I am creating some characters for PFS and I wanted to know people's opinions on their favorite/the best racial archetype that can be used in PFS. Personally, I think I will be doing a Bonded Witch that uses dexterity as well as intelligence to support and hurt. But if anyone knows a good racial archetype for a first time player, it would be much appreciated.
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Here's my input on what race and class archtype that you would have the most fun playing:
Step 1: Read the Pathfinder Society Guide to Organized Play. Pay particular attention to Chapter 3 (The World of the Pathfinder Society) and Chapter 4 (Factions). If you can, at least browse the Inner Sea Primer or Gazetteer.
Step 2: Based on what you gleaned from Step 1, imagine a character that has strong ties to The Pathfinder Society and/or one of the factions presented. What made this character want to join the Society and/or their faction of choice? National or idealogical ties? Their father, mother, older brother, or older sister were/are members?
Step 3: Where does the character come from? What are the most common races (including sub-races in that nation/region)? Of these races, what fits the best with the picture you have in your head?
Step 4: Imagine what are this character's strengths. What have they done to enhance these strengths (on-the-job training? apprenticeship?, profession?). Think about how they would use those strengths to enhance their standing with the Society and/or their faction. That should give you an excellent idea of which class and class archtype fits best.
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Dwarven foehammer.
DWARF SMASH PUNY PLANET!
Here's my input on what race and class archtype that you would have the most fun playing:
that may be the most fun you may have playing, but people enjoy different things. Unasked for preaching is kinda rude.
For those with boons the goblin feral nasher barb and nagaji apriant druid are very strong as well.
Dwarven foe hammer is really good.
The order of the paw halfing cavalier is good as well, but that is a halfling order.
How about a Teifling Magus with that archetype? It is the year of the demon after all.
Also, in regards to what talbanus said, what I do is make a character and focus them around a combat element and optimize it, and then make a story that matches all of the decisions I made for the character. Right now, I am focusing on archetypes or race exclusives for pathfinder so any help in regards to what works in PFS and one that I can get to level 12 would be great. I also play almost any role, but I like being the leader and using skill checks.
How about a Teifling Magus with that archetype? It is the year of the demon after all.
It is alright. I would say it is stronger than a normal magus since it has extra options that do not take away anything else. The con damage for arcane point is a bit rough, but you do not have to do it and as a last ditch effort it may save you.
Dwarven foehammer.
DWARF SMASH PUNY PLANET!
I have to agree -- I'm playing with a Dwarven Foehammer in a home game and he is all kinds of awesome.
I've also been seeing a lot of Dwarven Stonelord Paladins lately.
Yeah but would he be good enough for a PFS game? Or does it really matter what class I am. I have only played one PFS game and We Be Goblins so I am still new to this.
Yeah but would he be good enough for a PFS game? Or does it really matter what class I am. I have only played one PFS game and We Be Goblins so I am still new to this.Dwarven foehammer.
DWARF SMASH PUNY PLANET!
I have to agree -- I'm playing with a Dwarven Foehammer in a home game and he is all kinds of awesome.
I've also been seeing a lot of Dwarven Stonelord Paladins lately.
The bar for good enough for PFS isn't that high. Very few builds will be completely superfluous, and even with those most times you can get carried.
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It takes a lot to make an Archetype of a class that requires a reasonably-high specific ability score seem attractive to play in spite of being exclusive to a race that has a racial penalty to that ability. The Oread Shaitan Binder, as it happens, is one such Archetype.
The Kitsune Trickster is popular, at the very least.
The Vishkanya Deadly Courtesan looks like it could be fun for the right player.
For a different kind of Cavalier, the Hobgoblin Fell Rider lets you play a low-tier Lord of the Rings villain.
I could see Ifrit Wishcrafter being a lot of fun.
The Dhampir Cruoromancer offers a unique and powerful new way to practice necromancy.
The Changeling Dreamweaver could be pretty nasty.
The Human Wanderer can excel in certain campaigns (while perhaps less so in others, but some of those features can be replaced with Qigong powers in that event).
The Half-Orc Blood God Disciple is a nice way to emphasize the role of the Summoner as more than just their eidolon's "coach" - their Eidolon is a belligerent bloodthirsty monster, and so are they.
Is the Pathfinder Rogue no longer "Bilbo" enough for you? The Halfling Filcher might fix that!
The Dwarven Forgemaster has 'Dwarf' written all over it (in deep, craggy runes, no less). Their powers will definitely be appreciated.
The Elven Ancient Lorekeeper might be the next-best thing to a Mystic Theurge - or better, in some ways.
Here's my input on what race and class archtype that you would have the most fun playing:
that may be the most fun you may have playing, but people enjoy different things. Unasked for preaching is kinda rude.
talbanus said nothing worthy of the brand "rude." I would, however, say that accusing him of "preaching," implicitly telling him to "put a sock in it," and presuming to speak for OP, is rude.
Can I even play as a Half-Orc Blood God Disciple? I read that the eating of enemies is evil therefore so are they and that means I can't use them for PFS. And I was thinking about doing an Elven Ancient Lorekeeper. Any thoughts?
I've yet to play one but i'd like to play a Halfling Order of the Paw Cavalier. The look and idea of a Fearless Halfling and his trusty Dog companion charging around the combat field brings a smile to my face.
Developer
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Be sure to check the Additional Resources page, which lists what is or is not legal for each book. Numerous races mentioned above are either not permitted in PFS or are only accessible if you have a boon that unlocks that race for play. Several of the core race archetypes are not allowed (e.g. blood god disciple).
Double check that page before settling on a character—just to be sure.
Personally, I love the dwarven forgemaster, but that's because I prefer support roles.
Be sure to check the Additional Resources page, which lists what is or is not legal for each book. Numerous races mentioned above are either not permitted in PFS or are only accessible if you have a boon that unlocks that race for play. Several of the core race archetypes are not allowed (e.g. blood god disciple).
Double check that page before settling on a character—just to be sure.
Personally, I love the dwarven forgemaster, but that's because I prefer support roles.
Yeah I have been noticing a lot of the suggestions have been for characters that can't be used and since I have only started playing a month ago I don't have any boons. I hope to be able to use their suggestions in the future however. And thank you for clearing up Blood God Disciple for me.
Here's my input on what race and class archtype that you would have the most fun playing:
that may be the most fun you may have playing, but people enjoy different things. Unasked for preaching is kind of rude.
Yes . Yes you are Finlander.
Edit: Ninja'd.
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Not a racial archetype, but loads of amusement, especially if the GM hasn't run into many of them before:
Fighter (Lore Warden)
There is just something amusing when the Fighter is the one making all the Knowledge checks, Spellcraft checks, and Appraise checks...
Goes well with Human, for the extra skill points, and, possibly, the Fast Learner feat...
And, since he still gets the full Fighter set of feats, it is easy to customize. Could even take the trait that lets you use Int for one Cha skiil for UMD, so you can use wands and such...
If you go ancient lore keeper oracle, take a look at the Time mystery.
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Re: Lore Warden and detect magic: My Lore Warden actually has three options for casting detect magic. Lenses of Situational Sight give 10 minutes of no concentration detect magic, a discerning wayfinder gives you detect magic at will, and he could use one of his (new) Magus cantrip spell slots for it.
In addition, there is also the wand of detect magic, 50 casts for 375 gp, as long as you have UMD.
If you go ancient lore keeper oracle, take a look at the Time mystery.
Why should I choose time over other ones if you don't mind me asking. I think Elven Ancient Lore Keeper is the class I will choose, cause I like being a class that has a lot of skills and be the face of the party.
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Yeah but would he be good enough for a PFS game? Or does it really matter what class I am. I have only played one PFS game and We Be Goblins so I am still new to this.Dwarven foehammer.
DWARF SMASH PUNY PLANET!
I have to agree -- I'm playing with a Dwarven Foehammer in a home game and he is all kinds of awesome.
I've also been seeing a lot of Dwarven Stonelord Paladins lately.
Most of the PFS scenarios are not really that tough unless you end up with a really lopsided group (lopsided in the wrong direction).
A couple of times I've seen a whole group of no-skill / sir-clanks-a-lots trying to handle a social/sneaky scenario. The struggled mightily.
All caster/archers and no melee guy has also been a problem.
Even then, most of that can be made up for with careful selection of some back-up items carried just in case. Potion of fly, eagles splendor, ghost salts, ranged weapons, caltrops, rope, food, special material weapons, scrolls of X, vials of Y, wand of Z.
Try to think and plan a bit in and especially before combat. Charging straight in with axe held high or letting loose with you biggest blast spell might actually be your worst choice.
So I decided to make a list of all Pathfinder Society Legal Racial Archetypes, so people know what I and other like minded individuals are looking for. Please be warned this is initial race legal classes for PFS.
Exarch - Inquisitor - Dwarf
Foehammer - Fighter - Dwarf
Forgemaster - Cleric - Dwarf
Stonelord - Paladin - Dwarf
Ancient Lorekeeper - Oracle - Elf
Spell Dancer - Magus - Elf
Spell Binder - Wizard - Elf
Treesinger - Druid - Elf
Prankster - Bard - Gnome
Saboteur - Alchemist - Gnome
Bonded Witch - Witch - Half Elf
Bramble Brewer - Alchemist - Half Elf
Wild Shadow - Ranger - Half Elf
Redeemer - Paladin - Half Orc
Skulking Slayer - Rogue - Half Orc
Community Guardian - Oracle - Halfling
Filcher - Rogue - Halfling
Underfoot Adept - Monk - Halfling
Order of the Paw - Cavalier - Halfling
Wanderer - Monk - Human
Imperious Bloodline - Sorcerer - Human
Purifier - Oracle - Aasimar
Tranquil Guardian - Paladin - Aasimar
Shigenjo - Oracle - Tengu
Swordmaster - Rogue - Tengu
Fiend Slayer - Magus - Tiefling
The Time mystery seems to really suit the ancient lore keeper concept very well while also giving you some solid revelations. Always rolling two initiative dice and taking the best one with Temporal Celerity is great, as is Time Hop. Several others are also worth a look.
Out of the above classes, which one do you guys think would be the best for a face of the party and for skills. I am thinking Ancient Lore Keeper with Time due to rerolling knowledge checks and high charisma, but apparently bards are good as well.
Somewhat related question, if I play as a Halfling/Gnome how much differently will I be treated in PFS in a roleplay perspective.
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It's not really that good and the ability to give yourself a Ki point can't be used on yourself, but for flavor reasons alone I am going to be making an Ouat Dwarf contemplative monk.
The bar for good enough for PFS isn't that high. Very few builds will be completely superfluous, and even with those most times you can get carried.Yeah but would he be good enough for a PFS game? Or does it really matter what class I am. I have only played one PFS game and We Be Goblins so I am still new to this.Dwarven foehammer.
DWARF SMASH PUNY PLANET!
I have to agree -- I'm playing with a Dwarven Foehammer in a home game and he is all kinds of awesome.
I've also been seeing a lot of Dwarven Stonelord Paladins lately.
I have a level 6 dwarven stonelord, love that guy! But I'm a giant fan of dwarves. I think their a very solid choice. I'd put him a little behind a standard paladin but ahead of a fighter.
I also have a skulking slayer, though he's got three other classes to get him to "work" by retirement. I designed him when there was still only one path past level 13, so never expected him to hit high levels, and I wanted his build to finish before then, which it did so at 10.
Under A Bleeding Sun, how does the Skulking Slayer do in PFS campaigns. Is it a skill monkey at all? Or mostly violent.
Re: Lore Warden and detect magic: My Lore Warden actually has three options for casting detect magic. Lenses of Situational Sight give 10 minutes of no concentration detect magic, a discerning wayfinder gives you detect magic at will, and he could use one of his (new) Magus cantrip spell slots for it.
In addition, there is also the wand of detect magic, 50 casts for 375 gp, as long as you have UMD.
Cloak of the Hedge Wizard (divination) is another option.
I've yet to play one but i'd like to play a Halfling Order of the Paw Cavalier. The look and idea of a Fearless Halfling and his trusty Dog companion charging around the combat field brings a smile to my face.
We have, like, entire squads of Halfling cavaliers in our area, and the general feeling is that the Order of the Paw archetype isn't all that great. You still don't get your riding dog until 4th level (you use a wolf until then), so unless the specific archetype features excite you, any cavalier archetype is just as good for your vision.
I'm running an Honor Guard, Order of the Sword Halfling with the Helpful trait and the Blundering Defense feat tree. It's kind of awesome to tell the barbarian "Stand next to me--I'll protect you!"
I've yet to play one but i'd like to play a Halfling Order of the Paw Cavalier. The look and idea of a Fearless Halfling and his trusty Dog companion charging around the combat field brings a smile to my face.We have, like, entire squads of Halfling cavaliers in our area, and the general feeling is that the Order of the Paw archetype isn't all that great. You still don't get your riding dog until 4th level (you use a wolf until then), so unless the specific archetype features excite you, any cavalier archetype is just as good for your vision.
I'm running an Honor Guard, Order of the Sword Halfling with the Helpful trait and the Blundering Defense feat tree. It's kind of awesome to tell the barbarian "Stand next to me--I'll protect you!"
Thanks for this. We have absolutely no Cavaliers in play at my store as of yet and i haven't done a ton of research yet due to this being like 3 or 4 characters down the line to play. I still need to get a Barbarian of some sort in play and i'm looking to switch my Taldoran Bard(he was going to be a Bard/Cavelier/Battle Herald) over to a Swashbuckler after seeing one in play. Tasty.
I'll need to look up the Blundering defense tree. I have built a Human Reach Cleric named Gordon Lightfoot who was raised by Halflings and utilizes Bodyguard and Helpful with proper positioning to aid his allies.
So after playing some of the classes, I must say that prankster bard is a great debuffer for PFS. I would also recommend the foehammer for its power.
Redeemer Paladin is the only Paladin I can really get into playing.
Lot less restrictive, and fun to play.
Redeemer Paladin pisses me off so much as a Racial Archetype.
Would be perfect for a Paladin of Sarenrae and they restrict it to Half Orcs only.
Holy crap, I just looked this up. The only thing I'd even miss is charm immunity, but the Pact of Peace is so flavorful I almost died.
Why is this not the standard paladin. This code is what everyone wishes Paladins were.
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I would say whatever you can find a good backstory/background/motive.
For example, I'm using the bonded witch w/ancestors. Using the staff bonded item I'm creating a 'Summer Witch' whose Jagwida mother is a winter witch. However, her father, the ancestor who "warped" her was turned into bread after he had done her conception.
She is paranoid, machiavellian, at times cruel, like anyone who grew up in Whitethrone should be. But she, through her ancestor has hints that the world can be different from what she has known and her escaping and joining the Pathfinder Society is her first step to figuring out what that is.
Think about the 'why' whether it's the quest for respectability of a redeemer half orc or 'look what I'm smoking' for a bramble brewer to 'the ancestors have called me' for an Ancient Lorekeeper.
All the Best,
Kerney
dwarven foehammer and dhampir cruoromancer are loads of fun.