Kingmaker - Harrim: Dwarf Companion

Pathfinder: Kingmaker introduces another potential companion called Harrim who is a brooding dwarf cleric.

Harrim: The Frailty of Life


Pathfinders! Today we introduce another one of your future companions: a brooding dwarf cleric called Harrim.

In the world of Golarion, religion is not a topic for abstract philosophical discussions, but a matter of life and death. Various deities directly interfere with the lives of mortals - some change them for the better, some for worse, and some just make them… Stranger.

During his life in the Five Kings Mountains, Harrim aspired to follow Torag, the Dwarven god of craft. Unfortunately, no matter how much he studied the holy books, he failed to meet the crucial requirement for a cleric of Torag: he never learned to make anything with his hands. It was worse than just regular clumsiness: Harrim couldn't forge a single nail or carve a wooden spoon to save his life. Some dwarves ridiculed him, others suggested that Torag must have cursed him - and this was what Harrim himself eventually believed.

Betrayed and forsaken by the god he was ready to dedicate his whole life to, Harrim went into exile, searching for some other purpose in life. He found it when he met a traveling cult of one of Golarion's most obscure deities - Groetus, the god of the End Times. A colossal skull-shaped moon looming over Purgatory, Groetus is waiting for the day when Pharasma, the goddess of death, won't be able to contain him anymore, so he can go to the Material plane and put an end to it. This fateful day is nowhere near - it would take aeons for Groetus to become free - but it's inevitable, and comes closer with each passing second. Groetus is patient, and so are his worshippers - hiding in shadows, listening to their god's faint whispers, meditating over their own mortality, and frailty of life.

It is said that the worshippers of Groetus slowly sink into madness. Harrim dismisses such slanderous rumors. The way he talks and acts might seem eccentric, but it has nothing to do with so-called insanity - he just delves deeper into the fundamental truths, understanding the world's nature and the inevitability of its demise… He's happy to explain his religion's teachings - though he rarely finds anyone willing to listen.

Harrim's philosophy hasn't made him a passive observer. He's always ready to use his god's power to heal his allies or bring punishment upon their enemies - though after the battle expect him to say something about the perishable nature of all mortals. He embraces the fact that death will eventually take everyone, but he doesn't hurry to meet it - so he has trained to wear heavy armor and wield a shield. Despite Harrim's bleak philosophy, he'll save your life more than once during the many battles that await you in the Stolen Lands.

Should you rely on Harrim's help in ruling your realm, you will benefit from his wisdom and charisma. A calm, level-headed man, Harrim is surprisingly good at making well-considered decisions, as well as talking to people - that is, until he starts rambling about the End of Days.

Dev response: Magus Archetypes

You may have missed this one: our mechanics designer has created a massive forum post, where he discusses all the archetypes our community has suggested for the Magus. He talks about which of them may work well with the game, which of them might be complicated to implement, how and why certain archetypes would or wouldn't work and much more! If you'd like to learn more about the thought process that goes into our class design, come on over to the forums and have a chat with us!

Hail to the kings!

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The character sounds interesting, but if he behaves like a regular cleric - except for banter changes - then that hardly seems that different? I mean, if he refused to heal some people or went into a smiting rage under certain conditions that would be interesting (if annoying at times). Or if he has special domain/other powers that are unique to his god?

Sounds like my kind of cleric!

No exact idea about the deity he is worshipping, but I hope it reflects in his priestly attitude: No better way to further the coming of the apocalypse than to heal your buds so they can do more damage. Peasants? Let them die. It's the way of things.

Would be a nice change of pace to have a real "lawful evil" cleric.

So, an eccentric dwarven cleric. Durance anyone?

Harrim is surprisingly good at making well-considered decisions, as well as talking to people - that is, until he starts rambling about the End of Days.

Definitely sounds like it.

Well, I hope Harrim will be a bit more fun to hang around than Durance…

A dwarven, doomsday cult, nihilist priest??? Sounds like fun.

I wonder how he feels about being resurrected? "Oh no, not again."

Dwarves are infinitely more interesting than silly elves are, so bring on the dwarves!!

So, how far are we away from the release of this game or will they go to early access?

Originally Posted by redman5427
So, how far are we away from the release of this game or will they go to early access?

95$ gets you beta access, which will start towards the end of the year iirc.

If he is rude and obnoxious I might let him stick around, at least for the entertainment value.

Durance was actually the best written character in PoE…this includes player dialogue as well.
Characters here seem more like eccentric thropes, but it's better than PoE's mundane (and dull) approach( …the Watcher intently listens as Sagani recounts homecook seal fat recipes and peculiarities of eskimo wedding rituals )

As long as they don't go overboard. Minsc.

Well that's exactly why you need a mix of characters, because I couldn't stand that obnoxious perverse twit of a cleric and never played with him after the first run through. Minsc, on the other hand, was well-loved by many players

As far as popularity goes with players, Durance isn't doing too bad actually according to Obsidian's poll:
https://www.obsidian.net/component/p…rite-companion (over 26,000 votes cast so far…)

Third place behind Eder and Grieving Mother is not a bad effort and not by any means unpopular if that's a gauge of any merit.

I can certainly understand travelling with Durance to be not for everyone; but I definitely don't wish for NPCs to turn into an agreeable bunch of politically correct bubbly walking rainbows. We need more stronger written characters who challenge players and who don't merely follow in their shadows like puppets without any sense of personal agency. I've written at length elsewhere on this topic, but I think the fact that such a character polarises players is possibly a sign that some depth exists in the variety of reflected experiences with him.

Lastly and more on topic, I do have a soft spot for dwarves and greatly enjoy playing them. I actually thought more of Yeslick, Kagain and Korgan rather than Durance when reading this thread though.

Heh, yeah, Durance also polled out as the least liked character. It depends on whom you ask. At least they're consistent about Edér.

People tend to like "bro's" in video games. ME Garrus/DA Varrick are also fan favorites, less for extensive background, char development, more for easy to get along, I've-got-your-back attitude.

@ Rjshae That's only 412 votes mate. Bit of a difference, don't you think? Get another 25,000 or so and it might be equivalent to the poll I posted. (Pallegina would be mine on that one…just saying!)