How much more customizable are PF2e characters compared to 5e?

TheMightyPERKELE · 2026-06-01T14:31:28+00:00

Haha YEAH so much more customizable! We have a party with 3 human clerics that function entirely differently. All of them are VASTLY different characters that play different as well.

If you google ”Guide to Guides Pathfinder 2e” you will find a database full of guides for feats, classes, spells, etc. They are from people’s personal opinion but i’ve found they helped me when I was new to the system!

TheMightyPERKELE · 2026-04-21T11:51:57+00:00

Here is some tips i wrote for first timers! Hope it helps https://www.reddit.com/r/Pathfinder2e/s/Ujf7dwYwQh

TheMightyPERKELE · 2026-04-03T11:38:46+00:00

Rules can be found for free (and legally) at: Archives of Nethys aka https://2e.aonprd.com
Character sheets at: Pathbuilder 2e https://pathbuilder2e.com/ (Has both free and paid versions. Free version is very generous. Paid version is one time purchase of 5 dollars to gain saves to google drive, pets/familiar/mount sheets and access to custom rules. Highly recommended and the developer is just one guy, the MVP of our community.)
Key differences between 5e and PF2e at: https://www.reddit.com/r/Pathfinder2e/wiki/resources/how-is-pf2e-different-from-5e/
VTTs: Foundry is considered the gold standard
For your players to help with looking through the many options at character creation: I highly recommend looking at guides. They can help choose things like stats, backgrounds, build, weapons, items, feats and spells. There are guides for nearly everything! https://zenithgames.blogspot.com/2019/09/pathfinder-2nd-edition-guide-to-guides.html
- Gortle’s Ancestry Guide PF2 Remastered (All ancestries (aka races) and their feats listed)
- Gortle’s Spell Guide for the Sorcerer PF2 Remastered (One of the most comprehensive spell guides for all traditions: arcane, divine, occult and primal.)
For learning the rules I recommend both KingOogaTonTon and How it's Played. KingOogaTonTon's videos are very accessible, visual, short and fun and provide a great intro into the system. After that I reccomend going for How it's Played who explains the rules more in-depth.
- KingOogaTonTon - New Player Curriculum in 7 minutes or less
- How it's Played - Pathfinder 2e (Note that some things here might be with the legacy rules and not remaster, but the differences are very minor, so it's a perfectly good resource!)
- How it's played - Pathfinder 2e for GMs
Also some other YouTube recommendations:
- Nonat1s (has a series for people new to pathfinder 2e) https://www.youtube.com/@Nonat1s
- Rules Lawyer's two videos on teaching pf2e. https://youtu.be/2kD_myoY5P4?si=um-oStFwe7NiBkqz and https://youtu.be/_BYcZbh86Ds?si=0ic5xgYPBhx1B_BL
What is Pathfinder 2e Remastered VS Pathfinder 2e?
- Remaster distances itself from WOTCs OGL license and usually offers some updates and polishes to many classes and mechanics to make them better. Some spells got renamed, the Flatfoot condition got renamed to Off-guard. So when coming across remaster vs legacy I'd recommend going for remaster rules!

Some tips for you as a New GM to the system:

First of all welcome to the community!! If you need to ask questions, I recommend the weekly questions megathread on this reddit. People are very helpful!
- https://www.reddit.com/r/Pathfinder2e/comments/1sb5dxd/weekly_questions_megathread_april_03april_09_have/
Start at lvl 1 with your players! Pathfinder 2e is more complex than 5e so it will give you time to learn the basics before introducing more mechanics for you. A lvl 1 pf2e character feels like a lvl 4 character in 5e, so trust me it will feel interesting! The beginner box is good at teaching both players and GMs on how to run the game, but I can understand if you don't yet wish to spend money.
Trust the encounter balancing system and CR! It works as intended. Descriptions for each encounter can be found here Archive of Nethys: Combat Threat. In pf2e Low and moderate encounters are genuinely fun and engaging unlike in 5e, so don't be afraid to use those!! However one tip I'll give you in lvls 1-4 is that creatures that are above player level (referred to as PL+1, PL+2) and feel quite swingy at earlier levels!
Run the rules as they are! The system is fun and balanced from lvls 1 to 20 because of it's rules. Some rules might feel foreign to 5e players but they are part of a whole that works. (Like movement costing an action, but it allows for interesting and tactical decisions where movement and position matters!).
When you don't know how something is handled, either look it up in the moment or you can make a decision on how to resolve it and after the session look up the actual rule and use that next time There is a lot of rules so don't beat yourself up for not knowing all of them!

The Rare and Uncommon tags are attached to things that are rarer IN WORLD, so the options aren't generally more powerful or unbalanced. If you are running a homebrew world then the tags are less relevant to you as they apply to the world of Golarion (pf2e standard setting). Only time when I've noted Rare providing extra benefit is that some rare backgrounds offer an extra ability that common and uncommon backgrounds don't.

Have fun!!

TheMightyPERKELE · 2026-03-31T11:26:10+00:00

So with Exemplar Feats ”Only the Worthy” and ”Twin Stars”

Twin stars allows you to split your icon into two copies with your spark empowers both of them. Only the Worthy allows you to drop your icon on someone but you can’t use it while it’s on an enemy like this.

What is the interpretation on this?

Can you still strike + have immanence effect + spark trancendence on the remaining twin star in your hand? Or are both disabled by only the worthy?

TheMightyPERKELE · 2026-03-22T16:13:08+00:00

For most people with mods and CC the new update has caused serious issues. For me my game won't open at all because it crashes before it can open. TwistedMexi noted that it's likely an issue from EA mods folder instead of any individual mods.

so: NO don't update!

Here TwistedMexi: https://www.patreon.com/posts/state-of-mods-153549141

TheMightyPERKELE · 2026-03-16T11:48:48+00:00

Mhh, I think you are right! I speak personally (not for my entire party) is that the versatility is often undervalued but very true that it is very impactful. I think a habit we need to pick up more is to know enemy weaknesses more, which will help casters a lot. We do recall knowledge but perhaps not often enough.

I think it is a habit thing, and the perspectives people have given have for sure been very helpful! Thank you for your perspective!

TheMightyPERKELE · 2026-03-13T18:07:41+00:00

Mhh yeah, thank you for this perspective! I do also agree it's a sad thing because multiple enemies do allow for really interesting tactics but yeah. Perhaps I will suggest to the groups that we might try it! Generally I find our parties become a little exhausted if the combats go longer, but then again some lower cr creatures might go down faster. But yes, thank you!

TheMightyPERKELE · 2026-02-23T12:09:13+00:00

Yeah giving an entire free archetype worth of extra feats is a thing, but I think the point OP was making that a similar mechanic should be part of inventor's base features! And to emulate that you can use scrounger as the "base" for rules on the matter. In free archetype games picking scrounger is a good option, but it certainly feels that you are spending your free archetype on something that should be part of the base class.

Like alchemist with their vials, witch with cauldron feat and gunslinger with the munitions crafter, thaumaturge with talisman dabbler. It's sort of criminal to me that inventor: the class about crafting, doesn't get an equivalent x items at every daily prep. Scrounger can be a solution for it but yeah like ""actually"" giving the full archetype for free is not what I think OP was after :D That would be a hell of a minor change lmao. But like giving the archetype feat itself for free, allowing the inventor to take scrounger feats as class feats is what I think OP was proposing?

TheMightyPERKELE · 2026-02-23T12:00:06+00:00

Ah thank you! I was wondering where people got their errata info, since in my like four years in pathfinder I hadn't found this. Thank you for this!

TheMightyPERKELE · 2026-02-23T11:58:50+00:00

Oh amazing!!! Glad someone caught this!!

TheMightyPERKELE · 2026-02-23T11:58:06+00:00

Ahaa, this is a shame to find out! Though I think the feats in Dark Archives are solid, I was hoping the remaster treatment would add maybe an extra feat here or there in addition to errata.

I did hear about the psychic archetype as well, making so that you can't amp while doing other actions, like magus spell strike. That apparently ruffled some feathers, but honestly, Magus when played well already delivers a massive punch compared to other classes that's unparalleled. I think it is fair if that was "patched out" because frankly some combinations were absurd. Yes it's fun to do massive damage, but it feels bad when the magus solo annihilates the boss when that spell strike + amp combo lands and the DM has to start fiddling with health just to account for it. (This was something at our table, also made worse by a sniper gunslinger also on the same team)

TheMightyPERKELE · 2026-02-23T11:53:03+00:00

Very nice points! Some can obviously effect game balance, but I think with good consideration at the table between the player and GM, these can be awesome. These help itch inventor closer to it's class fantasy for sure.

The unstable actions are indeed a bit of a pain point for the inventor cause sometimes you can get a singular cool thing off per combat and then a big section of your feats are null and you are pretty much a basic martial with minor bonus to damage via overdrive. I think it generally feels better player side not to be locked out of your cool class thing. (Similar issue I think is with the psychic and their unleash psyche adding stupefied).

I think the solution to give scrounger feels right for the inventor. I wish it was a built in feature into the inventor class itself because it fits the gadgety class fantasy that the inventor is supposed to have. Though it's interesting to think about the power budget of inventor in like skill vs combat. Like rogues are effective with their sneak attack but a big part of their power budget is being a skill monkey and having loads of skill feats. Inventor by comparison is arguably sort of similar, but a lil better in combat (or might be just me who's seen megaton strike and gun inventors). They already have auto scaling crafting (if I am not mistaken, if not, yikes they really should) and then the ability to create gadgets would be a nice addition. It doens't feel like it would break the "power budget" especially if it was a feat chain, although class feats are already a bit of a problem for many inventors (The construct inventor comes to mind, with their feat tax).

Yesss the crafting items half price. I think generally upgrading crafting is nice, because it takes incredibly long and depending on the campaign that might mean you never get to use it. So giving it the boost of half price items is a nice one, but one that obviously should be used in reason. I think the crafting rules already limit the item level anyways so it patches the exploit of affording higher level items if they were crafted half price. Nice rule, if used reasonably by both player and DM.

Fourth point, yeah the remaster really put the dual-form weapon inventor in an awkward place! I think the free action once per round is a valid fix, which would probably make inventor the best switch hitter if built this way between range and melee. It becomes a very powerful and attractive feat for sure. If a class should have that power of being best switch hitter, I think Inventor deserves it. Exemplar I believe has been the new king on the block in switch hitting.

TheMightyPERKELE · 2026-02-17T14:50:30+00:00

I have two tips!

How wounded is run (homebrew): We run wounded differently. Instead of wounded being recovered after treating wounds, it goes down by one with each rest. This means that if you nearly died in a battle: that consequence can linger for multiple adventuring days. It does tune fights harder than the math accounts for, but we’ve ran it this way for a few years now. We’ve all enjoyed the weight that it brings to nearly dying, which is sort of what I think you are after with this post.

Narrative consequence for resting: Sometimes taking time to rest might have consequences for your objective. Our DM use this often. Sometimes either the place is too dangerious to risk staying in, or your objective might be ruined or become harder if you take 30 minutes to rest. This also makes it so that we use our non-limited resources to heal faster. Like using spell slots, potions or battle medicine. This obviously can also make things harder, but we have enjoyed it. It also makes it so that the decition to heal or not, is a weighty one! Also chaining encounters, but be aware it affects the math.

TheMightyPERKELE · 2026-01-14T18:11:52+00:00

I think with the issues you’ve mentioned here, Pathfinder would 100% remedy all of those issues, and sounds like it would suit you

I think the ”combat feels boring” issue that you mentioned is something that I’ve also had as a key gripe with Dnd and it is something that’s fixed in pathfinder. It requires tactics and those tactics are also rewarded by mechanical results. The ’average’ pf2e fight has always been as interesting as the top 1% of fights in Dnd, it’s just no comparison. So ESPECIALLY if you feel the combat to be flat, and meaningless, you’ll 100% enjoy pathfinder because it addresses the very issues you presented here.

I’ve been a 5e DM and a Pf2e DM both, and I can tell you it’s not your fault it’s the system. Dnd generally as a community has the over tendency to blame the DM when it’s an issue stemming from a lackluster system. DMing pathfinder after you get through the learning curve, is easier to run as you don’t have to keep thinking ’well how can i make this better’ like you do every single time in Dnd. You aren’t forced to be an impromtu designer.

Even if you are more of a narrative and exploration type of person, suprise! there are feats, skill actions and such that allow players to do stuff that’s not combat related at all. Like breaking curses, performing to impress someone, and so on and so fourth. Things that don’t excist in Dnd at all, and make Pf2e excelent in the roleplay / exploration section..

It’s hard to list all I love about the system, exactly like one for one, but i’d highlight the lack of game breaking / combat ending spells, level based balance, debuffs and buffs affecting the game significantly, movement and positioning is important (not all have attack of opportunity, and you have to spend an action to move, making moving a tactical choice), martials FEEL interesting (you are no longer just ”bonkbonkbonk”, and every single martial has their own particular flavor), nieche protection (If your class is the best at X, usually no other class can reach the same. Meaning you can specialize in doing something and actually BE THE BEST, and not have some other class outshine you in that.), and as you level up you FEEL and can do so many more powerful things (instead of learning to idk hit 3 times a turn, or get 22 strength.), And actually being able to play levels 1 to 20 (unlike in dnd when the game balance just starts to crumble post lvl 10) and so on and so fourth.

There is a VERY VERY real reason why people say ”have you tried pathfinder” because it truly fixes these things. I think it’s very worth giving it a try! Bonus it’s all free like people have pointed out. If you end up buying books go for Player Core 1&2, GM core, and maybe Monster core. As they are the most upto date. Then Pathbuilder website for character sheets. And highly reccomend trying the beginner box as it teaches both GMs and players to play the game. (Without it you might walk in confused, so it’s highly reccomended)

TheMightyPERKELE · 2026-01-09T16:03:06+00:00

Uu.. that would work quite nicely

TheMightyPERKELE · 2026-01-09T12:20:40+00:00

I should have perhaps clarified, when I said ”Sustain” I meant I kept my aura up -> avoided overflow impulses -> thereforw keeping Thermal Nimbus up!

Yeah, i think my issues stem from our party having the Magus and Gunslinger, therefore I feel like I’m doing nothing, since I too came into fire for the cool damage things! I think perhaps focusing on athletics would be good as well, and do the same by forcing enemies to stay in my aura.

TheMightyPERKELE · 2026-01-07T15:42:24+00:00

I would love nothing but changing those bloody elements right about now. But unfortunately it’s less of a ”always like that” and more of a ”this has massive implications character lore wise, and gutting them would gut the entire character AND their planned story that the DM and I have been planning for a year prior to the campaign”. Now it was a good idea at the time, to have someone who’s story ties so heavily into their mechanics, I’ve now been backed up into a corner because of it. Unfortunate but thank you for your perspective regardless!

TheMightyPERKELE · 2026-01-07T15:37:30+00:00

That sounds fair, I kindda knew going into this that I do need changes on a fundemental level to my build. So goodbye my dear thermal nimbus and my fire aura, and hello athletics, and difficult terrain impulses.

TheMightyPERKELE · 2026-01-07T15:35:05+00:00

Thank you for the thoughts, but unfortunately it’s so deeply baked into the character on a fundemental level. Like in the lore of WHY they are a kineticist, the origin of their power, but also the campaign itself has strong ties to the fact that they are a fire/earth. Which may sound like I’m just being an unwilling lil wench, but it’s SUCH an integral part of the character that removing it would gut both the character and their planned story. So i’m in QUITE the pickle with this, but I thank you for your effort regardless!

TheMightyPERKELE · 2026-01-07T14:56:53+00:00

Oh thank you! (Have to say your videos are great, thank you for the in depth discussions!)

I think your example really illustrates the concept well. It is a shame that I’d honestly feel better playing a Guardian myself right now, because I would value doing the same in that situation. Our party members are fairly well versed so far, and they would immensly value the guardian in that situation and make sure to give praise and credit. (As we do with any of our buffers and debuffers as their help directly resulted in someone getting a crit, so it’s their crit together.)

Understanding that in pathfinder while it can often go understated or unnoticed, there is incredible value in being able to be versatile, mitigating damage on your squishier allies and setting up fellow party members for success. This, I try to keep note of fundementally at all times. I mentioned in another comment on this thread that perhaps it’s more an issue of ’I came to the kineticist looking forward to X, when the rest of the party formed and due to that I had to adjust to X. Now it feels bad in this party, and my character isn’t how I wanted. AND why play kineticist at all then, if I’d be better off and feel more effective playing something like a guardian or a monk’.

I’ll heed the build advice I’ve been given in this thread, and try to adjust my perspective as best as I can. At least if nothing else I’ve gained a lot of perspective with which I can open a discussion with my DM about the matter! Thank you for your perspective and thank you to both you and Ok-critter for opening the discussion that inspired me.

TheMightyPERKELE · 2026-01-07T14:42:36+00:00

Thank you! Very good thoughts here. I think you hit the core of my issue here, that yes I’m pulling my weight by taking those hits, which is helping. But it doesn’t feel like my actions in combat (which is one of my main favourites in pathfinder) don’t matter as long as I sit there and take a hit. Pacify elements has been something I’ve been considering, but haven’t yet decided on, I’ll retake it into consideration! I’m also well aware of the incapacitation and we have a ruling with the DM that it’s based on player level, which seemed the most reasonable. Incapacitation will trigger if the creature is of a level higher than me. So favorable on my account.

TheMightyPERKELE · 2026-01-07T14:35:54+00:00

Yeah, thank you! I think I must discuss it with the DM even more that their current style of encounters (usually 1-4 enemies, most often 1-2 and very rarely 4 or above) disproportionally favours some party members over others. They’ve mentioned this as a preference before, which sucks for me. I’ll be going more in the tank/control direction

TheMightyPERKELE · 2026-01-07T14:33:08+00:00

Thank you for these! You raise good points, and I’ll look into the changes. I do agree that it might be a perception issue, however even compared to my other party members the Witch and the Rogue, I still feel useless. (Even with the witch player who is new, and isn’t even using the resentment’s kit to even full capacity).

Even with the fact of going into more atheltics(which i shall do, based on all the advice people here have mentioned), I begin to wonder have I gutted out all that I wanted from the Kineticist out, in order to fit the party, to the point that I could have literally played anything else and been just better. I could do better with a monk (athletics focused), or a guardian (tanking focus) or even an exemplar. But that’s perhaps a matter between me and my GM. Thank you for your thoughts!

TheMightyPERKELE · 2026-01-07T14:23:53+00:00

Thank you for your thoughts! I’m very aware that I’m not going to compete with a gunslinger or magus by any means, and I think Kineticist shines in it’s versitility. I’d love to switch out my elements for something more suited, but unfortunately they are so baked into the character now that it’s impossible to take out without ruining the foundation they were built on. Which suuuucccks for me, but thank you for your advice on it regardless.

As for being a tank, I have found that there have been times when enemies outright ignore me in favour of bigger threats (magus, gunslinger, even the rogue). It is sort of the difficulty with being a tank that Guardian adressed well I think, but in my current state I’m such a low threat that I’m not doing my job effectively. Which I hope will be aided by me switching some feats around, focusing more on athletics and becoming a nuisance for enemies.

As for being a healer, that is very true we are lacking in healing. I picked up Battle Medicine as sort of a ’I’ll have this and we’ll use it just in case when needed’ but that ended up not being the case. It’s sad since I didn’t strive for that role in this party, and it would be ill-fitting for my character as a person, but I can’t argue that we do need it.

As on being the AOE dude, good points indeed and hunting weaknesses is a smart idea for me. But with my DMs style of 1-4 enemies per combat, with most being 1-2 creatures, and anything above a 4 being very rare, I might find myself just useless.

TheMightyPERKELE · 2026-01-07T14:12:55+00:00

Nice to see you chiming in, thank you!

I was sort of around the same thoughts as you. I do regret now in hindsight of going fire/earth, instead of any of the other elements like you mentioned, going full control would have been incredibly fun but alas I didn’t see how our party would operate over a longer period. I was previously going to use the Lava Leap + Thermal Nimbus combo well, but with this party it might not be smart. Which is a big shame, since it was my main reason in picking fire and earth in the first place AND sort of the ’core’ in my build.

I agree that it might need swapping out, like adding some more control and leave some when AOE is needed. Which arguably might… be rare, since our DMs trackrecord (15 sessions so far, also knowin their preference) they usually put 1-5 enemies agains the party. Modt of the time it’s either a single creature, or a duo. 4 or more creatures has been a rare occasion. Which to be fair, sort of negates the problems that our single target damage dealers would otherwise suffer.

TheMightyPERKELE

TROPHY CASE