Favorite "Caster" class. (3.5 & Pathfinder)

[malonkey1]

Hey guy, I was curious. There are all sorts of classes with magical powers resembling spells, but aren't quite "spellcasters", per se. (e.g. Shadowcasters, Warlocks, etc.)

Which one is your favorite?

My personal favorite is the Warlock, just because it eschews the limited spells/day of other casters. Being immune to counterspells is a plus.

[Bad Wolf]

I'd say Shadowcaster, for all its flavour.

[DEMON]

Does Arcane Swordsage count, or shall we not mention that anywhere around DnD related forums?

Other than that, or any "real" ToB class, it's Warlock, but that's most likely only because I have no experience with ToM and only minimal experience with MoI.

[Phelix-Mu]

I'm quickly warming up to incarnate, but first I have to specify getting rid of the awful "soul energy" fluff. I don't want radioactive souls or all the strangeness that emerges from some uses of souls being explicitly evil, except for anything from this book, which can even be good!

[heavyfuel]

Does Factotum count? Technically they're spell-like abilities.

If not, then Telflammar Shadowlord. I've never had the opportunity to play one, but I've want to for the longest time.

[sideswipe]

truenamer for fluff

[Rickshaw]

Hands down the scarred witch doctor (witch) in pf. Never before have I played such a psychotic character xD

[Extra Anchovies]

truenamer for fluff

Admittedly, I'll have to second this one. Incarnate would be my first choice if it had average BAB and 4+int skills, but as it is I'll never play one outside of Gestalt. Second place goes to Binder.

[Pex]

Oracle

I can finally play a "cleric" as I've always wanted to. I tend to only prepare the same spells anyway. Now I can spam them and have class features that do cool stuff.

Edited for clarification:

Different cleric/oracle characters will have different spells prepared/known based on choice of tactics I want to use and character personality, but for the character I'm playing at that time I will tend to only have the same spells each game day. Playing clerics it was rare that I would change a spell prepared.

[A Tad Insane]

Binder, because it pulls of "occultist" in a world where wizards are a gold piece a dozen

[malonkey1]

Hands down the scarred witch doctor (witch) in pf. Never before have I played such a psychotic character xD


Oracle

I can finally play a "cleric" as I've always wanted to. I tend to only prepare the same spells anyway. Now I can spam them and have class features that do cool stuff.

Well, both of those are still spellcaster classes in the traditional sense.

[EisenKreutzer]

Does the Soulnife count? I always liked that class.

Also the Aegis from Ultimate Psionics is an awesome class.

[Pex]

Well, both of those are still spellcaster classes in the traditional sense.

Ahh.

Oops, misinterpreted question.

:smalleek:

[ThisIsZen]

Shadowcasters for me. I really like the fluff, but the actual way that a lot of the Mysteries work is also really neat.

[Amphetryon]

Totemist. It's a fun 'build your own monster' pseudocaster.

[Raven777]

It's a boring answer but I really like PF's take on Sorcerers. I always preferred Sorcerers to Wizards in concept, anyway. A Sorcerer's force of will makes reality bend over backwards. Wizards just learn the cheat codes from old scrolls. Plus, the Charisma means a Sorcerer can really, really ham it up to eleven and get away with it.

EDIT : Aaaand I crit failed on reading the OP. So to answer properly, I like the Alchemist. Because Vivisectionists going full on multi-armed backstabbing monstrosity are badass.

[questionmark693]

I dunno if this counts...but I think spellfire wielder is a really cool concept, if a bit mechanically underwhelming.

[Gwendol]

Truenamer, if anything for the capstone.

[Leviting]

Does Magus (bladebound) count? If not, probably the aegis.

[Jeff the Green]

I like Warblade. **ducks**

Okay, okay, I'll be serious. I'm rather fond of Shadowcaster if you use the author's fix, as well as Truenamers if you completely overhaul it like Kyeudo et al. did.


I'm quickly warming up to incarnate, but first I have to specify getting rid of the awful "soul energy" fluff. I don't want radioactive souls or all the strangeness that emerges from some uses of souls being explicitly evil, except for anything from this book, which can even be good!

You could use the FR fluff (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/frcc/20070808): It's related to Heavy Magic. (As I understand it, normal magic is sort of like neutrinos—everywhere but not interacting with anything except in special circumstances. Heavy Magic is like if you could take neutrinos, slow them down, and stick them in jello.) Or my world's fluff, that it's raw magical energy reacting to the meldshaper's soul, which I just realized looks like a lot like I cribbed it from that article.

[Kane0]

Toss up between warlock and binder.

Warlock I find very comfortable to my playstyle and I like the fluff, but binder dovetails in so nicely i cant mention one without the other. That and as stated above it pulls off the 'occult' or 'unconventional' much more naturally than a wizard or sorcerer.

[Spore]

Summoner or as I would call it: "Build your own monster and let your actual character be its sidekick." This is why I prefer the Master Summoner Archetype halfling its Eidolon progression and pulling a lot more summoned monsters. It's not that I dislike the eidolon but I feel pulling so much away from the actual character hurts me.

The spell list is decent for a PF only game, the eidolon outshines most T4 und T5 classes if dedicated, the summons are great in a pinch and the character fits in nearly every adventuring party.

[Forrestfire]

Amusingly, I like summoner for the exact opposite reason; playing someone whose combat power is based on having a bigger fish to summon is great. If only the summoner had archetypes that gutted summon monster and gave it something else.

On topic: truenamer for fluff and that lovely capstone. Binder for actual play.

[Psyren]

Occultist (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/3rd-party-classes/radiance-house/occultist) is probably my favorite noncaster-caster. (Hey, I had to have liked it to sink that many hours into a handbook.) It particularly like that it is much better at feeling like a caster than the Binder managed to do, especially once you stir in the volume 2 vestiges. (http://alharadnd.wikidot.com/occultist-spirits)

I'm also a big fan of the Vizier from Akashic Mysteries. I guess I'm a sucker for a remix.