I despise 1st level, so if you enjoy the torture required to get those first three chronicles don't read on.
I would not recommend a pregen at 1st level unless you don't have time to build something. 1st level is really swingy already without the added difficulty of avoiding the handful of truly abominable pre-gens. Even the best of them are less than stellar.
I utilise the rebuild rules to get me through it when I can't rely on GM credit.
This is Joe, he is my go-to first level character build. He's a tough, old beat cop type who sees it as his duty to look after the young whippersnappers. He is deeply embittered though because someone else always get the credit.
He is built to not only survive 1st level, but help everyone else survive.
