The Kingmaker 10th Anniversary materials have gone out to backers! The moment I got my notification to download my PDFs I was on Paizo’s site so I could get to reading. I’ve been eager to read through the Pathfinder 2E conversion, see what they added based on player and GM thoughts, as well as influences from the Kingmaker video game. It’s a great isometric game if you’re interested, though don’t play it if you’ll be a player in a Kingmaker game. Save those joys for the gaming table!
Kingmaker & Luis
There’s a lot to go over with the Kingmaker release. I highly suggest you check out Vanessa and Luis’ discussion on the topic. There’s also a bit news there in that Luis is stepping away from the network, not altogether at once but soon as his career has grown and so another host will be chosen. Let me use this space to say thank you to Luis for the chats, the games, the fun, the friendship! His creativity is immeasurable and his kindness is something to be sung of in legends. I, of course, will be eager to see his continued works and forthcoming releases. If you haven’t checked out his last Monstrous Physique, which rounded out 2021, check out the Costello-bot 4000! Valiant will also be ending soon, but after the story has reached a rather amazing climax. Many thanks to Luis for leading us through the wild west of that region of Arcadia! Check out Luis’ release on Pathfinder Infinite all about Altameda if you’re looking for your own Arcadia western game!
So yes, amidst all this new, I’m digging into Kingmaker and realized how brilliant they were to include character creation guidelines for Psychic and Thaumaturge despite they only came out in Dark Archive a couple months ago. That made me wonder about the Kineticist due out in next summer’s Rage of Elements. Kineticist is not included there but there is a reference to such when discussing some possible NPC companions!
“The twins are kineticists capable of directly manipulating elemental energies (water in Kalikke’s case, and fire in Kanerah’s) in battle. If you wish to build stats for them to accompany the PCs on adventures but lack rules for building them as kineticists…”2
Oh ho ho. I see what you did there, clever developers. Why, wouldn’t you know we do have rules for building them as kineticists! While some guidance is given for making them sorcerers, we do now have the playtest materials here so I thought i’d use those for some level 1 stats for each.
Kineticist NPCs for Kingmaker
SPOILERS WITHIN for story details, here be the warning! SPOILERS WITHIN
We know Kalikke should have water and Kanerah should have fire. All the NPCs in the Companion Guide are built with PC rules so I’ll be doing the same. The influence rules provided for them (like all the influence guidance) note alignment, gender, ancestry and heritage and include perception and will modifiers, so I’ll be targeting the same.
Kalikke
Kalikke Creature 1
CG FEMALE TIEFLING HUMAN KINETICIST
Female tiefling human kineticist (Criminal (Subtle Theft) background)
Perception +5 (trained); low-light vision
Languages Common, Undercommon, another relevant to a PC in the party
Skills Acrobatics +5 (trained), Medicine +5 (trained), Nature +5 (trained), Society +4 (trained), Stealth +5 (trained), Thievery +5 (trained), Underworld Lore +5 (trained)
Str +0, Dex +2, Con +4, Int +1, Wis +2, Cha +0
Items backpack, leather armor, explorer’s clothing, flint and steel, minor healing potion, 3 torches, waterskin
AC 16; Fort +9, Ref +7, Will +7
HP 20;
Speed 25 feet
Melee [one-action] fist +5, Damage 1d4 bludgeoning; [one-action] elemental blast +5 (sweep, finesse*, water), Damage 1d8 bludgeoning
Ranged [one-action] elemental blast +5 (range increment 30 feet, water), Damage 1d8 bludgeoning
Ancestry Feats General Training
Class Feats Flexible Blasts (use to make melee finesse*)
Impulse Feats Elemental Blast, Deflecting Wave, Tidal Hands, Water Dance
General Feats Canny Acumen (Will)
Skill Feats Subtle Theft
Class Abilities Inner Gate (water), Gather Element, Elemental Impulses, Adapt Element
Kanerah
Kanerah Creature 1
LE FEMALE TIEFLING HUMAN KINETICIST
Female tiefling human kineticist (Criminal background)
Perception +4 (trained); low-light vision
Languages Common, Undercommon
Skills Deception +4 (trained), Intimidation +4 (trained), Nature +4 (trained), Stealth +4 (trained), Thievery +5 (trained), Underworld Lore +3 (trained)
Str +2, Dex +1, Con +4, Int +0, Wis +1, Cha +1
Items backpack, leather armor, explorer’s clothing, flint and steel, minor healing potion, 3 torches, waterskin
AC 15; Fort +9, Ref +6, Will +6
HP 20;
Speed 25 feet
Melee [one-action] fist +5, Damage 1d4 bludgeoning; [one-action] elemental blast +5 (agile, finesse, fire), Damage 1d6+2 fire
Ranged [one-action] elemental blast +5 (agile, brutal*, fire, range increment 60 feet), Damage 1d6 fire
Ancestry Feats General Training
Class Feats Flexible Blasts (use to make melee finesse*)
Impulse Feats Elemental Blast, Burning Jet, Flame Eruption, Warming Nimbus
General Feats Canny Acumen (Will)
Skill Feats Experienced Smuggler
Class Abilities Inner Gate (fire), Gather Element, Elemental Impulses, Adapt Element
I like the options both builds came down to. They share a series of equipment due to the nature of their story sharing the same body. I made Kanerah stronger and a little deceptive to add to the rough and tumble attitude she puts forth while Kalikke is slightly more perceptive and erudite. The Flexible Blasts feat helps both of the sisters either with the ranged or melee attacks respectively. If there’d been an option for a water-based healing first level Impulse feat I’d have chosen that for Kalikke. The final rules may have such. Meanwhile I thought Kanerah might have a survival-like stay warm ability, which made me choose Warming Nimbus. I couldn’t help but think of Zuko’s breath of fire warming him in the polar areas of Avatar: the Last Airbender.
I did struggle with the Perception and Will Saves of +7 and ultimately decided not to adhere to those specific numbers from the Influence stat block. For example, using Kalikke’s ancestry feat to take General Training to take Canny Acumen (Will) to get a will save of +7 but her perception modifier is not a +7, but a +5. I could have instead taken a Hellspawn ancestry feat, which might be more in line with the character. I’d consider it that – in consideration of the Influence rules – the two are paying more attention to the PCs choices, behaviors, and motivations (hence the bonus to perception) and Kalikke is less guarded than Kenerah around them, as reflected in the bonus to will save.
Hopefully these write up details will aid you in your playthrough of Kingmaker and your players enjoy interacting with the two NPC companions! Once the official kineticist rules are out then I’ll update accordingly, though I think we’ll all be celebrating a lot with Rage of the Elements. If you create kineticist stats for them of your own I’d love to see the choices you make. Otherwise, I hope you get a chance to invest in Kingmaker for Pathfinder 2E! Check out Zi Mishkal’s hex map tweet below; they’re certainly ready to go! I’m excited to enjoy this path one way or another…
Until next time, happy gaming and again a big thank you and much love to Luis Loza!
@paizo session zero of the PF2 Kingmaker is tomorrow. The map is ready. Yes, those are 1" hexes on a laminated map. #pathfinder #ttrpg pic.twitter.com/fwhU5t50DO
— Zi Mishkal (@ZMishkal) September 11, 2022
Investing In:
I wasn’t quite sure what to name my article series when I first started but the idea of showcasing or discussing things that make me excited, that I find new and interesting, or maybe I’m otherwise passionate about seemed to fit with the idea of Investing In something like the Pathfinder 2E mechanic. To use some magic items you have to give that little bit of yourself, which helps make these things even better. I like the metaphor of the community growing and being strengthened in the same way!
I also want to hear what you’re Investing In! Leave me a comment below about what games, modules, systems, products, people, live streams, etc you enjoy! You can also hit me up on social media as silentinfinity. I want to hear what excites you and what you’re passionate about. There’s so much wonderful content, people, groups (I could go on) in this community of ours that the more we invest in and share, the better it becomes!
Sources
Banner – from cover of Kingmaker Adventure Path Companion Guide, Paizo, cover art by Alberto Dal Lago
- Kingmaker Banner, tweet from Paizo, Paizo
- Kalikke and Kanerah excerpt, Kingmaker Adventure Path Companion Guide, Paizo
- Kalikke, Kingmaker Adventure Path Companion Guide, Paizo
- Kanerah, Kingmaker Adventure Path Companion Guide, Paizo
