You will always be first level

[Solaris]

It dazes and confuses me how many of you consider immortality a nice option. Could someone clarify what is so great in prolonging this misery for few thousand years. No, I am not depresive

In my defense, my world domination optimization plans are gonna need some serious time to make happen.
Also, it'd be pretty cool to be the only person on humanity's first extrasolar colonies who actually remembered Earth firsthand.

[Shalist]

Note that the 'magical heritage training' feat lets you choose 2 or 3 (spontaneous vs. prepared) cantrips, for 3 castings per day (total), so you can have prestidigitation and mend regardless of your class.

---

Going with artificer. Access to 2nd level spells from every list (list of spells available at lower level than usual via specific/obscure spell lists). I'll spend my days scribing restricted (discounted) scrolls of bestow curse, and 'cursing' myself with a growing pile of permanent perks that are 'no more powerful' than those examples already provided (see compilation below).

Some obvious examples:
*–6 decrease to an ability score (minimum 1).
*Target takes -8 penalty on all checks made using one skill, such as Climb or Spellcraft.
*Every time the victim makes a d20 roll, a roll of 20 counts as a 1.
*The target loses the use of one of his feats. If this feat is a prerequisite for other feats, the target loses the use of those feats as well.

So I curse myself with a +6 (unnamed) bonus to an ability score (once per stat), a +8 (unnamed) bonus to a skill (once per skill), with d20 rolls of 1 counting as a 20 (19 castings and all my d20 rolls count as 20s), and an effectively unlimited supply of bonus feats to really open some doors.

Alternate Uses of Bestow Curse

Spoiler

Show

Players Handbook

• –6 decrease to an ability score (minimum 1).
  
• –4 penalty on attack rolls, saves, ability checks, and skill checks.
  
• Each turn, the target has a 50% chance to act normally; otherwise, it takes no action.

Book of Vile Darkness

• Target is rendered sterile.
  
• The next person introduced to the target for the first time will hate him or her uncontrollably forever. Even if this curse is removed, the person still hates the victim of the curse, but the victim can improve the person’s attitude normally after the curse is gone.
  
• Each time the target attempts to help a friend or ally, there is a 50% chance the attempt fails and causes the ally to fail at the task.
  
• Target is struck blind and deaf.
  
• Each round in combat, there is a 25% chance that the target will attack the nearest creature rather than choosing an opponent normally.
  
• Every time the victim makes a d20 roll, a roll of 20 counts as a 1.
  
• The victim effectively ages, moving him or her to the beginning of the next age category. See Chapter 6 of the Player’s Handbook for the effects of aging.
  
• At some point within the next week (or whenever it is feasible), thieves are able to steal all monetary wealth the victim has.
  
• Animals refuse to be within 5 feet of the target and do not respond to the target’s commands or requests.
  
• Each time the target meets someone for the first time, there is a 50% chance that the new person will confuse the target with a hated enemy, a well-known criminal, or a raving lunatic.
  
• All creatures of a specific kind (such as orcs, owlbears, or black dragons) are permanently invisible to the sight of the victim (invisibility purge does not help, but see invisibility and true seeing do). The spellcaster chooses the kind of creature.

Dragon Magazine #348

• Target takes -8 penalty on all checks made using one skill, such as Climb or Spellcraft.
  
• The target's Str score counts as 10 less (minimum 1) for the purposes of carrrying capacity. This might cause some individuals to suddenly take encumbrance penalties while others collapse under the weight of their own gear.
  
• The target's armor falls into disrepair, halving its hit points and hardness while decreasing the armor bonus it grants by -4 (minimum of 1) and doubling the armor check penalty. This effect shifts to any new armor donned, while the armor removed returns to normal (although any damage it might have taken remains)
  
• The target must carry something designated by the caster or suffer a -5 penalty on all saves. The item can be vague (such as a holy symbol of Vecna) or specific (such as the Helm of King Aramil), but it cannot be something dangerous or deadly for the target to carry (a massive boulder or burning coals). The caster must give the object when casting the spell.
  
• One of the target's limbs ceases to function. A nonfunctional arm cannot hold or wield any item and cannot be used to perform somatic spell components, while a nonfunctional leg prevents the target from walking properly without a crutch (and even then the target can only move at half speed). A nonfunctional wing prevents the target from flying if it uses wings to fly.
  
• The target loses all weapon and armor proficiencies, other than simple weapons, natural weapons, and unarmored strikes. If the target has feats for which the lost proficiencies are prerequisites (such as Weapon Focus), he loses the use of these as well.
  
• The target becomes completely socially inept. He takes -6 penalties on Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Intimidate, and Sense Motive Checks, on Cha checks to influence someone, and on Disguise checks when attempting to act as someone else.
  
• The target's armor, shield, or one of his weapons (caster's choice) becomes cursed. Its enhancement bonus is reversed and it loses any other special abilities, so a +4 flaming longsword becomes a -4 longsword. If nonmagical, the weapon, shield, or armor instead becomes a -1 weapon, shield or armor.
  
• The target is stricken with cowardice. Each time the character rolls for initiative, he must immediately make a will save (with the same DC as the curse) or become shaken for the duration of the combat. The first time the character takes damage in the combat, he must save again or become shaken for 1d4 rounds (if already shaken, instead treat as panicked for 1d4 rounds)
  
• The target appears to be a different alignment (caster's choice) for the purpose of divination spells and spell-like abilities such as detect evil.
  
• The target's damage reduction, spell resistance, or elemental resistance of one type is reduced by 5, to a minimum of 0.
  
• The target immediately becomes fatigued until he has consumed 1 pint of blood. THereafter, he gains a thirst for blood and normal food and drink no longer nourish him. He awakens fatigued each morning and must drink 1 pint of blood to stave off this fatigue for the day.
  
• Everyone who knows the target no longer recognizes him, except for the caster. Even the target's allies do not recognize him and those who come to know him again forget knowing him each morning.
  
• The target gains a susceptibility to damage from a certain source (caster's choice). All damage taken from this source is increased by 5 points. The source must be either a specific element, such as fire, or weapons made of a specified uncommon material such as mithral, silver, or bone.
  
• The target loses the ability to heal naturally (although he does not lose innate healing abilities such as fast healing or regeneration). In addition, spells of the conjuration (healing) subschool only heal the target for half as much as normal. Such spells that cause damage are unaffected by this curse. For example, a cure light wounds spell cast upon a undead creature is unaffected, while an inflict light wounds spell cast on the same creature would be halved.
  
• The target's sight is reduced to 20ft, even with natural abilities and spells such as darkvision.
  
• The target must roll a Fort save (DC as curse) each time he commits an evil or illegal act to avoid becoming nauseated for 2d4 rounds. Alternatively, the caster may use this curse to affect those commiting acts of kindness and generosity.
  
• The target loses the use of one of his feats. If this feat is a prerequisite for other feats, the target loses the use of those feats as well.
  
• One of the target's minor racial abilities is disabled. Minor abilities include darkvision, low-light vision, racial save bonuses, racial skill bonuses, racial weapon proficiency or familiarity, or stability. The Dm has the final word as to what other racial abilities qualify as minor.
  
• The target immediately becomes fatigued, and henceforth requires 12 hours of sleep each time he rests or else is fatigued for the remainder of the day.
  
• The target becomes a disease carrier. Anyone the target touches or who touches the target must roll a DC 16 Fort save or else contract blinding sickness or cackle fever. The target is immune to the selected disease.
  
• The target has uncontrollable shakes, imposing a -4 penalty on ranged attacks and 20% spell failure chance for spells with somatic components.
  
• The target becomes unable to tell a lie. He may, however, choose to avoid answering a question in order to avoid telling the truth.
  
• The target fear killing and must attempt to deal nonlethal damage whenever possible, taking a penalty of -4 on attack rolls with most weapons to do so.

Alternate Uses of Bestow Greater Curse

Spoiler

Show

Spell Compendium

• One ability score is reduced to 1, or two ability scores take –6 penalties (to a minimum score of 1).
  
• –8 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, ability checks, and skill checks.
  
• Each turn, the subject has a 25% chance to act normally; otherwise, it takes no action.

Book of Vile Darkness

• A random friend or family member of the target contracts a disease. If the disease is magically cured or runs its course (regardless of the outcome), another loved one contracts a new disease.
  
• The target’s most powerful and/or cherished item falls apart, becoming forever useless.
  
• Valuable metals (such as platinum, gold, silver, and copper) turn to lead in the target’s possession, even if they are in a bag of holding or stored away from the target. The target’s touch transmutes valuable metals (including coins) into lead as well.
  
• 1d4+1 of the target’s loved ones or allies are affected by a curse chosen from the bestow curse list above.
  
• All of the target’s loved ones and allies suddenly despise him and are considered to have unfriendly attitudes. See NPC Attitudes in Chapter 5 of the DUNGEON MASTER’s Guide for actions former allies might take.
  
• The target cannot cast spells, use spell-like abilities, or activate spell completion or spell trigger items.

Dragon Magazine #348

• The target loses a class ability, such as spellcasting, sneak attack damage, or barbarian rage. If this class ability is a prerequiste for other abilites or feats, the target loses the use of those feats as well.
  
• The target gains a susceptibility to one energy type (such as fire or electricity) or to weapons made of a specified rare or unusual material (such as adamantine or silver) of the caster's choice. The target takes an additional +50% extra damage from this source. This effect does not stack with any other weaknesses the target might already possess.
  
• The target's alignment gradually moves toward another of the caster's choice. For example, a lawful good paladin might be cursed to become Chaotic Evil, losing access to all of his paladin spells and abilities. There is no immediate effect, but the target must make a Will save each day thereafter or his alignment shifts one step toward the chosen alignment.
  
• The target takes damage equal to the damage he deals to others. Only damage dealt with weapon is affected, not ability damage or spell effects.
  
• One of the target's attack options is lost (such as a dragon's breath weapon or a medusa's petrifying gaze attack.)
  
• The target can no longer sleep soundly, perhaps wracked by nightmares or guilt over past evil deeds (caster's choice). He wakes fatigued each morning and cannot perform tasks that require him to be well-rested, such as a wizard preparing spells.
  
• The target's most powerful or cherished possession (DM's discretion) is drawn by fate to fall into the hands of a hated enemy or rival.
  
• The target is completely unable to use any three skills of the caster's choosing. Knowledge skills must be chosen separately.
  
• Everyone the target sees appears to be undead, their flesh rotting from their bones and their voices reduced to hollow rasps.
  
• All critical threats made against the target automatically confirm without requiring the attacker to reroll.
  
• A noisy spirit haunts the target. Aside from unnerving those around the target, the spirit prevents him from using the Hide or Move Silently abilities, becoming invisible, disguising himself, or otherwise altering his appearance. A manifestation of the curse, the spirit is not actually undead and cannot be turned, rebuked, or destroyed.
  
• All new creatures and NPC's the target encounters treat him with an initial attitude of hostile. Allies and current acquaintances do not change their attitudes toward the target.

[Solaris]

I'm not seeing how that works.

[Shalist]

You place a curse on the subject. Choose one of the following three effects.

-6 decrease to an ability score (minimum 1).
-4 penalty on attack rolls, saves, ability checks, and skill checks.
Each turn, the target has a 50% chance to act normally; otherwise, it takes no action.

You may also invent your own curse, but it should be no more powerful than those described above.

The curse bestowed by this spell cannot be dispelled, but it can be removed with a break enchantment, limited wish, miracle, remove curse, or wish spell.

While RAI curses are supposed to be 'bad,' RAW they don't explicitly have to be (examples of benign application, i.e. using 'bestow curse: sterility' as a contraceptive, already exist). Note also that being more useful is fairly subjective, and not the same thing as being more powerful.

Permanently increasing a stat by 6 is no more powerful than permanently decreasing it by 6; making every 1 on a d20 into count as a 20 is no more powerful than making every 20 count as a 1 (or a 2nd/3rd/etc. curse that change 2s/3s/etc. into 20s); granting a bonus feat is no more powerful than removing a feat, and so on.

edit: To clarify, artificers can scribe 2nd level spells at level 1 due to counting as 2 levels higher for item crafting prereqs, and they can scribe scrolls of spells from any list. This means they can scribe bestow curse from the demonologist list (where it's a 2nd level spell) at 1st level.

[bean illus]

Cloistered Cleric feels rather obvious. Tons of skill points, massive immediately available spell list of general utility and good life, a couple of domain powers for good measure. Pick Domains with care and you can do a lot to improve the world.

EDIT: Though Clerics don't get Prestidigitation... Mmmh, hard choice (Clerics gets stuff like Womb of the Earth, Cure Light Wounds and such though). That spell is probably too useful to pass up on though, so might be one needs to opt for Wizard, Artificer or perhaps Sha'ir instead. Wizards can do independent research so they'll eventually have all the 1st level spells too, but it's just slower going. Artificer can access both but it's much more effort. Sha'ir is sorta in-between. Archivist is another interesting proposition.

I think if the whole world used the same rules, i might go UMD based Cha/Int rogue.

In a world where the very few magic items can not be used by hardly anybody, a umd master would be popular.
Also, in a world where most folks have 6-16 skill points, having 48 would be way cool.

[Vizzerdrix]

Cloistered Cleric feels rather obvious.

Yeah, but dont you have to be a faithful person for cleric to work? Like, you cant just be paying lip service or something like that.

[Dagroth]

While RAI curses are supposed to be 'bad,' RAW they don't explicitly have to be (examples of benign application, i.e. using 'bestow curse: sterility' as a contraceptive, already exist). Note also that being more useful is fairly subjective, and not the same thing as being more powerful.

Permanently increasing a stat by 6 is no more powerful than permanently decreasing it by 6; making every 1 on a d20 into count as a 20 is no more powerful than making every 20 count as a 1 (or a 2nd/3rd/etc. curse that change 2s/3s/etc. into 20s); granting a bonus feat is no more powerful than removing a feat, and so on.

edit: To clarify, artificers can scribe 2nd level spells at level 1 due to counting as 2 levels higher for item crafting prereqs, and they can scribe scrolls of spells from any list. This means they can scribe bestow curse from the demonologist list (where it's a 2nd level spell) at 1st level.

I would have to disagree completely. Permanently increasing a stat by 6 is better than anything non-Epic available in the game. Making every 1 on a d20 count as a 20 is much more powerful than the obverse. Making further numbers count as a 20 is even more powerful, on a logarithmic scale. Granting a Bonus Feat is clearly more powerful than removing a feat.

The scale does not slide equally in both directions. In D&D it is easier to overcome penalties than it is to stack bonuses.

This is why the "Obverse Curse" idea fails.

I would also say it fails under the rules for researching new spells. A spell that does something better than an existing spell should always be either higher level or harder to achieve (only on a PrC's spell list, for example).

Yeah, but dont you have to be a faithful person for cleric to work? Like, you cant just be paying lip service or something like that.

You can be a Cleric of an Ideal, rather than a Deity.

I would be a Cleric of "I'm a badass".

[digiman619]

If I can use Spheres of Power, I'll be an Incanter with the Weather (I could make a killing as a rainmaker/guarantee no rain at outdoor weddings), Telekinesis (becuase I've always thought it was cool), and Alteration spheres (for shapeshifting debauchery), and trade away my bonus feats for channeling positive energy and the Alteration specialization. If I have to use 3.5 classes, I'll be a sorcerer with a few of the already mentioned low-level arcane spells.

[Quertus]

It dazes and confuses me how many of you consider immortality a nice option. Could someone clarify what is so great in prolonging this misery for few thousand years. No, I am not depresive

A few thousand years is as pointless as a few decades. Immortality is a different beast entirely.

[Shalist]

I would have to disagree completely. Permanently increasing a stat by 6 is better than anything non-Epic available in the game.

Bestow curse does exist, and it can permanently decrease a stat by 6, which also stacks with everything else, and is mathematically equal in power (-6 + 6 = 0). The problem isn't simply using curses as buffs, it's also that bestow curse and its 'permanent' duration are already overpowered; this is just more obvious when it's used on a PC who actually lives with the results indefinitely, rather than quickly removing the curse or using it on an expendable NPC.

Making every 1 on a d20 count as a 20 is much more powerful than the obverse. Making further numbers count as a 20 is even more powerful, on a logarithmic scale.

For 1 <-> 20, you’re disagreeing without offering an argument. And while 20 such curses are clearly much more powerful in aggregate, mathematically each individual curse is equal in power, if not progressively weaker. 1 -> 20 (or 20 -> 1) change the average d20 value by 0.95, 2 -> 20 changes it by 0.90, 3 -> 20 changes it by 0.85, and so on. While I understand your argument to the contrary, it's like saying “If it takes several maximized fireballs to kill something, each successive fireball is effectively more powerful, since it’s removing a greater fraction of creature’s remaining health.”

Granting a Bonus Feat is clearly more powerful than removing a feat.

Again, you’re disagreeing without offering an actual argument. Would gaining a feat in exchange for the flaw, ‘lose 1 starting feat,’ result in creating a more powerful PC?

The scale does not slide equally in both directions. In D&D it is easier to overcome penalties than it is to stack bonuses.

This is why the "Obverse Curse" idea fails.

Actually, most (particularly casters) would be crippled by a 6-point penalty to a primary stat, while a 6-point bonus generally just makes someone better at what they can already do. This is moot, of course; a fireball doesn’t become a 5th level spell when you’re fighting frost giants or densely packed orcs, and a 1st level spell when fighting fire giants.

I would also say it fails under the rules for researching new spells. A spell that does something better than an existing spell should always be either higher level or harder to achieve (only on a PrC's spell list, for example).

As previously quoted, inventing your own curses is explicitly part of the spell. Comparing lower and higher level spells is also somewhat questionable, given the inconsistent nature of printed materials, the abundance of higher level garbage spells, and the fact that bestow curse already exist as-is.

This idea clearly runs counter to RAI, but only outright fails because no DM would ever allow it at their table, which doesn't (necessarily) apply to these sorts of hypothetical exercises.

[Yahzi]

Tomorrow you wake up and can take level in d&d class. Trick is that you won't advance further than first level - never ever. What class, skills, feats, general tactics you go with.

Cleric. Cure Minor Wounds automatically stabilizes. People will pay me great sums of money to sit in operating theaters - just in case. Plus I'll be saving lives that would otherwise be lost.

[ross]

There is no "Knowledge (Dance)" skill. And, it would be Profession (Dancer). Dance isn't a job. It's also entirely redundant since you've already got ranks in Perform (Dance).

There are in fact people who dance for a living

You can learn about dancing, therefore there is a knowledge (dance) skill

[Eldariel]

Yeah, but dont you have to be a faithful person for cleric to work? Like, you cant just be paying lip service or something like that.

It's enough to dedicate yourself to any given ideal or whatever. Unless you live in FR.

[The_Jette]

Bestow curse does exist, and it can permanently decrease a stat by 6, which also stacks with everything else, and is mathematically equal in power (-6 + 6 = 0). The problem isn't simply using curses as buffs, it's also that bestow curse and its 'permanent' duration are already overpowered; this is just more obvious when it's used on a PC who actually lives with the results indefinitely, rather than quickly removing the curse or using it on an expendable NPC.

So... what you're saying is that you are going to use curse on yourself in order to increase your scores? So, you're going to use a spell that is specifically created to harm people in a way that will help yourself? See, from what I can tell, that's the equivalent of experimenting with magic on yourself, and leaving yourself to the whims of the DM. Now, this being Faerun, how well do you really see that ending up? Remember, the world that you're sending yourself to regularly has Deities murdered, and experimenting Wizards accidentally creating tears in reality, or horrible abominations of nature that kill them. Seriously, you think you'll end up on the winning end of that bet?

[Quertus]

Now, this being Faerun

Wait, since when?

[Shalist]

1) As far as 'magical experiments' go, you're not doing anything particularly exotic here *shrug*.

2) You could make a similar argument for any shenanigans. That is hardly limited to wish abuse, infinite money, and such; using magic for pretty much anything outside of combat (usually its intended purpose) can have boat-rocking, society-altering ramifications.

3) Who says you have to 'experiment' on yourself? Just sling a few 'curses' at (for instance) a feral cat. I personally can't think of any way in which that could possibly end badly.

4) If you were on Faerun, you'd be kinda screwed and 'at the whim of the DM' no matter how well-behaved you tried to be.

5) Fortunately, the OP didn't say anything about being on Faerun, just that you get a class level.

[The_Jette]

Wait, since when?

My bad. Forgot which thread this was. There's another one about waking up in Faerun...

[Xanyo]

I take my level in Pugilist, a variant of fighter. I trade my bonus feat for 'Shake it Off', which allows me to convert all damage to nonlethal damage.

[Nebuul]

I am adjusting my previous answer:

Human Bard
Precocious Apprentice
Diplomat

Level 0 spells:
Mage Hand
Mending
Prestidigitation
Songbird

Level 2 spell:
Cure Moderate Wounds

Skills (assuming 14 Int) = (6+2+1)x4 = 36
4 Perform (oratory)
4 Diplomacy
4 Sense Motive
4 Bluff
4 Speak Language (7 total languages)
4 Heal
4 Appraise
4 Craft (Alchemist)
4 Profession (Herbalism)

Languages Known:
English
Spanish
Mandarin
Russian
Portuguese
Hindi
Arabic

I'm 99% sure that a person with this setup would rule the world.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

Do I get this level on top (gestalted) or instead (previous "levels" are now gone) of my current skillset and abilities?

Either way, I´m in medical research, so it´s probably most useful for me on that path to take a level of cleric or similar. It´s too bad I can´t take brew potion as a feat below caster level 3, I would love to brew a potion of cure light wounds and then run some tests on it. At least I could get Craft (alchemy) as a skill. Not as relevant, but might still turn out useful. I could also do with some extra Knowledge (anything relevant). Spells like Purify food and drink (I assume it would work at the very least on medicines for oral use, would be very helpful in figuring out which separation steps bring a product closest to purity) and Detect poison would be nice to have. I'd actually be tempted to go Adept, but their familiar doesn't come in until level 2. Just saying an intelligent talking raven would be pretty cool to have (In combination with aforementioned spells). The hour of meditation shouldn't be too big of a deal. I have a hard time getting out of bed anyway, so if I wake half an hour earlier I can probably manage to fit in an hour of being half awake and also thinking about what spells I need today. The hardest part might be finding a nice deity I can technically serve but not be send to the end of the earth on a quest by. Is Hanuman an option?

I always liked rangers, they have a nice skill list and both track and wild empathy are kind of cool, but they're not stuff that I really can't slowly learn to do the normal way, and they're only relevant to my secondary professional skillset. So if we're talking "on top of/gestalted with normal world abilities" it's simply not a very good option.

I also like the answer of just going expert and picking ten relevant skills. Assuming I can pass for at least 12 int I could max out 7 of them. Especially in the gestalted scenario I could become quite the skill monkey by picking all the stuff that's relatively relevant to me but I haven't put as much time into yet.

[Kaleph]

Isn't pun-pun a level 1 paladin?

Anyhow the psion who manifests minor creation at level 1 is also intersting.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

Isn't pun-pun a level 1 paladin?

The acceptance of cheese is linked directly to a roll on your pre-upgrade Fasttalk the DM skill, and you couldn't roll that high if you rolled 4 D20's.

[Vizzerdrix]

The acceptance of cheese is linked directly to a roll on your pre-upgrade Fasttalk the DM skill, and you couldn't roll that high if you rolled 4 D20's.

You mentioned alchemy. You would find healing salve and antitoxin to be right up your line of intrest. Also, what sort of equipment could you make with shapesand?

[ben-zayb]

You mentioned alchemy. You would find healing salve and antitoxin to be right up your line of intrest. Also, what sort of equipment could you make with shapesand?

Ah, yes. The fantasy genre's "universal antitoxin". That'd definitely get you some serious profit.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

You mentioned alchemy. You would find healing salve and antitoxin to be right up your line of intrest. Also, what sort of equipment could you make with shapesand?

Glass is basically just heated sand right? Does it work that way in D&D? (Maybe I'm looking too far into this.)

And yes, those other 2 would be very useful for my "plan". I somehow missed those two, and antitoxin is even in the base SRD.

[Quertus]

It´s too bad I can´t take brew potion as a feat below caster level 3, I would love to brew a potion of cure light wounds and then run some tests on it.

If this ever happens, find me. Make it work my while, and I'll use Sculpt Self to secrete you a completely non-magical Potion of Cure Light Wounds. I'm thinking controlling interest of the company, and 51% of the profits would suffice...

[Grim Reader]

Wedded to History doesn't actually extend your lifespan unless you have a really really lenient DM that will let you read a lot of "implied" into it. It is basically a gateway feat for "out of time" characters, like Arthur out of Avalon, or Steve Rogers.

Tomorrow you wake up and can take level in d&d class. Trick is that you won't advance further than first level - never ever. What class, skills, feats, general tactics you go with.

So no change in race, etc. Well. I expect I'll have to follow the general rules on things, such as magic, etc. But magic is the most payoff I can get here. Precocious Apprentice is tempting, but I have some doubts I can satisfy the 15 Int or Cha requirement. Like most people here, I figure I am a smart guy, but life has taught me that there are smarter. Lets not mention Cha, ok?

I'd like a healing spell, but divine magic generally requires a patron deity or concept, and keeping your alignment up. If you Fall, thats it. There is no-one around that can cast Atonement. And things like Minor Divine Spellcaster requires a 13 Cha.

Arcane Magic looks better. I can swing 11 Int no problem. However, spell research as a Wizard is a problem, it may require exotic components and materials that are unavailable. Sha'ir are Cha-Based.

So I'm thinking Beguiler. Plenty of skill points, Int-based and heavily front-loaded on the magic.

Troll-blooded is a very tempting feat, despite the requirements and the fatigued in sunlight bit. Heighten/Versatile is tempting too, but as a guy who is not intending to get into fights or adventure, Regeneration is just better than what level 2 offers.

I'll need 1 flaw, shaky. so Im a poor shot. Im average as it is. Feats are Toughness, Troll-blooded and Arcane Disciple: Healing. Arcane Disciple requires some skill points a patron deiety a an alignment that matches. A bit shaky, and involves some guesswork, am I really Good? But it doesn't have an atonement clause if I go into the spiritual ditch, so I can get back on track again. I think I can swing an 11 wisdom, I do get age bonuses.

Skills, 7+ Int x 4, 8 points to the AD feat, the rest go to Profession and Language Skills. Medicine, finance etc.

Pathfinder... Is there an Int-based archetype? Cure light Wounds and Disguise Self.

I think I came across a feat once that extended lifespan by 50 %. Same as the epic feat. Never found it again. And I wish I could find a way of getting Suggestion, or orisons.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

There are in fact people who dance for a living

You can learn about dancing, therefore there is a knowledge (dance) skill

As a note on this one, I think what Celestia is trying to say is that perform, like craft, already functions as profession does. There's no profession (fletcher/bowmaker) because craft (bowmaking) covers everything that would cover and more. Perform does not just cover what profession does, but it's plain better. You can roll for your income every day rather than every week, and results above 20 make some pretty good money compared to profession as well as making you famous.

Knowledge skills are a little more separate. After all, there is a (theoretical) knowledge (nature) skill as well as an (applied) survival skill. So that one is less redundant, if you get it past whoever the GM is in this scenario. It would mostly cover stuff like recognizing dance styles, knowing the history of dancing etc. You might even try for knowledge (art)...