The Island of Misfit Martial Classes - Alchemist, Gunslinger, and Magus in Pathfinder 2e

[@strdstryr]

As someone playing a gunslinger taking tons of alchemy feats and leaning hard into crafting, this was fun! There’s some pretty great synergy between the two and it’s been a really awesome character.

[@superboyok_]

Oh Alchemist my darling, I'm sorry you have to get compared with 2 of the most popular classes, you'll have your day

[@vehemetipolygoniae2197]

There is no way gunslinger is one of the most popular classes

[@TheAssaisa1]

@@vehemetipolygoniae2197People like big numbers and gunslinger has the biggest numbers when the stars align.

[@vehemetipolygoniae2197]

@@TheAssaisa1 no, i literally mean: there was a poll on the most popular classes on reddit some time ago, and gunslinger came almost dead last It's a REALLY cool and well made class, but in terms of popularity, I'd expect it to be at the bottom

[@Crit2Hit.]

You are quickly becoming my favourite source of PF2e content. I get the same feel from you that I do from Colby from D4: Deep Dive. Cheers dude, appreciate the content!

[@scottforsythe37]

Magus is my second favorite class in Pathfinder. It really feels like it achieves the same mechanical role as Paladins in 5e, in that it's a melee striker who can burn spell slots to either augment damage or provide mechanical utility. I just wish there were more ways to offset the action cost

[@davidbowles7281]

Except a magus shouldn't play anything like a paladin.

[@andrellnogueira]

I know we most likely won't have a secrets of magic revised, but Magus and Summoner could really use some new packets of feats, at least. Things to boost Arcane Cascade, like something that boosts accuracy while you're in it, and some more ways to recharge spellstrike on the go. Some more combat spells or spell-like abilities would be awesome too. The new subclasses are steps in the right direction, too.

[@S1leNtRIP]

Magus, Gunslinger, and Champion are my favorite classes so far in PF2e. So fun, with so much of the versatility in gameplay AND flavor that I love. Great videos friend, love the vibes you bring, and the Vs series is good fun!

[@NXPhoenix3]

One other thing regarding the Alchemist and exploration: you can make alchemical tools with quick alchemy IIRC. This means that you can learn the recipes for a bunch of niche alchemical items that you would normally never carry around and quick alchemy them into existence, making certain encounters, barriers, or other difficulties much less difficult. You will usually not be a damage monster as an Alchemist: you will be Batman's utility belt. They can laugh all they want until the aquatic adventure hits and you whip out that Bat-anti-shark spray after the enemy covers you in chum.

[@valvadis2360]

I wonder when they will create more Class Archetypes like the Way of the Spellshot. Seems like good design space for a subclass to be really differebt from the base one. Maybe remastered Mutagenist Alchemist should be one, so you can leave the rest of the normal class budget to not focus on melee. The other Alchemist subclasses are a lot more similar to each other than the Mutagenist is, or at least it wants to be.

[@schemage2210]

Honestly I think the Gunslinger might have had a fairer comparison next to the Ranger. Gunslingers are very cool, definitely combat heavy but there are plenty of cool feats like speccing into limited alchemy that can diversify your skillset.

[@sethb3090]

Alchemist and magus are harder classes to learn - shoutout to all of us who started with them!

[@sethb3090]

Re: class similarities, I don't know if you mentioned it but magi, like gunslingers, are inveterate crit fishers. We all hope one day to crit spellstrike a boss and straight-up delete them.

[@joshuaturnquist5538]

I have been thinking, the Alchemist is kind of a Wizard/Sorcerer hybrid, but with items instead of spells. They get their "reagents," and at the start of the day they can prepare their items similar to a wizards spells, or for fewer but more versatile "spell slots" on demand like a sorcerer they can use quick alchemy.

[@SquidasaurusRex]

All three classes are beholden to an action tax of some sort. Alchemists need to Interact to draw/activate/use alchemical items or use Quick Alchemy or spend actions to hand party members alchemical items or force feed them mid combat. Magi need to Spellstrike and then recharge. Gunslingers need to reload. All classes are built around that action tax. Mageese and Gunslingers have options to do extra stuff while performing that action cycle (Conflux spells and Way related reloads) . Alchemists have some built in feats/features like Quick Bomber, research field benefits, or alchemical familiars that can help; but the class show its age in comparison to Magus/Gunslinger as there's nowhere near as much synergistic design. I hope the remastered alchemist gives them some interesting options to improve using elixirs and poisons and bombs. Toxicologist field Alchemists don't even get a free Interact to draw the poison with their Apply Poison action like Rogues or some of the archetypes get.

[@flameloude]

I'm testing out a toxicological to represent a drug dealer. The poisons are quite interesting once you look past the damage, movement penalties, damage to the undead, and so on.

[@jonathanbennison9220]

10:47 Just for the record. A functional class, with a blank slate for options... Is a marvel for actual creativity narratives, character design, and RP. And there is zero reason alnot to roleplay the Gunslinger, with the same flavours that seem suggested by the swashbuckler. Both would make exceptional. Pirates, or swashbucklers, and if one weren't named swash, it wouldn't be assumed to be better at the job. Which, it's probably not.

[@emaldonado001]

Pathfinder 1e Alchemist using variant multiclassing into Gunslinger discuss.....

[@bilboswaggings]

I love Alchemist so much, I just feel like the class is often misunderstood Even if you specialize into something you should always use everything since you still have access to any formula That is why I think the chirurgeon is the best subclass, you have the same access to everything but you get full medicine proficiency from crafting you are essentially a combination of a prepared and a spontaneous caster with weaker spells... but for proccing weaknesses, debuffing and exploration you will not feel the weaker power for the most part

[@lincr.1988]

That's my boy!!! ❤❤

[@aaronbrowne1771]

Magus (pronounced May-gus)

[@jonathanbennison9220]

Weird comparisons...

[@haydongonzalez-dyer2727]

First

[@KL-dy5ue]

Good Job!