Soldier Guide

## Role

\*\*\*\*\*Damage: This is your job

\*\*Debuff: not 1 star cause killing counts as the *dead* condition and therefore a debuff

\*Support\*\*\*\*: nothing unless you invest heavily into the tactician specialty

\*Utility: not much,some utility with crafting stuff

\*\*\*\*\*Tank: Great armor, lots of defensive abilities

## Ability Scores

\*\*\*\*Power: Good for stabbin

\*\*\*Finesse: good for stabbing things that are far away

\*\*\*Grace: you can move fast in armor, so why not both?

\*\*\*\*Vitality: be brick

\*\*\*Stature: hit hard, be bricker

\*Intellect: why?

\*\*Acumen: maybe if you want to know what’s going on

\*Resolve: you get this as a good resistance and bonuses to fear so meh

\*Ego: nothing other than resistances, grab Resistor if you’re scared

\*Charm: not your job

## Basics

\*\*\*\*D10 HD: it'll do, you have enough armor to put up with “only a d10”

\*Skill Points:not much

\*Class Skills: barely enough

\*\*Good Resistances: a bit disappointing, P is ok, and VSR are good but a bit limited. They have the potential to have some of the best resistances in the game, but that requires a lot of investment

\*\*\*\*\*Proficiencies: Everything

\*\*\*\*CB: obviously

## Features

\*\*\*Soldier's Focus: get better at using your proficiencies

\*\*\*\*Weapon Focus: Find the weapon that suits your style and become the best with it.

\*\*\*Armor Focus: Decently defensive

\*\*\*Shield Focus: Ok middle range options

\*\*\*\*\*Bonus Feats: So many feats to choose from, and you get to have more than anybody. Grab a tree, or just grab some bonuses here and there. Even though soldiers may seem flat up front, through their feats they can become more diverse than any other class. Take some time to really look through what feats you pick to make the most of each level.

\*\*Fighting Spirit: Remember me complaining about their bad resistances? This helps pick up the slack against some very common effects. Not world changing, but gives them a leg to stand on.

\*\*\*\*Training: Tons of abilities to make you better at what you do.

3rd level abilities:

\*\*\*Armor Specialty: Potential +6 AC boost with no armor check, nice.

\*\*Crafting Specialty: good if you’re willing to be patient and use it well

\*\*\*Exploit Specialty: nice for exploit builds

\*\*\*Resolute Specialty: shore up those bad resists

\*\*\*Shield Specialty: become the best with shields

\*\*\*\*Tactical Specialty: Free feats for everyone

\*\*\*Unarmored Specialty: Who needs proficiencies?

\*\*\*Weapon Specialty: Become better with your best weapon

7th level abilities:

\*\*\*Ally Shielding: become a worse guardian

\*\*Armor Lock: ok to not get bullied

\*\*\*Armor Rend: Huge for tearing through armors

\*\*\*Bashing Expert: Nice damage boost for shields

\*\*\*Confident Leadership: Support abilities are cool

\*\*Defending Weapon: kinda neat if you want to feel like a warrior

\*\*Defensive Hold: Don’t let people touch your stuff.

\*\*\*\*Deflecting Shield: shield bonus becomes deflection bonus. Cool

\*\*\*Evading Shield: Cool ability, can come in handy

\*\*\*Exploit Defense: Strange, but hey stature resists can be brutal

\*\*\*\*Exploit Training: Can be very strong if used well.

\*\*\*\*\*Finesse Focus: Needed for finesse builds

\*\*\*Forgemaster: Bonus feats are cool

\*\*\*\*Grapple Master: Great cause there are so many

\*\*\*Guarded Style: Even more DR is cool

\*\*Headbutt: Not great, but super fun

\*\*\*Instant Reaction: Go first always

\*\*\*Internal Armor: Natural armor is sweet

\*\*\*\*Light Armor Mastery: Awesome. Have cake, eat it, and murder everyone

\*\*\*\*Master Armor Specialist:Become even better at your fav thing

\*\*\*\*Master Weapon Specialist: more damage is cool

\*\*\*Patchwork Repairs: become a worse enhancer

\*\*\*\*Precision Soldier: Awesome damage boost and prereq.

\*\*\*Production Line: Lots of use speeding up downtime

\*\*\*Really Big Pauldrons: Stat bonuses are cool

\*\*\*Shoving Shield: nice, good for shove builds

\*\*\*\*Tactical Resources: Huge potential.

\*\*Weapon Instruction: requires you all to use the same weapon

\*\*\*Whetting: become a worse enhancer

11th level abilities:

\*\*Battle Dance: good bonuses for this playstyle

\*\*\*Broken Guard: great for lowering AC’s

\*\*\*Dodging Command: awesome AC buff

\*\*\*Enhanced Forge: be a worse enhancer

\*\*\*\*Exploit Guard: great exploit defence

\*\*\*Item Creation Professional: lots of potential

\*\*\*Planning on the Fly: Access to any feats, nice

\*\*Reflexive Defenses: very situational

\*\*\*\*Tricky Fighting: Awesome, lots of potential

\*\*Uniform: Requires all the same armor, but strong

\*\*\*Watchful: Awesome defense abilities

\*\*Weapon Resilience: Very situational

15th level abilities:

\*\*\*Agile Adept: nice defensive bonus

\*\*\*\*Armor Destruction: Huge defensive ability, but lose your armor :(

\*\*\*\*Augmenting Armors: Big buff if you have nice gear.

\*\*Battle Stance: good for that playstyle

\*\*\*Forced Opening: More attacks that you could ever need

\*\*\*\*Greater Tricky Fighting: tons of options, great powers

\*\*Head of Steel: Bad, but very fun.

\*\*\*\*Shield Destruction: Huge defensive ability, but lose your shield :(

\*\*\*\*Thunderous Smash: Great damage boost

\*\*Unstoppable: fun, but situational

\*\*\*\*Weapon Destruction: Huge defensive ability, but lose your armor :(

19th level abilities:

\*\*\*\*Braced for Impact: nice extra DR

\*\*\*\*Certain Strike: awesome free hits

\*\*\*\*Negated Strike: Don’t even acknowledge their hits, cool.

\*\*\*\*\*Rapid Strike: Free action strikes are super great

\*\*\*Shove Strike: cool, less good as others

\*\*\*\*Tactical Superiority: Huge, and game breaking

\*\*\*\*Soldier’s Expertise: Cool little custom capstone

\*\*\*\*Armor Expertise: Very strong defensive ability.

\*\*\*Resolute Expertise: Incredible resilience, never fall for the resist or die abilities

\*\*\*\*Shield Expertise - Infinite AC is cool just say NO to getting hit. Worse than armor expertise most of the time

\*Tactical Expertise\*\*\*\*\* - The more teamwork feats you have the better this is, invest hard or don’t bother.

\*\*\*\*Training Expertise - Grab another lvl 19 ability, or something lower specific

\*\*\*\*Weapon Expertise - Become the best with your fav weapon

## Species

Soldiers are so varied, there’s really no way to go wrong

\*\*\*\*Human: So 22 feats wasn’t enough for you huh? Neeeeed that 1 more???

\*\*\*\*Dwarf: Great defensive build, and \*\*\*\*\*Dwarven Stone will carry you hard

\*\*\*Elf: Great ranged builds (still judging for wasting your tankiness)

\*\*\*Half-Elf: Good stats, G or F bonus might be more useful than Int

\*\*\*\*Half-Orc: Wonderful stats and bonuses

\*\*\*Halfling: great at range or with weapon finesse

\*\*\*Gnome: small and sturdy, great AC potential

\*\*\*Goblin: weapon finesse can make them fierce, despite their fear

##### Easy Build:

Species: Half-Orc. +2 P Take battle Scarred and Scouts.

Ability Scores: P > V > S > G > F > A > R > E > I > C

Feats: Armor Focus, Shield Focus, Weapon Specialization, Tough, Dodge, Resistor, Punishing Flank, Improved Flank, Defensive Training, Mighty Swing, Reckless Offense, Two-Weapon Fighting, Improved two Weapon Fighting, Improved Shield Bash, Cross Slash, Vital Strike, Improved Vital Strike, Greater Vital Strike, Master Vital Strike, True Vital Strike

Traits: Armor Expert, Mr. Tough Guy, Reactive, Stocky, Thick-skull, Retribution Initiate

Soldier’s Focus: Weapon Focus (longsword), Armor Focus (Plate Mail)

Training: Weapon Specialty, Armor Specialty, Armor Specialist, Dual wielder, Confident Leadership, Big Pauldrons, Immovable, Resistance Training, Studied Weapon, Trained and Ready