What is the most interesting class/build?

[pro_antony]

What are the most complex classes and builds for first and only playtrough? With depth and synergy so my 2-3 heroes could setup smth. Also, some diversity will be great to have so I may switch to different strategy etc.

[Frostfeather]

You'll probably get a variety of recommendations as different people have different ideas about what you mean, but...

1 - Any Magus. I like Eldritch Scion the best because I think spontaneous casting is particularly useful for Magi in that you don't have to predict how many of what spells you'll need ahead of time. Magi are complex and their versatility allows them to synergize with other characters and group setups.

2 - Any Inquisitor. If you actually make use of their spells beyond just buffing, they're rather versatile. They have the incredible Litany of Eloquence, which is a no-save Fascinate, among other gems in their spell list.

3 - Any Alchemist, particularly Grenadier. They're not quite as versatile as other options, but their buffs and bombs are always welcome in any group. Directed Blast gives them an AoE option that efficiently uses their bombs so they don't run out so fast.

4 - Pretty much any caster, particularly an arcane caster. They're surprisingly tanky, rather versatile, and bring so much to any group. They're not always the easiest to use for new players, but it's not impossible to make them work well in a first run. I like the Arcane Bomber in particular, as you get something to do in between spell casts, and the (Acid) bombs can hit just about anything in the game without concern for Spell Resistance or damage type.

[mbradtke]

i would not play a melee, there are too many melee companions in kingmaker, in wraith it is the opposite, play something that is ranged, a caster or a ranged DD, you should enjoy your MC though, found myself restarting endless times because i was not satisfied with my MC )-:
it is not so easy... make sure to get a portait pack or two, it helps building a char you like a lot, i would also get COW mod as it increases your options by A LOT.... but it might be a bit overwhelming, up to you, lots of options with COW mod to build your char,
for ranged DD, ranger is very good but there are other options as well, for caster i would suggest a sorcecer or a wizard and you can build em as DD or as buffer/debuffer or even a mix but i would suggest to go for a spec, esp. when you want to deal dmg on the caster

[Immortal Reaver]

You want complex build, here complex tank build.
1 Fighter + 4 Bard + 4 Dragon Disciple + 1 Scaled Fist + 10 Eldritch Knight. It will have 18BAB and 16 caster levels. Loss of -2 BAB compared to martial will be compensated by DD bonus of +4 Strenght.

[mbradtke]

Originally posted by Immortal Reaver:

You want complex build, here complex tank build.
1 Fighter + 4 Bard + 4 Dragon Disciple + 1 Scaled Fist + 10 Eldritch Knight. It will have 18BAB and 16 caster levels. Loss of -2 BAB compared to martial will be compensated by DD bonus of +4 Strenght.

late game build though, not everyone enjoys that, pretty slow progress on spell casting and bard already is delayed as sponteous caster, also i feel there is little need for a tank, you already have valerie, jaethal (both together make a very good front line), also eku pet, even amiri is pretty though with her high HP and can be built into a decent tank with support, and then there is still harrim who is also not too shaby if u invest into the right spots, reg can also tank later i guess

[Youretrappedinthisreality]

Make sure to run with Jubilost for his Enhance Potion discovery.

For yourself a Charisma user would work best, you need perception on every character imo, and persuasion is mandatory on your main, unless its interesting to fail all those checks...

classes that are built around Charisma are regular Sorcerer and Sylvan Sorcerer, Paladins, Magus Scion (martial sorcerer), Bards, Scaled Fist monk (you can go unarmed or armed, but switch to unarmed temporarely to try a stunning fist which DC is calculated by your charisma)

[asame_akio]

I know this is a bit late, but since the topic got bumped, here’s a couple somewhat atypical ideas:

Archeologist. In Kingmaker, it’s a straight downgrade from regular bard, but only in terms of what it can do for the party; if you already have a vanilla bard in the party (highly recommended, bardsong is excellent for both buffing and debuffing, and in the mid-late game offers amazing action economy), though, archeologist still makes an effective buffer through their spells (heroism, haste, good hope), is great for keeping the party from capitulating on poor saving throws (remove fear, unbreakable heart), has some excellent control spells if you can boost their DC (grease, glitterdust, slow, confusion, overwhelming presence). Tack on archeologist’s luck (scales with level, personal buff to attack/damage rolls, skills, and saves, and it’s a luck bonus which is pretty uncommon so you don’t have to worry about it not stacking with most things), some talents (mostly useful for extra feats but there are other options), and the 3/4 BAB doesn’t look as bad for them as martials. Yes, the spell list overlaps with your vanilla bard’s, but that just means you can get those buffs running twice as fast and for twice as many encounters. The best thing about Archeologist, though, is that they’re the best skill monkey in the game. 4 skill points per level before Int mod/racial bonus, half-level bonuses to every knowledge/lore skill, and half-level bonuses to two of the three most useful skills in the game, Trickery and Perception. A lot of builds use archeologist as a dip, and to be fair, a pure archeologist will never put out as much damage as a specialist DPS build, but they’re amazing for pulling off the most important skill checks while still being capable buffers, controllers, and damage dealers. You could theoretically even make a pretty decent tank with one, though they don’t have anything that particularly lends them to that role, so you’d need to invest a lot of effort into getting them there.

A base that I tend to use for a lot of pretty varied martial builds is Slayer 6/Rogue 4, changing the archetypes as needed for the purposes of the build. (Vanilla) Slayer 6 gets you Studied Target +2, Sneak Attack +2d6, 3 talents, full BAB, and good Fort and Ref saves, while Rogue 4 gives you another Sneak Attack +2d6, another 2 talents, +3 BAB, uncanny dodge, evasion, and debilitating injury (a no-save debuff to any enemy you damage with a sneak attack). I tend to prefer Knife Master or Thug for the rogue levels—KM for higher melee sneak attack damage (though you’re stuck using knives), Thug for brutal beating, another no-save debuff on anything you damage with a sneak attack (though you give up 1 die of SA damage for it, and you have to be careful using demoralize actions with Thug since you can send enemies running all over the map). For slayer, I tend to prefer vanilla slayer if I’m going to add more than 6 levels in the build, or Spawn Slayer if I’m not for the extra bonus to Studied Target against Large or bigger enemies. A few examples of builds I’ve made using the combo include a pure DPS, Str-based two weapon fighter that blitzes enemies, is pretty tanky, and can hand out crippling debuffs (Slayer 15 / Knife Master 4 / Traditional Monk 1); a weird Wis-based frontliner that trips everything she hits, gets very tanky, and can still hand out some significant damage (Spawn Slayer 10 / Knife Master 4 / Inquisitor 4 / Sensei 2), and a screwball build I’m actually just finalizing right now that I haven’t tested at all, a ranged attacker that sits on the frontline as a supertank, sniping and debuffing the enemy’s backline while absorbing their frontline’s attacks (Spawn Slayer 6 / Thug 4 / Divine Hunter 2 / Scaled Fist 1 / Sorcerer 1 / Dragon Disciple 4 / Arcane Trickster 2). Those are all mercenary builds that function on 20 point buys, but they should give you some idea the kind of flexibility in builds that that base offers.

[Baldurs_Gate_2]

You could go Strength Vivisectionist / 1 dip scaled fist for CHA to AC / 2 lvls Pala for CHA to saves / 2 lvls thug for frightened / more rounds with dazzling display

Power Attack / Dazzling Display / Shatter Defenses / Dreadful Carnage - Enemies that aren't immune to shaken / frightened are permanent flat-footed as long as it lasts. Same if you cast greater invisibility.

Str Vivi has less AC than a Dex one, but with the dex one you don't get dreadful carnage and have to manually cast dazzling display until you get greater invis.

Or you play Sword Saint. Dimension Strike targets touch AC and that is in the majority of times the lowes between the three. Sword Saint even gets mirror image early.