Optimizing INT in Pathfinder

[GrokMyJive]

Are there any easy ways to send my Int into the ceiling as a first level Pathfinder character? items aren't really on the table, here, so i need to know how high i can easily push it without any sort of equipment

[navar100]

How are you creating your character? Point Buy? Rolling?

Play a human. 16 in Intelligence. Bump it to 18. If dice rolling and lucky to get an 18, you can have 20 Intelligence. If using Point Buy, buying 16 is easy to make it 18. Buying a 17 is possible depending on Point Buy value and/or willingness to have a 7 in another ability score to get 19 Intelligence. Buying an 18 is not worth the trouble unless your Point Buy value is very high, i. e. more than the published maximum of 25, but if you're willing to have two 7s for ability scores you can buy it to have a 20 Intelligence, unless you want everything else all 10s.

[avr]

An Alchemist with the Mindchemist archetype can get a +2 alchemical bonus to INT while under the influence. It takes an hour to prepare the cognatogen (it lasts indefintely once prepared), a standard action to consume it and it lasts for 10 min/alchemist level.

Combine with an 18 base stat, +2 racial and you're looking at a 22.

[Craft (Cheese)]

Blood of Angels has a table of alternate traits an Aasimar can have in exchange for their SLA. One of the traits you can exchange it for is a +2 INT bonus. Be an Emberkin (+2 INT, +2 CHA) and make the trade for a +4 total, then point-buy to 18 to get 22 starting INT. Your DM may not allow this though.

[Drachasor]

Blood of Angels has a table of alternate traits an Aasimar can have in exchange for their SLA. One of the traits you can exchange it for is a +2 INT bonus. Be an Emberkin (+2 INT, +2 CHA) and make the trade for a +4 total, then point-buy to 18 to get 22 starting INT. Your DM may not allow this though.

Technically you are supposed to roll on the table. But it is horribly broken. My DM let my character have the "sense pregnancy within 30'" for free -- we were using the hero builder and for some reason it had a free table trait associated with all aasimar so I picked a silly one. I mean, it's that or meditating over a grave for 10 minutes lets you know the name of the person buried below.*

*Useful for identifying bodies I guess. Just gotta bury them first. Weird.

[Craft (Cheese)]

Technically you are supposed to roll on the table. But it is horribly broken. My DM let my character have the "sense pregnancy within 30'" for free -- we were using the hero builder and for some reason it had a free table trait associated with all aasimar so I picked a silly one. I mean, it's that or meditating over a grave for 10 minutes lets you know the name of the person buried below.*

*Useful for identifying bodies I guess. Just gotta bury them first. Weird.

It also says "If you have a specific concept in mind, talk to your DM about choosing one of these options instead of rolling for them."

Also, while we've got "stuff you need to talk to your DM about" on the table, talk to them about the Race builder: With Paragon ability score quality and Advanced Intelligence, you can get a +6 racial INT bonus for as low as 5 RP (6 RP if you want Greater Paragon, which is totally worth it). You can up that to a +8 bonus for 10 RP (11 with greater paragon).

You'd probably get laughed out of the group for showing up with a custom race with +8 INT, but I'd allow a race with +4.

[GrokMyJive]

Blood of Angels has a table of alternate traits an Aasimar can have in exchange for their SLA. One of the traits you can exchange it for is a +2 INT bonus. Be an Emberkin (+2 INT, +2 CHA) and make the trade for a +4 total, then point-buy to 18 to get 22 starting INT. Your DM may not allow this though.

this sort of reminds me of the (probably not entirely raw legal) "fire" grey elf cheese, but my gm should definitely allow it. this is pretty much exactly the sort of thing i was looking for, so thanks.

[Craft (Cheese)]

Oh, also, there's a similar table in Blood of Fiends (trade your Darkness SLA for +2 INT) if tieflings are more your style.

[Corlindale]

You can also start out as middle-aged, old or venerable, if your campaign allows it. You'll have to eat some significant physical penalties (especially for the later two), but if you play a class with access to the Age Resistance line of spells/extracts this can be mitigated a bit.

[GrokMyJive]

Oh, also, there's a similar table in Blood of Fiends (trade your Darkness SLA for +2 INT) if tieflings are more your style.

i was going to say they weren't, really.
but then i noticed the Alchemist favoured class extra bomb damage.
and the slightly lower RP.
pretty much sold, though my friends are going to joke a bit about having to be careful not to get cut on my super dark and brooding edge.