Aurelio23's page

TL;DR: I want to make a character for an Abomination Vault campaign (thus, extended dungeon crawl) that balances tankiness and dungeoneering skill. My plan here is a Human dual-wielding Ranger, but I'm open to ideas.

I finally get to play in my first PF2E campaign! I'm the fourth player in an Abomination Vault campaign, and I have what I feel is a fun character idea. The party consists of an Alchemist, Witch, and Monk, so to try to add a balance of tankiness and skill versatility, I want to play a sword-and-shield Flurry Ranger, and we're using the free archetype rule.

Human (Versatile), 16/14/14/10/12/12
Level 1: Toughness, Natural Ambition (Twin Takedown), Monster Hunter
Level 2: Monster Hunter, Fighter Dedication, Assurance (Athletics)
Level 3: Armored Stealth
Level 4: Scout's Warning, Basic Maneuver (Reactive Shield), Unmistakable Lore
Level 5: Fleet

I'm only going up to level five because I don't want to get ahead of myself - there are already a ton of choices that I don't have the play experience to contextualize. Again, I want to be able to play a front-line role while still being able to work with the skill-based elements of the adventure, which Rangers seem well-suited for. So, without going into spoilers or anything, I'd appreciate any feedback on my build! Am I leaving too much on the table by not going with the animal companion? Would maybe going with the Half-Orc ancestry make me tougher, and just how useful is lowlight vision? Would the Rogue dedication be more helpful than the Fighter dedication? Heck, if you can convince me that a Fighter can be tankier than a Ranger without sacrificing utility, I'm flexible on that end as well. Thanks in advance for any advice!

TL;DR: What's the best way to build a (probably Human) Monk who wields either a kama or a temple sword and keeps the other hand free?

As a disclaimer, I haven't played Pathfinder yet (I've only just bought the Player's Handbook and have been reading resources online). As such, I don't have a strong grasp as to what turn-by-turn play necessarily looks like and what makes one option better than another, so a lot of my questions will be about how to fulfill a certain character fantasy rather than fine-tuning.

With that out of the way, I'd like to build a Monk that focuses on using a one-handed weapon, inspired by Luo-Lang from Sword of the Stranger (he's the blond guy with the one-handed sword). So combat-wise, I would want this to be a PC characterized by extreme agility and athleticism who focuses on swordplay but is just as skilled at hand-to-hand, so a Monk with Monk Weaponry stands out immediately. I guess the most specific question I can ask is, how do I best access and use "Requirement: You are wielding only a single one-handed melee weapon and have your other hand or hands free" feats? More broadly, I've read that the Monk's less about raw damage and more about speed and mild control, so I think it would be cool to focus on stunning and tripping enemies. So what would be the best way to build and play to fulfill this character fantasy? This is where I get overwhelmed by options and my own lack of experience.

Ironblood Stance seems strong just for its versatile damage reduction. Peafowl Stance is cool in that it specifies a sword and a free hand, but is a Step after a Strike that useful? I wouldn't have expected weapons to be as deeply-supported as unarmed strikes by Monk feats, but there seems to a real dearth of Monk-specific options, here. The Fighter archetype lets me take Dueling Parry, which seems like a fun way to capitalize on the playstyle, but I wouldn't be able to get the cool parry stance and other dueling options further down that tree. Is it too much investment for too little return?

Also, how worried should I be about the temple sword's lack of Agile? MAP applies to trip/shove/disarm etc. attempts, right? The kama (I guess I could just say it's a small sword?) does everything that the temple sword does and more, but the damage is worse and can't be used with Peafowl Stance. Does Agile make up for this when I'm trying to perform maneuvers and such after a Flurry?

Or to go in a completely different direction, am I starting off on the wrong foot by fixating on the Monk? Swashbucklers are also all about speed and one-handed weapons, but the focus on Charisma isn't really in line with the character fantasy. Rogues might fit, but don't seem to be as good as Monks in a head-on scrap. Fighters have the options to build any sort of martial one can think of, but can they mix weapons with fists smoothly while also flipping through the air like a maniac?

A part of me thinks that I'm overthinking this and that Monk Weaponry, Stunning Strike, Stand Still, Peafowl Stance, and a temple sword will get me exactly what I'm looking for, but I thought I'd ask you guys to set me straight. Thanks in advance for slogging through this and I appreciate any help and advice!