Rhydian's page

Quite so - Charisma doesn't change your personality (perhaps your experiences of others behaviour...) but it should change the way others see you. Sure there may be those rare types who look deeper at what defines you, but probably that does not describe the vast majority of folk.

I think Charisma reflects beyond skill checks and perhaps is a little unfairly used to reflect physical appearance. But it does measure presence and communication and the impressions one makes. This being the case I have poor Charisma scores reflect the socially inept - afterall one can be brilliant but utterly overlooked. This translates to all the tales of the character's groups often forgetting to mention the low Charisma character; to the character being utterly ineffectual leading others in combat; to the higher charisma fellows in the party being the ones all the NPCs talk to and I play the NPCs often being a little dismissive or hesitant with the low Charisma character.
This doesn't really affect their expertise with sword swinging or spell casting but does rob the character of the fame and adulation they might otherwise receive (or fear and dread they try to achieve - as that also requires charisma to carry off - otherwise you just become an actuary with a bad attitude).

When trying to see how the new classes run, try running the same adventure with a mix of some of the new classes in compared to the existing ones.

Certainly there is a direct root to success that some of the more 'direct' core classes can take, but watching a group using an Alchemist and a Summoner (with one of the other players running his slightly ornery Eidolon) and short of an arcane caster with full 0-9th Spell casting was great. There were some parts that they certainly breezed but others that original (pre-APG) group barely noticed that became phenomenal challenges!

More than anything though, the new classes are full of flavour and imply their own paradigm when being played that I have always felt is sometimes lacking with variants on the core classes (its too easy to slip from failure to utility perhaps?).

I think its the diversity of the new classes I like, with everything ready to go - well done guys at Paizo! I hope the future holds even more surprises!!