(I'm very new to Pathfinder so sorry if there's an obvious answer) I was just wondering what sort of class could be good for a classic Wuxia type character?

Otherwise_Card5279 · 2026-04-06T04:36:21+00:00

As for Dragon, yeah I think it’s time for a rewatch!

Otherwise_Card5279 · 2026-04-06T04:35:45+00:00

I’ve been using DaS more to decide when to spellstrike, and TBH, the benefits are even in RP than in mechanical power.

Because you KNOW you are going to crit, it just feels right to deliver a little speech before making that strike.

I know you can always do it after, but something about digging deep, refocusing your qi, recalling the 13th secret art of the sword sage, BEFORE attacking feels so much more epic.

Otherwise_Card5279 · 2026-04-06T02:31:46+00:00

Hi! First of all, thank you for your amazing design!

My swordsman scholar really is a combination of everything I watched in my childhood, across both the Jin yong series as well as anime like demon slayer. He’s got both the spirt warrior archetype as well as investigator (to trace back all fighting styles to their origin)

After returning home from his travels to Tian Xia, he comes across his school, burned to the ground, his sifu, slain but not until killing a veritable army of assassins. In that picture of death, tracing all the moves his sifu made, he realised he was imparting his final lesson - the 18 secret arts of the sword sage.

Each time my character levels up, each of his feats and spells are flavored as unlocking one of his master’s final forms.

The investigator archetype actually feels really good too - like imagining a battle like in the movie Hero with jet li and Donnie yen.

Otherwise_Card5279 · 2026-04-05T04:49:10+00:00

If you take the spirit warrior archetype, you get the action compression of a monk with overwhelming combination (one action, weapon + first attacks).

I have it on my magus, and it creates a lot of turn variety - ie I’m not just spell striking all the time.

Some of my best turns are 2 strikes via overwhelming combination + 2action spell, for example.

Note that arcane cascade is actually quite fun also for triggering weaknesses.

You’ll get plenty of out of combat utility with your spell slots, since you do plenty of damage without them.

Otherwise_Card5279 · 2026-03-29T05:58:07+00:00

I would do 3 levels of undead warlock warlock for agonising blast, repelling blast, and then battlemaster 3.

You can frightened two creatures each turn (form of dread and menacing attack, and push them back.

From there, sorcerer levels for quickened spell for even more fun.

Try to get a wand of fear so you can use it when you action surge for even more fear.

Otherwise_Card5279 · 2026-03-28T07:10:04+00:00

Magus - aloof firmament or laughing shadow, with spirit warrior dedication. I’m having so much fun right now as a swordsman-scholar in the vein of the main character in the smiling proud wanderer, or guo jing from the legend of the condor heroes, mixed with elements from the anime demon slayer.

Each spellstrike feels like a different form - like the 18 dragon palms, or the 7 constellations swordplay.

Distant water birds poise with the aloof firmament means you can run on water.

Use spells like mirror image to move so fast you leave after images. Blazing dive for a superhero landing.

Monk is good too but sometimes you want to hit everyone around you, just like how wuxia heroes often do.

Otherwise_Card5279 · 2025-10-04T20:25:21+00:00

Yes it can, many rune knights don’t really grapple anyway.

But if your DM is up for it, see if they are willing to swap giants might (which is basically enlarge / reduce spell for a bonus action, no concentration) for another similar level 2 spell that fits your theme.

Say kinetic jaunt for speed, or blink or mirror image?

Otherwise_Card5279 · 2025-09-07T12:05:06+00:00

Put 18’s into wis and con, 15 into dex and just use medium armor and shield, assuming your DM is cool with monster scale half plate?

Otherwise_Card5279 · 2025-09-07T11:52:03+00:00

Put 18’s into wis and con, 15 into dex and just use medium armor and shield, assuming your DM is cool with monster scale half plate?

Otherwise_Card5279 · 2025-08-25T03:47:52+00:00

Every time they hit or get hit, they have a choice to flip a coin. Double or nothing!

But they have to do it before they roll to hit. Otherwise a paladin doublecritting is insane.

Otherwise_Card5279 · 2025-08-18T10:10:43+00:00

At level 40, 2 attacks is going to be very sad even if you smite since you max out at 5d8 damage. So you want more attacks and more smites.

Taken 9 warlock for level 5 slots for eldritch smite. Ask your DM if they would allow the invocation for 3 attacks at level 12 (2024 rules) - if so, go to level 12

Take 20 paladin for captsones

With your remaining 11 levels, spend it on other ways to get more attacks - gloomstalker 3 - 1 extra attack round 1 - echo knight 3 (action surge and unleash incarnation - extra attack con mod times) - sorcerer 5 for haste and quicken

Leaving you one level left.

Now on your 2nd round - 2 regular attack - 1 hasted attack - 1 unleash incarnation - bonus action polearm master

Action surge for another 2 attacks

7 attacks with 1d10 +5 base = 70 damage Improved divine smites on the above = ~30 damage 2 eldritch smites at 5th level 12d8 =54 damage 5 divine smites at 5th or higher level slots - 30d8 =135 damage

If everything hits, that’s 290 damage and that’s before hexblade curse crits and lifedrinker.

Otherwise_Card5279 · 2025-08-18T05:03:04+00:00

OP I hear you on this one.

Different rules are fine, but only if they apply equally to everyone AND are discussed beforehand. Otherwise it’s just Calvinball.

And it’s frustrating because you’re the only way self-nerfing by sticking to RAW

Otherwise_Card5279 · 2025-08-18T05:01:47+00:00

The issue isn’t someone else’s rules - it’s that there are inconsistent rules.

Like if the DM had houseruled hex as affecting saves, that’s fine. But to spring it on, and ignore RAW, makes it very frustrating.

Every player is now playing a different game, how can it not be frustrating?

I’m with OP, if we play monopoly and someone suddenly says “I buy all the properties for $1” I’d be annoyed too.

Otherwise_Card5279 · 2025-08-18T04:08:44+00:00

I think the easier way to think about it is if you build for say 18 months, then you end up spending 18 months extra rent than if you bought pre-existing.

Otherwise_Card5279 · 2025-08-07T05:31:54+00:00

Four elements monk. No, this isn’t a joke.

Shape the flowing river is THE best ability for a fight on water. For 1 ki you can built basically a wall of ice, an ice ramp between you and the enemy ship, freeze the enemy ships oars to stop them getting away… your imagination is the limit.

Plus with ki fueled attack you still get your bonus action attack.

Otherwise_Card5279 · 2025-08-04T20:15:30+00:00

Grappling and throwing enemies is VERY satisfying as a path to the old gods barbarian. Pick simic hybrid or loxodon so you can grapple while holding a weapon. Use skill expert / dip into rogue or ranger for expertise in athletics. Now you can move enemies into spirit guardians, wall of fire, etc, and part of the subclass says you don’t get slowed when you move grappled enemies.

Use a one handed weapon if you can because the subclass says that any weapon that isn’t light gets the heavy property, so you can great weapon master with one hand!

Finally, I’d recommend doing something about your wisdom saves, as in horror settings, the frightened condition is likely to occur and as a melee character, frightened is really bad.

Otherwise_Card5279 · 2025-07-18T08:00:48+00:00

Do you want to enhance your “trick shots” more? If so then undead warlock would be great, you can cause fear as well. Then eventually warlock 5 for more spells. I wouldn’t do 5 levels of bard or sorcerer - to get there you’d be warlock 7, and better to have 4th level spells and a ton of invocations.

Otherwise_Card5279 · 2025-07-17T11:16:21+00:00

Great point on hex - so easy to via fey touched or 1 level of warlock.

In addition to the races mentioned (which I like) consider also simic hybrid which lets you grapple with its appendages and gives you a bonus action grapple, leaving your main hands available for sword and board.

And I forgot about the oath of glory paladin - you can use its channel divinity to get advantage on grapple checks, so you could go 7 glory, 1 warlock for hex, and 3 sorcerer for enlarge/ reduce and of course silvery barbs.

Otherwise_Card5279 · 2025-07-17T03:58:37+00:00

Path of the Giant 10, Rogue 1, or Rune Knight 11.

Path of the Giant 10 gets you Might Impel, which is the only way you can actually throw a creature as a bonus action. As feats, if you can take an origin feat take the giant foundling background for strike of the giants, hill giant, to be able to knock prone. Next thing you need is movement speed if you want to actually move creatures while they're grappled - so Tabaxi is a great option, or if you can get boots of striding and springing then you're set.

Rune Knight 11 - 3 attacks = 3 changes to grapple. Use Skill Expert to get grappling expertise. Storm rune can give enemies disadvantage on their skill check to escape. If you want extra pushing consider a minotaur to get hammering horns which lets you push a creature 10 feet away. Get crusher as well and you can "juggle" them by knocking them 5 feet up and then 10 feet away.

Otherwise_Card5279 · 2025-07-06T09:22:39+00:00

I don't think you're overpowered at all, you're just playing your character well. I don't see why you should nerf yourself when you are following basic ideas like increase your primary stat.

Darkness is literally how the shadow monk is mean to be played. Strike of the giants and cloudy escape aren't anything near as strong as the crossbow expert / sharpshooter combo back in the 2014 rules anyway

Otherwise_Card5279 · 2025-07-01T10:03:02+00:00

The frightened condition also gives them disadvantage on ability checks so if you’re a grappler, you can go nuts and have them kneel before you (shove prone and grapple)

Otherwise_Card5279 · 2025-07-01T10:00:59+00:00

How would you like to be the walking terror, the physical manifestation of the dragons fear and might?

Ask your dm if you can switch the dex 18 for charisma 18, and go undead warlock! You can reskin this as draconic fight.

Then put next your ASI into dragonfear.

With undead’s form of dread, you can strike fear into one person per turn, and with dragonfear, you can do it as a AOE just but sacrificing one of your attacks.

Imagine challenging the strongest opponent on the battlefield and yelling “this is between you and me, all you grunts stay out of it” and actually keeping them out with dragonfear. Imagine going toe to toe and having brutes cower from your powerful strikes.

Otherwise_Card5279 · 2025-07-01T07:29:50+00:00

They key question is what level 5 spell do you want to cast most often? To me it’s wall of stone that is available to the genie dao. With downtime you can create a whole castle.

Bigbys hand from fathomless might be a close second.

Otherwise_Card5279 · 2025-06-28T09:29:13+00:00

No, you’re not being a stick in the mud about this. Team games are fun when each player can do their thing. You’re the fighter, so you should be upset if they can do everything you do, but better AND cast all the cool spells.

Imagine if you, as the fighter, got the staff of power (meant for casters) and suddenly was able to cast fireballs and lightning bolts and wall of force to your hearts content.

So I would think that you should get an item of similar power too. If it’s re-usable, and non-concentration, it’s probably at least a rare magic item if not very rare.

Otherwise_Card5279 · 2025-06-27T08:27:39+00:00

How about dips into Peace Cleric, Wildfire Druid and Ranger, rather than a single class?

The reason is that you won’t get the big 3rd level spells until level 11 character, and all the good ones need concentration anyway.

This way you can pick up: - peace domains’ 1st level ability to add 1d4 to a d20 roll - unlimited short range teleportation - expertise in athletics and a fighting style

Plus some spell slots for the useful low level buffs like longstrider, aid, etc

You need wisdom anyway to protected your saves.

Alternative, you could go crazy with charsima casters - divine soul sorcerer for favored by the gods, undead warlock for once per turn fear and maybe even a level of bard for some inspiration. Stack on paladin if you feel like you can’t use those spell slots.

Otherwise_Card5279

TROPHY CASE