I'm brand new to pathfinder and RPGs in general. I feel like I have a good hang of the rules so far. I like several classes but I really hate the X times a day mechanic. So I'm thinking fighter or rogue because they don't have those? I want to play a crowd control kind of guy, someone who can keep the enemies debuffed/distracted/stunned while everyone does their job. I looked at some guides for fighter trip builds. Would a fighter with a reach weapon and good mobility be good for that? Or some kind of stunning type of build? Am I trying to make a class do something that it's not built to do?
The fighter can do a decent job of it, but not at level 1. What types of enemies the GM uses is also a factor. You will never be able to do it as well as magic can, but if the monster is limited to land travel you should be ok.
Do not try this with a rogue.
Alchemist is the rogue for you to do just that.
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APG's Thug (Rogue Archetype) would be the best way for a Rogue to contribute towards your concept IMHO.
You only need 3 levels of Rogue to get the relevant abilities.
(if you go 4 levels deep, Scout Archetype lets you always get Sneak Attack - and Brutal Beating's Sickened condition - when you Charge an opponent)
The Thug's Frightening Ability's option to upgrade Intimidation's Shaken condition to Frightened also seems useful for your schtick, and it isn't hard to get Intimidate high enough to easily pass the DC's (they don't scale well).
Otherwise you can go with Fighter, Reach Weapons sounds good for your schtick,
and either Improved Unarmed Strike or Natural Attacks (not Claws) let you simultaneously threaten at 'normal' Reach.
(it's not in the RAW currently, but Paizo has stated that Armored Spikes use an arm to 'wield', so even though you never need to 'draw' or drop them, you can't SIMULTANEOUSLY threaten with them AND a weapon that arm is holding - it's a Free Action to switch between them, but that decision must be made by the end of your turn, to determine which weapon can be used for AoO's)
Stunning is great, but doesn't become possible for pure Fighters until high level (BAB 16 or so... Stunning Crit/Assault).
If you want to do it from low level, Monks are your best bet. There are also a range of Feats and Archetypes that give alternate/ additional 'debuffs' instead of Stunning. (see APG section on Monk Archetypes, and Feat section)
Since Stunning Fist uses WIS for the DC, some sort of multi-class with Inquisitor could be workable.
Barbarians have good crowd control options, including taking AoOs vs. 5' steps and threat ENTRY (as opposed to exit, how AoO's normally work), but their Rage Rounds may not be your cup of tea.
I believe there is an option for Paladins to Entangle with their Smite Attacks, and they have some debuff options as well.
What allows barbarians to take AoO's when someone enters a threatened square?
Unexpected Strike, straight outta Core Rule Book when Barbarians were 'weak sauce' per conventional wisdom :-)
It only requires 8th level of Barbarian...
In some ways there is overlap with Come and Get Me, but each has it's strengths.
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Unexpected Strike (Ex): The barbarian can make an attack of opportunity against a foe that moves into any square threatened by the barbarian, regardless of whether or not that movement would normally provoke an attack of opportunity. This power can only be used once per rage. A barbarian must be at least 8th level before selecting this power.
I believe that also works agaisnt Acrobatics as well as 5' steps.
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The Brawler Fighter Archetype from Ultimate Combat could also work for what you want,
bonuses to Bullrush, Drag, Reposition, which can potentially stack with the weapon training to Close Weapon Group (you eventually get 'open' Weapon Training as well) if you use a Trip Weapon or dip in Barbarian to deliver Bullrush via weapons (Knockback). Menacing Stance +Disruptive/Spellbreaker Feats = very hard Concentration/Casting Defensive checks. +No Escape/Standstill.
Sorry it took so long. I want to thank you all for the advice. They actually ended up just making a ranger for me to play for a while and are kind of holding my hand a bit. But once I understand mechanics better they are gonna let me swap in my concept character. So thanks!
