I got a character idea in my head for an elderly martial artist sort. Not so much the anime-style version where they're absolute powerhouses, more the style where they are capable of anticipating opponents perfectly and performing perfectly leveraged strikes, despite their advanced age. I do intend to make the character literally older, but for these purposes I'm mostly wondering about characters that can function well as a martial combatant with no high physical stats. If I ever put this in a game at a low level I'll probably some justification along the lines of a retired warrior returning to the front lines, but he needs to shake off the rust (as it were).
My first thoughts:
-Sensei archetype monk is sort of the classic route, using their Wisdom both to dodge and strike. Possibly going into Brother of the Seal to move opponents around the battlefield with Awesome Blow, or the Zen Archer archetype instead if I felt like going ranged.
-Investigator. Most any investigator plays into the idea easily, putting Int to work in melee, though you can lean into it harder with some talents and archetypes. Also high skill points per level and knowledge skills for days, which works fantastically for the trope. I also like the idea of eventually getting to use Age Resistance regularly.
-Ranger (Unarmed Style) into Horizon Walker. True understanding of their surroundings give them insight into the opponents who live there. This one fits the trope well enough for me, but they'd still mostly be using their physical stats, which takes it a little away from the point.
-Elemental Ascetic Kineticist? I'm not usually a super big fan of kineticists, and it feels a little off-trope, but it mostly works, I think?
What are your thoughts? Have you built a character like this? I feel like the trope works best as an unarmed build, but that's not strictly necessary; feel free to toss weapon builds around as well if you've got something you think is fun.
Sensei was my first thought, but in terms of mechanics if you can get your mental stats to replace physical ones then you can turn penalties into bonuses.
Easiest way I can think of is Scaled Fist Monk (possibly only 1 pevel needed), and Desna's Shooting Star.