My last pc was an arcanist, at first it's was like any other spellcaster, but once I get craft woudroms items and craft magic arms and armor I started to create unique equipment. In mid game (lv 8-10) I'm almost simulated a monk lv 4 and my party member say to me to not multiclass and they didn't know that I never did that.
For me I get some rank in perform acting to simulate a monk and it was really fun.
Note: in the end I was like Goku doing Kamehameha and Genkidama.
I built a Panache user with Hooded Champion Ranger and Kata Master Monk. He did have one level of Swashbuckler, though, so he probably doesn't count.
For a ninja without special powers... so without Ki for Pathfinder... I would probably use a Slayer or Brawler.
If the ninja is allowed to have SOMETHING special... I would use the Alchemist or Investigator.
Ninjas were just fed up farmers using improvised weapons to fight the empire. It shouldn't be too hard to get the right flavor using just about any class.
Stealth? Yes.
Kills people with garden tools? Yes.
Congratulations! You are ninja.
I built a Panache user with Hooded Champion Ranger and Kata Master Monk. He did have one level of Swashbuckler, though, so he probably doesn't count.
For a ninja without special powers... so without Ki for Pathfinder... I would probably use a Slayer or Brawler.
If the ninja is allowed to have SOMETHING special... I would use the Alchemist or Investigator.
Ninjas were just fed up farmers using improvised weapons to fight the empire. It shouldn't be too hard to get the right flavor using just about any class.
Stealth? Yes.
Kills people with garden tools? Yes.
Congratulations! You are ninja.
Hahahahaha
You forget the ninja-to, kusarigama and the kunai to be like Naruto
Martial Artist Monk? for Non-magic Ninja
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I’m thinking of building a ninja, like the actual real world version where they don’t actually have any supernatural powers, and found workarounds to combat at every opportunity, but not using the ninja class.
Solving problems without combat or magical powers sounds like a Vigilante or Rogue to me. There are also some Bard and Investigator archetypes that give up magic which could fit the bill.
Unchained Rogue and Stalker Vigilante are both strong fits for a Ninja concept.
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When I create a character, I never consider the class until I have a fairly fleshed out idea of who the person is and what their strengths will be. Only then do I start looking through rules for different ways to get the abilities I want said character to possess. The titles of classes are meaningless to me, they are just packages of abilities from which I mix and match to create the unique character that I want to play, not the archetype (using this word in the actual meaning not the game term) that the writers think their class portrays.
So if I was going to make a ninja, I would consider what this ninja can do. I want them to be exceptionally stealthy, to be able to run across rooftops, maybe do some crazy running on water or through the tops of a bamboo forest at high levels. Maybe I also want them to have some alchemical talent, smoke bombs, poison, and the like. Maybe I also want them to be able to fight with all manner of different weird weapons.
Next I would go through and look for different ways to get the abilities I want. I'll make a list of classes and levels these abilities are achievable at, as well as feats, spells, magic items, any other ways to get what I'm looking for. Archives of Nethys is fantastic for this stage. I'll often use the search function on that page to find all the different ways I can get an ability I want. Just type in martial flexibility (for example) and see what pops up.
Now that I have my list, I'll start evaluating. It is likely I won't be able to get all the abilities I want, at least not at first. I'll have to decide which abilities they start out with and which ones they will learn at higher levels. I'll also weigh the game effectiveness of different abilities at this point. I'll probably ditch a few of the ideas because they just aren't good in the pathfinder game rules, or I have to focus on one ability to make it function so some of the other abilities have to go.
Finally I'll write up the character, planned out to whatever level I expect the campaign to go to. I'll then roughly build the character at a few different levels and compare them to level appropriate challenges to test that they function, and rework if necessary.
Yes, I spend a lot of time constructing any one character.
Every time I hear "rogue" I mentally swap it for "vivisectionist"
Every time I hear "rogue" I mentally swap it for "vivisectionist"
As one should.
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The vigilante class is the best way of "playing a class without actually playing that class" for most classes. It's almost like you are pretending to be another class!
Want to be a:
Fighter? Masked Maiden Vigilante
Inquisitor? Zealot Vigilante
Hunter or Druid? Avenging Beast Vigilante
Cavalier? Mounted Fury Vigilante
Gunslinger? Gunmaster Vigilante
Occultist? Psychometrist Vigilante
Ninja? Teisatsu Vigilante
For a Ninja without mystic abilities I would use a slayer. It’s a full BAB class with sneak attack, and studied target. They get a good amount of skill points and the right class skills. They get slayer talents so can get a lot of rogue abilities including trap finding if you want it. That also allows them to pick ranger combat styles so you can easily go for a two weapon build. At 10th level they can get Assassinate and the DC for it is boosted by their studied target bonus.
Before the unchained rogue it was said that almost any class can be better rouge than a rogue. While that may be a slight exaggeration there was some truth to it. I would say that probably half the classes can be better rogues then the chained rogue. Even with the unchained rogue there are a lot of other ways to build a rogue.
The hybrid classes can often do a decent job in replacing one of their parent classes. Warpriest in particular are quite versatile. A champion of the Faith makes a decent paladin replacement.
The hybrid classes can often do a decent job in replacing one of their parent classes. Warpriest in particular are quite versatile. A champion of the Faith makes a decent paladin replacement.
Conceptually, I find the opposite to be much more true for the Warpriest. Inquisitors, Clerics and Paladins all fit the bill although the Inquisitor or Paladin can actually preach. I think Warpriest and Hunter(Should have been a Druid or Ranger archetype!) were classes whose niche was largely already filled. Honestly the Warpriest's only advantage is it can make bad weapons sort of work.
The Warpriest is a pretty well designed class, actually. It has access to Weapon Training, condition removal magics, self-sufficient buffs/healing, a splattering of bonus feats... I like it better than your average Fighter or Cleric.
Now, it's no Inquisitor... but few things are.
Warpriest probably isn't the answer for a ninja with no special powers, though.
Inquisitors can be awesome ninjas, but I doubt that they qualify for the no special powers part of this discussion.
In Pathfinder there's almost always more than one way to skin a cat. Practically every concept can be done in multiple ways, be it with classes or archetypes that outright do the same thing in effect, or with the help of traits, feats, or racial options. Often enough, other classes are actually better!
Thanks to the large number of not-too-specialized classes, there's plenty of overlap, if the character concept isn't too specific, there's bound to be multiple classes that fit. Archetypes can drastically alter the parent class, thus greatly increasing this overlap area - especially those archetypes that outright draw from other classes. Feats, Traits, and (alternate) racial traits can grant specific things (e.g. class skills) without needing to take a specific class.
Overall, I think starting with a specific class is the wrong way to build a character in Pathfinder. If you want some specific mechanic you may need to take a specific class, but even for signature abilities that's most often not the case. In some cases, even the whole package deal of multiple class defining abilites are granted by something else, e.g. Virtuos Bravo Paladin which has basically every Swashbuckler ability anyone cares about.
I’m thinking of building a ninja, like the actual real world version where they don’t actually have any supernatural powers, and found workarounds to combat at every opportunity, but not using the ninja class.
I always said Vigilante is the perfect class to play a real life-style ninja. The Many Guises social talent is exactly how real life ninjas operated. Presuming you don't want any (Su) powers, possible archetypes are Serial Killer or Wildsoul (Feline); if (Su) abilities like Ki Pool are fine, Teisatsu becomes a prime choice.
Every time I hear "rogue" I mentally swap it for "investigator"
Fixed that for you!
Conceptually, I find the opposite to be much more true for the Warpriest. Inquisitors, Clerics and Paladins all fit the bill although the Inquisitor or Paladin can actually preach. I think Warpriest and Hunter(Should have been a Druid or Ranger archetype!) were classes whose niche was largely already filled. Honestly the Warpriest's only advantage is it can make bad weapons sort of work.
That warpriest was never about filling a flavor niche, it's purely abut a mechanical niche (swift action casting).