Trip, Grapple, Reposition, Disarm, and Shove all seem like the kind of physical control/defensive things I imagine a Guardian doing. So what do you think about leaning into it harder?
Auto-scale Athletics and add stuff like like...
Trip or Grapple when an enemy tries to move away.
Reposition or Shove an ally out of a fireball zone (or enemy into one).
2 action Strike and Disarm without MAP.
Shields gain the Trip and Disarm traits.
+2 to Athletics checks against enemies that hurt Allies.
Use a Trip weapon to Disarm.
You count as 1 size larger (already exsist).
Etc...
Preface with acknowledging that both will need rebalanceed(Hampering Sweeps need a roll of some kind).
Thematically, I have a much easier time with a Guardian physically preventing enemies from moving past them, rather than shouting across the battlefield.
As such some kind of immobilize should be a core feature.
Also I can see several ways to do, each could be a subclass.
Grappler
When a creature attempts to leave your reach, you can Grab them as a free action. (Possibly auto-scale Athletics).
Quagmire
Enemies in your reach who move away from you spend 15' of extra movement (good for polearms).
Taunt can still be there as a feat, or possibly a subclass. But it shouldn't be core.
One of my favorite characters from D&D 4e, was a fairy warlord who could grant other people attacks, movement, some healing and other bonuses. She was too weak to deal any damage herself, but fluttered around distracting enemies and encouraging allies.
There are some similar abilities in PF2, like only using Bards Courageous Onslaught and Witches Stoke The Heart.
So how would I build that in PF2?
Any way to grant attacks at level 1?
Teleport Strike. 2 actions. Focus 3.
Teleport up to your speed and make a Strike. The enemy is caught off guard by the sudden movement and is flat footed against the attack.
You can then spend a 3rd action to teleport back to your original location. This happens quick enough that you do not start falling if you teleported into mid air.
Spell Blast.
You make an attack while you have a spell imbuned into your weapon. Instead of releasing the spell, you can choose to transform the spells energy into a cone instead. If the spell is a cantrip, the creature is a 20' cone make a basic reflex save for 1d4 damage per spell level. If the spell is a focus spell, the damage increases to 1d8 and the cone to 30'. If it is a spell slot, the damage increases to 1d12 and the cone to 40'.
The damage type depending on the school of the spell you just cast.
Abjuration force damage
Conjuration or Transmutation the same type as the weapon
Divination, Enchantment, or Illusion mental damage
Evocation a type the spell dealt, or force damage if the spell didn't deal damage
Necromancy negative damage
Imbune Magic (Weapon Specialization).
When you have a spell that deals damage imbuned into your Weapon, you can change the bonus damage from weapon Specialization and Greater Weapon Specialization in to the damage type is the same as the spell deals. If the spell deals multiple damage types, choose one of them.
In addition, you can store the spell in your weapon for up to 1 minute.
You can enter a second rage, but afterward you need to catch your breath. You can Rage without waiting for 1 minute after the previous Rage (or 1 round, with quick rage), but when you end this second Rage, you’re fatigued until you rest for 10 minutes.
Never Tire
Quote:
As long as you have an audience, you can continue to perform. Indeed, you must—you have an obligation to your fans! You delay the effects of the fatigued condition for 1 minute or until you are no longer observed by the required creatures, whichever comes first. If the fatigued condition has a duration, the duration begins to elapse only after the delay. You can't further delay or prevent the fatigued condition after this ability ends.
Tireless Worker
Quote:
You suppress your choice of one of the following conditions that’s affecting the target: clumsy, encumbered, enfeebled, or fatigued. If you don’t remove the effect that caused the condition, the condition returns after the spell’s duration expires.
Furious Finish
Quote:
Desperate to finish the fight, you pour all your rage into one final blow. Make a Strike. If it hits, you gain a circumstance bonus to damage equal to the number of rounds remaining in your Rage (maximum 10). After this Strike, your Rage immediately ends, and you are fatigued until you rest for at least 10 minutes.
So could you rage, use Furious Finish, supress fatigue, rage again with second wind, use Furious Finish, supres fatuge....
Animators brings object to life as minions. Sending their weapon off to fight, and possibly support allies as their shield raise by themself, or hindering enemies as their boots trip them up.
Or more specifically, if you are hidden from some enemies and want to cast a spell before combat starts (Summon an invisible stalker for instance), how far away would you need to be to not be noticed?
"You can use melee monk weapons with any of your monk feats or monk abilities that normally require unarmed attacks,"
"Your unarmed attacks gain the forceful trait."
"Your unarmed attacks gain the deadly d10 trait"
Just for fun, what is the most number of things you can do on a round?
Stumbling Feint for instance, would be 3 actions (Feint + Strike + Strike )
Minion for 2
Elf step 2 (step + step)
stand still (1 reaction)
=8 things.
Assumptions: Level 20. You can also be in any state you want, like having 2 HP for orc ferocity.
It has to be a legal build, but not a good one. Sorcerer fire balling herself with 8 cha is fine.
There are unlimited* enemies that will do whatever you want, like provoke an attacks, be large/small miss/hit/crit you, be missed/hit/crit, cast a fort save spell, stand right next to eaachother, (but not friendly stuff like cast haste on you).
No doubling the reactions count once. (i.e. can't have enemy 1 provoke, take your turn, then have enemy 2 provoke)
*Except Boundless Reprisal, which is limited to 2 attacks.
No purchased consumables (alchemist free stuff is fine).
3 categories
Surprise: Just what you can do this round.
Imminent: You get 1 round to summon your minions/haste/etc..
Ambush: You get all the time you need to line up some snares and glyph's of warding. Though not enough for another days rest.
Puppet: you gain a medium humanoid construct puppet companion. While at maximum hit points, the puppet can look like a generic member of any race and can pass as a real person with casual inspection. If someone takes a closer look, it is perception vs your performance. The disguise also ends when the puppet takes damage.
The puppet can wield finess weapons, using your dexterity to attack. If it is reduced to 0hp, it collapses into heap and the invisible thread that you use to control it become visible, making it trivial to trace back to you.
Durring a short rest you can recover all it's hit points and restoring it's disguise. Durring a long rest you can completely redo the disguise to be someone else, including another race.
Level 1 feats:
Doppelganger Durring a long rest, you can make your puppet look like a specific person, including yourself. You must be able to study this person durring this time.
Fake blood: the puppets disguise last until it is at half hit points.
Given creatures are at full offensive strength until they die, focus fire guy is too often the best strategy. I figured there should be something to help spread things out and make things more cinimatic.
So.. inverse ninja law
When ever a creature attacks another creature, that creature get's a +1 bonus against all attacks and saves from any other creature. This bonus last until the start of their turn and stacks with itself.
So getting hit with 4 creatures, means you get +4 against the 5th.
IMO the investigator is not different enough from a rogue, and needs something new and unique.
And when I imagine one, I think of the Sherlock movie. Where Sherlock would spend time planning his attacks, before making a move. Thus I imagine a mechanic that does similar. Where you spend actions/turns thinking and building up a bonus, before a big hit. Something like...
Investigate Attack: 1 action.
Ranger 60'
You imagine yourself making an attack against a creature, making sure you will succeed before committing to it. Make an attack roll using Int and your weapon proficiency. You do not need to be in weapon range, and do not actually attack, as this is just in your mind. The bonus from Investigate Attack is cumulative with other uses of Investigate Attack, up to a maximum of your Int modifier. Allowing you to keep refining your plan until it is perfect.
Critical Success: When you make your next strike against the target before the end of your turn, do not roll a d20. It is automatically a critical success. If you do not strike this turn, you gain a +3 circumstance bonus to your next strike against the target within the next hour.
Success: You gain a +2 circumstance bonus.
Failure: +1 bonus.
If you use this against a creature who is not actively fighting, and are relying on secondary clues such as their stance and wear patterns on their armor, you outcome is a degree worse.
I also imagine something similar for out of combat. Where you can "gather clues" towards your case, until you have enough for a "big reveal".
So what would be the best Guerilla warfare build?
Specifically, sneaking up, dealing some damage, and getting away. With a bigger focus on sneaking/getting away, but anything to boost the damage (persistant damage?) wouldn't hurt either. And preferably something that is more than 1/day.
Cave Elf, with nimble elf (darkvision, 35 speed) seems like the best race.
Monk for extra speed?
Ranger for extra range, maybe snares to help escape?
Rogue?
Wizard with diviner magic, and invisibility.
Druid to shape-shift?
What class/build is best at debuffing, stunning, forcing enemies though difficult terrain, or otherwise messing with enemy plans?
Preferably reducing their damage more than making them take more damage (Enfeebled > flat footed). But either is good.
Bard with Redeemer's Glimpse of Redemption Reaction seems good? Or maybe a druid/monk with Sunning Fist and Tanglefoot? Rogue/Monk with Stunning Fist + Debilitating Strike + Intimidating Glare?
How sound is this strategy?
A party of 5 Paladins (or paladin dedicates, likely with ranged reprisal and returning tridents), then any attack will trigger 4 reactions.
Are area attacks common?
What about area buffs? (Protective ward?)
Can people reasonably stay close enough to eachother?
Any other spells or features that could help?
Also, if something triggers multiple reactions, what order do they go in?
Warlocks bargain with the greater creatures let them cast spells without limit, but not without a cost.
After you cast a spell, you gain a condition. The condition level is equal to the level you cast.
Aberrant: Stupefied condition.
Fey: Dazzled/Fascinated condition.
Devil: Doomed condition.
Demonic: Drained condition.
???: Sickened condition.
If you cast an excessive number of spells in rapid succession, you get Controlled by the creature.
Then you get feats and features that help recover from the conditions. (Devil: You gain the Diehard feat. When you rest at night, reduced the doomed condition by 2 instead of 1).
Drinkmor grew up on the streets, never knowing his parents, or even his real name. Shunned by the city folk, he had to resort to rogue-ish ways to survive, which just reinforced the stereotype.
Until one night, he heard a strange noise coming from an ally way. He followed the noise to find a group of people sitting around a fire. The noise, unfamiliar to Drinkmor, was laughter. As he approached, someone saw him, grabbed a cup, and held it out to the goblin. "Come, Drink" he said, merrily. Expecting a trap, but too hungry to pass up food, he did.
What he drank was by the best tasting thing in his life. It was ale. His face lit up with delight, and all the others laughed again, it was a friendly laugh. They handed him another cup, "Drink More" said the guy, refiling his cup. Downing it again pure bliss washed over him. And as he looked up and saw people smiling at him for the first time in his life. The same people who had scorned him just the day before, where now being nice to him.
"What is your name" one of them asked. Not knowing, he just repeated the last thing "DrinkMor". He didn't remember much more of that night, other than the wonderful freeing feeling of having a full belly, comradely, and the name Cayden Cailean echoing in the back of his head.
The next day, those same people went back to treating him like trash. But it was too late, DrinkMor saw a glimpse of kindness that people could have, and he was determined to open their hearts back up, and and he knew just how to do it.
He then used his rogue skills to to acquiring their secrets and ingredients of brewing. Happily handing out his products free (unknowingly paid for it in advanced) to those who looked down on him, or just need a pick me up to everyone in town.
Having made a strange peace with most of the townsfolk, a slave trader came though the town. Seeing the faces of the slaves, DrinkMor smiled and handed them a cup. The slaves face began to brighten at his, echoing DrinkMor feelings of the day someone first showed him kindness. But the slave owner slapped the cup out of his hands, spilling it on the ground, cutting the slaves smile off before it had a chance to form. "Don't feed my slaves!" he shouted, dragging them off. Stunned, and unable to do anything against the heavily armored guard, DrinkMor just looked at the split wine, unable to comprehend why someone would stop someone else from having a drink. DrinkMor took a small drink for himself, but it tasted empty, without life, without laughter. He wanted to see the smile on the slaves face.
It took 3 days to earn the Slavers trust, but a lot of fast talking and lots of free ale, he managed to get him passed out. Stealing his keys, he freed the slaves and took them out of the city. Sitting around a fire, DrinkMor got to share the drink he wanted to share.
Deciding it was probably best to avoid town for a while, he set off to find more people to share a drink with. Ready to lie, cheat, and steal, for freedom and drinks.
Instead of etching a rune into a weapon, you can tattoo on your arm. Applying a Rune as a Tattoo is the same, except that it cost an extra 10 GP per level of Tattoo. For example a level 8 Tattoo of Frost, would cost the base 500 for the Rune + 80 to get it Tattoo.
Your body is considered low-grade material. At level 7 you are considered standard-grade, and at level 14 high-grade.
While you are wield a weapon or weapons that are compatible with the Rune, apply the Rune to the weapon. For instance, if you had a Tattoo of Returning, it would apply to a thrown dagger, but not a crossbow. If you make an unarmed attack, the rune can apply as if you had the equivalent Handwraps of Mighty Blows on.
In addition to Ink, Tattoo's can also take the form of Gems that will attach themselves to your skin. Usually on the back of the hand, though some people will place one in the middle of their forehead.
So I'm looking at a Fighter/Druid, but would I be able to use Combat Grab while wild shaped?
"Unless otherwise noted, the battle form prevents you from casting spells, speaking, and using most manipulate actions that require hands. (If there’s doubt about whether you can use an action, the GM decides.)"
Combat Grab and Snagglilng Stike both have "Requirements You have one hand free, and your target is within reach of that hand."
What about "Requirements You are wielding two melee weapons, each in a different hand." Does unarmed attacks count as melee weapons? Or Claw + Bite count as 2?
Or knockdown assault, "You make an attack to knock a foe off balance, then follow up immediately with a sweep to topple them. Make a melee Strike. If it hits and deals damage, you can attempt an Athletics check to Trip the creature you hit."
