Filling out a party--What should I play?

[Cass_Ponderovian]

I'm starting a three PC game later this week and I'm trying to decide what to play as. I am the only player that is experienced so the two new characters (a crossbow inquisitor with the knowledge domain and a two-weapon warrior 5/shadowdancer 2) are not optimized. My DM asked me to optimize a character to kind of show them what can be accomplished and teach the rules without stealing the show. So what king of character should I build? We're starting a lvl 7 with a 25 pt buy. all pathfinder material is available.

[Atarlost]

Not a bard. A bard would cover their weakness and it's not so apparent that you'd be carrying them. Optimal perhaps, but not educational.

Not a focused healer. Same reason as bard. Except not really optimal either.

Not another martial. You have an excess of dealing HP damage against full AC.

There's limited healing but no battlefield control. Actually, everything important except raise dead is on the inquisitor list so if conditions become a problem the GM can make wands available. What you really need is battlefield control.

I'd look at druid or a conjurer (or possibly a diviner that's really a conjurer or some variety of sorcerer that's built as a conjurer). Probably druid or sylvan sorcerer. The former doesn't need a tank and the latter includes one.

With 25 point buy you might be able to make a melee competent casting druid. Oreads get strength and wisdom at the expense of charisma, which is not a combination that was available when Treeantmonk said it couldn't effectively be done. That lets you take the domain which lets you not deal with the handle animal rules. Just focus on summoning things with languages and you can ignore handle animal and suffer not at all from your 5 charisma. The druid list has lots of DoT and soft battlefield control. Game Rhino Charge and you can even move around your ball lightning and pounce in the same round.

I think I remember a sylvan sorcerer guide in the guide to the guides thread, possibly listed under animal companions.

[Mathius]

I encourage you to optimize to your hearts content but when you actually play the character let the other players have first shot at beating the encounter and only go all out if they really need you to. That way you will not engender resentment.

[TarkXT]

Go classic vanilla summoner. Gives you a chance to show solid melee tactics via your eidolon and proper spellcasting through your summoner.

[Mergy]

Wait, you have two new players starting at level 7? That's already incredibly suboptimal. One of the major points of low levels is so people can learn their characters. The GM is exacerbating their lack of experience by starting things off at such a high level.

That said, go divination wizard with Augment Summoning. At 7th level you're coming into your own and should have plenty of spells to show these guys how to play. Summoned creatures will showcase battlefield tactics and hopefully take the heat off the fighter/shadowdancer.

[Psion-Psycho]

Half-elf
Alchemist (Bramble Brewer)(Internal Alchemist)

-Stats-
STR 10
DEX 18 (+4 leveling) = 22
CON 15 (+1 leveling) = 16
INT 14 (+2 racial) = 16
WIS 10
CHA 07

-Feats / Discoveries-
01 Martial Weapon Prof Scimitar, Weapon Finesse
02 Tanglefoot Bomb
03 Dervish Dance
04 Spontaneous Healing
05 Combat Expertise
06 Healing Touch
07 Dodge
08 Preserve Organs
09 Combat Reflexes
10 Enhance Potion
11 Mobility
12 Greater Mutagen
13 Spring Attack
14 Extend Potion
15 Whirlwind Attack
16 Eternal Potion
17 Lunge
18 Grand Mutagen
19 Weapon Focus Scimitar
20 Preserve Organs, True Mutegen

-Extracts-
1- Shield, Cure Light Wounds, Ant Haul, Expeditious Retreat, Detect Secret Doors
2- Cure Moderate Wounds, Barkskin, Aid, Blur, Cat's Grace
3- Cure Serious Wounds, Fly, Heroism, Elemental Aura, Draconic Reservoir
4- Cure Critical Wounds, Stoneskin, Greater Invisibility, Freedom of Movement, Greater Darkvision
5- Elemental Body, Spell Resistance, Sending, -, -
6- Heal, Elemental Body, Caging Bomb Admixture, True Seeing, -

-Method-
Character will have a 50% chance to ignore sneak attacks and turn crits in2 regular attacks, 5x character level in rounds of fast healing 5, ability to make a potion permanent (displacement is best option), double the duration of potions and make them work at character's alchemist level (mage armor and shield of faith is best option), make a single attack against all in a 10ft radius,and get additional fast healing from mutegen thanks to Bramble Brewer.

-Needs-
The character will need the blade of his Scimitar perma enchanted with the daylight spell to take full advantage of mutagen at any time in the day / night and a Dex stat item when possible.

[Psion-Psycho]

-Race-
Human

-Class-
Fighter (Weapon Master)

-Stats 20pb-
STR 16 (+2 racial)(+2 leveling) = 20
DEX 18 (+2 leveling)(+6 item) = 26
CON 10
INT 13 (+1 leveling) = 14
WIS 09
CHA 07

-Feats-
01 Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Weapon Focus Composite Longbow
02 Deadly Aim
03 Rapid Shot
04 Weapon Specialization
05 Point Blank Master
06 Manyshot
07 Clustered Shots
08 Greater Weapon Focus
09 Snap Shot
10 Improved Snap Shot
11 Combat Reflexes
12 Pin Down
13 Greater Weapon Specialization
14 Hammer the Gap
15 Penetrating Strike
16 Greater Penetrating Strike
17 Vital Strike
18 Improved Vital Strike
19 Greater Vital Strike
20 Bullseye Shot

-Method-
Clustered Shots and Penetrating shot makes DR apply to the total damage from full round attacks and reduced that DR by 5/10. Snap Shot gives the ability to perform AoO and Pin Down makes it were withdraw actions and 5ft steps provoke and will force enemies that get into melee to stay in melee when needed. Vital Strike chain and Bullseye Shot ar to make use of the Weapon Master's Unstoppable Strike when forced to make only standard action attacks or when facing an enemy that's ac is so high that only one attack will hit. Unstoppable Strike btw ignores DR and hardness anf hits Touch AC.

[Der Origami Mann]

Cass_Ponderovian wrote:

So what king of character should I build?

First, there are many points your DM shoul think about:

• Why starting at high level with newbees?
  
• A player with experience and an optimized SC that should not steal 2 newbees with not optimized SC´s the show ... *ROFL*
  
• Why don´t help the new players build their SC´s and optimize them, too?

If the DM don´t change his mind, go and take a optimized bard and buff/heal the newbees.

[Blueluck]

You have a divine caster with ranged physical attacks, and a melee character. I suggest adding an arcane caster to that group.

Wizard
Sorcerer
Witch
Magus
Bard
Alchemist

What appeals to you most?

[r-Kelleg]

3 players is quite a small group. Try something with a little bit of help. As TarkXT suggested, Summoner is a good idea. It will gives you two more arms (or not) during the fights AND you will have some knowledge in arcana magic. Now, it alos depend on the type of campeign you will play...

[Der Origami Mann]

r-Kelleg wrote:

3 players is quite a small group. Try something with a little bit of help.

Or take the Leadership feat to get an other (N)PC for your group. I think it is good challenge (to play 2 PC) for an expirenced player who should play with two newbees and give them their highlights ... AND you don´t need to build an optimized SC in a group of non optimized SC´s.

... the magic word (in a group with newbees) should be Storrytelling and not MinMaxing

[soupturtle]

I think your GMs wish that you optimize to 'show them how it's done' isn't a great idea in the first place. And it's impossible to do both that and prevent overshadowing them. Instead, I'd go for a character with high intelligence who is an experienced adventurer and thus can advice the other two in character to 'show them how it's done' that way, while your in combat role is something that covers their weaknesses

What your party needs is a bit of extra melee presence, and some arcane casting. So I'd play either a sage sorcerer (for the skillpoints, as the inquisitor cannot cover all skills by herself) or a wizard with your main focus on summoning, followed closely by battlefield control. Actually, in such a small inexperienced party I think I'd prefer the large number of spells per day of the sorcerer to the flexibility os the wizard, as you will probably regularly find yourself wanting to cast another spell to take some pressure of the rest of your team (instead of the more traditional cast spells in the first two rounds then let the rest mop up role of the wizard).

A summoner would work pretty well as well, but I think the eidolon runs a risk of overshadowing your shadowdancer. Bard could work too, but I'd worry about your shadowdancer being overwhelmed - and if you go melee focused bard your party will have no battlefield control.