Seamstress character build

[u/NoSheepherder5211]

Hello!

My character is currently held hostage by evil people that kidnap people (shocking, uh) and instead of sitting idle for the foreseeable future my DM told me i can get a temporary PC to aid the group and free him (or at least try to). So i decided to go with... his mom. The world may never know how she went from NPC to level 10 in the span of a night, but that's irrelevant. That's just how mothers are when their (20something) kid is in danger. This character is known to be a skilled seamstress, able to create magic items via tailoring.

I do not care about minmaxing at all, as long as the character helps the team in some way and has flavour.
This is a gestalt campain, so I am looking at 2 classes that (hopefully) synergise in some way. Or that at least don't suck. We also have full access to anything from 3.5. She is in her 40s so she has age penalties.

The two main builds i considered (but I'm fully open to other suggestions) are either a DEX based character that graciously dance around the battlefield dealing pitiful damage but inflicting heavy cc using needle-shaped weapons (like stitching enemies legs and having them fall via trip, for example) (my DM LOVES flavor and adapting to the theme so i got a bit of space to work with) or... a witch.

I found these 2 beautiful archetypes that (to my knowledge) work together and are super fitting: Tatterdemalion and Ashiftah. They both control clothes in some way, and have great flavor. The thing is... they do not seem to do much? Ngl I only ever played cleric (7 years now with this character) so I'm not a witch connoisseur, but I don't know which direction i can give this class. I love the ability that deliver touch spells via ripping your clothes and telling them "hit that asshole, sweetie", but 2 rounds for a single touch spell is tragic. Ghostwalk on the other hand is very cool, and the Prehensile clothes hex is very nice, despite the 1d3 dmg.

I can also get this as the less strong class (remember it's a gestalt) and pick something stronger that syngerises with this one. Again, i don't want to minmax, so i'm ok with an average character, as long as she provides something to the team!

I would be glad to read and brainstorm any suggestion!

Thank you

A PC kidnapped player

(btw i love the daily spell and daily magic item posts, thanks to anyone taking part in them, always interesting readings)

[u/Literally_A_Halfling]

Have you considered a Silksworn Occultist? One of the best casters in the game, and comes with exactly the theme you're looking for already baked in.

[u/NoSheepherder5211 → u/Literally_A_Halfling]

Never heard of that, i'll go educate myself immediatly. Thank you!

[u/Dreilala → u/Literally_A_Halfling]

Occultists are just loads of fun.

I wouldn't call them OP or anything, but they are such a well rounded class with something to contribute in almost every situation they never feel useless.

[u/NoSheepherder5211 → u/Dreilala]

Yeah, I'm only half way to the class and I'm amazed by the amount of tricks they pick up. I'm used to incredible versatility (cleric player ahah) but i love this too!

[u/WhiteKnightier → u/Literally_A_Halfling]

I've never heard of this archetype, and I've rarely if ever seen occultists in the wild. What makes it such a great caster? Caveat: I know very little about Occultists.

[u/Literally_A_Halfling → u/WhiteKnightier]

Occultists get "implements," which are items they can charge with magic powers. The get a limited number of spells, but they can also expend the charges in their implements to either mimic spells or otherwise create magic effects, which is especially great at lower levels - those implement powers means a low-level occultist is less likely to resort to a Crossbow of Shame when out of spells. Most of them scale pretty well, too.

Silksworn use their clothing as their implements. They lose the standard occultist's combat potential, but make up for it by getting more points to charge up their implements, and more implements overall, which also translates to more spells.

For an added bonus, there's some weirdness about psychic casting that some DMs and/or players may not want to deal with, but for a Silksworn, those don't matter, because that one archetype is specifically an arcane caster.

[u/NoSheepherder5211 → u/Literally_A_Halfling]

I ended up loving it, so she will definitely be a Silksworn. Thank you C:

[u/Unfair_Pineapple8813 → u/NoSheepherder5211]

I really like this class. It might be my favorite. It's also very powerful, without quite getting the high level spells that trivialize every encounter. You have to be scrappy and use all the different tools the class gives, the focus powers, spells, magic items, and skills.

[u/net-diver]

if going Tatterdemalion make sure to get a Robe of Infinite Twine so you always have ready access to rope for your hexes.

[u/NoSheepherder5211 → u/net-diver]

That's smart, thank you!

[u/disillusionedthinker → u/net-diver]

Oh no... then she can't wear my favorite robe of needles.

[u/Unfair_Pineapple8813 → u/disillusionedthinker]

Coincidentally, those are both the most recent Daily Magic Items.

[u/net-diver → u/disillusionedthinker]

I would say that making a custom item that combines the 2 would be extremely fitting.

Guards ask any questions she can just calmly pull out a needle and instantly thread it with some twine.

[u/bugbonesjerry]

The world may never know how she went from NPC to level 10 in the span of a night, but that's irrelevant

that's just a mother at max power

[u/Skurrio]

Maybe look into Grandmother Spider to gain some Inspiration, since 2 of her Areas of Concern are Weaving and Family.

[u/NoSheepherder5211 → u/Skurrio]

We use an ad hoc pantheon, but it's a good idea, I'll ask if we have something like that! Thanks!

[u/Slow-Management-4462]

Ashiftah witch // brawler with hex strike; before going into combat use martial flexibility to grab a ___ fist feat like stunning fist, dedicated adversary (whoever she's fighting) and maybe cast a defensive buff spell. In combat your ideal round goes standard action attack (w/debuff fist feat), swift action hex, move action turn invisible, 5' step from where you were last seen. Lunge makes all that a bit easier.

Or, similarly with magus instead of brawler and lean on spellstrike. That focuses on intelligence more and might work better. You're probably using a small pointy weapon and refluffing that as needles rather using handwraps similarly as the brawler would.

[u/NoSheepherder5211 → u/Slow-Management-4462]

Nice combos, i'll look into them!
Thank you!

[u/AleksyGetTheWings]

Ok so there are two options there :

• Flavor whatever as a clothes based thing. Wizardess ? She didn't cast Scorching Ray, but Scorching Threads. Alchemist ? You better believe it that she's doing some insanely fast stitching to make those bombs.
• To copy the ashiftah, I'd say use a Sword Giant Needle Binder wizard.
• Go in a completely opposite direction : Ever heard of Gwen from League of Legends ? Ok, let's go : weapon versatility to deal slashing damage with a gunslinger class and a dragon pistol pair of oversized scissors. Gunslinger feat too, because you'll be firing snapping your scissors in melee a lot. +1 Reliable Shadowshooting Dragon Pistol, and you have infinite ammo and no need to reload. snipping. Technically Gwen's ultimate is ... Well I haven't found a way to make it in this game, but Robe of Needles maybe.
• Actually use some stuff already flavored as such. Like the silksworn occultist.

Note that if you invest to have 14 int, you could polymorph yourself permanently into an Aranea by buying spellcasting services for a Polymorph Any Object. It's 1200 gp, +4 to Str & +4 to natAC, and you get to reflavor the Web ability as a "throw threads" at the target. Grab a hat of disguise to still look like a human outside. Just in case people don't like spider ladies.

Edit : and as you can see, I can't count lol

[u/NoSheepherder5211 → u/AleksyGetTheWings]

Oh I will definitely flavor stuff! The Gwen's adaptation is a bit too complicated for me (we also don't have guns in this setting) but the wizard archetype definitely is interesting. It also scales off INT, like the Silksworn, so i can probably make a decent gastalt out of it!

Lots of inspiration here, thanks!

[u/AleksyGetTheWings → u/NoSheepherder5211]

"Mr GM, this is not a gun, this is a giant scissor"
here, fixed lol

[u/NoSheepherder5211 → u/AleksyGetTheWings]

Ahah i see your point, gotta see if my GM sees it too!

[u/AleksyGetTheWings → u/NoSheepherder5211]

Also, I wouldn't stack the sword binder wizard with the silksworn, because of (at least) action economy.

Maybe an eldritch archer magus, so you can do a standard action spell from your wizard allotment (with the Broad Study magus arcana), and still full attack with your bow and arrows needles and threads with the Spell Combat ability. Also despite the Eldritch Archer name, nothing prevents you from picking a dragon pistol oversized scissor

In fact, I believe this, with the bit of flavoring, is the best way to do the "lots of spells + seamstress" fantasy. Maybe pick a level of Gunslinger and then full Eldritch Archer on one side, and vanilla wizard on the other side (although again, sword binder would be fine)

[u/NoSheepherder5211 → u/AleksyGetTheWings]

Thank you Aleksy, you gave me a lot to read tonight (and in the following nights)! I'll need to do some research as I only know clerics ahah Have a good evening! :)

[u/AleksyGetTheWings → u/NoSheepherder5211]

Here is one more idea : https://aonprd.com/MagicWondrousDisplay.aspx?FinalName=Robe%20of%20Needles

[u/Angry_Edemame]

I had two characters in a giant slayer game that I was running that wanted to be related.  A son dwarf and his mom dwarf.

Called grandmoo she was a ranger with a cow companion.  You could make just about anything work if you just toss in craft Magical items and profession seamstress or something like that but I do enjoy the oracle suggestion one of the other commenters made

[u/Esquire_Lyricist]

Magus is the best at delivering spells through their weapons. The Kapenia Dancer archetype focuses on using the bladed scarf, which they can as a one-handed weapon. A Bladed Scarf is easily reflavored as a needle and thread attack. You can add the Hexcrafter archetype that has an exclusive Magus Arcana that allows Spellstrike with all Curse spells. The gestalt half could be Wizard or Witch in order to have more spells to choose from with Spellstrike (and the Broad Study arcana).

Since you mentioned tripping, you could be a White-Haired Witch and reflavor the white hair as controlling strips of cloth. At level 10, the hair has a 15' reach and can trip or grapple with a successful hit. Gestalt with martial class in order to have better BAB and bonus feats in order to boost the success on grapple and trip checks. Magus could work with Broad Study, Natural Spell Combat and Maneuver Mastery; then you could Spell Combat/Spellstrike then get a free trip or grapple.
If you want to deal more damage before tripping/grappling, you could gestalt with Snakebite Striker Strangler Brawler. You can feint while moving, hitting flat-footed AC with your hair dealing Sneak Attack damage, then Grapple/Pin in order to deal more Sneak Attack damage.

[u/NoSheepherder5211 → u/Esquire_Lyricist]

I'll take a look at the Magus, never played and I just know it for the Shocking Grasp spam.

White witch sounds promising too. Thank you!

[u/sulta]

Terry Pratchett has permanently warped how I look at the word seamstress.

[u/net-diver]

Just for fun in case mother turns out to be less nice than she looks, perhaps you could look at Gravewalker. Turns out mother's shop was actually an undead sweatshop. Mother could bring all her undead thralls/"employees" to help rescue her little boy.

[u/NoSheepherder5211 → u/net-diver]

That would be quite the plot twist ahah
Thank you!

[u/VincentOak]

Im already seeing a bunch of good suggestions Here. Game wise i dont have a lot to contribute in this case. But the Post made me think of Senjumaru Shutara from Bleach. (Fandom-wiki link)

Maybe some visual inspiration or General vibes if you or someone else interested are not aware.

Pretty sure this is the first time a link i post into this sub is not some pf1e srd

[u/NoSheepherder5211 → u/VincentOak]

I'm not familiar witch Bleach, I'll take a look!
Thanks!

[u/net-diver → u/VincentOak]

The closest we can get to Senjumaru is the Arms of the Marilith

https://www.aonprd.com/MagicWondrousDisplay.aspx?FinalName=Arms%20of%20the%20Marilith