New and Unsure Pathfinder Player. Help?

[AriaBellaGato]

I've played a couple Pathfinder (well, we mix and match Pathfinder and 3.5 stuff) games over the last few years, mainly with a group of very close friends. They are kind and make me feel included, but regardless, I always feel at a disadvantage.

My friends have been playing the game since they were in grade school (I had to wait til high school because due to family disapproval I still have to sneak around to play) and they all have a tendency to Min/Max. We end up with godlike casters of all kinds, and I'm usually the melee. Our current campaign even has a Planar Shepard!

I want to play a powerful caster like they do, but my alongside my inexperience I have severe anxiety, so every time I look at the Wizard or Druid spell list I get overwhelmed and nearly have a panic attack. I honestly find how large these lists are to be frightening, but I don't want to be the weak link. Does anyone have any advice?

I'm sorry if this isn't the usual advice requested.

[chaoseffect]

What level are you guys playing at and what exactly is the rest of the party? You mentioned everyone tending toward casters besides you, but what kind of casters exactly and what are their tactics? With that in mind we could probably help you figure out what niche would be best for you to fill.

[Jeff Harris 982]

As Chaos says, some more info would be helpful, also, what books are allowed, what races are allowed, level, starting wealth (if no standard), significant home brew changes (if any), etc.

[RegUS PatOff]

There are some very good build guides you can access through the Guide to the Class Guides thread and page. I'd suggest a spontaneous caster to limit in-game decision paralysis when thinking about spells. Read through the Sorcerer or Oracle guides, then pick a concept from one of them and create a general list of spells you'd like to cast.

Sorcerer is probably the easiest. There's a lot of work already done identifying which spells are more effective for spontaneous casters - since their selection is limited, the choices lean towards those that can serve multiple purposes. For Sorcerer, things like Grease or Glitterdust are easy low level spells for which you'll find plenty of uses.

The guides can help you with character creation and with character development. Spend the time up front to plan out how your character's powers will evolve. Nothing's worse than picking what seems like a cool feat at level up, only to find it's really a trap.

Feel free to post any builds. I've found people to be very willing to provide feedback and suggestions when you're working on a build concept.

Hope this helps & happy gaming!

[Jeff Harris 982]

Ahh, as to the picking spell fear (don't worry, even we 25+ years of gaming folks had to start somewhere, and had many of the same fears) My rule of thumb is and will always be, does this spell give me fun ideas how to use it cleverly, if it does not, i generally do not take it unless it has an IC reason, or is part of a specific build I am trying out. Also, IMO, your build should help flesh out your character, not BE your character.