I am going to be joining a semi regular PFS game, and I was wondering what everyone thought is the best class in PFS. I promise not to pick my pc based strictly on this. I just want to hear your opinion. So give me your opinion, and don't forget to include the new playtest ones. :)
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I am going to be joining a semi regular PFS game, and I was wondering what everyone thought is the best class in PFS. I promise not to pick my pc based strictly on this. I just want to hear your opinion. So give me your opinion, and don't forget to include the new playtest ones. :)
Well, clerics are ALWAYS welcome and useful in every group. They are more versatile than 3.5 but no more complicated. Less so in my opinion.
A good choice in any campaign. Perhaps a little more care needs to be spent on feat choice.Depending on your personal playing level of experience, a fighter is always a good class to start with to get your feet wet and feel out the setting. You will get to see how other classes work and then choose ones you like better for your second character. All the while contributing to the party. And they are a better class in PFrpg than in the past. Feat choice depends on the "flavor" of fighter you want to play (two weapon vs two handed vs archer vs weapon & sheild). A later dip into barbarian or rogue could further help your "flavor' or "path" choosen, but really the fighter stands on his own quite well.
I started with a fighter (backstory 3rd son on a minor noble house w/unspecified merchant interests) from Cheliax. He later dipped into bard for a few levels for the negotiating/skills and the always useful feather fall (no armor check penalty) and presdidigitation (always good flavor for an arogant noble type). Still solid in combat but not maxed out in that area. A versatile and fun PC overall.
I am really not sure on the newer playtest pc's.
Beyond that, whatever catches your imagination.
... I was wondering what everyone thought is the best class in PFS ...
The best class for Pathfinder Society is the one YOU enjoy playing the most.
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... I was wondering what everyone thought is the best class in PFS ...The best class for Pathfinder Society is the one YOU enjoy playing the most.
Agreed - Josh and the writers go out of their way to make sure that everyone will shine, if not for a little every module, than at least once or twice per level. To the point that when we were still 3.5 they said no more undead (because the rouge was feeling left out after 3 or so senarios in a row with only undead who were not crit-able). They (josh and the writers) follow the boards and respond when things like that pop up.
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The modules are not terribly difficult, unless you play up, then they are hell, but better gold :).
In general someone will have access to CLW wands (these should be full access, they are most necessary at low levels); so you don't need a dedicated healer. A lot of the monsters are the less intelligent types, so tanks do well. Clerics and Mages are versitile; Bards are great support, Rogues dish out good damage. Pallys are underplayed (and it can be tough playing one with us Cheraxians running around) but awesome tanks; Fighters and Clerics are good tanks as well.
Don't bring the healing-is-all-I-do cleric (never really worth it), or any builds that aren't combat ready (99% of the time is in a dungeon; there is social interaction, but very little; and unlike a home campaign, you don't really build and affect the storyline et not). In fact only one or two modules I've been in didn't box-text the introduction and put you straight to the action. I've come very close to wiping tables with low-strength tanks and rogues, I toned it down some, but not everyone is so nice.
Don't think I am knocking this btw; I love PFS, the clans do add a lot. I hope one day they have social interactives at Gen Con (a la L5R and LGR; only less sucky than the latter) that can help shape the clan politics, that would really fit in this world well :). But you really should be prepared to contribute well to the combats, since that is the focus.
The modules are not terribly difficult, unless you play up, then they are hell, but better gold :).
Just to be sure we're on the same page here, you know you can't "play up" unless your party's APL = exactly the point between tiers, right?
So for a Tier 5-9 scenario, you can't play the 8-9 sub-Tier unless your party's APL is 7+. For Tier 7-11, you'd need an APL of 9+ to play the top tier.
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So if they are 2.5 in a 1-5 are they allowed to round up to 3 so they can go to 4? I actually ran this specific instance; party made it through, though had a lot of people down, one character 1 hp from death, and 25 charges of a wand of cure light wounds used up.
I'll make certain it doesn't happen during cuffs; but if a party feels they are powerful enough to take the higher tier are they allowed to try it if the GM shows no mercy for their decision? The society book seemed to give a specific example indicating they could. What about groups of 6 2nd levels (tables of 6 are pretty popular at cons down here)... can they count themselves at a tier 3 and round up to 4? Our con runners (primarily running LFR) typically book tables for all games as 6 people.
No, you don't round up. I think the PDF says you round down (I don't have it downloaded at home at the moment). In your example, your APL would have to be 3+ to "play up."
I'd pick the 'best' class for you. Barring that, find out what other people are playing in your local club (at your level) then make something to complement that.
They need a healer? Make a healer. They need a rogue? make a rogue. They have all the basis covered? Make a bard.
I'd make something you'd enjoy playing first. You can always make more. Maybe a Gnome Wizard?
The best class for PFS is English class. Basic mathematical skills are necessary but worst-case you can ask other people to help you with that. Understanding how to communicate effectively and think creatively are essential to enjoying roleplaying games, and English classes tend to most effectively teach these skills.
(How's that for min/maxing?)
HIIII-LArious
I'd make something you'd enjoy playing first. You can always make more. Maybe a Gnome Wizard?
You can bet it will be a gnome. I have a personal mission to always create gnomes. In an effort to populate the game world with As many gnomes characters as I can.
Since there are no Batman or God wizards I say play one of those. Sure there maybe wizards who play but nine out of ten times they're just blasters :p.
What do you mean by batman?
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A "batman wizard" is a wizard that doesn't focus on dealing direct damage, necessarily, but instead tries to have all the great utility spells (a low level wizard would prepare spells like sleep, web, and haste, instead of blasty spells, for example) and can turn the tides of most fights with preparation. They focus on the save-or-suck and buff spells instead of dealing damage (which is far more effective, as I understand it).
A "batman wizard" is a wizard that doesn't focus on dealing direct damage, necessarily, but instead tries to have all the great utility spells (a low level wizard would prepare spells like sleep, web, and haste, instead of blasty spells, for example) and can turn the tides of most fights with preparation. They focus on the save-or-suck and buff spells instead of dealing damage (which is far more effective, as I understand it).
Thanks I have never heard that term before. What do you guys think f the playtest classes?
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A "batman wizard" is a wizard that doesn't focus on dealing direct damage, necessarily, but instead tries to have all the great utility spells (a low level wizard would prepare spells like sleep, web, and haste, instead of blasty spells, for example) and can turn the tides of most fights with preparation. They focus on the save-or-suck and buff spells instead of dealing damage (which is far more effective, as I understand it).Thanks I have never heard that term before. What do you guys think f the playtest classes?
I say meh, I rather get a Spell Compendium :P
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No, you don't round up. I think the PDF says you round down (I don't have it downloaded at home at the moment). In your example, your APL would have to be 3+ to "play up."
Josh,
I know you wrote it but the most recent one i have seen states that you round to the nearest and then provides an example where rounding to the nearest means to round up. The example actually serves to add to the confusion where just about everyone i run into seems to think you are required to round up always. The rule would be clearer with either two examples (around up and a round down) or no example.I'll paste the wording.
In order to determine what Tier a mixed-level group of PCs
should play, they have to determine something called their
APL, or average party level. You should always round this
number to the nearest whole value. Most encounters are
designed with four players in mind. If there are six or more
players at your table, add +1 to your APL. For example, if your
group consists of six players, two of which are 4th level and
four of which are 5th level, your group’s APL is 6th (28 total
levels divided by six players, rounding up, and adding one
to the final result).
What do you mean by batman?
This was already answered, but a Batman wizard is one who focuses on having the right tool for every job, with situational spells in scroll or wand form, and plenty of wonderous items, all stowed in the 'utility belt'. The guy who reaches for a scroll of 'Evard's Shark-Discouraging Mist' when his buddy is hanging from a rope with an exploding shark gnawing on his leg. Basically, the Batman Wizard is an optimized Utility Caster.
Obviously Batman suffers from the lack of Item Crafting in PFS. The Bound Object wizard option helps somewhat, being basically one scroll of anything you could have crafted each day, and there are scrolls to buy, so the utility wizard isn't completely barred, but I doubt you can quite reach Batman levels of competence. Note that the Bound Object is generally better in PFS then it is in home games, partially due to the lack of item creation, and partially due to fact that since the adventures are pre-written, the BBEG probably isn't going to be able to ferret out your individual weaknesses to try and exploit them. In a home game, a Batman wizard will generally prefer a familiar, since at higher levels you can have your improved familiar UMD hand-me-dowm wands and scrolls, which you'd have plenty of.
The God wizard is the wizard who focuses primarily on battlefield control, buff, and debuff, generally in that order. She's called the God wizard because she doesn't kill the enemy directly so much as manipulates the universe so that her chosen people triumph. This style of wizard tends to use up her slots less quickly, find her spells useful in a wider range of situations, and generally helps her side win fights more reliably, more quickly, and with less damage taken. Basically the God Wizard is an optimized support caster.
Treantmonk wrote a good guide for this in the PFRPG general forum (down the hall, second door on the right). Careful, it's written more or less in character in the voice of the arrogant but highly competent wizard it describes, so it can come off a little more snarky and condescending then it's actually meant to be. In play the God Wizard tends to rely on their party more, and work with them better, then typical wizards because, again, the God Wizard is a support caster.
The Batman and God wizards aren't at all mutually exclusive, since God is more concerned with the spells she memorizes each morning, and Batman is more concerned with the items he crafts or collects. You generally just have to memorize a couple of the situational spells that the God Wizard might otherwise pass over. Again, though, without item crafting the Batman Wizard loses a lot of oomph. It's hardly worth copying highly situational spells into your spellbook if you can't scribe them in scroll form. It's not like you'd ever fill precious memorized spell slots with them, and you only get one spell per day from your bound item.
No, it isn't. This is what a Batman wizard is; a spell prepped for every situation you might face in a day, and a spell known for every situation you might face ever.
Ah, then I received a poor explanation. Thank you for the correction!
Looking over the guide you linked, the Batman and God wizards are very similar, the main differences being that the God wizard has a guide for Pathfinder in particular, and the God wizard puts less value on single target save or die spells, both marks in its favor, imo.
Then again, even the God wizard guide is intended for home games, and you'll need to adapt its advise to the particulars of Society play.
Anyway, while the spell prepared for every situation you might face in a day is good advice for PFS or anywhere, the spell known for every situation you might face ever isn't as helpful. Because, again, no scribing scrolls, so unless you see the situation coming that spell is sitting uselessly in your spellbook, and you can only fish one out per day with a bound item.
stuff
I didn't have my document in front of me when I posted that, but you're correct. When calculating APL you calculate to the nearest whole value which is one of the few exceptions to the "round down" rule pervasive throughout the rest of PRPG.