So I keep getting hung up in character creation ...

[youngpathfinder]

... But it's not something that's just a lack of a guide or a failure in mechanics. I need an "anchor", if you will, in the game and it's expectations. I don't know if the game is gear heavy, which is causing me to put a lot of emphasis that may not be necessary onto the creation process at level one, and I have no idea what a level 5, 10, or 15 character would look like.

I know that sounds sort of silly but without these guideposts I feel lost when I create a character because I can't tell if I need to "boost this" or "get that" or "have an 18 in this because if you don't you're scarred for life!!!!!" and it really isn't because I don't know what to get or how to build so much as I don't know how the game actually progresses and how the equipment progresses because honestly I've never seen it my resources are limited on what items are actually in the game.

For instance I was hell-bent on being a half-orc until I learned there are goggles ( albeit expensive ) that grant Darkvision on their own. I've no idea what other effects are legal in PFS because I don't have all the books so I could be missing that enchantment that will do what I want and spare me the shakes as I try to figure out where I need to get what. I also don't know what kinds of bonuses you can get; I figure skill and attribute, but is "Crit Modifier" or "Crit Threat" a bonus ( not including enchantments like "Keen" ) you can get? BAB? What exactly can be done with equipment!

So, yes, that's my hangup; I have two requests:

1. If you have a level 5~10, etc. character sheet can I see it? If I cannot see it can you at least express what you're wearing, how much gold it cost, how effective the bonuses are, etc. for Society?

2. If there is a list of abilities that can come up on any piece of "magic" equipment / treasure can you just ... post that list to me. I'd like to look at it and see how things can be done and make a more solid plan.

I just want to stop obsessing over my character creation and not worry about having an edge at level 1 when I can build a character clearly competent and able in a party of the same worried that this edge has to persist for the first 5 levels and there's no point to believing otherwise where that 14 instead of being a 16 is what will spell my doom. I understand that it's possible it may but it's not "guaranteed" which is where I'm stuck.

[Thanis Kartaleon]

These NPC writeups (the level 1 and 7 versions) are built for use with PFS. You can consider them a 'baseline' in terms of gear and feat selections.

Pathfinder is a gear-heavy game, and there are a lot of options out there for gear, so it can get a bit hard to decide. Take a look at the Character Wealth By Level chart - your gains in PFS will roughly follow this chart, allowing you to plan purchases in advance. In general, you'll want to get the Big Six as soon as possible: magical weapon, magical armor, cloak of resistance, belt or headband increasing your prime Ability score, ring of protection, amulet of natural armor. You shouldn't spend more than half your money on a single item (usually 1/4 is sufficient).

That being said, smart tactical movement counts for almost as much as a good gear setup. Position yourself to keep ranged and spellcasting characters from being attacked, make use of terrain to force your foes to move in the pattern you want them to. In that sense, Pathfinder can become a very complicated version of chess.

[Deylinarr]

the spoiler on the first post here as a ton of characters at various levels so might be good examples for you also.

[pipedreamsam]

+1 to everything Thantis said, you cannot go wrong following that advice. You will start out getting very little gold but as you level up the amount of gold you receive will rise exponentially so just put the expensive gear out of your head for now.

and 18 in a stat is not the end all be all. A lot of the guides here are written for optimization so they naturally draw towards the extremes. When I make a character I can hardly stand to have a 10 in any of my stats and I rarely feel useless under-powered. The only way to truly start figuring out what it is you enjoy is to start playing and tweak over time.

[Pupsocket]

First rule: Build for the level you're playing.

[Torger Miltenberger]

youngpathfinder wrote:

For instance I was hell-bent on being a half-orc until I learned there are goggles ( albeit expensive ) that grant Darkvision on their own.

The higher level you get the more your choice of race becomes irrelevant. While the little bell & whistle perks of any given race are nice they don't matter nearly as much as your stat allocation. So as long as your race's stat modifiers allow you to have reasonably high values in the stats your class requires I would highly recommend simply choosing the race you like and running with it. By mid to high levels you won't even notice the difference.

Half-Orc in particular with it's floating +2 to any stat can make a totally viable character of any class. If you want to make a half-orc run with it. You will not be crippling your character.

- Torger

[Akerlof]

Painlord made a good guide about what to expect or be prepared for in PFS.

[MrSin]

Thanis Kartaleon wrote:

These NPC writeups (the level 1 and 7 versions) are built for use with PFS. You can consider them a 'baseline' in terms of gear and feat selections.

Well, if Harsk is anything to go by you don't even need iterative attacks.(They aren't really a fantastic baseline)

If this is for PFS I wouldn't worry too much about level one. In society play you can rebuild your character as many times as you want before you play them once at level 2, so if you screw up you can always rebuild. Usually people in your area and in the forum are always willing to help you out if you ask or have any questions.

[youngpathfinder]

Awesome! I love you guys! Thank you so much!

[Thanis Kartaleon]

MrSin wrote:

Well, if Harsk is anything to go by you don't even need iterative attacks.(They aren't really a fantastic baseline)

They don't need to be fantastic. That's the point. And besides, iterative attacks are overrated anyway. >.>

Honestly, though - Harsk has Rapid Reload from level 1. As a ranged character with a huge range increment, he won't be spending much time moving in combat, so he can afford to spend Move-Equivalent actions to reload each round. At level 7 (the highest you will see Harsk in PFS), Rogues and other 3/4 BAB classes have yet to achieve a second iterative attack, while more optimized full BAB characters will miss more often than not with their second attack - if they even get to take one, due to having to move in to strike.

Harsk would be better off with Deadly Aim and Vital Strike in place of Far Shot and Iron Will, though I haven't examined the block fully to see if that's possible. But he's still a far cry from useless.

[Derek Dalton]

Advice I've just read is solid. Start with an idea. What do I want? Half Orc what? They are a good solid race have played them a few times. Next is class. Read them all see which one interests you. Now one piece of advice is know what kind of adventure your game master is running. Some classes won't do well depending on what it is. Once you have an idea it starts becoming easier. Gear will follow after the idea starts to form.

[Chess Pwn]

Over 2 years, I doubt they need advice.