Perception
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Trained in Perception
Saving Throws
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Expert in Fortitude
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Trained in Reflex
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Expert in Will
Skills
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Trained in Religion
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Trained in one skill determined by your choice of deity
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Trained in a number of additional skills equal to 2 plus your Intelligence modifier
Attacks
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Trained in simple weapons
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Trained in the favored weapon of your deity. If your deity’s favored weapon is uncommon, you also gain access to that weapon
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Trained in unarmed attacks
Defenses
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Trained in light armor
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Trained in medium armor
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Trained in unarmored defense
Class DC
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Trained in divine spell attacks
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Trained in divine spell DCs
Ancestry
Dwarf
Dwarves make for excellent medium or heavy armored ancestries because of the feat Unburdened Iron which removes any speed penalties a piece of armor or shield imposes.
Heritage
Ancient-Blooded Dwarf OR Death Warden
The +1 from Ancient-Blooded’s reaction can be a lifesaver and a lot of particularly potent spells are from the Necromancy school, so treating a success as a critical success is incredibly helpful.
Dwarven heroes of old could shrug off their enemies’ magic, and some of that resistance manifests in you. You gain the Call on Ancient Blood reaction.
Call on Ancient Blood
Trigger You attempt a saving throw against a magical effect, but you haven't rolled yet.
Your ancestors' innate resistance to magic surges, before slowly ebbing down. You gain a +1 circumstance bonus until the end of this turn. This bonus also applies to the triggering save.
OR
Your ancestors have been tomb guardians for generations, and the power they cultivated to ward off necromancy has passed on to you. If you roll a success on a saving throw against a necromancy effect, you get a critical success instead.
Background
Warrior
You're trained in the Intimidation skill, and the Warfare Lore skill. You gain the Intimidating Glare skill feat.
Ability Scores
Sources
Ancestry: +2 Strength, +2 Charisma (using the variant ancestry ability scores)
Background: +2 Strength, +2 Charisma
Class: +2 Wisdom
Free Boosts: +2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, +2 Charisma
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Spells will not be used offensively, so Wisdom will not need to start off very high. 12 Dexterity is the cap for Breastplate, so it will not need to be increased further.
Attribute
Strength
Constitution
Dexterity
Score
16
12
12
Modifier
+3
+1
+1
Attribute
Wisdom
Intelligence
Charisma
Score
12
10
16
Modifier
+1
+0
+3
Starting Equipment
Price: 13 gp; Bulk 4 Bulk, 2 light; Money Left Over 2 gp
Armor Breastplate
Weapons Warhammer, Clan Dagger (Free for being a Dwarf)
Gear adventurer’s pack, climbing kit, silver religious symbol
Starting Proficiencies
Anathama
Class Feature
Your Anathema is largely roleplay based, but something to keep in mind. You cannot tell lies or cheat, intentionally craft inferior works, or show mercy to the enemies of our people.
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Devine Spellcasting
Class Feature
Despite the Warpriest's low wisdom, you will still focus on divine casting. These are more spells than we have access to, and Bless is first and foremost our bread and butter early on.
Cantrip
Very nice in a boss fight. Keep in mind that you can’t select yourself with this spell and it’s sustained, so it will require an action every round to maintain it.
Cantrip
A nice one action spell. There are better options in combat, but it can still be handy. Out of combat you can assist allies or yourself before attempting a skill check.
Cantrip
With our set up we won’t be carrying around a shield, and our Clan Dagger will be a substantial help to us with its parry trait, but Shield’s ability to deflect some incoming damage can be worth going for instead of a parry.
Cantrip
​A particularly situational cantrip, but a good one nonetheless depending on what you’re going up against. A nice spell to have in your back pocket.
1st Level Spell
Give yourself and allies in a 5-foot emanation a +1 status bonus to attack rolls. We can also use an action to extend the effect, but otherwise Bless is not sustained. This will be one of our key spells until we get Heroism.
1st Level Spell
​A very simple spell that gives us a small damage boost, but it could make all the difference. We can target two weapons with this, so we can give it to both our Warhammer and our Clan Dagger.
1st Level Spell
Situational, but nice. Keep in mind we’ll only ever be striking, at most, twice per round. We won’t be casting this often, but it might help once in a while.
1st Level Spell
Not necessarily for casting on ourselves or our allies, but particularly potent if you need to protect a non combatant.
Divine Font
Class Feature
​We’ll be going for Healing Font as healing is more focused on buffs and support, whereas Harmful Font is focused more on making will saves, which we’re not great at. Because of our high Charisma, we also get a lot more healing.
Healing Font
Healing Font: You gain additional spell slots each day at your highest level of cleric spell slots. You can prepare only heal spells in these slots, and the number of slots is equal to 1 plus your Charisma modifier.
Doctrine - Warpriest
Class Feature
Warpriest gains is increased defenses that makes it better as a front line supporter.
First Doctrine
You’re trained in light and medium armor, and you have expert proficiency in Fortitude saves. You gain the Shield Block general feat, a reaction to reduce damage with a shield. If your deity’s weapon is a simple weapon or an unarmed attack, you gain the Deadly Simplicity cleric feat. At 13th level, if you gain the divine defense class feature, you also gain expert proficiency in light and medium armor.
Action Combos
Extend Aura
COMBO Level 1
1st Action: Increase the emanation of Bless; 2nd Action: Strike with Warhammer; 3rd Action: Shove
With the emanation of Bless extended, there’s more wiggle room to allow allies to benefit from the spell. We strike to do a bit of damage, and then Shove with our Warhammer to push them back. This means that for the enemy to attack us on their turn, they have to move forward. Use this based on the situation as this could interfere with your teammates.
Get Ready, Everyone!
COMBO Level 1
1st and 2nd Action: Bless; 3rd Action: Stride or Strike
This allows you to buff yourself and any adjacent allies, and then strike with your new buffed up stats.
The Best Defense
COMBO Level 1
1st Action: Increase the emanation of Bless; 2nd Action: Strike with Warhammer; 3rd Action: Parry
The nice thing about using a Clan Dagger is it can act as both offense and defense, since it has the parry trait.
Is a Good Offense
COMBO Level 1
1st Action: Strike with Warhammer; 2nd Action: Strike with Clan Dagger; 3rd Action: Parry
Sometimes you don’t need to extend the range of Bless, and as such you can make use of your Clan Dagger, using its Agile trait to attack with a lower MAP. We go for a Parry instead of a Shove for this very reason.
Glaring Strike
COMBO Level 1
1st Action: Strike with Warhammer; 2nd Action: Strike with Clan Dagger; 3rd Action: Parry
Frightened is a particularly potent debuff that doesn’t require casting a spell and only takes a single action. With Intimidating Glare we also no longer need to meet the language requirement of Demoralize.
1st Level
Deity - Torag
Class Feature
Your deity determines things like your favored weapon and what domains you have access to. Torag’s favored weapon is a Warhammer.
There are a number of different feats that you could choose from here, and what you pick will largely depend on your campaign. If you’re fighting fiends, you will want to use Holy Castigation. If you’re fighting undead, you have a lot more freedom. Emblazon Armament is almost always worth it.
Quick Draw
Class Feat
You Interact to draw a weapon, then Strike with that weapon.
Opening Feint
COMBO Level 2
1st Action: Feint; 2nd Action: Quick Draw; 3rd Action: Strike
This allows you to get the creature flat-footed and then draw your weapon quickly and punish the creature.
Action Combos
2nd Level
3rd Level
Deny Advantage
Class Feature
As someone who takes advantage of others’ defenses, you are careful not to leave such openings yourself. You aren’t flat-footed to hidden, undetected, or flanking creatures of your level or lower, or creatures of your level or lower using surprise attack. However, they can still help their allies flank.
Action Combos
4th Level
Scouts Warning
Class Feat
Trigger You’re about to roll a Perception or Survival check for initiative; Effect You visually or audibly warn your allies of danger, granting them each a +1 circumstance bonus to their initiative rolls. Depending on whether you use gestures or call out, this action gains either the visual or auditory trait, respectively. Opening W
Action Combos
Opening Warning
COMBO Level 4
Free Action: Scout's Warning; Opening Feint Combo
This allows you to get the creature flat-footed and then draw your weapon quickly and punish the creature.
Action Combos
5th Level
Weapon Tricks
Class Feature
You gain expert proficiency in simple weapons as well as the rapier, sap, shortbow, shortsword, and unarmed attacks. When you critically succeed at an attack roll against a flat-footed creature while using an agile or finesse simple weapon or unarmed attack, or when using any of the listed weapons, you apply the critical specialization effect for that weapon or unarmed attack.
Action Combos
Twisting Pain
COMBO Level 6
1st Action: Feint; 2nd Action: Strike; 3rd Action: Twist the Knife
This allows you to get a creature flat-footed quickly and then cause them to take persistent bleed damage.
6th Level
Twist the Knife
Class Feat
Requirements Your last action was a melee Strike that dealt sneak attack damage to a flat-footed target; Effect You deal persistent bleed damage to the target equal to your number of sneak attack damage dice.
Hidden Bleed
COMBO Level 6
1st Action: Quick Draw; 2nd Action: Twist the Knife; 3rd Action: Hide
This works best when you are Striking a creature who is already flat-footed as this is a quick Strike and then become hidden.
Weapon Specialization
Class Feature
You deal 2 additional damage with weapons and unarmed attacks in which you are an expert. This damage increases to 3 damage if you’re a master, and 4 damage if you’re legendary.
Action Combos
7th Level
Evasion
Class Feature
Your proficiency rank for Reflex saves increases to master. When you roll a success on a Reflex save, you get a critical success instead.
Vigilant Senses
Class Feature
Your proficiency rank for Perception increases to master.
Distracting Injury
COMBO Level 7
1st Action: Strike; 2nd Action: Twist the Knife; 3rd Action: Create a Diversion
This allows you to deal sneak attack damage and then become hidden from a creative distraction.
Action Combos
Opportune Rogue
COMBO Level 8
End Any Combo Adjacent to a Foe and an Ally
This will increase your chances of triggering your opportune backstab.
8th Level
Opportune Backstab
Class Feat
Trigger A creature within your melee reach is hit by a melee attack from one of your allies; Effect Make a Strike against the triggering creature.
Action Combos
Slow Your Pace
COMBO Level 9
Deal Sneak Attack and Apply the Speed Penalty Debilitation
This will allow you to make a quick escape or make the creature spend additional actions trying to get closer to you.
Don't Punch Me
COMBO Level 9
Deal Sneak Attack and Apply the Enfeebled Debilitation
This will lower a creature’s melee attacks.
9th Level
Debilitating Strike
Class Feature
Trigger Your Strike hits a flat-footed creature and deals damage; Effect You apply one of the following debilitations, which lasts until the end of your next turn.
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Debilitation The target takes a –10-foot status penalty to its Speeds.
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Debilitation The target becomes enfeebled 1.
Action Combos
Bleeding Punishment
COMBO Level 10
End Any Combo Adjacent to a Foe and an Ally
This will increase your chances of triggering your opportune backstab.
10th Level
Precise Debilitation
Class Feat
You carefully aim and gracefully deliver your debilitations. Add the following debilitations to the list you can choose from when you use Debilitating Strike.
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Debilitation The target takes an additional 2d6 precision damage from your attacks.
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Debilitation The target becomes flat-footed.