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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Empirate" data-source="post: 5850449" data-attributes="member: 78958">Unfortunately, Wizards, while very powerful and versatile, require a lot of system knowledge to work successfully. Spell selection and tactics come into play big time for a Wizard. If you think you can pull off some on-the-job training, you'll still be fine though - it's not as if you have to know the game inside and out. But expect to put in a little effort, like reading through all the spell descriptions and deciding which ones are worthwhile, and thinking a bit about the role you want to take in combat (buffer, battlefield controller, debuffer, blaster, summoner etc.).Furthermore, Wizards, even Necromancy specialists, aren't very good at the classic approach to necromancy: create a horde of undead and send them into the fray. That job is better left to the cleric. I guess you could just play a summoning focused wizard and reflavor the creatures you summon, but it probably won't be the same.That said, Wizard necromancers ARE very good at debuffing, and this can be a very effective combat role. At low levels, spells like Scare, Ghoul Touch, or Ray of Exhaustion are quite good, and a bit later on there's Fear, Enervation and Magic Jar. Mix and match with generally powerful battlefield control spells like Web, Stinking Cloud, Wall of Force etc., and the rest of your party should have no trouble taking out even very dangerous foes - while you hang back and make it all possible.HOWEVER, Wizards really forego the "skilled" part of your dream character. You'll load up on a ton of knowledge skills, but other than that, you'll have Spellcraft and Fly, and a few ranks in essential cross-class skills like Perception. That's it. Also, a necromancer Wizard isn't really comfortable when he needs to act self-sustained. His forte is disabling the opposition, so others have an easier time dealing with them.Bards pick up some nice buffs, debuffs, and battlefield control, so they can fill a similar niche. Load up on Glitterdust, Pyrotechnics, Haste, and Slow, and your Bard can have great impact on the way a fight will go - especially when you also bring the music. However, Bards lack casting stamina and variety compared to Wizards - they only learn a few spells, which need to be really well chosen. Here's a different side to system mastery that might be needed for playing an effective Bard.Bards can be rather powerful warriors, on the other hand, so they needn't be casting all the time when there's a combat. IMHO archer Bards work rather well, since archery is a very potent combat style in PF in general, and all the Bard's buffs affect himself, as well. It would seem your group has that angle covered, though.They also make up for a lack of spellcasting quite a bit with skills. Bards are the best skillmonkeys in PF in my opinion. But they won't beat the Wizard for sheer utility: think Mount, Knock, Shatter, Protection from Energy, Fly, Tongues, Darkvision, Ropetrick, Teleport etc., which the Bard can't possibly cover in their entirety. If I were your group, I'd probably want that kind of utility - especially since it is so easy for Wizards to always have the right scroll ready even if they haven't memorized a particular spell.So all in all, I'd personally lean towards Wizard for sheer power and (potentially!) unmatched versatility. However, you should play what you feel comfortable with, and Bard can certainly be made to work just fine with your group. If the Rogue doesn't pick up those skills, a Bard might be needed very much for the social side of things!</blockquote>

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