Most mechanically interesting Pathfinder classes

[Grod_The_Giant]

I've played and run plenty of 3.5 over the years, and the bog-standard Vancian casting/full attacking classes are kind of boring-- at this point, I'd rather play a Binder, a Totemist, even a Truenamer. I might be playing a Pathfinder one-shot soon, and I was wondering if Pathfinder has any similarly mechanically interesting classes.

8th level game, "all books are open but don't go overboard."

[Renegade Paladin]

If you're just looking for most different from core, probably the summoner from Advanced Player's Guide. It gets the bard's six-level casting progression, but more importantly a customizable summoned companion that you build on a point system. It's exactly as much paperwork as it sounds, though, especially once you factor in all the monster summoning the class can do otherwise.

[ArqArturo]

The Summoner is pretty interesting, but I can't shake the feeling that I'm some sort of Pokemon master.

The Orale is also pretty cool, especially because you have the curses. It's been a while to see a class feature that is detrimental/funny. The one I find hilarious (both as a DM, and as a player) is the Haunted curse. Funny when the spirits start playing with all mugs, bottles, jars and any other containers in a table.

If you don't like the Vancian casting system, you could try out the Words of Power. Sure, it's a little strange to get to, and some spells don't go easy, but it's pretty fun with the spells you can weave.

[Psyren]

Alchemist is probably the most interesting to me - you can gish, you can blast, you can skillmonkey, you can control, you can heal, basically there's a build and/or archetype for just about every role you can think of.

If what you really want is something that plays like the Binder, there is a 3rd-Party pact-making class called the Occultist (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/3rd-party-classes/radiance-house/occultist). I've read it pretty in-depth and it's quite good - it captures the Binder's flavor well, is quite solidly T3, and it's totally free to boot.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Check out the link in my sig if you want to learn more about Words of Power. Certainly alters Vancian casting and gives you some unique options.

The PF gish-in-a-can, the Magus from Ultimate Magic, has some interesting things going for it. It plays a lot differently than the 3.5 Duskblade, and there's some fun archetypes for it as well.

[137beth]

Also interesting is the Occultist (3rd party, but available on the pfsrd) which essentially updates pact magic from ToM, but all the vestiges are new.

[DementedFellow]

I think Summoner has some genuinely neat mechanics and the Eidolons are both simple to build, but can require some degree of thought. And you are rewarded for the amount of thought put into it. That's the hallmark of a good mechanic, imho.

The Witch's hexes are kinda neat to me as well, just because they fit so well with the archetype of a witch so well.

[ArqArturo]

Oh, and the Inquisitor is also pretty cool when you want to do a character like the Witcher (whom I'm guessing is more of a Ranger/Inquisitor).

[Psyren]

Also interesting is the Occultist (3rd party, but available on the pfsrd) which essentially updates pact magic from ToM, but all the vestiges are new.

Yeah, I had suggested that :smalltongue:

But to reiterate, the Occultist is a lot of fun. I liked what I read in the SRD so much that I bought the book; the new "vestiges" are pretty neat, plus the archetypes are pretty cool as well. I'm thinking of writing a handbook on the class.

[Sajiri]

I personally really like magus, though I've been interested in trying out summoner and oracle as well.

[Squirrel_Dude]

My vote would be for the alchemist or magus.

[CigarPete]

The Oracle is very flavorful and can be tailored to whatever role you want to fill. The curses provide loads of RP value if used well, I've got a 7th level deaf Battle Oracle in my current campaign, and his deafness is a constant source of shenanigans.

[Grod_The_Giant]

Hmm. So far the Summoner and Alchemist look the most promising (I don't know if I can use third party stuff). Oracle and Magus look cool, but, well, divine casters and gishes were both common in 3.5...

[Karoht]

Interesting?
2 levels of Ninja
6 levels Soundstriker Bard with Wordcasting variant.
For stats you want a Dex around 14 and a Charisma as high as you can manage.
Play a Gnome, take Bewildering Koan (3rd level feat) and buff up your Bluff. Get a MC item to buff your Bluff. I recommend a cool hat.
Take the feat Taunt so you can Intimidate with your Bluff skill, and ignore size penalties.
Weird Words is a very very painful thing to attack with every round, even without. Hit flat footed touch AC's and deliver Sneak Attack damage for even more pain.
If you don't take Wordcasting, your first second level spell should be Blistering Invective (Intimidate people with your high Bluff and light them on fire). They get a save to not catch on fire.
If you gain any levels, your first one should be a third level of Ninja (2D6 Sneak) and if you gain one after that, take the PrC Deep Sea Pirate (3D6 Sneak).
Ninja Tricks should be either Vanish (as a Swift, or just take the 1st level spell Vanish, your choice), or Smoke Bomb. Combo that up with the Rogue Talent Snap Shot (lets you use a ranged attack on the surprise round, throw a Smoke Bomb offensively or defensively)
If you can get 8K gold, buy a Goz Mask so you can see through your own Smoke Bombs, very handy for setting up flat footed targets for Weird Words to decimate. If you chose Vanish over Smoke Bomb, buy a wand of Obscuring Mist (if you can afford it and the Goz Mask).

[HylianKnight]

The Summoner is pretty interesting, but I can't shake the feeling that I'm some sort of Pokemon master.

That would be the Preservationist Alchemist archetype from UM.
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/alchemist/archetypes/paizo---alchemist-archetypes/preservationist

[Psyren]

That would be the Preservationist Alchemist archetype from UM.
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/alchemist/archetypes/paizo---alchemist-archetypes/preservationist

Don't forget Planar Preservationist, which gives them the Summon Monster list as well. ("I choose you!")

Note further that extracts are standard actions to use.

[BTB]

Alchemist and summoner get my votes, though summoner tend to make your martials feel bad. If you dip into 3rd party, and a massive fan of the Tinker class. I haven't guaged it's power, but it works on a similar idea as summoner, and is really fun to play with. (Not to mention complex as hell.)

[ArqArturo]

Alchemist and summoner get my votes, though summoner tend to make your martials feel bad. If you dip into 3rd party, and a massive fan of the Tinker class. I haven't guaged it's power, but it works on a similar idea as summoner, and is really fun to play with. (Not to mention complex as hell.)

Funny thing, with your summoner, you can actually build a warrior as your eidolon (train him with armor, weapons, make him medium. Stuff like that), but yes, it makes the frontliners to question themselves.

[Grod_The_Giant]

That would be the Preservationist Alchemist archetype from UM.
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/alchemist/archetypes/paizo---alchemist-archetypes/preservationist


Don't forget Planar Preservationist, which gives them the Summon Monster list as well. ("I choose you!")

Note further that extracts are standard actions to use.
Hahaha, that's fantastic.

[Segev]

Not sure how (un)official you're willing to go, but the psionics stuff in Psi Unleashed is an interesting expansion to what 3.5 offered.

Frankly, the Sorcerer actually is rather interesting to me, now, just because of the interesting implications of Bloodline mechanics. I wonder how many fan-bloodlines are out there.



I have been saddened that nothing like the Warlock or Dragonfire Adept (invocation-using classes) have been introduced to PF. I know PF gives all 0th level spells as at-wills, which is a step in that direction on nearly every caster, but it's still not quite the same.

[Slipperychicken]

Not sure how (un)official you're willing to go, but the psionics stuff in Psi Unleashed is an interesting expansion to what 3.5 offered.


I haven't looked at PF psionics, but you could also port psionics mechanics over from 3.5.

You could also look into other 3.5 subsystems like Initiator/ToB mechanics. I feel that was a step in the right direction, allowing characters to transcend the game's assumed pacing.

[Kudaku]

[...]the bog-standard Vancian casting/full attacking classes are kind of boring[...]

Personally I think the Magus is a very interesting class, but really that's a combination of a vancian casting class and a full attacking class - YMMV.

Summoners and Alchemists should be right up your alley - plenty of new mechanics to take into consideration and my alchemist-playing friend giggles like a schoolgirl every time he brings out his bomb AoE template.

[HylianKnight]

If you do a Summoner, just go over it with your DM first. The class works so differently from other classes and thus such a large learning curve that I know many DMs snap-ban it because of their unfamiliarity with it and the class's very high power potential. Further complicated because of the trend of people making broken builds that turn out not to work because of rule X, but your DM probably won't be able to make those calls.

[Karoht]

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=184592
Really good summoner guide.

[Deathkeeper]

I love me some Magi and Inquisitors. Summoners are fun, too.
Going into 3rd party, I like PF's Soulknife a lot, and there are many other classes on the srd. While plenty fall flat in my opinion, others seem pretty cool, like the Death Mage.

[Gorfnod]

But to reiterate, the Occultist is a lot of fun. I liked what I read in the SRD so much that I bought the book....

This is exactly what happened to me. Liked what I saw online so much that I just had to have it in print. As a Binder lover, the Occultist is an absolutely beautiful PF class. In fact there is a project somewhere on the boards that is converting lots if not all of the ToM Binder vestiges over to the Occultist.


.....I'm thinking of writing a handbook on the class.

This would be AWESOME. I absolutely loved your PF Soulknife handbook.

[Psyren]

This would be AWESOME. I absolutely loved your PF Soulknife handbook.

Your wish is my command :smallbiggrin:

No idea when I'll finish, but I actually started a write-up and I'm through the 3rd-level vestiges spirits now. Muse Istago is insane - free at-will Simulacrum as a standard action anyone? And Hessant basically gives you Phantasmal Killer at 1st-level targeting Ref instead of Will.