| beets |
Hello. My name is beets. I love Pathfinder 2e.
I have played as a party of 4 Soldiers in this video game called Dawnsbury Days (by Dawnsbury Studios) curtesy of McDerpus's Starfinder 2e Solider mod. I played many various encounters levels 1-4. This is a strange way to playtest the character but that is what I did. I’m not that smart of a player. I’m just a person!! Here is my review.
The Soldier is my new favorite way to play Pathfinder. 5 stars!!!
Ok! Now let's go over the individual class features. If I do not list the feature it is either because McDerpus did not program it into the game, or because I don't care.
First Level Features
~Soldier Attributes~
Strength (STR): I could not really use this most of the time. Will talk about this later.
Dexterity (DEX): Very useful because you want to shoot people using this.
Constitution (CON): Our key attribute. A level 4 soldier can critically fail against a level 7 dragon’s breath weapon and live. Fun! :) I have recorded a video of this but i do not know how to post so i am not going to
Intelligence (INT): It's not necessary.
Wisdom (WIS): It's necessary.
Charisma (CHA): It's necessary for 2 levels.
~Attacks~
Guns!
Guns are, and I cannot stress this enough, the most satisfying weapon in Pathfinder. I tried all of them from the playtest, plus McDerpus’s homebrew gun! Here is how they rank:
1. Stellar cannon - Two-handed. Costs 2 actions. Good range. Burst 10. Fun!!!
2. Flame pistol (McDerpus homebrew) - One-handed aoe sidearm, line 15. Basically a reach weapon. I never got more than 2 enemies at once but it’s not the worst option. I will not play a melee soldier without it.
3. Rotolaser - A normal ranged attack. 2 hands. Can also shoot a little cone. In my experience I needed to be in melee range to justify using the cone attack, and if I did not choose the bombard fighting style (explained below) I couldn't really use it at all or risk hurting my allies. So, if you want to use a cone gun, take the bombard fighting style.
4. Scattergun - As above but your only option is the cone. Not ideal. Also it has a slightly smaller damage die?
5. Laser Pistol - This is not made for you.
~Defenses~
You have heavy armor, but bizarrely it is not necessary (for me). With +3 DEX studded leather is p good at level 1. When you get to higher levels and get money you switch to half plate for +1 extra AC. You do not need full plate (bulwark does not benefit you since you want +3 DEX anyway) but u can if u want to.
~Suppressing Fire~
This is my favorite feature. When you shoot people with a burst gun you can inflict the “Suppressed” condition on a failure. This is -1 to attack and -10 speed for the round. Note that 4 out of 5 guns work with this feature so pick which one is the best fit for you (its the stellar cannon).
-1 to attacks is awesome. -10 speed is, in my experience, too strong. I shut down this encounter here. This monster only has 10 speed so it's their fault for being so slow in the first place but still.
I am usually a spellcaster, so I looked to analogues with some spells that I like.
- Tanglefoot is a cantrip that targets AC and instead of damage inflicts the speed part of suppression, but to one target.
- Ray of Frost is a cantrip that deals cold damage and inflicts the speed penalty on a critical hit.
- Mud Pit is a rank one spell that creates difficult terrain in a burst 15, range 60. Takes three actions.
- Entangle is a rank two spell that creates difficult terrain in a burst 20, range 120, two actions, and inflicts the speed penalty on a failure. No damage.
- I’m not sure about applying -1 to attacks… Top of my head, I think about Fear, which is not the same. Shield is also like this in a way, but not really. Suppression is unique and I love it.
In conclusion stellar cannon is a burst 10 cantrip that deals 1d10 piercing and suppression. This is the lifeblood of a soldier… I love it. Combine this with a difficult terrain effect and your enemies are helpless.
~Stellar Cannon~
Yes. Good. You Love It.
This uses your class DC and your CON modifier. I ran +3 CON for the most part because that is how pf2e works. It is hard to have +3 in a non-key attribute and I wanted DEX. Thankfully Dawnsbury Days has the Dwarf ancestry, making a +3 DEX +4 CON build possible. Great!!! The burst forces a DEX save and uses two actions. This is fair. Although I used every weapon extensively, nothing gave me the joy I get from using the stellar cannon so for the remainder of the review, presume I am talking about a soldier wielding a stellar cannon.
~Primary Target Strike~
When you burst attack, you ALSO get to make a single target strike against a primary target (the one closest to the middle of the burst). This targets AC, and therefore uses your DEX, which is why I feel that +3 DEX is important. If this hits, the primary target becomes suppressed, regardless of whether or not it passed its reflex save.
Basically, you get to make two attacks for two actions, one burst 10, one single target. This f~~!ing rules. However, at the time of this writing it is unclear whether this strike suffers from MAP. This review presumes the primary target strike rolls at full attack bonus, increasing MAP afterward. Also, damage was combined before applying weakness and resistances, which feels necessary, but is unwritten. It is reminiscent of the fighter’s Double Slice feat. This is a standout feature of the class, and my second favorite Soldier feature (stellar cannon is my favorite).
~Soldier Fighting Styles~
~~Armor Storm~~
I used this one the most! It is not very good. When you attack and include yourself in the burst, you do not hit yourself (notice how this is only possible with the stellar cannon…. hm!). Also you gain resistance equal to half your level to all damage! YESSS! But, only to suppressed enemies! This worked ok for me, because I played exclusively as a party of 4 soldiers.
It is cool to attack enemies who surround you but in my playtesting time many enemies who could surround me also had Opportunity Attacks and I got killed many times for trying to blast my way out. But that is ok because I only cried one time. In contrast, when the weenies surrounded me I could blast them all and that felt awesome because weenies are likely to fail their reflex save and become depressed or die. The resistance to all damage from suppressed enemies sounds cool! but it is not. It never mattered during my playtesting. In conclusion this fighting style is not very cool.
~~Bombard~~
If you shoot your allies, they automatically pass their reflex save. This reminds me of the school of evocation wizard from 5e. I like the school of evocation wizard from 5e! This makes me sad because wizards cannot do this is pf2e and for that made me envy! So I did not playtest with this style outside of 2 or 3 encounters.
The most impactful part of this ability is that you suppress enemies who pass their reflex save. This in my opinion is better than a rank 2 Entangle spell. This is the best. If you have never played a pf2e spellcaster before, here is your big chance. This absolutely sounds facetious but I am being sincere; this kind of area of effect support is what being a spellcaster is all about, and a soldier can do this as their main schtick every turn.
~~Close Quarter~~
You can suppress people when you hit them with melee weapons, and you get an Opportunity Attack too. Hmmm I did not play this because 1. McDerpus did not program it into the game, and 2. It doesn’t read as a very interesting option. If I were to play a melee-centric soldier I would probably want +3 STR and +4 CON.
Instead what I did to playtest what this fighting style might feel like is: build a party of Soldiers with +3 STR, put a warhammer in one hand, a flame pistol in the other hand. I used the bombard fighting style since armor storm is only for stellar cannon. The results? Very fun. One action to strike with the hammer to make use of our STR, the remaining two actions for the reflex save in a line that scales off of our CON. As long as you are not standing behind teammates and shooting through them to get to your target, you can also get a primary target strike in there (using our radical +1 DEX score and a sweet -5 MAP). This is very fun! I am sure it would be more fun with Reactive Strike. Alas, it is not possible with the gun choices available atm.
~Walking Armory~
You can use your CON to satisfy the STR requirement for armor. Because we have high DEX, we can wear studded leather for level 1, which is fine, but this feature lets us switch to half plate later in life. If I could afford a gun and half plate at level 1 I would. Just a nice little feature to have. Real swell.
Level 3 Feature
~Fearsome Bulwark~
You can now use your CON for intimidation checks instead of CHA. Comes kinda late to the party imo. Playing at levels 1 and 2 you need CHA if you want to demoralize. Then come level 3 you suddenly get scary. So you can kinda mix up your game plan once you get to level 3, I suppose. I am insane so I try to demoralize at level 1 with -1 CHA regardless. Suddenly becoming good at something you used to be terrible at reminds me of learning a new spell as a mage. An aside, it’s bizarre that CON is taking the role of 2 of your other ability scores at this point. You can replace the STR requirement for armor from Walking Armory, and now this lets us replace CHA for demoralize actions. Very Hexblade!
And that’s it for the main soldier features. Next is feats but that will go by fast.
~~1st Level Feats~~
~Pin-Down~
For one action make one enemy you blew up re-save against your class DC, becoming suppressed on a failure. It’s alright. It’s nice that you don’t have to use it on the same turn as your attack but if they passed their DEX save the first time, usually it’s because they were going to pass it anyway. Because I was armor storm this was the best 1st level feat available. If you go bombard you usually suppresses enemies regardless.
~Quick-Swap~
If an enemy moves adjacent to you, you can use your reaction to swap your two-handed weapon for another two-handed weapon on your person. I was confused when I took this feat because I thought it was an action… nope. The name “Quick Swap” seemed straightforward. So I did not think to read too closely… I missed the two-handed weapon requirement. Very limiting. I am not sure what two different two-handed weapons you would want to swap between. I suppose an Elven curve blade when it’s melee time (ECB’s are two-handed melee weapon with the finesse property).
BUT the most abhorrent offense is that this feat is a perfect example of somebody thinking about “game mechanics” over “an ability that makes sense.” What could possibly justify a character’s ability to quickly swap weapons ONLY when an enemy approaches them? How does this make sense? What training have you undergone that you can quickly change your grip between a gun and a greatsword… but only on someone else’s turn. When it’s your turn, you’re stumbling. Can you juggle a rifle for a dagger? No? Only an Elven curve blade? Ok soldier.
~~2nd Level Feats~~
~Menacing Laughter~
Demoralize all your enemies within 30 feet. It’s fine. Reminds me of a 3rd rank Fear spell, but for one action (usually the last action on your turn unless you are me and playing with 3 other characters who inflict suppression).
~~Relentless Endurance~~
You can gain HP as a reaction to eating s&*%. Awesome! This is my favorite feat. +1,000 points.
~~4th Level Feats~~
~Punishing Salvo~
As an action, you can make a Single Target Strike against your Primary Target, provided you have already made a Primary Target Strike as part of a burst attack this turn... Sounds good in practice, because the stellar gun usually cannot make more than one attack per turn. However, the initial burst increases your MAP. Then your primary target strike increases your MAP… so this feat lets you spend your third action… making a ranged attack at -10. This… is not fun? I usually just stride for my third action or f@%# around idk.
tl;dr
This is my favorite class! This is a spellcaster where your cantrip is “gun” and it rules. Is it too strong? idk who cares but it sure does feel unfinished. Suppressed feels strong imo. But fun! My favorite.
Pros
- Fun Gun!
- Finally can play evocation wizard
- Entangle every turn
- Lots of damage
- Relentless endurance
- Tank hits like a boss
Cons
- Melee can be scary
- This class promises guns but really there is only one gun
- Intimidation is awkward
- Melee is not fun with the exception of dual-wielding with a homebrew gun
- Feats are boring
- I hate quick swap
- Suppression can make some fights trivial
- You want 3 stats for attacking it’s weird
| beets |
Here is a Youtube video of my playing as a party of four soldiers retrieving the Golden Candelabra.
Some things to notice:
- These are normal Pathfinder enemies. I presume soldiers will be fighting more aliens than skeletons in space.
- The flame pistol (homebrew weapon by McDerpus) is being used by Tok'dar alongside a normal warhammer.
- Gun blasts and primary target strike combine damage before applying weaknesses and resistances, which is why Scarlet is able to do significant damage to the Skeletal Champion @ t=5:55 despite a piercing resistance.
- Pin Down did not work once :-\
idk what else bye