History Characters / PathfinderClassesSecondEdition

* {{Necromancer}}: Wizards can choose to specialize in an arcane school, and before the school revamp with the remaster, necromancy was one of them.

* MightyGlacier: They have the highest defense in the game, second best hit points, and a self-heal, and they're second only to fighters in terms of accuracy. On the other hand they're likely to be wearing heavy armor and their abilities encourage they stay close to the front.

* GetAHoldOfYourselfMan: The Knock Sense feat allows a fighter to non-lethally hit a Confused ally to make them shake it off.

** Two-weapon builds specifically play this more straight, for the exact reasons above. They have some of the highest damage output in the game, but lack utility and defensive options other fighter build options have [[note]]One-handed weapon fighters can use their free hands to use other items and perform athletics actions freely, two-handed weapon builds have feats that allow them to knock creatures prone or reposition them, and shield fighters have added defense, plus feats that both reposition foes and impede their movement[[/note]], making them reliant on party members to cover defense and utility roles. They also lack the ability to easily use free hand options, and being knocked unconscious is also more punishing, as they will have to spend a whole turn picking up their dropped weapons. A well-played two-weapon fighter will deal monster damage, but a bad one will burden a party with trying to overcompensate for their lack of defences and inability to support anyone else.

* MechanicallyUnusualClass: Though they fit the standard 'skill monkey' chassis of Rogues, Investigators tend to not be as offensively sound[[note]]Because Rogues have the option to make strength or dexterity their key ability, they'll typically be more accurate than Investigators are, even with the Investigator's ability to 'Devise a Strategem' so they can use their intelligence to strike, given that costs the Investigator an action to set up each time they want to use it.[[/note]] as Rogues and give up the Rogue's freedom of choice over what skills they choose to advance. In return, however, Investigators are some of the only characters who have feats and abilities that allow their player to ''directly'' ask the [=DM=] questions about what's going on with the plot. 'That's Odd,' for example, ''requires'' the [=DM=] to note whenever something is off about a room or area the Investigator enters, while 'Red Herring' gives Investigators a mulligan when focusing on something that isn't important to the overall plot. Because of this, Investigators have an uncanny and unprecedented ability as [[UtilityPartyMember utility characters]] to figure out what's going on and turn the story itself to their advantage by unraveling key parts of it. At their peak, they can even take a feat that lets them see the rolls they make when they Recall Knowledge so they ''know'' when their checks are giving them accurate information and when they aren't getting all the facts.
* TheSmartGuy: Generally their modus operandi. More so than even other intelligence-focused characters such as Witches, Magi, and Inventors, the Investigator is built to utilize several tools that give the player a leg up on solving various aspects of the plot as they go along. Many of their feats, especially the ones tied to the specific subclasses, force the DM themselves to give the player information pertinent to the game at hand to help the player fit into the role, such as by forcing someone who doesn't want to talk to give some amount of information or telling the player if something is unusual about an area they're in.

** Two-weapon builds specifically play this more straight, for the exact reasons above. They have some of the highest damage output in the game, but lack utility and defensive options other fighter build options have [[note]]One-handed weapon fighters can use their free hands to use other items and perform athletics actions freely, two-weapon builds have feats that allow them to knock creatures prone or reposition them, and shield fighters have added defense, plus feats that both reposition foes and impede their movement[[/note]], making them reliant on party members to cover defense and utility roles. They also lack the ability to easily use free hand options, and being knocked unconscious is also more punishing, as they will have to spend a whole turn picking up their dropped weapons. A well-played two-weapon fighter will deal monster damage, but a bad one will burden a party with trying to overcompensate for their lack of defences and inability to support anyone else.

* SmartPeopleShoot: This is true for the Magus in general since is uses Intelligence to cast spells, but it's more explicit for the [[MageMarksman Starlight Span]] Magus: not only they can use bows or guns to channel their magic, their attacks produce SplashDamage, meaning that a Starlight Span Magus has to be [[ExactleyWhatIAimedAt creative when aiming]] to maximize their damage output.

* FighterMageThief: An interesting case in that many of the Magus' subclasses -- referred to as "Hybrid Studies" -- fall into this dynamic. "Inexorable Iron" and "Sparkling Targe" both fall under the Fighter, specializing in using heavy two-handed weapons for Inexorable Iron while Sparkling Targe specializes in KnightlySwordAndShield. Inexorable Iron's features are specialized for sustaining itself while in the thick of battle while unleashing devastating strikes, whereas Sparkling Targe empowers its shield against magic and makes itself an unyielding wall. "Laughing Shadow" is the Thief; it specializes in moving fast and staying light on its feet, benefitting from wearing as little armor as possible and doing extra damage to flanked or distracted foes. It gains abilities to feint and obfuscate enemies and even teleport across the battlefield for quick hit-and-run tactics. "Twisting Tree" meanwhile fills the role of Mage; as the Hybrid Study that specializes in the use of staves it naturally has more spells available to it than other Magi and can make use of staves without interfering with its other features, something the other Hybrid Studies struggle with. Its features likewise make the most of staves, allowing them to strike from greater distances with the weapon and further empower their staff via runes and weapon traits.