Are there any 2 / 3rds casters that can function like full casters?

[Malik Gyan Daumantas]

By that i mean they are largely or entirely reliant on their spells without any need for the use of weapons.

[Mysterious Stranger]

Do you can function or must function? Any caster can choose to use spells instead of weapons. None of them are going to come close to being as effective as a full caster, but they can do it.

The 2/3 casters have a few drawbacks that make it difficult to compete with full casters. First and most important is they get less spells. It’s kind of difficult to rely on spells when you don’t get as many as other casters. Second but related is they gain high level spells slower. Third is they get early access to some spells. While this is mostly positive it does mean their spells are easier to resist because the save is based on the level of the spell. Combine all of this and your spells are just not as effective as a full caster.

Of all the 2/3 casters Bards are probably better at this than any other class. Performances can give a bard something besides spells or weapons to use. Fascinate, Suggestion, Dirge of Doom, Soothing Performance, Frightening Tune and Mass Suggestion are all similar so spells in the way they act. The fact that bards are incredible skill monkeys means they can reverse the idea of using spells to replace skills. A Gnome bard focusing on illusion and enchantment may make a better illusionist than a wizard. The racial bonus to illusions and bonus to CHA will keep the DC of the saves high enough to be effective.

[avr]

Weirdly, a magus might be able to pull this off. With either spell recall or hexes (hexcrafter) they have more effective spell slots than most 6-level spellcasters.

A mesmerist wants to do this given their hypnotic stare. They have the standard 6-level caster spell slots of course.

The silksworn occultist is made for focusing on spellcasting, but takes a few levels to get going.

[*Khan*]

Summoner is also the answer to this question.
Besides spells, he has spell like ability summons and an eidolon. The only weapon he would ever consider is properbly a longspear as a deterrent or a crossbow shooting tracer arrows (light spell on the arrow) to guide his army to the next target...

[Darigaaz the Igniter]

*Khan* wrote:

Summoner is also the answer to this question.

Besides spells, he has spell like ability summons and an eidolon. The only weapon he would ever consider is properbly a longspear as a deterrent or a crossbow shooting tracer arrows (light spell on the arrow) to guide his army to the next target...

Beat me to it

[Temperans]

Its also important to consider that even if you can't use save based spells because the enemy can save. You can freely use attack based spells with little problems. Its also pretty easy to dip into more casters to gain more low level spells which is great if what you want is a multitude of the really strong 1st level spells. Ex: Magic Missile, Shocking Grasp, Snowball (pre Wilderness, I hate that nerf), etc.

[Sysryke]

Depends on how you feel about them as casters or not casters, but couldn't Alchemist also answer this question? Between bombs and extracts (which I think of as basically spells), they rarely if ever "have to" use a weapon.

[strayshift]

I have a caster focussed Court Bard (Kingmaker - currently level 13). The debuff performances (satire, glorious epic) means she is an 'attack enchanter' where appropriate (save dcs second only to a Kitsune Sorcerer and can flat foot groups of enemies) and where the enchantment option isn't viable, she buffs. Also there is a broken o.p. combat spell 'Bard's Escape' that has saved our arse too many times. In 13 levels she has 'killed' 3 things all at low levels, in hand to hand combat.

Oh and she has diplomancer levels social skills (versatile performance & Heraldic experience) including rerolls.

[Melkiador]

The monster tactician inquisitor is very caster-like in my opinion.