New Character Review - Pathfinder. Feedback and Suggesstions are needed

[thematgreen]

Hello everyone,

I would very much like opinions on the character I have created for a Rise of the Runelords campaign I am joining.

What I would like, via feedback, is a review on what I can do to improve him. I can hear teeth grinding and hair being pulled out at the weird party comp and my odd choices, and I accept that.

The Group: (Not the most optimized, oh well :smallbiggrin:)
Me
Whirlwind Fighter
A bard of some sort
A Cat Person archer of some sort
A cleric of some type
A shapeshifting druid, maybe.
2 other people who haven't decided what to play.


The Theme:
Jegan is the face of the group. He met up with the fighter (My wife) a few years before the campaign and has tagged along regardless of what the fighter does to get rid of Jegan. He doesn't like to fight, doesn't enjoy others fighting, but accepts that fights happen. His goal is to either vanish or just disable anything that comes at him so he can get behind his teammates and hide until the fighting is over. Out of fighting he charms people with his winning personality, letting glib lies fall from his lips and trying to magically compel anyone who doesn't believe him. He doesn't use his abilities to steal and is, maybe more than the rest of the group, a good guy who just wants to do the right thing and help others.

The guy:
Name: Jegan
Race: Fetchling
Class: Sorcerer - Shadow Bloodline
Level: 7

Languages:
Common, Undercommon, Dwarven, Elven, Goblin, Orc, Giant, Abyssal, Infernal

Stats:
Str: 10
Dex: 18 (17 + level bonus)
Con: 15
Int: 14
Wis: 10
Cha: 18

Main skills:
Bluff: 18
Linguistics: 9
Sense Motive: 11
Stealth: 13

Race Abilities:
Dark Vision: 60 ft (90 with bloodline)
Low Light Vision
Emissary: Rll twice for Bluff/Diplomacy, take best result 1x day
Shadowy Resistance: Cold/Electric 5
SLA: Disguise Self 1x Day

Traits:
Fast Talker: +1 to Bluff, Becomes class skill

Suspicious: +1 to Sense Motive, Becomes class skill

Bloodline:
Shadow
Darkvision increased by 30 ft
Shadow Sstrike

Favored Class: +1 to Cold or Elec resist per 2 levels.

Feats:
Eschew Materials
Skill Focus: Bluff
Meta Magic: Extend Spell
Meta Magic: Silent Spell

I am considering changing the Meta Magic abilities out for the following:

Persuasive: Benefit:
You get a +2 bonus on Diplomacy and Intimidate skill checks. If you have 10 or more ranks in one of these skills, the bonus increases to +4 for that skill.

Rhetorical Flourish:
Benefit: When using the Diplomacy skill to make a request or change a creature's attitude, you can use verbal misdirection. To do so, make a Bluff check against that creature. If you succeed, you gain a +4 bonus on your next Diplomacy check against that creature if the check is made within the next minute. If you fail by 5 or more, you instead take a –2 penalty on your next Diplomacy check against that creature.

Alternatively, you can use this feat to retry a single failed Diplomacy check against a creature. You take a –4 penalty on your Bluff check when using Rhetorical Flourish in this way. If you succeed, rather than gaining this feat's normal bonus, you can retry your last Diplomacy check against the creature if that check was made in the past minute.




Gear:
Ring of Sustanance
Boots of Levitation
Hat of Disguise
Necklace of Adaptation
Sleeves of Many Garments
Handy Haversack

Weapons/Armor:
None


Spells:

Level 0:
Detect Magic
Ghost Sound
Mage Hand
Prestidigitation
Mending
Open/Close
Read Magic

Level 1:
Charm person
Unseen Servant
Mount
Silent Image
Vanish

Level 2:
Euphoric Cloud
Unnatural Lust
Mad Hallucination

Level 3:
Glibness (Already confirmed with DM)
Suggestion

Thank you so much in advance.

[Abd al-Azrad]

Well with an 8-player group, it's obviously fine to be very specialized. You will want some way to stand out, and filling a particular niche very well, like diplomancy / mind magics, is certainly something every group needs. I won't critique that decision much, beyond a basic reminder that you'll probably want to make sure to step back and / or push other party members forward, at least once per session, during non-combat or RP-heavy times. Just to make sure the game doesn't turn off for the rest of your players outside of combat, and turn off for you during combat.

In terms of your build itself, I feel you've gone a little too heavily into Single-Target, Will Negates, Save-or-Lose spells. I know they all do subtly different things, and sometimes one is the perfect tool for a job that another can't quite replicate. But with Charm Person AND Suggestion AND Unnatural Lust AND Mad Hallucination, you've basically devoted 40% of your limited spell slots to achieving one thing - neutralizing one low-Will enemy. I don't really think either of the 2nd-level choices are terribly good, considering you've got an in-combat option (Suggestion) and a non-combat option (Charm Person) to perform this function.

I'd suggest swapping these both out for more versatile spell choices. My first thought would be Summon Monster II (which combos wonderfully with Silent Image - your foes will more readily believe you can make a Fiendish Dire Tiger appear on their flank if you've already done similar earlier in the fight) and some Reflex-save attack, like Web. Both can play to your philosophy that combat may be inevitable, but is still undesirable, and both give you far more versatility than another two attacks to bring down an enemy fighter.

[thematgreen]

Well with an 8-player group, it's obviously fine to be very specialized. You will want some way to stand out, and filling a particular niche very well, like diplomancy / mind magics, is certainly something every group needs. I won't critique that decision much, beyond a basic reminder that you'll probably want to make sure to step back and / or push other party members forward, at least once per session, during non-combat or RP-heavy times. Just to make sure the game doesn't turn off for the rest of your players outside of combat, and turn off for you during combat.

In terms of your build itself, I feel you've gone a little too heavily into Single-Target, Will Negates, Save-or-Lose spells. I know they all do subtly different things, and sometimes one is the perfect tool for a job that another can't quite replicate. But with Charm Person AND Suggestion AND Unnatural Lust AND Mad Hallucination, you've basically devoted 40% of your limited spell slots to achieving one thing - neutralizing one low-Will enemy. I don't really think either of the 2nd-level choices are terribly good, considering you've got an in-combat option (Suggestion) and a non-combat option (Charm Person) to perform this function.

I'd suggest swapping these both out for more versatile spell choices. My first thought would be Summon Monster II (which combos wonderfully with Silent Image - your foes will more readily believe you can make a Fiendish Dire Tiger appear on their flank if you've already done similar earlier in the fight) and some Reflex-save attack, like Web. Both can play to your philosophy that combat may be inevitable, but is still undesirable, and both give you far more versatility than another two attacks to bring down an enemy fighter.

The spells are for sure a little too focused on one trick and I for sure want to change that up.

Web, how good is it throughout the game? Do monsters start shrugging it off eventually? Also, I would like to avoid any summon spells or anything that can directly cause damage, are there any alternatives?

[Abd al-Azrad]

Well you could pick up the Summon Good Monster feat, or just order your summons to inflict nonlethal damage.

Glitterdust is a fine, area-effect Will save-or-lose with a nice utility bonus as well. You could make that into your Will save combat spell. Honestly, I've got a 16th-level caster going who is still firing off Persistent Glitterdusts in combat as his basic attack.

2nd level spells are among the better ones for defenses. Mirror Image, Blur, Invisibility, all solid buffs that keep you alive.

I would be willing to say that yes, Web will retain its utility throughout the game. Even if foes are able to make the Reflex save, it still creates difficult terrain with a scaling Escape Artist or CMD DC to cross, and it can provide cover or total cover. It's not an automatic win, but it's great for keeping goons from approaching or targeting you.

[thematgreen]

Well you could pick up the Summon Good Monster feat, or just order your summons to inflict nonlethal damage.

Glitterdust is a fine, area-effect Will save-or-lose with a nice utility bonus as well. You could make that into your Will save combat spell. Honestly, I've got a 16th-level caster going who is still firing off Persistent Glitterdusts in combat as his basic attack.

2nd level spells are among the better ones for defenses. Mirror Image, Blur, Invisibility, all solid buffs that keep you alive.

I would be willing to say that yes, Web will retain its utility throughout the game. Even if foes are able to make the Reflex save, it still creates difficult terrain with a scaling Escape Artist or CMD DC to cross, and it can provide cover or total cover. It's not an automatic win, but it's great for keeping goons from approaching or targeting you.

I keep hearing about the virtues of Glitterdust, but I don't get it. I don't mind changing it in, and I forgot about Blur (Creating a character while also at work makes me addled).

Combat-wise, the character doesn't even want to have summons fight. He wants 0 to do with combat besides messing with peoples heads so he can get away, or can get them to stop trying to stab him long enough to get them to fall under his bluff and diplomacy skills.

[Abd al-Azrad]

I keep hearing about the virtues of Glitterdust, but I don't get it.

It's an area attack, that automatically reveals invisible creatures so your party can kill them - so basically Communal See Invisibility. It gives affected creatures a -40 penalty to Stealth checks. Plus, all enemies within the area must make a Will save or go blind.

These are the problems a blinded enemy must deal with, while your team is trying to kill them.

"It takes a –2 penalty to Armor Class, loses its Dexterity bonus to AC (if any), and takes a –4 penalty on most Strength- and Dexterity-based skill checks and on opposed Perception skill checks. All checks and activities that rely on vision (such as reading and Perception checks based on sight) automatically fail. All opponents are considered to have total concealment (50% miss chance) against the blinded character. Blind creatures must make a DC 10 Acrobatics skill check to move faster than half speed. Creatures that fail this check fall prone."

Yes, they get saves every round, at the end of their turn (so, wasting a turn) to remove the blindness. This occurs individually for each enemy affected, so you'll generally manage to keep a few baddies nigh incapacitated for long enough to turn the tables on any fight.

Glitterdust is an extremely powerful, multi-use spell which can by itself turn a difficult encounter into a nearly effortless win. Pump the DC, reduce the enemy's Will saves, or slap a nice metamagic effect (like Persistent Spell!) onto it, and it stays relevant into mid- to high-levels.