The 42nd Gecko

Outlaws of Varisia Pathfinder Campaign Interest Check

Wait, so we're allowed to roll, but if we roll above 20 pt buy, we have to use 20 pt buy, and if we rolled below we get to use 20 pt buy.. Because one person was unhappy? :/

Dungeon Keepers

Hmm... So I mentioned a plague thing in my initial post, would it be cool for me to say that the source was one of Ripper's meteors and get my hands on it when the Emperor of Peace cures the plague?

Outlaws of Varisia Pathfinder Campaign Interest Check

Ah, I misread your statement. I thought we were talking about overpowering NPCs shutting down mechanics, not new quests.

I am not fond of the. "The CR 20 creatures shows up and tells you he'll kill you if you keep casting haste." "Is there anything I can do to convince you otherwise seeing I can't hope to fight you?" "Nope."

Outlaws of Varisia Pathfinder Campaign Interest Check

Eh, I was talking more like an event where a crumbling dungeon means the players need to keep moving and can't full attack. (Except, for that example, the speed boost still rocks.)

Having a bunch of NPCs decide to hose you for using a plain game mechanic seems like the relationship between the players and the GM is adversarial. I'm fine with 90% of the fights being formulaic cakewalks. Means everyone doesn't have to pick the absolute best classes and options in order to be a part of the action.

Outlaws of Varisia Pathfinder Campaign Interest Check

Personally, I like doing the old "roll down the line" where you don't pick which score goes in which stat, and you have to figure out a character and a class that fits the scores you rolled.

Outlaws of Varisia Pathfinder Campaign Interest Check

You'll note the one at 36 points also chose to be a monk who multiclasses into a casting class. I think I've got the power discrepancy handled, except that my build has a spike at level 2.

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Yes, I've seen a GM change things up once or twice to shake things up, but generally, the meat and potatoes fights progress the same, with one or two fights like that per adventure. Generally, Haste is your best buddy.

Outlaws of Varisia Pathfinder Campaign Interest Check

Spell Focus helps all your evocation, and as a crossblooded Sorcerer, let's be honest, you're going to have a lot of evocation. Spell Specialization means a lot more for a Sorcerer as you're going to need that CL for penetrating SR and dealing 11 extra damage average on your d6 per CL aoe spells.

Remember, my point is not that sorcerers are better than wizards in general, just that they can function at the same level for helping the party (I can cast haste and dispel and glitterdust, and that is 95% of what my party needs from me) And they have different things they can do better than the wizard. They are better blasters. Having a blaster is not necessary, but can be a fun role to play, and you can still function as good enough. You won't be as good as a Wizard overall, but not all spellcasters from fiction should be intelligent researchers of Arcana. Some of them should be troubled youth granted powers beyond their control. Or whatever else you can fluff a sorcerer into as opposed to a wizard.

Outlaws of Varisia Pathfinder Campaign Interest Check

"Personally I think that when you decide what class you want to play before you decide what kind of personality you want your character to have, you're doing roleplaying wrong."

Good thing I didn't do that then.

I specifically chose a weaker class because it fit the flavor of my character more! Imagine that.

Outlaws of Varisia Pathfinder Campaign Interest Check

Crossblooded +2 damage per Die
1d4 damage per Cl.

Human, Spell Focus - Spell Specialization (which is not a dumb pick because you can move the Specialization to a new spell on even levels... Aka, the levels Sorcerers get new spell levels)
That's Caster Level 3 for an average of 3 x 4.5 (the average 1d4+2) That's 13.5 damage, which is enough to kill any non boss in a level one module on a failed save, and still enough to kill most low HP grunts that are likely to be in swarms at level one (kobolds, goblins, so forth, generally have 5 HP or less) on a succeeded save.

And, just for fun, if it's a one off or you expect you need a boost, drop a trait for another CL (aka, another 4.5 damage) on it. You now make the Wizard look like an inept moron when he casts he save or sucks to disable half the enemies, and you cast your save and still die to disable all the enemies.

If you're worried about your long term viability, don't, because you're a caster. By the time this little gimmick loses its charm at the mid levels, you're a caster with multiple spell levels. You can cast haste on your party at the beginning of 90% of your fights and that will literally be all your team needs*. Then have fun rolling a flaming sphere around or something.

*Assuming the party has a competently built Gunslinger, Two handed Barbarian, or Bow user to chunk out massive damage with that haste. The other 10% are when you need to cast glitterdust to reveal invisible enemies or fireball to kill a weapon immune swarm.

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In final comment, Wizards are awesome. Sorcerers are not as good, but they still have a few fun gimmicks, and I have yet to meet a single GM who has ever required more strategy out of his casters than "did you cast haste in a normal fight/glitterdust vs invisibles/fireballs vs swarms".

Which is why Summoners WRECK both wizards and sorcerers because of early haste, combined with creature summoning and better defense.

Generally, after a certain point of party power is reached (do we have a good martial character and a haster? Add in a healer if we're expected to marathon.), all the extra cool things, say, wizards can do that sorcerers can't, while cool and I love to see all the tricks they come up with, it generally isn't needed.

Thus, my choice of Monk. Will I ever be as strong as a two handed weapon barbarian? No. Will I be strong enough to hold my own and play a few fun tricks given that the party's main needs are already accounted for? Yes.

Outlaws of Varisia Pathfinder Campaign Interest Check

A wizard is not very good at passively having his damage spells deal 60%+ more damage per CL. It's easy to build a sorcerer that deals Burning Hands of average 18 fire damage level 1, which, at level one equates to "Save, and still die."

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As for Monk's power, I don't really care. If we've got a primary spellcaster and a two handed weapon barbarian, all the party's combat needs are accounted for and everyone else is there for flavor and utility.