Pathfinder 1E First time as a player, what to play?

[malkavius]

After nearly a decade of running OWoD, D&D and Pathfinder, I am about to find myself sitting on the "Player" side of the GM Screen. The GM has left any Paizo published materials as acceptable, so I have pretty much free reign to do whatever I want. He's stated that the campaign will be taking place within the Inner Sea area, but beyond that, nothing more is established.

The group stands so far as: Tetori Monk, Gunslinger, Inquisitor, Rogue, Barbarian. That leaves myself and one other player to decide on characters.

Our group has never really been much for dedicated healers (which is good because I don't really want to spend my first opportunity to play as a healer), so I'm not overly concerned with that. It's easy enough to just carry Cure Light Wounds wands/scrolls and burn them between combat. In addition, the Inquisitor can spot heal in combat if it really gets dicey. All things considered, I feel the party is pretty solid so far. The Barbarian and Tetori should be able to hold any big threats in check long enough for the Gunslinger, Rogue and Inquisitor to handle them.

I expect that it's going to be a drastic change playing a single character as opposed to being in control of just about anything I wanted as the GM. This decision is proving to be significantly more difficult than I had expected.

 

[Asmo]

Ask the GM! It seems that a Ranger should fit pretty well.

 

[billd91]

Full caster? Wizard, maybe? Since they'll have a lot of the combat covered pretty well, focus on the other non-combat aspects of the game - divination, reality warping, buffs for your friends...

 

[TwoSix]

With that amount of physical damage dealers, I'd say bard would give you a pretty big for the bang.

 

[ForeverSlayer]

I would say go with a Magus.

 

[MoonSong]

A primary caster seems like a good fit (Sorcerer or wizard), I also second Bard, Bards are fun and awesome (though I still feel they got nerfed bad in PF).

However I feel you are too prejudiced towards primary healers, they can be pretty fun to play too (maybe not for everybody, but I think it is hardly a waste to play one)

 

[Argyle King]

You could try a druid. You're a full caster, and you get some healing for when you need it too. You're no slouch in combat either. Additionally, you get some wilderness skills that will be helpful. Wildshape might even help prevent you from getting bored with one character because you'll have some freedom to morph into different animals.

 

[malkavius]

After talking to the final member of the group, I found out he's planning to play an alchemist. That led to my decision to try out a magus, as ForeverSlayer had recommended. I spent about three hours working out a character progression plan for a kensai, however, after letting the DM look it over it got nixed.

That said, I'm left considering the druid and wizard suggestions. Oracle is also sort of sitting as a back-burner option (mostly just because I've never seen one played and don't know how well they work).

Any other suggestions? Probably going to start working on the character within the next few hours as the campaign is slated to start late tomorrow night.

 

[Mr.E_Danger]

Yeah, there are a lot of good suggestions on the board already.

The Bard suggestion is a good one, having one in your party will definitely increase the amount of damage the baddies are going to take by you buffing your allies. They've got some good spells to chose from and they have skills to pay bills. Plus they can use a whip!

Druid is a really fun class. They are incredibly versatile, and they are full casters that can do spells while wildshaped! They can work well with melee allies, because they can change into Large creatures that have reach. so you can simply reach over your allies to attack enemies, which gives you the benefit of dealing damage but having a shield between you and them! Not to mention they can fly, swim, breath under water, and basically just be prepared for any situation. They do have heal spells as well, so you could too be a combat healer if necessary.

 

[Herobizkit]

Bard is always the answer.

I would posit that, As a DM who's used to being multiple personae, Bard seems the likeliest fit. Given your party composition, it's probable that your Inquisitor and Rogue have not skilled themselves in the Social or Knowledge Arts, and it is here the Bard shines. You could be a lazy bard and just sit back, buff and shoot arrows; if you're feeling brave, strap on some armor and go wade into battle alongside the Barbarian. You'll have some magic on tap (including Cure spells), and with no Arcane caster on your team, you may want Use Magic Device to use those Lightning and Fireball wands when you need them.

I would say don't bother with Ranger (the Inquisitor's as good or better than Rangers in everything but raw combat if they spec for it).

If you're looking for a more Martial bent, I'd second the Magus. Being able to beef up your melee attacks with Wizard spells is just swell.