Crowd control builds

[Uysadda]

To my shame I am finally getting around to playing Deadfire (I have all the DLC). I have been messing aroubd will some builds but have not settled on one yet. 

 

I want to have a MC as a crowd control primary role and damage dealer as a secondary roll.  I was looking at a Cipher and rogue, but a battlemage using the tactical fighter subclass, forgot name. Does anyone have any tips or advice.

[Boeroer]

Best Crowd Control comes with Wizard in my opinion. They have some really good tools in their belt for controlling crowds entirely. I like to combine Pull of Eora and Binding Web. Usually this pulls most (if ot all) enemies together so that the follwing nuking is easy. I like to use Chillfog(s) + Combusting Wounds then. Other party members can contribute to Combusting Wounds as well (e.g. Xoti with Wicked Briars or so). 

I personally like single class Wizards (because the good spells come way earlier) but a Monk/Wizard is also very good at CC/dmg if you give him an AoE weapon (e.g. Watershaper' Focus with Blast or Hand Mortar or Fire in the Hole - or both) and use Stunning Surge. This results in an AoE stun which often costs nothing (if only one of the AoE hit rolls does a critical hit). Combine it with spells. All AoE sizes profit from Duality of Mortal Presence (+10 INT), durations of CC effects as well. Also Thunderous Blows gives you +2 PEN with spells which is great. And if you are a Helwalker Monk then your spells also get +30% dmg from the MIG bonus. The damage, the PEN, the AoE sizes and the durations are better than a SC Wizard's - also the accuracy due to Dance of Death - the only disadvantages are that your Power Level will be lower (influcences PEN, ACC and base dmg - but you more than compensate for that), that you get the good spells later and that you can't reach the spells at Power Level 8 and 9.

Druids are also good crowd controllers + damage dealers. Most of their spells have CC aspects as well as damage aspects which is convenient.

Ciphers are also good, especially their charming/dominating abilities are great. 

Still - overall I prefer Wizards for that role. Bloodmage is very conventient because you can regain spell uses. With a Wizard/Tactician you can also regain spell uses, but besides that you gain rel. little from the multiclass in terms of CC and dmg. In my opinion a Sage does this job better than a Battlemage.

 

[Pharmacist]

Bloodmage is great for spamming Gaze of the Adragan or Slicken.

Beguiler can be quite spammy too since they gain an enormous amount of focus from the same cc they cast. Btw @Boeroer I tried your beguiler/furyshaper build idea as MC last run and it was amazing for both single and mass debuff/cc.