Creating First PF1 Character - Suggestions/Reccomendations?

[Phhase]

Hiya all. As per title, I've joined a Pathfinder game. It's a pirate campaign, and I'm thinking of playing a sort of faceless infiltrator-style character, with a bit of vigilantism and face-ing in there. Here's what I've currently thought of:

>Half-elf with the racial feature swaps Ancestral Weapon (Exotic Weapon Weapon Proficiency - Bladed Scarf) and Child of the Sea
Child of the Sea gives me some crucial skills I'll need at sea. And the bladed scarf is just cool. And perfect for a signature trademark weapon.

>Starting with Cryptic 1, Distorter Archetype
I see the first Distorter power being extremely key to my strategy of being The Spy from Team Fortress 2. You can look like almost anything. If Autohypnosis could be used to memorize someone's appearance, it might also have strong synergy with this feature. I also like psionics in general, but don't know what powers I should pick. I'm thinking a maybe on Ectoplasmic Trinket since it can explicitly be used to create tools.

>Without a Past and either Trustworthy or Clever Wordplay as traits
Not sure which of the latter two to pick, but Diplomacy and Bluff will surely be critical.

Thoughts? This is the first I've used Pathfinder, despite having read a bunch of 3.5 material back in the day, so I'm still getting my bearings. I'm also a bit hmm about the first feat I ought to pick. I want Weapon Finesse for the Scarf so I can dump Strength and increase Dex. I like the look and feel of Cloak Dance, but it seems a bit ehh.

[Particle_Man]

Does the change of appearance from distorted extend to clothing? Or could people know it is you if they know to look for the bladed scarf that you favour?

[Rynjin]

Cryptics are a solid class overall, it's a good time. Since your GM is allowing Dreamscarred press matrial (the Cryptic is one fo their classes), make sure to take Deadly Agility (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/alternative-rule-systems/path-of-war/feats/deadly-agility-combat/) so you cna dd Dex to your damage as well as attack rolls.

Is this a homebrew pirate campaign, or are you guys running through the Skull and Shackles adventure path?

If the latter, I'll warn you that the disguise ability will be of dubious usefulness. There is not a lot of social interaction in the first 4/6 books of that entire AP.

[Kurald Galain]

make sure to take Deadly Agility (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/alternative-rule-systems/path-of-war/feats/deadly-agility-combat/) so you cna dd Dex to your damage as well as attack rolls.

Alternatively (if you're feat-starved), get a weapon with the Agile enchantment, which does the same thing.

[Rynjin]

Alternatively (if you're feat-starved), get a weapon with the Agile enchantment, which does the same thing.

A definite option; I always have a bias against being gear reliant.

[Phhase]

Does the change of appearance from distorted extend to clothing? Or could people know it is you if they know to look for the bladed scarf that you favour?
It doesn't say it doesn't, and it does seems pretty powerful. It has the same Disguise bonus as Disguise Self, and does state that your new form doesn't grant you special abilities, even if it seems like it would, which says to me there's a good bit of leeway. That aside, I was thinking about keeping the scarf on as part of the disguise sometimes. Not to give away that it's me...but to cast into doubt my existence all together. What if it's just a cursed scarf, possessing the next person to kill and claim it from the last owner? I think that's a pretty cool way of founding a Weapon of Legacy. But that's a far future concern.

Cryptics are a solid class overall, it's a good time. Since your GM is allowing Dreamscarred press matrial (the Cryptic is one fo their classes), make sure to take Deadly Agility (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/alternative-rule-systems/path-of-war/feats/deadly-agility-combat/) so you cna dd Dex to your damage as well as attack rolls.

Is this a homebrew pirate campaign, or are you guys running through the Skull and Shackles adventure path?

If the latter, I'll warn you that the disguise ability will be of dubious usefulness. There is not a lot of social interaction in the first 4/6 books of that entire AP.
Oh geez, does weapon finesse not already do that? Damn, two feat tax just to use my weapon better. Eh, comes with the territory I guess. I kinda do want to pick up a level of Elocator for flight and t-posing at some point, which might add more to the crowded feat pool. I hope I can take psionic feats someday. I think the DM might be reading that adventure path, and just cannibalizing it for parts rather than running it wholesale. They did say the face would be a necessary role.

Alternatively (if you're feat-starved), get a weapon with the Agile enchantment, which does the same thing.
Noted, thanks.

[Rynjin]

Oh geez, does weapon finesse not already do that? Damn, two feat tax just to use my weapon better. Eh, comes with the territory I guess.


Without 3rd party material, it usually requires at least three Feats (Weapon Focus added on) and sometimes skill ranks in Perform: Dance to use Dex to damage with just a few specific weapons (one weapon per Feat, mind you), so Deadly Agility is a steal by comparison.

Dex to damage also kind deserves a bit of a Feat tax, given it is easier to optimize a Dex SAD character than a Str based one in some ways. It's just too expensive in base Pathfinder. It helps/hurts that many people use some variant of the Elephant in the Room Feat tax rules which universally give Weapon Finesse (and some other staples like Power Attack, Combat Expertise) to every character for free.