Martial Builds for a Caster Player

[Dastis]

I play full casters. Their fun. I like having options in and out of combat. Full casters do that quite perfectly. But full caster doesn't fit every character concept, table, or campaign. Got a game coming up in a couple of weeks and I want to play a martial character but I don't want to be stuck as a 1 trick pony full attacker. All I've come up with is Brawler and batman quiver archer. Is there any other builds for martial characters with options? Partial caster is ok so long as its meant for utility/buffs.

Campaign Specific Stuff
Gestalt
1 Free feat lv1
Wild West Themed

[Shiroi]

Oh this is good. I like this.

Alright, so gestalt martial focus with Western theme... If you're looking for magic martial, you can do amazing things with a kineticist focused on the blade/whip, using the substance infusions fluffed as pseudo-combat maneuvers (using an enchanted whip full of stones, leaving pieces of it behind to entagle their legs). Kineticist uses dex and con mostly, so it gestalts well with a dex frontliner like the monk or brawler. You'd give up the flurry feature I believe, but the bonuses to move and AC would make you very durable and possibly broaden your class skills list.

Alternatively, anything gestalt Bard would look great in Western theme if you go with the bard half thematically and step into melee with your barbarian or what have you. The stats are really MAD for that, and your action economy might suffer from limiting you to one role or the other, but it fits theme very well and makes you a great support or a great martial.

Paladins by themselves make excellent martial supports, and that Cha need might help the bard half if you go that route (auras with performances sounds like buffs on red bull), or drop the bard and give a paladin sneak dice or ranger qualities. Paladins played lawful good not lawful brain damaged can be very appreciated party members, find a backstory and work with your DM carefully here.

Swashbuckler has decent melee, decent ranged, great Western thematic potential, and mixes nicely with Magus. Focus on support spells and spellsword deliverable debuffs that can be flavored as less blasty or casterish and more like something dirty trick you did to them. Touch of fatigue could be fun if it fits, it's been a minute since I checked what worked and didn't with Magus.

[Gray Warden]

I don't really know how gestalt works, so I apologize if this doesn't make any sense, but since the theme is The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, why not going Gunslinger? You could go vanilla Gunslinger/Warpriest or Mysterious Stranger/Bard. Both Warpriests and Bards are great for buffs and utility.

[Shiroi]

Gray Warden wrote:

I don't really know how gestalt works, so I apologize if this doesn't make any sense, but since the theme is The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, why not going Gunslinger? You could go vanilla Gunslinger/Warpriest or Mysterious Stranger/Bard. Both Warpriests and Bards are great for buffs and utility.

Gestalt is levels in two classes at the same time. Highest Bab stays, highest fort save stays, highest sneak attack progression, highest hit die, all of it. Completely different class abilities like sneak attack and spell casting or bardic performances and alchemist infusions? Get both. There's some good guides on it floating around, it's a fun way to power play or flesh out a tiny party to be less role-starved.

[ZᴇɴN]

Gestalt martial that uses magic for buffing? I'd 100% recommend using Warpriest (Arsenal Chaplain or Divine Commander, probably) with some solid full BAB beater that gets gets more than 2 skill ranks.

Warpriest/Shifter
Warpriest/Slayer
Warpriest/Unchained Monk
etc

Alternatively, if you'd rather be CHA based, then go Bard (either Dawnflower Dervish or Archaeologist) with some CHA based beater.

Bard/Swashbuckler
Bard/Bloodrager
Bard/Scaled Fist Unchained Monk
etc