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Long explanation for a quick question.
Helping a friend who is kinda new to PF but an old hand at gaming in general. He is running a basic fighter at the moment to get used to the system.
He wants to be caster. Since he is new to PF we think a spontaneous caster is probably a better choice since he doesn't have to learn umpteen gajillion spells right away. Plus he just likes that system better than prepared casters. (He really prefers the psionic system.)
He doesn't like and has never been good as the part face. At PFS events, if you have a good charisma they almost always expect you to be the party face. Even if you have not taken a single skill rank and the others have a better modifier because of their ranks and class skill, they still expect the 'good looking guy' to do the talking. We have seen it several times.
He does NOT want that. So please, none of the advice telling him to practice and get better at the role.
So we are looking at non-charisma spontaneous casters. There don't seem to be many possibilities.
Sage bloodline sorcerer - int
Empyreal bloodline sorcerer - wis
Scarred witch doctor oracle - con
Inquisitor - wis
Am I correct that these are the only possibilities? I thought I heard there was a bard that used int but can't find it.
Scarred witch doctor oracle - con
This is a witch archetype.
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None of my groups have ever "demanded" someone be the face, they've called for volounteers but demand would be too strong a word...
I wouldn't go so far as demanded, but definitely expected. "I have a charisma of 8, go convince the guard to let us in." "My guy doesn't like people and they don't like him, see if you can make friends and get him to tell us." Things like that seem to happen all the time. My sorc has started taking ranks in diplomacy and bluff since I don't want to be the one that doesn't cooperate with the group.
... And quite frankly if he's an "old hand" at D20, he should have no problem in playing a Wizard in Pathfinder. If anything it'll be even easier.
Actually he is an "old hand" at 1e and 2e and some completely different systems like Star Wars d6. He has looked over the psionic book and really wishes it was legal for PFS. Sontaneous caster is closer to that than the prepared caster. He has always thought the memorizing spells system was stupid.
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My advice : be a spontaneous CHA caster and be the first to ask for someone (obviously not you) to be the party's face.
If they force you to be the party face, fail tremendously at it so that putting the CHA 7 uncouth Barbarian in front of any negotiation seems like a wise proposal compared to your misanthropic CHA 20 Sorcerer.
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Play an oracle with crippling social anxiety. Take the tongues curse, which says "In times of stress or unease, you speak in tongues." Any time you are forced into an uncomfortable social situation, you lose the ability to speak common.
If you want to be a spontanous caster and not be the face be an oracle with the wasting curse. That way you have a good reason to not be the face.
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Play an oracle with crippling social anxiety. Take the tongues curse, which says "In times of stress or unease, you speak in tongues." Any time you are forced into an uncomfortable social situation, you lose the ability to speak common.
If you want to be a spontanous caster and not be the face be an oracle with the wasting curse. That way you have a good reason to not be the face.
Ok, I never thought of these. These he might be willing to do. Maybe dual cursed with both
If you want to be a spontanous caster and not be the face be an oracle with the wasting curse. That way you have a good reason to not be the face.
Umbranus, we're both on the same idea, but we both missed the obvious answer. Take the Deaf curse.
Deaf is worse for the character in other aspects. wasting just makes you a bad face, which is no real drawback if you don't want to be a face.
I'm myself toying around playing a deaf oracle. but if I do I'll most likely make it dual cursed with wolfscarred face.
Here. Dunno if it's PFS legal though.
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If he has played 1e and 2e, he should have no issues with wizards as they play pretty much like they did back then...only less useless at lower levels.
Sorcerers and oracles actually need MORE system mastery then wizards or clerics because a bad spell choice for wizards means a bit of gold costs and a cleric means reset the next day. For the spont casters, it means your screwed for couple levels. They maybe easier to play once you build one up properly...but building one up is much harder then for the prep casters.
There is always the weasel's route if you go Sorcerer. Dump INT into the gutter, and do not play a human. This would leave them with only a single skill point, and it would then be put into spellcraft. More than enough reason to direct them towards a rogue or bard, or some INT based spellcaster.
DO NOT go Sage. They would end up with great INT, and thus a they would not have an excuse. They would have enough skill points to put into some social skill. Empyreal blood line would be great. In fact, use a dwarf if you do. They have a bonus to the casting stat, and a penalty to the social stat.
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... They maybe easier to play once you build one up properly...but building one up is much harder then for the prep casters.We will be doing the build here on the threads including spell selection and feats through the levels.
That still may not work. A lot about playing a caster is knowing when and what to cast. We can hand him the most awesome build ever, but unless he know the when and what, it won't do much good. That's evening assuming that the build works with his playstyle. That is one of the main reasons I always suggest beginner caster players start off with prep casters...so they can learn. Then they can pick the spells and learn what works for them when they do spont casters.