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I think the Good champion reactions will be quite impactful in a high lethality game. They add a very high amount of durability to your party - and you can be plenty tanky yourself with good AC scaling and by focusing on your save stats.
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So a dex paladin?
The Bulwark Plate trait on some of the heavy armors should be sufficient for going with a Strength build, but I would still keep your Wis high despite being a Cha secondary class.
If you want to be the one soaking damage, going with the Shield feats can help keep yourself alive but a reach weapon and standing behind allies to more reliably use your champion reaction is very strong for damage mitigation as well. A Paladin with a reach weapon (I like the Long Hammer for the critical specialization effect) and Ranged Reprisal can give you a large range of retaliation. Divine Grace can improve your saving throws reliably as well to ensure you are pretty much always making use of your reaction.
Dex Paladin (range or finesse) works well, too. Your AC might be a single value lower but you can more reliably succeed on Dex saves and have better Stealth.
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Let me ask a few questions to help us help you:
-Will your GM balance the encounters all around the small party?
-Will you play with free archetype? Maybe Dual Class?
-Do you know what your teammate is going to be?
A back line with only two characters will be hard to enforce, but in case the enemy is really going to attack you mostly a shield champion is definitly a good way to go
although monks with defensive style might be good too
to number 2 - you should ask but since you don't know probably not
multi class and free archetype are popular ways for smaller number parties to either cover more ground in their abilities and be a little bit tougher
although monks with defensive style might be good too
I did some messing around and I found what I think is a good build for a monk.
Race: kobold
Class: monk - crane stance (+1 circumstance)
Dragon deciple dedication: scales of the dragon (+2 item bonus that is accumulative)
Drakeheart mutagen moderate (+5 item bonus)
+2 dexterity
+8 proffecencyAt level 4, you should have an AC of 28. Unless scales of the dragon does not work with Drakeheart. The reddit post said it was a status bonus for some reason. (2 year old post)
Scales of the Dragon was errata-ed to an item bonus instead of a status bonus.
If you wanted to delve down the route of a dragon disciple monk, you might consider going with a Strength build to get better value out of the Scales AC. Otherwise you don't really need it to max out your armor class.
Ah, so Scales and Drakeheart do not work together anymore. Is there another archetype that gives a status to ac, that works with the monk?
This build was going for a strength based monk.
Correct - Scales and Drakeheart do not stack but you may be able to use drakehearts as a way to boost your AC by a point or two at most levels if I am remembering correctly.
For a strength monk, I would recommend a stance besides Crane. Wielding and raising a shield can give you a greater AC bonus and something like Dragon Stance could give you more powerful Strikes. The flames stance can give some extra speed with a solid attack, and the level 8 stance Ironblood gives solid flat resistance. My experience with monk personally is that Raise -> Stride -> Flurry is a great routine that should cover the circumstance bonus Crane gives but you can also get even more defenses by kiting melee enemies out rather than going toe-to-toe.
Until you get Scales of the Dragon I would recommend Mountain Stance for the reliable AC, but then you can retrain.
Oh and as for a status bonus to AC, I'm not familiar with too many reliable ways to get one outside of spells. There is one archetype from an adventure path that focuses on familiars in combat, but it is an action every turn to maintain it.
The Cassian helmet can give you a permanent +1 status bonus to AC against evil creatures, but it is an item that is restricted in Pathfinder Society and many home games.
I am going to be joining a pathfinder 2e game where I have been told the GM doesn't pull his punches. He will try to kill you. And that the difficulty will be souls like.
Got any advice on what to build or what things to focus on?
The party is going to be the size of 2.
Why would you want to join this type of game?
Doesn't the game master understand that they can literally kill you at any point they choose. It's only a question of how "fair" they need to make it for you to accept the death. Like if I (as a GM) say your first level characters encounter the Tarrasqueof course you expect to die, but it was a completely unfair fight. If I instead say "all your level 1 characters wake up in a dessert with no gear, try to survive" you death isn't as inevitable but unless you've made a character to deal with the dessert (that I didn't tell you about) chances are this is still only a farce in which I expect you to die.
I honestly hate killer GMs.
My advice, find a different game. No game is better than a bad game.
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Talk to him
'not pulling punches' is for gms an entirely different thing then for players
If He screws up, make a do-over
But If the gm fights gloves off it's not gonna be fun
You Play with the gm, not against him
Same goes other way around
If the gm 'loses' an Encounter you get to continue the story and have fun together, If the players lose an encounter you lose and it's Game over
Also: the saying that the gm can do everything a Player can is bullshit
They have their own Rules to Play by
If the gm uses Player tactics it's going to be...unfun
Because he is new, and a friend of a friend.
He's got to learn how to gm, and how can you learn without trial and error. He doesn't have many options to gm. And no I am not going to elaborate, that's personal matters.
I'm sorry but this is terrible logic.
A new GM should come in asking questions and for advice from experienced players and other GMs. They shouldn't come in "guns blazing" playing a "killer GM" style. They should solicit advice from others about what are good pre-written stories/Adventure Paths and trying those before trying to make their own campaigns. Jumping in and doing your own thing is sure fire way to do something bad. It's like coming into a system you're not familiar with and making up house rules before you can even see the base rules in action.
Dual classing AND free archetype? then you got a full platter of a menu
if you are alchemist secondary you should consider the medic archetype or another alchemical archetype to get a few more reagents and special options to use those
although barbarian in its current form is one of the worst for dual classing - because of the many feats and features with the concentrate trait your friend is going to need moment of clarity and pays a one action tax whenever something needs concentration
Gonna assume you aren't going to use martial/martial dual class cheese, which the rules warn about.
Champion mixed with cloistered cleric is probably your most survivable dual class combo, maybe replacing cleric with another divine caster with charisma as a basis. Champion is the tankiest class in the game and divine casters are the best emergency healers. Divine Font is a really strong power with charisma as a secondary stat and a Divine prepared caster lets you deal with curses, diseases, and what not. On the other hand sorcerer gets stronger focus spells, more low level slots, and better options to pilfer spells off other lists.
This will also combo well with a barbarian who is going to get hit. He can trigger your reactions and you can heal and buff him up.
If would help to know what else your barbarian is snagging. They don't combo very well without going the martial/martial cheese route because of Concentrate restrictions. But an alchemist might have potential. Would add more versatility, including skill bonuses and elemental damage.
Dual classing AND free archetype? then you got a full platter of a menu
if you are alchemist secondary you should consider the medic archetype or another alchemical archetype to get a few more reagents and special options to use thosealthough barbarian in its current form is one of the worst for dual classing - because of the many feats and features with the concentrate trait your friend is going to need moment of clarity and pays a one action tax whenever something needs concentration
Alchemical archetypes do not stack with alchemy reagents due to the archetype rules, just fyi.
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You really need to know what your fellow player will build, and ideally build your PCs together to maximize synergies.
Also, you both need to be able to heal the other in combat, even if only with items.
Will magic items be widely available or restricted ?
For healing, i am doing the battle medicine tree and continual recovery. I am also an alchemist with numbing tonic, elixir of life, and (eventually) soothing tonic.
As for the other member, we are in constant communication. So far I think he has a barbarian orc.
I don't think magic items are restricted, but outside of fundamental runes, I don't incorporate items into builds.
Be warned that Mortal healing is something of a trap if there is any Divine healer in your party.
However, if the other member plays a Superstition Barbarian and you go by with alchemy and Medicine, that can make for nice synergies.Orc ferocity will be definitely useful as a Barbarian tends to go down and back up a lot at low levels. Second wind is almost a feat tax then.
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Gonna assume you aren't going to use martial/martial dual class cheese, which the rules warn about.Does doing the rogue archetype count?
Rogue archetype is probably fine. It is powerful, but widely available without dual class.
What would a problem is if you dual class stacked a full Sneak attack progression on a ranged or finesse class that packs their own damage enhancement like Hunter's Edge or Legendary Proficiency. Double dipping your damage is not what the rule was intended for. (Though maybe you need to with this particular lunatic GM, IDK.)