Powering Up Characters in PF2E

Pathfinder Second Edition allows for nearly limitless character customization. How do you build your pf2e character? How do you make the best build? How do you find cool ideas for your next Pathfinder character? This video has ten powerful character concepts for your next character to help you find the best build for you! Here are some top character ideas for pf2e. If you want strong builds or optimized builds, this should give you some starting points!

0:00 Introduction
1:47 Runelord
5:58 Kgalaserke's Axes
8:43 Spellstrike
12:48 Shielding Strike
14:28 Rare Backgrounds
15:57 Devise a Stratagem
18:56 Razzle Dazzle
20:56 Wayang
23:28 Shield Augmentation
24:51 Multilingual
27:40 Conclusion

[Maxmagnus]

Ah man... my Time Traveling Investigator Archetype Gnome Magus was banned by my GM after I did a free action stride to land my strategem'd heightened (6th rank) chromatic ray spellstrike on the BBEG, rolled an 8 and hit them with the Razzle Dazzle while insulting him in his native Muan tongue and landing a critical hit with my shielding strike on the follow-up.

[loganduncan]

I would love more of these, I love pathfinder but unlike magic there is not enough content for me to learn about how to find these cool interactions.

[kevinbarnard]

For more justification of Multilingual (or high INT), it broadens your options in so many ways. I'm playing a Kobold Rogue in Abomination Vaults. She started in the Beginner Box. Being a kobold was great fun in BB. She had all kinds of interactions and advantages for obvious reasons. However, it really shined when her ability to speak Aklo and Undercommon (and some other languages) made a huge difference. She's been able to deceive adversaries, negotiate arrangements with defeated foes, and had an easier time infiltrating and learning from the critters who live in the gauntlight. It got to the point where she was essential for diplomatic incidents, even though the Bard did the talking.

Do NOT look down on languages as "just fluff." They are important for the book worm, the spy, the scout, and the scoundrel type as well. It's also great to have a less common language that your allies all understand (Gnomish, Halfling, Orc) so you can speak in mixed company with some privacy.

[alexpage]

Thoughts:
- Runelord is great, but you need to dip out of wizard for another focus point (since wizard doesn't have a way to get more than 2). Runelord actually has 2 skill feats in it at L2 so by L4 ou can have both and meet exit conditions to pick up a psychic archetype (immediately a second focus spell), you can also pick up the guidance amped cantrip (reaction bonus +1 or +2 status bonus for a solid reaction ability) and with the L6 feat pick up glimpse weakness which is a no save way to stack up extra damage on the boss monster (even without the amped version) as a toss away 3rd action (so just ignore AC/Saves on the boss entirely). The one weakness is there isn't a great way to stack up static damage to the spell like a sorcerer, who can effectively add +2/spell level to damage on specific spell damage (The L8 runewell focus spell is 2 actions to do this, but its fixes you in place vs. it passively working like a sorcerer/psychic). Also I think if you pick a thrown polearm you can easily get another useful 3rd action combat ability to throw your staff/polearm to do a 0 MAP strike. It will cost money you don't need to spend and fall of since you won't progress past expert, but if other casters can justify firing a bow, you can justify throwing your staff 20ft with a returning rune.

- Keen Axes -> very cool, I hadn't seen that. Its a really good 3rd action toss out for an ally buff. Its also great for arcane caster gishes (e.g., the new spell shot, magus, etc.) and can open up non-standard play styles (e.g., a magus that doesn't spell strike but tries maxing out DPR buffs for action compression hits like a tiny laughing shadow spirit warrior PC or a stab and blast spell shot that is getting a big accuracy boost on your ranged strike).

- Wish for luck free action. That is so good. A halfing (with L9 guiding luck), the once per session hero point, and this can effectively free action truestrike amped imaginary weapon on a magus for massive damage on those big one hit builds (ah I see you called it out at the end of the video lol). Now with the gunslinger spell shot L4 spell strike equivalent feat, you can reliably get this off once per combat for most combats in a day even if your GM is a stingy hero point provider (hell their L9 feature lets to recall ammunition and effectively reload as a free action).

- Investigator stratagem is very GM/situation dependent as to whether you get it as a free action. I think some people's tables enable this to be way better than the average table experience.

Some things you could add to your list:
- The new dragon domain focus spell is a really solid damage adder (+1/spell rank) and if you pick fire, it can combo with burn-it to add another +1 to +5 status bonus damage. That makes for a great ranged opening salvo turn (cast for 2 action + ranged strike). This makes a cleric/champion/rivethune emmisary multiclass super good.
- Oracle as a base caster is really solid because it effectively has twice the pool of focus points and top # of spells/rank to cast.
- Alchemist Dedication + the advanced alchemy feat can net you an additional net +1 item bonus to hit from a warblood mutagen, quick-silver mutagen, etc. At L5 you can put it into a shifting spider collar for a free action activation when rolling initiative.
- Ostilli Host basically adds a feat intensive (so FA only) 1 action electric arc cantrip (that keys of the higher of spell or class DC). Really solid damage booster on most classes.
- Spirit Warrior gives a solid action compression ability and at L6 shared runes across handwraps to your weapon and gives

[Nercrontyr]

Toughness, mountain stoutness, golem grafter for those health fanatics. Or wood kineticist with oracle dedication for life link(or if your spicy do chalice thaum with oracle and wood kin dedication with for great damage mitigation are some fun combos. Nice video.

[Ghost.in.the.Machine]

I've had the idea of a Wayang Battledancer Swashbuckler for a while now. The one thing to be aware of with that combination is that only the Perform action gets the bravado trait, not all Performance checks. That means no Stylish Combatant bonus on Wayang dances and no panache from them. I'll probably do it anyway, it's such a cool and thematic concept and there are other ways to get Panache. Also, talk to your GM, they may allow it anyway.

For extra fun, thematics, and power, take the Fan Dancer archetype. Free Perfomance proficiency increases and a pair of level 4 feats that let you use Perfomance for Initiative and Tumble Through, and none of these require you to even be using a fan.

Fan Dancer also opens up the option of being a Fencer Swashbuckler and making use of the dedication's ability to move for free before or after a feint, though you have to be holding a fan for that, which could be a Fighting Fan if you want to have a hand free.

With or without Fan Dancer it's a great lead in to the underappreciated Shadowdancer archetype.

[rafasiqalv]

Ooh nice, there's already content for the Runelord. Nice to see Shield Augmentation too, an underrated item.

Content for another video: I think the Weapon Siphon/Alchemical Gauntlet are interesting options for any Multiclass into Alchemist (or Gunslinger idk) that don't require DEX for bomb accuracy.

[chrizzlybear]

About Shield Augments: From my reading of the RAW, dropping your shield on a crit fail Trip is an *optional alternative* to falling prone - that's an upside! The real trade-off is in the fact that you can't apply a bosse or spikes to the same shield as an augment, which is only a downside if you intend to use your shield for attacking, so for stuff like sword & board with Double Slice.

[cypher]

Thanks for the spell rec - very useful in my current party as there's only one martial to buff! Would love to see that runelord video as well.

[combsmsb]

Gonna say that campfire chronicler is really solid team support and damage boost with raging stories

[danielconner]

Great video - love the Wayang tip. Love Razzle Dazzle. Another good example of that is the Resentment Witch...

Idea for content: maxing/optimizing a character for your personal enjoyment and playstyle. For example, I prefer INT or WIS over CHA cause I dislike being a face and enjoy knowing stuff. Another example: Spontaneous caster vs prepared caster.

Thank you for your inspiration!

[kadmii]

love the closing point about the power of language. How many times is being able to speak with someone in an encounter? enough that it's annoying you don't!

[Datuna-vwun]

Trick magic item is really good for wands with spells that you can use out of combat as you can try again unless you critically fail. This gives easy access to heightened tailwind for everyone, which is very easy way to get +10 feet status bonus to speed. As it is status bonus, not very useful for characters that have status bonus to speed anyways such as swashbucklers.

[johngleeman]

Hooray for wayangs and the glorious dance of the mousedeer!

[backtospawn]

About your best blaster combo with force barrage +2 focus spells, please check it against a witch with clinging ice +electric arc... It does cantrip damage by burning focus spells

[samdoorley]

Some really strong starting options here. Can't wait to (slightly) annoy my GM with one of these.

[mattsullivan]

Oh man, Razzle-dazzle is one of my favorite gnome feats, but I got a say, my Gnome Wit Swashbuckling Marshal gets so much mileage out of Gnome Polyglot+Multilingual. No one is safe from my horrible quips I use for Bon Mot.

[hawktitan]

Consider Acrobatic Performance skill feat for the Wayang. Pretty sure that would work (but not scale to multiple enemies without more investment)

[SophiaLilithUwU]

Things that apply blinded usually com with caveats yeah, such as incapacitation or the ability to end blinded early by using an interact action.
Wouldnt it be really funny if there was an item in this game that had none of those drawbacks and was accessible to pretty much anyone?
Thats right enter the greater phantasmal doorknob!
I know its not a level 4 or lower item so it doesnt fit the spirit of this video, but i just wanted to mention that it, combines with razzle dazzle sounds like a disgusting combo.

[Wikrin]

Goblin Investigator from Alkenstar seems very strong. The ability to keep a Big Boom Gun (cobbled, but Fatal d12) in your off-hand and only fire it if you're fairly confident that you're going to crit? Seems great.