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Generally any 6th level caster has both in combat and out of combat abilities, save for the magus. Inquisitors have bonuses to intimidate and sense motive along with grabbing domain/inquisitions abilities that could help out with either. Investigators are the lords of skills and no slouch at combat. The Hunter has tracking and several useful skill boosts through hunter's focus.
The Magus has a more specialized spell list that doesn't have as many utility spells but with a decent int can be alright at knowledges just not like a bard, skald, investigator, or even a wizard can be. Even just having invisibility on their spell list and decent dex means they can be good scouts if they are willing to spend the spell slots.
The 9th level casters can help too however their contribution is usually from a very high mental stat boosting their skills or using a spell. Druids, Shamans, Witches and Oracles have some more class abilities beyond spells that are rather potent.
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Empiricists are pretty great at this; it's sorta their thing.
From MC Frontalot's 'Charisma Potion' (check it out; it's great):
"I-N-T increase always and didn't start low,
Now it got so high, I get to fake the flow."
Also good are Rogues, but Unchained are better as usual, and Dandy Rangers are pretty much designed for noble faffing about. Vigilantes are pretty much designed around the concept of being great at social stuff in one identity, and great at combat/sneakystuff in the other, so that's there too.
Full casters are, unsurprisingly, good at pretty much everything except hitting things and being hit by things, although Clerics and Druids can do even those with some investment. Focusing on utility will reduce your blasting ability, however. It's how I prefer to play full-casters, but not everyone will agree.
Generally any 6th level caster has both in combat and out of combat abilities, save for the magus. {. . .}
Warpriest is going to have some trouble with out of combat skills unless you invest in more Intelligence than is optimal for in combat abilities, since their class abilities don't use it for anything, and they only get 2 + IntMod skill ranks per level. At least a Magus (except for Eldritch Scion) needs to have a high Intelligence anyway for class abilities (especially spellcasting), so 2 + IntMod skill ranks per level comes out okay, and they do have some utility spells at their disposal (not as many as a 9/9 arcane caster).
Out of combat potential:
Full Caster > Partial Caster > Skill Monkey > Anyone else > Fighter
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Out of combat potential:
Full Caster > Partial Caster > Skill Monkey > Anyone else > Fighter
As a general rule, of course. Not every Sorcerer will have utility spells known, and Magi aren't terribly utility-based most of the time. However, yes, generally this list is accurate.
Slayers are good.
Their main mechanic works both in and out of combat. Studied target gives bonuses to attack/damage, but it also applies to a bunch of skills (and even more skills after the stalker ability at level 7). It eventually covers most social skills other than diplomacy with a +1-+5, and does sneaky skills too.
Since it is just an action to activate, and no resource is expended, you should definitely look at every single NPC you talk to in the same way you look at the guy you want to stab in the kidneys. And that is flavor- be a jerk that trusts no one.
It also seems like a fairly smooth transition from a fighter play style- you are a martial with some extra feats.
The standard fighter isn't completely useless out of combat, but has less out-of-combat utility than any other class I can think of. Barbarians? More skills, better class skills (Perception), potentially some useful rage powers...
Oracle of lore. Psychic enlightenment discipline. Inquisitors, alchemists and investigators.
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And don't diss the fighter's out-of-combat utility. He can be handy with physical skills, intimidating people in RP situations, and getting along in the wild.
Unfortunately, the Barbarian is better at all of those things. No-one climbs like a rage-climber.
Not trying to say that Fighters are useless out of combat; they do get the ability to resist being intimidated by social encounters, but they are less useful out of combat than any other class I can think of.
All of which makes it a shame that they're not that great in combat either, but that's a long-debated topic I don't really want to get bogged down in right now. They're good for versatile character building and multiclassing, at least!
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If you're surrounded by people who have talking and skills down, an out-of-the-box option for an out-of-combat utility character is an aether kineticist. If you can't find something useful to do with "unlimited super-powerful mage hand" you're not thinking hard enough, and "put a piano on the roof" is something that no other class can do as easily.
Particularly when the GM elects to put some really heavy piece of valuable treasure at the bottom of a deep hole so as to taunt the players. The telekineticist can go get that giant gold helmet.
Most of your 6th level caster hit the sweet spot of skills, plus magical abilities to really be great in and out of combat.
The wizard joins as well being int based with lots of skills and a plethora of spells for utility.
If you can't find something useful to do with "unlimited super-powerful mage hand" you're not thinking hard enough, and "put a piano on the roof" is something that no other class can do as easily.
Except the Pianomancer, but that's 3PP, and they really don't have any spells that don't involve dropping pianos on things.
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Vigilantes, especially the spellcasting ones.
Don't forget the Keyboard Druid archetype, who can spontaneously cast Summon Piano spells.If you can't find something useful to do with "unlimited super-powerful mage hand" you're not thinking hard enough, and "put a piano on the roof" is something that no other class can do as easily.Except the Pianomancer, but that's 3PP, and they really don't have any spells that don't involve dropping pianos on things.
Sadly, upon further review, having your bard craft Summon Instrument potions keyed to 'cathedral steam organ' and planting/throwing them at enemies isn't permitted.
I'll admit, one of the reasons why I went barbarian was due to skill points. (The other was I wanted to try out the rage mechanic ... ) I'm liking it, especially as now Samantha is the go-to girl for the party's magic non-bow weapons for the most part (aside from giving our LN cleric an earful about making a poor CN girl like her try to make an axiomatic mace for him ... ).
If you can't find something useful to do with "unlimited super-powerful mage hand" you're not thinking hard enough, and "put a piano on the roof" is something that no other class can do as easily.Except the Pianomancer, but that's 3PP, and they really don't have any spells that don't involve dropping pianos on things.
It's BS that they nerfed the Horserer into being non-functional, considering it's almost the same as a Pianomancer in practice.
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Are we arguing useful, or best at? I think there is some disagreement or confusion. There is also outright silliness as well, but we can only hope for that, and appreciate it while it is here.
Now, in my many ages of experience, it is mostly some of the players who are useless outside of combat, and even some who are useless inside of combat, and that rare treasured few who master uselessness throughout the game.
Any 6 level caster, but in particular Bard, Skald, Inquisitor, Alchemist and Investigator are excellent. At least from my perspective.
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Any 6 level caster, but in particular Bard, Skald, Inquisitor, Alchemist and Investigator are excellent. At least from my perspective.
Occultist too, since "being able to pick up an item and know about its history, and also about the last person to handle it" and "you have friendly outsiders on call" are sort of unique information gathering features built into the class, and the Divination power you can get at level 5 is one of the best reconnaissance tools in the game, bar none.
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It depends on what you want to do out of combat. I'm fond of building characters, especially inquisitors, around Knowledge skills. In combat, you're the one who realizes that a werechicken is vulnerable to a secret blend of eleven herbs and spices. Outside of combat, you're the one who recalls that werechickens, historically, have threatened the community only during the gibbous moon.
Uh . . . shouldn't that be gibletous moon?
* * * * * * * *
{. . .}
Not trying to say that Fighters are useless out of combat; they do get the ability to resist being intimidated by social encounters, but they are less useful out of combat than any other class I can think of.All of which makes it a shame that they're not that great in combat either, but that's a long-debated topic I don't really want to get bogged down in right now. They're good for versatile character building and multiclassing, at least!
Which brings up the point that, for all that people say that Pathfinder is designed to de-emphasize or even punish multiclassing, it sure seems to give a lot of opportunities to do useful things with dips (and Fighter isn't the only one).
Which, to get back on topic, reminds me that I haven't heard much yet in this thread about multiclass (or at least dip) combinations (including prestige classes) that provide out-of-combat utility. I'll start with an obsolete example just because it's what comes to mind at this late time, and my brain won't engage another one right now: Daivrat. Spell-Fetch lets you get spells that you don't know, even if they aren't even on your list, which is especially good if you are a spontaneous caster by base class, and therefore have a limited number of spells known, and you can't afford to spend some of this limited number for odds-and-ends utility spells. Suddenly Sorcerer gets access to a lot more utility spells (technically also true for Oracle, but the Cleric/Oracle spell list synergizes really poorly with the requirements for this prestige class, even though the Spell-Fetch ability itself remains good). This prestige class-based combination is obsolete because Daivrat is pre-Pathfinder, and badly needs an update to make it work well with most Pathfinder material.
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Which brings up the point that, for all that people say that Pathfinder is designed to de-emphasize or even punish multiclassing, it sure seems to give a lot of opportunities to do useful things with dips (and Fighter isn't the only one).
...
Going to be honest, the fact that people say that perplexes me. Since Unchained, multiclassing in Pathfinder is significantly less penalising than 3.5, and there's never been a mechanic to limit your XP based on multiclassing like there was in 3.5. Pathfinder's main contribution to 20-levels-in-one-class has been making each class actually scale all the way to 20, not making multiclassing itself less enticing.
As for skillsy multiclasses... Investigator/UnRogue, anyone? Skill Unlocks and Inspiration and Talents oh my, plus you're super dexterous to begin with and can drink extracts to make yourself MORE so, so enjoy your stealthy sleights. You're also Int-based, so grab Student of Philosophy and Pragmatic Activator, while going Empiricist. You can now do anything you want by being smart at it. Wanna be even better out of combat? Drop your Sneak Attack, get better at skills with the Phantom Thief.
Hell, eventually you're getting so many skill points that you can afford to put some in Profession (Juggler) if you really want, just in case. Sure, you're not the most martially optimised character ever, but you do alright, and your party loves you. At this point, just take VMC(Bard) and you'll end up knowing everything about anything at all times. Why not throw in a few levels of Sleepless Detective as well, in case you don't feel smart enough yet?
At this point you may as well change your character's name to Havelock Vetinari and call it a day, though to be truly accurate to him you also need to replace the SoP with Clever Wordplay (Act) and get the Orator feat (versatile performance, remember?). He clearly took the alternate racial that gets you loads of Skill Focus anyway. Specifically in Stealth, Linguistics and (eventually, after the fiasco with Vimes and the punch-wall) Sense Motive.
Yes, Vetinari is part Bard. Can anyone Inspire Competence quite like he can? I bet they taught Acting at the Assassin's School.
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To be strictly accurate, Paizo improved multiclassing by removing the XP penalty for doing so. Strictly speaking, they "punish" multiclassing only by making it even more appealing to remain single classed.
And remember that in D&D 3.5, one inevitable question that was asked about low level characters was what prestige class they would be taking. It became obvious that the paradigm had shifted in my first Pathfinder campaign when we had a Summoner and a Witch with good reason never to take a level in any class but their original classes.
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To be strictly accurate, Paizo improved multiclassing by removing the XP penalty for doing so. Strictly speaking, they "punish" multiclassing only by making it even more appealing to remain single classed.
And remember that in D&D 3.5, one inevitable question that was asked about low level characters was what prestige class they would be taking. It became obvious that the paradigm had shifted in my first Pathfinder campaign when we had a Summoner and a Witch with good reason never to take a level in any class but their original classes.
Since most of the 3.5 multi-classing was more about prestige class spam than going into bases classes, the XP penalty usually didn't come into play. Especially since Humans could bypass that penalty thanks to having Favored Class: Any. At worst, getting around the penalty was a fairly minor build restriction if it came up at all.
As I recall, only a few badly built NPCs ever paid the XP penalty. I remember wondering how Drizzt ever got to as high a level as he did with that -40% XP penalty.