Min/Max Boards

Spirit Talker

Have an info dump


This should cover all the archetypes from pfsrd that weren't listed under third party as of 7/2/15.
I appreciate any error-spotting that occurs.

As far as I can tell, the answer to both questions is yes.

Pathfinder Savant (Arcane Savant on the pfsrd) will let you sneak it on at one level higher.

  Hey all.  I've been invited to join a Pathfinder campaign that will start next week.  I've been asked to have a character ready to go as much as I can before that, and I'm hoping to get a bit of hive-mind help on that front.
  What I know about the campaign is that we'll be starting at level 3, it will go for roughly 6-10 sessions, the GM uses a lot of homebrew and re-fluffing/re-skinning, and he also tends to hand out levels when he wants the players to get them rather than having us track xp.  (Last time I inferred that this was because he and most of the players are still relatively new to gaming and I am assuming it will be largely the same group this time around.)  Consequently I don't see us getting beyond level 12.  Any source should be acceptable.
  I was digging through a list of ideas I have stashed for future characters and decided that for one reason or another, (sources unavailable, don't know how dm handles characters with religious restrictions, know the dm frowns on abundant cheese...) I didn't want to use any of them.  So I was looking at the list of core classes, and realized that I don't think I've played a ranger since the first time I played D&D 3.0.  So, ranger it is.  It fits nicely with the requirement for a monster hunting guild in my backstory that I was just texted which is rather serendipitous.
  I'm an experienced gamer and more than proficient with the pathfinder system.  While I have for most intents and purposes, not played a ranger, a friend in my regular gaming group plays archery focused rangers frequently and we discuss character building with each other (and calculus and logic puzzles but I digress...).  I have also read Treantmonk's guide and liked his idea for a switch hitter.  The fact that it's never quite as good as a focused character in either archery or melee means I'm less likely to bring down the wrath of the GM or ire of my fellow players while giving me versatility which is something I've come to greatly appreciate.  So, between discussion and research I have some clue how to build a ranger that won't be a burden to the party.  I guarantee there are people here who have a better handle on how to do this, thus the thread.

For race, I dug around a bit and found several options that looked good for one reason or another, and they are (in no particular order):
 Half-Orc
 Full Orc
 Hobgoblin
 Vanara
 Suli
 Tengu
 Duergar
 Strix

  Assistance in narrowing this list would be great, and if there's a wonderful option I've overlooked please point it out.  The notable absence of races that don't have favored class bonuses which contribute to animal companions is because I'm interested in the Spirit Ranger archetype which trades away hunters bond for some increased spell power and flexibility.  This may not be an optimal trade but it lowers book keeping, avoids logistics issues, and obviates the question of "wait, where has your wolf been all this time?"

I'll likely stay single classed though am not opposed to the idea of multiclassing.  For feats I'm planning to start with quick draw, power attack, and rapid shot in keeping with the switch hitter concept.  No campaign specific hints have been given for favored enemies and terrain so I'll probably go with mountain or underground for the terrain.  Not sure what's a good choice early on for favored enemy though I'm aware undead and evil outsider are generally solid.  If you're still reading, thanks!

TL;DR
  I need a switch hitter ranger build min-maxed for levels 3 through 12.  If you have to pick a sweet spot, try level 6 or 7.  Haven't decided on race, probably starting with Quick Draw and Power Attack for feats.  Sources are PF only.  If you can find it on the pfsrd I can probably use it.

EDIT: Of course the GM texts right after I post.  Apparently there are no restrictions in source or race, or anything else if I want to be liberal about what he sent me.  Main body edited to reflect this.

Why does it even matter if you treat the fire damage as a different ruling?  The last line in the spell's description says that you're not damaged by the spell's effects when you appear in the area.  And wouldn't disbelieving it prevent you from teleporting?

What sources are available?  And the bog standard suggestions from D&D certainly apply, Headband of Alluring Charisma if you cast offensive spells routinely, Cloak of Resistance, Ring of Protection, etc.  The oracle I play in my current campaign decided to invest in armor of fortification after two deaths to critical hits (I hate scythes).

Have the people bitching about Investigator really read it, or have you just looked at Studied Strike and given up?  The class can get 2d8+10 to hit on every attack at level 20.  (And +10 Damage for what its worth.)  Even before then Studied Combat is granting 1/2 level to all attacks and damage against one foe at a time. That's not small for a Medium BAB class.  Quit letting the trap of Studied Strike distract you, and look at the rest of the class. 

I'm not up on the intricacies of alchemy to really know how that effects the class, but worst case is its a solid tier 4.  (Tier 3 if its alchemy really does measure up to 6th level casting.)  Over all a very solid class to fill the skill monkey party slot, and certainly better than Pathfinder's Rogue.

A very nice bonus to attack, I'd say even for a full BAB class, but hitting the enemy isn't useful if you can't hurt them.  Aside from the aforementioned trap, I'm not seeing a solid way to boost damage built into the class.  That means you'd be relying feats, feats that an alchemist with the vivisectionist archetype could also take.  That archetype completely outclasses the investigator when it comes to combat.  If you want skills with that sort of character add in the mindchemist archetype and/or take the appropriate discoveries.  After that comparison, skills would seem to be the investigator's relative strong point.  What I would be interested in learning, is whether or not it can compare favorably to the bard in that arena.
...
Ok, I was interested, until I had a look at the psychic searcher archetype for oracles that phaedrusxy pointed out (thanks).  That archetype has inspiration, and is only missing access to 5 of the skill related talents, 2 of which it gets the function on half the skills for that talent anyway.  Add in access to the cleric spell list and I am seeing very little reason for a skill monkey to go investigator.  The only real reasons I can conjure is if you're wanting device talent and underworld inspiration, or to avoid what would be a noticeable level of MAD with the oracle.

So it likes half of what it does, it does poorly, and what it does well was also given to a better class.  So while the investigator is tier 4 at worst, and alchemy may well drag it into tier 3, you're just always going to have a better option.

I'm of the humble opinion that the investigator is a steaming pile of crap.  I liked the slayer, and the brawler.  The latter of those two may be skewed a bit toward the powerful end of the mundane melee spectrum, so I won't be surprised if it gets nerfed.  I was surprised by how much I liked the bloodrager and the skald because the notion of combining barbarian with spellcasters had me flashing back to the 3.5 rage mage.  The shaman was kinda meh.  It seemed about on par with the witch for power level, though I didn't take a real close look at its spell list.  The swashbuckler is pretty much a melee focused gunslinger, so whatever you thought about that class, and not the gun rules themselves, will probably apply here.  The hunter disappointed me with its focus on the animal companion.  I'm not sure how it will hold up mechanically.  I haven't taken much of a look at the warpriest yet.  It looks more like a paladin/cleric rather than the purported fighter/cleric, maybe with a bit of monk thrown in for seasoning.

The arcanist was interesting and provides flexibility that I would have previously believed obscene.  Since then I've played both an oracle and a sorcerer with Paragon Surge.  Now the arcanist just seems like it wouldn't have enough staying power.  Without archetypes it will only have as many spells as a Universalist wizard, something I've never actually seen played because giving up 1 spell per day of every level isn't worth it.  Also I was not particularly impressed with the various exploits.  A great number of them are so-so blast substitutes that take the equivalent of a level 1 spell slot and can't be modified with metamagic.

I'm starting to think I'd be better off ignoring the vulnerability and just buffing my damage else-ways.

Probably the right line of thought.

One handed weapons can still be used in two hands to get the extra Power Attack benefit but I'd still just find a way to do more damage with your lance.  Most damage reduction shouldn't even be a huge issue considering that lovely x3 damage you're getting.