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Hello, everyone!
Your boy's back with another guide. This time around took on the Biohacker class, as I think its features are kinda poorly edited, so it's hard to piece together what individual stuff actually does, which makes some people avoid it entirely. Hopefully this guide will be able to show how accessible and fun this class is to play, provide some interesting builds and information for your own characters. Without further ado:
Once again, check it out, tell me what you think and I'm always open to criticisms, suggestions and new wisdoms from the community.
You can find the original reddit thread here.
Stay nova.
This is extremely helpful. Sadly our party biohacker just bit the dust lol. But the guide is still excellent! Thanks!
Overall, looks good, though it reminds me of why defrex hardness is one of the few things banned at my table... and that's just a feat sidebar.
I'd probably put double tap at orange/green instead of green/blue. It's a feat, versatile spec is a feat. Versatile spec gives you the full bonus that your level 3 class specialization does not. Versatile spec is better for most biohackers than the level 8 theorem, unless said biohacker has a reason to use pistols and operative injection weapons. The free hands might be necessary for specific builds, but for the average biohacker versatile spec is the superior choice.
Improved demoralize seems like a strange pick to make blue. Depending on build charisma is either the second least important stat, or the least important stat for a biohacker. I get that it makes a decent move action, but plenty of other feats should probably be prioritized over an action that's likely to fail. I'd suggest green at best.
On the archetypes: I'm pretty sure it's impossible for a biohacker to grab power armor jockey. You need to be proficient in power armor at level 6 when you get the archetype, and biohackers can't grab the feat until level 7 at the earliest.
I'd probably put double tap at orange/green instead of green/blue. It's a feat, versatile spec is a feat.
Good point. I forgot versatile spec doesn't require you to be proficient in all weapon types.
I'm pretty sure it's impossible for a biohacker to grab power armor jockey. You need to be proficient in power armor at level 6 when you get the archetype, and biohackers can't grab the feat until level 7 at the earliest.
Multiclassing. I've showcased an example of a Powered Armor Jockey in the second build.
1) I think you're overvaluing the studious field dressing. Hit points are easy to restore at those amounts, with a six pack of healing serums. Its value seems to mostly depend on whether you can use applying a biohack to also apply a healing serum. If you can, this ability amounts to saving a few credits. Staminia points are the ones that are hard to get back in the middle of combat. (doing so being the envoys niche in healing)
2) The problem with arms expert, weapon focus, and injection expert is weapon focus. Hit is everything to a biohacker. All of your damage, and all of your debuffs only work if you hit.
Weapon focus goes on types of weapons, Benefit: Chose one weapon type (small arms, longarms, heavy weapons, etc) In order to use it with long arm injection weapons, you either need
Proficiency Longarms
Weapon focus Longarms
or
Weapon focus Smallarms
Versatile focus
or
Sharpshooter dip
WF longarm
While versatile focus provides SOME benefit for the once in a blue moon you need to jab someone getting up in your face, its hardly worth a feat.
But once you're spending two feats, you only need to spend one feat to pick up specialization. One feat vs. one class ability is usually heavily tilted in the class abilities favor.
I cannot recommend dipping sharp shooter soldier enough for a ranged biohacker. In actual play there is almost always a vesks tail in between you and the person you want to hit. That one level dip is a near constant +2 to hit. It also makes the climb to wf and ws a ton easier and sooner.
Three pieces of gear every ranged biohacker should look into: Scopes, bayonette brackets, and the almighty bipod.
Scopes reduce cover penalties. If you're ranged, you can either walk in front of your meatshield (into what Studious Biohackers call the natural selection zone) .. or spend a move action and reduce/negate the penalty from the vesk tail in your way and fire
A bayonette bracket with a syringe stick full of analgesic can let you poke and run. Its an operative injection weapon so you should be able to hit with it.
The bipod reduces the full attack penalty from -4 to -2. hitting twice not only hurts more, it opens up options and combos. While you can't apply two biohacks without burning your boss bullet, you CAN use biohacks on two different targets, or get a biohack and a medicinal debuff from medication mastery out there. -2 miscalaneous AC bonus from biohacker AND the -2 flat footed analgesic on round 1 is not only mechanically wicked, is also gets your party to focus fire on the same target even if they have cover.
You can also full attack to debuff the enemy and shoot your allies in the butt with a biohack or healing serum. The penalty might not matter on the healing end but it always does on the shooting the bad guy in the face end.
I also don't see an argument for the -2 AC from being flat footed and the -2 AC from the biohacker not stacking. The entire point of conditions and types is to determine what stacks with what. Besides sharing a value, flat footed and biohacked are two completely different things.