Archetypes are variants of classes meant to provide more options for character building and development. | 13th Age SRD Instead of falling on Rapid Shot to deal damage, the Crossbowman uses sniping and prepared actions to make single shots. Proficiency with improvised weapons is fairly dull, but treating unarmed opponents as flat-footed opens up some options for the Cad, especially once he gets Deadly Surprise at level 7. Tough as Nails: Endurance is fairly useless, but Diehard is passable, and you get two feats for the price of 1. Pathfinder: Kingmaker is no exception, with 11 out of the 16 classes having access to magic in some form or another. Bonuses to your attacks and damage are nice since your normal strategy is to use Rapid Shot and Deadly Aim. Sweeping Prank: At this point, you should be getting to use dirty trick frequently due to Deadly Surprise, which makes Sweeping Prank only useful on surprise rounds in which you start adjacent to two foes or in rounds in which you need to move. Arcanist Archetypes provide some interesting options to borrow flavor or mechanics from other classes, or to supplement and expand the Arcanist's existing abilities by emphasizing one mechanic. 14 Responses to Optimized Pathfinder Fighter Archer. Then at level 20 you get Weapon Mastery and auto-confirm crits with the selected weapon. Even then, you could simulate this effect by using Cleave and have the added benefit of dealing damage. Timely Tip (Ex): As a move action, you can partially disarm an enemies shield. Steelbound Fighter Source Haunted Heroes Handbook pg. You can take an attack opportunity as someone enters your reach, shorten your grip as an immediate action, then take more attacks of opportunity as they attempt to move past you. Deft Shield (Ex): A neat trick, but using an animated shield is still a better idea. FAQ. Armor Master makes you very durable, but really the only meaningful contributions are the DR and Fortification. Their strategy is conceptually simple: Power Attack this thing until it dies, then find something else to kill. Tower Shield Specialist (Ex): Removes that pesky -2 attack penalty from your shield. One of the Fighter's biggest problems is that it tends to be pigeon-holed into one trick in combat because Fighters typically need to specialize in order to be effective at their one trick. If you're using a one-handed weapon in your off hand, you don't get anything new. Removing the armor check penalty not only makes it easier for you to ride, but it increases your bonus for mounted combat, which makes you better able to protect your mount. Menacing Stance (Ex): This is the first signature ability for the brawler. Trick Throw (Ex): Dirty Trick can apply some very nasty status effects (such as entangled, which lowers their CMD considerably), so taking the time to trip people is worth the effort to throw this ability around. Ranged Defense (Ex): The DR is highly situational, but the Snatch Arrows effect is highly abusable. Shield Master specifies the bonus to work "as if it was an enhancement bonus", but Knockback Smash makes no such statement, so its bonus is typeless. Skills: The Cad add Acrobatics, Bluff, Escape Artist, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth to their skill list. Disarm and Dirty Trick are crucial for the Cad, and this provides an extremely rare bonus to the Dirty Trick maneuver. Rapid Attack (Ex): Like a beautiful combination of pounce and spring attack. Leaping Lance (Ex): Aside from the extra +2 to hit, there is very little reason to use this ability. Witch Blade (A fighter archetype for Pathfinder) Dec 1. | FateCoreSRD Expert Archer (Ex): Identical to weapon training with the Bow weapon group. Prerequisite (s) Fighter Dedication, class granting no more Hit Points per level than 8 + your Constitution modifier. A move action to apply modest penalties to fighting only you is a waste of time when you could be full attacking and making 4 attacks. | 3.5e SRD Irresistible Advance (Ex): Sometimes you need to bull rush with a tower shield. You gain 3 additional Hit Points for each fighter archetype … If you don't want another Fighter Archetype, you would be a fool not to take this. | d20 Anime SRD Replaced Features: Armor Training (2, 3, 4), Bravery, Weapon Mastery, Weapon Training (1, 2, 3, 4). Giving up all but light armor is dissappointing. Fighters have very few uses for a swift action, and this functionally gives you a +2 to attacks and a +2 to AC against one target. The use of magic is a popular mechanical choice in the Pathfinder RPG. Fighter Resiliency Feat 4. At higher levels, you're going to want that armor. Shield Ally (Ex): Wasting a move action to protect your allies sucks, but the bonuses are sizeable if things are getting rough. 5 and 11 can be the extra feats at 6 and 12, but I can’t place the 7) feat. Replaced Features: Armor Mastery, Bravery, Weapon Mastery, Weapon Training (1, 2, 3, 4). Natural Weapon Mastery (Ex): Natural weapons typically have 20/x2 critical threat, and bumping it to 20/x3 isn't going to be very exciting. Mirror Move (Ex): The odds of enemies using your chosen weapon are laughable, especially if you use an interesting weapon. Essentially, the Crossbowmen depends on readied actions. Pathfinder Fighter Optimization Guide. At low levels, a warhorse's attacks are brutally effective. Phalanx Fighting (Ex): Use a polearm one-handed, and still use a shield. Shield Ward (Ex): This is a really lackluster capstone. The polearm master is an excellent area-control tank. Recent Changes Plus, it adds some value to a Ring of Evasion. Weapon Mastery (Ex): Decent, but considering no close weapon has a threat range greater than 20, it's not going to see a lot of use. It's highly situational, and the bonus is pretty lackluster. This makes Unflinching totally irrelevant, but I don't think anyone minds. If you want an intellectual, social fighter, play a Cavalier. | Design Finder 2018 A poor attempt at making the fighter into a thinking man. If you choose to use two one-handed weapons (excluding Sawtooth Sabres) this is a +2 to both of your attacks. This archetype does very little to focus on using a single weapon. This Fighter archetype attempts to be a Cavalier replacement, but doesn't give you a scaling Mount. Check out our other SRD sites! Crossbow damage still isn't great, but every little bit helps. When considering an archetype, make sure that the archetype addresses on of those jobs. Despite an impressively generic name ("Good Fighter" is basically a synonym), the Martial Master may be the best thing that has happened to Fighters since Pathfinder was published. Shattering Strike (Ex): If you like to sunder things, this is nice. Unbreakable Mind (Ex): Wow. With some decent feat choices, you can really fill the fighter's key role as Tank and still have some reasonable damage output. If they do manage to withdraw, just charge them next round. Your CMD should be insane by level 20, so being disarmed really shouldn't be a problem. The uses per day seem low, but you likely won't need the ability more than that. The 13th level version allows you to do this as a swift action, which is considerably better in one-on-one fights. The Cad is the master of the Dirty Trick maneuver. With the Fighter's excellent attack bonuses and respectable damage, this can turn the Two-Weapon Warrior into an excellent Striker. Close Combatant (Ex): The bonus to attacks is basically the same as weapon training. This is particularly useful against NPC wizards/sorcerers who don't typically need weapons. Combined with Penetrating Shot, this might see a fair bit of action. Others do battle to prove themselves, to protect others, or because they know nothing else. Replaced Features: Armor Training (1, 2, 3, 4), Bravery, Weapon Mastery, Weapon Training (1, 2, 3, 4). Spinning Lance (Ex): This allows you to threaten adjacent squares without a weird gimick. Quick Sniper (Ex): The bonus to sniping is nice, but Stealth isn't a class skill for you, and the archetype doesn't add it. The Mutation Warrior is a really fun concept, and the statistical bonuses provided by Mutagen are really fantastic for a martial class like the Fighter. If you had sneak attack, this would be nice, but after 7 levels a dip into Rogue won't be very helpful. Proficiencies: Fighters are proficient with basically everything except exotic weapons. Using Archetypes Each base class in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game draws upon a central idea, a basic concept representing Classes from the base class as another alternate class feature. Defensive Flurry (Ex): It's a bit cruel that this isn't just a normal dodge bonus to AC when you full attack. Like with the original Baldur's Gate , the game is over if the main character dies in Kingmaker , so survivability should be your focus. Steadfast Mount (Ex): Since you don't get an actual mount ability, it's important to keep your mount alive. I'm still confused why Daggers aren't a Close weapon. Improved Buckler Defense (Ex): This allows you to keep your shield bonus to ac from your buckler while still using your weapon two-handed. 22 Whenever a particularly imposing intelligent weapon controls the mind of its wielder for long enough, spiritual echoes of this dominance can have strange resonances throughout that wielder’s bloodline for generations to come. Tactical Awareness (Ex): Inititiative bonuses are always nice. Since most fighters prefer full attacking over charging, this class also doesn't offer anything exciting offensively either. Trick Shot (Ex): Disarming and Sundering with a ranged weapon is a pretty cool trick. If you would like help with Pathfinder player options not covered here, please email me and I am happy to provide additional assistance. If you want to play a phalanx soldier, read my Area Control Defender Handbook for general advice on the tactics that make polearm users so effective. Steadfast Pike (Ex): A bonus to attacks of opportunity and readied attacks really addresses the purpose of the archetype: Stand between the bad guys and your friends, and kill anyone who tries to get past you. Deft Doublestrike (Ex): A free disarm, sunder, or trip attempt is nice, but you're probably not built for it. Witches can pick up bonuses hexes with a feat. Martial Flexibility (Ex): The Martial Master gets exactly one ability, and it's fucking fantastic. Shop the Open Gaming Store! Shield Mastery (Ex): DR 5/- is great, and you basically don't exist without a shield. | OGN Articles Improved Deadshot (Ex): Very few enemies depend on dexterity for AC, so this will rarely help you hit. This is also your only Defender ability, so be sure to capitalize on this as much as possible. They are fairly difficult to play, but when paired with a decent striker the Cad is a brutally effective option. Deadly Critical (Ex): I don't understand why this isn't just a static bonus. The 19-20 threat range with improvised weapons is nice, but isn't a game changer. Harsh Training (Ex): Bonus to saves against a very rare set of things. The abilities are almost purely numerical bonuses, so the Two-Handed Fighter is essentially just a very scary ball of numbers. Stand Still: You should already have Combat Reflexes and Stand Still by now, so this is basically another combat feat. Unarmed Style: Unarmed strike is basically a given, but the free style feat is fantastic since "he unarmed fighter need not meet all the prerequisites of the style feat he chooses". You can armor your mount much better than other classes, which seems like it would make the roughrider a good tank. The most common way for you to become exhausted is from a spell, and now you have Stalwart. If you’re not planning on focusing on … If you're only going to get one attack off of a prepared action, you had better hit with it. Fighters get bonus feats. Ride Them Down (Ex): If your mount is better at doing damage than you (it shouldn't be), this is a great ability. E.g. It also assumes the player will be making a standard Fighter, and not one of the three archetype classes made available. However, it gives up armor training and a lot of durability in exchange for reliable charges. Keep in mind that Active Defense also requires a swift action to protect your allies, so you can't use both at once. In addition, you need to be Fighting Defensively, using Combat Expertise, or using Full Defense to get the benefit. Archetypes The fighter's job is simple: Hurt the other guys (Striker), and keep them from getting to the squishy people behind the fighter (Defender). The scaling penalties keep this ability relevant into higher levels. Mounted Mettle (Ex): Weapon training bonuses for you and your mount as long as you're mounted or adjacent to your mount, which should be all of the time. Relentless Steed (Ex): Full plate barding without losing speed, and you can reroll a ride check once per day. In theory, you could do this so many times that the friction of your repeated motion causes the atmosphere to combust. Active Defense (Ex): Dodge bonuses to AC are great, but they don't apply when you're flat-footed and you don't have a way to get Uncanny Dodge. If you ever have enough allies situated to benefit from this, your party is either too far gone to benefit, or positioned too well to need this. Deadshot (Ex): This ability defines how the archetype will be played. The additional skill selections change the fighter from a big dumb brute into a cunning tactician, or potentially an officer. Lords of the battlefield, fightersare a disparate lot, training with many weapons or just one, perfecting the uses of armor, learning the fighting techniques of exotic masters, and studying the art of combat, all to shape themselves into living weapons. Energy drain is infuriaitng, and death effects are scary. Singleton (Ex): Weapon training with anything you use in one hand. Ignoring DR is absolutely brutal. Archetypes and Class Options. Elusive (Ex): Dodge bonuses to AC are great, and this helps to offset the AC lost by removing shields, and helps to support your AC in medium armor. Weapon Mastery (Ex): crits with unarmed strikes are pretty boring. Piercing Lance (Ex): Very few enemies will be mounted, so you will probably never see a use for this. However, be wary of the Mutagen's limited duration. To capitalize on this, you may actually want to drop your AC, but dropping your AC may make you worse as a Defender. Knockback Smash (Ex): This appears to stack with Shield Master, which is pretty incredible. It's unfortunate that it doesn't apply to attacks of opportunity, charges, or Doublestrike, but it works when you need it most. In addition, the extra cost of arming and armoring your horse enough to be relevant is hugely expensive. Replaced Features: Bonus Feats (1st), Armor Training (2, 3, 4) Tower Shield Proficiency, Weapon Training. Twin Blades (Ex): Basically weapon training when you full attack. You give up one attack at your highest attack bonus, but you could run around with two weapons and attack everyone in the room if you felt the need to do so. However, you give up heavy armor proficiency. Classes‎ > ‎Core Classes‎ > ‎Fighter‎ > ‎Archetypes‎ > ‎Paizo - Fighter Archetypes‎ > ‎ Martial Master There are those who learn the fighting arts though countless hours of repetition and training, while others seem to pick up new stances and forms as if they were born to them. Being able to use both at once can make you spectacularly durable. Archetypes The Arcanist can fill any role that can be filled by a Sorcerer or Wizard. Sucker Punch (Ex): More free dirty tricks! Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Monk weapons are weird and unique, but they do have a good selection of weapons which give bonuses to combat maneuvers, including Grapple. At higher level, Grapple them, then trip them, then hit them with a dirty trick. Shield Fighter (Ex): Weapon training with shields. So you take -5 to definitely deal x4 damage. Some Close weapons are exotic, but they are generally not worth a feat. Bonus Feats: There aren't a lot of performance feats, but this gives you a little more versatility. More than half of the fighter archetypes are worse than base fighter. Buff your strength and get swinging. This guide shows class tier ranked in Pathfinder: Kingmaker. It is a free action to switch from holding a weapon one handed to holding it two handed, and there is no limitation on how often your can do this in a turn. If you spend the feats, you can force the enemy to draw attacks of opportunity when you move them. Allowing you to do it as an immediate action is useful if you're low in initative order. Polearm Parry (Ex): Nice for protecting your allies, but not particularly exciting. The unarmed fighter picks up a weapon only rarely, and when he does, he prefers the weapons of the monk. 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