Title is self explanatory; I just got the 2E Core Rulebook (will get the Remastered books some time in the future). Idk if I’ll be able to get into a 2E game soon, but I’m going to try and build a character (dwarf fighter to be specific) while pondering all the rules.
While the answer to some questions will be in the Core Rulebook, is there anything from other books that I should know about before character creation/playing?
Fighters are pretty easy to build:
1. Max your Strength, get some CON. If you're wearing heavy armor (and you probably want to be), you don't need to invest in DEX. If you're using a ranged weapon instead of a melee weapon, then you need DEX instead.
2. Pick a fighting style. This might be a big 2h weapon, dual wielding, weapon + shield, etc. There's probably a level 1 Fighter feat to support this style, but if you don't like it, Sudden Charge is good too. You can then also pick gear that supports the style you want.
3. For Dwarves specifically, consider Unburdened Iron as your level 1 ancestry feat. Since your base speed is 20, the speed penalty from heavy armor feels really bad in play. This feat removes that penalty so you're now as fast as a Human in heavy armor.
Aside from that it's basically following the character creation rules to pick skills and assign other ability scores and such. Fighter is a very forgiving class so you'll be effective without having to worry about picking "the best weapon" or such. :)
Pathbuilder 2e is a nice tool to help you along the process, as was mentioned.
Yeah, fighter is pretty straightforward.
If you tell us a little more about what you envision your fighter doing, we can help you pick a some class feats to help ensure your character is effective.
The only thing I would mention in advance is some things already mentioned.
You probably want to build for melee, strength is your primary focus followed by con. Take Unburdened Iron Dwarf feat to not be slower in armor. You wont be able to afford full plate at level 1, but you should be able to by level 2.
Whether you want to wield a one handed weapon and shield, or two handed melee weapon, or even use brawling weapons there are things that make all play styles viable for a fighter.
I'm personally a big fan of Intimidating Strike and Shatter Defenses. Also blind-fight is an incredible feat in this edition.
What about 2 handed weapon fighting, like a maul? If there’s nothing good for that might stick to warhammer and shield.
What about 2 handed weapon fighting, like a maul? If there’s nothing good for that might stick to warhammer and shield.
Level 4 Fighter Feat Slam Down (Knockdown in the Core Rulebook) is nice, as you get to hit them and also Trip them. You'll want to invest in the Athletics skill for this, but its a great skill that is frequently used in Exploration as well as combat, and being STR based you'll be really good at it. Titan Wrestler becomes a good Skill Feat pick at level 2 with this setup so you can Trip bigger creatures.
If you trip them they go prone, take an AC/Attack penalty (great for others in your group), and provoke a Reactive Strike from you if they stand up. Classic, effective combo. There's also a higher level feat that upgrades it so you don't have to roll Athletics (you automatically crit succeed to Trip if the first attack lands).
Level 1 Fighter Feat Vicious Strike (Power Attack in the CRB) adds more damage dice which is pretty fun because 2d12 is a lot of damage at level 1, and if you crit it's 4d12. You really only get one attack a round doing that, but its a big one. Try to get into flank first to maximize what you get out of this if you take it.
If not, take Sudden Charge or something like that so you can move around and attack in fewer actions. Fighter feats are good in general, so if it sounds like it works, it probably does. :)
If you like the idea of wading in and rolling big dice, 2h definitely delivers on the fantasy. My son played a Greatsword Fighter in Extinction Curse and had an absolute blast. By the end he was critting for something like 14d12 (plus the flat damage, plus fire, plus setting things on fire). His character earned the nickname "The Destroyer" for a reason. :D
What about 2 handed weapon fighting, like a maul? If there’s nothing good for that might stick to warhammer and shield.
Two-handed weapons are so good on their own that they don't really need any additional feats to make you better at it. There's not a lot of feats that are based on requiring two-handed weapons.
But there are several feats that are weapon agnostic, and two-handed weapon fighters can pick those up to expand the repertoire of what they can do.
At level one, especially because you're a dwarf, sudden charge is attractive to be able to cover more distance to the enemy.
There is also Power Attack, but power attack is much more situational in PF2. It's good if you have a high AC enemy and are having trouble hitting, because it gives you extra damage on a single hit. However it takes 2 actions, so if you can regularly hit on your second attack in the round, you deal more total damage that way.
Intimidating Strike and Shatter defenses are also good with a 2 handed weapon built.
And lunge is great with two-handed reach weapons. I'm a big fan of the guisarme for a 1d10 reach weapon with trip.
And blind fight is a great feat for any fighter.
The best part of playing a 2 handed weapon fighter is there aren't any feats "required" to make your build work. It just works. Other fighting styles need feats to keep up with what that can do by default. You get to pick feats to do whatever additional things you want.
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The tip I try to give to all new players - especially ones coming from PF1 - is that you can't 'win the game' during character creation.
Build a character that is interesting to play and can be effective in a lot of different scenarios. Also, build for teamwork more than individual impact.
A Fighter is a primary damage dealer. That can be tweaked a bit with choice of equipment. Two-hand weapon is going to do more damage. One-hand and shield is going to have better defensive options. One-hand and empty hand maneuvers is going to be able to give status conditions such as immobilized and prone.
Once you have your choice of style figured out, then you can look into feat support to gain some better action economy and other perks, or alternatives for when your primary thing isn't working in some particular encounter.
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I would suggest to start with a 2h reach weapon - enemies triggering reactive strike by coming up to you is great. Guisarme was already mentioned.
Sudden Charge makes up for the lower speed.
All further options can be decided later, when the player has more experience.