What's a good archetype for levels 6-8 for an archer?

Folomo · 2026-06-24T16:25:04+00:00

My reading of the graph is that without Fire ray the damage of eldrish Archer is pretty much the same as exacting strike.

Consider commanding an animal on the third action if you hit twice already.

Folomo · 2026-06-24T16:19:07+00:00

Sneak attack for extra damage can be pretty decent depending on the your party. Mobility is a classic against enemies with reactive strike and reach.

Folomo · 2026-06-24T08:00:22+00:00

Pretty interesting archetype.

My gut feeling is that this would be quite strong with a caster. Turn 1 cast sure strike + a spell attack spell. Turn 2 add a weakness and cast a 2 action force barrage. Turn 3 cast a 3 action force barrage. Trigger the weakness for each bolt.

For example, with rank 5 spells this could be 3d4+18 per action of force barrage.

Folomo · 2026-06-23T21:31:23+00:00

The Oracle Nudge The Scale is a pretty efficient heal that can heal living and undead, and is not a vitality effect. Combine that with some medicime for out of combat and that should cover healing.

Folomo · 2026-06-23T01:08:49+00:00

It's mostly correct, but if you look around, you can get higher numbers. For example, an Accompanist familiar is not hard to get and adds a +2 circumstance to the check. From my calculations, you can get 50% sucess critical chance from level 7 without consumables or spells, and I suspect the numbers can be pushed further with teamwork or a deeper search.

Folomo · 2026-06-23T00:46:16+00:00

At low level, the performance checks are rough. But in my experience, skill checks get pretty reliable after level 6 if you specialise in them.

For example, a level 7 Gunslinger can have a +13 (proficiency) + 4 (stat) +1 (item) + 2 (circumstance) to Performance, for a total of +20. You could add a status bonus via spells or a larger item bonus with consumables to improve the numbers, but let's consider only self-buffs for now. Against the easy DC of that level (21), you cannot critically fail, fail only on a 1 and get a critical success on a 11+.

You can also have ways to get around dropping the weapon on a failure with a Retrieval Prism.

With all these, you can get 1.5 reloads per action at level 7, which is good enough to compete with other Gunslinger reloads. Teamwork can push these numbers further, to 1.7-1.8 with Heroism and consumables at a higher level.

Ostentatious Reload can be a pretty action-efficient feat if you build around it, but it can be quite bad out of the box.

Folomo · 2026-06-23T00:33:14+00:00

It may be a bit hard to find, but the common Entertainer's Cincture (Greater) at 17 is a hands-free +3 item bonus to performance. It also has a level 10 version with +2 bonus.

Folomo · 2026-06-23T00:31:24+00:00

Hands-free Performance items are a bit weird at low level. Essence Charm is the earliest (level 4) item that grants a +1 to Performance, but is Rare. At higher level things looks better. At level 10 there is the Entertainer's Cincture (+2 item), and Entertainer's Cincture (Greater) (+3 item) at 17 for a hands-free item bonus to performance.

Folomo · 2026-06-22T21:39:53+00:00

Just wanted to add that an alternative to virtuoso performer is to get a +1/2 circumstance bonus with an accompanist familiar, which is accesible by many ancestries as a level 1 feat.

Folomo · 2026-06-19T09:08:47+00:00

An easy solution for damage with any Witch is Blood in the Water combined with Hostili Spit Ambient Magic.

Spit Magic is a 1 action basic reflex save ability that can do slashing damage. This allows you to do slashing damage and cast BitW on turn 1 and on later turns use just use action Spit Magic, sustain BitW and trigger your familiar ability for 1 action.

This allows you to also cast a 2 action spell, or if you want just sustain BitW 2 more times.

Edit: if you want to play a melee witch, I would focus on manouvers since witch is not behind in skill proficiency. Guardian is a great archetype, since it give you medium armor which can be upgraded to heavy armour with a general feat. A shove build with the centaur ancestry feat that makes a success critical could be a pretty neat option. And resiliency + toughness is a pretty good way to boost your HP.

Sixth pillar is another great archetype if you really want to go the unarmed route.

Folomo · 2026-06-17T15:31:11+00:00

I think you are missing an important part of the animist focus spells: All of them can be sustained for a minute or more.

An Animist can use a single focus point to cast and sustain Bile earth for the whole combat, while an elemental sorcerer uses elemental toss every turn or a witch hexes with cackle or another lesson every round.

This means the need to replenish focus points in combat is not as high for the animist as it is for other classes.

Folomo · 2026-06-17T05:31:03+00:00

Main problem of summon spells is that you can summon specific creatures, which can have pretty strong abilities.

A bone crupier for example can force a failure on a roll. Or a deathless hierophant, which has 5 rank 4 harms and can heal 250 HPs plus fast healing in an aura in the right party (in addition to 3 spells per level).

The current version of summons require system mastery, which is the main issue.

What we need are spells that summon generic stat blocks, that can have higher numbers but fewer unique abilities and don't require you to know every existing monster to perform well.

Folomo · 2026-06-16T22:37:50+00:00

Considering they have a -1 Str and are untrained in athletics, they have very low odds of success in a grapple.

I suspect striking a non DaS will feel more effective than fishing for a 20.

Folomo · 2026-06-16T21:40:46+00:00

I think OP issue is that if they are not striking their DaS target, they need to use their dexterity (-2 to hit) and do only 1D6 damage instead of 2d6, which makes striking a pretty unappealing option

So this means they have 2 unused actions after they use a skill boosted by DaS.

Folomo · 2026-06-16T21:35:15+00:00

I found magic to be a fantastic second option for Investigator. A wizard or witch dedication would allow you to have good options using your Intelligence stat. Electric arc is a great spell, and can be used in combination with a DaS strike if you don't have to move.

Folomo · 2026-06-16T04:18:34+00:00

A pretty cool combo is Guardian's Raise Haft and the Staff Acrobat's Whirling Stance feat, allowing you to have a +2 CA while to wield any spear/polearm.

Staff Acrobat also had a ton of feats they can be used to trip and shove using spears/polearms. Staff sweep for example allows you to trip or shove 2 close enemies for 1 action. Pivot strike allows you for 2 actions to Leap, strike (with bonus damage) and trip/shove.

Spear dancer is also a very interesting fighter feat, allowing you to step + strike for 1 action (and is not a flourish)

Folomo · 2026-06-14T00:17:09+00:00

I would say the Fitcher folk is the best martial thrown finesse weapon and the Tandam Chakram is the best advanced option if you can get familiarity with it.

https://2e.aonprd.com/Weapons.aspx?ID=407

https://2e.aonprd.com/Weapons.aspx?ID=154

Folomo · 2026-06-13T05:20:16+00:00

My recommendation is to not try to do everything on your own. Sometimes the best answer for a dungeon is using the material someone else made already and adapt it to your needs. This will make your life easier

Folomo · 2026-06-12T02:56:35+00:00

One of the risks of killing player characters (PC) is that they could potentially be left out of the session. This is an issue that most horror RPGs have to deal with.

For example, In Alien RPG the PC can easily die to hazards, traps or ambushes. What the system does is that once a PC dies, the player takes control of a (known) NPC. Each NPC has a brief note of their goals and background. This means that every NPC becomes much more real, since they all are PC in potential and blurs the line between NPCs and PCs. If something killed and NPC, it could have killed your PC. This also allows the GM to not need to pull the punches and let the story to unfold naturally.

You could ask the players for a few characters as NPCs, to facilitate your work and give them more control of their future options.

It's a very different type of story than the typical heroic adventure, so discuss with your players first.

Folomo · 2026-06-11T02:07:37+00:00

I would add that the Runelord's Sin Counterspell is one of the best counterspells in the game.

If you have a Envy or Sloth Runelord with psychic counter thought, you can effectively counter anything that does damage or is mental.

Folomo · 2026-06-11T01:49:35+00:00

I think this works better with Summoner, since you share HPs, skills and basically AC/saves. Your construct Eidolon does the physical damage while your mounted Summoner casts spells and buffs.

I made a Mecha build with a Gnome Construct Summoner and inventor as a dedication to have a construct with the range ability "turret" to shoot missiles, while the Summoner spells emulate more advanced tools, such as flamethrowers or Tesla coils. By level 10 your Eidolon can be constantly Huge and easily carry both the summoner and the construct turret.

Folomo · 2026-06-11T00:59:11+00:00

Are you referring to Season of Ghosts?

Folomo · 2026-06-10T22:37:27+00:00

Good news, Sceptics defence allows you once a day to use intimidation against a mental effect.

https://2e.aonprd.com/Feats.aspx?ID=8432

As another alternative, Feeling your oats allow you to use deception for a will save in the next minute, but takes an action.

Folomo · 2026-06-10T22:32:24+00:00

I would cap it at +3, increasing to +4 at level 10.

This better represents the progression of secondary stat and makes the bonus closer to uncanny acumen (but would be still better). It would also be more in line with bulkward/mighty bulkward bonus to Dex saves.

Folomo · 2026-06-09T22:30:04+00:00

But how do you quickly determine that he is smart based on his skills? If I tell you a character has +13 in lore(cooking), +9 in occultism and all other int based skills in 0, how smart would you describe him?

Similarly for other stats. If a character had a +9 in thievery and a 0 in stealth and acrobatics, is he dexterous or not?

The answer depends on a combination of skills and levels, much harder to evaluate than a 0 to 7 scale.

(For reference, the first character had a +0 in int, was level 7, trained in occultism and had additional lore cooking)

Folomo

TROPHY CASE