Need Help 8th level

[ralath]

Need to make a new 8th level character. The group is a cleric, fighter, magus and summoner who has leadership feat with a paladin. In this campaign all spells are cast at -1 cl due to what is going on and probably 70% of the time you can't cast evocation or transmutation spells at all. I was playing a barbarian but has been killed and need something new. Any ideas or help for something different would be greatly appreciated.

[Robespierre]

urban ranger archer.

[ralath]

anyone else have any suggestions. I was thinking maybe some sort of ranged character.

[Hawktitan]

An archer does sound like it might be a nice choice for your group. While ranger was mentioned there are many kinds of archers that can be effective - Archer bards are one of my personal favorites, and they have other ways to be useful to the group besides firing arrows. If you are human you can basically get all the core 'archer' feats by level 9 - arcane strike, deadly aim, point blank shot, precise shot, rapid shot. Next level pick up many shot. Fighter or Zen Archers make very good archers as well.

[Nephril]

for fun play a gnomish heavens oracle 1/ sorcerer x focusing on enchantment and illusion spells especially patterns. for the sorcerer i would suggest cross blooded undead/arcane bloodline for the bonus to ability to use illusion and enchantment on some undead and a familiar to spam wands while you bedazzle everyone.
20 point buy
STR: 10 DEX: 14 CON: 16 INT: 12 WIS: 9 CHA: 17
all level ups into charisma.
find an item of +charisma. get rods rods are useful.
traits
magical knack for +2 caster level for sorcerer spells this makes up for your one level of oracle and your zones -1 to cl.
reactionary +2 initiative is always good.
feats
1 cosmopolitan (to gain perception as a class skill so you can go in surprise rounds more often)
3 improved initiative
5 spell focus illusion
7 improved familiar (mephits and imps bring the pain wand style)
revelation:
awesome display (omg too powerful for a sorcerer to have)

with all this said and done at level 8 you have a +8 to your initiative and a (assuming a +4 cha item has been found or spell cast) 19 first level spell 21 third level spell(+6 stat+1 gnome+1 feat+spell level)

then focus on illusion pattern spells.
color spray and hypnotic pattern are now game winners. you treat every single creature in the spells area as if there hit dice were 6 lower than they actually are. a group of 10 hd creatures usually laugh at color spray but now they are all 4 hd creatures for the spell and a 1d4 round stun messes up there whole day. hypnotic pattern now effects creatures at 2d4+8 hd worth subtracting 6 hd from each creature effected. lets take an average of 4+8 for a total of 12 hd worth of creatures you can now fascinate one 18 hd creature or 3 10 hd creatures.
other illusions are very useful in protecting the party and other things too.
to keep in line with all of this after you pacify the baddies and your friends kill them all that's when you save one bug dumb one for last and charm him and get the info you need. or at higher levels dominate and keep a thrall around.
this was a fun concept that allowed you to fill a whole in your party. i don't see beat sticks as a problem with a magus fighter and a summoner probably keeping everything at a distance. cleric has the heals for you i just thought you might like a face to your party that has a pretty amazing "i win button"

the sorcerer has an ever growing list of pattern illusion spells which will be your bread and butter for offense and you have umd skill maxed so your imp/mephit familiar can keep hammering out whatever other spell it is you want to be casting.
id suggest slow, haste, tentacles, or any spell to mess with opponents while you put them all to sleep.

[Mirrel the Marvelous]

As all spells are being gimped, may I suggest either an alchemist (bombs for ranged combat, and their extracts are like spells but aren't spells themselves, so may be exempt from the -1 penalty) or a Gunslinger.