Stupid questions from a Pathfinder newbie - 1st post edited

[Silus]

So I'm kinda stressing out about playing in some Pathinder Society games and worrying where my first character is headed, so I've some questions.

First, quick bit about my character: Half Elf fighter (No archetype), lvl 1. Going to multi-class into Bard (Dervish Dancer archetype) and maybe a lvl 1 dip into Barbarian or something. I'm essentially playing a trimmed down Eldar Harlequin.

So questions.

1. Would the previously mentioned Barbarian dip be a decent idea?

2. What would be a good level balance between Fighter and Bard? The Dervish gets their last dance at lvl 14, so should I aim for a 6/14 split, or a flat 10/10?

3. I feel that I'm going to be swamped with feats from the Fighter levels, so would taking Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Firearms) for a backup weapon be a decent idea?

4. Are there any feats that I absolutely have to take to make this build viable? Already have Dodge and Mobility and I'm picking up Dervish Dance at lvl 2 and Wind Stance later on (lvl 6-7). After that, I'm drawing a bit of a blank.

Edit:
5. I was considering taking the Free-Hand Fighter archetype or the Mobile Fighter archetype instead of the straight Fighter. Since I'll likely be using a scimitar in one hand and a buckler in the other most of the time, would this be a good idea, or stick with the Armor/Weapon Training?

Big'ish edit:
Decided to go full Bard seeing as the feat progression would be about the same, if a little slower. Some more questions however.

6. I've some spare gold left over (56g 7s) and I'm currently rocking a medium load in terms of gear. Should I look into getting something like a pony and a cart or a pack mule or something?

7. Current non-weapon/armor gear is: Compass, Mapmaker's kit, backpack, bedroll, hooded lantern, 2 pints of oil, and an Explorer's outfit. Anything that anyone could suggest having that would be crazy important that I've missed, or something on the list that I should do away with?

[Arbane]

One level of Barbarian probably isn't enough. You'd want two for a Rage Power, I'd think.

If you're not planning on wearing armor, consider dipping one level of Martial Artist Monk, for the +Wis to AC, maybe?

[Lonely Tylenol]

1) It really depends on how you're built/how you're building. What are your ability scores?

2) If you want my opinion: See about going straight 20 levels of Dervish. Bard only loses one step of Hit Dice relative to Fighter, but gains an additional four skill points (and if you make your Half Elf favored class Bard, you can get a bonus hit point at every level to make up for this loss). Taking levels of fighter only delays the point at which you get the Dervish bonuses, some of which are really awesome (such as the Rain of Blows and Razor's Kiss features). Battle Fury can give you more attacks than you would get from full BAB (assuming lots of enemies), but Dance of Fury, at the least, is a necessity, as it keeps you from being locked into the "I full-attack or move" trap.

What's more, you don't get a whole lot out of fighter levels, feats aside. Armor training doesn't matter to you, since you're only using light armor, and weapon training is a heavy investment for such a paltry bonus.

3) I advise against fighter levels, so no.

4) Your character needs to have a very high Dexterity (this should be your highest ability score, and your +2 racial bonus should be applied to it), and then take the Dervish Dance (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat-feats/dervish-dance-combat) feat as soon as possible. This allows you to use your Dexterity score for your AC, to-hit, damage, and initiative rolls, also known as "all relevant combat-related rolls, ever". You don't even need Strength at this point; just make sure you have a good Constitution, Dexterity, and [passable] Charisma (for spells) and you're all set.

Alternatively, if that doesn't appeal to you, the two-weapon fighting tree may be of service to you, using a scimitar in your main hand and kukri in your off-hand, and taking advantage of the fact that Improved Critical from Razor's Kiss will work for both of them (for a 15-20 threat range), and you can use dance of fury with both of them for an almost sarcastic number of attacks with Dance of Fury.

5) I played Pathfinder before the loads of archetypes (when it was basically just core), so I'm not well-versed on these archetypes. However, if you're insistent on taking fighter levels, trade your medium and heavy armor proficiency (and your armor training) for anything that gives you enhanced mobility or mobility-related effects post-haste!

[JonRG]

I'm not really an expert, but I'll try to help as best I can.

1. I think there are easier ways to get +10 ft move speed, and I'm not sure how much you'll gain from rage compared to what you'll lose from a fighter level. There's a lot of stuff you can't do while raging after all.

2. Are you going to be taking the levels in chunks or mixing it up? Either way, I think 6 fighter levels would be the way to go (maybe fewer).

3. Firearms are very expensive, have a chance to blow up in your face, and don't do very much damage. So unless your build revolves around making guns awesome, I'd leave them be.

4. I'm a terrible feat-picker, so... :smallredface:

5. Free-Hand Fighter's not a bad deal. Since you get a +1 so long as you keep your off-hand free. That way if you switch to another kind of weapon (like a morningstar), you still get the bonus.

[Silus]

1) It really depends on how you're built/how you're building. What are your ability scores?


At lvl 1:
Str: 10
Dex: 17
Con: 12
Int: 12
Wis: 12
Cha: 15

Looking at the classes, might a two level dip into Rogue be better? Sneak attack and Evasion seem like pretty attractive options (Or take the Skirmisher archetype to allow for sneak attacking while moving as opposed to flanking/flatfooted). I'd dish out more damage (+1d6, also Evasion and trap finding plus a Rogue talent) and the Feat progression would be....about the same.

Though thinking about it, I might as well just go Bard to start out. Would free up a trait for me to use elsewhere.



2) If you want my opinion: See about going straight 20 levels of Dervish. Bard only loses one step of Hit Dice relative to Fighter, but gains an additional four skill points (and if you make your Half Elf favored class Bard, you can get a bonus hit point at every level to make up for this loss). Taking levels of fighter only delays the point at which you get the Dervish bonuses, some of which are really awesome (such as the Rain of Blows and Razor's Kiss features). Battle Fury can give you more attacks than you would get from full BAB (assuming lots of enemies), but Dance of Fury, at the least, is a necessity, as it keeps you from being locked into the "I full-attack or move" trap.

What's more, you don't get a whole lot out of fighter levels, feats aside. Armor training doesn't matter to you, since you're only using light armor, and weapon training is a heavy investment for such a paltry bonus.


Well the Fighter dip/start is mostly due to the fact that I am unable to take Dervish Dance at lvl 1 (The two ranks in Perform (Dance) means level 2). Since I took the Taldor faction (And the Performance Artist trait for Perform as a class skill and a +2 bonus), I can walk right into the Dervish archetype at lvl 2 with three feats under my belt (Dodge, Mobility and the Half-Elf's Skill Focus). So that means I can take one more level in Fighter, snag Bravery (Or a +1 to saves to avoid being paralyzed, immobilized or entangled if I go with the Mobile Fighter archetype) then go 18 levels in Bard with most everything I need (Take Wind Stance at lvl 7 for 20% concealment vs ranged weapons if I move).



3) I advise against fighter levels, so no.

4) Your character needs to have a very high Dexterity (this should be your highest ability score, and your +2 racial bonus should be applied to it), and then take the Dervish Dance (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat-feats/dervish-dance-combat) feat as soon as possible. This allows you to use your Dexterity score for your AC, to-hit, damage, and initiative rolls, also known as "all relevant combat-related rolls, ever". You don't even need Strength at this point; just make sure you have a good Constitution, Dexterity, and [passable] Charisma (for spells) and you're all set.

Alternatively, if that doesn't appeal to you, the two-weapon fighting tree may be of service to you, using a scimitar in your main hand and kukri in your off-hand, and taking advantage of the fact that Improved Critical from Razor's Kiss will work for both of them (for a 15-20 threat range), and you can use dance of fury with both of them for an almost sarcastic number of attacks with Dance of Fury.

5) I played Pathfinder before the loads of archetypes (when it was basically just core), so I'm not well-versed on these archetypes. However, if you're insistent on taking fighter levels, trade your medium and heavy armor proficiency (and your armor training) for anything that gives you enhanced mobility or mobility-related effects post-haste!

I'm probably going to look into getting the Improved Crit feat, but I think I'm going to stick with a one-handed scimitar for ~ the first 6-7 levels until I can start taking the two-weapon feats (Wind Stance and Dervish Dance take priority for me).

[JoeYounger]

Drop 50 gold to buy a masterwork pack pack. It treats your str as one higher for determining encumberance, so depending on your weight that may bump you back down to a light load.