes the Gunslinger build controversial among Game Masters?

The Gunslinger’s divisive nature among Game Masters stems from a FAQ Errata weakening a key ability, requiring careful consideration and optimization to address concerns and restrictions related to gunslinger builds.

What sets The Red Raiding Hood’s damage potential apart from other builds?

The Red Raiding Hood build emphasizes intricate combinations of abilities, feats, spells, and equipment to achieve astronomical levels of damage, showcasing detailed optimizations for high damage output and combat capabilities.

How does The King in Yellow’s build strike a balance between casting spells and efficient melee combat?

The King in Yellow’s build excels in spellcasting, efficient melee combat, high AC, and various spell-like abilities, offering an exceptional balance between melee combat and powerful spellcasting.

How can players leverage the 2024 THE HONORABLE MENTIONS for personalized and formidable characters?

Players can infuse their creativity into the 2024 THE HONORABLE MENTIONS, adapting character builds to suit their playstyle, thereby crafting unforgettable in-game experiences.

What role-playing opportunities are available for the Inquisitor builds?

In addition to combat prowess, Inquisitor builds offer distinct role-playing opportunities, enriching the game with engaging narrative possibilities, such as hunting down witch covens and combating undead foes.

Which skills should I prioritize when building a Seductress character?

When building a Seductress character, prioritize skills like Bluff, Diplomacy, and Use Magic Device to maximize the character’s social manipulative capabilities and charm NPCs effectively.

What combat tactical advantages does The King in Yellow build provide?

The King in Yellow build provides tactical brilliance and strategic fighting movements, offering a significant presence on the battlefield with a unique blend of offensive and defensive abilities.