Looks like everyone but Cataclysmic is caught up, so on to Step Three: Class.<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote from: Paizo</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Step 3—Pick Your Class: A character's class represents a profession, such as fighter or wizard. If this is a new character, he starts at 1st level in his chosen class. As he gains experience points (XP) for defeating monsters, he goes up in level, granting him new powers and abilities.</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/>Although class is often defined as a 'profession' I don't really think that's the best term for it.  My bartender, for instance, is a friendly intellectual with a talent for magic, but a fighter could be a burly bartender able to readily pummel the most obnoxious of drunkards into compliance with big, meaty fists.  So class is more like the 'type' of adventurer you want to play.<br/><br/>I'll start off by describing Fighters, and then move on to Wizards to explain the differences and additional abilities they have.  I suggest reading both sections, even if you're just making one character.<br/><br/><strong>Fighter</strong>(Link (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/coreRulebook/classes/fighter.html#fighter)) is the most straight forward class, with a few simple but powerful abilities.  It's where I usually start new players, but I wanted to cover magic in this tutorial as well.<br/><br/>To start with, every class has a "Hit Die", which generates "Hit Points".  These are basically just a numerical representation of the abstract idea of how close to death you are: the same as your life bar in Mortal Kombat or the hits needed to destroy each ship in a Battleship board game.  Like Battleship, the more you have, the harder it is to kill you.  Your maximum hit points are a set character trait, like your abilities, that isn't changed by minor events.  Your CURRENT hit points, on the other hand, can change frequently as you get into combat, take wounds, and heal.  If they reach zero, you will lose consciousness; if they go below zero, you risk death.<br/><br/>Your hit die, then, is just the type of dice (how many sides) you roll each level to increase your maximum hit points.  Typically, characters get the maximum for 1st level, and no less than half their potential for every level afterward, but check with the person running the game.<br/><br/>-A Fighter starts with a 10 hit points, plus your Constitution ability score adjustment.<br/><br/>You also get a number of class skills and ranks, which we'll cover later.<br/><br/>(https://i.imgur.com/TwvdrkG.png)<br/><br/>Next, every class will have a table showing what the character gains for each level as they progress.  As first level fighters, just follow the "1st" row across and fill in your sheet with the numbers.  Base attack bonus is a general statement of a character's level of martial training - how well they've been trained at making an attack hit, from a sword to a fist to a crossbow.  Saving throws are a measure of a character's resistance to some things that aren't simple hit or miss attacks.<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote from: Paizo</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Fortitude (used to resist poisons, diseases, and other bodily ailments), Reflex (used to avoid effects that target an entire area, such as fireball), and Will (used to resist mental attacks and spells).</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/>The "Base Saves" provided on the table will also be adjusted by your ability modifiers: Constitution for Fortitude, Dexterity for Reflex, and Wisdom for Will.<br/><br/>The "Special" column will give unique abilities gained by your character at each level, and each one will be defined below.  A fighter gains an extra Feat at level one; these are special advantages that we'll explain and pick out later.<br/><br/>Finally, each class has weapon and armor proficiencies.  These are what a character is trained to use; they will suffer penalties for using things they aren't trained in.<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote from: Paizo</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A fighter is proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with all armor (heavy, light, and medium) and shields (including tower shields).</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/>This is one of a Fighter's big advantages: they know how to use nearly everything, except for some exotic stuff, so they can use the weapons that will do the most damage or suit their role or the situation.<br/><br/><strong>Wizard</strong>(Link (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/coreRulebook/classes/wizard.html#wizard)) are much more defined by their special abilities, including the use of magic.<br/><br/>-Wizards start with 6 hit points, plus their Constitution ability modifier.<br/><br/>Again, we'll save Skills for later.<br/><br/>(https://i.imgur.com/iYBL9Y7.png)<br/><br/>The wizard table shows the same Base Attack Bonus and Saves, but has a much more complicated set of Special traits and extends to list how many spells a wizard is able to cast each day.  We'll go into spells and casting later.<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Wizards are proficient with the club, dagger, heavy crossbow, light crossbow, and quarterstaff, but not with any type of armor or shield. Armor interferes with a wizard's movements, which can cause his spells with somatic components to fail.</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/>Wizards don't wear armor and they don't know how to use many weapons (and usually don't have much skill with them anyways).  At low levels, a crossbow and melee weapon are useful to be able to contribute to minor frays without using limited magical resources, but they aren't your forte.<br/><br/>-Arcane Bond: A great trait to add some flavor to your character and a small bonus.<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote from: Paizo</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Arcane Bond: At 1st level, wizards form a powerful bond with an object or a creature. This bond can take one of two forms: a familiar or a bonded object. A familiar is a magical pet that enhances the wizard's skills and senses and can aid him in magic, while a bonded object is an item a wizard can use to cast additional spells or to serve as a magical item. Once a wizard makes this choice, it is permanent and cannot be changed.</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/>In my experience, a bonded object is a lot simpler for a new player and is what I'd suggest starting with: pick an amulet, ring, staff, wand, or one of the weapons your character can use.  You don't have to worry about the role playing implications of having a pet around all the time and it will give you a lot of flexibility in spell choice, so you don't have to plan things out so much.  Familiars are also mini-characters in their own right, with a whole extra set of abilities and traits to figure out.<br/><br/>-Arcane School represents specializing in one type of magic, but incurs penalties elsewhere.<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Arcane School: A wizard can choose to specialize in one school of magic, gaining additional spells and powers based on that school. This choice must be made at 1st level, and once made, it cannot be changed. A wizard that does not select a school receives the universalist school instead.<br/><br/>A wizard that chooses to specialize in one school of magic must select two other schools as his opposition schools, representing knowledge sacrificed in one area of arcane lore to gain mastery in another. </blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/>Specializing can be fun to add flavor and power to a character and is usually a good choice, but it's hard to do without a good understanding of available spells.  I suggest picking "Universalist", which only gives Hand of the Apprentice, but doesn't add limitations.<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Hand of the Apprentice: You cause your melee weapon to fly from your grasp and strike a foe before instantly returning to you. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/>-A wizard also gains Scribe Scrolls, a feat which can be used to create single-use magical items.  These cost your character time and money to make, but are useful when the occasion arises.<br/><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;">Homework</span><br/>Calculate your maximum Hit Points and list your Base Attack Bonus, Saves, and Weapon and Armor proficiencies on your sheet.  Wizards should also choose an Arcane Bond (again, I suggest an item) and Arcane School (Universalist is suggested but not required).<br/><br/>Example:<em>As a Wizard, Elona has 6 Hit Points, plus 1 for her Constitution, for a total of 7.  She gets a 0 base attack bonus, and 0 for her Fortitude and Reflex base saves (though each of those gets a +1 from the relevant ability score), and a +2 Will save (which gets no bonus from her average Wisdom score.  I write in her weapon and (lack of) armor proficiency.  <br/><br/>For her Arcane Bond I definitely want an item; an animal in the kitchen isn't sanitary!  An amulet or ring would be simple, but I'm inspired by her image and I want her defined by her concept as a kitchen witch so I give her a dagger (in this case, a fine kitchen knife handed down from her mother).  <br/><br/>As for school, I could see Elona as a Transmuter - changing things is what baking is about, after all! - but she also seems like the type who would want access to a variety of spells to suit a variety of tasks around the tavern, so I'll go with Universalist.  <br/><br/>She can also Scribe Scrolls; I'm already imagining some sort of magical cook book.</em><br/><br/>Character sheet (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1373704)