Skeleton Summoner w/ Plant Eidolon and Play Dead. Skeleton is pretending to be puppeted by a shambling mound so folks think that its relatively harmless weird plant monster instead of an undead that needs to be destroyed.
"Greetings fellow non-plant people, it is a fine day to have bones is it not?" said the skeleton as the shambling mound wildly flaps its jawbone up and down.
Classic is the Witch who dislikes their Patron and kills their familiar w/ Final Sacrifice regularly.
Ifrit Snow Witch w/ Elemental Lesson. An ifrit who struck a deal w/ some powerful winter spirit to get their powers under control. Mechanically they're built around using and triggering Elemental Betrayal as often as possible.
As someone playing skeleton summoner with undead eidolon (leading to extremely funky lore implications due to the half-alive bit the eidolon gets in that setup) i must say your idea is fucking amazing and i will steal it next chance i get (in a year or three)
Even funnier for your Snow Witch, give your familiar the Fire Elemental familiar ability.
You now have a flaming cat that spits ice. (Or go Elementalist and give your familiar the Wood Elemental Familiar ability. Now they’re flaming topiary that freezes the ground.)
Weird ass patrons eh?
Although in this instance the plant eidolon would be the melee combatant people would rightfully be scared of. The skeleton is only dangerous for like 7 spells.
A few ideas I’ve had are a witch who is allergic to their new familiar.
A fighter with a legal background who always tries to litigate and talk their way out of problems (big dip into charisma ) thus proving the pen is mightier than the sword, until it isn’t .
Or I’ve always wanted to homebrew a Persistent damage monk archetype that can stack different types of persistent damage making them a slow burn as the fight goes on ( I know this is against rules as written but I’m sure there’s tables where it can be house ruled). Some sort of tiny unassuming creature that’s is trained in “the art of the poison winds” or some sort of catchy name like that 😂
I've played a Hobgoblin/Dhampir Tyrant Champion who did persistent mental, bleed, and a static untyped damage from demoralize support iirc. Been a few years. He was designed to be death by a thousand cuts and never go down. Lots of fun.
(But the answer is probably Alchemist)
That's basically the Bombers schtick with Sticky Bomb at 8. Tiger Stance Monks can get a Flaming rune to double up on Bleed and Fire but that's only on a crit. Otherwise you're rocking a caster to dig into multiple damage types.
Alchemist with all of the bombs.
Honorary mention to Inventor using the level 12 boost modulation feat and the level 16 persistent boost feat. Every hit will deal 1d8 persistent damage of the same type as their offensive boost, which is chosen from cold, fire, electricity, acid, **bludgeoning, slashing, or piercing**. Modular boost let's them change between any three as an interact action. Only way I know of to stack persistent physical damage other than bleed.
Alchemists can stack persistent physical damage via [sticky bomb](https://2e.aonprd.com/Feats.aspx?ID=107), and any of the physical damage bombs:
* Bludgeoning: [Mud Bomb](https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=1514), [Water Bomb](https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=1517), [Pressure Bomb](https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=1460), and [Boulder Seed](https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=1903)
* Piercing: [Pernicious Spore (doesn't need Sticky)](https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=1515), [Peshpine](https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=549), [Twigjack](https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=1502), [Crystal Shards](https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=685)
* Slashing: [Junk Bomb](https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=1459), [Blood Bomb](https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=2669), [Silver Orb](https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=2523), [Spellsap Grenade](https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=2619)
Alchemists can do this as early as level 8, so they can do it way earlier than Inventors
Question: Where it's said that stacking different forms off persistent damage is against the rules?
If you can homebrew it, I think that a Hobgoblin Monk/ Alchemyst Dedication
From Monk
Monastic Weaponry- get a knife or shurikens for the critic specialization 1d6 persistent bleed damage.
From Hobgoblin
Steelskin Hobgoblin- So your flat check to end persistant damage(bleed,poison,energy)is DC13.
Alchemical Scholar- So you have more formulas.
Remorseless Lash- So you can keep them frightened.
Agonizing Rebuke- Mental persistent damage.
From Alchemist
Poison resistance- Poison Resistance.
You will have means of inflicting bleed, mental and Poison persistent damage, if the DM let it pass.
Yup my bad on wording , what I meant to say was of the same damage type. Like Spec-ing into a class that can specifically have multiple persistent damages rolling on a target of the same type aka the death from 1,000 cuts approach. So for example through feats eventually you can have 3-4 different slashing bleed damages accumulating each round. It’s definitely a slog for tracking though so I get the idea behind rules as written highest only
This is absolutely what the alchemist bomber does best. The build doesn't get really rolling until level 8/10, but once you have the combo of [Sticky Bomb](https://2e.aonprd.com/Feats.aspx?ID=107) and [Expanded Splash](https://2e.aonprd.com/Feats.aspx?ID=109) you can stick several very nasty persistent damage over times out.
The real trick is to play with free archetype and to use [Dual Thrower](https://2e.aonprd.com/Feats.aspx?ID=1951) from Dual Weapon Warrior.
With this, you can Quick Alchemy two sticky bomb perpetual infusion bombs, and then double slice them. As long as they're different types, you're 100% golden (and depending on how your GMs interpret [Double Slice](https://2e.aonprd.com/Feats.aspx?ID=356), you could even combine the persistent damage in a double slice).
This gives you access to a wide array of damage over time persistent effects, and makes alchemist actually a competitive ranged damage dealer.
Ghorans have the most bland and uninspiring set of ancestry feat. But a ghoran with the ardande heritage as a plant summoner with leaf druid free archetype fulfills my character fantasy of: PLANT.
Similarly, "Burning Blossoms" is not a good spells, but I have a build based on that imagery: a Ghoran with Ifrit (now called Naari) heritage that plays a plant summoner with a fire energy heart eidolon. Both, the PC and the eidolon, are plants that are forever burning.
Grippli Swashbuckler, with a Noble background (adopted)
Goblin Alchemist (with an emphasis on bombs and fire)
Kobold Investigator (with glasses)
Elven Barbarian
Human Sorcerer, Lazy Lord Villareal, who is a fop and basically absorbed magic by having a family full of powerful wizards. All his spells are to make his life easier. Unseen Servant, Mage Hand, etc. (I built and played him briefly in PF1 and he worked ok, but would have been better if the campaign had been urban and a bit more social.)
Goblin bomber alchemist has been my favorite class to play. He was complete chaos in a small form. Nothing was safe from him trying to blow it up. He could be contained, but only for so long.
I forgot to say "Goblin tiefling". He's all red with little horns and looks like a tiny devil. He wears goggles and the HeroForge software let me add a glow of firelight to the entire figure. It's amazing.
I have a goblin bomber alchemist in one of my groups. Living chaos.
They fought a group of armored knights, so he grappled one, smashed the alchemist fire on a gap in armor, so the fire goes inside the armor.
He also got one-shot by the final boss of the beginner box because he saw gold and rushed in while inwas describing the room.
Built a character around the concept of Malenia from Elden Ring as a Fleshwarp/Aasimar (now Nephilim) Fighter.
I like the idea of a noble, divine warrior whose anatomy and vibe is just...gross. One moment she's gliding across the battlefield like a dancer, the next she's vomiting up a horde of snakes.
Everyone plays tieflings as good guys nowadays... so I want to play a tiefling who actually embraces their fiendish heritage and is 100% evil. But they still pretend to be "just misunderstood" and everyone buys it. :p
I also want to subvert the Tiefling norms, but instead by being physically unattractive, like Qlippoth-heritage Tieflings are supposed to be in the Golarion lore. It's just ridiculous to me that 90% of Tieflings are drawn more attractively than their forebears. Predictable, yes, but ridiculous.
I’ve got a couple:
Orcish ranger who uses a barricade buster, swapping to a falchion if they spend all 8 shots. He’s a survivalist, but not because he’s in tune with nature or anything- but because he hates it and wants to support the spread of civilization.
I’m playing a monk who was brought up in a western style monastery to Iomedae, and so learned the scriptures and how to fight with a sword and shield, but not armour. His tiger claw is reflavoured as a longsword. He has faith, but discipline doesn’t come easily to him and he would often break into the wine cellar at night to get drunk, or go into to party. I mean he’s in his 20s.
A ruffian rogue with the wrestler dedication who’s like, a heel luchador. He can put on a show of being underhanded and villainous, but its just a bit. He’s also way more tactical than his flamboyance let’s on.
I want to play a gymnast swashbuckler using an elven curved blade, and the mauler dedication. The action efficiency is so good!
Also probably the most anime character being fast and nimble, but also strong enough to toss people around.
Speaking of swash- I really want to play a throwing weapon swash. I have a concept for an ex-lumberjack whose logging was punished by a Forrest spirit by turning him into a leshy.
I want to go swash with Turpin Rowe lumberjack, and plant kinetisist dedications. Make trees, climb them, drop them on people, actually be able to use log roll, etc. but that tries to do a lot- even for a free archetype game.
I had an idea for a heavily armored monk- Likely a Poppet boosting strength, con, & cha, completely dumping dex to wear heavy armor with the Champion Archetype.
Had the idea when I saw a few stances don't get disabled by armor, like the Gorilla stance, which also has later feats tied to intimidation. Cobra stance works as well.
Stuffed poppet monk (animal instinct barbarian would work too). I just love the visuals of being a cute little toy, and then just punching some guy's teeth in after they pick a fight.
Dwarf champion of daikitsu. They love foxes and flails. His father is a kitsune, as are all 4 of his siblings, but he is not.
Kitsune warpriest of Bastet. Raised in osirion, looks like a desert fox. Uses claws as their primary weapon
A very young Human Barbarian Animal Instinct with flaw in Intelligence Attribute, that only knows the idiom from his tiny tribe, a tribe so isolated that they still are hunters gathering with stone weapons, that is very limited in various ways compared with more complex languages... He got captured by slavers but breaked free, know he is in a journey to learn about this new world of steel and money... Well at least the beer is great, and they have nice song's just a shame that he don't understand anything.
He is normally very nice and like party's and socialization, but he has severe difficulties in learning the civilization way, and has no qualms in appoint at things he think are dumb. Like hereditary status or riches. For him everyone should be judged by theirs actions, not their parents or grandparents actions.
He hate slavery and will always try to help slaves.
His Rage is something sacred for him, it's the form that his Tribesmen Warriors are capable of becoming one with nature itself.
He has a greater reverence to Nature. He will always treat druids, leshys and other Nature spirits with reverence and respect. Even giving help to them without asking nothing to himself.
He can be incredibly stubborn about things. But he will ask for forgiveness if he was wrong.
He love to sing and dance. Both his Olds song's and the news one that he learn, he is not a Bard, but he can perform.
He don't understand why a woman's of this new world were treated like lesser people, in his tribe woman's and man's are equals so for him this makes no sense.
Goblin spellshot with wizard archetype. Incredibly intelligent and crafty, but still a goblin at heart with no patience for things like "school" or "curriculums" or "spell books"; opting instead for memorization and a jumbled mess of notes and research.
"human" fighter, saved by clockwork, sterling dynamo and Golem grafter dedications, From the moment I understood the weakness of my flesh, it disgusted me.
I have queued up an old 3.5 barbarian I made. Orc Bone Bow Barbarian using a variant called Whirling Frenzy that replaced the Rage with one that could be used with ranged weapons. He was a tactician aiming to become a Warlord, and could shoot a man from a mile away.
In pf2e, I'll be designing him around Inventor, and reflavouring the Overdrive as his "Rage" action, and his innovations as his Quiver of Elohna full of cool arrows. He'll be using a Gakgung that can switch into a Sukgung for 2-actions, that in the endgame he will be able to use to shoot a mile away (range increments, scope and Ranger multiclass for Far Shot).
One of my players is a sword-and-board elven champion of Erastil, with the Medic and Herbalsit archetypes. They’ve got high Con, low Dex, and low Wis. It’s actually an awesome tank and support build that has great Green Knight flavor, it’s just such a weird build to see on top of an elf
I saw a YouTube video, might’ve been Tulok’s channel, making a “playable Beholder”. I am a complete amateur when it comes to character building, but I wanted to give it a shot and try to do the same in P2E since flavor is free.
Ended up with a Fleshwarp Wizard. Reach Spell meta magic to turn touch spells into “rays”, and overall tried to match up the spell list to a typical Beholder’s eye beams. Never hammered out the backstory in full, but she would have been a mad wizard’s experiment. Said wizard got his hand on a book of “otherworldly creatures you have to see to believe”, which would’ve just been a list of monsters exclusive to D&D. Wizard was enamored with the idea of a beholder, so he captured a young orphan to experiment on her, to try and create one.
Years pass, she breaks free due to an incident at the lab. Blackened, charred skin with fiery veins. One large eye on her face, and several dull, “dead” eyes on the end of what was at one point clumps of hair. Due to a unique mutation from the magic she was exposed to, she starts to gain telepathic abilities (via Magical Experiment background and Message cantrip). This becomes her preferred form of communication, as her mouth is full of hideously sharp, malformed teeth. She keeps it closed as much as possible and uses telepathy to communicate.
Other than Reach Spell, she would pick up Silent Spell ASAP. She’s likely just wear a loose piece of cloth over her mouth, prior to that.
Had an idea for a barbarian field medic (idea ported from 5e before the differences had properly sunk in).
Original idea was 5e 3 rogue/ rest barbarian; med student/medic who'd snapped under the pressure and found a well of inner strength and capacity for violence.
In the pf2e implementation it became Spirit Instinct Barbarian with Field Medic background, and half orc ancestry. Mother was a kellid barbarian, father was an orcish accountant.
Basically this big soft half-orc had deserted their mercenary company after having seen too much death and despair at once and kinda vagabonded their way into the adventuring campaign, slowly but surely realizing they were literally haunted by their fallen comrades.
Might try the idea again someday but will have to be with a review of the options available.
Foxfire thaum. An actual weapon does more damage and if thrown can be yeeted with more range.
But no hands weapon is funny. Add pet rock and funny squared. Bonus points if the entire party is "human"
I think the wildest idea I’ve been toying with is a flurry ranger that uses dual Air Repeaters. My group plays in a homebrew setting, so I could choose to dip cleric archetype for deadly simplicity to up the damage die from a d4 to a d6.
I’ve previously built a goblin whose damage is centered around flying real high and then falling. The whole Unbreakabler Goblin think gives me the giggles, and my group takes the view that even if the goblin doesn’t take damage from the fall when landing on someone from high up, that target should take damage because they’re not bouncy. So, the idea was go summoner or druid and fly super high, then just fall on top of whoever (probably take some acrobatics checks to land on target) in order to take them out.
Archon-kin nephilim summoner with a demon eidolon. “I am the righteous hand of God/I am the devil that you forgot/hell’s coming with me.”
The summoner bound the devil to be their instrument in implementing justice, using an inherently chaotic being to enforce order, and probably controlling the appearance they can take as well.
Distant Grasp Psychic taking the Spell Trickster Archetype, and taking all three of the feats from it that involve Mage Hand, max out thievery.
Spell Trickster gives you two of its fourth-level feats when you take the dedication (though they don't count for beating able to take a second dedication). The two to take here are Agile Hand, Forceful Push, and later Larcenous Hand at level 8.
Put together this makes mage hand able to do the following:
-Cast it normally, but be able to lift objects of 1 then 2 then 3 bulk.
-Amp it, letting you shove medium or smaller creatures in the direction of your choice while also slowing them.
-Amp it while heightened to 4th level, letting you disarm creatures and potentially steal their weapons with the mage hand for no additional action cost.
-Cast it with Forceful Push, letting you shove creatures of any size 5 or 10 feet away from you based on a spell attack vs Fort DC. (The amps above also involve spell attack vs save DC)
-Cast it with Agile Hand, letting you pick locks and disarm traps from 20 feet away, albeit with a -2 penalty.
-Cast it with Larcenous Hand, letting you pickpocket an item within the (much increased) bulk limit.
Investigator into Vigilante into Medic as the "disguise" profession, then into Assassin.
Hannibal Lector. His apparent theme is as a highly effective doctor saving lives, his hidden talent is ending them.
Two (or three) words: Crossbow Treefrog.
Sticky Toe Grippli Vanguard Gunslinger with reinforced stock (2hand d6) on crossbow with Mauler dedication. Grab all crossbow feats (ace, party, etc.) and Athletics for trips, shoves, all jumping skills (wall jump, etc).
While Treefrogs look scrawny, all their strength is in their powerful, leaping legs. I imagine her using Clear a Path as a sort of pogo stick action to push off enemies with her legs and crossbow while yanking up on the string with her scrawny arms to reload. Grippli ancestry lets you treat enemies as walls for wall jump.
The idea is to get in the thick of things and fire the crossbow and then switching to knocking enemies around with mauler dedication and jumping about and reloading.
Would it work?, maybe. Is it a fun visual? IMO, yes
Warpriest with Vibrant Thorns and Restorative Strike. Strike, trigger the heal, get the Vibrant Thorns boost.
Probably a Ghoran or Leshy with a Rose theme.
No one talked about the automaton Druid of the wild named Megatron? No?
I also have the idea of a Conrasu Ancestor Oracle - free archetype : soul warden - background : seer of the dead. His core is a fragment of a soul tree from the boneyard. He was built by an order of druid to guide their dead to the boneyard. His curse isn't about getting possessed by HIS ancestors but by deads from the order he was responsible
Mine is Beastkin Gunslinger/Inventor/Investigator with dual sling pistols and double shot (I think that was the name). First action would be devise stratagem and if it's a crit I would use overcharged Megaton Strike for big damage and if it's just a hit I would go with Double Shot. Nothing fancy, I just think those three classes make for cool, thematic combination.
I have a goblin NPC cleric I want to play sometime. His chosen 'deity' is his great-great-grandmother, who was revered long after her death, and he 'prays to' (argues with) her to get his spells.
Kitsune Witch - stays in the fox Pest Form, once he gets the lvl 5 form to speak, and has the familiar take the Master’s Form ability. Let everyone be confused about who’s the familiar vs who’s the Master. 😁
(For practical purposes, I’d probably make them a Bard, and get a familiar through the Witch or Familiar Master archetype.)
Someone in a comment said that they played a gnoll tiefling battle oracle. Wings, liberal use of the "crunch" unarmed attacks, just leaning into being very demonic. It sounds fun and I want to steal that idea.
Skeleton Summoner w/ Plant Eidolon and Play Dead. Skeleton is pretending to be puppeted by a shambling mound so folks think that its relatively harmless weird plant monster instead of an undead that needs to be destroyed. "Greetings fellow non-plant people, it is a fine day to have bones is it not?" said the skeleton as the shambling mound wildly flaps its jawbone up and down. Classic is the Witch who dislikes their Patron and kills their familiar w/ Final Sacrifice regularly. Ifrit Snow Witch w/ Elemental Lesson. An ifrit who struck a deal w/ some powerful winter spirit to get their powers under control. Mechanically they're built around using and triggering Elemental Betrayal as often as possible.
Hahahah I love this 😂
As someone playing skeleton summoner with undead eidolon (leading to extremely funky lore implications due to the half-alive bit the eidolon gets in that setup) i must say your idea is fucking amazing and i will steal it next chance i get (in a year or three)
Even funnier for your Snow Witch, give your familiar the Fire Elemental familiar ability. You now have a flaming cat that spits ice. (Or go Elementalist and give your familiar the Wood Elemental Familiar ability. Now they’re flaming topiary that freezes the ground.) Weird ass patrons eh?
Although in this instance the plant eidolon would be the melee combatant people would rightfully be scared of. The skeleton is only dangerous for like 7 spells.
A few ideas I’ve had are a witch who is allergic to their new familiar. A fighter with a legal background who always tries to litigate and talk their way out of problems (big dip into charisma ) thus proving the pen is mightier than the sword, until it isn’t . Or I’ve always wanted to homebrew a Persistent damage monk archetype that can stack different types of persistent damage making them a slow burn as the fight goes on ( I know this is against rules as written but I’m sure there’s tables where it can be house ruled). Some sort of tiny unassuming creature that’s is trained in “the art of the poison winds” or some sort of catchy name like that 😂
You can stack persistent damage. It just needs to be different persistent damage.
Yeah, this got me thinking, what class would be best at stacking multiple types of persistent damage? Alchemist?
I've played a Hobgoblin/Dhampir Tyrant Champion who did persistent mental, bleed, and a static untyped damage from demoralize support iirc. Been a few years. He was designed to be death by a thousand cuts and never go down. Lots of fun. (But the answer is probably Alchemist)
That's basically the Bombers schtick with Sticky Bomb at 8. Tiger Stance Monks can get a Flaming rune to double up on Bleed and Fire but that's only on a crit. Otherwise you're rocking a caster to dig into multiple damage types.
Alchemist with all of the bombs. Honorary mention to Inventor using the level 12 boost modulation feat and the level 16 persistent boost feat. Every hit will deal 1d8 persistent damage of the same type as their offensive boost, which is chosen from cold, fire, electricity, acid, **bludgeoning, slashing, or piercing**. Modular boost let's them change between any three as an interact action. Only way I know of to stack persistent physical damage other than bleed.
Alchemists can stack persistent physical damage via [sticky bomb](https://2e.aonprd.com/Feats.aspx?ID=107), and any of the physical damage bombs: * Bludgeoning: [Mud Bomb](https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=1514), [Water Bomb](https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=1517), [Pressure Bomb](https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=1460), and [Boulder Seed](https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=1903) * Piercing: [Pernicious Spore (doesn't need Sticky)](https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=1515), [Peshpine](https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=549), [Twigjack](https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=1502), [Crystal Shards](https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=685) * Slashing: [Junk Bomb](https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=1459), [Blood Bomb](https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=2669), [Silver Orb](https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=2523), [Spellsap Grenade](https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=2619) Alchemists can do this as early as level 8, so they can do it way earlier than Inventors
Question: Where it's said that stacking different forms off persistent damage is against the rules? If you can homebrew it, I think that a Hobgoblin Monk/ Alchemyst Dedication From Monk Monastic Weaponry- get a knife or shurikens for the critic specialization 1d6 persistent bleed damage. From Hobgoblin Steelskin Hobgoblin- So your flat check to end persistant damage(bleed,poison,energy)is DC13. Alchemical Scholar- So you have more formulas. Remorseless Lash- So you can keep them frightened. Agonizing Rebuke- Mental persistent damage. From Alchemist Poison resistance- Poison Resistance. You will have means of inflicting bleed, mental and Poison persistent damage, if the DM let it pass.
Yup my bad on wording , what I meant to say was of the same damage type. Like Spec-ing into a class that can specifically have multiple persistent damages rolling on a target of the same type aka the death from 1,000 cuts approach. So for example through feats eventually you can have 3-4 different slashing bleed damages accumulating each round. It’s definitely a slog for tracking though so I get the idea behind rules as written highest only
Thanks, I am new to the system so I get confused.
I think RAW is bad. Damage over time is already too weak, it should just stack. Just make whoever dealt it track it so its not on the GMs plate.
This is absolutely what the alchemist bomber does best. The build doesn't get really rolling until level 8/10, but once you have the combo of [Sticky Bomb](https://2e.aonprd.com/Feats.aspx?ID=107) and [Expanded Splash](https://2e.aonprd.com/Feats.aspx?ID=109) you can stick several very nasty persistent damage over times out. The real trick is to play with free archetype and to use [Dual Thrower](https://2e.aonprd.com/Feats.aspx?ID=1951) from Dual Weapon Warrior. With this, you can Quick Alchemy two sticky bomb perpetual infusion bombs, and then double slice them. As long as they're different types, you're 100% golden (and depending on how your GMs interpret [Double Slice](https://2e.aonprd.com/Feats.aspx?ID=356), you could even combine the persistent damage in a double slice). This gives you access to a wide array of damage over time persistent effects, and makes alchemist actually a competitive ranged damage dealer.
Ghorans have the most bland and uninspiring set of ancestry feat. But a ghoran with the ardande heritage as a plant summoner with leaf druid free archetype fulfills my character fantasy of: PLANT. Similarly, "Burning Blossoms" is not a good spells, but I have a build based on that imagery: a Ghoran with Ifrit (now called Naari) heritage that plays a plant summoner with a fire energy heart eidolon. Both, the PC and the eidolon, are plants that are forever burning.
Grippli Swashbuckler, with a Noble background (adopted) Goblin Alchemist (with an emphasis on bombs and fire) Kobold Investigator (with glasses) Elven Barbarian Human Sorcerer, Lazy Lord Villareal, who is a fop and basically absorbed magic by having a family full of powerful wizards. All his spells are to make his life easier. Unseen Servant, Mage Hand, etc. (I built and played him briefly in PF1 and he worked ok, but would have been better if the campaign had been urban and a bit more social.)
Goblin bomber alchemist has been my favorite class to play. He was complete chaos in a small form. Nothing was safe from him trying to blow it up. He could be contained, but only for so long.
I wouldn't exactly call a goblin bomber "atypical" lol. That's precisely what 2e's iconic alchemist is
I forgot to say "Goblin tiefling". He's all red with little horns and looks like a tiny devil. He wears goggles and the HeroForge software let me add a glow of firelight to the entire figure. It's amazing.
I have a goblin bomber alchemist in one of my groups. Living chaos. They fought a group of armored knights, so he grappled one, smashed the alchemist fire on a gap in armor, so the fire goes inside the armor. He also got one-shot by the final boss of the beginner box because he saw gold and rushed in while inwas describing the room.
Built a character around the concept of Malenia from Elden Ring as a Fleshwarp/Aasimar (now Nephilim) Fighter. I like the idea of a noble, divine warrior whose anatomy and vibe is just...gross. One moment she's gliding across the battlefield like a dancer, the next she's vomiting up a horde of snakes.
Everyone plays tieflings as good guys nowadays... so I want to play a tiefling who actually embraces their fiendish heritage and is 100% evil. But they still pretend to be "just misunderstood" and everyone buys it. :p
I also want to subvert the Tiefling norms, but instead by being physically unattractive, like Qlippoth-heritage Tieflings are supposed to be in the Golarion lore. It's just ridiculous to me that 90% of Tieflings are drawn more attractively than their forebears. Predictable, yes, but ridiculous.
I’ve got a couple: Orcish ranger who uses a barricade buster, swapping to a falchion if they spend all 8 shots. He’s a survivalist, but not because he’s in tune with nature or anything- but because he hates it and wants to support the spread of civilization. I’m playing a monk who was brought up in a western style monastery to Iomedae, and so learned the scriptures and how to fight with a sword and shield, but not armour. His tiger claw is reflavoured as a longsword. He has faith, but discipline doesn’t come easily to him and he would often break into the wine cellar at night to get drunk, or go into to party. I mean he’s in his 20s. A ruffian rogue with the wrestler dedication who’s like, a heel luchador. He can put on a show of being underhanded and villainous, but its just a bit. He’s also way more tactical than his flamboyance let’s on. I want to play a gymnast swashbuckler using an elven curved blade, and the mauler dedication. The action efficiency is so good! Also probably the most anime character being fast and nimble, but also strong enough to toss people around. Speaking of swash- I really want to play a throwing weapon swash. I have a concept for an ex-lumberjack whose logging was punished by a Forrest spirit by turning him into a leshy. I want to go swash with Turpin Rowe lumberjack, and plant kinetisist dedications. Make trees, climb them, drop them on people, actually be able to use log roll, etc. but that tries to do a lot- even for a free archetype game.
I had an idea for a heavily armored monk- Likely a Poppet boosting strength, con, & cha, completely dumping dex to wear heavy armor with the Champion Archetype. Had the idea when I saw a few stances don't get disabled by armor, like the Gorilla stance, which also has later feats tied to intimidation. Cobra stance works as well.
Stuffed poppet monk (animal instinct barbarian would work too). I just love the visuals of being a cute little toy, and then just punching some guy's teeth in after they pick a fight.
Dwarf champion of daikitsu. They love foxes and flails. His father is a kitsune, as are all 4 of his siblings, but he is not. Kitsune warpriest of Bastet. Raised in osirion, looks like a desert fox. Uses claws as their primary weapon
A very young Human Barbarian Animal Instinct with flaw in Intelligence Attribute, that only knows the idiom from his tiny tribe, a tribe so isolated that they still are hunters gathering with stone weapons, that is very limited in various ways compared with more complex languages... He got captured by slavers but breaked free, know he is in a journey to learn about this new world of steel and money... Well at least the beer is great, and they have nice song's just a shame that he don't understand anything. He is normally very nice and like party's and socialization, but he has severe difficulties in learning the civilization way, and has no qualms in appoint at things he think are dumb. Like hereditary status or riches. For him everyone should be judged by theirs actions, not their parents or grandparents actions. He hate slavery and will always try to help slaves. His Rage is something sacred for him, it's the form that his Tribesmen Warriors are capable of becoming one with nature itself. He has a greater reverence to Nature. He will always treat druids, leshys and other Nature spirits with reverence and respect. Even giving help to them without asking nothing to himself. He can be incredibly stubborn about things. But he will ask for forgiveness if he was wrong. He love to sing and dance. Both his Olds song's and the news one that he learn, he is not a Bard, but he can perform. He don't understand why a woman's of this new world were treated like lesser people, in his tribe woman's and man's are equals so for him this makes no sense.
Goblin spellshot with wizard archetype. Incredibly intelligent and crafty, but still a goblin at heart with no patience for things like "school" or "curriculums" or "spell books"; opting instead for memorization and a jumbled mess of notes and research.
"human" fighter, saved by clockwork, sterling dynamo and Golem grafter dedications, From the moment I understood the weakness of my flesh, it disgusted me.
I like to play a Magus with a gun. Not too crazy but certainly not optimal
I have queued up an old 3.5 barbarian I made. Orc Bone Bow Barbarian using a variant called Whirling Frenzy that replaced the Rage with one that could be used with ranged weapons. He was a tactician aiming to become a Warlord, and could shoot a man from a mile away. In pf2e, I'll be designing him around Inventor, and reflavouring the Overdrive as his "Rage" action, and his innovations as his Quiver of Elohna full of cool arrows. He'll be using a Gakgung that can switch into a Sukgung for 2-actions, that in the endgame he will be able to use to shoot a mile away (range increments, scope and Ranger multiclass for Far Shot).
One of my players is a sword-and-board elven champion of Erastil, with the Medic and Herbalsit archetypes. They’ve got high Con, low Dex, and low Wis. It’s actually an awesome tank and support build that has great Green Knight flavor, it’s just such a weird build to see on top of an elf
I saw a YouTube video, might’ve been Tulok’s channel, making a “playable Beholder”. I am a complete amateur when it comes to character building, but I wanted to give it a shot and try to do the same in P2E since flavor is free. Ended up with a Fleshwarp Wizard. Reach Spell meta magic to turn touch spells into “rays”, and overall tried to match up the spell list to a typical Beholder’s eye beams. Never hammered out the backstory in full, but she would have been a mad wizard’s experiment. Said wizard got his hand on a book of “otherworldly creatures you have to see to believe”, which would’ve just been a list of monsters exclusive to D&D. Wizard was enamored with the idea of a beholder, so he captured a young orphan to experiment on her, to try and create one. Years pass, she breaks free due to an incident at the lab. Blackened, charred skin with fiery veins. One large eye on her face, and several dull, “dead” eyes on the end of what was at one point clumps of hair. Due to a unique mutation from the magic she was exposed to, she starts to gain telepathic abilities (via Magical Experiment background and Message cantrip). This becomes her preferred form of communication, as her mouth is full of hideously sharp, malformed teeth. She keeps it closed as much as possible and uses telepathy to communicate. Other than Reach Spell, she would pick up Silent Spell ASAP. She’s likely just wear a loose piece of cloth over her mouth, prior to that.
Tesla power armó inventor. I'm basing it on the power armor Tesla used in Record of Ragnarok
Had an idea for a barbarian field medic (idea ported from 5e before the differences had properly sunk in). Original idea was 5e 3 rogue/ rest barbarian; med student/medic who'd snapped under the pressure and found a well of inner strength and capacity for violence. In the pf2e implementation it became Spirit Instinct Barbarian with Field Medic background, and half orc ancestry. Mother was a kellid barbarian, father was an orcish accountant. Basically this big soft half-orc had deserted their mercenary company after having seen too much death and despair at once and kinda vagabonded their way into the adventuring campaign, slowly but surely realizing they were literally haunted by their fallen comrades. Might try the idea again someday but will have to be with a review of the options available.
I had an Ancient Elf Investigator-Wizard with Archeologist, but the campaign fell through. Great shenanigans with him
Barbarian Sprite with the giant instinct wielding a sword several times her size.
Throned Rose Ghoran Warpriest with the Nature domain and Nettleskin spell (via druid dedication). They *really* don't like being touched.
Foxfire thaum. An actual weapon does more damage and if thrown can be yeeted with more range. But no hands weapon is funny. Add pet rock and funny squared. Bonus points if the entire party is "human"
I think the wildest idea I’ve been toying with is a flurry ranger that uses dual Air Repeaters. My group plays in a homebrew setting, so I could choose to dip cleric archetype for deadly simplicity to up the damage die from a d4 to a d6. I’ve previously built a goblin whose damage is centered around flying real high and then falling. The whole Unbreakabler Goblin think gives me the giggles, and my group takes the view that even if the goblin doesn’t take damage from the fall when landing on someone from high up, that target should take damage because they’re not bouncy. So, the idea was go summoner or druid and fly super high, then just fall on top of whoever (probably take some acrobatics checks to land on target) in order to take them out.
Archon-kin nephilim summoner with a demon eidolon. “I am the righteous hand of God/I am the devil that you forgot/hell’s coming with me.” The summoner bound the devil to be their instrument in implementing justice, using an inherently chaotic being to enforce order, and probably controlling the appearance they can take as well.
Distant Grasp Psychic taking the Spell Trickster Archetype, and taking all three of the feats from it that involve Mage Hand, max out thievery. Spell Trickster gives you two of its fourth-level feats when you take the dedication (though they don't count for beating able to take a second dedication). The two to take here are Agile Hand, Forceful Push, and later Larcenous Hand at level 8. Put together this makes mage hand able to do the following: -Cast it normally, but be able to lift objects of 1 then 2 then 3 bulk. -Amp it, letting you shove medium or smaller creatures in the direction of your choice while also slowing them. -Amp it while heightened to 4th level, letting you disarm creatures and potentially steal their weapons with the mage hand for no additional action cost. -Cast it with Forceful Push, letting you shove creatures of any size 5 or 10 feet away from you based on a spell attack vs Fort DC. (The amps above also involve spell attack vs save DC) -Cast it with Agile Hand, letting you pick locks and disarm traps from 20 feet away, albeit with a -2 penalty. -Cast it with Larcenous Hand, letting you pickpocket an item within the (much increased) bulk limit.
Investigator into Vigilante into Medic as the "disguise" profession, then into Assassin. Hannibal Lector. His apparent theme is as a highly effective doctor saving lives, his hidden talent is ending them.
Two (or three) words: Crossbow Treefrog. Sticky Toe Grippli Vanguard Gunslinger with reinforced stock (2hand d6) on crossbow with Mauler dedication. Grab all crossbow feats (ace, party, etc.) and Athletics for trips, shoves, all jumping skills (wall jump, etc). While Treefrogs look scrawny, all their strength is in their powerful, leaping legs. I imagine her using Clear a Path as a sort of pogo stick action to push off enemies with her legs and crossbow while yanking up on the string with her scrawny arms to reload. Grippli ancestry lets you treat enemies as walls for wall jump. The idea is to get in the thick of things and fire the crossbow and then switching to knocking enemies around with mauler dedication and jumping about and reloading. Would it work?, maybe. Is it a fun visual? IMO, yes
Warpriest with Vibrant Thorns and Restorative Strike. Strike, trigger the heal, get the Vibrant Thorns boost. Probably a Ghoran or Leshy with a Rose theme.
No one talked about the automaton Druid of the wild named Megatron? No? I also have the idea of a Conrasu Ancestor Oracle - free archetype : soul warden - background : seer of the dead. His core is a fragment of a soul tree from the boneyard. He was built by an order of druid to guide their dead to the boneyard. His curse isn't about getting possessed by HIS ancestors but by deads from the order he was responsible
Mine is Beastkin Gunslinger/Inventor/Investigator with dual sling pistols and double shot (I think that was the name). First action would be devise stratagem and if it's a crit I would use overcharged Megaton Strike for big damage and if it's just a hit I would go with Double Shot. Nothing fancy, I just think those three classes make for cool, thematic combination.
I have a goblin NPC cleric I want to play sometime. His chosen 'deity' is his great-great-grandmother, who was revered long after her death, and he 'prays to' (argues with) her to get his spells.
Kitsune Witch - stays in the fox Pest Form, once he gets the lvl 5 form to speak, and has the familiar take the Master’s Form ability. Let everyone be confused about who’s the familiar vs who’s the Master. 😁 (For practical purposes, I’d probably make them a Bard, and get a familiar through the Witch or Familiar Master archetype.)
Magical girl Witch with a Resentment patron who's trying to convince her patron that the there are good things worth believing in in the world.
Teddybear champion named Sir Cuddleton Bravepaw (Stuffed poppet paladin) who hunts down lost children and the vile monsters that take them.
Someone in a comment said that they played a gnoll tiefling battle oracle. Wings, liberal use of the "crunch" unarmed attacks, just leaning into being very demonic. It sounds fun and I want to steal that idea.
Not typical but inspired by a post I scrollled by 10 minutes ago: A half orc barbarian with a green afro calling himself Brocculus. :-D