So, our group will be beginning the Extinction Curse ap next week, and I have no idea what to play.
So far, the party consists of an Orc Ranger, a Witch (type unknown), a Cosmos Oracle, and a leaf order Druid.
As for me, I can't decide on what to play. I'd like to play something... outside the norm, something befitting the circus life. I know the party could use some sort of tank, but I find martial characters dull and try to avoid them, though if anyone has an idea of one that is more flavorful then "I run up and hit it," I'd be glad to hear about it.
Thanks!
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I've been having a ton of fun with Swashbuckler (Braggart). I run him as a bit of a trickster dedicated to Cayden.
The staff acrobat archetype was from the Extinction Curse AP and is pretty strong and your group really could use another martial so that'd get my vote.
Gymnast Swashbuckler would work well with the tripping but the filcher's fork is the only finesse weapon that works with staff acrobat. This would mean playing a Halfling or grabbing unconventional weaponry as a human. And since the weapon is 1handed you'd be able to hold a shield and tank like that. Being a 1d4 weapon is rough however damage wise and swashbucklers don't get as much out of agile.
Maybe a ruffian rogue with a regular Staff. It's a Two-Hand D8 simple weapon so you get to sneak attack with it, weapon doesn't have reach tho.
Champions always like reach weapons and Fighter is the easy fallback when you just want something that's good at hitting things.
In a couple weeks the Magus should come out which would be a very different kind of martial too.
Dragon barbarians have a lot of options for their hitting people in the face, they can breath fire, grow wings, turn into dragons and add the elements to their build.
Red Dragon barbarian archetyped into flame Oracle sounds like a very fun build to play and could have a classy firebreather act in extinction curse ?
About the tank, you should expand your toughts towards the class and what you mean when you say "dull".
A spellcaster is tied to cantrips for most of his journey, making the class even more "dull" than any other combatant imo.
Anyway, have you considered the monk class?
For me, dull is sitting in one spot, trading hits with enemies. In addition, most martials have the flaw of having few skills outside of being a punching bag, meaning they aren't all that useful outside of combat.
I favor spell casters because they have many ways of playing the game, even if they are limited on how often they can do so. Conjuring walls, flight, summon demons, etc.
A crusty juggler
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A crusty juggler
The greater good.
About the tank, you should expand your toughts towards the class and what you mean when you say "dull".
A spellcaster is tied to cantrips for most of his journey, making the class even more "dull" than any other combatant imo.
Anyway, have you considered the monk class?
For me, dull is sitting in one spot, trading hits with enemies. In addition, most martials have the flaw of having few skills outside of being a punching bag, meaning they aren't all that useful outside of combat.
I favor spell casters because they have many ways of playing the game, even if they are limited on how often they can do so. Conjuring walls, flight, summon demons, etc.
If that's the case, what about a Warpriest or a Wild Druid?
You could swap from "combatant" to "spellcaster" depending on the needs of your party or your currently way of playing.
Also, depends your dedication ( if any ) you'd be able to go deep in a specific direction, making you a more efficient spellcaster or melee or even support ( for example, the medic dedication ).
If you don't want to trade offensive stuff, I'd suggest you a Wild druid:
- Maximum spellcasting DC
- Excellent ( and versatile ) combat efficiency depends your form
- One of the best Spellcasting Tradition ( blasting + healing stuff, along with some useful summons too )
- Eventually, a companion without the need to take a dedicaiton ( with an excellent progression, and not a stiff one like the ranger, or even the champion ).
A wild druid might be interesting, but I've heard that the wild shape rules are kind of confusing and much of it is hotly debated. My group and I are relatively new to pathfinder 2e.
I've been having a ton of fun with Swashbuckler (Braggart). I run him as a bit of a trickster dedicated to Cayden.
How does the swashbuckler play in game? I haven't seen one in use yet.
I've been having a ton of fun with Swashbuckler (Braggart). I run him as a bit of a trickster dedicated to Cayden.How does the swashbuckler play in game? I haven't seen one in use yet.
I enjoy the gameplay loop. HumbleGamer's description is accurate, even if I disagree with it being dull. I've found it pretty fun to set up flanking and frightened for my group. They are strong force multipliers and allows me to move around the battlefield.
It is very single attack-dependent, so missing with that attack can be a bit frustrating. Likewise when facing things immune to your tricks, though that isn't really unique to swashbuckler.
It will also shine better if your GM encourages you to do zany nonsense to gain panache.
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I've been having a ton of fun with Swashbuckler (Braggart). I run him as a bit of a trickster dedicated to Cayden.How does the swashbuckler play in game? I haven't seen one in use yet.
I like it a lot. You use Acrobatics to flank enemies and/or use your style's skill to weaken your enemies, then use a finisher, after which you can't use attack actions. The class forces you to play optimally, using debuffs, positioning and possibly buffs to your advantage rather than just attacking over and over, hence why it's an advanced class.
Is the Orc ranger melee or ranged? Because if he's ranged your party currently has 4 ranged PCs and no front-liner.
Is the Orc ranger melee or ranged? Because if he's ranged your party currently has 4 ranged PCs and no front-liner.
I believe he is ranged. Which will be an issue, I'm sure. He does have an animal companion, though.
Okay, I think I've settled on playing a monk. It will give me plenty of options as far as combat goes, and I like the mobility that is built into the class.
Does anyone have any good tips or tricks for building monks in pathfinder 2e? The last time I played a monk was about 3 years ago in 5e.
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Is the Orc ranger melee or ranged? Because if he's ranged your party currently has 4 ranged PCs and no front-liner.I believe he is ranged. Which will be an issue, I'm sure. He does have an animal companion, though.
You are correct.
Does anyone have any good tips or tricks for building monks in pathfinder 2e? The last time I played a monk was about 3 years ago in 5e.
I don’t play monks, but here’s some brief advice:
1. Focus on STR, DEX, CON, WIS. Dump CHA and INT, since your party members have those covered. Either pick an ancestry with a flaw (dwarf, leshy, lizardfolk, conrasu) or choose a two-boost ancestry (human, orc, tengu, fetchling, fleshwarp, goloma, strix) and use Voluntary Flaw to dump CHA and INT. All but dwarf and human are Uncommon or Rare, so get GM permission. Since it’s a circus AP, they should be fine with exotic options.2. If you choose a stance you like (avoiding Mountain Stance since you value mobility). Depending on which stance, increase either STR or DEX to 18. Leave the other at 14 along with CON and WIS.
3. Consider wearing a shield and using the Raise a Shield action. To mitigate damage, get the Shield Block general feat and a Sturdy Shield. To boost saves vs. spells, get the Spellguard Shield.
4. You might enjoy using Athletics to do combat manuevers like Trip, Grapple, Shove etc. I recommend the Flurry of Maneuvers feat.
5. To punish enemies that move past you, select the Stand Still feat, maybe combine with a bo staff? (although then you couldn’t use a shield, but you could parry, then get Whirlwind Stance at level 10?)
6. The Staff Acrobat is really good and thematic, but you might be too feat-starved. Are you using the Free Archetype variant rule by chance?
7. Remember to flank with the orc ranger’s animal companion. An animal companion is not as good as a PC front-liner, btw.
Holding the front line by yourself is tricky, but the above advice should help some.
Is the Orc ranger melee or ranged? Because if he's ranged your party currently has 4 ranged PCs and no front-liner.I believe he is ranged. Which will be an issue, I'm sure. He does have an animal companion, though.You are correct.
Does anyone have any good tips or tricks for building monks in pathfinder 2e? The last time I played a monk was about 3 years ago in 5e.I don’t play monks, but here’s some brief advice:
1. Focus on STR, DEX, CON, WIS. Dump CHA and INT, since your party members have those covered. Either pick an ancestry with a flaw (dwarf, leshy, lizardfolk, conrasu) or choose a two-boost ancestry (human, orc, tengu, fetchling, fleshwarp, goloma, strix) and use Voluntary Flaw to dump CHA and INT. All but dwarf and human are Uncommon or Rare, so get GM permission. Since it’s a circus AP, they should be fine with exotic options.2. If you choose a stance you like (avoiding Mountain Stance since you value mobility). Depending on which stance, increase either STR or DEX to 18. Leave the other at 14 along with CON and WIS.
3. Consider wearing a shield and using the Raise a Shield action. To mitigate damage, get the Shield Block general feat and a Sturdy Shield. To boost saves vs. spells, get the Spellguard Shield.
4. You might enjoy using Athletics to do combat manuevers like Trip, Grapple, Shove etc. I recommend the Flurry of Maneuvers feat.
5. To punish enemies that move past you, select the Stand Still feat, maybe combine with a bo staff? (although then you couldn’t use a shield, but you could parry, then get Whirlwind Stance at level 10?)
6. The Staff Acrobat is really good and thematic, but you might be too feat-starved. Are you using the Free Archetype variant rule by chance?
7. Remember to flank with the orc...
Most of this is fine advice, but I highly suggest bringing Dexterity to 16 even if you use a strength based attack. The extra AC will be better than the extra hit points when you compare 16 dex/12 con to a 14 in each, or you could also afford to leave wis at 12.
Also, while you probably should build your character to be able to hold the front line, as you'll need to some of the time, I'd actually make that a secondary strategy. Your primary strategy can be hit and run. No one else on the front line means that melee enemies will have to spend precious actions closing, and flurry of blows really lets you frontload your damage into one action a turn. If you do this, make sure the casters are still staying further than you are. Reach spell or longer range spells like Ray of Frost will hell here. The goal is that the enemy wastes actions chasing you, not just goes after a slower target.
Okay, I think I've settled on playing a monk. It will give me plenty of options as far as combat goes, and I like the mobility that is built into the class.
Does anyone have any good tips or tricks for building monks in pathfinder 2e? The last time I played a monk was about 3 years ago in 5e.
I was actually playing around with pathbuilder yesterday to create a Stumbling feint Ki-blast Monk build, Max Dex-Wis, cha, no str. Could be fun, gives you extra options in combat. With the Cha, you could go for some face skills, or you could use the WIS to slap on the Medic archetype (high wis, free hand) for some medicine actions during combat.
I was actually playing around with pathbuilder yesterday to create a Stumbling feint Ki-blast Monk build, Max Dex-Wis, cha, no str. Could be fun, gives you extra options in combat. With the Cha, you could go for some face skills, or you could use the WIS to slap on the Medic archetype (high wis, free hand) for some medicine actions during combat.
Ohhh, that sounds interesting. How would it work?
I don’t play monks, but here’s some brief advice:
1. Focus on STR, DEX, CON, WIS. Dump CHA and INT, since your party members have those covered. Either pick an ancestry with a flaw (dwarf, leshy, lizardfolk, conrasu) or choose a two-boost ancestry (human, orc, tengu, fetchling, fleshwarp, goloma, strix) and use Voluntary Flaw to dump CHA and INT. All but dwarf and human are Uncommon or Rare, so get GM permission. Since it’s a circus AP, they should be fine with exotic options.2. If you choose a stance you like (avoiding Mountain Stance since you value mobility). Depending on which stance, increase either STR or DEX to 18. Leave the other at 14 along with CON and WIS.
3. Consider wearing a shield and using the Raise a Shield action. To mitigate damage, get the Shield Block general feat and a Sturdy Shield. To boost saves vs. spells, get the Spellguard Shield.
4. You might enjoy using Athletics to do combat manuevers like Trip, Grapple, Shove etc. I recommend the Flurry of Maneuvers feat.
5. To punish enemies that move past you, select the Stand Still feat, maybe combine with a bo staff? (although then you couldn’t use a shield, but you could parry, then get Whirlwind Stance at level 10?)
6. The Staff Acrobat is really good and thematic, but you might be too feat-starved. Are you using the Free Archetype variant rule by chance?
7. Remember to flank with the orc...
1. Probably solid advice, but I hate, hate, HATE playing dumb slobs. One of the reasons I never played monks in previous editions is that they all seemed to require dumping Int and Cha.
2. Yup, I'll be avoiding mountain stance, since I want to be mobile.
3. Shields are definitely solid. I'm glad monks are finally able to use them.
4. That's the idea, yes.
Thanks, this is a good start. :)
2. Yup, I'll be avoiding mountain stance, since I want to be mobile.You say that like a monk isn't still going to end up with 55+ speed.
By mobile, I mean leaping around and running up walls. I don't plan on always touching the ground, and don't want my character to have that restriction in order to avoid having a garbage AC.
Ohhh, that sounds interesting. How would it work?
I was actually playing around with pathbuilder yesterday to create a Stumbling feint Ki-blast Monk build, Max Dex-Wis, cha, no str. Could be fun, gives you extra options in combat. With the Cha, you could go for some face skills, or you could use the WIS to slap on the Medic archetype (high wis, free hand) for some medicine actions during combat.
Start with human D18,W16,Co12,Ch12.
L1 Ki-strike, Stumbling stance (natural ambition)L2 Stunning fist
L4 Wholeness of body
L6 Ki-blast
L8 Stumbling feint
3 focus points to go wild with and one of the nicer attacks in the monk arsenal. Good Wis for Ki-blast or counteracting with WoB. With free archetype, you can use Wis for the Medic archetype, use the field medic background.
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1. Probably solid advice, but I hate, hate, HATE playing dumb slobs. One of the reasons I never played monks in previous editions is that they all seemed to require dumping Int and Cha.I don’t play monks, but here’s some brief advice:
1. Focus on STR, DEX, CON, WIS. Dump CHA and INT, since your party members have those covered. Either pick an ancestry with a flaw (dwarf, leshy, lizardfolk, conrasu) or choose a two-boost ancestry (human, orc, tengu, fetchling, fleshwarp, goloma, strix) and use Voluntary Flaw to dump CHA and INT. All but dwarf and human are Uncommon or Rare, so get GM permission. Since it’s a circus AP, they should be fine with exotic options...
Yeah, that's why I don't play monks. All classes need CON and WIS, monks need both STR and DEX, which leaves INT and CHA out.
Yeah, that's why I don't play monks. All classes need CON and WIS, monks need both STR and DEX, which leaves INT and CHA out.1. Probably solid advice, but I hate, hate, HATE playing dumb slobs. One of the reasons I never played monks in previous editions is that they all seemed to require dumping Int and Cha.I don’t play monks, but here’s some brief advice:
1. Focus on STR, DEX, CON, WIS. Dump CHA and INT, since your party members have those covered. Either pick an ancestry with a flaw (dwarf, leshy, lizardfolk, conrasu) or choose a two-boost ancestry (human, orc, tengu, fetchling, fleshwarp, goloma, strix) and use Voluntary Flaw to dump CHA and INT. All but dwarf and human are Uncommon or Rare, so get GM permission. Since it’s a circus AP, they should be fine with exotic options...
Lol, that's fair.
Lol, that's fair.Yeah, that's why I don't play monks. All classes need CON and WIS, monks need both STR and DEX, which leaves INT and CHA out.1. Probably solid advice, but I hate, hate, HATE playing dumb slobs. One of the reasons I never played monks in previous editions is that they all seemed to require dumping Int and Cha.I don’t play monks, but here’s some brief advice:
1. Focus on STR, DEX, CON, WIS. Dump CHA and INT, since your party members have those covered. Either pick an ancestry with a flaw (dwarf, leshy, lizardfolk, conrasu) or choose a two-boost ancestry (human, orc, tengu, fetchling, fleshwarp, goloma, strix) and use Voluntary Flaw to dump CHA and INT. All but dwarf and human are Uncommon or Rare, so get GM permission. Since it’s a circus AP, they should be fine with exotic options...
I've built plenty of characters with low wis or con to pump charisma or intelligence, so it is doable. Dragon Stance and Gorilla Stance both have feats for intimidation which rock. Intelligence might be harder to justify though. .
The important stats on a monk IMO are strength and dexterity. Everything else is optional.
Quick question: is there a way to use your Dex stat instead of strength for actions like trip or shove?
I'm thinking of going Dex focused on this monk, and I'd like to still be able to do that kind of stuff.
For Trip you can if you take the Acrobat dedication and Tumbling Opportunist at 10. I believe that's the only way since they errata'd to clarify that finesse doesn't allow it.
Ah, okay. I guess I'll have to work on getting strength boosts.
Thanks!
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Quick question: is there a way to use your Dex stat instead of strength for actions like trip or shove?
No, although you could try Assurance for Athletics. The advantage is that you could Flurry, then do Trip or Shove with Assurance to avoid MAP without needing STR. The disadvantage is that it's still likely to fail unless your target is much lower level than you, has a poor Fortitude or Reflex save, and/or has some kind of status penalty to their saves.
So it looks like the party dynamic has shifted a bit.
Other than myself, we now have a Catfolk melee ranger with animal companion, a halfling leaf druid, a shrix war priest, and a human night witch.
Yeah, that's why I don't play monks. All classes need CON and WIS, monks need both STR and DEX, which leaves INT and CHA out.
Don't need str and dex if you don't care about dealing low damage in the early levels.
With the extra action economy and extreme speed there's a ton of skills you could focus on that need either int or cha. or you could multiclass into a divine or occult sorcerer, witch or bard to make use of the amazing spellcasting scaling monks get.
And similarly mountain stance monks don't need high dex.
So, you are full of healings ( druid, witch and warpriest ).There are also 3 melee ( ranger, warpriest and companion ).
and 2 ranged ( witch, druid ).
I think you can go with anything you want given that party, but I now suggest you a dual/Triple stance monk.
Monastic Archer Stance as main stance ( being able to swap to longbow if needed, making you able to kite while shooting arrows and use the flurry with your bow ).
As secondary, since you'll be using dex, I'd go with tiger stance ( finesse, agile, 1d8 and wider step, to close gaps with enemies with AoO ) and eventually crane stance ( for defensive purposes and easy trigger with your AoO ).
That's certainly a good point. Now that we have a good balance of melee and ranged ability, I can play something besides a monk if I choose. Hmmm.
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The swashbuckler is similar to the monk (highly mobile, one big attack per turn) but you can boost CHA in place of STR.
Barbarian is fun. If you wear heavy plate armor you don't need DEX and can boost CHA instead. They have lower AC, but if your party has healing potential that doesn't matter so much.