Fighter and cleric archetypes that give more skills?


Advice


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What it says. I'm contemplating a skill-intensive adventure, and wondering which fighter and cleric archetypes give more skill ranks and/or access to more skills.

Also, more generally, if I want to do more with skills and don't want players feeling left out, what are my options? Traits that give more class skills, check; the house rule where everyone gets a free skill or profession, check. What else?

Thanks in advance,

Doug M.


At the top of my head for Fighters;

Tactician, Seasoned Commander, Opportunist Fighter(extra ranks must be put into specific skills) and Lore Warden... Among others.


Herald Caller for Cleric gives 4+ Int points per level.

Cardinal gets 6+ Int per level.

Roaming Exorcist gets 4+ Int.


If you're trying to do more with skills without making players feel left out, there's also the consolidated skills option from Unchained, though that might make things more complicated to begin with.


Herald Caller is pretty decent even if you don't plan on summoning much. You give up medium armor and shield proficiency for 2 extra skill points, and then a lot of summoning related stuff for one measly domain.


Lore Warden have 2 skill points to spend on knowledge, and Eldritch Guardian have more class skills i think (and a familiar if you want it. Some improved familiars have quite assortment of skills of their own).

Silver Crusade Contributor

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I can't recommend the Background Skills system enough. ^_^


Not the question that you asked but fighters get tons of feats so it’s worth mentioning the Cunning feat, which gives you an extra skill point per level. Might help :)


For that matter, there's the versatile training option of advanced weapon training.

Spoiler:
The fighter can use his base attack bonus in place of his ranks in two skills of his choice that are associated with the fighter weapon group he has chosen with this option (see below). The fighter need not be wielding an associated weapon to use this option. When using versatile training, the fighter substitutes his total base attack bonus (including his base attack bonus gained through levels in other classes) for his ranks in these skills, but adds the skill’s usual ability score modifier and any other bonuses or penalties that would modify those skills. Once the skills have been selected, they cannot be changed and the fighter can immediately retrain all of his skill ranks in the selected skills at no additional cost in money or time. In addition, the fighter adds all skills chosen with this option to his list of class skills. A fighter can choose this option up to two times.

The Bluff and Intimidate skills are associated with all fighter weapon groups. The various fighter weapon groups also have the following associated skills: axes (Climb, Survival), bows (Knowledge [engineering], Perception), close (Sense Motive, Stealth), crossbows (Perception, Stealth), double (Acrobatics, Sense Motive), firearms (Perception, Sleight of Hand), flails (Acrobatics, Sleight of Hand), hammers (Diplomacy, Ride), heavy blades (Diplomacy, Ride), light blades (Diplomacy, Sleight of Hand), monk (Acrobatics, Escape Artist), natural (Climb, Fly, Swim), polearms (Diplomacy, Sense Motive), siege engines (Disable Device, Profession [driver]), spears (Handle Animal, Ride), and thrown (Acrobatics, Perception).

And the adaptable training advanced armor training.

Spoiler:
The fighter can use his base attack bonus in place of his ranks in one skill of his choice from the following list: Acrobatics, Climb, Disguise, Escape Artist, Intimidate, Knowledge (engineering), Profession (soldier), Ride, or Swim. The fighter need not be wearing armor or using a shield to use this option. When using adaptable training, the fighter substitutes his total base attack bonus (including his base attack bonus gained through levels in other classes) for his ranks in this skill, but adds the skill’s usual ability score modifier and any other bonuses or penalties that would modify that skill. Once a skill has been selected, it cannot be changed and the fighter can immediately retrain all of his ranks in the selected skill at no additional cost in money or time. In addition, the fighter adds all skills chosen with this option to his list of class skills. A fighter can choose this option up to four times.


There's at least a couple other feats allowing you to use your BAB as ranks - mostly social skills, if memory serves. Martial Dominance is made unnecessary by the fighter's AWT, but the others could be of use.

Not much help for the cleric, of course. But they have magic and archetypes, potential familiars, etc.


Herald Caller has the added advantage that summons can bring their own skills. This is limited by the duration, but a lot can be done within ~1 minute.

This works better for some alignments than others though. With SMV an evil (or arcane) caster can bring out Babau for their disable device and "spam dispel magic at the trap" ability, Xill for knowledge of arcana and the planes, or a bunch of evil outsiders for intimidate.


Cloistered cleric gets more skills and skill points in a trade off for fewer spells.


And that's terrible. Both the reasons it was good instead of a fair trade in 3.5, Divine Power setting BAB to full and Knowledge Devotion, never existed in PF. It's like someone saw it was considered OP in 3.5 and decided to nerf it into the ground without knowing why it was broken in 3.5.


The owl style feat and its successors let you use BAB as skill ranks (+ a few other benefits) for stealth, acrobatics and fly.


For decent knowledge coverage investing in a familiar with both the Sage and Figment (using each evolution point for +8 racial bonus to skill of choice) archetypes is a good option. This trait or the Iron Will feat qualifies the character to take the Familiar Bond feat.

Humans have an interesting alternate racial trait that trades their +1 skill point per level for having every knowledge as a class skill. If a knowledge was already a class skill it gets a +1 bonus.

Also a character can worship Irori to take their Deific Obedience feat for +4 to all knowledges.


Of course if you're up for third party, you can always replace fighter with Warlord and Warder.


deuxhero wrote:
Of course if you're up for third party, you can always replace fighter with Warlord and Warder.

If you're going to dip out as a cleric, a single level of Slayer gets you a LOT:

* Six skill points
* Acrobatics and Perception (among many others) become class
* +2 Reflex (in a BAB+1 class)
* Studied Target and Track
* martial weapon proficiencies (so an Opalescent White Pyramid is now "a go")

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