What are some Archetypes that focus on combt Maneuvers? I am making a character in a dual-class game and need some class and archetype ideas. Currently I am thinking barbarian something.
Fighter, as always. Pick your feat tree for whichever maneuver you want to use. Barbarian might get things like furious bully at 8 to buff their athletics rolls, but auto success (improved knockdown, flinging shove, combat grab) is just so, so much better. Trip is the best maneuver because prone is one of the best conditions. Shove is great for parties looking to build around hazardous terrain. The rest are pretty whatever, in my experience.
And dual class being dual class, you kind of always want fighter as one of your classes anyway. It's just too strong a chassis to really pass up.
One of the biggest issues with combat grab is it's a press action sadly.
One of the biggest issues with combat grab is it's a press action sadly.
Fighter's 2nd attack with an agile free-hand weapon is -2 compared to a standard martial's primary attack. It's not hard to land at all, especially if you're doing basic math fixing. The bigger issue with combat grab is that grabbed is a fairly mediocre condition to inflict.
This is pretty true, is there any attacks that let you attempt a disarm?
This is pretty true, is there any attacks that let you attempt a disarm?
The main thing that comes to mind is Disarming Twist (a 10th-level fighter feat, also available at 12th level from the Duelist archetype).
If it's dual-class, I wonder if that would help with any issues that the Swashbuckler class would have with things. Panache is a +1 circumstance to whatever you're using, and gymnasts do have nice options for grabbing, tripping, and shoving. And then Agile Manoeuvres at 6 makes those manoeuvres ... well, agile.
Alternately, monks get Flurry of Manoeuvres at 4, letting them use their normally two-strike Flurry instead include a grab, shove, or trip. So a grab and headbutt, trip and stomp, or punch and shove all for one action (albeit with full MAP).
Hm. A monk/swashbuckler dual would be able to get both, wouldn't they? And they'd have eternal access to a d6 agile attack as well ...
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For archetype instead of class: Wrestler. There are some unique debuff actions in there that you can do as a combat maneuver.
Including Elbow Breaker - which is a Strike with a Disarm effect on success/crit (which needs errata to bring it in line with Remaster Disarm).
Leg's see, archetypes that offer notable maneuver support off the top of my head...
There's the ones that already got mentioned like Duelist and Wrestler. Mauler also kicks ass for shoving nerds around and making them eat dirt (Hammer Quake is disgusting), and believe it or not, Zombie has several feats that work with grabbing and tripping too.
No idea about the dual class/gestalt variant, but I think gesalt makes a good point about Fighter being a good base class since they have a ton of feats for what you want and Press abilities become reliable if you play your cards right. On top of that, they get access to some exclusive options that build upon what other maneuvers do already (Dazing Blow comes to mind as a particularly nasty follow-up to a grab, for example). Hell, they even had access to the new Reposition maneuver through attacks before the Remaster, via feats like Guiding Riposte/Finish/Repositioning Assault, among a few others. The important part is to either keep a hand free, use a weapon with your most used maneuver's trait, or take feats that let you use those actions without having a hand free.
What are some Archetypes that focus on combt Maneuvers? I am making a character in a dual-class game and need some class and archetype ideas. Currently I am thinking barbarian something.
In no particular order
Barbarian - Furious Bully, Thrash, Embrace the Pain
Monk - Whirling Throw, Wolf Drag, Flurry of Maneuvers, Mixed Manuever
Wrestler - Suplex, Aerial Piledriver for an impressive visual.
Fighter - Knockdown, Improved Knockdown, Combat Grab is ok not great though.
Swashbuckler - Level 10 onwards only, Derring-Do is the best ability a combat maneuver specialist can have.
If your GM lets you, consider this:
Monk + rogue + wrestler
You have multiple sources for grappling and maneuvers, Gorilla stance has d8 unarmed grapple and as Cherry on top you get Sneak Attack against offguard i.e. grappled enemies