Pathfinder case study #3 and now for something completely different. Elric

Elric of Melniboné

Male Melnibonéan gestalt fighter/rogue 11
NE Medium outsider (native)
Init +2; Senses Perception +11

DEFENSE

AC 27, touch 12, flat-footed 25 (+11 armor, +4 shield, +2 Dex)
hp 85 (11d10+11)
Fort +9, Ref +9, Will +4
Defensive Abilities armor training 3, DR 8/-, evasion, improved uncanny dodge, slippery mind, trap-sense +3, uncanny dodge

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft.
Melee the sword of Earl Aubec +15/+10/+5 (1d10+4)
Ranged +13 by weapon
Special Attacks bleeding attack, sneak attack +6d6, surprise attack, vital strike weapon training (heavy blades 2, close 1)

STATISTICS

Str 15 (5), Dex 15 (11), Con 14 (6), Int 24, Wis 13, Cha 18
Base Atk +11; CMB +13; CMD 25
Feats Cleave, Combat Expertise, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (bastard sword), Improved Critical, Improved Feint, Lunge, Magical Aptitude, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Knowledge: Planes), Skill Focus (Use Magic Device), Vital Strike

Skills Appraise +14, Bluff +18, Diplomacy +15, Heal +6, Intimidate +18, Knowledge (Arcana) +18, Knowledge (Geography) +15, Knowledge (History) +13, Knowledge (Local) +14, Knowledge (Nobility) +17, Knowledge (Planes) +26, Linguistics +15, Perception +11, Perform (Sing) +15, Profession (Sailor) +10, Ride +11, Sense Motive +12, Spellcraft +22, Stealth +13, Survival +8, Use Magic Device +28
Languages Abyssal, Aquan, Auran, Draconic, Common, Ignan, Melnibonéan (high speech), Melnibonéans (low speech), Terran and 8 others
SQ major magic (protection from chaos 3/day), minor magic (read magic 3/day), trapfinding
Combat Gear adamantine agile half-plate of invulnerability and moderate fortification, +2 heavy steel shield, the Ring of Kings, the sword of Earl Aubec (+2 keen bastard sword 2); Other Gear noble’s outfit, numerous mundane and magical scrolls and texts (some containing philosophical essays and others detailing spells, rituals and incantations), the Ring of Kings

Melnibonéan

Melnibonéans are beautiful indeed, slim and graceful, but also alien to the younger races. They have triangular faces, high cheek-bones, pointed ears without earlobes, and large slanted eyes.  Melnibonéans are an antediluvian species and their full history is probably unknowable to all but the gods.  In all those years Melnibonéan culture has grown improbably decadent.  Among their most appalling (to other humanoids) customs include the mutilation of slaves so that they can produce only one perfect vocal note, and the ceremonial cannibalization of hated rivals, for example.  It is with good cause that many humans believe the Melnibonéans to be demons.

  Melnibonéans don't see themselves as arrogant.  They know that they are superior to humans just as humans know they are superior to beasts; it is self-evident.  Although extraordinarily gifted in all sciences (magical and mundane), Melnibonéans have a longstanding warrior tradition and make the finest arms and armor that mortal hands can craft.  They are also the keepers of the last dragons and the best Melnibonéan warriors aspire to ride one into battle someday.

  The Melnibonéans have old pacts with the gods of chaos so awareness and honor of those contracts is what passes for religion among them.  Melnibonéans are almost always of evil alignment.  In fact a truly non-evil Melnibonéan is as of yet unknown to recorded history.

·         +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma, -2 Wisdom: Melnibonéans have knowledge and force of personality reflecting their status as the world's eldest race, but the decadence of their culture has eroded their sagacity.

·         Noble Bearing: Melnibonéans get a +2 racial bonus on Diplomacy and Intimidate checks.

·         Elder Race: Melnibonéans gain Skill Focus in any one knowledge skill as a bonus feat.

·         Fiendish Wrath: Melnibonéans are particularly vengeful.  Once per day, a Melnibonéan can call upon his anger to strike out against a foe that has successfully attacked him since his last turn. As a swift action, the Melnibonéan chooses one target within sight as the target of his wrath.  The Melnibonéan adds +1 to his first attack roll against that target and if the attack hits he adds his Charisma modifier to the damage roll for that attack.

·         Languages: Melnibonéans begin play speaking Common and Melnibonéan (low speech). Melnibonéans with high Intelligence scores can choose any of the following: Abyssal, Aquan, Auran, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Gnome, Goblin, Halfling, Ignan, Infernal, Orc and Terran.

Notes: Yes Elric fans you read that right, Elric has no levels as a spellcaster.  This was a difficult build given the way Elric is written.  He uses 'sorcery' often and is a great warrior besides, so a fighter/wizard or fighter/sorcerer build seemed appropriate at first, but I quickly dismissed the idea when looking over the arcane spell selection.  There are just too many things Elric, can't do.  He doesn't seem to use any casual magic with the possible exception of really minor magic, as in not worth even a 0-level spell. 
  Next I considered cleric.  Elric honors age old pacts with the gods of chaos and summons elementals and planar allies, is a good fighter and uses armor.  Also the planar ally and binding spells seem appropriate, but again, even if I create a cleric variant to eliminate all the healing spells, there's little besides the spells I mentioned that Elric does.  Other possibilities I looked at were hexblade and warlock or some variant of each, but ultimately I settled on what I consider an elegant solution.
  Magic in Elric's world is clearly a different thing than in D&D (a common scenario when dealing with literature).  That is not to say that sorcerers and wizards and so on, cant' exist in that world, but those classes clearly don't represent Elric's capabilities.  Elric, is a highly skilled combatant (fighter), but also has a wide array of skills and tricks.  Rogue has the highest possible skill points and the ability to learn 0th and 1st level spells, and the two spells I gave Elric seem to work while so many others didn't.  Elric also kills a hero of the young kingdoms after a fair duel with a very obvious sneak attack on the flat-footed warrior.  Here he is a fighter/rogue gestalt, but multiclassing would also work if you don't want to use optional rules.
  So what about Elric's various summonings of demons and elementals and what not?  Well, his pact with Arioch is more of a relationship than a spell.  Elric can contact Arioch magically, but the chaos lord only answers because he wants to, so that is more of a GM fiat situation.  As to everything else, there's actually a number of ways Pathfinder can do this: scrolls (used with Elric's amazing Use Magic Device skill), and the Ring of Kings could both allow Elric the high level summoning spells he needs, but I think a more satisfying solution is to combine Incantations from Unearthed Arcana with d20 Call of Cthulhu spells a la carte as appropriate.  In this case Elric's people would resist sanity loss and Elric's ring would mitigate Incantation backlash and ability damage from spells. 
  Another couple of things worth mentioning; these stats are Elric before acquiring Stormbringer, so he is still dependent on drugs to maintain his strength and vitality.  To me this is just a plot complication.  Elric just has to 'go back to town' often.  If you want he could use potions of strength and endurance with addictive effects, but to me it's just a roleplay thing. 
  Also Elric's alignment.  D&D, back in first edition advanced, gave Elric's alignment as Chaotic Evil and pastiches of him are usually that or Chaotic Neutral.  The logic seems to be that he serves the 'lords of chaos' and therefore must be chaotic himself.  I challenge the idea that even the lords of chaos are all 'Chaotic' in alignment, most seem to be Chaotic (Anything) or (Anything) Evil.  Elric himself displayed a certain amount of honor and observance of tradition (even as he questions his own people's traditions), and I think he makes a good case for Lawful Evil or Neutral Evil at the least.  Stormbringer is clearly Chaotic Evil, and provides a good contrast with Elric's alignment, as I think they are clearly different.

Recommended optional rules:
Incantations (very highly recommended, if not used then Elric would have to be a standard D&D character probably fighter/wizard/eldritch knight)
Class defense bonus (Elric would have +8)
Taint (in this case, Elric would have levels in 'Tainted' classes)
Sanity (mostly for humans, Elric would have the occasional case of temporary insanity though)