Soldier - Initial Reading

[Exocist]

I have actually done some testing with the soldier, but only with the field test version up to level 5. Anything past there can be taken with a grain of salt.

CLASS FEATURES

Fighting Styles
- Action Hero looks like it should be decent with something like the Machine Gun or Magnetar Rifle that has a good ranged increment + automatic. Automatic fire has a few rules issues as current (can you use it if you don't have bullets = 2x the number of targets? what happens then?) that makes me a bit hesitant to actually say anything further on this.
- Cannot see myself taking Armor Storm
- Bombard still looks like a clear winner, applying Suppress on a successful save matters a lot for Overwatch, and just in general for getting your statuses down. Actually buffed since the FT now allies can just ignore your area fire rather than getting a +2, which makes it a lot better if enemies move into flank your ally.
- Close-Quarters feels like Whirling Swipe should be built into it.
- Erudite Warrior seems to be the weakest of the bunch, there's no upgrades for Oppressive Presence and one action to suppress one target doesn't feel great. I do like that the suppress is conditional on them not attacking you, but I feel like the penalty could afford to be a bit bigger for this. Something like "increase the circumstance penalty to -2 when you apply Suppressed, but when an enemy you Suppressed targets you with a strike or other offensive action they lose the Suppressed condition".

There really isn't much else to say on it that I haven't said before. Suppressed does have a feat to scale its speed penalty up now.

---------------------------------------------------

FEATS

Just going to point out feats that are too good or too weak

- Overwatch / Soldier's Training is like a less busted version of Hair Trigger because it only applies to Suppressed targets, but make no mistake being able to (mostly) reactive strike against anyone within your first ranged increment is still incredibly busted. It doesn't trigger on Manipulates so its not as good vs casters, but it still triggers on movement and ranged attacks.
- Run Hot, by the Duration rules actually has the lockout expire at the start of your turn rather than at the end. Which means it would only lock you out of using Overwatch. Of course, this reading leads to some absurd damage output and it could probably stand to be clarified on how long its supposed to lock up your weapon for.
- Death Blossom while funny is probably significantly worse than the prerequisite feat, Run Hot, due to no primary target.
- Fanning the Hammer is basically more damage: the feat. It's in fact most of Run Hot as the second attack of Run Hot is not that good with your non key dex and MAP. So basically its Run Hot without the funky rulings, that also doesn't lock you out of Overwatch.

[Wellquest]

Exocist wrote:

I have actually done some testing with the soldier, but only with the field test version up to level 5. Anything past there can be taken with a grain of salt.

CLASS FEATURES

Fighting Styles

- Action Hero looks like it should be decent with something like the Machine Gun or Magnetar Rifle that has a good ranged increment + automatic. Automatic fire has a few rules issues as current (can you use it if you don't have bullets = 2x the number of targets? what happens then?) that makes me a bit hesitant to actually say anything further on this.

It doesn't describe targeting (though starting closest to further makes sense) but this class would really like an ability to choose targets as long as another target isn't directly in front of you. something like using Con/Str, whatever the KAS winds up ultimately being (and also Primary Target's to-hit ability score)

Exocist said wrote:

- Cannot see myself taking Armor Storm
- Bombard still looks like a clear winner, applying Suppress on a successful save matters a lot for Overwatch, and just in general for getting your statuses down. Actually buffed since the FT now allies can just ignore your area fire rather than getting a +2, which makes it a lot better if enemies move into flank your ally.
- Close-Quarters feels like Whirling Swipe should be built into it.
- Erudite Warrior seems to be the weakest of the bunch, there's no upgrades for Oppressive Presence and one action to suppress one target doesn't feel great. I do like that the suppress is conditional on them not attacking you, but I feel like the penalty could afford to be a bit bigger for this. Something like "increase the circumstance penalty to -2 when you apply Suppressed, but when an enemy you Suppressed targets you with a strike or other offensive action they lose the Suppressed condition"

There really isn't much else to say on it that I haven't said before. Suppressed does have a feat to scale its speed penalty up now.

---------------------------------------------------

FEATS

Just going to point out feats that are too good or too weak

- Overwatch / Soldier's Training is like a less busted version of Hair Trigger because it only applies to Suppressed targets, but make no mistake being able to (mostly) reactive strike against...

I think Fan the Hammer should be entirely different. Make it so that you can take an Expendx1 weapon, and make it automatic or area (line) with the caveat of spending the ammo as if it were automatic... also let Automatic fire just do either a Line or a Cone

[WWHsmackdown]

I also feel like whirling swipe should be base for close quarters. I certainly wouldn't make any cc soldier without grabbing it

[25speedforseaweedleshy]

best designed class in the playtest

only thing missing is the playstyle of holding tower shield in one hand two handed gun in another

offensive defence is nice but force field can only be used 3 time per day

and when will soldier ever be using shield and that awful Starfall Pistol

soldier is great just add shield

[moosher12]

Thus far I like the Soldier. It's well designed in my opinion within a Starfinder setting. But as a 2E class in general, my only complaint is it's rather limited when ported back to Pathfinder. I would appreciate more avenues to be successful without the automatic or area traits. Adding definitions for dealing with splash, scatter, and other archaic weapons, at least to the Suppressing Fire class feature would probably be a good idea.

Also, 25speedforseaweedleshy, you just inspired the potential of a Monster Hunter gunlancer.

[moosher12]

I'd also recommend modifying the following sentence in Primary Target:

"After resolving the area of effect attack, make a ranged Strike using your weapon against the selected target."

To-

"After resolving the area of effect attack, make a Strike using your weapon against the selected target."

This would make Primary Target better compatible with two-handed melee weapons when using the Whirling Swipe class feat.

Additionally, I'd propose switching the effect of Whirling Swipe to instead make it a stance that makes your two-handed melee weapon gain the Area (Burst 5 feet) and Unwieldy traits for the duration of a stance, as there are a lot of 2- to 3-action feats that can fulfill a heavy armored greatswordsman fantasy that can be accessed if this is done, but are otherwise unavailable to Close Quarters Soldiers, such as You'll Have to Go Through Me! (A defensive swipe), Shoving Shot and Scattering Fire, (Slapping your enemy away with a greatsword), Concentrated Shot and Run Hot (double slice), Special Delivery (Allowing your ally to use your greatsword as a platform then sending them flying), etc, Terror Forming and Excavating Bombardment (slamming your greatsword down on the ground so hard it shatters the ground), Light 'Em Up (Thrashing your weapon near where an opponent would be)