Paizo is working on an “Advanced Player’s Guide” for the Pathfinder RPG. It will have six new character classes in it. In their usual open and enlightened manner, they are going to be opening those classes up for playtest and comment by the gaming community before going to print.
Here’s the schedule – the Cavalier and Oracle should be up sometime right around now for you to check out!
- Group 1 (11/13–11/29): Cavalier and Oracle
- Group 2 (11/30–12/13): Summoner and Witch
- Group 3 (12/14–12/27): Alchemist and Inquisitor
Enjoy! Our group is loving the Pathfinder RPG, also known as “the real new edition of D&D,” and I’m looking forward to seeing what these have to offer.
Geek Related 
The link to the playtest forum is up and the cavalier and oracle are posted! Hint, you have to click through the link in Jason’s post and “buy them for free” from the store – here’s the direct link.
Oooh, Witch. I’m looking forward to seeing what they do with that. I’ve been wanting for ages now a spellcaster that’s halfway between arcane and divine, and this might be it.
Both classes are very interesting. The cavalier has a really powerful but balanced “challenge” ability that basically gives them equivalent of sneak attack damage against one foe they challenge, but they are treated as flanked by anyone else. And there’s several knightly orders.
The Oracle is not just a lame diviniation class – it’s kinda like Favored Soul in that it’s a spontaneous divine caster, but they follow ideals (“foci”) rather than deities (e.g. battle, flame, stone…) which grant additional domain-ey powers.
I really like them – I was a bit sceptical about new base classes that repeat old themes, but the Oracle is great and with the curses that are advantageous as well and beats the Favored Soul in all regards but spellcasting (spontanean progression like a sorceror), and – though I’m no fighter type myself – the Cavalier looks at least interesting enough to try it out. Great stuff as is – I’m very interested what the playtests will bring.
You can see all of the Pathfinder rules at http://www.d20pfsrd.com. All of the playtest classes will be posted 2 weeks from their release date from Paizo by request from Paizo. Come check us out!
I got here via Link from Valgrim the Summoner.
Does anyone think, an Oracle would make for a good divine Malconvoker(being CHA is their Castingstat)?
Yes, at least it removes two-attribute dependence, with the usual “sorcerer” drawbacks. But if you’re going “all summoning all the time” then limited spell selection’s OK. If there was a focus that synergized well then it’d be a slam dunk; as it is it’s “as good as” sorcerer IMO.
Maybe has to wait until we get the full book^^
Till then, how about the Sorc?
Celestial Bloodline does come with limited healing + DR for your good summons
Is there any Bloodline you’d rate higher for a summoner?
Abyssal is way better than Celestial for summoning; it gets Augment Summoning as a bonus feat, DR for your summons, and the equivalent of the Malconvoker’s Fiendish Legion ability at 15th level.
I so loved bellowing “LEGION!!!” at the table when summoning a horde of demons. Not sure the other players were as enthused, but they knew better than to talk smack!
Anyway, please note you don’t have to be good to take Celestial or evil to take Abyssal, and technically it does not say “good creatures you summon get DR/evil,” it says “creatures you summon.” And it’s any summoning spell, so even Mount counts.
And of course there’s a “Summoner” class coming in the Pathfinder Advanced Player’s Guide too.
And today, the Summoner and Witch were up! Check out the playtest forum.