I'm helping with a build for another player. Not completely new to PF, but not a lot of experience either.
Wants to start branching out into casting a bit. Wants to be able to hand out some support buffs. Then start doing damage with a weapon. Does not have a strong preference for arcane or divine. Nor for ranged or melee combat.
Joining a mini-campaign at 10th level.
Want to start giving the player some new options. However, I don't want to bury a new-ish player with a really complex fiddly build that will just confuse and frustrate. So nothing like the magus or the Dr Jekyl Mr Hyde alchemist.
So I was thinking things like a basic bard or battle oracle.
Was wondering if you have other ideas or how you would build this.
Yeah, just a basic bard would do fine here. You're starting late enough that they can do archery without hating themselves for it, and a melee bard will naturally do just fine as well.
For a more off-the-wall suggestion, a Vexing Daredevil Mesmerist could be fun. It's relatively simple (certainly in comparison to the other occult classes) and can do pretty well in both damage and debuffing. Play a Half-Orc to really pump that painful stare damage.
You can't beat a Bard for gishy buffs, but I really like the idea of going Oracle. Oracle was my first caster in Pathfinder and they're a blast to play, enough BAB to enter combat with plenty of fun effects from your Revelations.
Instead of going Battle, consider things like Ancestor, Lunar, or Succor which all have neat "feels" to them. More so than Battle in my opinion.
I personally like Succor as it turns your first level spells into powerful damage sources from Enhanced Inflictions. Then you can use your higher level spell slots for powerful buffs like Prayer or Stoneskin.
It depends a lot on what else is in your party, but suggest an Archer Bard would be pretty strong. All you need is decent DEX, STR and CHR, none of them hugely exceptional. With Inspire Courage and Arcane Strike you can have pretty decent damage. First turn Inspire Courage and Haste and you have probably done all the support you need to do for the vast majority of fights.
Another option would be an Evangelist Cleric, probably a reach build. Inpire Courage and Blessing of Fervor would be your first round, much like the bard, and then you could poke at things with a reach weapon or cast a spell and try and position yourself for AoOs. The Evangelist can also get an animal companion (animal domain), for support characters I like to use them as a mount to allow pulling out a consumable, moving (via mount) to whoever needs help and then casting the spell. Means that you can quickly help anyone that gets hit by a nasty debuff. Starting at 10th, the 9-level caster is pretty attractive.