But, but, that means I only get a +3 STR modifier instead of +4!!!! I'm doing +4 damage with my Greatsword instead of +6!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
You roll dice and roleplay anyway? I'm sorry, I didn't realise GMs just magically ignored the Fighter once they put their sword back into its sheath. Fighters have been dealing with out-of-combat situations since the tabletop RPG was invented. There are already answers to your problems within the system. They won't make you an outstanding party face, but you're not meant to be.
The weird thing is that, in a class based game, the fighter is not really a class. What I mean is that no part of the fighter informs the player of their standing in universe. What is the fighter? An adventurer could never be something so limited as that, "I fight". If you need this to be explained, then I think there's no hope here. A Fighter is a master of arms, not necessarily an adventurer. A Paladin, or Barbarian or Ranger, while skilled in the use of many arms and knowledgeable of various forms of combat, is not a dedicated master. Weaponcraft is the Fighter's vocation. That is your standing in the universe: You study the ways of combat and martial prowess. You are a master of warfare and battlefield tactics. Other martial classes study these just enough to do their job (hell, Barbarians don't study - they just pick up steel and let rage do the talking), but for a Fighter, this IS their job. Combat is what they live, excrete and breathe.
I hate all gamers. You're all just a necessary evil that I require in order to enjoy my hobbies.
I've played several Slayers in PFS and otherwise now. I'd be lying if I said this wasn't my current favourite class in the entirety of Pathfinder. It's certainly going to be the most skill-monkey-ish of the full BAB classes, moreso than the Ranger, thanks to its access to Trapfinding via Slayer Talents. In terms of damage, it may fall only ever slightly behind the Ranger, but that's not a bad thing for the flexibility you get in return. Rangers who lack the levels to access Instant Enemy suffer in DPR when they don't face their favored enemies; Slayers can overtake them in certain situations thanks to Studied Target and Sneak Attack. Above all else, it's the full BAB that's the real kicker. I've built Slayers as heavily-armored "Fighters", dedicated archers and marksmen, full-blown skill-monkeys and traditional backstabbing scoundrels; it's just such a wonderfully flexible mundane class that, for a non-spellcaster, doesn't punish or pidgeonhole you too much. My personal favourite build, though, has been the Switch Hitting Slayer; borrowed heavily from the Switch Hitting Ranger. Like the ranger variant, you use your Slayer Talents to take the Archery Combat Style and put your regular feats into melee feats. Just, bravo, Paizo. Bravo. |
