An Adventurous Librarian?

[Twiggit]

Hello all!

I am about to create my first character for a pathfinder campaign and I was hoping for some advice. I have a character idea for a magic-user who is essentially a Librarian who has become bored with reading the adventures of others and so has chosen to go adventure and learn about the world.

My question is; which class would best represent a book nerd seeking knowledge and adventure?

[Quixote]

I mean. The wizard certainly comes to mind as the obvious choice. A smart bard or rogue would fit the bill, too.
How much of the character do you want defined by this "likes books, seeks adventure" trait?

[avr]

Living grimoire inquisitor works if you like hitting enemies with an ironbound holy book. If you're less physical then a wizard is the natural answer though, and if your book nerd has friends (some do!) then some kind of bard works.

[Twiggit]

Quixote wrote:

I mean. The wizard certainly comes to mind as the obvious choice. A smart bard or rogue would fit the bill, too.

How much of the character do you want defined by this "likes books, seeks adventure" trait?

The wizard was my first choice when I was looking through things. I found an "Arcanist" class, and it had me wondering if there were other classes or other 'builds' out there that would be more themed. Like the Scholar class from FF14

I'm leaning towards a Bard/Wizard mix, or digging deeper into the Arcanist and seeing if my DM is open to it.

[PCScipio]

I would recommend a single-classed character to start. It's very easy to build a bad multiclass PC.

[Dragonborn3]

This is pretty much a bard I am currently playing, even down to the description of why he left the library.. I also agree with PCScipio, don't multiclass Bard/Wizard. It won't work out well.

[avr]

If you want to combine bard and wizard you might look at a chronicler of worlds bard. Or an arcanist might fit that description, sure.

Normally in PF it's better to find an archetype which does something like what you want single-classed than to multiclass. There are exceptions, but bard/wizard is not one of them.

[MrCharisma]

There are a few OCCULTIST ARCHETYPES that fit the bill.

The Curator and Occult Historian fit fairly thematically, but the Esoteric Initiate is probably the best - though your library is supoised to be on a specific topic.

The Tome Eater is the funniest one for a Librarian ...

Quote:

"Excuse me, can you help me find a book on Osiriani cuisine?"

"I'm sorry someone just checked out the last copy." *burp*

... it gives a good reason why you're put adventuring too (just got fired for too many books "going missing").

[TheMonkeyFish]

Does it have to be a "Spellcaster" specifically? Are you okay if they just brew potions? The Librarian that I ended up using was an Investigator. My second Librarian was a Living Grimoire Inquisitor//Sigilus Magus//Mystic Theurge (It wasn't the best mechanically, but it was a blast playing). Last character I used that could fit the "Librarian" theme was a Scroll Caster (Forgot the class, never got to play them). I think it was an Arcanist.

Not sure what race, but my original Librarian was a Human had Wayfarer (A librarian should know multiple languages, no?). By level 10 he had all languages available in the game because of Druidic Decoder. Also had Skill Focus (Linguist) and Orator; but you could also pick the Empiricist Archetype.

The second character was also Human, but much less fluent with language. Was more of a gimik, not really strong, but really fun.

The last character was me just looking at Legalistic Reading and was like "How do I abuse this...?" lol

[Lemartes]

Poleiheira Adherent

:)

[Twiggit]

Thank you all for your help and advice!

And... For opening my eyes to archetypes. Wow, there are so many alternatives out there!

After digging through all the suggestions here, I've settled on an Archivist Bard with a focus in Oratory, knowledge skills, languages, and diplomacy.
He knows a lot about a lot and... Can bore the enemy with that knowledge.

Thank you all!

[GeraintElberion]

I will make an additional suggestion, play an elf or dwarf who is over 100 years old and take the breadth of experience feat.

[MrCharisma]

GeraintElberion wrote:

I will make an additional suggestion, play an elf or dwarf who is over 100 years old and take the breadth of experience feat.

Or Gnome

[David knott 242]

The arcanist might be a good choice for a beginner player, as it is basically a wizard with a more forgiving method for preparing and casting spells.

[Sysryke]

David knott 242 wrote:

The arcanist might be a good choice for a beginner player, as it is basically a wizard with a more forgiving method for preparing and casting spells.

Sorry, I have to respectfully disagree here. Experiences vary, I know. However, we have a semi-experienced player in our game, and she still consistently fails to get even basic mechanics. She decided to build an arcanist, and I gave a word of caution, but she was committed (not for me to tell her how to play/have fun). The added confusion of mixing both prepared caster mechanics with spontaneous has made the character even harder to handle. I tend to hold with spontaneous casters for newbies, unless they're already savvy enough, or concept focused enough to want a prepared caster. I really like many of the hybrid classes, but I'm not sure any of them are that new player friendly. Some maybe, but I don't think arcanist qualifies. YMMV.

[GeraintElberion]

Bloodrager is pretty new-player-friendly. I think that's about it.

[MrCharisma]

GeraintElberion wrote:

Bloodrager is pretty new-player-friendly. I think that's about it.

A venerable age-category Primalist Bloodrager with the Spring Rage rage power. Play as a senile old wizard who keeps to his books. Should anyone disturb the sanctity of his library he flies into a cantankerous fit and throws them out the front door. He's forgotten most of his spells, but somehow the Transmutation magic comes to him innately.

[David knott 242]

Sysryke wrote:

David knott 242 wrote:

The arcanist might be a good choice for a beginner player, as it is basically a wizard with a more forgiving method for preparing and casting spells.

Sorry, I have to respectfully disagree here. Experiences vary, I know. However, we have a semi-experienced player in our game, and she still consistently fails to get even basic mechanics. She decided to build an arcanist, and I gave a word of caution, but she was committed (not for me to tell her how to play/have fun). The added confusion of mixing both prepared caster mechanics with spontaneous has made the character even harder to handle. I tend to hold with spontaneous casters for newbies, unless they're already savvy enough, or concept focused enough to want a prepared caster. I really like many of the hybrid classes, but I'm not sure any of them are that new player friendly. Some maybe, but I don't think arcanist qualifies. YMMV.

The arcanist would be easy for anyone experienced with D&D 5E to pick up, as that class basically uses a variant of D&D 5e's prepared casting mechanic. It is only confusing for someone who is already experienced with the Pathfinder/D&D 3rd edition version of prepared spellcasting.

As someone whose previous experience was only with spontaneous spellcasting classes, I loved playing a character who effectively could change his known spells every day.

[Lemartes]

MrCharisma wrote:

GeraintElberion wrote:

Bloodrager is pretty new-player-friendly. I think that's about it.

A venerable age-category Primalist Bloodrager with the Spring Rage rage power. Play as a senile old wizard who keeps to his books. Should anyone disturb the sanctity of his library he flies into a cantankerous fit and throws them out the front door. He's forgotten most of his spells, but somehow the Transmutation magic comes to him innately.

That is a freaking awesome idea. I think I like the mechanical aspect more so than the thematic one but both are good.

I might use this but more of a Jedi/Sith type character that is old but uses the force...in this case magic to move with agility and strength.

[Mark Hoover 330]

The key to this character isn't the build; that's secondary, inconsequential. You could've been a humble librarian that discovered a dark taint in their blood that they're working to remove like a curse (Sorcerer/Aberrant bloodline); perhaps the tomes of legendary heroes transported you to another world where you communed with spirits who taught you magical powers (Witch, Shaman); what if your Profession: Librarian skill ranks are a cover for covert activities you do for the church, hunting down monsters and offenses, even heretics in the name of a secret, holy order (Inquisitor, cleric, warpriest).

The biggest thing here is deciding 1. what got you INTO the library and kept you there so long, and 2. what got you out. After that, look over the character classes and decide on one that gives you spellcasting and other powers you understand as a first time character.

Personally I've always recommended Sorcerer. No fancy build or archetypes, just a straight up Sorcerer. You get to pick a bloodline, you get some fun powers, you get spells, and rather than combing through ALL of the spells in your spellbook you just have a small bunch you use over and over. Then, depending on your feats and other build choices you can develop one angle of your character over another.

Being a librarian doesn't mean you're old. It doesn't even mean that Int is your highest stat. Remember; Profession: Librarian is a Wis based skill. If your character is really good at it, they likely have a 12 or better Wis stat.

Then again, what if there's serious high magic, high fantasy elements to your character's origins? What if your PC has lived for 150 years, sustained somehow by the tomes of the library; every so often they die and are reborn in the library, fresh out of their adolescence into adulthood but having lost all skills/knowledge of their previous life? Instead their reincarnation affords them some NEW life and lifestyle while their last one becomes a tome on the shelf.

Make your character with real character; start from the unique hook or angle you're taking, and create outward from there. Mechanics can be massaged to fit wherever you need them to.

[JiCi]

Occultist, with the Esoteric Initiate archetype, or any other archetype for that matter

[MrCharisma]

Lemartes wrote:

MrCharisma wrote:

GeraintElberion wrote:

Bloodrager is pretty new-player-friendly. I think that's about it.

A venerable age-category Primalist Bloodrager with the Spring Rage rage power. Play as a senile old wizard who keeps to his books. Should anyone disturb the sanctity of his library he flies into a cantankerous fit and throws them out the front door. He's forgotten most of his spells, but somehow the Transmutation magic comes to him innately.

That is a freaking awesome idea. I think I like the mechanical aspect more so than the thematic one but both are good.

Heh, Conan the Librarian! (I'm sure this joke's been made before, but I just thought of it.)

[avr]

MrCharisma wrote:

Heh, Conan the Librarian! (I'm sure this joke's been made before, but I just thought of it.)

Yes. Yes it has. Also on tvtropes under parodies of Conan the Barbarian.

[MrCharisma]

JiCi wrote:

Occultist, with the Esoteric Initiate archetype, or any other archetype for that matter

Yup, Esoteric Initiate is probably the best, but Tome Eater is the finniest.

[FamiliarMask]

Twiggit wrote:

Hello all!

I am about to create my first character for a pathfinder campaign and I was hoping for some advice. I have a character idea for a magic-user who is essentially a Librarian who has become bored with reading the adventures of others and so has chosen to go adventure and learn about the world.

My question is; which class would best represent a book nerd seeking knowledge and adventure?

May I suggest the Antiquarian or Questioner Investigator archetypes? They've both got Int-based spellcasting, lots of skills, and reasonable combat ability.

[Mark Hoover 330]

Why is everybody trying to mechanize the librarian thing as part of the Class of the character?

Yes, an OBVIOUS choice for an adventurous librarian might be an Antiquarian Investigator. What about an Alchemist (Vivisectionist) though?

The PC spent most of their life studying anatomy, both in labs and as a librarian. However, at some point their own genius and ambition was stifled when they were relegated to some administrative role in the stacks. However they continued their study in books, learning ancient, forgotten secrets on pressure points, nerve endings, and arteries controlling the flow of both healing and pain in the body. Their obsessive research can only take them so far however and this PC has been forbidden from practice by their academy or regional governance. In short, they now have to get OUT of the library as a level 1 PC to begin applying what they've learned and gain additional field experience.

Or, how about a dwarf Druid (Fungal Pilgrim)?

This PC has dwelt underground almost exclusively for 50 years. Most of that time however was not spent in traditional dwarven trades or crafts. This PC was cloistered in a monastic setting. When I say "monastic" I'm not talking about fighting style monks, but rather a religious order, far removed from normal civilization, studying the sciences and the natural world.

This particular PC was the librarian of the monastery and has broadly studied several disciplines. Recently however a fungal blight seized upon the facility and the dwarves within, bereft of the magical powers of many religious orders, tried in vain to combat the supernatural threat. This PC was the only survivor.

Somehow they developed a sort of symbiosis with the fungi. Unfortunately, being the only survivor they've become a pariah of their original dwarven community and have been forced to the surface world. However their neutral outlook on the world and deep understanding of fungi have coalesced into form of druidic devotion to the protection and nurturing of these organisms. It might be that they're turning into a myconid or some hybrid fungal creature, or maybe they genuinely have a faith in the natural world fueling their powers... maybe THEY don't even know.

I guess my point is that an "adventurous librarian" with spellcasting COULD be any kind of caster. You don't HAVE to make the librarian part of the character a function or mechanic of the class.

[Tim Emrick]

The loremaster and pathfinder chronicler prestige classes both lend themselves nicely to an adventuring librarian theme; you just need to figure out what path you want to take to get there.

I had a player in a 3.5 campaign who was a cleric/wizard of the god of magic, and took a level or two of loremaster (applied to her wizard casting) before going mystic theurge. She wasn't the most effective character (jack of many trades, master of few), but she was memorable. This was a campaign using Green Ronin's Freeport setting, and she made it her life's mission to collect all the books of forbidden lore, holy/unholy symbols, and dangerous magic items that the party discovered, to keep them out of the hands of fools who didn't realize how dangerous they were to use. Of course, she was firmly of the opinion that SHE knew exactly what she was doing! (If this had been a Pathfinder game, she would either have become instant besties with Zarta Dralneen, or tried to wrest control of the Dark Archive away from her.)

In Pathfinder, I think the most effective librarian-themed PC I've seen played is my wife's PFS tengu naturalist bard. Don't count on Ravyn to do any appreciable damage in a fight, but she rocks ALL the Int skills, and at last count spoke 37 languages (at 15th level). Her day job, naturally, is Profession (librarian), and her faction is Dark Archive. IIRC, she has a few levels of Pathfinder chronicler, mostly just for flavor, and for the ability to pull whatever cheap bit of gear the party needs *right now* out of her pockets.

[MrCharisma]

Mark Hoover 330 wrote:

Why is everybody trying to mechanize the librarian thing as part of the Class of the character?

Because that's what the OP asked for.

Twiggit wrote:

My question is; which class would best represent a book nerd seeking knowledge and adventure?

(Not that ai think yous were bad answers either, but we were answering the question asked.)

[Mark Hoover 330]

All due respect Mr C, I was answering the OP's question too. The question:

Twiggit wrote:

...which class would best represent a book nerd seeking knowledge and adventure?

Breaking that down: "book nerd" is personality trait, just as much as "obsessed with fire," "loves singing," or "greedy miser." So, we're starting from a position of "what class best represents a personality trait?" My answer is "depends on the complete person you want to make."

Now T-wigs DID put in the qualifier "best" and then followed it up with specifying that they wanted the class to be some kind of caster. However, they never, SPECIFICALLY called out that the character has to USE books in order to resolve conflicts. They merely wanted a "book nerd" that sought "knowledge and adventure."

In other threads I've had this debate with several folks that too many rules in PF 1e puts blinders on folks. We define our characters by what they do, not who they are. When attacking Twiggit's OP, I was trying to come at it from the opposite. Decide the basics of who your character IS, then snap-on class and feats that gives them a way to do what you want them to do.

In other words, don't limit yourself to thinking ONLY classes that use books as part of the class build can be the only "book nerds" that "seek knowledge and adventure." Rather, decide to be a character with those traits, then pick the class that best resolves conflicts the way you IMAGINE that character would.

OP, you want a caster. Cool. Pick any caster class. They are now the "best" class for YOUR "book nerd" that "seeks knowledge and adventure." Why are they the best? Because it's what YOU want.

I personally am on a divine caster kick. T-dawg seems to be focused on arcane casters. Some folks in this thread suggested alchemy-types to sub as casters. Still ANOTHER way to go would be picking a ranger, paladin, magus, warpriest or other class/archetype that mixes casting and fighting.

To paraphrase the master thespian Jean Claude Van Damme in his seminal work, Bloodsport: "you taught me to keep an open mind! Never to limit myself to ONE style!" Separate character and class, make the role you want to inhabit, THEN give them a way to fight.

[Bardess]

Studious Librarian bard. There's also a 3PP Librarian class, but that one is better for NPCs, I think.

[avr]

@Mark Hoover: Saying to throw off your chains and just play what your heart desires is fine, but restrictions can help narrow down the very large search space of PF1 character mechanics. If you don't already have a class picked out then narrowing it down to 2-3 is a decent rough cut which you can take a look at

I mean, look above - the advice provided was more or less useful tho' they went with a bard archetype not actually mentioned.

[Cevah]

Here is the clip of Conan the Librarian.

How about this origin: You are a character from a book in the library that came to life.

/cevah

[Ryze Kuja]

For a new player Librarian-esque PC, I'd recommend a no-archetype Investigator or Rogue. Bard or Wizard would also fit, but Wizards and Bards have some pretty advanced game mechanics and lots of bookkeeping, and Bards are a natural party face as well and that can be kinda intimidating for a newer player. If you're up to the challenge, go for it. But I'd recommend a Rogue or Investigator because they are first-time player friendly classes that have some really fun mechanics that are easy to learn, and both classes greatly contribute to any group.