This build is current to June 17, 2019. This is what Amiri always wanted to be. Strong pet, lots of attacks of opportunity, good damage and stays out of the harm's way with enlarge from.

Ladies and Gentlemen, my Sister and Brother Magi, I welcome you to my small contribution to the world of Pathfinder. I welcome your feedback on this endeavor.I have immense respect for Walter and his Guide to the Magus. However, Walter has not, to my knowledge, updated his guide since he posted it. Certainly not in a long time.

So I made the decision to provide an update using all the new feats, spells, and features that have appeared since Walter published his Guide to the Magus. This is intended purely as a supplement to Walter's work, and is not a replacement.Thank you.

Aww, you beat me to it. By a couple weeks, I'm lazy.That said, a couple notes:.

The Str build makes it sound like they don't get any armor until 7th. Nitpicky, I know, but I looked at it funny. I honestly don't think it's fair to say that Str Magi deal more damage.

The big advantage is saving 2-3 feat slots. Given that you either have limited use or need GM allowance to make Snowball work. Rating it Blue to Grasp's Green seems backwards. Myrmidarch not being able to Spell Combat with a ranged weapon makes it Red in my mind, Snowball or no Snowball.

Tieflings get a racial feat (Grasping Tail) that's explicitly designed to hold stuff like rods in their tails. I'd note that rather than the 'some GMs may.' Bit. Personally, the Cantrips section seems. In a guide, saying 'X has a use that I'm not going to tell you' seems counterproductive. This is more for my own education.

But how does an Arcanist full attack and cast spells?. I would advise noting the (usually) expanded crit range granted by Spellstrike. That's one of the cornerstones of the basic Magus.

Calling Arcane Deed: Precise Strike a feat tax when you rated its only pre-req Green is strange. Spell Recall flows into the Arcanas list a little too closely; separating it could be nice. Maximize does not boost the damage dice granted by Empowered. Using both on an Intensified Shocking Grasp is 60+5D6 damage. Given that we're 6th level casters, I'd gladly take Spell Penetration over Piercing Spell. Card Caster has the same issue as the Myrmidarch: no Spell Combat because Spell Combat specifies melee weapons. Eldritch Scion should.

Really not be green. It destroys your resource base just to use core class features. I really think you overrate the Greensting Slayer. Losing out on the huge monetary and accuracy edge presented by the standard Arcane Pool enhancement is huge, and situational Sneak Attacks really don't make up for it.

The Shoe That Grows grows 5 sizes and lasts for years. Invented by Kenton Lee after a trip to Kenya, the Shoe That Grows is designed to give kids in poverty a chance to succeed. Invented by Kenton Lee after a trip to Kenya, the Shoe That Grows is designed to give kids in poverty a chance to succeed. Our expanding sandals feature a fun, innovative design that increases up to 5 sizes to grow just as fast as your kids do! Plus, when you buy a pair, GroFive will donate to help kids in poverty have a pair of shoes that grow, too! Grow home grow shoes.

Spire Defender is. Worthless, to be generous. You lose all armor proficiencies. And unlike every other class that does that, you get nothing to get the AC back. And the granted feats kind of suck, and you're locked into a small list of weapons.

Also, you lose Spell Recall. Coupled Arcana is a beautiful Archmage option that got ignored. Spend an arcane point for Arcane Accuracy. Simultaneously spend a mythic point to cast a spell off Arcane Surge/Wild Arcana. Then do your normal full attack routine. The Champion has Fleet Warrior at 3rd tier, which allows you to move up to your speed as part of a full attack.

That's crazy-good for a Magus. For funsies: Assuming you're using a d6 weapon, you normally average 3.5 damage off your die. Fickle Attack 1 boosts that to 4.33. Fickle Attack 2 boosts that to 5. Fickle Attack 3 boosts it to 5.5. Thus, you're taking three path abilities for, on average, about 2 damage per hit.

You can do /much/ better than that. Mythic Mirror Images is really cool. Augmented Transformation is beautiful for Magi. Of course you'd be here.Str Magi, when not using spell combat, can two hand their weapons. That's 1.5x str score, as compared to a 1x dex (and only once they get all the right feats).

That means that over the length of a campaign, a Dex Magus will deal less Damage than a Strength Magus, but only just barely. This is actually covered by Walter's guide, which I repeatedly instruct readers to view FIRST.Spire Defender requires one feat to get back light armor proficiency, and those skill bonuses can be very useful.

Never underestimate skills.I missed that on Greensting.Arcane Deed: Precise Strike considers Flamboyant Arcana a feat tax. It depends on whether the Magi is a dex build and has combat reflexes. If they do, Flamboyant Arcana is awesome in its own right and there is no problem(unless you have a low attack bonus). Str Magi will barely, if at all, benefit from Flamboyant Arcana, which means it is a feat tax to get Arcane Deed: Precise Strike.Clearly I was not clear enough for Fickle Attack.That's not an average damage increase of 2 points. That's an average damage increase of 2 points PER DAMAGE DIE. With spell strike, that can be as high as an additional 32 points of damage over non fickle attack average damage.

Higher still depending on the enchantments on the blade, and the potential for foebiting and Channel Power to kick in.@Azoriel: I am aware, however the Elemental Spell Feat is not all that useful on its own, and is meant to be purely a prerequisite for Elemental Admixture. Thank you though. Your covering of new material like Advanced Class Guide and Mythic Adventures is appreciated. But I feel that too much of the guide (Path of Dexterity, Path or Strength, etc) re-treads material that Walter has already covered. Might want to cut it down, re-focus.-As written, the Card Caster is broken in that Spell Combat won't work with cards. If you work in Quick Draw and some shenanigans maybe you could get around it, but you still won't be able to full-attack-and-spellstrike with cards.

Definitely isn't worthy of a Blue rating. Forger03 wrote: Str Magi, when not using spell combat, can two hand their weapons. That's 1.5x str score, as compared to a 1x dex (and only once they get all the right feats). That means that over the length of a campaign, a Dex Magus will deal less Damage than a Strength Magus, but only just barely.

This is actually covered by Walter's guide, which I repeatedly instruct readers to view FIRST.The Str Magi can two-hand weapons that aren't a rapier, which is very easily the premier Magus weapon thanks to Precise Strike. Contrast:Scimitar (two-handed): Str x 1.5 damageRapier (one-handed, Precise Strike): Str + level damage.Ergo, for two-handing to be more profitable, damage-wise, you would need your Str modifier to consistently be greater than twice your level. Since Precise Strike requires Arcanas, not feats, it's not even realistic to contend that you can use feats to lower that differential significantly, because there's no Arcana to directly augment weapon damage. Precise Strike also has the advantage of being always-on, while two-handing only works when not using a core class feature.I would also, frankly, really question what a Magus is doing if they're not Spell Combating. Unless they're more than 30' away from their victim, in which case they're not two-handing either. Forger03 wrote: Spire Defender requires one feat to get back light armor proficiency, and those skill bonuses can be very useful.

Never underestimate skills.At that point, the Spire Defender has netted one feat (and again, neither of the two are very useful), and then later on costs you the extremely useful Spell Recall. Skills are nice.

An extra ten or twenty spell levels' worth of spells is much, much nicer. Notably, there are excellent spells to replace every one of those skills but Escape Artist, and to prevent you from getting into situations where Escape Artist is required.If you decide you want Medium Armor (a pretty realistic scenario, given the existence of a very good infinite-Dex Medium Armor), then you've netted zero feats. Forger03 wrote: Arcane Deed: Precise Strike considers Flamboyant Arcana a feat tax. It depends on whether the Magi is a dex build and has combat reflexes.

If they do, Flamboyant Arcana is awesome in its own right and there is no problem(unless you have a low attack bonus). Str Magi will barely, if at all, benefit from Flamboyant Arcana, which means it is a feat tax to get Arcane Deed: Precise Strike.Dex/Combat Reflexes really isn't necessary. Forger03 wrote:Clearly I was not clear enough for Fickle Attack.That's not an average damage increase of 2 points. That's an average damage increase of 2 points PER DAMAGE DIE.

With spell strike, that can be as high as an additional 32 points of damage over non fickle attack average damage. Higher still depending on the enchantments on the blade, and the potential for foebiting and Channel Power to kick in.Fickle Attack specifies a weapon or alchemical item. While Spellstrike allows the spell to be a rider on a weapon, it does not make the spell, itself, a weapon. Ergo, Shocking Grasp - Spellstrike via Rapier with Fickle Attack x3 is exactly 2 more damage, on average, than SG - Spellstrike via Rapier without anything extra.

In PFS, I have a Pluemkith Aasimar Snakebite Striker (Brawler) 1, Greensting Slayer (Magus) 2. After one more level of Magus, she will become an Arcane Trickster. She will get her Fifth-level spells at level 14. (A conventional Arcane Trickster based on three levels of rogue and three levels of wizard, gets Fifth-level spells at level 12.)If you don’t have a grandfathered Aasimar for PFS, you can always take five levels of Greensting Slayer and then take Arcane Trickster.

In that case, you would get Fifth-level spells at level 13 but would take one more level to complete Arcane Trickster.Paizo classes are designed to be good through 20 levels. However, in PFS, you’re not going that far.

Why not try something different? Fickle Attack (Ex): Whenever you roll damage for a melee or ranged attack with a weapon or alchemical item, you can treat any natural 1s on the damage dice as if they were the highest possible number on those dice. You can select this ability up to three times. The second time you select it, treat 1s and 2s as the highest value. The third time, treat 1s, 2s, and 3s as the highest value.It says whenever you roll damage for an attack with a melee weapon.

It does not say whenever you roll damage for a melee weapon, but whenever you roll damage for an attack with a weapon. The spell is a rider, and is part of the attack. The whole thing is a single attack roll, therefore the spell's damage is affected. For your Gear Section -I feel you almost need a Warning about Meta-Magic Rods.In PFS I've seen too many Magus try to Spell Combat while using a Meta-Magic Rod. Rod's must be equipped and held in your hand to use them. There is no way a Magus can spell combat while holding a Rod unless (1) Magus is using the Rod as the weapon (2) Magus has 3 or more hands.PS.

Tiefling's Tail does not count as being held in your hand.PSS. This is just a pet peeve of mine as it seems like it's usually the PFS munchkins that try to get away with this. Forger03 wrote:Fickle Attack (Ex): Whenever you roll damage for a melee or ranged attack with a weapon or alchemical item, you can treat any natural 1s on the damage dice as if they were the highest possible number on those dice. You can select this ability up to three times. The second time you select it, treat 1s and 2s as the highest value. The third time, treat 1s, 2s, and 3s as the highest value.It says whenever you roll damage for an attack with a melee weapon.

It does not say whenever you roll damage for a melee weapon, but whenever you roll damage for an attack with a weapon. The spell is a rider, and is part of the attack. The whole thing is a single attack roll, therefore the spell's damage is affected. A spell is not a weapon. I honestly believe that the two spells that I see most that are used to define Magi are Shocking grasp and Frostbite. One for single target damage dealing and the other to debuff by stacking multiple conditions on several opponents.I have seen many DM's poo poo the snowball spell as being over powered for its level and since it is not in a primary book I can see many DM's saying no because of that.

Not that it isn't a nice spell it just seems like a spell that you may not be able to rely on as a defining concept with out talking with your DM first. Narrater wrote:I honestly believe that the two spells that I see most that are used to define Magi are Shocking grasp and Frostbite. One for single target damage dealing and the other to debuff by stacking multiple conditions on several opponents.I have seen many DM's poo poo the snowball spell as being over powered for its level and since it is not in a primary book I can see many DM's saying no because of that. Not that it isn't a nice spell it just seems like a spell that you may not be able to rely on as a defining concept with out talking with your DM first.The big problem with Snowball is that getting it into a functional position is a gigantic pain in the rear. Close Arcana doesn't work; Snowball isn't a Ray.

Which only offers one limited-use Magic Item, and having your main trick only work three times a day is. Really crappy.This is why Forger presented the idea of building a custom version of that item as infinite-use, which turns Snowball into a straight Shocking Grasp upgrade.Good luck getting your GM to let you do that, of course. I wouldn't waste time arguing with you if I didn't need to clarify for the sake of other players.

I suppose this means you don't realize what Fickle Attack was meant for. Sneak Attack. Fickle attack's wording is very specific.

It says damage rolled when successfully attacking with a weapon. It does not say weapon damage, or the damage dealt by the weapon. It says damage rolled when successfully attacking with a weapon or alchemical item.Sneak attack occurs when an attack is successful while flanking the target or while the target is denied its dexterity bonus to AC against that attack. The damage from sneak attack is added onto the damage dealt by the attack. But the damage from sneak attack is NOT weapon damage, it comes from another source. Just like the damage from spellstrike. If fickle attack doesn't work with spell strike, it also should not work with Sneak Attack.

Which betrays its entire purpose.So let me go over this one more time. Fickle attack states: 'Whenever you roll damage for a melee or ranged attack with a weapon or alchemical item.'

I am a magus. I spell strike with shocking grasp. I make an attack roll with my scimitar. I have now attacked with a weapon. That attack is an 18, which beats my opponents AC. I have now HIT my opponent with that attack.

I roll damage for the attack. That includes the damage of both the scimitar, and Shocking grasp, since it is all one attack. Fickle Atttack triggers on a weapon attack, regardless of the source of the damage being added to that attack. All ones I roll will be treated as the max number on that die, for both the weapon and for shocking grasp. Forger03 wrote:I wouldn't waste time arguing with you if I didn't need to clarify for the sake of other players.

I suppose this means you don't realize what Fickle Attack was meant for. Sneak Attack. Fickle attack's wording is very specific. It says damage rolled when successfully attacking with a weapon.

It does not say weapon damage, or the damage dealt by the weapon. It says damage rolled when successfully attacking with a weapon or alchemical item.Sneak attack occurs when an attack is successful while flanking the target or while the target is denied its dexterity bonus to AC against that attack. The damage from sneak attack is added onto the damage dealt by the attack. But the damage from sneak attack is NOT weapon damage, it comes from another source. Just like the damage from spellstrike.

If fickle attack doesn't work with spell strike, it also should not work with Sneak Attack. Which betrays its entire purpose.So let me go over this one more time. Fickle attack states: 'Whenever you roll damage for a melee or ranged attack with a weapon or alchemical item.' I am a magus. I spell strike with shocking grasp.

I make an attack roll with my scimitar. I have now attacked with a weapon.

That attack is an 18, which beats my opponents AC. I have now HIT my opponent with that attack. I roll damage for the attack. That includes the damage of both the scimitar, and Shocking grasp, since it is all one attack.

Fickle Atttack triggers on a weapon attack, regardless of the source of the damage being added to that attack. All ones I roll will be treated as the max number on that die, for both the weapon and for shocking grasp.I can easily see a DM ruling against your interpretation of how the ability works since you are only using the weapon to deliver the spell. It is very similar to the enforcer and frostbite combo get prior approval before relying on it. Kestral287 wrote:Where is your evidence that Fickle Attack was meant to be used with Sneak Attack? Nothing in Fickle Attack says or implies that.Do you have any Rules as Written evidence that Spellstrike allows all modifications to weapon rolls to apply to the spell, rather than only the ones that it explicitly allows?Fickle attack appears amongst the mythic powers of the trickster, a mythic path all but explicitly suited to augmenting and empowering the the Rogue, the Ninja, and the Alchemist (all three of which can use sneak attack). In addition, the fact that this ability is so deliberately worded should serve as a clue.It specifies an attack with a weapon, but it NEVER specifics that it affects only the damage of the WEAPON.

It instead states that any damage rolled as part of an attack with a weapon (which would include spellstrike damage, sneak attack damage, and even the damage of an alchemist's bombs using specific archetypes) OR with attacks made with Alchemical items treats ones as the highest number on that die.Most abilities that specifically only affect the damage dealt by the weapon specify that they ONLY affect the damage dealt by the weapon, and do not affect other aspects of the attack or damage. Vital strike, as an example. Critical hits and enchantments such as shocking use similar language.

Fickle attack does not.Your question regarding what spellstrike allows to affect the spell is invalid to the argument, because it presumes that fickle attack is first a modification to the damage of the weapon rather than modification to the attack itself. Quote: Classes: Members of any class that relies on skills would make good tricksters, as would those who heavily utilize ranged combat or magical methods of subterfuge. The alchemist, bard, and rogue all have a number of abilities that fit well with the trickster. Gunslingers, monks, and rangers will also find that the trickster has more than a few interesting options.Six classes are called out by name. Of them, one has Sneak Attack as a baseline ability and one can obtain it through an archetype, leaving four that cannot gain it.

So, I will ask again: where is your evidence that Fickle Attack is meant to apply to Sneak Attack, and not just a fun thing for Gunslingers and Monks? After all, both of those are directly called out by the Trickster's classes, and both have the ability to deliver an absolutely staggering number of attacks, which makes Fickle Attack more appealing. In point of fact it's a decent pick for a Monk, since by the time they get 2d6 fists it starts adding 4 per attack instead of 2 with three takes, and will get better from there. A baseline 20th level Monk's Flurry of Blows is upgraded by 12.6 damage from one Fickle Attack, 23.8 from two, and 33.8 damage from three, assuming all attacks hit (more with Haste et al, but close enough for our purposes).Thus, we have no reason to assume it's meant for Sneak Attack merely based on it being a Trickster ability.

It's mathematically a solid choice for a Monk, which is also called out by the Trickster's class list. Hence I shall re-ask the previous question: what evidence is available that Fickle Attack was meant to be used with Sneak Attack?. To quote Fickle Attack. Quote: Whenever you roll damage for a melee or ranged attack with a weaponReading the entire sentence clarifies it rather nicely. To break it down:'When you roll for damage' Simple. Somebody is taking damage in some kind of way.

Not specific though- could be a spell, could be an attack, could be fall damage, etc.' For a melee or ranged attack' Also straightforward. This would narrow things down to any kind of attack that deals damage, including any weapon and a significant subset of spells (no Fireball, yes Snowball).' With a weapon'.

Well, that changes the game. Now we know exactly what the sentence speaks of. We're rolling for damage with a weapon.

As a spell is not a weapon. Well.Some other notes that showed up, on a re-reading of the guide:.

Maximize will add an average of 25 damage to an Intensified Shocking Grasp, while Empower will add 17.5 damage. This means Empower adds 8.75 damage per spell level, while Maximize adds 8.33, meaning that Empower is a statistically stronger choice under the assumption that all spell levels are equal. The two are close enough that there's a very strong case for giving them the same rating, but not so much for giving Empower a lower rating than Maximize.The counterpoint to this, of course, is that Spell Perfection exists, and since it doesn't care about the degree of enhancement Maximize is obviously superior to Empower here. However, that strikes me as something better noted under Spell Perfection than anywhere else. I find it odd that Quicken Spell doesn't get a mention.

Not a great pick on general principle for a Magus, but since you're making note of Spell Perfection it should probably be listed- if you have a free Swift Action, at level 15 Quickened Intensified Shocking Grasp - Maximized Intensified Shocking Grasp uses a pair of first-level spell slots for an average of 95 damage before crits and weapon damage. That's equivalent return to an Empowered Maximized Shocking Grasp, but that requires a third-level spell slot.

Believer's Hands should probably be Red. With UMD as a class skill and two separate traits available to make it work off Int, the Magus can just use Wands and Scrolls to heal if need be. LessPopMoreFizz wrote:Any particular reason you cite Fencing Grace, but not Slashing Grace?It's more feat heavy, but, for instance, it opens up the Falcata to Dex users, and Weapon Focus is (arguably) a smaller price than 2 ranks in Perform (Dance) because it provides an actual benefit that you probably want.(It also probably bumps Whip magi up a color from their original ranking in Walter's guide.)The Rapier is generally considered the 'ideal' weapon for the Magus. The Falcata is a better weapon in most instances, but after Keen it has a 10% lower chance to crit than the Rapier, which translates to a significant loss of damage if you're focused on using offensive touch-based spells.Shrug. Which doesn't mean Slashing Grace shouldn't be noted at all, but it's generally Choice #2 for Dex Magi, outside of specialty setups like the Whip.

Personally, I would use Slashing Grace Falcata over Dervish Dance Scimitar, but DD fell off hard with the introduction of Precise Strike. Slashing grace allows dex to damage, but not dex to attack. That still requires something else. In addition, Slashing Grace doesn't apply to anything that weapon finesse normally applies to.

Swashbucklers can have take Slashing Grace and have dex to damage with whatever one handed slashing weapon they choose, but not the Magus. Slashing Grace is therefore vastly inferior to Fencer's Grace and Dervish Dance.Kestral, You're clearly not going to let this go. If you don't want to combine fickle attack with spell strike in games you run or with Magi you make, that's perfectly fine. Other players are welcome to, however, and I encourage them to take advantage of it.I would also like to apologize for being rude to you. I allowed my emotions to get the best of me.

You always did have that effect on me. It was crass and unbecoming of me. There are a handful of weapons to which Slashing Grace and Weapon Finesse both apply without dipping another class.The aforementioned Whip is the most notable, along with the Aldori Dueling Sword.It warrants a mention, I'd say, though certainly doesn't warrant the top tier rating of the alternatives.

Being able to get Dex to hit and Damage on a reach weapon that works with Spellstrike is pretty fantastic. Especially for archetypes like the Kensai that can get tons of AOO's, in combination with spells like Frostbite and Chill Touch that offer lots of touch attacks. Matt2VK wrote:For your Gear Section -I feel you almost need a Warning about Meta-Magic Rods.In PFS I've seen too many Magus try to Spell Combat while using a Meta-Magic Rod. Rod's must be equipped and held in your hand to use them. There is no way a Magus can spell combat while holding a Rod unless (1) Magus is using the Rod as the weapon (2) Magus has 3 or more hands.PS.

Tiefling's Tail does not count as being held in your hand.PSS. This is just a pet peeve of mine as it seems like it's usually the PFS munchkins that try to get away with this.The Grasping Tail feat allows tieflings with the prehensile tail racial trait to hold objects in their tail.

Hopefully this doesn't count as a necro-post, but I have a question that will affect my build, and I've seen worse offenders on this forum, so I thought I'd ask away. Also bear with me, I haven't played a TT RPG since 2nd edition (dating myself here, aren't I) so if I get something wrong, let me know.All that said, my question is does snowball actually work with Spellstrike gloves, or is this another 'try to convince your GM to let you.' Spellstrike gloves specifically say that created effects can't be used with the gloves, and since snowball is a conjuration (creation), with an effect (rather than a target) of creating a ball of snow and ice, it would seem that snowball doesn't qualify. This just seems to me to be RAW, and most GM's I've ever played with don't bend RAW on something that appears this cut and dry. Additionally, Snowball needs 2 standard actions to be used (the first to cast, and the second to conduct the ranged touch attack), so assuming using it with spellstrike gloves is out, would it still be a good spell for a Magus?Thanks in advance.

MrHello3846 wrote:Hopefully this doesn't count as a necro-post, but I have a question that will affect my build, and I've seen worse offenders on this forum, so I thought I'd ask away. Also bear with me, I haven't played a TT RPG since 2nd edition (dating myself here, aren't I) so if I get something wrong, let me know.All that said, my question is does snowball actually work with Spellstrike gloves, or is this another 'try to convince your GM to let you.'

Spellstrike gloves specifically say that created effects can't be used with the gloves, and since snowball is a conjuration (creation), with an effect (rather than a target) of creating a ball of snow and ice, it would seem that snowball doesn't qualify. This just seems to me to be RAW, and most GM's I've ever played with don't bend RAW on something that appears this cut and dry. Additionally, Snowball needs 2 standard actions to be used (the first to cast, and the second to conduct the ranged touch attack), so assuming using it with spellstrike gloves is out, would it still be a good spell for a Magus?Thanks in advance.I'd rule that no, you couldn't deliver the snowball via the spellstrike gloves. I also wouldn't consider it that good of a spell for a magus, unless you really need something with range. Frostbite and Shocking Grasp make much better level 1 magus spells.

All the classes are quite similar to the pen and paper version of Pathfinder, so if you've been rolling d20s with your friends for years you already know the basics of what to expect.In our full class guide below, we break down each main class, as well as the three alternate class archetypes that swap out key features for more customization.Like with the original Baldur's Gate, the game is over if the main character dies in Kingmaker, so survivability should be your focus. For new players, going with a fighter or barbarian is a good option. If you pick something squishy like a wizard or halfling bard, make sure to stay in the back row away from melee combat. Starting companionsif you are looking for a well rounded party with no duplicate classes, companions are available from the beginning of the game with these starting classes:. Barbarian (Amiri). Bard (Linzi). Cleric (Harrim).

Fighter (Valerie). Inquisitor (Jaethal)Keep in mind however that the party splits in two early on based on your alignment and decisions in the prologue, so you can't have all the party members together at once. Primary Class: AlchemistMain features: Throw Anything, Poison Resistance, Mutagen, BombHigh saves: Fortitude and ReflexClass skills: Trickery, Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (World), Perception, Use Magic DeviceAlchemist is a hybrid class offering both spells and mutagens for temporarily increasing the physical stats, making this a great well-rounded option for melee or ranged combat.The main draw here is the bomb feature, which can be changed and improved as you level up and gives a constant stream of steady damage-dealing opportunities from a distance. GrenadierThis subclass gains martial weapon proficiency and replaces poison resistance with the precise bomb ability, so your bombs don't affect allies. This is critical when you are throwing bombs into crowds.

VivisectionistA more evil version of the class, Vivisectionist loses the bomb ability entirely and replaces it with sneak attack, leading to a rogue/alchemist hybrid based on dealing high damage output while hiding ins shadows. ChirurgeonMore focused on healing, this sub-class replaces poison resistance with infused curative, which lets you use status effect removing infusions on other party members. Primary Class: BarbarianMain features: Fast Movement, RageHigh saves: FortitudeClass skills: Athletics, Mobility, Lore (Nature), Perception, PersuasionBarbarians are all about front line combat, activating rage and wading into melee.

They gain new powers while raging at higher levels, and eventually get danger sense to avoid traps and damage reduction to act as the party tank. Armored HulkAn even tankier version of the barbarian, this sub-class gets heavy armor proficiency, and swaps out fast movement for bonuses to CMD and speed while wearing heavier armor.

Mad DogThe mad dog doesn't get the normal rage ability until level 4, and gains fewer rage powers. In exchange, this version of the barbarian gets an animal companion and gains bonuses in combat when you fight alongside that companion. Invulnerable RagerInstead of danger sense to avoid traps, this sub-class gets damage reduction immediately, and gains resistance to fire and cold damage starting at third level.

Primary Class: BardMain features: Cantrips, Bardic Knowledge, Inspire Courage, Detect MagicHigh saves: Will and ReflexClass skills: All skillsThe bard is your jack-of-all-trades class, with some minor spellcasting powers, the ability to buff the rest of the party, and big bonuses to skill checks.If you want to do well on Knowledge checks and stay out of harm's way, bard is a good class to pick. Note that if you are going the chaotic good route, you can just use Linzi as your bard instead. ArchaelogistInstead of inspiring courage in other party members, the archaeologist gets luck bonuses on nearly all rolls. ThundercallerThis archetype swaps out the bardic knowledge feature for a bonus to Nature Lore rolls, and also gains the ability to deal sonic damage with a thunderbolt starting at third level. Flame DancerBeginning at third level, the flame dancer gains abilities related to fire, such as granting fire resistance to allies. Eventually this archetype adds fire-related powers such as fireball to his list of available spells. Primary Class: ClericMain features: Channel Energy, Divine Spells, Domain Selection, Detect MagicHigh saves: Fortitude and WillClass skills: Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (World), Lore (Religion), PersuasionA cleric's focus can vary widely depending on their deity, but in general act as the healers and secondary front line fighters.If you want to be able to deal with undead, help out the party, and still swing a mace at the bad guys, this is your best pick.

CrusaderThis archetype is more martial-focused and gains bonus fighter feats every five levels. Herald CallerThe herald caller can swap out prepared spells to instead summon creatures associated with their deity. EcclesitheurgeThe opposite of the crusader, this archetype loses weapon and armor proficiency and instead focuses on gaining bonuses through spells. Primary Class: DruidMain features: Nature Sense, Spontaneous Summoning, Nature Bond, Wild Shape, Detect MagicHigh saves: Fortitude and WillClass skills: Lore (Nature), Knowledge (World), Knowledge (Arcana), Perception, AthleticsThe secondary healing class, druids have versatile spellcasting abilities, can summon magical allies, and eventually gain the ability to take on animal or elemental forms during combat. Blight DruidFocused on the destructive powers of decay, this archetype gains blight bond instead of nature bond, and eventually causes any enemies standing nearby to become automatically sickened during combat. Defender Of The True WorldThis variant on the druid is focused around battling the fey, gaining damage bonuses against the children of the first world.

This can be a big help in certain parts of the game where fey are plentiful enemies. FeyspeakerThe opposite of the defender of the true world, this archteype revolves around supporting the fey. This sub-class gets fewer wild shape abilities, and instead gains enchantment and illusion spells. The feyspeaker also uses charisma instead of wisdom for spellcasting. Primary Class: FighterMain features: Bonus Combat Feats, Bravery, Armor Training, Weapon TrainingHigh saves: FortitudeClass skills: Athletics, Knowledge (World), Lore (Nature), PersuasionIf you aren't sure what to pick, fighter is probably the best starting option due to the high hit points and ability to use the heaviest weapons and armor.Fighters consistently gain bonuses to all armor and weapon options, so they scale well in combat-focused situations. Aldori DefenderInstead of armor training, this archetype gains the defensive parry skill, which gives an armor class bonus when making full attacks with a sword. Tower Shield SpecialistInstead of weapon training, this archetype gains major defensive bonuses while equipped with a tower shield, including the ability to defend allies from burst spells.

Two-Handed FighterExactly what it sounds like, this fighter ditches armor training and instead gets big bonuses when wielding a two-handed weapon. Primary Class: InquisitorMain features: Orisons, Stern Gaze, Detect Magic, JudgmentHigh saves: Fortitude and WillClass skills: All skillsSomewhat like a hybrid of cleric and fighter, the inquisitor has fewer spell options, but gains bonuses to intimidation and pronounce judgment on specific enemies to gain bonuses in combat.The inquisitor is focused on teamwork in combat as well, and can essentially give other party members free teamwork feats when they are in close proximity. Monster TacticianInstead of the judgment ability, this archetype gains the ability to cast summon monster spells at each level. Tactical LeaderThis archetype loses stern gave and instead focuses on diplomacy over intimidation.

Sacred HunstmasterInstead of judgment, the huntsmaster gains an animal companion and has a bigger focus on teamwork feats to use with that companion. Primary Class: MagusMain features: Arcane Pool, Spell Combat, Detect MagicHigh saves: Fortitude and WillClass skills: Athletics, Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (World), Persuasion, Use Magic DeviceA hybrid of fighter and wizard, the magus can channel spell energy to grant bonuses in combat, and can both cast spells and attack with a melee weapon in the same round. Eldritch ScionEssentially the sorcerer version of a magus, the eldritch scion gains arcane pool points based on charisma instead of intelligence.

Sword SaintThe sword saint is more focused on the melee side than the magic side, primarily using mystical abilities to pump up sword attacks. This archetype also gains access to some fighter-only features (at a slower rate than a normal fighter).

Eldritch ArcherThis is essentially like the base magus, but using ranged attacks instead of a sword. Primary Class: MonkMain features: Flurry Of Blows, Improved Unarmed Strike, Stunning Fist, Armor Class Bonus, Ki PowersHigh saves: Fortitude and ReflexClass skills: Athletics, Mobility, Stealth, Knowledge (World), Lore (Religion), Perception, PersuasionMonks are focused on up close combat but without any weapons or armor. They gain increasing abilities over time it they remain unarmored and don't equip melee weapons.Eventually their standard fist attacks take on magical qualities, essentially bypassing the need for magic weapons. Scaled FistVery similar to the base monk class, scaled fist swaps out the bonus feats available to grant access to feats like crane style and dragon style. SenseiSomewhat of a monk/bard hybrid, the sensei gains the ability to grant bonuses to other party members like a bard's inspire courage power. Traditional MonkThis archetype loses the ability to choose specific ki powers when leveling up, but gains larger bonuses from the powers it can take.

Primary Class: PaladinMain features: Smite Evil, Divine Grace, Lay On Hands, Mercy, Aura Of CourageHigh saves: Fortitude and WillClass skills: Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (World), Lore (Nature), Lore (Religion), PersuasionAnother fighter/cleric hybrid, the paladin is restricted to lawful good alignment and must behave selflessly to use their powers.They gain the ability to heal and remove negative status effects over time by adding mercies to their lay on hands power. Divine HunterInstead of focusing on a sword and shield style, this archetype gains access to ranged combat feats and abilities. HospitalerThe hospitaler gains additional healing abilities at the cost of a weakened smite evil feature. Divine GuardianThe divine guardian archetype focuses on healing and guarding one particular party member at a time, rather than the group as a whole. Primary Class: RangerMain features: Favored Enemy, Favored Terrain, Hunter's BondHigh saves: Fortitude and ReflexClass skills: Athletics, Stealth, Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (World), Lore (Nature), Perception, PersuasionThe big draw to the ranger is the ability to focus on specific types of enemies, gaining big bonuses against those creatures.

FreebooterInstead of taking a favored enemy, the freebooter can choose one enemy at a time to gain a bonus against, and grants that bonus to the whole party. FlamewardenThe flamewarden focuses on adding flame effects to melee weapons, and eventually swaps out some spells for fire-focused ones such as fireball. StormwalkerThe lightning version of the flamewarden, this archetype is also focused on ranged weapons over melee attacks. Primary Class: RogueMain features: Sneak Attack, Trapfinding, Danger SenseHigh saves: ReflexClass skills: Mobility, Athletics, Persuasion, Trickery, Knowledge (World), Perception, Stealth, Use Magic DeviceYour classic scoundrel, the rogue is all about disarming traps and dealing extra damage while remaining unseen. Eldritch ScoundrelThis archetype slows down the sneak attack damage progression, but gains access to spells in exchange. Knife MasterInstead of danger sense, the knife master gains a bonus against light blade attacks.

Critically, this archetype loses trap finding, but rolls d8s for damage instead of d6s when using sneak attacks. ThugInstead of danger sense and trap finding, the thug focuses on demoralizing and intimidating opponents in combat. Primary Class: SorcererMain features: Spells, Bloodline, Detect MagicHigh saves: WillClass skills: Knowledge (Arcana), Persuasion, Use Magic DeviceThis charisma-based class has access to fewer spells than the wizard, but can cast them more times per day. You can also tweak your focus based on what bloodline you select.If you want to cast lots of combat spells every day, this is the class to pick. Empyreal SorcererThis archetype uses wisdom instead of charisma for spellcasting, and gains access to some cleric-style abilities like flame strike. Sylvan SorcererThis archetype is a mashup of druid and sorcerer, gaining access to an animal companion and abilities like woodland stride.

Sage SorcererThis version of the sorcerer uses intelligence instead of charisma, and gains access to wizard abilities like magic missile and dimension door. Primary Class: WizardMain features: Spells, Specialist School, Arcane Bond, Detect MagicHigh saves: WillClass skills:This is the classic spellcaster, using intelligence to channel magic. They have access to a much broader range of spells than the sorcerer, but can cast fewer spells per day.

Arcane BomberA mashup of wizard and alchemist, this archetype gains access to the bomb feature. Thassilonian SpecialistThis is the hyper focused version of the specialist wizard, ditching abilities from opposing schools of magic to get bonuses to a smaller number of schools. Scroll SavantThe scroll savant loses access to bonus wizard feats every five levels, but instead gains increased powers when casting spells from scrolls.What's your favorite Pathfinder class, and what sort of character do you intend to play while conquering the Stolen Lands? Sound off in the comments below, and be sure to check out our other here on GameSkinny! Featured ContributorTy splits his time between writing horror fiction and writing about video games. After 25 years of gaming, Ty can firmly say that gaming peaked with Planescape Torment, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a soft spot for games like Baldur's Gate, Fallout: New Vegas, Bioshock Infinite, and Horizon: Zero Dawn. He has previously written for GamerU and MetalUnderground. He also writes for PortalMonkey covering gaming laptops and peripherals&period.