[PF] Arcane Warrior?

[forsaken1111]

I'm looking to make a new character for a level 1 Pathfinder campaign set in Eberron. I'd someone who can cast spells and still fight in close combat, a mage/fighter gish type, but we are restricted to Pathfinder core/eberron.

Really I'm just soliciting general advice, not asking anyone to make the character for me. Is the Eldritch Knight a good mark to shoot for? Would Transmutation school be a good selection for a wizard/fighter multiclass to boost my strength? Any way to negate the casting penalties from armor on a budget, or any better way to defend myself than wearing armor?

I'm experienced with 3.5 somewhat but not so much with pathfinder and as I said we're restricted to Pathfinder's core book and anything specific to eberron.

[Hunter Noventa]

If you weren't limited to Pathfinder Core book only, you'd want to play a Magus, which is exactly what you want and does it far better than an Eldritch Knight would.

However, limited as you are it's not the best idea. In Pathfinder Core there are no rules I know of to negate spell failure from armor, other than wearing a Mithril Chain Shirt and Mithril Buckler, which gets you some armor without any ACF, but are a bit pricy at lower levels.

Transmutation is a strong school, but don't overlook the value of every other school. if you're going to be in combat you might want to take advantage of some of the nasty touch spells in Necromancy, or being able to call up a flanking buddy with a Summon spell.

Since the fastest entry into Eldritch Knight means being a Wizard, you don't have all the limitations you might otherwise have when it comes to your spell selection.

You might honestly be able to better in melee as an Artificer, which is an Eberron-specific class, but I don't know how your group might be updating it to fit into the PF rules. However a Meleeficer is totally doable. This guide (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=r83j84qbl17f34mfvd7r40rv32&topic=2829) will tell you everything you need to know to build an effective artificer in 3.5, and has a section dedicated to a Meleeficer build.

[forsaken1111]

Thanks! That Meleeficer build looks pretty interesting.

Yeah the PF core restriction really cuts down the options. Which book is the Magus in? I'll see if I can poke the DM into allowing it, or at least allowing it later on.

[Arc_knight25]

That kinda sucks. If I were you I would plead your case to use the Magus from Ultimate Magic. It's exactly what you want to use. Other then that if your limited to core. Sorc/Pally for sure number of spells and the Cha stacks nicely. Bard/Pally if you want to play more of a support role.

Again plead with your DM for the use of a Magus.

[Kudaku]

The magus is published in Ultimate Magic, but it can also be found online for free at the fan-driven PFSRD (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/magus#TOC-Table-Magus-Archetypes-Alternate-Class-Features) or Paizo's own PRD (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/ultimateMagic/spellcasters/magus.html). Personally I prefer the PFSRD since it's better at compliling information, but the PRD is the "official" supplement.

And yes, the magus is exactly what you're looking for.

[forsaken1111]

I'll make a case for the Magus. Its possible he'll allow me to do an 'apprentice' magus as a wizard and then convert to Magus later when he is comfortable with more classes and class options.

The issue is that we have two members of the group who are very new to pen and paper gaming in general so he has restricted the options somewhat to keep it from being overwhelming. While I understand that, its torture to have such a perfectly themed class out of reach.

[Nihilarian]

Since you're allowed Eberron material you may also want to take a look at the Knight Phantom (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20050706a&page=4).

[HylianKnight]

Magus is an awesome, well-balanced class that your DM shouldn't be afraid of, especially if you're restricted in usable materials (Dervish Dance feat, I'm looking at you).

Eldritch Knight certainly isn't bad if you have to go that route, just less than ideal from level 1. There are some pretty good guides for it. Wizard/Fighter is the standard, but Paladin/Sorcerer is super synergistic and you don't have to pay for your spells when you level in EK.

The second prestige option is a Dragon Disciple. Sorcerer 5/ DD 8 is a very strong character, although you can do more creative entries depending how much you want to focus on Martial over Spellcasting (I once played in a campaign with a friend who did Fighter 4/Bard 1 into Dragon Disciple).

Speaking of Bard, if your DM is strict on only being comfortable with the Core 11 classes, inquire about the Archetypes. Small collections of alternate class features that subtly affect the classes in question. The Advanced Players Guide gives the Bard an Arcane Duelist archetype which is very good to this style of play (and a creative entry to dip into DD as well).

If you're stuck in Core though, here are the main feats to keep in mind:
Combat Casting is pretty huge because concentration is a caster-level check now, not a skill, so you need any help you can if you want to blast someone from 5 feet away.
Arcane Strike isn't the best feat in the world, but it's super cool and supports a Core-only GISH.
Arcane Armor Training. Praise the gods, at the cost of a swift action (so no quickened spells for you) you get to reduce your spell failure chance in armor by 10%. Arcane Armor Mastery makes it 20%. This is huge for any GISH that's not a bard or magus (those classes get to ignore failure chance automatically as class features).

That's everything I can think of, good luck!

[Gabe the Bard]

Going straight bard wouldn't necessary be a terrible option. Bards have become a bit more survivable compared to 3.5, getting d8 hit dice instead of d6.

There are also some sorcerer bloodlines that give you good bonuses for a melee build, like the Abyssal bloodline which gives you claw attacks in the beginning and strength bonuses at higher levels. Mage Armor, Shield, and the Dodge/Toughness feats at 1st level can make you a bit of a tank, at least for the first couple of levels.

If you don't care what kind of spells you are casting, then a ranger or paladin would just let you cast divine spells and give you a stronger martial character.

[Corlindale]

I play a Sorceror 5/Dragon Disciple 1 in our current Core only game. It's been great fun so far.

Of course there are other DD builds that would be more optimized for combat, but I really love the fact that I can beat stuff up or sling spells depending on what the situation calls for, so I wanted to lose as few caster levels as possible.

I focused on pumping Strength rather than Charisma. The logic is that I can still use spells with no saves to full effect even with mid-range Cha, but I wouldn't be able to fight well without good Strength.