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Hi Everyone,
Thinking about joining the Society. Played two games at a convention a few years ago, but my progress was never recorded. regardless during those two games I played a fighter, and noticed that out of a party of five there were 2 wizards, a rogue, a ranger, and myself. This was the composition with both games. What I am wanting to know is what classes tend to be overplayed? What do you guys (and ladies) is played all the time? I like to play those classes that nobody likes to touch and make them shine.
Much appreciated.
I'm in the same boat. What classes tend to be most in demand as well?
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Depends on the region. In my region, there are a lot of bards, gunslingers, and monks. Go figure. But in PFS at large, bards and monks are two underplayed classes.
Wizard seems to be a very underplayed class, since most people who play Wizards seem to be playing Witches, Summoners, and Oracles.
If I were you, I'd pick a race and class that you find fun, and stop worrying about what everyone else is playing. Especially if you plan on attending conventions. If you don't plan on attending conventions, ask locally.
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Owner - Enchanted Grounds, President/Owner - Enchanted Grounds
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If I were you, I'd pick a race and class that you find fun, and stop worrying about what everyone else is playing. Especially if you plan on attending conventions.
Yup.
As has been said several times, it varies a lot by region. Locally, there are more arcane characters than I could shake a stick at, and I don't recall the last time I was involved in a combat beyond 4th level where haste wasn't cast. Poor BigNorseWolf, though? Seems he can't get that itch scratched.
Play what's fun for you. The designers do a pretty good job of not assuming that every role will be represented at every table. If you start assuming that, you'll be kind of sad, yourself.
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Find what you enjoy, and go with it. If you aren't sure what you like, try a bard or a cleric. They are both really flexible classes that let you do a lot of things.
Cleric of Abadar is always good, seeing as you'll be able to move 40' a round in medium armor and up (always nice!), cast spells, heal, and still be able to do melee combat.
Bards, they can cast spells (and a lot of the fun ones), boost the party, make for good archers, can do melee, and have a whole mess of skills.
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Contributor
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My experience GMing for the first time ever this past week has led me to spend the day reviewing all of the PFS-legal classes (I didn't know what to do with the magus or the gunslinger who showed up at the game shop) and I've come away more impressed than ever with the thoughtfulness that's gone into designing and "balancing" all of the options.
My advice? Come up with a personality and a back story that you like, then figure out what class meshes best with that. Whatever you come up with is the best class for you.
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I appreciate all the input everyone. Guess I should have added this caveat. I have been playing D&D back in the 80's all the way up to Pathfinder. So I have played a lot of different classes and such, and am in the Colorado Springs area. Back story and whatnot is easy for myself, and I do understand the wisdom of playing what you enjoy.
I am however interested in what people don't see played. The reason is that those are the classes that I tend to enjoy the most. Gnome illusionist anyone (1st ed style)? I have already axed a few classes out of what I enjoy (monk, gunslinger, ninja, samurai, inquisitor, and rogue) as I find the concept of them boring (except the rogue, but my wife always plays rogue). From what I am hearing is that Wizards are underplayed, but there are a good number of arcane casters about. This to me is good to know. It also sounds like clerics and oracles are not that common as well.
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Owner - Enchanted Grounds, President/Owner - Enchanted Grounds
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I...am in the Colorado Springs area.
Ah! Then you're local to me and I can confidently answer this question.
In Colorado you see a lot of fighters/barbarians, sorcerers, summoners and other arcane types (not many wizards), and a smattering of bards, monks, magus, and gunslingers.
It's unusual to see a rogue, cleric, or inquisitor, and rangers are likewise few and far between.
Humans rule the roost (extra feat, and all), though I see a good amount of dwarves, half-orcs, tengu and halflings. Not many gnomes, elves, or aasimar. Surprisingly, I've not met a single tiefling.
People seem to want to do a ton of damage, and do it fast. If they're not doing that, they're locking down the entire battlefield via toppling magic missiles or mobs of summoned creatures. Haste, and boots of speed, are ubiquitous, so don't worry about getting that covered for yourself. Strangely, the ability to fly is often forgotten.
Hope this helps. And I hope to see you soon in Denver. We're worth the trip.
Venture-Lieutenant, West Virginia—Charleston
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Personally, I have played with/GMmed/seen one or none of the following:
Magus
Monk
Ranger
Ninja
Samurai
Witch
I think that any of the others would likely be called fairly common. I think that Magus being up there is a bit of a fluke, as it seems to be a fairly common class on these forums.
Interestingly, no one's even mentioned druids or paladins (or cavaliers) one way or the other. What does that say about them?
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My experience has been, when a book containing a new class or archetype is released, then you're likely to see a rash of players jump onto whatever is the cool new option. Once that option becomes a little too common or overplayed in an area, then new character builds will tend to abandon the idea for something different. Hence the differences from region-to-region, or even group to group. Class popularity is a gradual but ever-shifting trend.
Venture-Captain, Ireland—Belfast
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Interestingly we have almost no sorcerers and only a handful of wizards most of which arrived pretty recently! Don't think we have a single Druid either!(or a married one...).
While I always tell people to play the classes they enjoy it surely helps make the world go 'round when that results in a selection of classes that leads to a balanced party!
W
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I have found that there is a lot of min/maxing amongst some player types, like Will Johnson I love to see a player taking options and skills that enhance his or her character in a roleplaying sense. It adds so much to the game for everyone concerned rather that working out the best way to achieve high results coupled with a die roll -we have computer games for that.
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Owner - Enchanted Grounds, President/Owner - Enchanted Grounds
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Strangely enough yesterday at the games that I played every player had a cleric of the proper level, 1-5, 7-11. Go figure.I...am in the Colorado Springs area.Hope this helps. And I hope to see you soon in Denver. We're worth the trip.
Maybe they're learning. (-:<
Cavaliers are understandably rare. In addition to being a newer class getting your horses rear end into a lot of the dungeons can be a pain.
That's why I put "(or cavaliers)" in parentheses. ;) Paladins can choose something else -- and even if they choose a mount, a gnome or halfling (or Small aasimar) Shining Knight can adventure effectively in most places, if I'm reading it correctly. But cavaliers can't just whistle for Argo like Xena.
Venture-Lieutenant, California—Los Angeles (South Bay)
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I have seen a fair number of wizards, clerics, fighers, rangers, rogues, a few paladins, a few druids, sorcerers and barbarians. Sometimes, we see a few other classes.
I would say that a key thing is to have some balance in basic types (fighter types, stealthy characters, arcane casters, and divine casters.) Also, make sure that someone in the party can at least use a wand of cure light wounds.
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I haven't yet played with a true wizard. I know one sorc, one witch, a couple bargbarians, a druid, a bard, a couple monks.
Rangers are pretty common (I think i played at a table of 3 at gencon lol.)
But really, a lot of the "staple" arcanists are missing. Just someone to cast fly/haste/dispel.
There is a lot of mentality that you have to be able to kill things, in case you end up at a table of all players who aren't that great at killing things.
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Just read that I can have a couple of characters, so I might make a couple. Druids hmm... love druidsNot "can." Instead, you SHOULD.
I have 9. Todd up there has...30?
Well, I have 14 registered PCs who have at least one XP.
I have:
2 Clerics
4 Fighters
1 Gunslinger
1 Magus
1 Monk
1 Rogue
1 Samurai
2 Sorcerers
1 Summoner
Today's game that I ran, everyone ran a fairly new PC to accommodate the new player.
Inquisitor
Barbarian
Rogue
Cleric
My regular group of players:
1 Fighter
2 Wizards
1 random
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Other classes that are rare--
Oracle, Magus, Druids, Samurai, Ninja, Witch....and Gunslinger.
I play with a lot of fighters/barbarians, clerics and way too many monks (ran a table last month with 3 'unique' monks, as a result, I put the monk I was about to introduce on hold).
Races, I think I'm thehave the only half elf I know and I see few elves. The only tieflings I've run are a pair from Boise who came down from Tacticon.