Formatting the spells into cards would allow anyone who owns the PDF to simply print out the relevant page and make their own spell cards. I find spell cards can be quite helpful with game pace, especially for newer players. It would be a small way of making PF 2e more accessible to new players.
Not exactly what the OP asked for, but I figured it's relevant enough for me to throw in my two bits. I've mostly done Pathfinder games in Play by Post format, which means a lot of character building for a lot of games that died pretty quickly. The caster/martial disparity mostly rears its head in character building for me.
I don't like Paizo style casters much. The x number of spells per day, then you're a commoner with a crossbow activates my hoarder tendencies, even if there's virtually no chance of it happening in normal play. So I lean towards martial characters.
Martial characters are defined by limits, or at least that's what it feels like when making one. Want to do combat maneuvers instead of damage sometimes? Three feats, and you'd better take an archetype and specialize your gear to keep up with those monster CMDs, and better hope they're not just flat out immune. Want to buff your party? Play a caster, or one of a handful of archetypes that actually get any significant ability to do so. Debuff? Same story. Want to fly? Taste that WBL tax while gazing enviously at Overland Flight. Want to pick up some crafting feats to even things out a bit? Costs you an extra feat.
I think I'd sum it up as casters are competent at whatever they'd like to be out of the box, then can choose to specialize further or dabble widely. Martials are pigeon-holed into one or two options, and need to heavily specialize if they want to keep any other option relevant. They just don't really get some options either, like buffing.
Wizards have more important things to do with their time. Like making apple pies from scratch. And once you've got the extra universe lying around, why not rule that instead?
Alright, those seem like fun, but a question: How does the undead charisma fortitude work if we have Unholy Resilience or the Divine Protection feat? Do they stack, or does this faq invalidate that?
A Kensai with a one level dip in Swashbuckler seems like it could be very good. Swashbuckler Finesse + Kensai Weapon Focus + Slashing Grace gives the benefits of Dervish Dance to any one handed slashing weapon, while costing one less feat and two less skill points. At 11th level Kensai, when you can combine Superior Reflexes with Opportune Parry and Riposte, while using either your arcane pool or panache points (which recharge on a killing blow or a critical hit) to power it, makes you pretty nasty in melee combat.
I think at level 20 the Kensai Magus could be pretty good. Always get a natural 20 on initiative, and can pick up Antimagic Field. Move next to the Mage, cast quickened Antimagic Field, and then grapple the mage to make sure they don't leave.
Alchemy: When an alchemist creates an extract or bomb, he infuses the concoction with a tiny fraction of his own magical power—this enables the creation of powerful effects, but also binds the effects to the creator. When using Craft (alchemy) to create an alchemical item, an alchemist gains a competence bonusequal to his class level on the Craft (alchemy) check. In addition, an alchemist can use Craft (alchemy) to identify potions as if using detect magic. He must hold the potion for 1 round to make such a check.
Alchemical Ordinance:
A gun chemist is adept at using his know-how to infuse his ammunition with volatile chemicals and his own magical reserves. When loading a firearm, he can infuse the ammunition as a free action. The compounds are unstable, and if not fired within a number of rounds equal to the gun chemist’s Intelligence modifier (though no sooner than the end of his next turn), the alchemical ordnance becomes inert and loses its additional effects; he can still fire the firearm as normal. Each day, the gun chemist can infuse a number of pieces of alchemical ordnance equal to his class level + his Intelligence modifier, and he can fire no more than one piece per round.
Alchemical ordnance deals damage as normal, plus an amount of fire damage equal to 1d6 + the gun chemist’s Intelligence modifier. The damage of the gun chemist’s alchemical ordnance increases by 1d6 points at every odd-numbered class level (this bonus damage is not multiplied on a critical hit or by using feats such as Vital Strike). The explosive nature of alchemical ordnance causes the attack— both the firearm’s base damage and the alchemical ordnance’s additional damage—to deal full damage to swarms of any size. If the gun chemist uses alchemical ordnance to make a scattering shot with a weapon with the scatter quality, each creature in the area instead takes additional fire damage equal to the alchemical ordnance’s minimum damage (so if the alchemical ordnance would deal 2d6+4 points of fire damage normally, it deals only 6 points of fire damage with a scattering shot).
The gun chemist’s alchemical ordnance functions safely only in weapons he wields. If anyone but a gun chemist attempts to fire a firearm loaded with alchemical ordnance that is not yet inert, the firearm’s misfire value increases by 4.
If the firearm would explode as the result of such a misfire, the explosion deals additional fire damage equal to that of the alchemical ordnance.
Alchemical ordnance is treated like an alchemist’s bomb for the purpose of discoveries, though such discoveries ignore any effects associated with a bomb’s splash damage or radius unless the gun chemist also applies the exploding bullet discovery (see below). A scattering shot modified by a discovery applies additional effects as though affected creatures were caught in the splash damage of a bomb rather than subject to a direct hit. The DCs of saving throws associated with alchemical ordnance are equal to 10 + half the gun chemist’s alchemist level + the gun chemist’s Intelligence modifier.
Gunsmith: A gun chemist gains a battered gun identical to the one gained by a 1st level gunslinger, as well as the Gunsmithing feat (including the ability to restore his battered gun as if he were a gunslinger). As a standard action, the gun chemist can expend one use of his alchemical ordnance to remove the broken condition from a single firearm he is currently wielding, as long as that condition was gained from a misfire.
Mutagen: At 1st level, an alchemist discovers how to create a mutagen that he can imbibe in order to heighten his physical prowess at the cost of his personality. It takes 1 hour to brew a dose of mutagen, and once brewed, it remains potent until used. An alchemist can only maintain one dose of mutagen at a time—if he brews a second dose, any existing mutagen becomes inert. As with an extract or bomb, a mutagen that is not in an alchemist’s possession becomes inert until an alchemist picks it up again.
When an alchemist brews a mutagen, he selects one physical ability score—either Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution. It’s a standard action to drink a mutagen. Upon being imbibed, the mutagen causes the alchemist to grow bulkier and more bestial, granting him a +2 natural armor bonus and a +4 alchemical bonus to the selected ability score for 10 minutes per alchemist level. In addition, while the mutagen is in effect, the alchemist takes a –2 penalty to one of his mental ability scores. If the mutagen enhances his Strength, it applies a penalty to his Intelligence. If it enhances his Dexterity, it applies a penalty to his Wisdom. If it enhances his Constitution, it applies a penalty to his Charisma.
Starting Gold: 180
Combat Equipment:
Padded Armor (Equipped): 5 gp
Dagger (Sheathed): 2 gp
Remaining gold: 68 gp
Travellers Outfit (Worn): 1 gp
Cold Weather Outfit (In Bag): 8 Gp
Hooded Cloak (Worn): 5 gp
Hat (In bag): 1 gp
Veil (In Bag): 1 gp
Bedroll (Bag): 1 gp
Small Tent: 10 gp
5 days rations: 2.5 gp
Flint and Steel: 1 gp
Alchemist Kit: 40 gp
Thieves Tools: 30 gp
Musket (Battered)
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Carrying Capacity Light 0-20 lb. Medium 40 lb. Heavy 60 lb.
Current Load Carried 17 lb.
Money 72 GP 5 SP 0 CP
Background:
Maria was taken at a very young age and enslaved by one of the colleges at the university in Lepstadt as a permanent servant. She was not terribly mistreated – really more of a house servant than a slave – but for a young child it was painfully lonely. Eventually her time around the university gave her the opportunity to learn much and she discovered a remarkable gift for research and learning. A few years after she grew into adulthood she escaped the university seeking a way to transform herself into something accepted by society… She doesn’t remember what happened after that.
Appearance and Personality:
Appearance: Maria does her very best to fit in as a proper human girl would. Her understanding of grooming mostly comes from the young university students among whom she spent most her life.
She dresses in a fairly juvenile, and very feminine manner. She prefers bright skirts and flowy dresses with loose, blousy tops that rarely look quite right on a thin, muscular goblin. She routinely wears a long black wig that she keeps carefully braided and impeccably clean, frequently with bright headbands or even flowers woven into it. When she can get her hands on it, she wears heavy makeup (that usually clashes horribly with her green skin) and a bit too much cheap perfume.
She is, by goblin standards, incredibly clean and tidy. Her time as a slave and servant left her extremely adept at laundry and cleaning!
Her style does little to help her fit in in human society. It does however leave her looking much less threatening than most her kin. She looks so odd that its hard to be terribly alarmed by her.
Personality: Maria is desperate for acceptance. She spent only her very earliest years in the company of other goblins and truly considers herself a part of human society. Unfortunately, as a goblin and a slave she has only ever seen the very surface of human interactions which has left her understanding on people, social norms, and morality extremely tenuous.
She is highly positive and tries hard to act happy all the time, she smiles broadly at everyone she meets and shakes hands with everyone that she speaks to… even if they have met dozens of times before. She tries very hard to be good and normally never wants to cause harm to anyone but she has little real understanding of law or complex morality and her ignorance leads her astray at times.
Unusually intelligent by any standard, her years at the university as a slave left her both educated and insatiably curious. She is desperate to learn and understand. Desperate enough to get herself into trouble.
She fights it for all she is worth, but you cant totally take the goblin out of the girl. While she is usually upbeat and really quite pleasant, when threatened – or when she has imbibed to much alcohol (or chemical) she goes nearly feral – her inner goblin side can turn her vicious, reckless, and even a little cruel at these times.
Hopes and Dreams: Maria is desperate to find a way to make true friends and be accepted by society. She KNOWS that if she keeps learning, someday she will be able to find a way to permanently change her outward appearance so that she can find a home in society.
Her loneliness and desperation may someday break her. She may eventually take one step too far in her quest to find acceptance. If that happens she could become truly frighteningly vicious and reckless.
