One Character, Nine Systems: Part 8

Last week, I proposed an experiment of generating the same character in nine different editions/variations of the D&D game. In the first post we introduced Junco Eliade, now it's time to give him some crunch. In this iteration we'll use:

The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game is published by Paizo, Inc. and it a direct successor of D&D 3rd Edition. While not under the Dungeons and Dragons brand, Pathfinder has in some ways supplanted D&D in popularity among the tabletop gaming populace and has achieved remarkable commercial success. Mechanically, the first release of Pathfinder is almost identical to the revised 3rd edition (v3.5) of D&D, but has carried on 3rd edition's legacy of having numerous expansions and optional rules, causing it to deviate significantly from the 3e core in its current incarnation. As a third-party product, Pathfinder is published under the 3rd edition Open Gaming License, and thus all of the rules from its many, many accessories are publicly available. For the sake of this experiment, we will assume all Paizo-published materials released under the OGL and the Pathfinder brand to be in scope, and will be using the d20pfsrd.com as our primary source.

Race: Dwarf

Unlike 3rd-edition, Pathfinder takes a stance of making races highly customizable, rather than bogging down with defining dozens of subraces. Players and GMs are given a single "Dwarf" race, with dozens of alternate racial traits which can be mixed and matched to create exactly the subrace or combination of abilities desired for a given character.

Class: Cleric (Scroll Scholar) 2nd / Fighter (Lore Warden) 1st

Pathfinder follows the same rules for multi-classing as 3rd edition. The 3rd edition concepts of alternate class features and replacement levels have been subsumed into a new concept of "Archetypes". Class archetypes are thematic packages that replace one or more abilities of a core class to make them fit a specific theme. These are very similar to 2nd Editions "Kits", but, unlike kits, a character may have any number of archetypes for his class(es) so long as they do not modify or replace the same features. Given Junco's role as a scholar, he will be taking the Scroll Scholar archetype for his Cleric class, and the scholarly Lore Warden archetype as a Fighter.

"Character" Level: 3rd
Minimum XP: 7500 / 5000 / 3300

Pathfinder has three different rates for character advancement, to suit the GMs needs depending on the desired speed of leveling in the game. The three "minimum XP" numbers listed correspond to the Slow, Medium, and Fast leveling charts respectively.

Alignment:  Lawful Neutral
Hit Dice: 8+1d8+1d10+9
Average Hit Points:  27
Stats:

• Str: 9 -- -1 modifier
• Dex: 16  -- +3 modifier
• Con: 17 -- +3 modifier
• Int: 16 -- +3 modifier
• Wis: 13 -- +1 modifier
• Cha: 6 -- -2 modifier

Dwarves in Pathfinder gain a +2 bonus to Wisdom, in addition to the Constitution and Charisma modifiers in D&D 3rd edition.

Dwarf Abilities:  

1. Dwarves are both tough and wise, but also a bit gruff. They gain +2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, and –2 Charisma.
2. Dwarves are Medium creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
3. Dwarves are humanoids with the dwarf subtype.
4. Dwarves have a base speed of 20 feet, but their speed is never modified by armor or encumbrance.
5. Dwarves begin play speaking Common and Dwarven. Dwarves with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Giant, Gnome, Goblin, Orc, Terran, and Undercommon.
6. Dwarves can see perfectly in the dark up to 60 feet.
7. Dwarves gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison, spells, and spell-like abilities.
8. Dwarves gain a +2 bonus on Perception checks to notice unusual stonework, such as traps and hidden doors located in stone walls or floors. They receive a check to notice such features whenever they pass within 10 feet of them, whether or not they are actively looking.
9. Dwarves gain a +1 racial bonus on attack rolls against humanoid creatures of the orc and goblinoid subtypes because of their special training against these hated foes.
10. Dwarves gain a +4 dodge bonus to AC against monsters of the giant subtype.
11. Dwarves are proficient with battleaxes, heavy picks, and warhammers, and treat any weapon with the word “dwarven” in its name as a martial weapon.
12. Dwarves are skilled at climbing and navigating narrow ledges. Dwarves with this racial trait are immune to altitude sickness and do not lose their Dexterity bonus to AC when making Climb or Acrobatics checks to cross narrow or slippery surfaces.
13. Dwarves keep extensive records about their history and the world around them. Dwarves with this racial trait receive a +2 racial bonus on Knowledge (history) checks that pertain to dwarves or their enemies. They can make such skill checks untrained.

As mentioned previously, races in Pathfinder have many options for customization. To reflect Junco's scholarly nature, as well as referenced exploration of mountain-top ruins, the typical dwarven Greed and Stability abilities were swapped for increased skill in climbing and history (#12 and #13 above).

Cleric Abilities:

1. Clerics are proficient with all simple weapons, light armor, medium armor, and shields (except tower shields). Clerics are also proficient with the favored weapon of their deities.
2. A cleric casts divine spells which are drawn from the cleric spell list. However, his alignment may restrict him from casting certain spells opposed to his moral or ethical beliefs; a cleric can’t cast spells of an alignment opposed to his own (a Lawful cleric cannot cast spells with the Chaotic descriptor). A cleric must choose and prepare his spells in advance. To prepare or cast a spell, a cleric must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a cleric’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the cleric’s Wisdom modifier.
1. Prepare and cast 4 0th-level spells per day.
2. Prepare and cast 3 1st-level spells per day, plus 1 1st-level Domain spell.
3. If your cleric is not devoted to a particular deity, select two domains to represent his spiritual inclinations and abilities. The restriction on alignment domains still applies. Each domain gives your cleric access to a domain spell at each spell level he can cast, from 1st on up, as well as a granted power. Your cleric gets the granted powers of both the domains selected. With access to two domain spells at a given spell level, a cleric prepares one or the other each day in his domain spell slot. If a domain spell is not on the cleric spell list, a cleric can prepare it only in his domain spell slot.
1. KNOWLEDGE DOMAIN
• Granted Powers: 
• You treat all Knowledge skills as class skills.
• At 1st level, a scroll scholar chooses one Knowledge skill. This becomes a class skill if it is not already one. The scroll scholar adds half her class level to all Knowledge checks of this type (Religion). At 5th level and every five levels thereafter, a scroll scholar chooses 1 additional Knowledge skill to receive this bonus.
• Knowledge Domain Spells:
1. Comprehend Languages
2. TRAVEL/EXPLORATION DOMAIN
• Granted Powers: 
• Increase your base speed by 10 feet.
• Door Sight (Su): You can lay your hand upon any surface and see what is on the other side, as if using clairvoyance. Using this power takes 1 minute, during which time you must be touching the surface you want to see through. You can keep looking for as long as 10 minutes with each use of this power, but must touch the surface and take no other action the entire time. The surface cannot be thicker than 6 inches plus 1 inch per cleric level you possess. You can use this power a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Wisdom modifier.
• Travel/Exploration Domain Spells
1. Expeditious Retreat
4. Spontaneous Casting: A cleric who is neither good nor evil can convert prepared spells to either cure spells or inflict spells (player’s choice), depending on whether the cleric is more proficient at wielding positive or negative energy. Once the player makes this choice, it cannot be reversed. This choice also determines whether the cleric turns or commands undead (see below). 
5. Channel Energy (Su): Regardless of alignment, any cleric can release a wave of energy by channeling the power of her faith through her holy symbol. This energy can be used to cause or heal damage, depending on the type of energy channeled and the creatures targeted. A good cleric (or a neutral cleric who worships a good deity) channels positive energy and can choose to deal damage to undead creatures or to heal living creatures. Channeling energy causes a burst that affects all creatures of one type (either undead or living) in a 30-foot radius centered on the cleric. The amount of damage dealt or healed is equal to 1d6 points of damage plus 1d6 points of damage for every two cleric levels beyond 1st. Creatures that take damage from channeled energy receive a Will save to halve the damage. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + 1/2 the cleric's level + the cleric's Charisma modifier. Creatures healed by channel energy cannot exceed their maximum hit point total—all excess healing is lost. A cleric may channel energy a number of times per day equal to 3 + her Charisma modifier. This is a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. A cleric can choose whether or not to include herself in this effect.
6. Bonus Languages: A cleric’s bonus language options include Celestial, Abyssal, and Infernal (the languages of good, chaotic evil, and lawful evil outsiders, respectively). These choices are in addition to the bonus languages available to the character because of his race.

Spellcasting in Pathfinder is identical to 3rd edition, luckily the additional +2 Wisdom granted to Dwarves slightly offsets Junco's limitations from the previous incarnation, allowing him to cast spells of up to 3rd level (should he advance that far). In addition, his increased Wisdom allows him to prepare one more 1st level spell per day than his 3rd-edition counterpart.

Unfortunately, despite the advantages granted by his increased Wisdom, the new Channel Energy ability in Pathfinder is highly dependent on Charisma. Thus, despite the increased Wisdom, Junco is still crippled somewhat in his performance as a Cleric due to his random ability scores.

Fighter Abilities:

1. A fighter is proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with light armor, but no shields.
2. Lore wardens gain 2 additional skill ranks each level. These ranks must be spent on Intelligence-based skills. All Intelligence-based skills are class skills for lore wardens.
3. At 1st level, a fighter gets a bonus combat-oriented feat in addition to the feat that any 1st-level character gets.

There are no restrictions on weapons or armor from combining the Cleric with other classes in Pathfinder. The Lore Warden archetype restricts the armor available to Junco from his Fighter class, but in combination with his Cleric levels, his only net loss is the ability to use Heavy armor.


Attack Rolls:  +2 Base Attack Bonus
Saving Throws:

• Fortitude:  +8
• Reflex:  +3
• Willpower:  +4

Junco's saving throws and attack bonus in Pathfinder are identical to 3rd edition, save for the slight improvement to Will saves from his increased Wisdom score.

Skills: 

Skills in Pathfinder are almost identical to 3rd edition. The one significant change is that any skill can be purchased on a 1:1 basis, with no doubling for non-class skills. Skills that are Class skills gain a +3 bonus to checks if the character has at least 1 rank in that skill, encouraging greater diversification.

Junco gains a number of skill points equal to 2 + his Intelligence modifier from each of his Cleric and Fighter levels, with none of the complex multiplying of 3rd edition, plus an additional 2 points per Fighter level from the Lore Warden archetype, giving him a total of 17 skill points. 

Junco's class skills as a Cleric are:  Appraise (Int), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (all) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int).. His class skills as a Fighter are Appraise (Int), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (all) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).

• Acrobatics (untrained): +3
• Appraise (1 point): +7
• Bluff (untrained): -2
• Climb (1 point): +3
• Craft (untrained): +3
• Diplomacy (untrained): -2
• Disguise (untrained): -2
• Escape Artist (untrained): +3
• Fly (untrained): +3
• Heal (1 point): +5
• Intimidate (untrained): -2
• Knowledge - Geography (1 point): +7
• Knowledge - History (3 points): +10
• Knowledge - Religion (3 points): +10
• Knowledge - Planes (1 point): +8
• Linguistics (3 points): +9
• Perception (untrained): +1
• Perform (untrained): -2
• Ride (untrained): +3
• Sense Motive (1 point): +5
• Sleight of Hand (untrained): +3
• Spellcraft (1 point): +7
• Stealth (untrained): +3
• Survival (1 point): +5
• Swim (untrained): -1

Another significant change of note is that the Linguistics skill grants knowledge of a new language for every point spent in it. Thus, with three points in Linguistics, plus 3 bonus languages for his Intelligence, and the starting Common and Dwarvish, this version of Junco is up to 8 languages. Still a bit less than the 11 he had in AD&D, but much closer than was possible in 2nd or 3rd.

Traits:

Traits are a new feature introduced with Pathfinder. Traits work similar to feats, though grant roughly half the bonus that a feat would, and often have a more directly background-flavor oriented design. Characters in Pathfinder gain a number of traits when they are created determined by the GM to match the intended power-level of the campaign, with 2 traits being typical. 

• Scholar of the Great Beyond: Your greatest interests as a child did not lie with current events or the mundane—you have always felt out of place, as if you were born in the wrong era. You take to philosophical discussions of the Great Beyond and of historical events with ease. Benefits: You gain a +1 trait bonus on Knowledge (history) and Knowledge (planes) checks, and one of these skills (your choice) is always a class skill for you.
• Propitiation: Your knowledge of the gods tells you precisely which gods have jurisdiction over which aspects of your life, and you can call upon the appropriate deity for help even if that deity is not your patron. Benefits: At the start of each day, pick one of the following skills: Appraise, Bluff, Craft (pick one craft skill), Diplomacy, Intimidate, or Knowledge (local). You gain a +2 trait bonus on that skill until the start of the next day.

Feats:
Feats in Pathfinder work exactly like those in 3rd edition, with the same limitations. Characters gain 1 feat at 1st level, plus one every odd-numbered level thereafter. With one bonus feat from his Fighter levels, Junco has a total of three feats to use. Junco's feat choices from 3rd edition also exist in Pathfinder and work exactly the same way (save that Scribe Scroll no longer requires an expenditure of experience points). We will keep them for the sake of consistency.

• Scribe Scroll: You can create a scroll of any spell that you know. Scribing a scroll takes 2 hours if its base price is 250 gp or less, otherwise scribing a scroll takes 1 day for each 1,000 gp in its base price. To scribe a scroll, you must use up raw materials costing half of this base price.
• Weapon Focus (Staff): You gain a +1 bonus on all attack rolls you make using the selected weapon.
• Rapid Reload (Heavy Crossbow): The time required for you to reload your chosen type of crossbow is reduced to a free action (for a hand or light crossbow) or a move action (for a heavy crossbow). Reloading a crossbow still provokes an attack of opportunity.