New Player Help Desk

I know we have a few new players and instead of them asking me every question and since many people can help faster and with better information, this space has been designed to help any new players get accustomed to the game.  Remember, not everyone has the experience that you do so don't troll someone for being a noob please!  I will smite your character if you do .. Muhahaha!  We were all noobs once .. just i was like 5 and it was a game called Dungeons and Dragons and you got to color the dice.  

I'm usually happy to help anyone who needs advice. Though I won't always have roll20 open. I do however, always have skype open, so if you need advice and don't want to berate Clem, feel free to add me on Skype, my handle is Alma.penzare. I'll usually respond within a few minutes.

Yeah .. my Skype is ClemDad .. my email is <a href="mailto:obvuscate@gmail.com" rel="nofollow">obvuscate@gmail.com</a> .. I know i posted that another location but that would be good information here too. Also if you are new .. check the&nbsp; links forum page for a list of basic resources.

Ill make a Skype in the next couple days and add both of you :)&nbsp;

So, hello all I'm a relatively new player to PF, only having created some generic "stereotypical" characters (usually following one guide or another.) This time around, since the world seems rather free form I've decided to come up with the character-style/theme before actually choosing a class. I would like suggestions for what class you guys think would fit the two character concepts. Note that I would like to keep in mind mechanical viablility to a certain extent although not opposed to flavor choices. Info I'd like is: 1.) Best Class/Archetype/Prestige Class that you think fits the character's theme. 2.) How well those classes play and their overall abilities/usefullness outside of combat. 3.) Which of the two character concepts would you recommend? Considering the setting/world. Character Concepts That I'd like help with 1.) The Sword Master A martial artist dedicated to perfecting his chosen fighting style with the sword. His ultimate goal is to become one with his swords and obtain complete mastery over them. He carries multiple different swords on him at all times, switching fluidly between them depending on his mood, the opponent and what he's trying to acomplish. Possibly in his spare time he forges his own swords but this is not a "solid" thing yet just a hint of an idea that's been stirring. 2.) The Archer Shadowy, swift and a dedicated hunter of criminals, and monsters. He slips from one shadow to the next only appearing to pepper his target with arrows. A dedicated perfectionist, studying, learning and preparing ahead for every eventuality, he is the bounty hunter you never want on your trail and the ally you want at your back. Thank you very much for reading this and for your time.&nbsp;

So, part of my duties here are to help new players with questions and such. However, my experience in pathfinder runs more toward the core rules, so I feel that there are probably others better able to answer your questions and give advice.&nbsp; Anyone feel like weighing in?

I'll be at home in about 2h or so and I'll post something, but in the mean time if you want, join the VTT and ask around. People are quite helpful around ^^

I'd say it depends on what you want more. &nbsp;Are you more interested in exploring or adventuring? &nbsp;Building a settlement or discovering a continent? &nbsp;The swordsman wouldn't be hard to make with a Fighter or possibly a Swashbuckler. &nbsp;He'd be excellent at rooting around in dungeons and protecting the new town. &nbsp;The Archer would be an easy build as a Ranger or Fighter, particularly if you choose an Elf. &nbsp;He's perfect for exploration and discovery.

Hello there, here is my advice on these topics&nbsp; 1.) Best Class/Archetype/Prestige Class that you think fits the character's theme. 2.) How well those classes play and their overall abilities/usefullness outside of combat. 3.) Which of the two character concepts would you recommend? Considering the setting/world. A. Swordsman&nbsp; 1. Mastery of different types of swords seems to be his main goal as a character, he is combat based (I assume). One question is what kind of variety are you looking for? When many people think of swords-masters they think of a character who only relies on his swords, and prefer's finesse over strength. Someone who likes to use a single sword in one hand. (It's what I went with) In this case consider a DEX based Duelist. You could take a look at the learned duelist, learned duelist and sword-lord classes since they fit the theme. The problems with this style seems to be first that it lacks in both damage in AC when compared to 2 handed fighting and sword and board respectively. Also if you would like to focus more one one specific type of sword you can go for a Path of War class.&nbsp; Do you want your character to be able to wield 2 handed weapons, two weapon fighting as well as a single sword style? Cause that would be difficult to build. I would have to look some stuff up, but putting some levels in Brawler because of martial flexibility, while taking a level in fighter or something else for proficiency.&nbsp; 2. Most martial classes are made for the "in combat" part. However in this campaign we are allowed a free profession and craft! So really your out of combat ability is based off what you want your profession to be. For example, you could be a armor-smith, or a carpenter, or a doctor etc. Alternatively if you mean out of combat as "preparing for combat" you can take points in survival or perception which will help exploration and stuff.&nbsp; B. Archer&nbsp; 1. Building a character that is calm and uses archery is much easier. Check out the hybrid class slayer, it might be what you are looking for. It even has a archetype called bounty hunter. There is also a third party class called bounty hunter though I've only heard of it.&nbsp; 2. Same as above. However if you go for slayer or something of the sort you will be useful in tracking and such. If you are going for a rogueish feel you may also be able to sneak around and scout.&nbsp; 3. So which one to pick? Considering the world which is better? Honestly whichever one you would like to play. We have a huge party since this is a living world, so really just play whichever you prefer.&nbsp; I hope something here helped. Hop on the tabletop and RP with people, maybe that will help you decide.&nbsp;

Okay, thanks a bunch everyone! @Kirby V. Thanks for your choices, I took a peek and fighter really didn't seem all that interesting but Ranger & Swashbuckler are on the short list. @Sam Both the classes you listed after looking them up are pretty darn close to what I was looking for. I'll try and make the decision on where to go from here. I wouldn't object to an STR based swordsman and as for using multiple swords, I would probably use multiple swords within the same proficiency category. (i.e Rapier, Longsword, Scimitar as an example.) The swords are mostly flavor/icing on my combative cake. Stab someone with the Longsword, leave him impaled and pull out a Scimitar and keep going. (Theater of the mind since I don't know if something like that's even possible.) Thank you for all the tips/help. Currently undecided between Ranger vs Slayer they seem to do a lot of the same thing with some differences. Google-fu has actually failed to pull up that much on slayers (compared to what I could find for Rangers at the very least). Duelist is still on the table but I'm definitely leaning toward putting an arrow in people and from what I've read it seems like Ranger/Slayer would probably be better for putting a sword in people to lol! Fighter/Swashbuckler, I might shelve for now.

Hi! I haven't played Pathfinder in 2 years, and I've begun making something that'd be out of my comfort zone even then. I could use some help and advice, especially when it comes to the differences between standard games and this one. I have settled on a Suli Esoteric Magus (Statline post racial mod: 17, 14, 12, 14, 10, 9). I've never really played in a game that used much craft or profession stuff, so I'm curious how I should expect those to really work. I was thinking of Brewmaster for a profession, mostly because I see a winemaker and nobody else did that one, plus it's sort of a "monky" thing to do. I'm less sure about craft and how I should apply that to this world. That's really all I have so far. I'm working on picking skills and feats and stuff, but it's slow going since I have to double check myself at every step to make sure I'm doing it right. Any advice would be appreciated.