5 Stereotype-defying builds for Dungeons and Dragons and Pathfinder2e

[@claudioroperti4785]

I once played with a skald, but instead of singing, he used death growls, like a death metal singer spreading fury among his companions. Very entertaining.

[@PsiPrimeProductions1]

I had a PF1 Skald who used opera singing as his rage song.

[@oiman5733]

Honestly a war muse bard with armor and dirge of doom would *absolutely* work for that concept. I like imagining Dirge of Doom as basically the breakdown(?) riff from Demiurge (- Meshuggah)

[@edwardkopp1116]

Number 4, the Soldier Rogue is called the E-4 Mafia in the military. I was well known for my "procurement" abilities.

[@PsiPrimeProductions1]

I learn that from @the_fat_electrician

[@syvajarvi2289]

The sham shield😂😂😂

[@TeutonicViking]

My favorite twist of the idea of an investigator is for a kingmaker campaign. an investigator who is an workers health and safety inspector.

[@PsiPrimeProductions1]

Back in PF1 for pathfinder society, my friends and I decided to make the pathfinder society legal team. We had a lawyer, (wizard) Paralegal (warpriest of Abadar) safety inspector (investigator), and someone from HR (forget their class). Fun times.

[@TeutonicViking]

@@PsiPrimeProductions1 That sounds like an awesome party

[@PsiPrimeProductions1]

@@TeutonicViking “I’m here to raise a forgotten evil god to prominence and infest the city with monsters!” “Mate, your dungeon is not up to code! Handrails! Someone could get hurt!” “I uh, I hope so?” “Oh, that’s bad, you just went from gross negligence to actual intentional malice. . .”

[@duncbot9000]

Content and editing keeps getting better, great stuff! I once played a barbarian who was just an 8 year old girl with a big hammer who's rages were flavoured as "bouts of excitement"

[@PsiPrimeProductions1]

Thank you! Child endangerment aside . . . that's a fun character build.

[@royal9743]

Investigators actually make GREAT assassins and serial killers! All the mechanics about being on a case and pursueing a lead can be applied to a mark you are trying to kill and their ability to simply reroll their strategem every round without taking a shot makes them scary snipers as they can simply wait for a nat 20 while their target enjoys a nice croissant in front of a bistro or something like that.

[@theprinceofawesomeness]

Bounty Hunter

[@gurugnu]

I made an "Uncle Fester" monk. He grew up playing/wrestling with friendly monsters in his basement.

[@PsiPrimeProductions1]

That’s fun!

[@joongwonpyo]

I heard of someone who wanted to make a Barbarian, but raging is their sailor moon transformation and they want to take the up and coming PF2e Starlit sentinel archetype 😂 I also had a brief encounter where our bard was the drummer on those row ships you see in movies and inspired courage. So kind of a military leader like you said! This is also the most petty request, but can you please not use the phone alarm sound in your videos 😂 I like watching your stuff before bed but my gf is usually sleeping and it freaks her out cuz that is her alarm 😢

[@tygreen101]

Random guy finds a gem. As long as he is holding on to(touching) the gem, it talks to him. The gem inspires him to greatness and offers him spells in return for obedience. The gem convinces him to use a pair of claw weapons and grants him a spell that wraps him in white harming those that harm him. As they work together, the gem offers him more training in how to use the claw weapon and more magic spells. The fact that the gem holds a dragon who fell victim to a Magic Jar spell and it is just trying to vicariously relive his glory days through the kid never needs to come up. The kid may have a Warlock class, but he thinks he is becoming a dragon.

[@Finndl101]

Time to add that armored psychic build to the list of characters I'll never get to play 😄

[@PsiPrimeProductions1]

I know rite?!

[@compatflame9]

I played a bard(college of swords) who was an ex-pirate. But instead of being the dexterous swashbuckling kind i wanted them to be more like the "drummer of a metal band" friend who has your back, so i made him beefy. I still remember that one time the baarbarian was trying to carry something heavy for me and i looked the player in the eye and said "our characters are equally strong"

[@lyracian]

A nice list of ideas although I personally do see Ashton with his anger issues as a fairly traditional Barbarian. The Warrior Bard or Skald is my preferred way to play a bard. Prancing around with a guitar never really sat well as a character concept for me!

[@PsiPrimeProductions1]

Like I said, some people think that Barbarians HAVE to be from some remote barbarian tribe. Asthon grew up in a big city surrounded by literal steampunk motorbikes. So yeah, he may act the barbarian, but his backstory is anything but traditional.

[@oiman5733]

I legitimately hope that there's *some* kind of pf2 homebrew archetype that can capture Ashton's weirdness.

[@chloehussey7519]

Built a PF2e Iruxi Monk who was just a normal farmhand (with the relevant background of course) who had a friend who gets around a lot pick them up some ancient Iruxi writing about martial arts used at the time from a curio shop or whatever. Just a neat little gift and my character just, casually learned the techniques listed because why not? The build was basically just Dragon Stance at 1st level flavoring it as my character using their tail as like a 3rd leg for balancing while doing Dragon Kicks

[@liamcage7208]

A couple of my favorites in P2e is the "Skirmisher" light infantry type rebranding the Swashbuckler who likes to open combat with thrown weapons to gain "courage" (panache) then closes for melee. The background would be that of a soldier or bandit, whatever but not a sailor or pirate. Another is the "Lasuer" (French for someone who does parkour). This is a Swashbuckler/Acrobat where "exhilaration" (panache) comes from using acrobatics in their attack. I like the idea of using the already dozens of P2e character classes, using them as a template to develop a new role similar in mechanics as the Hybrid classes from P1e. There is no need to create another class but change the name to help the players to shake the mental image of the stereotype. How many times is a PC referred to by their class and not their name; have the 'Ranger' go over there. Hard to envision the PC as anything else other than a Ranger when that happens.

[@brigid6378]

I made a 5e barbarian that was flavored as a farmboy who was pressed into service in his lords levees before deserting. I used a trident reflavored as a pitchfork, and I reflavored rage as his incredible luck. I'd describe his damage resistance as things like enemies attacks getting randomly snagged on foliage or clothes, and his extra rage damage was him blindly stabbing with his eyes closed and coincidentally hitting the gaps in an enemies armor.

[@PsiPrimeProductions1]

I one time made a ranger that was just kinda a bumbling town guard that lucked into adventuring. He didn't look cool, was balding, and just was a town lookout/archer in his mid 40s on a quest to save the world. Against his will.

[@ColdBlazze]

The monk i made like 4 years ago (and still play with him in campaign atm), was a one from a hunter gathering Dagonborn tribe and on the way he picked up from wanderers the martial arts of monks, he like it and proceeded to do so. It's a multiclas of Open hand Monk with Brute Fighter and i made him into a punching machine that's usually absent minded, but with strong values. I made it Str monk with Max Str, mid Con and Dex with like 14 for WIS.

[@davidioanhedges]

I love the concept of Fresh Cut Grass - too many parties treat the cleric as just a HealBot so Sam Riegal decided to simply play a literal Heal Bot and see where it went ...

[@AgentForest]

I made a Harengon (Rabbitfolk) Barbarian for a one-shot who ventured out of the feywild and was captured by orcs and used as bait in their fighting pits, eventually becoming something of a gladiatorial champion because he'd always win. He didn't really know how he was winning. He was a meek terrified little rabbit with Gauntlets of Ogre Strength to even be able to wield his weapon. He didn't "rage" he'd "panic". Same exact mechanics but he'd essentially get scared and black-out and somehow end up victorious. He was a Path of Wild Magic Barbarian, and if he summoned exploding flumphs while Raging, they were wolpertingers. Essentially, when his fight or flight response would kick in, weird fey shit would happen around him. His name was Bait (his name in the fighting pits) and he was so much fun.

[@badideagenerator2315]

i'm more familiar with dnd 5th edition than pathfinder; here's some build ideas I thought of a ranger could be made into a combat medic; focusing on healing spells, and using one of the martial-oriented subclasses such as monster slayer or hunter. the ancestral guardian barbarian subclass can be used to make an "ancestral archer" build where your ancestral protectors force enemies to attack you by imposing disadvantage on attacks made against anyone else, but are unable to do so because you're attacking them from far away with a longbow. a monk could function as a gish if you play a half-elf way of the 4 elements monk with elf weapon training, and make a longsword your dedicated weapon, since by 3rd level you can cast a spell as your action and then make an attack with your longsword as a bonus action. a loxodon rogue can be strength-based thanks to their constitution-based natural armour, meaning you can have a huge elephant guy sneak attacking people with a rapier. if you make them a swashbuckler rogue specifically you can make it a "heavy stealth" build, in which you use intimidation to compensate for your low dexterity.

[@ultrakitten674]

in the 5e campaign Im player atm I have a Bard(whispers) / Warlock(Genie,Blade) Changeling. Every spell and ability is aimed towards deception and stealth, and in combat they are an archer who fights from within magical darkness(most the time). The concept was a very robin hood styled rogue who steals from the rich to give to the poor who happens to make the bad people fight each other (by looking like them and using friends or charm person). It drives one of the guys at the table a little nuts that I am not bard enough since i dont sing or play music but it fit the concept way better than just playing a rogue!

[@TheLocalDisasterTourGuide]

It was a Pathfinder 1e build, but I made a melee Arcanist. I used the Sorcerer Bloodline variant & leaned into all the fun Draconic stuff you could get. Chose spells based on what was most useful up close & personal. Need to translate that build over to 2e!

[@jacobclark7950]

I'm playing a Sword Bard (5e) piravateer that refers to himself as a swashbuckler. He sometimes sings sea shanties but otherwise doesn't act like a typical bard.

[@savonhlee6385]

I'm currently playing a strength based way of mercy monk who was forced to be a fighter/wrestler, he hates fighting, but is left with no choice but to do so due to his family's actions and the world he lives in. He is generally a gentle and charismatic guy who just wants to be a musician/actor, but can get quite brutal if pushed too far or if those he loves are in danger. The character does meditate every now and then to restore ki, but I always roleplay this as him trying to calm himself down by drawing, or sowing clothes to clear his mind and get himself together. His flurry of blows only comes out if he's really angry or threatened, and works through adrenaline in our world. And usually I make it so my character barely moves around the map if he has just used the ability. Another one of my characters is a dhampir, with a charisma score of 6 (-2), who is lawful good, religious and despite needing to feed on raw meat, refuses to feed on any humanoid or pet. He's an artificer/bloodhunter who mainly works with bows, as he is scared he might bite someone if he gets too close and loses control. Originally he was going to be a morally grey or even slightly evil character, but I decided against it after rewriting some parts of his story. Sometimes it's easy to give in to stereo types, or to over do them as a joke. I sometimes start with a stereotypical character, but prefer to give them enough flavor or personality that they start feeling more 'real' and 'deep' :P

[@jacobshaftoe8326]

Pathfinder 2E is great for this kinda thing, this sunday it's the group lead by the orc barbarian beauty queen. Free archetype is godsend.

[@jacobshaftoe8326]

Week after I get to play my monk/pro-wrestler/Aussie swearing machine known as Bulk Bogan. You're welcome.

[@scottcooley5125]

In my experience, this type of character designing is a great way to tell an experienced player apart from a noob. I've been playing tabletop for almost 20 years and one of the first things that really drew me into pathfinder (1e) was the archtyping customization, turning typical class ideas into a thing of the past. Of course, I still like to follow stereotype from time to time, but I think it's really fun to play with your build and background and come up with something unique. I appreciate this video in its attempt to encourage creativity and thoughtful approaches and encourage everyone (not just experienced players) to try doing this. Make your character your own and avoid GMs/DMs who discourage or disallow this kind of playing

[@charleswatson2605]

I built a p2e monk who was the son of merchants who fought in a night time "fight club" because working the register at the family store was boring.

[@AspelShuyin]

Two of the characters I really want to play are this. The first is a Gymnast Swashbuckler, Gladiator Background, who is a big buff orc woman decked out in gaudy and revealing pink and white outfits who fights with one gauntlet and one spiked gauntlet and calls herself The Unicorn. A wrestler. and the one I *really* want to play is a Thaumaturge with Sword Implement who was a tavern girl that had an adventurer she slept with die in bed and while she was panicking to figure out how to hide the body the sword starts talking to her. It teaches her how to use Esoterica, which is mostly just trinkets other adventurers gifted her. She has no idea what she's doing but is finally living out her dreams of adventure. But also it's possible she's just had a breakdown and is coping in a strange way and the sword isn't actually talking. I also always play a Sword Bard in 5e where I basically just buff myself with stuff like Kinetic Jaunt and Longstrider and then use my Flourishes.

[@einkar4219]

well about bard stereotype, I recencty made a bard for kingmaker, nothing too crazy just a bard who made pact with fey and became beastkin but doesn't remember anything about it, with skills of your typocal bard we were using influence system and relatively soon I focused on one halfling because from the description I assumed that using performance is good option after scoring 6 out of 8 points (8 was max and party got 2 points) I relized I accidentally confirmed stereotype of seducing bard....

[@theprinceofawesomeness]

I mean... did you intend on "Seducing" them? Seducing someone and just making friends are two compleat different goals, and just because you are good at seduction dosen't mean you try or want to

[@syvajarvi2289]

I play rangers a lot. I use Tasha’s and they are linguists because of deft explorer. Usually a Fey Wanderer ranger but I have found horizon Walker to be a good class for certain campaigns. We give a free feat at lvl 1 regardless of race and I usually take skilled feat with a craftsman background but I have taken failed merchant, soldier, folk hero, or witch light hand background to build a quick back story. The circus performer/carney ranger with a 3 lvl dip in bard was probably one of my favorites to roll play. Had a good dex and wisdom as well as not dumping CHA. Played him to lvl 14 and he was the face of the party. We reward players with feats for roll play in lue of magical items from time to time so ASI are available for stat increases so it’s not uncommon for ritual or magic initiate to be rewarded to a half caster if they regularly use certain prepared spells to get a free use as well as to open up a spell slot and give a few additional cantrips. We also created an unarmored defense feat that is based on the lvl 1 monk unarmored defense as well as mobility, it is probably one of the most popular feats for wisdom based spell casters and rogues as well as rangers. The ranger was a “fire eater” in the carnival. Smooth talking, deceptive, and full of dad jokes.

[@pungoblin9377]

My favorite subversion for 5e is a Healer Rogue. A mastermind/thief rogue with the healer feat is amazing if you want to play a nonmagical healer

[@AndrewFullerton-vo3wp]

Maybe a Nagji who is a Rogue working for a local "crime boss" and sometimes provides "influence" on certain customers who might not be paying what they owe?

[@kevindaniel1337]

One day I still want to play a Dad Bard. "Way to go champ!" "I believe in you my little princess." When he hurts with Magic or demoralizes "I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed."

[@jediprotector216]

My favorite build in PF2 is the intelligent Orc Ranger with small weapons. Currently at 7th level with Gravity Weapon to start with until I got Beastmaster dedication.

[@felixcohen1247]

I started strength of thousands a while ago and the party needed a frontliner. But i did want to be a full caster in the magic campaign. So my witch picked up the champion dedication using free archetype. I did have to give up a point of intelligence to make everything work, but now at level 4 with toughness and champion resiliency i've got top of the line AC and HP, in addition to being a full caster.

[@theprinceofawesomeness]

I made the mistake to play a Wizard in SoT, not knowing the Wizard/Druid free archetype, since i was not alowed to be a Wizard wizard i had to be a Wizard druid. Since i was evidentely not a Druid and i knew Druidic i decided to write and publish a Lexicon book for translation of Druedic in to Common. I was playing LE and tried to goad druids in to violance towards me in crowded areas to make them look like manaces to socity. I did have the animal polymorph ability (forgot the name), and even if i was not a druid (and even hated the "hipies") i was warry respective and Protective of nature to a near Draconic extent Edit: my group was forced to only have Wizard or Druid as Free Archetype

[@Shaso-xv3tw]

See I always appreciate the thought that a swashbuckler in 5e can wear half plate with a shield, and get a +3 bonus from dex letting one in theory have an ac of 20. In theory it would make a good armored rapier and buckler dualist. Unfortunately I haven’t had the chance to play as a 5e character for like, over half a decade. Closest I get to playing is in Monster of the Week.

[@PsiPrimeProductions1]

I thought medium armor only gave you a max dex bonus of +2? Or is there something I’m missing. I’m not quite as up on DnD optimization as pathfinder 2e. I will admit, in BG3 (which I admit is heavily modified DnD), one of my favorite things to do is to give Asterion medium armor proficiency with a feat, then have him run around in half plate with a shield for, like, 22ish AC.

[@bijnahonderdeuro]

Flavour is free, basically. In 5e I have a swarmkeeper ranger/arcana cleric that has a battalion of dead allies interact with the battlefield to simulate their spells and features. Meanwhile in pf2e I am straight up playing a ranger whose job is ranger and is an archer half elf with a hawk. And it is awesome.

[@theprinceofawesomeness]

It's free untill you cast a spell mechanicly and don't cast a spell flavory. (Like when an Artifices "castes" a spell thrue a "gadget")

[@mineflameblade8788]

Not really dnd. More Bg3. But I made a swords bard that multiclassed into Rogue and Fighter. Her name was Spider. [Githyanki] Discontented with her lot in life as a farmer on the astral plane, and frustrated with Vlaakith's caste system. Spider's fate changed forever when she murdered a Githyanki knight after a personal sliight. She ended up ether stealing a Spelljammer and crash landing on Faerune before being snatched by Ghaik. Or having to jump on a notoloid to escape being killed. She ended up having plenty of interesting interactions with Lazel. 2 Gith who started out opposed with one another; but ended up becoming close allys. Mechanically. Spider was basically a gunslinger with dual handcrossbows and she not only a lot of fun. But was extremely lethal in combat.

[@theprinceofawesomeness]

In PF1E i was playing a sinful paladin, mechanicly i was a paladin focusing on spells, but playing i was a glory seeking schoolar who just happened to be deeply zealot who got every tenent wrong. I do get the reflavoring of a chassy but i really despise the ignoring of what an ability actually is, like casting a spells by not actually casting a spell. When i realised Monk could better describe a "Brawler" and Ki could just be "Focus" it opened up more options for me since i had made some Brawler type characters in the past with out using Monk since they were not meant to be a martial artist like that (i used Barbarion and Fighter before i realised Monk could just be a Brawler) P.S i play as a Field Marshal (Valor Bard) allway

[@NyctophileXIII]

I wanted to play a monk in a very Euro-style medieval game and reskinned the class as sort of a "martial druid" who used antlers and badger jawbones as my monk weapons. Ki was reimagined as "the breath of nature."

[@PsiPrimeProductions1]

A creative and fun way to do it!

[@KarterAurian]

Some nice ideas there to play around with

[@aproudresidentofinnsmouth9105]

wizards don't really have the issue of being boxed into a stereotype, but my favourite wizards I've seen played have always been the ones that are the opposite of the classic wizard, buried in books, always reading something, obsessed with paper etc. one of them was essentially an arcane CIA agent, using the order of scribes

[@blankiecat9302]

Reminds me I played a rat folk Druid that’s was basically part of a mafia and summon swarms of animals (big family and got connections)

[@jacobshaftoe8326]

Another one to look at for a Bard Military Leader is Marshal, may lead to doubling up on some stuff unless you make them fearsome. Add fear spells to a guy who can force enemies within an aura to be unable to lower their frightened value and watch the GM cry.

[@theprinceofawesomeness]

Thaumaturge with Regalia can complement Marshal. Just be the Partys Buff Beacon and don't do anything except "ask" your party to "hit that enemy harder, please"

[@jacobshaftoe8326]

@@theprinceofawesomeness, finally, a prompt to learn Thaumaturge! Cheers!

[@jacobshaftoe8326]

I like it, one-way fear gradient!

[@theprinceofawesomeness]

@@jacobshaftoe8326 just be forewarnee that the Initial Marshal Dedication have overlap with Regalia, but Regalia is the implement i recomend for this build

[@jacobshaftoe8326]

@@theprinceofawesomeness I was thinking if you leant into the Dread Marshal side of things the overlap is super minimal, and ends up being the "Take advantage of everything Charisma in combat" guy, maybe if you can convince a party member to get Bon Mot just for extra mind-nuking fun...

[@asssufocation]

Really good takes!

[@Giozize]

I do think that while this is an issue, it’s not so much of an issue outside of the classes 5e has since the community there made strong stereotypes about their classes. Like…what’s the stereotype about a psychic? Or a thaumaturge? Or a kineticist? You can maybe think of something but it’s not as dominant as “rogue is brooding and steals everything”

[@PsiPrimeProductions1]

Psychics tend to be seen as similar to wizards or sorcerers, noodle-armed weaklings. Thaumaturge tends to have a strong VanHelsing, monster-hunter vibe. A lot of people categorize kineticist as pyromanics, but that may be because of Yoon, the iconic.

[@gamervox1707]

Funny I play in video game the armor mage build.

[@uncensoredhappiness]

I played a 3.5 monk that was a luchador.

[@AndrewFullerton-vo3wp]

Or an Investigator who is based off of a school teacher from Colonial America who sees himself as a ladies man when he really isn't?

[@schemage2210]

Shining Battle-Leader! Ha. I think I rather call myself a bard! Lol.

[@PsiPrimeProductions1]

To each their own?