| Prairieguy23 |
Hello Bodhizen, et. al.
I am a brand new poster to the advice boards, and a new player to Pathfinder after years of 3.5 shenanigans on both sides of the DM blind.
I just wanted to make a suggestion or two that might be helpful, based on my very fresh experience as a brand-new Level 1 Inquisitor, inspired heavily by your guide! I think it might even be of some use in terms of the enlightening conversation you've been having with Magnuskn over archery-based Inquisitors.
In the interest of of usefulness to you and the other posters and readers in this thread, I'll state the heart of my comments first, and add perhaps useful context peculiar to my campaign afterward.
In particular, I would like to speak to the really delicious synergy I've felt even at level 1 between the Spellbreaker archetype and the ranged combat option.
I've decided to run a level 1 Human inquisitor with the spellbreaker archetype, conversion inquisition, and a focus on ranged combat with longbows. Though my skill selection is a bit askew from standard inquisitors (see below), I'm still focusing on intimidation, sensing motive, and other wis-based skills in and out of combat.
I haven't even made it to level 3, when I'll be able to use the Spellbreaker's replacement ability for solo tactics and teamwork feats: Foil Casting. In addition to increasing the DC for defensive casting against arcanists in your threat area, it allows an inquisitor to increase the general concentration DC by 2 for 1 round duration against any arcanist or enemy with an SLA with a successful ranged attack.
I've also already found that the Level 1 Strong-Willed ability of the spellbreaker has come in handy for my 'divine operative' style Inquisitor.
While I was conceiving of the character, I went back and forth between Preacher and Spellbreaker archetypes a number of times. While in the end I'm glad I opted for Spellbreaker, I could easily see a fun and workable build with Preacher as an archery-based inquisitor.
In short, I think that Spellbreaker might deserve mention under the archery build section, and I would humbly second Magnuskn's endorsement of Preacher as a viable/interesting option.
(I also spent a *lot* of time agonizing over the choice between longbows and repeating crossbows, more than I should have, really. The first time I read through the Inquisitor class description, I was tickled by their automatic proficiency with crossbows, which just sat there, taunting me. Ultimately, I went with longbow for reasons tied up with my DM's style and setting, but I could easily have stuck with repeating crossbow. I wonder if you had considered including discussion of the repeating crossbow option under the archery section?)
Okay, now some context in case you think I'm mad...It's a solo campaign. (over skype/google chat with my DM, who has sadly moved away recently)
The campaign is set in a fantasy version of ancient Greece, for which our sessions are experiments so that he can further develop the setting for use with other groups going forward. There are two significant house rules worth mention here.
First, I picked two traits from a list of setting-specific regional traits with which he supplied me (heirloom weapon [falcata: Proficiency], and 'child's play' granting +2 initiative, for enduring growing up in Spartan-controlled Peloponnesia).
Second, he is essentially allowing me to freely choose my class skills, with an arbitrary limit based on class that winds up being fewer than the class skills as written in the SRD (for inquisitor, it's 10 class skills). Finally, we're using core Paizo SRD material, and I'm limited to one archetype. Though this admittedly, potentially, definitely throws off the character options, everything else is otherwise RAW.
Let all of this context serve to qualify my impressions of the Inquisitor and your guide above. While I am attempting to optimize my character in a number of ways, my unique setting and campaign circumstances mean that my choices are a bit different than they would be if I were optimizing for a classic 4-character party.
Finally, I just wanted to add my accolades and esteem to the pile, Bodhizen! Your guide is a real treat from my stand-point as a newcomer to Pathfinder. I especially commend you for the roleplaying advice in terms of elaborating about party roles, which is what really sets your guide apart from other well-written and mechanically-convincing guides.
As I was trying to figure out the capabilities and flavor of the new classes, your guide stood out as unique in giving me some hooks and flavor that stimulated my creativity without steering me into a specific channel as far as player mechanics are concerned. The flow and re-readability of your guide are fantastic.