Unity and Determination: Castilonium’s guide to the Path of War Zealot


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Unity and Determination: Castilonium’s guide to the Path of War Zealot

Welcome to my first guide! It covers the Zealot class made by Dreamscarred Press and released in Path of War: Expanded. The excellent guides by Path of War designer Elricaltovilla are unfortunately out of date and were written when PoW:E was in beta and undergoing revisions, so the Zealot is quite different from how it was back then.

I don't claim to know all the possible tricks a Zealot can pull, but I feel this guide is complete enough to spark discussion on the class. There's even a section that offers advice on how to keep track of the many resources a Zealot needs to handle. Hopefully the community will be able to offer new ideas, correct my embarrassing mistakes, and help in creating an awesome guide for an awesome class!

There are two WIP sections: The maneuvers & disciplines section, and the sample builds section. I'll add to them eventually. In the meantime, take a look at this guide by Shawshank for info on disciplines and maneuvers. It focuses on advice for non-initiator archetypes, and it only goes up to 6th level maneuvers, but it’s the most recent and complete guide for PoW:Expanded disciplines. Elricaltovilla has also written guides for all of the disciplines from the original Path of War book, linked above.


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Guide update notes:
Eternal Guardian and Sleeping Goddess are complete!
Fixed mistake in Equipment and weapons section and updated recommendations. Flails are not a discipline weapon for Eternal Guardian. The estoc is the best finesse weapon.
Added a note about size-stacking in the Ability Scores and Fighting Style section.
Added a note about Gamlas in the race section under Aasimar, Tiefling, and Skinwalker.
Added Skin of Proteus and Dueling (PSFG) to Equipment section.
Made the headings in the outline look nicer.
Tidied up some language regarding swift and immediate actions.

It turns out that working through those disciplines takes several hours each, and I still have 18 left to go! I'll get to em eventually, don't worry!


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Guide update notes:
Piercing Thunder is complete!
(Disciplines & Maneuvers) Added a preface explaining why things are rated the way they are. I felt like this would be needed, since... I put quiiiite a lot of red and orange ratings in Piercing Thunder.
(Ability Scores & Fighting Style) Added the Reach & Shield style, and changed "maximum tankiness" in the Sword & Board entry to "maximum durability."
(Ability Scores & Fighting Style) Expanded on the options for the Unarmed fighting style.
(Ability Scores & Fighting Style) Expanded on the TL;DR summary.
(Feats) Added Polearm Dancer.
(Feats) Replaced Signature Skill (Intimidate) with Soulless Gaze.
(Dipping) Added a note about Discipline Blade Skills in the Soulknife dip.
(Dipping) Added Bushi Warlord.
(Dipping) Added Fiendbound Marauder Warder.
(Dipping) Added Primal Disciple Barbarian.
(Dipping) Added Master of Many Styles Monk.
(Equipment) Updated recommendations for Finesse Melee.
(Equipment) Abbreviated Cracked Opalescent White Pyramid Ioun Stone as COWPIS. Tee hee hee =P

Now I have completed the 3 disciplines new to PoW:E that Zealots have native access to. Next, I'll do the other two, Golden Lion and Solar Wind! After that, I'll do the rest of the PoW:E disciplines, and finally I'll do the original PoW disciplines. Hopefully they won't be as depressing to evaluate for Zealots as Piercing Thunder was!


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Guide Update Notes:
(Disciplines & Maneuvers) Golden Lion complete!
(Disciplines & Maneuvers) Solar Wind complete!
(Disciplines & Maneuvers) Tempest Gale complete!
(PoW & E feats) Fuse Styles fell in rating because of Combat Style Master.
(Style Feats) Added Combat Style Master at the top.
(Style Feats) Added the Wolf Style chain.
(Paizo Feats) Added Divine Protection.
(Traits) Added Deadeye Bowman.
(Traits) Added Blade of Mercy.
(Traits) Added Defensive Strategist.
(Dipping) Mentioned that Ordained Defender can be used with Fiendbound Marauder Warder.
(Dipping) Added Savage Technologist and Superstition as options for Primal Disciple Barbarian.
(Dipping) Noted that tentacles are awesome for Aberrant Aegis.
(Dipping) Corrected some flagrantly atrocious errors and recommendations in Master of Many Styles Monk.
(Equipment) Added Anaconda's Coils Belt.
(Disciplines & Maneuvers) Added Final Rulings to the end of each discipline.


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Guide Update Notes:
(Disciplines & Maneuvers) Riven Hourglass is complete!
(Disciplines & Maneuvers) Mithral Current is complete!
(Style Feats) Added Grabbing Style.
(Equipment) Added flailpole and tri-point double-edged sword, and clarified things about the scorpion whip.
(Equipment) Added Furious and Leveraging to weapon enhancements.
(Disciplines & Maneuvers) Minute Hand rating changed to purple.


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Guide Update Notes:
(Disciplines & Maneuvers) Elemental Flux complete!
(Disciplines & Maneuvers) Shattered Mirror complete!
(Disciplines & Maneuvers) Added martial traditions.


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Guide Update Notes:
(Disciplines & Maneuvers) Shattered Mirror complete!
(Disciplines & Maneuvers) Veiled Moon complete!
(Path of War & Expanded Feats) Added Improved Quick Draw
(Psionic Feats) Added Psicrystal Reservoir
(Equipment) Added Amulet of the Blooded (Aberrant)


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Guide Update Notes:
(Disciplines & Maneuvers) Broken Blade complete!
(Equipment) Added a Discipline Weapon Group Cheat Sheet™.

♪♫ Tis the season to be busy, fa la la la la, la la, la, la~ ♪♫


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Guide Update Notes:
(Disciplines & Maneuvers) Black Seraph complete!
(Disciplines & Maneuvers) Silver Crane complete!
(Paizo Feats) Added Pageant of the Peacock.


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Guide Update Notes:
(Disciplines & Maneuvers) Iron Tortoise complete!
(Disciplines & Maneuvers) Scarlet Throne complete!
(Table of Contents) Moved the How to Keep Track of Everything section up so that it wouldn't be drowned under the huge Disciplines & Maneuvers section.
(Path of War & Expanded Feats) Added Powerful Throw
(Paizo Feats) Added Dirty Fighting
(Paizo Feats) Added Shield Brace
(Paizo Feats) Added Unhindering Shield
(Equipment) Added Greater Transformative and Training weapon enhancements
(Equipment) Added Tempest Shield and Maelstrom Shield
(Equipment) Removed Irongrip Gauntlets. They didn't do what I thought they did.
(Disciplines & Maneuvers) Corrected alignment details of Black Seraph.


Good to see some free Path of War Zealot guide stuff out there for 2016. ;)


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Guide Update Notes:
(Disciplines & Maneuvers) Primal Fury complete!
(Disciplines & Maneuvers) Steel Serpent complete!
(Disciplines & Maneuvers) Thrashing Dragon complete!

All 20 disciplines ARE COMPLETE! Next on the chopping block is the sample builds, and I plan to take a look at Unquiet Grave from Lords of the Night, and Chimera Soul from Lords of the Wild.


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Guide Update Notes:
Prestige Classes are now in the guide!
(Dipping) Added Mystic
(Dipping) Added Wilder
(Prestige Classes) Added Animus Adept
(Prestige Classes) Added Awakened Blade
(Equipment) Added nodachi to the Two Hander section


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Guide Update Notes:
(Prestige Classes) Added Landsknecht
(Equipment) Added Karyukai Tea Set
(Sample Builds) Added Dread Captain Alexandra! She's a durable firearms Zealot who focuses on debuffing enemies with ranged strikes and intimidation, and buffing allies with Golden Lion and bardic performance, while having a huge number of skill points and class skills!
(Sample Builds) Added Nelly Nephilim, written by upho! She's an EXTREMELY powerful AoO Zealot with peerless crowd control!


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Guide Update Notes:
(Discplines & Maneuvers) Unquiet Grave, the discipline from Lords of the Night, complete!
(Prestige Classes) Added Phoenix Champion
Adjusted ratings throughout the guide.


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Guide Update Notes:
(Disciplines & Maneuvers) Fool's Errand (playtest) complete!
(Style Feats) Added Fool's Errand Style
(Prestige Classes) Added a paragraph at the beginning warning players of the unclear maneuver swapping progression. Also changed "Maneuvers" ratings under the prestige classes for the various interpretations.


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Guide Update Notes:
(PoW & Expanded feats) Added Elemental Current
(PoW & Expanded feats) Added Elemental Focus
(PoW & Expanded feats) Added Elemental Sun
(PoW & Expanded feats) Added Flowing Mithral Fist
(PoW & Expanded feats) Added Molten Silver Strike
(PoW & Expanded feats) Added Quicksilver Grip
(PoW & Expanded feats) Added Silver Fang Initiate
(PoW & Expanded feats) Added Vortex Rush
(Paizo Feats) Now in alphabetical order!
(Traits) Added Battlefield Disciple
(Traits) Now in alphabetical order!
(Base Class Dips) Now in alphabetical order!
(Prestige Classes) Added Mage Hunter
(Sample Builds) Added The Bronze Boar, who focuses on multi-attack strikes to maximize the use of Golden Lion Command!


Guide Update Notes:
(Ability Scores & Fighting Style) Added recommendations at the end for ability score distribution
(Dipping) Added Exciter/Fractured Mind Spiritualist
(Dipping) Added Urban Bloodrager as an option for Bloodrager
(Dipping) Added Scaled Fist Monk
(Prestige Classes) Added Umbral Blade
(Disciplines and Maneuvers) Fool's Errand has been fully released and is no longer in playtest
(Sample Builds) Made the Bronze Boar even more disgusting, and added details on what he does at later levels

Contributor

An extremely useful and interesting guide. A small question - where is the Banner of the Scarlet Rose from?


Humongous update!

Guide Update Notes:
(General): Info from the PoW Errata, Akashic Mysteries, Divergent Paths: Fool's Errand, Divergent Paths: Medic, Rajah playtest, Radiant Dawn playtest, Highlord playtest, Bloodforge, and Lords of the Wild playtest added
(General): Improved the look and organization of the Outline on the left
(Ability Scores & Fighting Style): Laser Beams updated to include info about Radiant Dawn and Sun's Gleam
(Ability Scores & Fighting Style): Added Mounted fighting style
(Races): Divided into subsections and added the "Bloodforge and Other DSP Races" subsection
(Paizo Races): Added Half-Elf and Gnome
(Bloodforge and Other DSP Races): Added Alicorn, Grendle, Kestrel, and Kijin
(Class Features): Personality Fragment and Echoes of Steel are purple because you can use Echoes of Steel to give your psicrystal maneuvers!
(Feats): Added "Other Dreamscarred Press Feats" subsection
(Path of War & Expanded Feats): Added Lurker in Darkness, Ranged Martial Power, and updated Weapon Group Adaptation
(Style Feats): Added Chimera Soul Style and Radiant Dawn Style
(Psionic Feats): Added Collective Focus, Enlarged Collective, Looming Presence, and Opportunistic Conscription
(Paizo Feats): Added Martial Focus, Cut from the Air, Smash from the Air, and Wasp Familiar
(Other Dreamscarred Press Feats): Added LOTS!
(Traits): Organized by trait type, and added Mixed Blood and Voices of Solid Things
(Dipping): Added info on the Mauler familiar archetype to Bloodrager, added Rajah, and updated Warlord (Privateer)
(Equipment): Added FAQs explaining the scorpion whip and discipline weapon rules, and added Weapon Modifications
(Wondrous Items): Added Banner of the Scarlet Rose and Gloves of Arcane Striking
(Disciplines & Maneuvers): Info from PoW Errata applied to all disciplines
(Disciplines & Maneuvers): Added Chimera Soul (playtest) and Radiant Dawn (playtest)!
(Sample Builds): New builds! Bosun Cobalt Damianos, AoO Zealot; Ship’s Doctor Jubilation Sunheart, healer and laser beam Zealot; Lookout Yumi, mounted long range archery Zealot! Also, updated Dread Captain Alexandra

And there's probably a lot of other stuff I forgot! As always, please give me suggestions on what else I should put in the guide!

Dreikaiserbund wrote:
An extremely useful and interesting guide. A small question - where is the Banner of the Scarlet Rose from?

From the Adventurer's Guide.


How did you determine that the maenad's proficiency with flails applied to the whole weapon group?

You should strongly consider the Swift Aid feat.


tynansdtm wrote:
How did you determine that the maenad's proficiency with flails applied to the whole weapon group?

Reading the wording again, it’s unclear if it means they are proficient with all weapons in the flail weapon group, or if they’re only proficient with the one-handed martial weapon called flail. I've put a note about this in the race section. Thanks for the heads up =)

tynansdtm wrote:
You should strongly consider the Swift Aid feat.

I strongly considered it, so strongly that I added it to the guide! With a red rating.

Swift Aid*: You can use Aid Another as a swift action, but your base bonus is reduced to +1. Zealots only recover maneuvers if they use Aid Another as a move action, not with any other type of action. You also want to use your swift/immediate actions for boosts and counters, not this piddly bonus. Don’t be fooled into taking this.


Right, I missed that. That's embarrassing.

One last thing I noticed is that you recommend warsighted oracle (which I think is amazing), but you recommend picking up advanced study for a new maneuver, but it doesn't ready that maneuver for you until you spend 10 minutes contemplating. It still totally works for stances though. I'm looking for some way to use the Contender to do something similar, but I don't think it works except with Contender maneuvers.

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