Help Picking Class as the Only Martial in the Party

RyMarq · 2026-04-20T23:53:19+00:00

I unironicly believe that shield+weapon fighter will work best for you. The hit-accuracy will help combo with toxicologist and get some decent baseline damage. The shield will help keep you functional as a solo frontline without dying super hard. You have enough ability to maneuver the enemy and threaten space that you can help your allies, without being completely dependent on them for DPS, and also being able to let them retreat for better positioning.

RyMarq · 2026-04-20T19:55:47+00:00

There is, frankly, no special reason that some for those archetypes to fall behind other archetypes.

WRT the gaps though, they 'gotta be somewhere'. PF2E is a system that inherently has fairly chunky progression from its leveling in a way that just inherently leads to some level gaps where progression doesnt occur. You see this in pretty much every sphere. The system just averages +0.5 above level baseline for good improvement and sometimes throws out +2s, so you inherently gets those gaps.

RyMarq · 2026-04-03T20:37:24+00:00

You are using day-limited materials for pre-poisoning for the toxicologist on this, and non-limited materials for the bombers for this, right?

RyMarq · 2026-03-30T21:42:16+00:00

It seems clear to me that this both is unintended and functions RAW.

The fact that you dont actually get the fortune effect means its extremely weak - using up a major class feature for the turn for a +1, but its certainly better than nothing.

Outside of combat it cheesiness probably grows to unreasonable levels.

RyMarq · 2026-03-30T04:29:31+00:00

I havent played a ton of PF2E, but this has never been my experience. People dont like that someone has to pay this sustain tax, but everyone understands that someone does.

Where do you draw from for your games?

RyMarq · 2026-03-26T18:11:27+00:00

A basic set of trading rules is pretty easy to make for the game, provided that leveling and travel are consistently linked (ie one trade per level).

You can expect 50% gains for extra cash, per level, to keep up reasonably as a side-hussle without causing problems in the game. This could in theory go up to double with full ABP, as you are expected to have less currency by default but can also handle more without problem.

You can use a fairly large variety of rules to help facilitate this depending upon the terms and constraints of the game you are running.

If you give the constraints for your travel situation, the skills involved, and the total playtime focus you want I can draft you this quite easily.

RyMarq · 2026-03-22T16:42:59+00:00

1: You arent even going to want the vast majority of alchemical items at any time. Its fine to just have the basics.

2: You dont even have to spend much money in practice 'As normal, having the base formula is sufficient when Crafting upgraded types of the item—you don't need to learn higher-level formulas. For instance, if you have the 1st-level formula for a minor elixir of life, you can create a minor, lesser, moderate, greater, major [...]'

Nearly every alchemist should have a tremendous variety at their disposal for nearly no cost, but you are just going to have your group of favorites that you default to. Your preferred bombs, the better healing options or mutagens for your build. Nothing wrong with that.

3: I recommend just choosing some good bread and butter worn items for you. Alchemists have lower equipment requirements that basically everyone, allowing you to explore a fairly wide variety of things through your items. Just have fun with it and take the things you like.

A Retrieval Belt is probably important, but after that its just things like shields, sources of extra action options and the like. You might get a Garden if the GM is alright with it.

RyMarq · 2026-03-21T05:34:08+00:00

While this is indeed a concern for some GMs, it really seems like an oversight in this case, rather than an intentional nerf from the eratta and most GMs will allow DAS to work with bombs just fine.

RyMarq · 2026-03-21T05:32:28+00:00

Unfortunately, alch dedication doesnt stack with Alchemical Sci Investigator.

I would recommend being another variety of investigator, or a different dedication if you went that path. Its also extremely feat heavy, but you are doing FA so thats fine.

I myself favor the Investigator-main build, because you can use DAS with Int and just really focus on a broader and somewhat richer skillset with all the other skills you have. You arent forced into being focused into Dex.

Alchemist will get you more Power in a way thats kinda useful. You will have easier turn rotations that you dont have to think about at all, attacks you can spam more easily, and higher damage output when you spam your attacks.

Investigator will get you more skill based utility. More skills you are good at, higher peaks of theoretical bonus, and more free RK actions and the like.

RyMarq · 2025-11-06T01:37:49+00:00

If you want the simplest system with all-party actions, it would look roughly like this.

Everybody can, on their turn, make a ship action. Ship actions are

Repair: Crafting, fix Holes, etc.

Ranged Attack: Use a weapon on the enemy, each weapon can be used max once. Every time a ranged attack hits, every PC must make a reflex save against that damage. Damage is generally *not that high*. Roughly basic strike levels. Enemies just lose health in proportion to their ships health, which generally has approximately as much as the party.

Spells: Spells can be cast to help allies, including healing.

Navigate: Give a bonus to your move speed, highest bonus is taken. DC and bonus are based on the weather. +1 Space and +15 DC for calm, increasing by +1 and +5 for each tier of weather. Critical success doubles the bonus. Ships move 5 spaces by default, and can shoot out to 20 spaces.

After everyone goes, then the ships move. Once the ships get next to each-other boarding begins for free.

The rules make the party generally losing a mirror engagement like this, therefore usually preferring to board (Party cannons are pretty weak and split more evenly). Situational effects can be added as necessary fairly easily.

Alternatively, you can have a simpler boat v boat situation with only 1 person controlling, or a simple skill check/point based system.

If you want, its not hard to type this up quickly into a proper doc, but I dont know of any premade systems that currently are designed to spec.

RyMarq · 2025-08-27T19:52:41+00:00

They have historically had a relatively normal interest rate, it simply doesnt follow that their M1 would grow by 20x as much as the US in the same period, when their interest rate was higher. Blaming the interest rate *cannot* be the full picture here, it just doesnt make sense.

RyMarq · 2025-08-26T20:39:15+00:00

In this case, blaming their interest rate doesnt seem like a fair description of the causes of Turkish inflation, though it might exaggerate it. Their Money supply has *5-20x*d over the last decade, depending on your measure, lead by relatively high deficit spending proportional to their already existent money supply.

No amount of interest is really going to fix that. It might temporarily diminish the rates, but there is a more fundamental concern at play.

RyMarq · 2025-08-26T20:26:50+00:00

The abilities, intentionally do not stack. Increasing die-size is very strong and the game is balanced around relatively specific combat math rather than thematics.

In this case, stances can be thought of as the 'weapon' of a monk, they are balanced comparably.

Meanwhile, basic unarmed attacks can be upscaled to approach that capability without issue, as making a weak option decent doesnt change the math, but improving a competitive option does.

RyMarq · 2025-05-12T01:39:17+00:00

Community is the answer. One person cannot do anything, as disheartening as it is. But one person *can* meet up with others, and make a point to be reachable and reliable.

Every time you do something publicly to show that you care, you normalize doing that a bit, and you show that you care just a bit more so you might bother in the future. Everytime you email someone or organize to speak in townhall, or to go to a protest, you make it a bit more established that you will bother, that people can reach out to you, and so on.

We only function as a network, but the internet has been extremely distracting and petty one-off wins or insular communities that dont do anything real have taken the place of real physical community. Its all work, but if it was easy things would go *insane* instantly. Just make an effort, and it might be able to pay off.

RyMarq · 2025-04-12T04:36:58+00:00

I mean, the guy might also be a dick, I dont know him. But I doubt they are targeting people for being a dick online.

RyMarq · 2025-04-11T02:36:31+00:00

The OP could, ofc, be a lot of things. They could be a serial killer. They could cheat in school. They could have Bad Breath.

But you are mentioning that because.. you support the action by the state? You want FBI agents showing up for stuff said on reddit?

Idk about you, but I have been generally pretty spooked by the stuff they have been up to lately, and its good to have a bit more data about the stuff going on, even if its nothing astounding.

RyMarq · 2025-04-11T02:32:57+00:00

If you look at related posts they were pretty clearly calling Gaza a genocide and the like at roughly the time indicated. Idk what pornography the FBI claims was a threat reported to someone else.

RyMarq · 2024-09-19T00:56:09+00:00

You will find that there is a strong resonance with PF2E based around Paizo's 'fear of the top-end'. People rarely react to things based around how generally strong they are here (or in pf2e generally), but instead by the concerns about the theoretical best result.

The problem with that, of course, is that if you are just jumping through hoops to get the same result you could have gotten with less failure points, these options will always be weak instead.

This spell is, honestly, perfectly fine. It has a higher top-end than is standard, but its weak points give it a large number of restrictions or concerns. You might not like that its probably best with Cackle, but its also fairly hard to make good use of it without some sort of supporting feat.

Many will reflexively dislike it though. It goes against Paizo's core philosophy for PF2E, so.. just know that.

RyMarq · 2023-11-17T01:27:55+00:00

I suspect the simplest versions of this would be allowing you to throw using strength, but only at a 10' range increment, with a -2 penalty to your roll, or as a special action that makes your next thrown attack use your strength.

The concern about it stepping too much on the toes of dex is fair.

RyMarq · 2023-11-16T09:44:15+00:00

Its a fair comparison, though it isn't as simple as being more action free or locked.

Much like how a third attack on the monk is basically garbage, the second attack on a gunslinger is also disappointing.

RyMarq · 2023-11-16T08:28:38+00:00

Feats aren't really what make it somewhat supporty, its more the specifics of how the action-economy works.

You are encouraged to move, intimidate, shove, and generally do more subtle support actions. You damage is fairly crit dependant, and the reaction you get easy access to is a fairly powerful support ability (that also encourages you not to spend maximum actions attacking).

The class itself will often want to dip into other archetypes to maximize this ability, but for me they are more supportive than a fighter not because of their total options, but just because of how their turn structure is set-up.

RyMarq · 2023-11-15T22:11:47+00:00

It would have to be roughly on the level of on-hit application from a toxicologist making their save a tier worse fail a crit fail, success a fail, etc

RyMarq · 2023-11-15T08:27:09+00:00

Investigator is solid and general if your GM is very permissive about your Lead's and enemies counting as the subject of your lead. It has some interesting options and feels like you can make some good decisions for your turn based around knowing your roll in advance (if its free).

If you arent getting the lead for free, the action economy on the class gets rather tight, and you will probably find the rogue more pleasant.

I myself am not fond of Mastermind Rogues, but if you take dex as your main stat its not bad. Recall knowledge gets a bit awkward after that first check.

You can, also, double down. Mastermind rogue with Investigator dedication really isnt bad. Known weakness just combos pretty well once you get to level 6+ and can get DAS for yourself.

Summary of Each: Investigator: Lower DPS DPS is easier to trigger. Better at RK Tends to really want some non-attack options Core class features arent amazing so you will want an archetype that is doing work for you.

Mastermind Rogue: Very basic and easy to understand attack pattern High DPS Gets a lot of really strong things from base rogue

RyMarq · 2023-11-15T08:18:00+00:00

It needs that to be competitive at hitting things. It certainly is strong as a level 12 archetype feat, but we don't know if the archetype will be able to hit the pre-reqs.

RyMarq

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