Building a party is a big part of Pathfinder's strategy before the adventure even begins, and some unusual setups could prove to be worth the effort. A good party should be able to head into almost any situation during a campaign with a solid plan. At times, an unusual approach could not only keep the party's enemies guessing but provide an unusual advantage in the process.
In general, a balanced Pathfinder party will combine physical fighters, magic s, and a healer. Beyond these three roles, there are several options for ing . For example, a bard could be buffing everyone while demoralizing their enemies, or an archer could be piling on extra damage from the back line. A balanced party is a versatile party, able to entertain several approaches to a situation. However, after combing through Pathfinder 2e's selection of books, players can come up with party ideas outside the norm. Thankfully, the nature of Pathfinder makes it just as accessible to unorthodox teams.
Multiple Healers In A Pathfinder Party Can Look Out For Each Other
The healer plays a vital role in Pathfinder. Their job is to keep the party in fighting shape from one encounter to the next. The most popular choice for a healer is the cleric since they have a good variety of healing spells at their disposal. However, there are other classes with healing options, like a paladin's Lay on Hands or a witch's Healing hex. It may be worth stacking multiple healers in a party for extra protection.
By spreading around the duty of healing, the party will have more options when it comes to keeping each other alive. Players that are learning Pathfinder will quickly realize the importance of the healer's role, and with the burden of healing not placed on a single character's shoulders, there's less to fear if a healer is unable to cast for some reason. Granted, a cleric will almost always be the best option if a party member needs healing, but having other healers assisting as backup ensures that they won't have to use all of their spell slots too soon.
Fortunately for this approach, several classes that have healing capabilities fall into different categories. Paladins are one of the more physical classes, clerics wield divine magic, and witches are arcane casters. One could even include a monk in the discussion, although they only have the ability to heal themselves. Even a party designed to stack healers can be surprisingly well-rounded, since just like DnD, Pathfinder has excellent healing spells for players to learn.
A party with several healers will have a better chance than most of surviving deep into a campaign, provided they don't sacrifice their damage potential in the process. Having several sources of healing available, even before potions are taken into , should put players at ease. This party setup could also be a good way to encourage teamwork since they all have a valuable way to help each other.
A Party Of Ranged Specialists Can Bombard Their Enemies In Pathfinder
Most of the time, a party's biggest consistent damage dealer will be a fighter or barbarian at the front of the pack. Since they don't have ammo or spell slot restrictions, they can attack with all their strength without fear of not being able to do so later. If a party prepares themselves properly against Pathfinder's bizarre and threatening monsters, they may be able to defeat them in battle without engaging in melee combat at all.
Bows, crossbows, guns, and spells are the main ways to dispatch enemies from afar in Pathfinder. Fighters, monks, rangers, and gunslingers all have traits that help them wield these weapons with brutal efficiency. Likewise, virtually every casting class has a few spells at their disposal that can deal heavy damage without having to get close, such as the famous Fireball. While ammo would be an issue for this build, that can be worked around by either having the party buy lots of arrows at every town, or by using a Pathfinder house rule to waive ammo requirements.
With good planning, a party of ranged combat specialists could ensure that their enemies rarely get close enough to threaten them. A variety of ways to deal damage would be important for dealing with enemies that resist piercing damage, but the casters should be able to handle that with their spells. For , the animal companions of a ranger or witch could take care of melee combat. Putting such a heavy emphasis on ranged combat would put a new spin on the game, and may require the GM to improvise in return.
A Party Of Non-Traditional Combatants Can Be A Big Twist For A Pathfinder Campaign
Nearly every party in Pathfinder has a character that will be relied upon for heavy damage. Wizards have devastating high-level spells, barbarians have rage augmented by Pathfinder's many rage powers, and several other high-damage options. One way for players to challenge themselves is to set up a party without any frontline fighters or classes focused on fighting at all.
One challenge for such a party would be to find classes that specialize in areas outside of combat. Such classes could include alchemists, artificers, bards, investigators, rogues, and other such characters with skills based in areas outside of combat. This party would have a well-rounded skillset for investigating, surviving, and solving the mysteries that come with an adventure. Such a party would have to treat combat like a puzzle. Without a bruiser to rely on, they would need to figure out the best way to combine their skills without suffering too much in return.
It may sound intimidating to players just starting out in Pathfinder, but running a party without any dedicated damage dealers can make for an excellent challenge. In addition to making combat more challenging, it would also task the players with discovering new tactics and bombinations for their characters' respective powers in order to emerge victorious in battle. While fighting evil is fun as a highly trainedhighly trained night, it could be more satisfying as a pack of largely untrained combatants fighting with their wits.
A Pathfinder campaign needs a good party to be the stars in order to make it worth playing. It's easy to make a fantastic party that follows the typical trappings of what makes a good TTRPG team. However, a daring group of players can break the norm and create a memorable Pathfinder party that doesn't follow the rules.
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