Pathfinder 1E Creating First Character in a New System

[Dungeon_Bastard]

Hey ENworld members,

Thanks for reading my post. I am a 3 year gamer, about to make my first forray into Pathfinder. I have some experience with 3.5E dnd, and having done some reading, and I have noticed many similarities. Some friends and I are about to embark on a new campaign and I'm debating over which direction to go. In 3.5E, I found my niche as a LG Dwarven Cleric. I also enjoyed a gestault class human fighter-rogue I got to play in that system as well.

Mainly I am looking for some input on something new and exciting to play and branch out a little. This will be my 10th character creation overall, but with it being a different set-up I would appreciate your considerations.

Here are some of my Ideas:

Halfling Paladin, not a common choice but with great saves and high charisma bonus.
Teifling Sorcerer, with either abyssal or infernal bloodlines
Elvish Druid, can't decide on a companion
Dwarven Monk
Dwarven Druid
etc, etc, etc.

Thanks again for any replies.

 

[Jester David]

What's the rest of the party like? Any gaps that need filled?

All things being equal, halfling paladin might be the best fit. Familiar yet new.

 

[Keldin]

Like Jester said, if there are any gaps that need filling, that's a good way to go.

On the other hand, I do recommend some care. Pathfinder is similar to D&D, but there are some marked differences, and some of them are pretty subtle. Of course, some of them aren't - sorcerers and wizards can be very different kinds of characters based on their bloodlines/specializations, for example - it's no longer merely a matter of increased spells in one school.

I, personally, like the skill system better in Pathfinder, but this is one of those where there is a subtle difference. (Ranks are limited to hit dice, instead of HD+3 like in D&D.) The selection of cantrips/orisons (0-level spells) can be much more important too... because you can cast them all day, every day, without limitation. My Pathfinder druid gets a lot of bang out of Guidance.

If you haven't already, I strongly recommend checking out the Pathfinder SRD. It includes several links to alternate and third-party classes that might be interesting as well.

 

[PFBeginner.com]

+1 to the other comments about "gap filling".
Pathfinder sorcerers have very interesting bloodlines to select from making each one distinctly different. Check it out.

 

[Tuft]

If you are leaning towards anything fighterish, then I recommend having a real good look at the new Combat Maneuver rules and their corresponding feats.

Right now I'm playing my third bard - played one in 3.5, then one in 4E, and now one in Pathfinder, and with just some Trip and Disarm I'm really making a mess of the opponents tactics, and I feel much more of a leader (as taken from the 4E terminology) than the 4E bard ever was...

 

[Ahnehnois]

Niche filling is always good. Since the arcane caster is the one archetype you haven't touched, I'd recommend going that way if possible. PF sorcerers are very well regarded due to the bloodlines.

 

[Dungeon_Bastard]

Thanks you all for your posts! I decided to go with a halfling paladin. We have an Elven Ranger, Half-orc Monk, and Half-elf Sorcerer in our party. The Paladin made a great fit for leadership, martial abilities, and divine healing.

When i rolled my stats I got some great rolls:

Str: 17-2= Str 15= +2 mod
Dex: 15+2= Dex 17= +3 mod
Con: 15+0= Con 15= +2 mod
Int: 12+0= Int 12= +1 mod
Wis: 14+0= Wis 14= +2 mod
Cha: 18+2= Cha 20= +5 mod

The charisma bonus gets added to my saves at the 2nd level due to divine grace, and halflings get a racial luck bonus of +1 to all saves, so at 2nd level my saves are:

Fort: 3+5+2+1= 11
Ref: 0+3+5+1= 9
Will: 3+5+2+1 = 11

And I can lay on hands my Cha Mod + 1/2 my paladin level which is 5+1=6. Not too bad I'd say.

However my combat maneuvers are rather terrible. am at a -1 to all my CMB/CMDs due to racial smallness. If i get grappled or bull-rushed then I am toast.