Sysryke's page

Looks like the spell offers no exclusion for the caster, so yes it does. Casters can be effectively immune to it if they have fire resistance of 12 or better and if they keep mage armor up. Allies with 10 feet would probably appreciate a casting of mage armor, too.

How would mage armor help? Isn't that only an AC boost? How will that negate the radiation/disease effect?

Edit: figured it out. Force effects block Blightburn. Either way, I'm dim. This spell isn't about giving the caster a burning weapon, it's about making enemy weapons dangerous to their wielders.

Does Blightburn Weapon harm the caster?

Life has been getting much in the way, so this build has been dragging at a snail's pace. Each time I come back, I've forgotten something, or have a new option to consider.

Can I do Archetypes with Unchained classes? The War Scholar Monk comes back into play if I can go unchained. The ki options on unchained even give me a smidge of fire to play with.

Started to chart my final three (four?) class options, but hubby just bounced out to prepare for a party this evening, so . . . . . more delay, but hoping to pin this down tonight. I think the last thing holding me back is FOMO with whatever classes I don't choose. Also wondering if true multi-classing or VMC would help fit concept better without crippling the mechanics??

I want to be sure that whatever choice I make has the most longevity in it's daily resources.

If (when?) I finally accept the Inquisitor, I think I've got to overcome the flavor of the class. I'm getting stuck on "Inquisitor" as a concept as opposed to just a mechanical chassis.

Ta for now. To be finished . . .

I tend to fall into either elemental or animal themes, often both. Many of the characters I want to play are ones that I've built for games that died after only a few sessions.

I have a few concepts I almost think are cursed, they've been cut off so many times.

A falconry and classic archer character. I've built as human, elf, halfing, and as a cleric, ranger, fighter, or inquisitor. My favorite was perhaps a female halfing inquisitor. I dropped the falcon, and built a custom deity for a King Maker campaign. Served a multifaceted goddess of truth who rode a different sacred mount for each race she appeared as.

Some kind of polyglot, acid/poison, snake kin character. Often rogue, or rogue adjacent. I like the idea of words as power, and translation crossing the boundary of verbal to physical communication, leading to super skills and martial arts.

A mouse character. Always some type of caster focused on light magics. Someday, I will find a way to legitimately transform into a rules legal fine sized mouse, none of this "rats are close enough" crud.

Not a cursed character, but my number one wishlist character, a tiger themed earth caster who wields a big hammer, and is the party strong guy.

Numerous classes I haven't had a chance to explore fully. Kineticist is the top of that list. The shield throwing Brawler archetype gets an honorable mention, and someday I hope to play an effective halfing monk. Oh and a Winter Witch, and . . . , and ..., and... Just look at nearly any thread I start :p

What if it was like flying from Hitchhiker's Guide? Immortality isn't some huge achievement, it's just throwing yourself at the end of life, getting suitably distracted, and then realizing that somehow you missed :p

Sadly, never, not once. Had a 3.5 character artificially level into the upper teens, but that was with a crap GM who did a massive time pass and then took over completely to force a story he wanted to finish from his childhood. Not a good time.

Highest legit character I've ever played made it to either 11th or 13th level. Gestalt Mammoth Spirit Shaman/Horn Herald Skald Orc. Fun character, great campaign.

Despite not having ever made it to the upper levels, I still build every character with level 20 in mind :/

We haven't started this group yet, life keeps getting in the way. This should be the crew in a couple of weeks, though.

My husband is GMing this time.

Host couple wife is playing a Half-Elf Ranger, drawing very loose inspiration from Merida from "Brave"

Host couple husband will be a Dwarf Paladin, possibly to some Dragon god. He usually plays fighter types, but went Paly to provide some bit of healing for the party.

Their freshly teenage daughter. First ever game for her. She was building a fighter at first, until she realized she wanted magic, so switched to Bard. Playing a female Satyr. We're using a 3pp race called Piper for the framework. She'll have a slightly steeper learning curve as we're starting at level 6 this time, but should have fun.

Group friend is playing a Kasatha fighter. He loves the four arms thing. Something will probably get mis-handled as he tries to use all four limbs for fighting, but it's a relatively rules casual group, and he's not the sort to intentionally abuse a build.

And then me, still waffling on final choices. Most likely an Ifrit Inquisitor, but still looking at Tiefling and two or three other classes. My original concept was for a Tiefling, but the Ifrit matches better mechanics to my concept, so I'll be making a few tweaks.

Scratch the second part above. I'm dumb; I didn't realize that Ravener Hunter was a two part name for an Inquisitor archetype. Thanks for the recommendation.

Been toying and tweaking the build I offered earlier and discovered that the Ravener Hunter archetype stacks and pairs well with the Immolator archetype (and the Infiltrator too...). You trade away your domain for an oracle mystery, which can include the Flame and/or the Volcano. . . . . Here is an exhaustive list of fire spells available to an inquisitor:

1- Sun Metal (Saranrae Only)
1- Touch of Combustion (Ifirit only)
2- Blistering Invective
2- Burning Gaze (Zursvaater Only)
2- Death Candle (Ifirit Only)
2- Flames of the Faithful
2- Stoke the Inner Fire (Zursvaater Only)
3- Flame Blade (Saranrae Only)
3- Trial by Fire
4- Blightburn Weapon
4- Cleansing Fire
4- Healing Flames
4- Healing Warmth (Ifirit Only)
5- Flame Strike
5- Sun Beam (Saranrae Only)
6- Invoke Deity (ie, Fire Domain)
6- Morning Sun
6- Sunburst (Saranrae Only)

Thanks for the list. I hadn't seen several of those spells, but I'm glad there's at least a fire spell for every level. Where did the Ifrit only options come from? Also, what or who is Zursvaater?

As to the Hunter archetype, you said it "stacks" with the Immolator. Did you mean they synergize, or are there features that stack? Are you thinking multi-classing or Gestalt? I haven't ruled out multi-classing, but we're not allowed to Gestalt for this campaign. Also, does the Ravener lose the animal companion? I was trying to avoid extra creatures to keep track of this time around.

Of note: At the time you get Stand Still (level 13), your Whip will either be doing 14d6+3 against Touch AC, or 14d6+21 against regular AC (I recommend expanding into Earth at level 7, instead of fire... magma as a 'whip' is so demonic it's scary). This is because your theme will be to not move, so you use your move action to Gather Power, making your Composite Blast 'free'. 14d6+21 against everything that moves, casts or does any other thing, in your threatened area, and by then, you should have +7 on your Dexterity modifier. ;) And if you have the burn to spare, you can Empower it for 21d6+31 for the whole round.

It's a really solid choice for the theme.

Thank you so much for your posts. I really do love the Kineticist class. The problem I'm running into this time though, is that I developed my concept and backstory before I considered class. Since Pathfinder often encourages focus over spread, my concept is a bit too spread out. This is where I've become spoiled by gestalting.

Anyway, the tactical/martial/military aspects of the character, and being decent with a real/tangible/forged sword are nearly or as important to the character as the fire. The possibilities of your build are amazing, but won't quite gel with the vision I have for this character. I need fire and steel together, not just fire substituting for steel. I also want to be a bit more mobile than stationary with this character, and I'll need to burn one feat to get his antlers.

I'm definitely keeping your recommendations in my back pocket for characters down the road. Maybe if I revisit a florakineticist, or air. I tend to be a bit of an elemental purist with my concepts. Thanks again.

I've never been much of an online person. I found these threads as a resource when dipping my toes into GMing in earnest for the first time. I hope this community continues to thrive, if somewhat reduced in numbers. Considering that every time I pop back on, the threads I'd engaged with have fallen way down the line, I take some hope in this.

While there are systems I enjoy more for different things (MARVEL!!!!!), and editions I've even able to have fun in (*blush* *whisper* 4e), PF1e still hits a sweet spot, and the rest of my crew are happy to stay here. If anything, I am nostalgic and more than a bit jealous of DeathlessOne and others for when I was still active in multiple games. Yet coming here, engaging in discussion and the marketplace of ideas over this thing we all enjoy helps to fill some of that need. I'm happy to have you all.

I'm always so behind when it comes to technology, pop-cupture, and other trends, that should this site ever fade, I will be caught completely unawares, and feel quite sad. Hopefully, our little corner of the net, and Paizo's servers, is vibrant enough, (and resource cost low enough) to just keep chugging along. Regardless, I'm happy to have had these experiences.

Secretly being an "old man from the 50's" (in spirit), I will encourage or remind others here though, to not forget/forsake the real world. I know you have to be careful online, but if you've made good friends here, make the effort to keep in touch, whether by other correspondence or IRL. But, what do I know? I'm also just a baby (on another thread :p)

Silly question, but does/should a quarterstaff even count against carry capacity weight?

I've always seen and played in groups where the q-staff is a wizard's walking stick. The stick/staff is on the ground, and the wizard is leaning on it. I get counting its weight if he's actually carrying it, or swinging it during combat, but how often is a wizard melee fighting and maneuvering? The only time this item should factor in for encumbrance, the wizard is being supported by the staff, not carrying it . . . or so I would think.

Lots of good advice on here. But, can I just ask the OP, please don't cut yourself down so much. We were all new players once, and we all have different strengths and weaknesses as players. I'm not the strongest number cruncher or tactics guru myself :p

That aside, what specifically do you like about the magic users in video games and films? If it's just the aesthetic, numerous classes with supernatural or spell like abilities could serve you well. If it's blasting magics of great elemental or arcane energies, Sorcerer, and Kineticist can both fit well, or really any caster with the right build. From a RP perspective you could build any of these and just call yourself a wizard. However, if specifically the wizard class is what you must be, then you already have a lot of good information in the above posts.

Something I try and do is either choose a theme and/or choose a role/job within the party. The sheer scope of the wizard's spell list can be overwhelming. Using a theme can help you pare down your choices more quickly, and as was said above, finding the spells that let you fill the gaps in your party makes sure that you aren't a "burden". Just keep in mind, RPGS are most often group ventures. When your character can't do something, that's why you have teammates. IMO there's nothing worse than the character (really player) who thinks they can do everything. If that's really the case, then why even travel with companions?

I'll also +1 in favor of at least one damage dealing cantrip. I like having an always available magic offense option. Investment of a trait, feat, or just appropriate gear can keep them semi-relevant. Most of the time though, unless you want to be a blaster, direct damage is what a wizard does when he's got nothing better to do. Basically, outside of dire circumstances, you're going to fall back on damage cantrips only for RP or "clean up" when the fight's no longer really a challenge ("Oh look, a rat . . . ." *Zap*). If the circumstances are dire though, I'll take the ranged and more likely to hit 1d3, over the melee and likely to miss 1d4 nearly every time. That said, in a traditional medieval type setting, what character doesn't have at least an eating knife/dagger? You're not breaking the bank there.

When you do try a wizard, just figure out who you want the character to be, what you want to excel at, and how that character can gel with the rest of your party. There are enough options to go nearly any direction you choose, as long as you commit to your choices. Have fun :)

So, I know there's no new idea under the sun, but I swear I developed my backstory independently.

We only have physical copies of the Player's Handbook and Advanced Players Guide. I know next to nothing about about the Pathfinder setting (Golarion?), it's lore, or any of the published adventure paths. All that said, after a quick search on AoN, I'm pretty sure my characters dad is Moloch. I've been saying general of all the fire devils in Hell, and that seems to be exactly what he is.

This may not bear too much on the build, unless I go Warpriest.

Separately, I found at least two fire domain deities who's favored weapon is a bastard sword, so that's good.

From what I'm currently finding with my weak searchfu, I need to look at the Spirit Guide Oracle a bit closer. Somebody mentioned this up thread, so thanks again. No cross mystery Oracles.

I'm having trouble finding the rules for the extra spells from deities on AoN or D20. Probably I'm looking in the wrong places.

I truly appreciate all your advice and effort on my behalf. I hope you're enjoying this at some level.

So, Tiefling is/was the first choice based on the character concept, with Ifrit being my obvious alternate. Teifling can more easily get a gore (horns/antlers) natural attack, has some other racial perks that fit, and better stat mods. However, Ifrit has all of the tasty fire, and is obviously locked in if I go Immolator. Also, my group/GM probably won't care, so I might be allowed to take some Tiefling feats as an Ifrit if I can RP justify it.

Can an Ifrit be from an infernal ancestor? . . . Why not. Otherwise I switch the backstory from the 9 Hells to the Plane of Fire, daddy is now an Efreet general. Still lawful, so that evens out. Ifrit gets unlimited, albeit melee only and tiny, fire with the right racial trait or feat choices.

Only final issues are that this build will be a bit feat starved, and my fire, while plentiful, will likely be mostly combat with little utility. Oh, and I will likely loose most "speed" features minus the awesome Initiative. All things considered, that is probably the best I'm going to do, and not to shabby.

Out of my perverse OCD needs, I'll still have to look at a few of my other options one last time. Fighter, Ranger, Kineticist are out, too much one way or the other with not enough resources to find the balance I want.

The War Scholar Monk is incredibly tasty, but I don't think a ki pool is going to be able to give me enough (if any) fire.

I'd have to burn a feat for the sword I want with the Nature's Fang. The Slayer parts are nice, but little other group tactical perks.

Magus is neat, but I'm realizing I just wanted fire, sword, antlers, I didn't specifically want/need spell combat.

That leaves Oracle or Warpriest still in contention. Is there such a thing as a dual/cross mystery Oracle, similar to a cross blooded sorcerer? With Warpriest, I need to re-examine his applicable bluffs to see if there's enough hunter/slayer/commander flavor to be had.

So, I did some reading into words of power. The level of an effect word sets the minimum level of a word spell. So, the Burning Flash word will only let me put fire into 2nd level spells and up.

Still missing any hope for fire with 0 and 1st level spells. I need to re-examine what type of consistent fire I can get out of Ifrit. I'm also pretty sure there is a trait or feat that can let my backdoor a cantrip from another class. That might be enough.

If not, the lack of low end fire sustainability will mean I have to (regretfully) set the Immolator aside for this character.

On the plus side, even painful pruning gets me closer to a final build. And, our GM isn't likely to c-block my fire at every turn. When/if we do encounter the fire hardy, that's why I still want to be decent with sword and antlers.

Thanks for the breakdown on the Immolator Deathless One. I've not looked into the Words of Power. I'll need to read on it a bit more, though it may be more complicated than my group/GM wants to deal with.

You mentioned spells from deity. Where are those rules from? I haven't seen it in any of the classes I've read through. Is this an alternative to domains, something unlocked through a feat, or some extra/variant rule from a later splat book? If it's the domain one, unless I missed something, Inquisitors specifically do not gain spells from domains. If I can make this work, it'd be perfect. My game is home brew, so shameless custom god building is very much up for grabs. :p

This pushes Immolator closer to the top of the list, but I do know there are some feats and features on a few of the other classes that allow me to reduce or bypass fire resistance.

Thanks again.

Just to add a class you haven't mentioned to the list, have you considered an infernal blooded Bloodrager? Can use swords, has innate fire abilities and your racial background is more than just flavour text.

I very much appreciate the recommendation. However, when I was winnowing my options down, I decided I wanted to stay away from Rage mechanics. To me it doesn't fit the martial discipline he would have received as basically an infernal army brat. Also, on a more purely mechanical note, the limits of rage casting don't mesh with my desire to be able to play with fire all day. At the very least I need a couple of cantrips, some at will SLA or SU ability, or a nigh inexhaustible resource pool.

If I do Magus (possibly Kineticist?), there are some archetypes which can get some infernal or other firey bloodline abilities.

I'm torn still by all of my choices. I'm trying to make a pen and paper chart to see which options check the most boxes, but it's a rather exhaustive process.

I'm also wondering if multi-classing might not be the way to go. I'm not opposed, but I'm like a babe in the woods if I try it. I don't want to build something handicapped compared to the rest of my party.

If you manage to make it through some (all? . . . Ha!) of my above post, I'd appreciate any tips, thoughts, or probing questions to help me sort myself out. Thanks again, everyone. :)

Sorry for the incoming text wall. I need to get my thoughts in print, and whittle down my list. Life got in the way for a bit. Hubby had to have surgery, and recovery has been challenging. Not strangling related, surgeon is a (competent) d*ck, hubby recovering okay now.

Contenders for now: (no particular order) Tiefling or Ifrit based on what classes can or can't offer me

1. Nature Fang Druid -- checks several boxes, however lacks proficiency with true swords. I'm wanting at least a longsword, if not a bastard. I have some (minimal) concerns about the spell list to provide speed and other flavor elements I listed at the start. Also, tiny concern over if I'm left with overly woodsy based features, but I think most of those trade away.

2. Child of Acavna and Amanzen Fighter -- better with blades . . . but I think perhaps not enough magic. Cantrips are nice, but too few spell slots, and no fire/magic/sword combos (unless I go Ifrit). Is anyone endorsing this archetype? Something I'm overlooking?

3. War Scholar Monk -- this is a 3rd party archetype, but it's glorious. I highly recommend taking a look. Gives me all sorts of abilities to reflect my militaristic upbringing. Gain martial weapon proficiency and light armor, plus keep all of the speedy parts of Monk. Looses unarmed strike, flurry, stunning fist, purity of body, and maneuver training. Biggest concern, can I get enough fire out of racial options and/or feats and ki?

4. Ranger -- Eh. . . nevermind. Similar issues to fighter. There's no combination of archetypes that gives me what I need without being left with the overly woodsy elements. Favored enemies and terrain are good in specific settings, less so in open sandboxes. Feel free to challenge me here. If I abandon fighter and ranger, I'm loosing BAB=Lvl. Don't know if that's worth it though.

5. Immolator Inquisitor -- I was really excited for this one. It seems to fit the concept quite well. The one concern I have, Inquisitors get very few fire spells, (at some levels none) and they don't gain spells from domains. This makes it nearly impossible for me to play with fire all day. Any workarounds? A way to steal some cantrips/orisons from other classes, without sacrificing the archetype? That aside, strong contender here.

6. Warpriest -- I really like this class basically as is. Careful selection of blessings, spells, and feats can get me near to everything I might want. Biggest question here, are there ways to get access to more blessings, or at least more uses per day? Something akin to extra rage, channels, etc? I guess monster knowledge skills are lacking here, too.

7. Oracle -- Aside from Dual Cursed (maybe Spirit Guide), I mostly enjoy the standard. Another one hurting for monster lore/hunting skills. Flame mystery is awesome though. Is there not a way to mix mysteries like Sorcerers can mix bloodlines. Lacking that, any feats to pick up revelations outside of one's mystery?

8. Kineticist -- Looked this one up in detail last night. Obviously fire for days, but really doesn't do that well with actual, physical swords. Also not much in the way of skills, monster lore, and/or tactics. I really like it, but I don't know if race, feats, traits, and a few skills can fill the non-fire gaps. I kind of want to be talked into this one, but the mechanics just may not support the concept.

9. Magus -- The most obvious choice for combining sword and spell. I think I'm wrapping my head more around it now. Several archetypes are interesting, Cabalist, Fiend Flayer, and Arcana Lord amongst them. Another that's not stellar at monster knowledge though, with woefully few skills points. That said, I do quite like this class for the concept.

Thanks for the clarification. My husband is going to run next. He prefers things to stay somewhat simple, so home brew is probably out. All good though. If all else fails, the VMC Cavalier is appealing.

I'm still looking at 10 different classes, trying to pare down and focus my attention.

Based on a quick read through of the race builder rules, a race with +2 to each ability score, and nothing else, would be somewhere between 18 to 24 RP. Inarguably "advanced", not certainly "monstrous".

2 RP for Flexible ability bonuses, the 4rp a pop for each Advanced trait for the other four stats. (18 RP)

If you feel that Flexible doesn't apply; 0rp for human heritage, the 4 RP x5 for the leftovers (20rp)

If you want to argue against the Human heritage because of the choice component, then 4rp for each of the six advanced traits (24 RP)

Based on what I'm seeing, I'm intrigued by the Cavalier as a VMC option, but I don't know if the others would work, or at least come online soon enough. None of the casting VMCs give actual spells, and the cantrips don't kick in until Lvl. 11. I imagine the intent was usually to keep casters with casters for this mechanic.

Are there other VMC options for the hybrid, occult, and alternative classes? Kineticist and Shifter for examples.

Cheers for the link! I'm still reading, but I do have a question. With VMC, it's an all or nothing proposition, correct? If I don't care for the feature gained at Level 7 for instance, I can't choose not to take it, and just take a feat instead?

I'm not going to be nearly as erudite or eloquent as LunarVale; but as one of those who did "ask for the comparison", I feel I should chime back in.

I've read all the posts, and perhaps my own word choices contributed to confusion. In one of his earlier posts, LV, characterized the Azlanti as a mechanically superior choice, that many players would likely choose. However, the follow up to that analysis was at least in part in response to my hypothetical. Obviously Azlanti is superior to a bog standard human. For the sake of these comparisons, DROP the feat and extra skill point racial features. Only looking at the six +2s to the ability scores, measure those against other races.

It has been rightly and obviously conceded that on paper the (nerfed) Azlanti is going to be superior to another character, especially through the lens of point but values. My original query was about Race Points though. When you stack a more exotic (11 to 20 RP) race's features against the six +2s, where does that come out? Obviously flavor and play style are all subjective, but what about the actual RP values?

VMC Wizard with the fire, magma, or smoke arcane school are also options. On the flip side if there is a class you like mechanically but doesn’t quite fit the theme Variant Multiclassing can help there too. For instance if you were to take Elementalist Shifter you could take VMC cavalier, Paladin, inquisitor or Bard perhaps. An item you may want to consider is Demonic Smith’s gloves to add the flaming property to your weapon attacks. Another class suggestion is Warlock Vigilante. Their mystic bolts ability is another way to chuck some fire around (they also benefit from Demonic Smith’s Gloves as well).

Thank you. That's all quite helpful. The only books I have physical access too are the Player's Handbook and the Advanced Class Guide. Where would I find rules for Variant Multiclassing?

Thanks for the replies folks. I appreciate the analysis. My take away is that, like any human, the appeal of the Azlanti is in their versatility. The trade off though is a lack of nearly any racial mechanics with flavor. I generally prefer the perks of extra senses, racial feats, Natural attacks, spell like abilities, or other flavor elements. I tend to play specific/high concept characters, so for me (and my groups), other races are more useful in practice.

+2 with all stats means a 0-point character is the equivalent to a 12-point buy. That makes a character with a 20 point buy equivalent to a 32-point buy.

I was talking about Race building Points (RP), but thanks for that look. It still helps with perspective.

Thanks for the extra info. Haven't had a chance to dig into Kineticist or Hunter yet. Shifter is a class right up my alley conceptually, but I've determined it won't work well for this particular character. It's a bit too zeroed in on specific concepts if I go to archetypes, and the main chassis doesn't work for this guy. If I could mash Fiendflesh, Elementalist, and one other one I've forgotten, it might work (with some trimming of parts I don't want).

Ya know, it's funny. I was just pointing out the companion bond to one of my players, and then I overlooked it myself :p

Got distracted by pretty burning swords. That's priority one, but tactics are important too. That helps to reflect the whole "raised as a General/War Prince's son" bit.

I've gotten spoiled. I'm having to actively restrain myself from strangling my husband for not letting us Gestalt this time.

Spousal abuse aside (:P), Kineticist is another strong contender on my short(ish) list. I remember being confused/underwhelmed by weapon options the last time I looked at the class. I know that's not the class's original design intent, but the archetypes lost me a bit. More to dig into.

All fair points. I'm more wondering how the Azlanti, with ability score bonuses only, might stack against some of the higher RP player races. Dwarf, Drow, or Aasimar for instances.

Ah. Mechanically, yes. To clarify, I usually gravitate towards spellcasters with my characters. I tend to think in elemental or other supernatural themes. Casters make that easier. That said, for this character, as long as I can consistently play with fire, and have at least some creative and/or non-combat applications for it, spells of higher level aren't required (just nice.)

I imagine I'm going to land in at least 6th level spell territory, but that's not a hard line.

As to the hunter's bond. I'm actively trying to avoid critters, summons, leadership, or (too much) shape shifting. The things that can bog down play too easily, or that I've done too often before. So, for this character, the mechanical ding was acceptable.

I'm gonna go and try and prune down my options some more :)

I'd allow a player to play a pure blood Azlanti, but there had better be a darned good roleplaying or character reason for it.

I know very little about the various Paizo settings. I've only ever played in store or home games with generic or custom worlds. Most of my setting experience goes back to 3.x and Faerun.

That aside, from a game balance point, would a race with +2 to each stat, and absolutely no other racial features be balanced, as from a RP perspective?

Oooh!Had a thought.

You could allow everyone to roll, as restrictive or generous as you please, with one set re-roll allowed. If a player wants/needs more re-rolls after the freebie, they have to take a flaw (the anti-traits). It's up to you and the player how many flaws are acceptable to try and get good stats. For roleplay flavor, link each flaw to the weakest stat of the last rejected set. Allow for roleplaying, experience, or quest rewards to overcome flaws over time . . . maybe.

My group is generous as heck when we start generate. We have really good (my husband) and really bad (me) rollers, with an array in between. This helps out those of us whom the dice hate. If we do 4d6, drop lowest, we allow for re-rolling 1s (sometimes 1s and 2s) before we total.

Alternatively. If everyone is on board, have everyone roll stats, then let the group use the best set for everyone. Builds are still going to change the final array. I like dice rolling stats, even when ridiculous. Point buy has just never been fun for me in a dice based system.

Whatever you land on, have fun.

Dag nabbit! I looked at Flame Warden. It's actually a contender, for the progression, if not where it starts. What was I loosing that you thought was more apt to the concept, Deathless One?

The evasion stings, but isn't essential. I don't care about the camouflage. The Master Hunter capstone loss is the only big one. I do hate to loose that potential, but I've never actually gotten to play to Lvl. 20.

How much leeway do you have from your GM? Are we sticking hard to RAW, or is there room for homebrew and/or 3pp?

I think most of the animalistic type races can get a shapeshift ability from somewhere. So, in theory, a Vannara could become a monkey, a Tengu a raven, etc.

There's a small or tiny sized 3pp Mousling race as well.

Alternatively, look at some of the archetypes of shifter or druid, if you aren't starting at level one. A single level dip into an early wild shaping archetype might help.

Lastly, there are some old 3.x rules for playing a Familiar that has survived it's master. Generally they are the same class as there master (minus 2 or 4 levels). If your GM is permissive though, you could tweak this. If you're okay to sacrifice traditional PC race stats and abilities, this could work. It could be quite cool (and a tad heart breaking) to play a familiar who missed their lost master so much that they become a Summoner who brings a facsimile of that master back from beyond the veil.
Never underestimate the power of a forlorn, magical, and determined raccoon.

Tee hee. Glad I could help inspire something. Otherwise, yes quite helpful. Sometimes what I need is help figuring out what not to play.

Thanks again. I consider myself pretty decent at helping others build in my group. But something about this particular character has had me floundering. I really like the Immolator. So much of the background in my head had gone Tiefling, but the easy fire flavor of an Ifrit combined with the monster knowledge of the Inquisitor is very tempting. Alas, that's part of my problem; fire guy with a sword is so broad, there's almost too many options.

I think part of what I need to do is peruse a few of the other classes so I can figure out which ones can't offer me what I want. For instance, I haven't ruled out Ranger or Slayer yet because of the BAB progression, sword access, and hunting skills. But, can either of those classes actually offer me enough (or any) Fire powers. Same with Ninja, and possibly Swashbuckler. Of course, as I say this, I'm still stuck in my traditional single class build headspace.

Anyway. Thanks again, Deathless One. And to everyone else who has offered help on this thread :)

Idea:

Spirit guide Oracle (background sounds like a cha based caster)
Spirit guide could be RPed as an "instructor" if you are going for the lore spirit, which can give you several fire spells, our you use fire as your mystery.

So, on a first draft, a spirit guide flame oracle, curse could be legalistic to represent his infernal upbringen.

To represent his training, did you consider a single dip in swashbuckler? You are now a skilled dueller, fuel your panache pool with you main casting stat. You eventually get level 9 spells (I think level 17), and have martial weapons from the swash dip.

You can blast (flame mystery) defend yourself in melee (swash dip), are dextrous and charismatic and are a natural leader.

Thanks for the ideas. I've never multiclassed, so I'm a bit nervous to try it, but this build may need it. Oracle is on my short list. Unfortunately, my list isn't yet quite short enough :p

I put together a 4th level build for a Tiefling that focuses on their fire theme:

** spoiler omitted **...

Again. Thanks for this build. Where are you finding the "Wildfire" blessing? I looked on both AoN and the D20pfsrd and didn't see it. I'm not good at navigating AoN though, so I likely missed a link or searched wrong.

(Edit) Nevermind. Just found the links for Focus and Disaster Blessings. Didn't realize it was a separate list.

Gentlemen. Thank you both for your input. Deathless One's build is quite useful. I might tweak a few things to get closer to the feel I want, but it showed me options I wasn't even aware of.

Azothath, I truly appreciate you taking a Rules Lawyer (in the best possible sense) eye to the build, as I try to play as fair and legit as possible. That said, I've never done society play, so we don't have to worry about that here. We also allow 3rd party in our group, and I'm our biggest rules lawyer; so if it slips past me, usually the rest of the group doesn't care :p

Again, truly, thank you both for your contributions.

Mr. Waterhammer, I think you may have sold yourself short. I need to keep reading, but I'm really vibing with what I've seen of the Hell Knights so far. I'll need to see if I can mesh enough of the mechanics with my vision, but the flavor seems on point. If I don't start this way, it might be something to build towards.

Thank you Northern Spotted Owl for the clarifications. And your earlier list if I hadn't already said so.

The Hellknight Signifer might be of interest. I put one together awhile ago based on Slayer and Wizard, but it might work better based on cleric and something.

Never mind. I was reading more about what is wanted. Hellknight Signifer is probably not it.

I appreciate you taking the time. I'm always interested to learn about new things. Is Hellknight Signifier your own creation, or an already existing class or archetype?

I suppose I should clarify moving forward, my GM this time is allowing all 3rd party content (with approval) with the exception of 3pp base classes. Races, spells, archetypes, gear, feats, etc. are all in play.

When I can't or shouldn't go for the kill, or otherwise out of combat I want to contribute hunting/tracking and creature knowledge skills. Crafting weapons, glass, or pottery (anything where fire is a factor). Socially I plan to have him take a back seat, usually after screwing up, unless his tactical, nobility, or intimidation skills can actually be useful.

Thanks Azothath for the Character Design input. Procedural models work well for me.

I'm still open to specific suggestions or anecdotes about how to play a slowly reforming jerk. He's no longer evil, but he DID NOT have a good upbringing. He wasn't abused, but raised spoiled, entitled, and regimented amongst devil nobility. Lawfulness and the philosophical flexibility of fire were the avenues to redemption his "rescuers" were working with.

Thanks for the ongoing feedback folks.

I'm leaning Tiefling for race, as it fits the character best. However, Ifrit could work, and may offer more tempting fire powers. I'm a sucker for racial powers and feats.

In combat, I want to wield a sword. Depending on circumstances I would either ignite the sword and/or cast other fire magics with my other hand. (Magus seems obvious here or any gish class, I just need help relating to them).

It's more in-game development, but I also want to develop some antlers for a gore attack. Not worried if this is particularly effective. This starts as just flavor text of a Tiefling or ifrit's horns. Eventually, I want to use this as an expression of his hunter(not the class) aspect. I plan to put sheaths of different special materials over the tines to cover a variety of Damage reduction bypasses (i.e. silver, gold, adamantine, crystal, obsidian, compressed salt, what have you).

I don't care if I'm the "best" in any one category, but with cleverness, tactics, and skill, I want to be able to hunt and kill the prey with either sword, fire, or antlers. The right tool for the right job.

idk... as PC races are sentient the race is not so tied to thematic/stylistic backstory as most dramatic events and character flaws can happen to anybody. Race is more a factor for efficient builds. Mechanics in a Game.

Personally aspects of PFS are great and I'll refrain from reviewing 3rd party stuff.
For me specialist wizards, multiclass specialist wizards, or where I try to flesh out a character is what I do. I'm rather comfortable with the magic system and wizards have some power to spare.

As a GM for PF1 you need some expertise in the area or casters will abuse your good will or lack of knowledge. Besides, playing a loophole specialist is fun.

Wizard diviner, BO:amulet, sub in Sch Fcs(evok) for scribe scroll. Trt:Mag Lineage or Mag Knack, W Spellhunter. Feats Point-blank, Precise, then your choice, hvy crssbow, and you're good till 5th level. You can choose samsaran for mythic past lives, tiefling, aasimar, human, ratfolk, vanaran, etc. Choose a background and write your outline and make some specific choices.

I've posted some rather mechanically complete characters with just a simplistic background (if any). A whole list o bards... compared razmir build to plain varisian pilgrim/wiz. Then there's my mage-killer build.

Thanks for the post. Outside of some naturally close or mid range fire spells, I'm leaning more towards melee and close Area fire attacks, as opposed to a ranged type. Is there a way to make a wizard a decent threat with a sword, or is the investment just not worth it?

Can't help you with the 3rd party stuff, as I don't touch it (and know little about it).

If you want a 9th level caster and are not opposed to the Druid class, consider the Nature Fang archetype. You'll be able to pick up Ranger Combat Styles starting at 4th level with your Slayer Talents. You'll be fairly good with weapons and have Studied Target to pick up the slack from the 3/4 BAB. You'll need to get something like Elemental Spell metamagic, or an item substitute is you want a lot of flame based spells.

Thanks for the recommendations. I'll need to study Vigilante a bit more. What makes Zealot a "Build-a-Bear"?

The Nature's Fang might work quite well, but again, I'll have to dig into it. If I can take the Fire Domain as my Nature Bond, that might be enough.

AFAIK, the bottle just produces obscuring smoke. By, RAW, unless the item says it causes suffocation, it doesn't. However, that's a great creative use for the item. I'd probably make a player explain how they were confining the smoke in a tight enough space and/or minimizing airflow to make it chocking though.