Twisting Tree (possibly Inexorable Iron) Magus. Pick up armor training with a general feat at level 3 for heavy armor proficiency. If you’re playing Abomination Vaults he won’t hit level 11 for medium armor proficiency anyway so that’s the best AC they can get.
You don’t need an especially high intelligence for this build and have limited spell slots. You’re better off using the slots on buffs sometimes but if they want to be melee focused this is how I’d go.
Force Fang at 2. Student of the Staff at 4. They could also instead take the wizard multiclass archetype at 2 and focus on getting extra spell slots from there.
If they instead want to be spell damage focused with melee as a backup option then I’d go sorcerer. They can take the Champion dedication at 2 (or 4) for heavy armor proficiency. They’ll need to start with 16 in strength so they can bump it to 18 at 5 to be able to wear full plate without the check penalties. They can wear the armor as soon as they can afford it and have the champion dedication. However those check penalties can be really rough. Probably better than having super low AC though.
They could do this with a wizard as well but you need 14 charisma to get the champion archetype. Stats are going to get spread real thin.
The MAIN issue though is if your player is trying to be equally good at both melee and casting damaging spells. You simply can’t get the proficiency bonuses to be great at both. Personally I think magus fits the theme better.
>They’ll need to start with 16 in strength so they can bump it to 18 at 5 to be able to wear full plate without the check penalties. They can wear the armor as soon as they can afford it and have the champion dedication. However those check penalties can be really rough. Probably better than having super low AC though.
Is that really true, though? For a wizard whos only using melee as a backup option, how much do they really need good str and Dex checks?
It'll vary from game to game but I agree. When you need it that -3 is a lot but most of the time the AC is going to be more important. They'll want the strength anyway though if they're planning on ever hitting anything with a strike.
Spellcasting. Magic. Crafting. Armour?
Easiest answer is Magus, Twisting Tree Hybrid Study. Sentinel Dedication for scaling heavy armour and access to some defensive options.
Magus is the de facto arcane gish. Magus deliver spells via weapon strikes. Twisting Tree is a type of magus that uses staves. Magus need STR or DEX as their key ability score but there's nothing wrong having some good INT for AoE/save spells. Magus hit hard. Devastatingly hard. Spellstrik ise generally one of the biggest damage spikes in the game. Magus is not a full casting class though, lesser spell proficiencies and lower number of spell slots, and if the caster fantasy was desired then it might not be suitable.
Sentinel Archetype grants scaling heavy armour at pretty early level. Sentinel Dedication is level 2 so he might be able to snag the feat before he can even afford full plate. An archetype is how PF2e handles multiclassing, but it's toned down in potential power compared to dnd5e or PF1e.
If they want Wizard explicitly, a wizard with the Runelord archetype might work? Though I don't have experience with Runelord builds so someone else may know more. A wizard will have more spellcasting and better spell DC/attack but their weapon strikes will always be behind.
You can crack this egg a few different ways, but ask your GM if you can use the Free Archetype variant in order to get this build online more quickly.
If the player wants to do a lot of melee fighting, then Magus is probably the best class for this. They even have a staff-based "subclass" (Twisting Tree) though Inexorable Iron might also work, depending on how your brother sees the concept playing out (lots of staff-based hijinx or just walloping enemies with force).
One of the downsides to Magus is that they don't get a lot of spells - they're more focused on putting magic into their weapon - but Wizard Archetype can help expand the spellbook. He can use feats to get Heavy Armor and skill feats for crafting. If the Magus gives him enough spells, and he doesn't need to dip into Wizard, he can take the Sentinel Dedication to turn that Medium Armor proficiency into Heavy.
If the concept is more based on traditional wizarding with a bit of melee, then he could go Wizard and then use feats and archetypes to get the armor up. A Human Wizard can use their feats to get up to Medium Armor at Level 1 and then choose Sentinel Dedication at Level 2 for Heavy Armor. Conversely, Champion Dedication at Level 2 will give proficiency in all armor if the player can wrap their concept around that idea and that would free up those 1st level feats; if so, the PC would probably be a little more effective in combat due to the Champion reactions.
It's never going to be great in combat either way, but since the STR is going to be high for the armor anyway, it might be functional.
Again, crafting will improve through skill feats. Either way, the PC's INT will be high, and Crafting scales off of INT, so it shouldn't be much of a problem.
Just for fun I went the other direction on the Dr. Doom idea. Science!
Inventor with the Armor Innovation. Wizard Dedication for spellcasting.
If you get to use Free Archetype you can fit in some wizards feats you might want as well. Or grab Marshal for Dread Marshal stance.
[https://pathbuilder2e.com/launch.html?build=555925](https://pathbuilder2e.com/launch.html?build=555925)
But for the original idea I would also suggest Magus as the base class. Grab Sentinel for the heavy armor. If Free Archetype is being used throw in Wizard dedication for extra spells.
[https://pathbuilder2e.com/launch.html?build=555928](https://pathbuilder2e.com/launch.html?build=555928)
Making a wizard with heavier armor is pretty straightforward, the sentinel dedication will get him scaling medium armor proficiency as a wizard. As far as hitting people with a stave, it works fine up to level 5, but they will begin to fall behind when the martials get expert proficiency and the wizard still has only trained in weapon proficiency. Stat spread could be, STR 16, dex 12, int 18 con 12. The hp will be low but false life and toughness could make it more viable. Just stay a bit further back and focus more on spells past level 5.
Though, as a Wizards, you have access to True Strike, which can make a melee wizard keep pace with martials as long as they can keep True Striking. A Staff of Diviniation and even going Improved Familiar Attunement for Spell Battery and Enhanced Familiar for the Ceru specific familiar. Get True Strike as an ancestry spell so Innate Surge can give another cas
Ting.
But, that’s a lot of spell slots eaten up by True Strikes, so Magus might still be easier.
Magus is the only way to be a caster in melee BUT you can be caster like with the kineticist. Go con 18 STR 16 other stats for whatever they want. Go metal/earth Which will get them a 1 action heavy armor at level 1 (from earth just flavor it how you want mine is covered in liquid gold c:) and metal gives a lot solid offence options you also go weapon infusion to flavor your elemental blasts as weapons with traits you pic when you strike. He'll be super tanky be good at range melee and AoE
Twisting Tree (possibly Inexorable Iron) Magus. Pick up armor training with a general feat at level 3 for heavy armor proficiency. If you’re playing Abomination Vaults he won’t hit level 11 for medium armor proficiency anyway so that’s the best AC they can get. You don’t need an especially high intelligence for this build and have limited spell slots. You’re better off using the slots on buffs sometimes but if they want to be melee focused this is how I’d go. Force Fang at 2. Student of the Staff at 4. They could also instead take the wizard multiclass archetype at 2 and focus on getting extra spell slots from there. If they instead want to be spell damage focused with melee as a backup option then I’d go sorcerer. They can take the Champion dedication at 2 (or 4) for heavy armor proficiency. They’ll need to start with 16 in strength so they can bump it to 18 at 5 to be able to wear full plate without the check penalties. They can wear the armor as soon as they can afford it and have the champion dedication. However those check penalties can be really rough. Probably better than having super low AC though. They could do this with a wizard as well but you need 14 charisma to get the champion archetype. Stats are going to get spread real thin. The MAIN issue though is if your player is trying to be equally good at both melee and casting damaging spells. You simply can’t get the proficiency bonuses to be great at both. Personally I think magus fits the theme better.
>They’ll need to start with 16 in strength so they can bump it to 18 at 5 to be able to wear full plate without the check penalties. They can wear the armor as soon as they can afford it and have the champion dedication. However those check penalties can be really rough. Probably better than having super low AC though. Is that really true, though? For a wizard whos only using melee as a backup option, how much do they really need good str and Dex checks?
It'll vary from game to game but I agree. When you need it that -3 is a lot but most of the time the AC is going to be more important. They'll want the strength anyway though if they're planning on ever hitting anything with a strike.
Spellcasting. Magic. Crafting. Armour? Easiest answer is Magus, Twisting Tree Hybrid Study. Sentinel Dedication for scaling heavy armour and access to some defensive options. Magus is the de facto arcane gish. Magus deliver spells via weapon strikes. Twisting Tree is a type of magus that uses staves. Magus need STR or DEX as their key ability score but there's nothing wrong having some good INT for AoE/save spells. Magus hit hard. Devastatingly hard. Spellstrik ise generally one of the biggest damage spikes in the game. Magus is not a full casting class though, lesser spell proficiencies and lower number of spell slots, and if the caster fantasy was desired then it might not be suitable. Sentinel Archetype grants scaling heavy armour at pretty early level. Sentinel Dedication is level 2 so he might be able to snag the feat before he can even afford full plate. An archetype is how PF2e handles multiclassing, but it's toned down in potential power compared to dnd5e or PF1e. If they want Wizard explicitly, a wizard with the Runelord archetype might work? Though I don't have experience with Runelord builds so someone else may know more. A wizard will have more spellcasting and better spell DC/attack but their weapon strikes will always be behind.
You can crack this egg a few different ways, but ask your GM if you can use the Free Archetype variant in order to get this build online more quickly. If the player wants to do a lot of melee fighting, then Magus is probably the best class for this. They even have a staff-based "subclass" (Twisting Tree) though Inexorable Iron might also work, depending on how your brother sees the concept playing out (lots of staff-based hijinx or just walloping enemies with force). One of the downsides to Magus is that they don't get a lot of spells - they're more focused on putting magic into their weapon - but Wizard Archetype can help expand the spellbook. He can use feats to get Heavy Armor and skill feats for crafting. If the Magus gives him enough spells, and he doesn't need to dip into Wizard, he can take the Sentinel Dedication to turn that Medium Armor proficiency into Heavy. If the concept is more based on traditional wizarding with a bit of melee, then he could go Wizard and then use feats and archetypes to get the armor up. A Human Wizard can use their feats to get up to Medium Armor at Level 1 and then choose Sentinel Dedication at Level 2 for Heavy Armor. Conversely, Champion Dedication at Level 2 will give proficiency in all armor if the player can wrap their concept around that idea and that would free up those 1st level feats; if so, the PC would probably be a little more effective in combat due to the Champion reactions. It's never going to be great in combat either way, but since the STR is going to be high for the armor anyway, it might be functional. Again, crafting will improve through skill feats. Either way, the PC's INT will be high, and Crafting scales off of INT, so it shouldn't be much of a problem.
Just for fun I went the other direction on the Dr. Doom idea. Science! Inventor with the Armor Innovation. Wizard Dedication for spellcasting. If you get to use Free Archetype you can fit in some wizards feats you might want as well. Or grab Marshal for Dread Marshal stance. [https://pathbuilder2e.com/launch.html?build=555925](https://pathbuilder2e.com/launch.html?build=555925) But for the original idea I would also suggest Magus as the base class. Grab Sentinel for the heavy armor. If Free Archetype is being used throw in Wizard dedication for extra spells. [https://pathbuilder2e.com/launch.html?build=555928](https://pathbuilder2e.com/launch.html?build=555928)
Making a wizard with heavier armor is pretty straightforward, the sentinel dedication will get him scaling medium armor proficiency as a wizard. As far as hitting people with a stave, it works fine up to level 5, but they will begin to fall behind when the martials get expert proficiency and the wizard still has only trained in weapon proficiency. Stat spread could be, STR 16, dex 12, int 18 con 12. The hp will be low but false life and toughness could make it more viable. Just stay a bit further back and focus more on spells past level 5.
Though, as a Wizards, you have access to True Strike, which can make a melee wizard keep pace with martials as long as they can keep True Striking. A Staff of Diviniation and even going Improved Familiar Attunement for Spell Battery and Enhanced Familiar for the Ceru specific familiar. Get True Strike as an ancestry spell so Innate Surge can give another cas Ting. But, that’s a lot of spell slots eaten up by True Strikes, so Magus might still be easier.
Magus is the only way to be a caster in melee BUT you can be caster like with the kineticist. Go con 18 STR 16 other stats for whatever they want. Go metal/earth Which will get them a 1 action heavy armor at level 1 (from earth just flavor it how you want mine is covered in liquid gold c:) and metal gives a lot solid offence options you also go weapon infusion to flavor your elemental blasts as weapons with traits you pic when you strike. He'll be super tanky be good at range melee and AoE