This is a continuation of my main Pathfinder page, where I am documenting all of the changes to the classes, archetypes and Prestige Classes from the tabletop to the video game. If a feature or ability is the same as the tabletop game I will not list it here–assume it is present and unchanged. Any new archetypes will be denoted by an asterisk (*). So, to continue with the S’s:
Shifter *DLC only*: Shifters have been added as a class to WotR with The Last Sarkorians DLC. How are they in the video game? In short, way better than the tabletop, they are very solid now and you can get crazy-high stats with them. They can also wear metal armor without penalty. Wild Empathy, Trackless Step, Thousand Faces and Timeless Body are removed. Minor spoiler: if you have the DLC, you may recruit a companion with this class. Other differences are covered below:
- Aspects. The following aspects are available: bear, boar, dinosaur (deinonychus), horse, lizard, mammoth, spider, tiger, wolf, wolverine
- 3rd level: Woodland Grace means all difficult terrain is bypassed, and gain a +2 to AC vs AoO’s
- 4th level: Wildshape/Major Form. This is the same, but mention is made that the Master Shapeshifter mythic ability makes the duration permanent
*Child of the Manticore: a brand new archetype for Shifter, and one of my favorites. Description: “Manticores are known to breed with many lion-like creatures, and shifters in lion forms are no exception. Perhaps you are the result of someone’s vile experiment, or some other circumstances have dedicated that your shifting abilities have become twisted by manticore blood.” Manticores don’t grow claws, they grow spikes. They can’t choose any of the normal shifter aspects because they have the manticore aspect.
- 1st level: Spikes. Spikes are the only natural ranged attack in the game. Even at level one a CotM can throw two spikes per round
- Manticore Aspect. Minor provides +2 bonuses to Str and Dex, these scale at 10th, 15th and 20th level, and the Str bonus is added to the damage of the spikes. The duration is only minutes per level instead of hours, but at level 5 you get an extra spike attack (think Manyshot) and at 20th you get 3 more
- 4th level: Manticore Shape. You get a speed increase, scent, and can throw 4 spike attacks (and it stacks with rapid shot and deadly aim)! At 9th level immunity to ground-based effects (cuz you’re flying), and +4 dmg to natural attacks. At 14th you get Improved Natural Attack
Dragonblood Shifter: No major changes to this archetype.
Feyform Shifter: This is also similar to the tabletop, but there are a couple of changes which catapult it into an elite archetype for Shifter
- 4th level: the form you get is the Ankou, which is a great form. Five attacks, which combines with Shifter’s Fury, and you get to make sneak attacks (full sneak attack progresson like a rogue)
- 8th level: you get a rogue talent, and another one at level 14.
- 9th level: the FS gets a second aspect taken from the normal selection of aspects
- 10th level: the FS gets evasion
Fiendflesh Shifter: There are a couple of changes from tabletop. First, the FS does not need to be of evil alignment.
- Infernal Claws. Automatically bypass DR of evil outsiders
- 2nd level: Fiendish Resilience is almost identical, but at 8th and 16th fire and electricity resistances increase by 10
- 9th level: Chimeric Fiend has changed. Now daemon gives acid resistance and +4 profane bonus vs disease; demon gives cold resistance and +4 to dmg with claw attacks; devil gives +4 to AC and +4 profance bonus to reflex saves
Rageshaper: Devastating Form is improved, it’s only a swift action, does not provoke AoO’s, and lasts for 1 minute instead of 1 round/level, and is fatigued for 5 rounds. Terrible Slam is improved as it deals improved slam damange that scales every five levels, and does even more damage to constructs. Invulnerable Defenses now scales at 10th, 15th and 20th level. Terrible Leap is removed.
Weretouched *Requires The Last Sarkorians and Lord of Nothing DLC*: This is cool, one of my two favorite archetypes for the class. Lycanthropic empathy is removed from the tabletop version, and so is Woodland Grace. Other features are altered or added:
- Lycanthrope Aspect gets a +2 to Str, Dex and Con, which scales at 8th and 16th level
- 2nd level: Lycanthropic Tracker. +4 to Perception and you gain Scent
- 4th level: Lycanthropic Form. You get 3 choices: Wererat, Weretiger and Werewolf, they can be used once per day which increases by one at 8th and 12th levels. Form lasts for 1 hour, but Master Shapeshifter makes it permanent
- Wererat: Gains DR 1/silver, which scales to 3 at lvl 8 and 5 at lvl 15; 2 claw atks (d4) and a bite (d6) which comes with a free disarm attempt, and the Jump Up rogue talent; they also get sneak attacks. Sneak attack damage only increases at 8th and 15th. At 8th level gains the Weakening Wound rogue talent. At 15th she gains Crippling Strike and Opportunist rogue talents
- Weretiger: Gains DR 5/silver, which scales to 10 and 15; 2 claw atks (d6) and a bite (d6), an AC bonus = 1/2 Shifter level, and Combat Expertise for free. At 8th claw atks increase to 2d6 and gains pounce! At 15th claw atks go to 2d8, gains fast healing 5 and Lunge feat for free
- Werewolf: Gains DR 3/silver, which scales to 5 and 7; 2 claw atks (d4) and a bite (d6), the Trip feat for free, and claw atks have a bleed effect (1 dmg) which stacks 5 times. At 8th bleed becomes 2 dmg, and can trip as a free action if the bite attack hits. At 15th bleed becomes 5 dmg, and Greater Trip feat for free
- 8th level: Bestial Roar. All creatures within a 30-foot cone must make a Will save (DC 10+ 1/2 Shifter lvl + Wis) or be shaken for rounds = Shifter level
- 20th level capstone: Final Aspect. Can change into major or minor form at will
Wild Effigy: Armor Plating is changed, it no longer provides bonuses to natural AC. Heart of Earth now adds the Ferocity ability. Stoneclaw Strike now is not limited to 3x/day.
Skald: Skalds now have 3 skill points/level. Song of Marching and Versatile Performance are removed, but now they have Skald Talents and a bonus feat at first level from the following list: combat casting, elemental focus, one of six metamagic feats, spell focus or spell penetration. Lore Master is slightly modified, as he can no longer take 20 but does take 10. If you don’t have DLC the base class is your best best, as most archetypes mess with your rage power progression too much. If you have DLC, the Inciter is the better choice. Be aware the new Mythic Inspiration ability will benefit most skalds and bards.
- 2nd level, Skald Talent: A skald gains a Rogue talent, as the rogue class feature of the same name. At 7th level and every 5 levels thereafter, the Skald gains an additional rogue talent. A Skald cannot select a rogue talent that modifies the Sneak Attack ability
Battle Scion: Battle Prowess now involves expending 3 rounds of raging song instead of 2. Song of Questing and Once and Future Scion are removed.
*Battle Singer: This is a new archetype for the game. The description reads, “Battle singer’s songs are powerful enough to damage the enemies with the sheer power of their vocal cords.” In exchange for half your rage powers, they gain the following abilities:
- 3rd level: Battle Song – First verse. BS can spend 1 round of performance to damage all enemies in a 15 feet cone, dealing 1d6 Sonic Damage per 2 levels of skald (Fortitude save halves). If an enemy fails its saving throw, it is also staggered for 1 round
- 9th level: Battle Song – Second verse. BS can spend 2 rounds of performance to damage all enemies in 50 feet radius around skald, dealing 1d6 Sonic damage per 2 levels of Skald (Fortitude save halves). If an enemy fails its saving throw, it is stunned for 1 round, then staggered for 1 round. If Second Verse is cast within 2 rounds of first verse, it costs only 1 round of performance and is empowered
- 15th level: Battle Song – Final verse. BS can spend 2 round of performance to damage one enemy, dealing 1d8 Sonic Damage per level of Skald (Fortitude save halves). If an enemy fails its saving throw, it is stunned for 1 round and staggered for 1d4+1 rounds. If the save was successful, the target is staggered for 1 round. If Final Verse is cast within 2 rounds of First Verse, it costs 1 round of skald performance less, is empowered and the DC increases by 2. If Final Verse is cast within 2 rounds of Second Verse, it costs 1 round of performance less, is maximized and the DC increases by 2
Court Poet: Song of Inspiration is altered: the range is 30 feet, but it now applies to all Wisdom-based skill checks as long as the song is going. Cool archetype if you want to lean into spellcasting.
Demon Dancer: This is the Bekyar Demon Dancer archetype from the tabletop. Demonic Conquest is altered in that the target doesn’t need to continue to attack the same target, nor do they have to do anything with a demon symbol, gross. Otherwise it is unchanged.
Herald of the Horn: Rousing Retort is removed, otherwise this archetype is unchanged.
Hunt Caller: Song of the Senses is removed, but you still lose Well Versed. Wilderness Magic is removed, but you still lose Spell Kenning. Call of the Wild is modified. It does not come online until level 10, but it is the level 10 version.
*Inciter *Lord of Nothing DLC only*: This is a new archetype for the game, and better than the base class IMO. I have a build for this archetype specifically. Bardic Knowledge, Scribing Scrolls, Well-Versed, Song of Strength, Lore Master, Dirge of Doom, Song of the Fallen, 2 Rage Powers and the pathetic DR are removed. So why am I recommending it? In exchange you get the following:
- 1st level: Mind Games. Gain a +1 bonus vs mind-affecting, compulsion, emotion and fear effects. This scales every six levels
- 1st level: Insult. Any enemy entering the area of raging song is subject to his effect. Failing a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 level + Cha) means they come after you, with a -2 to atk rolls and skill checks until they harm you
- 1st level: Serpent’s Tongue. Inciders add 1/2 level to Persuasion checks to intimidate or bluff
- 2nd level: Sneak attack that scales with level like a rogue
- 8th level: Prompted Backstabbing. All allies (including pets) gain sneak attack, scaling every five levels, and it stacks with any sneak attacks your allies have. Amazing
- 10th level: Caustic Ridicule. Enemies failing saves against Insults lose an additional -1 to AC and Will saves. At 15th level they go to -2
- 12th level: Sneaky Tricks. If the Inciter knows rogue talents all of her allies know them too, and she can choose an advanced talent that modifies sneak attack
- 20th level capstone: Hit a Nerve. Inspired Rage no longer gives allies a penalty to AC or limits their abilities. Even if enemies succeed on their Will save, they still suffer half the penalties. Awesome
Slayer: They now receive 3 skill points per level. Slayers are not be able to select multiple opponents with studied target. The Track, Stalker, Swift Tracker abilities are removed, slayer talents are altered. At 2nd level a slayer picks a Ranger combat style and gains a combat feat from that style. Slayers continue to get ranger-style combat feats every two levels. Slayer’s Advance no longer provokes attacks of opportunity. Minor spoiler: depending on your choices, you may gain a companion (or two) with this class later on.
*Arcane Enforcer: This is a new archetype. The description reads, “Some slayers study the arcane knowledge to learn new efficient ways of hunting their targets. They are known as arcane enforcers.” At the cost of less slayer talents and no quarry, AE’s receive the arcanist’s Arcane Reservoir and Arcane Exploits abilities at first level. Additional exploits are gained every three levels after 1st. The DC for exploits still keys off Charisma.
*Bloodseeker *DLC only*: This is a new, fun archetype just for the game, but the PC must be of evil alignment. Seems perfect for the Dhampir race. Slayer Talents are removed, they get nocturnal abilities instead. The following abilities are granted instead:
- 1st level: You are treated as undead for channel energy effects
- 2nd level: Blood Pool. Points can be used to amplify your abilities. You start with 2 points and gain 1 point/level, replenished by resting. The DC of blood pool abilities are DC 10 + class level + Int
- Bloodlust. For each enemy slain gains +1 to attack/damage. It stacks but can’t exceed 1/2 Int modifier
- Sharp Teeth. You gain a secondary 1d6 bite attack. Whenever a crit is confirmed you replenish 3 points of blood pool
- Nocturnal Abilities. They are added every other level, and there are 15 of them. Most take 1-2 points to activate. The buffs are very good, such as Predatory Might and Predatory Prowess. Sense Vital is also good because Slayers don’t normally get spells. Summoning Dire Wolves at level 1 is pretty surprising as well, and their best summon is Bloody Bones Beast, and you can spam summons. The damage-based ones are underwhelming
- 4th level: Growing Thirst. Threat range of your bite is increased by 1, and again at levels 8th, 12th, and 16th level
- 9th level: Vampire Bite. Whenever you hit a living target, you gain 5 temp HP’s and the target is drained a level. Both stack
- 10th level: Carrion Form. You turn into a swarm of ravens for 1 blood pool point. Whenever you deal damage you replenish a point of your blood pool
- 20th level capstone: Master of Blood. Most of your blood pool abilities become empowered and bolstered. Blood pool increases by 5, and gain a +6 to Str, Dex and Int
Deliverer: True believer is removed, otherwise this archetype is unchanged.
Executioner: This is the Sczarni Executioner archetype. The evil alignment restriction is removed, Executioners can be any alignment. The Assassinate slayer talent is changed, as it can only be used out of combat, which is a little weird. Swift Death is removed, but Executioners still lose Quarry and Improved Quarry–doesn’t seem fair.
*Imitator: This is a new archetype for Humans only. The description reads in part, “The human race is renowned for its quick learning curve and love of taking the best from others. Imitators are geniuses with the ability to memorize and copy fighting styles.” In exchange for losing studied target, slayer’s advance and having less sneak attack progression and talents, they gain the following ability:
- 1st level: Imitation. An Imitator can imitate the martial class style which allows him to take Fighter, Barbarian, Rogue or Monk stance for 1 minute a number of times per day equal to Int mod + 1/2 Slayer level
- Monk: An Imitator gains Improved Unarmed Strike feat. At level 2, while the Imitator is unarmored, he gains AC = 1/2 his Int mod. He gains Evasion at 4th level. At 8th Level Imitator’s unarmed attacks count as magic and cold iron. At 11th level while the Imitator is unarmored gains an extra unarmed attack, and another extra unarmed attack at 20th level
- Rogue: An Imitator gains 1d6 sneak attack. This bonus increases by an additional 1d6 for every 3 slayer levels. He also gains Evasion on 4th level and Uncanny Dodge on 8th level
- Fighter: An Imitator gains +1 to attack and damage rolls. This bonus increases by +1 every 5 Slayer levels (up to +5). He also gains Armor Training on 6th and 14th levels
- Barbarian: An Imitator gains temporary hit points equal to his level. He also gains Uncanny Dodge on 4th level and DR 1/- on 7th level
Spawn Slayer: Force vulnerability is removed, otherwise this archetype is unchanged. It might be the best of the archetypes because you don’t lose much, and Studied Spawn is a nice ability to have.
Stygian Slayer: This popular archetype is included. Spell Use is unfortunately removed, otherwise this archetype is unchanged.
Vanguard: Lookout is removed, and Ever Ready is replaced by Uncanny Dodge. Otherwise this archetype is unchanged.
Okay, two more sets of classes and archetypes covered. I hope this is helpful as a quick reference for those familiar with the Pathfinder tabletop system, I’ve certainly learned a lot in doing it. My next post will be covering the Sorcerer and possibly Warpriest classes.