Advice for a player with a specific vision

[Sandpoint Streetsweeper]

Hello everyone!

As a new GM, I thought I would come here to feast on your knowledge and expertise.

I am about to start a new campaign, and I have a new player who has basically never played an RPG before. I need help matching the vision she has for her character to a specific build. The character will start at lv 1 and no one in the campaign will be bent on optimizing or min-maxing.

She wants to be a "magic-enhanced martial arts specialist" and will most likely be on the front lines. Obviously Monk comes to mind, but are there alternatives to give her?

I guess this comes down to two questions:

1 - What type of monk build fits the front lines best (seems like she is leaning defensively)?

2 - What alternatives would work? Pugilist fighter doesnt seem magical enough. Synthesist Summoner in bipedal form to make the "magic-enchanced" piece come alive? Am I missing anything?

[Byrdology]

Quing gong monk, or monk 4/ empyreal dragon blooded sorcerer 1/ dragon disciple x/ eldrich knight/ x. Wear monks robes when available. Master of many styles monk archetype will give her that martial artist feel in combat. Snake style for sure, crane for defense, dragon for power and thematic reasons, panther or tiger are nifty as well.

[GeneticDrift]

Byrdology has good suggestions.

Another option is a Kensai magus focused on a gauntlet/Cetus/brass knuckles/or staff

Potions of Mage armor, shield, enlarge person and Oils of shillelagh can be useful.

[Weables]

staff magus comes to mind, for arcane magic

for divine, besides whats already been suggested, maybe a druid/monk combo

[Kolokotroni]

Well, first, welcome to pathfinder I hope you and your players have fun.

Second, I would recommend against having a new players try a synthesist, or any kind of summoner. It is the single most complicated option in the game, and it will be problematic if everyone else isnt optimizing, since the summoner is kind of auto optimized due to its flexiblity and overtly powerful choices (in evolutions).

Third, how do you feel about 3rd party material. In particular, if she is insterested in the wushu martial artist feel, but not specifically in unarmed unarmored combat of a monk, there is one option I have in mind that can add that flavor (and mechanics) to ANY class. That is the Yuxia, in the super genius games: Genius Guide to Martial Archetypes. These work by trading out set suites of abilities from any class for any of the 'archetypes'.

It can be added to any class (including the monk, but thats kind wasteful) to give it a crouching tiger hidden dragon sort of feel. For your concept I would consider it for any of the magic/fighter mixes, but in particular inquisitor seems like it could work well, or even cleric.