Hey folks,
I'm interested in trying out PFS, but don't want to drop a ton of cash on it yet. I'm used to building with the full range of Paizo material, and I'm wondering how best to do it without that. I own Pathfinder Unchained though, and could potentially pick up some of the cheaper books. Was considering Dirty Tactics Toolbox and Weapon Master's Handbook.
Unchained Monk seems pretty functional as is, and I like unarmed combatants. Any other suggestions?
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In my opinion, I think bards are the best designed class in the Core Rule book and they are extremely useful in PFS because they are so darned versatile. Plus Knowledge skills come up a lot. No matter what scenarios you play, you'll always have something you can do. That would be my recommendation for core characters.
The Unchained classes are largely fixes to classes that many people thought were broken, and all of them are good. I recommend staying away from Rogues, because even though the Unchained Rogue is a huge improvement, its still not a class I'd recommend for beginners. I really like what they did with the Monk.
To clarify, I'm far from a beginner, I just haven't played PFS much. The Unchained Rogue is awesome, but I think would benefit from feats from other books.
The Bard is cool, although I'd rather play one with Masterpieces.
Do PFS modules usually have evil enemies you can smite?
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I can't believe I forgot Bards, that's one of my favorite Classes.
And yeah, Bard is great right out of the corebook. Archer Bard is a particular classic that nobody will ever regret having in the party.
EDIT: Masterpieces are nice, but not essential.
And I get the impression most modules have plenty of foes to smite, but even if they don't, the Paladin is Full BAB with awesome defensive options.
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A regular old 2-Hand Barbarian with Power Attack will be a bread and butter face smasher that'll have all the fun of being able to do what your character is supposed to do (smash faces). Just make sure to carry a dagger in case you're grappled or eaten.
I dunno. I suspect I'd experience physical pain if forced not to take the Beast Totem Rage Power line. Or the Human FCB to Superstition. Or Invulnerable Rager. They're just so very good...
Though that does bring up that just grabbing APG alone makes almost all corebook classes, plus all those in the APG available and very viable. All the stuff I just mentioned is in the APG, just for example.
That's the sort of insight I was hoping. Deadmanwalking is on point, as usual.
My big concern with a Bard would probably be the risk of double Bard. That, and needing a lot of feats/levels before things like archery start taking off.
I'd like to see if I dig PFS as a passable substitute for home games before I buy more books though. Otherwise I'd probably just play an Iquisitor and call it a day.
I think I'm currently leaning Paladin, with Bard and Unchained Monk seeming viable as well.
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That's the sort of insight I was hoping. Deadmanwalking is on point, as usual.
Thanks. :)
I do try and be helpful.
My big concern with a Bard would probably be the risk of double Bard. That, and needing a lot of feats/levels before things like archery start taking off.
Double Bard just means that you alternate getting an extra attack at the beginning of combat rather than starting Performance. Or, once you're 7th level plus, one of you does Haste while the other does Good Hope. And you never run out of rounds of Performance.
It's not optimal, but it isn't the end of the world either.
And as a Human, you can have Precise Shot from level 1, Rapid shot at 3, Arcane Strike at 5, Deadly aim at 7th, Manyshot at 9th. That plus Inspire courage, and at 7th or higher, Haste, makes things pretty nasty.
I'd like to see if I dig PFS as a passable substitute for home games before I buy more books though. Otherwise I'd probably just play an Iquisitor and call it a day.
That's valid. though if you like Inquisitor that much, Paizo probably deserves your money for the book it's in. ;)
I think I'm currently leaning Paladin, with Bard and Unchained Monk seeming viable as well.
All those definitely work.
Anyone got trait suggestions? I'm not even sure what I can use for those at this point.
Anyone got trait suggestions? I'm not even sure what I can use for those at this point.
You're an adventurer right? Everyone know that every adventurer that's ever walked on Golarian was the smelly kid in class who nobody like and got picked on. So Reactionary for the free +2 to initiative.
Fate's Favored is pretty good on Paladins and Clerics so you can get an extra bonus from Divine Favor and other luck bonuses (extra good it you're a Half-Orc with Sacred Tattoo.). Armor expert combined with a Mithril Breastplate gives you 30 movement and no Armor Check Penalty. Then there's Seeker to gain Perception as a Class Skill. Or one of the traits that give a +1 to a save.
Also all Paladins are required to have been taken from their cribs by fairies and pixies, brought up in the Fey Wilds, and then dropped off to the doors of the local center of worship to pick the God/Goddess they'll be devoting the rest of their life to. So pick Fey Foundling as your level 1 feat.
Anyone got trait suggestions? I'm not even sure what I can use for those at this point.You're an adventurer right? Everyone know that every adventurer that's ever walked on Golarian was the smelly kid in class who nobody like and got picked on. So Reactionary for the free +2 to initiative.
Fate's Favored is pretty good on Paladins and Clerics so you can get an extra bonus from Divine Favor and other luck bonuses (extra good it you're a Half-Orc with Sacred Tattoo.). Armor expert combined with a Mithril Breastplate gives you 30 movement and no Armor Check Penalty. Then there's Seeker to gain Perception as a Class Skill. Or one of the traits that give a +1 to a save.
Also all Paladins are required to have been taken from their cribs by fairies and pixies, brought up in the Fey Wilds, and then dropped off to the doors of the local center of worship to pick the God/Goddess they'll be devoting the rest of their life to. So pick Fey Foundling as your level 1 feat.
To clarify, I know how to build a Paladin, including feats and traits. I don't know what traits to pick without spending a ton of money on other books.
EDIT: Also, any good starting gear recommendations? I'm thinking Scale Mail and a Bardiche to get me started until I can afford full plate and a masterwork two handed weapon. But we usually gloss over more mundane gear in my own homes, or just start at a higher level. Rope, bed cloth, that sort of stuff worth spending money on?
Fair enough. All of the feats that I've mentioned are in Ultimate Campaign. Most are likely also included in the Advanced Player's Guide.
Ultimate Equipment lists several "X's Kit" where X is the name of a class. In this case, Paladin's Kit. The kit is essentially the normal starting gear that players will want, all added up and wrapped in a bow (and by that I mean, has the price and weight listed with a small discount).
If you don't want to use content from Ultimate Equipment, you could just google search the kit, and price/weigh the individual items in the kit yourself.
If you have the gold to spare, maybe buy a potion of CLW for level one. So in the worse-case scenario, the party can give it to you if you're hit by a stray crit and they don't have their own means of healing.
Thanks! That's very helpful. How about dieties? I've rarely player Golarion based games,so I don't know my PF dieties well. I often times find myself wise cracking playing my characters a tad silly. Anyone know a diety or code that will keep me from being too much of a stick in the mud?
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Do you have a core rulebook? I'm pretty sure that it's required for PFS play.
Deities in general:
Cayden Cailein: A regular human who attained Godhood on a drunken dare that he no longer remembers.
Desna: Goddess of dreams, luck, stars, and travelers. She's a very "Journey, not destination" kind of gal.
Both are CG, so if you were looking for Paladin gods, Erastil is alright. He's the huntsman kind of God, and LG. Iomedae is the paladin-esque god, LG. Irori is LN. He's so spiritually, mentally, and physically monk-ish that he attained Godhood. Sheyln is NG. She's all about art, love, and beauty. Sarenrae is also NG. She's about life, light, and redemption. She has a fun little militant sect that is less about redemption and more on retribution. And last among the core Paladin-able gods is Torag. He's the Dwarf deity, in theme. He's God of the forge and protection. Favored weapon is the war hammer.
I probably spelled a bunch of those names wrong, sorry.
And throwing my 2cp into the discussion, the weapon master handbook is a really fun buy, particularly if you're interested in playing a fighter. Fighters get a ton of good options in that book.
Great! One last question. Can I just show up with a character sheet, or I do I need to register ahead of time to use my own build?
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You should definitely have the character built ahead of time. If you don't, you'll be hard pressed to build it before the games are meant to start.
One of the venture captains should be able to issue you a PFS number if you aren't already registered online.
But really, there's no reason not to do it ahead of time.
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Also remember that a lot of the books are available for about $10 apiece as PDFs, and all you need is either a tablet or smart phone, or printed copies (showing the watermark) for the relevant-to-your-PC rules from said PDF.
You can register here on Paizo's web site for your own PFS number, following the Pathfinder Society links on the top left.
You can just show up with your PC, but check to see if the PFS group has some sort of sign-up system in place. That would (or should, at least) also show what level PCs can play at which table.