Pathfinder 1E Some help please with a new game

[HardcoreDandDGirl]

Hi, I was invited to a pathfinder game starting in about two weeks. It takes place in ebberon, and we can all start with a least Dragon Mark, or a Bonus Feat our choice. So I am planning on playing a Mark of the Sentinel Merc from house Deneith. My problem is chooseing a class and feats. It looks to me like there is still a MAJOR disconnect between casters and Melee like in 3.5, so I at first said I was going to do Book of Nine swords, but the DM told me no WotC books, only Piazo and a 3rd party psionic. The group right now is Cleric, Psiwarrior, Psion (TK), Wizard, Druid. So I started to make a Magus. I can't find any good feats, and I can only take feats from 3.5 that are for Dragon marks. ANy ideas? Is there some really cool pathfinder things I am missing?

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Welcome to Pathfinder HELL.

I am in the same boat. I have an old friend that really wants to RP with me in his group, but he is part of our group that fractured into pathfinder. I try to grit my teeth and play, but some of his players are real pains about D&D.

Pathfinder is just enough 3.5 that the basic flaws were not addressed (Fighters become wand catties and henchmen in high level play) but just different enough that I very rarely see people able to use Splat books from 3.5. Warblade, Warlock, Archivast, Duskblades, swordsages, and spell thives need to be reworked to work in the system. Also a big reason not to allow feats is that so many changed. Prestige classes as well.

My suggestion is to pretend you are not playing D&D at all. Pretend this is a whole new game. It works better that way. Also you if you are concerned about balance of power after level 5, need to be a primary caster.

If you just want 'close enough' I would suggest going Alchomist or Gunslinger. ALchomist can be refluffed as artificer. and Guns are a great equalizer (High damage touch attacks). The thing Piazo did best was make new classes. I wish they had just made a book of classes to add to 3.5, Magus, Gunslinger and Alchomist would all rock if they could be played in 3.5.

Magus is a fun choice, but becareful you need to not get attached to your armor, and not fall into the mage armor trap. You need to upgrade your armor everytime you get the chance to ignore spell fail...

 

[Jester David]

If built right melee classes can be useful into the teens and very effective at single target damage. Spellcasters can do some crazy stuff yes, but a fighter can really tear up a target even at endgame.

More (relevant) information might be nice. What race are you playing? What's the starting level? How much gold for equipment?

One fun thing you can do with a magus is build for crits. As you use the crit range of the weapon for spells you can get a high crit weapon (scimitar or rapier) and make it keen (or take improved crit).

 

[Kinak]

It also depends a lot on the group you're dropping into.

All characters in Pathfinder are extremely responsive to optimization. If that group is really pushing their limits, you're right that you'd be hard-pressed to keep up without an optimized full caster.

But, if that group isn't pushing their limits, you could blow past them with an optimized non-caster. And that's going to be even more disruptive in the long run.

In either case, this is the only magus guide I'm familiar with.

Cheers!
Kinak

 

[LostSoul]

Why not go with some kind of Rogue/Wizard multiclass? (I don't know how well that works in Pathfinder.) It seems like you'd fit into a nice niche with your skills and spells. Or maybe Bard, actually, depending on how much dungeon delving you expect to see.

 

[Herobizkit]

Bard + Arcane Duelist archetype + Detective archetype = kinda Magus with a focus on people/detection skills and trapfinding as a rogue starting at 2nd level.

And now I know what I'm making for my next PF game.

But yes, all of the spell heavy-lifters are there... you'll never do "better" than them at their own bag, so do "different".

 

[paradox42]

Bard + Arcane Duelist archetype + Detective archetype = kinda Magus with a focus on people/detection skills and trapfinding as a rogue starting at 2nd level.

And now I know what I'm making for my next PF game.

But yes, all of the spell heavy-lifters are there... you'll never do "better" than them at their own bag, so do "different".

Sadly, that doesn't work by RAW- both Archetypes have an ability that replaces Bardic Knowledge, so they conflict. Arcane Duelist replaces it with the Arcane Strike feat, while Detective replaces it with Eye For Detail.

That being said, IME Arcane Strike is a fairly weak feat in most situations, and the Eye For Detail ability is just a few skill bonuses, so an individual GM might give you a pass on this one and let you get both abilities (and combine the Archetypes).

Cool idea though, I definitely agree with that!

 

[Sunseeker]

Summoner. You will single-handedly break the game, and all the material is Pathfinder only.

 

[HardcoreDandDGirl]

The group is a mix, the player of the cleric is new to D&D and can't optimize, the Druid and Psy warrior are both old hat at optimization, and the rest are about middle of the road like me. ok, We are second level, I have a longsword and a chain shirt, and a few hundred gp to spend. I am taking the hexcrafter archetype to pick up warding hex at 4th level.

 

[Herobizkit]

Sadly, that doesn't work by RAW- both Archetypes have an ability that replaces Bardic Knowledge, so they conflict. Arcane Duelist replaces it with the Arcane Strike feat, while Detective replaces it with Eye For Detail.

Dang, missed it by 'one'. Otherwise it would have been a very sexy way to get tons of new "song"-type abilities.