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Ok. So as an Eldritch Archer Magus, I get arcana every 3 levels. I was thinking Arcane Accuracy, Broad Study, Reach Spellstrike, Spell Blending, and Quickened Magic. I need Broad Study to use the witch spells with spellstrike and spell combat. And Reach Spellstrike is needed to use melee touch spells with ranged spellstrike and spell combat. I can't move either of those earlier due to level requirements. That takes care of the arcana up through level 15.

The hexes were already picked out on the original build and won't be changing. Frozen Caress, Iceplant, Ice Tomb, Hoarfrost, and Numbing Chill. I lose several hexes to the archetypes I'm using so that's all I can use without taking the Extra Hex feat.

Speaking of feats, in this group, EITR is in play plus they give everyone a free level one bonus feat. So I can put Precise Shot and Rapid Shot at level one and get that out of the way. Weapon Focus could help with accuracy at level 3.

I get a bonus feat at level 5 that I can put a metamagic feat in. I think I'll put Rime Spell there. I don't really need any other metamagic feats. I plan to get a rod for Quicken Spell because +4 levels is way too high. (I realize they did it because it would be far too broken otherwise, but I'm still getting the rod.) I think I'll put Spell Penetration as the regular level 5 feat to help get past SR.

I'm thinking Spell Focus for level 7 and then Manyshot at level 9. Not sure what to do next. I get another bonus feat at level 11.

Archetype of Magus. Basically you're trading melee spellstrike and spell combat for ranged.

Ok, I've changed my mind. I'm not going to go with kineticist. It's blasty enough on its own that it doesn't need any support from Witch. And Witch is what I'm trying to support in the first place.

I think I'm going to go with Eldritch Archer after all. It's not a full BAB class, but the spellstrike and spell combat help with move economy and has a decent amount of attack spells. Plus I can enhance my bow which will help with accuracy.

If I was going to do an archer class, I would prefer Eldritch Archer Magus so I could shoot my spells with the weapon. Ranger doesn't really help with Witch very much since it's a Wis based class.

Ok. So Water is the primary element, of course. Then I guess air as the second element as level 7. I guess at 15, I'll expand water since none of the other elements fit the theme.

So I get Basic Hydrokinesis and Cold Blast at level one. Then Shroud of Water at level two. Then at level 7, I'll have access to Air Blast, Basic Aerokinesis, and Blizzard Blast. Then Ice Blast at level 15. Do I get the other simple blast from water by expanding?

I think I want to try Kineticist. It's on theme with the elemental stuff and has a ranged touch attack that never runs out, which is handy when I have to save spells.

Now the question is, what talents do I take? I'm going to go with water for the element since that's the one with the ice stuff. Maybe air for the second element at level 7.

Did you mean Inspired Blade Swashbuckler?

I haven't readjusted the stats for the gestalt, but when I did the original sheet for her with just Witch, she got 10 Str, 17 Dex, 14 Con, 16 Int, 12 Wis, 9 Cha.

I'm going Muse-Touched Aasimar so she has a racial boost to Dex and Cha, and I used a 20 point buy.

Ok. I think I've narrowed it down to either Wizard, Eldritch Archer Magus, or Kineticist. All 3 classes have good things going for them.

It's a living world group where everyone has multiple characters. The various GMs pick a level range for a session and people apply to play that session. So the party is constantly changing.

Magus could work well. Eldritch Archer, maybe? Spellstrike a nice safe distance away.

Fighter would definitely help with the BAB, but after Precise Shot, there really aren't anymore combat feats I would need for blasting spells. Unless I load up on the defensive feats like Dodge and Great Fortitude.

I'll think about Slayer. At least for a few levels, it could be handy.

I have a Witch that's an Invoker Winter Witch going into PrC Winter Witch. She uses ice spells to blast opponents and freeze them in place.

I'm putting her into a gestalt game and I'm not sure what to gestalt her with. Yeah, there's wizard, but is that really the best choice? It does have great blasting spells, bonus metamagic feats, and is an Int caster. But it doesn't really do anything for saves or action economy.

So what would be a better choice than wizard?

Bard. Get the buffs for everybody, good skills, can do the talking stuff, and can be decent at martial stuff with the right build. And has the cure spells on the list so doesn't need to UMD a wand for basic healing. That's not a huge deal since any divine caster can do the same, but it's still handy.

A magus is great at both melee and magic, and decent at skills with a high Int. Spellstrike Shocking Grasp, anybody?

Warpriests. Divine magic, can self-buff with swift actions, can heal with channel energy, and get plenty of bonus feats for martial stuff. Fighters do get more bonus feats, but it's always good to have some magic helping out.

Finally either a druid, ranger, or hunter. Druids are a bit better for casting since they are full casters with the complete list of spells at their disposal. But all are decent martials with divine magic and a battle buddy pet.

I've also switched from Vanilla Fighter to Lore Warden Fighter. It fits her flavor better and I don't lose anything detrimental. And since Lore Warden gives Combat Expertise as a bonus feat at level 2 and we already get that with EITR, I was able to switch it out for another combat feat. So I went ahead and got Kobald Style here at level 7. I won't need to retrain Serpent Lash now for Kobald Groundling and take that at level 8.

I am coming back to necro my thread. I have gotten this gal up to level 7 (darn you full time job that prevents me from having time to play) and have decided what I want to do with her.

I gave her Greater Trip at 7. At level 8, I'm going to go with Kobald Style and retrain Serpent Lash to Kobald Groundling. Then Flickering Step at 9 before going into the Dimensional line.

And at level 15, I think I'm going to take the Druidic Decoder feat. This gal has almost ALL the basic languages and that feat will give her one that a rank in Linguistics can't give. I know by that time it won't matter that much, but her combat build will be done at that point and it's fun to think of her being able to speak every language in the game.

You can always take the Undersize Mount feat to ride something the same size as you. And then trade it away for another feat when it gets bigger. As a Hunter, you get Precise Shot at level 2 for free so you don't really need Point-Blank Shot. So you can take Undersized Mount at level one.

My own Hunter rode a boar and she was a killing machine. She was a melee build and my boar rarely went down.

I've played bards that use a whip and a bow. Both of them can do really well if you have the right build.

If you decide to go with the archer route, get a Tuned Bowstring. It's expensive, but it means you will never run out of Performance rounds.

If you go with the whip, you will have to decide on whether you want to just trip or do damage. Both options will take quite a few feats.

Do you have anything left?

If there are a couple of total rookies, I agree with the suggestion to use the iconic NPCs for everybody. It'll make sure that everyone's build is on the same level while the rookies get used to the rules.

Well, as already mentioned, Monks and Brawlers have the best time of it without any gear at all. Shifters, Druids, and Barbarians (with certain rage powers) using natural weapons will also be pretty good. Paladins, Fighters, and other full BAB classes will be a little hampered without a way to do lethal damage (assuming of course that they aren't races without natural attacks) but won't be fully useless.

As for casters, prepared casters that require spellbooks are kinda screwed. Once they use up any previously prepared spells, they won't be able to prepare more. Other casters will depend on their class features, such as a Witch's hexes.

I would like to also point out how helpful backup weapons are. Have a kunai and a dagger for melee, then a sling for ranged. Will you be a great martial combatant as full arcane caster? No. Will those weapons be handy when you're out of spells and the enemy has managed to get up to you? Yes.

I like the character customization from Pathfinder much better than 5e. I don't play Pathfinder 2e because I'm very busy and I don't want to spend time to learn an entire new system.

If you just want to use the shield for defense, pretty much any melee class will work. Fighter, Brawler, Skald, anything.

If you want to shield bash, Ranger is a good choice. Like Stranger said, the combat style bonus feats let you ignore pre-reqs. So you can easily get Two-Weapon Fighting without having to go all in on Dex. The Skirmisher archetype trades out spells for more melee treats.

Ok, I think I'm gonna drop the disarming stuff. They don't need it. I'm going to lean into crit fishing with Tristan (he's the Swashbuckler) That'll be pretty easy with a scimitar and basically getting Improved Critical at level 5.

I can delay the Cavalier level on him until I can get Outflank. I'm not sure if I should give Christie (the Rogue) the Cavalier level at one or wait until 5. I want to give her Pared Opportunists to share.

Yeah. That's why I want to rebuild them. I feel like I need to do so anyway even if I could play them together.

I think I'll go with Constable. Daring fits better thematically, but overlaps mechanically. And Improved Unarmed Strike is useful for a backup weapon.

Think I should dip Cavalier on these guys? So they can each share a teamwork feat? Are there any archetypes that trade away the mount but keep Tactician?

Yes. The characters are twin nobles whose family was murdered and their lands, titles, and fortunes were stolen from then when they were children. As adults, they plan to steal it all back. Phantom Thief is a more refined image than Cutpurse. And being able to take Combat Trick multiple times is handy.

Yeah, it can also take Skill Focus as a talent multiple times and a vigilante social talent. Though those can only be taken once each and you can't take Social Grace.

It's the archetype. A Phantom Thief can take Combat Trick, Minor Magic, and Major Magic multiple times.

https://aonprd.com/ArchetypeDisplay.aspx?FixedName=Rogue%20Phantom%20Thief

I picked out feats to level 9 for both of them.

The Swash:
1: Weapon Finesse, Agile Maneuvers, and Dirty Fighting
3: Dervish Dance
4: Improved Steal (Combat Swipe talent)
5: Improved Disarm, Improved Critical
7: Outflank
8: Disarm Partner (Combat Trick talent)
9: Paired Opportunists

The Rogue: (I used Combat Trick for every talent.)
1: Weapon Finesse, Dirty Fighting, Agile Maneuvers
2: Improved Steal
3: Improved Disarm
4: Combat Reflexes
5: Broken Wing Gambit
6: Dodge
7: Iron Will
8: Disarm Partner
9: Paired Opportunists

The Ring of Tactical Precision was planned to share Outflank and BWG.

The basic plan was stealing and disarming while also getting AoOs. But since playing 2 characters in the same game isn't really something that's ever going to happen, I need to pare down the teamwork feats. Or have a way to share them that's not the ring.

I've got a pair of old characters (though they've never been played) that are twins. One is a Phantom Thief Unchained Rogue and the other is a Dashing Thief Swashbuckler. I'm looking at their builds now and realizing that they have a bit too many teamwork feats.

I want to try to rebuild them so I can play them separately in normal games without crippling them. But also make it so they would boost each other if played together.

They are both humans and I want to give them both Improved Steal, but obviously not focusing on that so much they can't do anything else.

Anyone have any thoughts?

There's an alchemist archetype that focuses on firearms. It's called Gunchemist. It doesn't get Quick Clear so you'll still need to dip a level of Gunslinger or take the Amateur Gunslinger feat, but it otherwise gives you everything you need for a firearm build.

Yes, I took Fate's Favored. The other trait is Maestro of the Society.

My spells are CLW, Grease, Tears to Wine, Vanish at level one. Level 2 is Cat's Grace, CMW, Invisibility, and Glitterdust.

Oh, those are definitely handy. The hard part will be getting them denied their dex for the first trip attempt though. I could probably retrain Tangled Limbs and Serpent Lash to get both. We don't run into too many things with 4 legs.

What action is triple time? It doesn't say. Is it the same as a regular bardic performance?

I have no idea how they did it either. I suspect magic is involved but not what kind.

We're using the EITR optional ruleset so everyone gets Weapon Finesse anyway. If a class gives one of the feats that EITR gives out, then we can trade it for another feat instead. And I'm using Unchained Rogue so I got the dex to damage at level 3.

Also Deft Maneuvers isn't about using dex for the trip attempt. It's a combination of multiple maneuver feats, including Improved Trip.

As an aside, the Dimensional Dervish line might be handy. There's even a maneuver feat there. Too bad they're not combat feats so I could get them faster with fighter bonus feats. (On that note, WHY are they not combat feats?)

Edit: I was just told of the Flickering Step feat. It's not a combat feat itself, but it turns Dimensional Agility and every feat that requires it into combat feat for the purpose of Fighter bonus feats. I take Flickering Step at level 9, Dimensional Agility at 10, Dimensional Assault at 11, Dimensional Dervish at 12, and Dimensional Maneuvers at 13.

I'm sorry, but I can't figure out where you're pulling "6 feats based on character level" from.

Level one: Lingering Performance (base level feat), Deft Maneuvers (replacement for Rogue's Weapon Finesse), and Combat Reflexes (houserule bonus feat)
Level 2: Weapon Focus (from Rogue's Weapon Training talent)
Level 3: Whip Mastery (base level feat)
Level 4: Titan's Tangle (from Rogue's Combat Trick talent)
Level 5: Tangled Limbs (base feat) and Serpent's Lash (Fighter bonus)
Level 6: Improved Whip Mastery (Fighter bonus)

That's 9 feats and only because of the houserule bonus. So why are you saying I should have 10?

I haven't had any trouble with out-of-combat stuff, outside of plain old bad luck on rolls. I could lean more into buffing the party

I do get access to Haste next level, so that helps some in getting around. Should I still take Greater Trip and have everything needed for tripping? Or take something else?

I want to keep going with the bard levels, but I'm willing to do something other than Fighter if it's better.

Ok, you guys don't like the rogue levels. Understood. I still need to figure out what to do going forward.

I'm not going for a bow/shield/whip build. I have a bow as a backup weapon. I mentioned it as it's something I have, not something I'm going to always do. I also have a kunai for blunt damage. I always make sure I have backup weapons to avoid being completely unarmed.

The shield is for AC. Why are you guys assuming I'm using it for damage? I said I was going to enhance it. Enhancing it gets me more AC.

As for Lingering Performance, I'm pasting the exact wording from AoN:
"Archaeologist’s Luck (Ex): Fortune favors the archaeologist. As a swift action, an archaeologist can call on fortune’s favor, giving him a +1 luck bonus on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and weapon damage rolls. He can use this ability for a number of rounds per day equal to 4 + his Charisma modifier. Maintaining this bonus is a free action, but it ends immediately if the archaeologist is killed, paralyzed, stunned, knocked unconscious, or otherwise prevented from taking a free action to maintain it each round. Archaeologist’s luck is treated as bardic performance for the purposes of feats, abilities, effects, and the like that affect bardic performance."

In other words, Lingering Performance works on Archaeologist's Luck. And it's pretty needed since an Archaeologist doesn't get extra rounds from leveling up.

Shooting into melee without Precise Shot is a -4 penalty. It's why that feat is pretty much mandatory for any ranged attacking build.

I went with Rogue to get dex to damage without having to use feats. I'm a gnome so dex is a lot easier than str. I went with the 4th level for Debilitating Injury and another talent. Then into Fighter.

My stats are 11 Str, 18 Dex, 16 Con, 14 Int, 12 Wis, 18 Cha.

My feats are Lingering Performance, Deft Maneuvers, Combat Reflexes, Weapon Focus (Weapon Training Talent), Whip Mastery, Titan's Tangle (Combat Trick talent), Improved Whip Mastery, Serpent Lash, and Tangled Limbs.

I mostly trip and then do an AoO when they stand back up. There's also a homebrew thing that basically works as a warpriest's Sacred Weapon so the whip is 1d8 instead of 1d2. I was planning on taking Greater Trip next level and then I'm pretty much done on tripping feats. With the gestalt and EITR, the build went a lot quicker.

My AC seems around the same as the others. I'm currently saving up to enhance my shield to +2 at the moment. As for my party, it's a living world group so the members are different each session. I'm not sure what classes they were this time, but I have played a couple of sessions with these two before and they did the AoOs from across the room thing the last time too.

I have a level 6 Archaeologist Bard that's gestalted with 4 levels of Unchained Rogue and 2 levels of Fighter. ...and she's not keeping up.... Her damage output on a regular full attack is fine, but somehow my party members are doing AoOs from like 30 feet away if the enemy so much as BREATHES. By the time it's my turn, whoever I was headed over to fight is already dead. And all I can do is double move to try to get over to another guy or use my bow, usually with a -4 since I'm a melee character.

What can I do to make my bard more able to keep up?

We've all heard about it or thought about it - the party of nothing but bards. But has anyone ever tried to make one? Would an all bard party actually be any good?

If you wanted to play in an all bard party, what archetypes would you want there to be?

Bard only, no skalds, no multiclassing. Let's go with a 5 person group.

Does Urban not work with unchained barbarian?

There's a multiclass character in my campaign who is just two classes.

They are not especially effective as they have multiclassed two different casting classes with different casting attributes. Too MAD, their classes don't synergize, and they refused my homebrew attempts to help them as being too complex. So they're going to be rocking 3rd level spells when everyone else is getting access to 5th level spells in my coming level up. Its not even for a prestige class or anything; and they didn't even stop the one class leveling up at an especially good point. Its just "for the flavor" and thats cool.

However, they have also complained about their character not being effective on more than one occasion.

As a result I'm honestly not a fan of multiclassing in general, even if its more of a player issue in this case. I suppose I wouldn't mind it if someone has a specific idea of something they want to accomplish. I'm just usually helping my players build their characters, so I try to keep them clear of multiclassing. Instead I help them find archetypes or prestige classes that let them do the thing they want.

Oof, two casting classes with different casting stats? For flavor only? I've dipped out of casting a couple of times on different characters, even for flavor reasons, but I tried to keep to the same casting stats when I did. The only time I didn't was for my oracle. I dipped a single level of warpriest in order to get Weapon Focus and Divine Fighting Technique as bonuses.

Add two levels of alchemist to my character up above, removing two levels of barbarian. Nets me a tentacle attack without needing the Tentacle Cloak. It's better since the cloak gives reach and that would ruin pounce.

Let's see..... I have an Eldritch Scion Magus that dipped one level of Inspired Blade Swashbuckler and 2 levels of Oathbound Paladin. I also have a Gunchemist that took 3 levels of Trench Fighter, and 4 levels of Phantom Thief Unchained Rogue.

Honestly the only character I have that has 4 classes is the character I'm never going to be allowed to play - 4 levels of Weretouched Shifter, 3 levels of White-Haired Witch, 5 levels of Wizard, and 8 levels of Unchained Barbarian. It's a natural attacking build that has EVERY different natural weapon.

I just bought a squishy d20. It's so squeezable. I'm hoping they put out a whole set. Can you imagine a d4 that isn't a caltrop?

Well, the pound of dice is still in the bag. The sets are mostly organized by color, though one set came with a mimic figure and is in a glass jar I need to replace.

Does a d100 count as a random single?