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I'm personally a fan of a Paladin (Virtuoso Bravo) of Shelyn, with Bladed Brush, Slashing Grace, and a glaive. You get high AC, high saves, good mobility, reach that can be changed as a move action, and deal 1d10+Dex+level in damage per hit. You can easily pull it off by level 5, too.
A human build could look like
Str 10
Dex 16+2
Con 12
Int 10
Wis 8
Cha 16
Level 1: Weapon Focus, Bladed Brush, Weapon Finesse (bonus)
Level 3: Slashing Grace
Level 5: Combat Reflexes
Honestly, I would look at something that provides extra feats, to fill combat maneuver roles like disarm and trip.
The Fighter archetype Lore Warden, with maneuver training, might be a good place to start.
It's rough focusing on maneuvers. They are very situational.
3 levels of Phalanx Soldier, followed by 6 levels of sword and shield ranger or slayer, maybe. Start with a level of UnChained Rogue and an Elven Branched Spear if you to use Dex.
Two levels of High Guardian Fighter gets you combat reflexes based on strength for any further strength based AoO build.
What are you trying to accomplish?
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Grimpar
Male orc fighter (polearm master) 5 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player's Guide 106, Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 222)
LN Medium humanoid (orc)
Hero Points 1
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +0 (+2 on sight based checks)
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Defense
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AC 20, touch 12, flat-footed 18 (+7 armor, +2 Dex, +1 shield)
hp 47 (5d10+13)
Fort +8, Ref +5, Will +2
Defensive Abilities ferocity
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)
Melee +1 ironwood guisarme +13 (2d4+11/×3) or
dagger +10 (1d4+5/19-20) or
silversheen shortspear +12 (1d6+6): Two Handed Thrown +12 (1d6+8)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (10 ft. with +1 ironwood guisarme)
Special Attacks pole fighting -4, polearm training, steadfast pike
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Statistics
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Str 20, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 8
Base Atk +5; CMB +10; CMD 22
Feats Combat Reflexes, Power Attack, Stand Still, Two-handed Thrower[UC], Weapon Focus (guisarme), Weapon Specialization (guisarme)
Traits deadeye, tianjing temple guard
Skills Acrobatics -2 (-6 to jump), Climb +4, Handle Animal +3, Intimidate +3, Knowledge (engineering) +4, Perception +0 (+2 on sight based checks), Profession (butcher) +3, Ride +1, Survival +3, Swim +4
Languages Common, Orc
SQ dayrunner[ARG], hero points, orc fighter
Combat Gear potion of cure light wounds (2); Other Gear +1 ironwood chainmail, buckler, +1 ironwood guisarme, dagger, silversheen shortspear, ring of resistance +2, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, blanket[APG] (4), cutting board, wooden (2 lb), firewood (per day), flint and steel, hemp rope (50 ft.), knife, cutting (0.5 lb), mess kit[UE], pot, seasonings, local (0.5 lb), skewer (1 lb), skillet[UE], soap, tinder packet (0.5 lb), tindertwig, torch (10), trail rations (8), waterskin, light horse (combat trained), 29 gp, 4 sp
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Tracked Resources
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Dagger - 0/5
Potion of cure light wounds - 0/2
Silversheen shortspear - 0/1
Tindertwig - 0/1
Torch - 0/10
Trail rations - 0/8
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Special Abilities
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+4 Con to determine death from negative HP. Add +2 to the fighter's Constitution score for the purpose of determining when he dies from negative hit points.
Combat Reflexes (3 AoO/round) Can make extra attacks of opportunity/rd, and even when flat-footed.
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white only).
Dayrunner -2 penalty on ranged attack rolls.
Ferocity (Ex) Fight without penalty even while disabled or dying.
Hero Points Hero Points can be spent at any time to grant a variety of bonuses.
Pole Fighting -4 (Ex) Can attack adj foes with reach spear/polearm at listed penalty.
Polearm Training +1 (Ex) +1 to hit and damage with polearms.
Power Attack -2/+4 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.
Stand Still When taking an AoO, you can make a combat maneuver check to end opponent's movement instead of attacking.
Steadfast Pike +1 (Ex) +1 to hit on readied attacks and AoO with polearms & spears.
Two-Handed Thrower Gain Str bonus when using two hands to throw a one or two-handed weapon
The Polearm Master Archetype lets you take a gradually reduced penalty to shorten the grip on your Reach attacks, and gets a bonus to attacks and damage with all Polearm and Spear weapons.
There really is no need to dip into multiclassing either.
FYI This character was made and the statblock was created with the help of Hero Lab.
If you want a bunch of tricks a spellcaster is kind of necessary. Or martial flexibility as a brawler... hey, there's an option that combines both!
Human warsighted battle oracle 5
Str 15 +2 race +1 level = 18, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 14
Spells:
L1: Cure light wounds (B), enlarge person (B), barbed chains (FCB), burning disarm (FCB), divine favor, protection from evil, unbreakable heart, weapons against evil
L2: Cure moderate wounds (B), fog cloud (B), eagle's splendor, grace
Those spells give you a bunch of options in combat, and eagle's splendor can be used to boost save DCs in combat or skills outside it.
Feats & revelations:
1: Combat reflexes
Human: Dirty fighting
3: Power attack
Revelation 3: Skill at arms
5: Extra revelation (weapon mastery - weapon focus (bardiche))
Martial flexibility can build effectively on those feats, allowing you to take any improved maneuver feat, or dazzling display, or weapon trick (polearm) or many others.
I would look at the Two-handed fighter archetype and then either spend a feat to get improved unarmed combat or a level dip into brawler. Either way, it means that you can always just kick someone that gets too close to you.
Reach is its own fantastic trick. Effective reach makes you a circle of PAIN 25' diameter wide. Just aim for a fortuitous weapon (+1 property- you get to make an extra AoO for the same action 1/turn, but it is at BAB-5; basically, a mini full attack). Once you have that, the GM has to actively consider which monster he will sacrifice to the meat grinder- that allows your dmg to be its own trick.
The most basic reach feats for damage are: power attack, combat reflexes, lunge (lvl 7).
I add lunge, since it allows you to preserve your AoOs and provides various benefits through distance control.
Normally, when you attack with a polearm, your enemy ends up close enough to 5' step next to you- if you attack first, they avoid the AoO and they can full attack.
With lunge, you attack from 15' away- far enough away that many common enemies have to use a move action to approach you. They eat an AoO, and they also lose their full attack- that is both attack and defense.
Additionally, lunge also gives you a bit of a pseudo pounce- you can full attack anything within 20' radius (5' step +10' reach + 5' lunge). Not as great for the initial approach, but this is enough for you to attack enemies once the two sides approach each other
If you want to take reach further, take an aberrant bloodline bloodrager. They get +5' reach. That is a 35' diameter circle of pain, and full attack at a 25' radius. They can also cast long arm (often a better option for reach than enlarge person; no doughnut problem). With long arm, a blood rager gets a 45' diamter circle of pain, and they can full attack at 30'.
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For a battle oracle Skill at arms, war sighted, surprising charge are my early revelations. I like Maneuver Mastery after level 7 I have done both grapple and trip.
High-level Iron skin is nice. Weapon Mastery depending on the weapon is a solid choice (especially at level 8 with a high crit weapon).
Feats: Combat Ref, Power Attack, Pushing Assault, Lunge are all soild options. Improved init, and toughness are solid basics.
At 11 take Divine Interference. It's amazing.
Maybe, but martial flexibility isn't really useful with ranged combat, certainly not as varied as it is with melee. I'd look at something else for ranged combat options.
Eldritch archer magus, grenadier alchemist, or an inquisitor can make for competent archers with options. A spirit guide wood oracle could be good too. The inquisitor is the most reliable damage and at level 5 they've just got bane which makes them scary by comparison to most.
Overwatch style readies standard action attacks and those can certainly use vital strike. I'd be surprised if you can scrape together the feats for both of those and the rest of the archery feats at any reasonable level though.
You might want to take the sanctified slayer archetype, it gives you a few slayer talents which might help a little with your ambitious scheme.
You want Str 12+, Dex 16+, Con 12+, Wis ~14 for an inquisitor archer. An orc hornbow has a slightly higher base damage so could more easily work with Str 12 than a composite longbow would.
Point blank shot, precise shot and rapid shot for levels 1/3/5 are basic archery feats. If you're going to go for overwatch then you need weapon focus at 7, you might get deadly aim with the slayer talent at 8, then at 9 you can get either manyshot, overwatch style or vital strike.
Phalanx soldier fighter will let you wield a reach weapon one-handed and a shield in the other, to boost your AC. A great way to enter Stalwart Defender, if you like.
Stonelord Paladin is one I like a lot too, dwarves have some fun racial reach weapons; the dwarven longaxe, dwarven longhammer, and dorn-dergar(which can even be switched to a non-reach weapon as a move action). The class incorporates some elements of the Stalwart Defender into it, and is probably even better than diverting into the PrC.
^1 level of Fighter solves, and gives you a bonus feat as well. Alternatively, if the bonus feat you want is one that Blood Conduit Bloodrager can take at 1st level (this includes Improved the Combat Maneuver feats), use that instead, and if you can spare the feat, get Mad Magic so that you can cast while in Bloodrage. Unfortunately, the Rage spell isn’t on the Inquisitor spell list, so you can’t normally use it to cover for your non-scaling small number of rounds of Bloodrage the way you could if you were a Reach arcane caster, although the Rage Domain has it, and I could have sworn that while nearly all Inquisitors don’t get Domain Spells, one archetype that I can’t remember the name of was an exception (I don’t want to try to look this up while I am stuck with using a phone to post).
^ Green Faith Marshal gets a druid domain and its associated spells.
Point blank shot, precise shot and rapid shot for levels 1/3/5 are basic archery feats. If you're going to go for overwatch then you need weapon focus at 7, you might get deadly aim with the slayer talent at 8, then at 9 you can get either manyshot, overwatch style or vital strike.
Actually, forget taking deadly aim at 8; you can take rogue talent - combat trick - one of the options I listed at 9.
^ Green Faith Marshal gets a druid domain and its associated spells.
Does any of those give Rage as a domain spell?
Overwatch style readies standard action attacks and those can certainly use vital strike.I thought that was very much contested according the number of threads there are on that.
Looking at it - I can only find one such thread, but it is disputed there. The only side I'd imagined argues that you can only ready standard action attacks and such can be vital strikes, the other side I think argues that overwatch style doesn't say you're readying standard action attacks (even though those are the only kind which can be readied), so they might not be, so vital strike might not work. I don't think there's a very good argument for that second side.
^ Green Faith Marshal gets a druid domain and its associated spells.Does any of those give Rage as a domain spell?
No, though a few druid archetypes can get relevant cleric domains, and there's an anger inquisition for inquisitors. Why?
For the idea above, I was thinking of Blood Conduit Bloodrager dip for both the bonus feat, Bloodrage (preferably with a 1st level Bloodrager Bloodline Power that is actually decent), and full martial weapon proficiency, but the Bloodrage part of this only gets good if you have easy access to the Rage spell to power it beyond your limited and non-scaling Bloodrage rounds.
To be a "professional" reach martial, IMO you need four things: 1) rage, 2) 2hPA, 3) the ability to consume Enlarge Person potions faster than a standard action. 4) Combat Reflexes.
Done right, you are, in melee combat, one of if not the most destructive martial in your party. Consequently, expect everything bad will come your way (which is just the way you like it).
My favorite polearm thumper build:
Traits: Berserker of the Society, Accelerated Drinker (if not a Drunken Brute barbarian at 1st)
1. (your favorite rage class/archetype combo), Extra Rage, Combat Reflexes (delayed until 3rd if non-human)
2. cleric1 (Community + Travel domains)
3. fighter1 Power Attack, FEAT(g)
4. fighter2 ...etc.
Stats (20pt buy): str (15>17), dex/con/wis 14s, int 12, cha 7.
First belt upgrade is for dex, not strength. (This fills out your AC better, and grants an extra AoO, which you'll definitely want while forfeiting dex while Enlarged.)
1st round tactics (2nd onward): Cast Bless, move-chug potion & grow big, 5' as needed, grip polearm, enjoy 20' reach and prepare to make many AoOs.
You'll use a bardiche at low level, then pick up a fauchard and a cracked opalescent white pyramid ioun stone.
Maybe too late to chime in, but the aberrant bloodrager can be pretty good. It gets its own built in +5 foot reach, but also has access to the enlarge person and longarm spells. You could use an actual reach weapon too, but I prefer to not have a dead zone.
Combat reflexes is great and you should get it, but don’t worry about pumping your dex very much for it. It’s very rare to get more than 2 Opportunities per round. Consider how hard you want to work for a 3rd or 4th one that will almost never get used.
Maybe too late to chime in, but the aberrant bloodrager can be pretty good. It gets its own built in +5 foot reach, but also has access to the enlarge person and longarm spells. You could use an actual reach weapon too, but I prefer to not have a dead zone.
Combat reflexes is great and you should get it, but don’t worry about pumping your dex very much for it. It’s very rare to get more than 2 Opportunities per round. Consider how hard you want to work for a 3rd or 4th one that will almost never get used.
Yeah, agreed on the dead zone. I prefer to take long arm over enlarge person, and just use a reach weapon so I can AoO during the surprise round (since hey- combat reflexes allows you to do that).
Anyway, 14 is probably a good dex for your basic reach build. It will let you get 3 AoOs after combat reflexes, which generally seems like enough to cause trouble during a round (even if you use a fortuitous weapon).
How do you feel about the high guardian archetype in such a (Slim Jim's polearm) build...
Don't normally play 3PP...hang on.... <bops out to take a look> <bops back>
Rating: ...myeh.
* Right Hand is absolutely not worth kissing goodbye a feat, let alone your first one.
* Defender’s Reflexes is extremely good if you're minmaxing strength and in fullplate (i.e., are happy with at most a 12 in dex and forfeiting ranged utility).
* Unassailable Allegiance versus Bravery is a wash; possibly suboptimal.
* Royal Protector is reasonably decent if those feats are what you want.
-- The problem with the archetype is this: how often are you going to be within 10' of your "obligation" during any combat in which you're not crammed into a room like sardines? Frankly, I think you'll be playing it less than half a day before the ball-and-chain effect becomes intolerable.
It's basically a royalty bodyguard NPC type of thing.
I am currently in a game where my character is very likely to die and I want to prep a character a back up in case that happens. (15 points buy. Its supposed to be a very grim setting with rare access to magic items etc)
15pt-buy isn't that bad; you just take the 15,14,14,14,12,7 array from 20pt and turn one 14 into a 10.
15pt dwarf melee
str 15
dex 12 or 10
con+ 16
int: 10 or 12
wis+ 16
cha- 5
traits: Glory of Old, Berserker of the Society
1. (rage class), Steel Soul
2. cleric1 (Community, Travel)
3. fighter1 ...etc.
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15pt gnome bard
str- 8
dex 14
con+ 14
int: 7
wis: 12
cha+ 17
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15pt halfling uRogue/paladin multiclass
str- 10 or 8
dex+ 17
con: 14
int: 10 or 12
wis: 7
cha+ 16
traits: Birthmark, River Rat
1. paladin1 Fey Foundling
2. uRogue1 [weapon finesse]
3. paladin2 [Divine Grace], Accomplished Sneak Attacker
4. uRogue2 [Evasion], Talent(combat:Two Weapon Fighting), Dex>18
5. paladin3 Greater Mercy
6. uRogue3 [Finesse dex>damage: wakizashi*]
(*martial proficiency acquired via cracked opalescent white pyramid ioun stone)
Variant: take only the 1st level of uRogue, and bide your time for Agile weaponry.