New to Pathfinder

[F0X7713]

Hey all! I am new to Pathfinder, and I was wanting some advice on a good build. I am thinking about playing a wizard, but wanted some general advice and opinions.

I don't care what "role" I fill, I'd be happy as a damage dealer, support, control, whatever really. I would love any help and advice you guys could offer =)

I am really familiar with 3.5, and I have been playing 4e for about 6 months in a different group, and now a group wants me to play Pathfinder. (If this helps at all.)

[Drothmal]

The best advice I can give you is to look at Treantmonk's guide to wizards. It is an excellent guide that gives you pros and cons of everything concerning the wizard.

Here's a link to guides to all classes, look under wizard (http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2m612?Guide-to-the-Class-Guides)

[Ryulin18]

For a wizard, I would highly recommend being an elf conjuration (teleportation) specialist.

You're ability allows you teleport as a swift 5 ft at 1st, 10ft at 3rd, 15ft at 5th and 20ft at 7th...With no attacks at opportunity.

This is 3+int times a day.
The elf favoured class ability is to add 1/2 a use each level. so that really means you can use this 3 + int + 1/2 level.

That's a lot of teleporting! Also conjuration has a lot of good spells;
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/spell-list-filters/sorcerer-wizard-spell-list-filter

[Ryulin18]

I forgot my links for quick references.

Wizard school power (teleport)
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/wizard/arcane-schools/paizo---arcane-schools/classic-arcane-schools/conjuration/teleportation

The elf racial favoured class options
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/races/core-races/elf#TOC-Favored-Class-Options

[watchwood]

Playing a Conjurer gets you the ability to do almost anything. The conjuration school is quite powerful. That said, the Diviner gets an amazingly powerful class ability (add half their class levels to their initiative).

[Psyren]

Have you read Saph's Guide to Pathfinder Changes? (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7609693) It plays very similarly to 3.5, but there are key differences you need to be aware of, particularly the CMB/CMD system.

[Snowbluff]

Okay, how to frak things up.

From this thread. Pretty much outlines why PF fixed nothing.


And just to start things off; I'll post my current baby, a Magic Missile Specialist (presently level 4, but soon to be cooler!)

Human
Level 1: Wizard (Evocation school, Admixture subschool(UM))
Feat: Spell focus (Evocation): (+1 Evocation DCs)--Replaces scribe scroll
Feat: Spell Specialization (UM) (Magic Missile): Cast MM at Caster Level (CL) +2
Feat: Toppling Spell (UM): [Force] spells that do damage/move opponent, or they fail their saving throw grant you a free CMB check to trip using CL + Int/Wis/Cha in place of your CMB.
Trait: Magical Lineage: Pick a spell, when you cast it with metamagic, treat the final level as 1 level lower.
Trait: Precocious Spellcaster (Taldor book) (Magic missile & whatever): Pick a cantrip and a 1st level spell, cast them at +1 CL
Arcane Bond: Familiar.

So at level 1 I'm casting magic missile at CL=4 with 2 missiles that trip with CMB=8 (Int 19, CL for MM=4), each does 1d4+1 and one does another +1 from Evocation school.

Lvl 2: Sorcerer (Tattooed)(Inner Sea Magic) Orc bloodline (Orcs of Golarion book)
Varisian Tattoo (Evocation): +1 CL for evocation spells. (includes Magic Missile)
Tattoo Familiar: He's a tatoo now, so he's safer!
Orc bloodline: +1 damage per die from damaging spells.

I get 4 more magic missiles per day from the Sorcerer level, all of which are now CL=5, so 3 missiles, doing 1d4+2 each +1 overall and tripping with CMB=9 for the wizard ones, 6 for the sorcerer ones.

Lvl 3: Back to wizard, take Heighten Spell, this will get used later. Wizard missiles are now CL=6.

Lvl 4: Wizard 3.
Lvl 5: Wizard 4. Take Evolved Familiar (Skilled:+8 UMD). This will get used at level 7. Buy an Elemental Spell (Acid) Metamagic Rod.
Lvl 6: Wizard level 5 Bonus Feat: Rime Spell (UM): Cold Descriptor spells that deal cold damage to enemies entangle for # of rounds = spell level.

Now you memorize heightened, rime magic missiles at level 3 (or 2 if you want them to be toppling as well), use the metamagic rod to make half the damage acid; and then use admixture to change the acid damage to cold, giving the spell the [cold] descriptor. You've got 5 missiles at a time by this point, and they do force/cold damage, can trip opponents, and entangle them for 2 or 3 rounds!




In response to the magus I posted earlier, I was going Cross blooded orc and Blue Dragon, just forgot to post it, and yeah hero lab allowed the tatooed in addition, but if that doesnt work, the varisian tatoo is actually a minor part of the build, almost inconsequential really to dmg output.

1. Magus: Precocious Spellcaster (Shocking Grasp), Magical Linage (Shocking Grasp), Weapon Finesse, Spell focus (Evocation)
2. Cross Blooded Sorceror, take touch of rage (Orc Blooded, Blue Dragon)
3. Magus: Feat: Spell Specialization (Shocking Grasp) Magus Shocking Grasps are now at CL 5, doing 5d6+10, + 1d6 rapier.
4. Magus: Arcane Accuracy
5. Magus: Intense Spells
6. Magus: Bonus Feat <Fill in the blank>
7. Magus: Varisian Tatoo?

--Point is that once you get that spellstoring rapier, you can remove the Armor, and store a Sor Shock in it. Then trigger it while unleashing a magus Shocking grasp. Total result @ lvl 7 should look like 15d6 + 30 electric Damage +1d6 Piercing damage, and if you cast Keen Edge first it could crit on 15-20. so 1/4 chance of doing effectively 32d6+60 dmg. I think it qualifies as a dmg cheese build. It may be capable of defeating most PFS villans on the 7-8 tier in one shot. A 9th lvl fighter has 112 hp.(Assuming 18 con and toughness) Avg Dmg of this magus on the opening shot would be 76 on hit, 152 on crit. I'm sure there are exceptions to the rule, but generally speaking I think the build has possibilities.

TL;DR Magic Traits are better than all other traits.