Article-At-A-Glance
- Five diverse Medium builds with unique strengths and tactical applications are discussed.
- Utilizes skills, feats, and spells to balance offensive and defensive capabilities effectively.
- Strengths exploit specific abilities, while weaknesses hinge on character and tactical imbalances.
- Build strategies emphasize teamwork, versatility, and optimal use of Pathfinder mechanics.
Strengths & Weaknesses
| Build Name | Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|---|
| Base Medium[1] | – Charisma based attacker using Starknives, allowing high weapon proficiency and damage due to Divine Fighting Style. – Strong divination spell list for intel gathering. – Versatile spirits for various needs, like Guardian for resilience and Champion for damage. | – Reliant on spirits for versatility, limiting options if unavailable. – Focus on throwing weapons can be resource intensive. |
| Planar Possessed[2] | – Strong support character with versatile buff and debuff abilities. – Access to Loremaster prestige class enhances utility. – Permanent Telepathy at level 13 for superior communication. | – Less focus on direct combat capability. – Only one Outsider subtype can be channeled, limiting variety. |
| Prophet of the Old Ones[3] | – Improvised weapon proficiency and strong combat maneuvers like Improved Disarm and Grapple. – Versatile and damaging spell list with strong battlefield control. – Intimidating presence due to Cornugon Smash and Power Attack. | – Built around reckless combat style requiring specific scenarios to shine. – May struggle against powerful opponents immune to mental effects. |
| Soul Eater[4] | – Ghost Touch and Spirit Eater abilities enhance combat against incorporeal foes. – Souldrinker prestige adds unique abilities rooted in soul consumption. – Strong poison application from Vishkanya racial bonuses. | – Damage and effectiveness revolve around specific enemy types and scenarios. – Skill dependency requires careful point distribution. |
| Storyteller[5] | – Charisma based Starknife attacker with notable damage potential. – Strong supportive magic and ghostly allies for offensive strategies. – Resilient due to heavy armor and shield proficiencies. | – Reliant on Charisma for both attacks and bard-like performance abilities. – Requires investing in multiple proficiencies to maximize defenses. |
Base Medium
The Base Medium[1] build focuses on a Charisma driven character wielding dual Starknives, coupled with versatile psychic abilities. This Medium excels at information gathering and strategizing, using divination spells to adapt to any scenario with precision.
- The build’s major strength lies in its Charisma based attacks and damage, allowing for powerful and effective combat with Starknives through the Divine Fighting Style and multi-attack feats like Two-Weapon Fighting.
- A significant weakness of this setup is its reliance on low Constitution, making the character more vulnerable to direct attacks and less durable in prolonged combat scenarios.
- A cool tip for maximizing this build is to leverage its vast array of divination spells, enabling the character to play strategically, almost like Batman[6], preemptively gathering intel and aligning with the most fitting spirit, such as Champion for damage output or Guardian for defense.
Planar Possessed
The Planar Possessed[2] Medium channels the Aeon and its power, offering diverse abilities. Combining Medium levels for spirit versatility and Loremaster for knowledge depth.
- The ability to channel Aeon powers and craft a wide array of magic items provides extensive versatility and utility, making it a top tier support setup.
- With low Strength and a reliance on ranged and magic abilities, the build struggles in melee combat unless investing in Dexterity based enhancements like Weapon Finesse.
- At level 13, the permanent Telepathy over 100 feet opens up unprecedented communication strategies for the party, making strategic coordination seamless.
Prophet of the Old Ones
The Prophet of the Old Ones[3] build is unpredictably strong with its unique focus on unorthodox combat strategies. Emphasizing utilizing improvised weapons and manipulation of combat maneuvers. It thrives under the madness of its Lovecraftian influence, turning chaotic encounters to its advantage with powerful spells and abilities.
- The build excels at battlefield control with an arsenal of combat maneuvers, debilitation through Cornugon Smash, and power enhancing spells like Haste and Contact Entity spells.
- Relying heavily on charisma for skills and abilities can leave defenses middling, especially against focused mental or debuff attacks due to average Wisdom and Constitution.
- Use Unarmed Strike and Improvised Weapons with Catch Off-Guard to catch enemies flat-footed, maximizing attack surprise and exploiting enemy weaknesses in unconventional ways.
Soul Eater
The Soul Eater[4] build harnesses the Medium’s Spirit Eater archetype to consume incorporeal creatures. Through those souls it fuels powerful abilities and pairing with the Souldrinker Prestige Class for amplified soul absorbing prowess. This combination allows Ghost Touch attacks, enhancing combat effectiveness while using a Vishkanya’s poison skills.
- This setup allows devastating combat potential with its dual Kukri configuration, utilizing Weapon Finesse, Slashing Grace, and Improved Critical for high damage output.
- The build is heavily reliant on precise attack sequences and suffers from slower progression in other class abilities due to its prestige class investment.
- Use the Enervation spell liberally for quickly incapacitating foes, and combine it with your ability to consume spirits, creating a lethal synergy for rapidly reducing enemy numbers.
Storyteller
The Storyteller[5] build uniquely marries charisma and weapons with the support capabilities of a bard. Through them it offeres both control and robust personal defenses. Despite focusing levels in both Medium and Chronicler, it leverages Spirit channeling and tactical spellcasting.
- The Storyteller[5] excels at balancing offense and defense with abilities that effectively use Charisma for attack and cast damaging or supportive spells without loss of armor protection.
- Its primary weakness lies in reliance on a singular ability score (Charisma), making it vulnerable to ability damage or drain targeting this key attribute.
- Consider investing in teamwork feats or items that further enhance performances, as Lingering Performance paired with a Bardic inspired aura can dramatically shift battles in favor of your group.
FAQ
What makes the Base Medium[1] build effective in combat?
The Base Medium[1] excels with Charisma driven attacks, utilizing dual Starknives. Its Divine Fighting Style enhances damage output, particularly through multi-attack feats like Two-Weapon Fighting. The build is perfect for those who want tactical flexibility, such as adapting to different scenarios using divination spells.
How does the Planar Possessed[2] Medium contribute to a party’s strategy?
The Planar Possessed[2] Medium is invaluable as a support role. By channeling Aeon powers, it provides versatile buffs and debuffs to the party. At level 13, its permanent Telepathy unlocks robust communication options, enhancing coordination. Its strength is less in direct combat and more in amplifying the entire group’s capabilities.
Why should I consider playing the Prophet of the Old Ones[3] build?
This build thrives on chaos, offering unique methods like improvised weapon use and combat maneuvers. It leverages Lovecraftian influences to turn battlefield madness to its advantage. With powerful spells enhancing combat, it controls the battlefield with surprise tactics. Its strategy favors unorthodox approaches that can be very rewarding.
What are the benefits of choosing the Soul Eater[4] build?
The Soul Eater[4] build specializes in consuming incorporeal creatures, boosting combat effectiveness. It partners Ghost Touch attacks with Spirit Eater abilities for formidable prowess against specific foes. Pairing with the Souldrinker Prestige Class enhances its soul absorbing abilities. Emphasizing the use of Vishkanya’s poison skills can clear enemies swiftly.
How does the Storyteller[5] Medium support its allies?
The Storyteller[5] builds resilience with abilities that harmonize Charisma focused attacks and bard like tactics. Offering strong supportive magic and ghostly allies, it excels in tactical spellcasting to aid allies. Leveraging medium and chronicler levels, this build provides balanced offense and defense.
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Author
Terms definitions
1. ↑ Medium – Base Medium – Pathfinder 1E ( Base Medium )
Base Medium
The basic Medium build, your character is a traveling fortuneteller, the free men and women of the road, the birthplace of heroes.
Class
Medium 20
Race
Human, put the floating +2 in Charisma
Ability Scores
Increase Dex to 17 with your lvl 8 increase, but everything else should go in Charisma
15Point-Buy
Str 10/Dex 16/Con 10/Int 10/Wis 10/Cha 16
20Point-Buy
Str 10/Dex 16/Con 10/Int 10/Wis 10/Cha 18
20Point-Buy
Str 10/Dex 16/Con 14/Int 10/Wis 10/Cha 18
Traits
Varisian Tattoo gives us Proficiency in the Starknife which will be our main weapon. Dealer nets you Sleight of Hands as a class skill which we do want.
Favored Class Bonus
Hit Points!
Skills
Aight, we need Sleight of Hands. We also want Bluff, Diplomacy, Use Magic Devices, Sense Motive.
Feats by Level
1-Divine Fighting Style(Way of the Shooting Star)
Human Bonus-Two Weapons Fighting
3-Point-Blank Shot
5-Precise Shot
7-Rapid Shot
9-Quick Draw
11-Divine Fighting Style(Advanced Way of the Shooting Star)
13-Improved Two Weapons Fighting
15-Piranha Strike
17-Clustered Shots
19-Improved Initiative
So you are two weapons fighting with a pair of Starknives, and with Divine Fighting Style you can use your Charisma for attack and Damage which is great! And you can throw them very efficiently via Precise Shot+Rapid Shot+Quick Draw.
Spells Learned by Level
1-Detect Psychic Significance, Detect Magic
2-Dancing Lights
3-Stabilize
4-Psychic Readings, Wizened Appearance
5-Ghost Sounds, Ventriloquism
6-Silent Image
7-Prestidigitation, Augury, Bestow Curse
8-Detect Thoughts
9-Oneiric Horror, Eagle’s Splendor
10-Divination, Dream
11-Scrying
12-Object Reading, Haste, Fly
13-Invoke Deity, True Seeing
14-Thoughtsense
15-Invisibility, Glimpse of Truth, Dream Council
18-Hollow Heroism, Nightmare
Equipment
A few Starknives, a good medium armor(aim for a Breastplate). A Harrow Deck for sheer fun.
Final Thoughts on the Build
So, we focus our build as a Charisma based Thrower. Except that’s just one of our tools in our back pocket. We have some surprisingly great divination spells to prepare and scout areas well before we ever step foot there, we can get great intel rapidly and try to get the Spirit we need for the right job.
Need more resilience? Pick the Guardian or Hierophant Spirit. Need more damage? Go for Champion. A set of specific spells are needed and the Wizard actually doesn’t know them? Go for Archmage. With great intel gathering you can be as batman-like to a situation as you need.
2. ↑ Medium – Planar Possessed – Pathfinder 1E ( Planar Possessed )
Planar Possessed
One of the Medium’s archetypes, the Outer Channeler exchanges the legend of the various spirits they can channel to various Outsiders, be they Angels, Demons, Aeons or even Psychopomps, you are tied to that one Outsider subtype and act as a vessel to channel their great power. This archetype sounded extremely fun so I decided to showcase a build for it. We are also taking levels in the Loremaster Prestige Class, albeit a bit later too. Our leveling should look like the following:
Class
Medium (Outer Channeler) 13/Loremaster 7
Outsider Subtype: Aeon
Race
Samsaran with the Mystic Past Life Alternate Racial Feature.
Ability Scores
Raise Int to 13 if lower, then everything else in Cha
15Point-Buy
Str 7/Dex 14/Con 12/Int 12/Wis 11/Cha 16
20Point-Buy
Str 7/Dex 14/Con 14/Int 12/Wis 11/Cha 16
25Point-Buy
Str 7/Dex 14/Con 14/Int 13/Wis 12/Cha 17
Traits
Reactionary because duh, Hedge Magician because we will be making a lot of magic items…
Favored Class Bonus
Skills, actually for this one. Surprised aren’t you?
Skills
Knowledge(Arcana/Planes), Spellcraft, Use Magic Devices, various Crafts
Feats by Level
1-Point-Blank Shot
3-Precise Shot
5-Skill Focus(Knowledge-the Planes)
7-Craft Wands
9-Craft Wondrous Items
11-Craft Magic Weapons and Armors
13-Craft Constructs
15-Improved Initiative
17-Weapon Finesse
19-Deadly Aim
So we start as a mostly ranged support character, but we rapidly switch our focus from our ranged weapon to our various wands. We also supply the party with quite a few neat magic items when needed, and we eventually even get to have a golem following us around! Since our strength sucks, we eventually pick weapon finesse just to not suck if stuck in melee.
Loremaster Secrets by Level
14-Toughness
16-+2 Fortitude
18-+1 on Attack Rolls
20-Combat Expertise
So we get more hp, a late coming fairly okay bonus to AC, and a generic bonus to our Fortitude Save and to all attacks. Neat!
Spells Learned by Level
1-Ghost Sound, Mage Hand
2-Detect Magic
3-Prestidigitation
4-Command, Enlarge Person
5-Read Magic, Ill Omen
6-Psychic Reading
7-Open/Close, Bestow Curse, Haste
8-Find Traps
9-Remove Fear, Cat’s Grace
10-Scrying, Retrocognition
11-Locate Creature
12-Ventriloquism, Suggestion, Greater Invisibility
13-Freedom of Movements, Plane Shift
14-True Seeing
15-Slow, Fly, Teleport
18-Possession, Warp Metal
Equipment
Start with a Light Crossbow and the best medium armor you can afford.
Final Thoughts on the Build
This one is a very sneaky build. You are a great support character with some great buffs and debuffs, some decent combat capabilities, and your Aeon Spirits give you a surprisingly good amount of resilience once you hit your Intermediate Powers. At level 13 you also get a permanent Telepathy for a 100 feet which is bonkers. All in all, a great build for a support character that wants to stay low-key but be somewhat good at pretty much everything.
3. ↑ Medium – Prophet of the Old Ones – Pathfinder 1E ( Prophet of the Old Ones )
Prophet of the Old Ones
Okay so the Voice of the Void let’s you channel Great Old Ones and the things that live between the stars and of course I had to make a build with that archetype because I love love Lovecraftian stuff, sue me I guess.
Class
Medium (Voice of the Void) 20
Race
Human, putting our floating bonus into Charisma
Ability Scores
Put everything in Strength. I know. Whack. Wait for it.
15Point-Buy
Str 14/Dex 10/Con 14/Int 10/Wis 10/Cha 16
20Point-Buy
Str 14/Dex 10/Con 14/Int 10/Wis 10/Cha 18
25Point-Buy
Str 16/Dex 10/Con 14/Int 10/Wis 10/Cha 18
Traits
Reactionary for better Initiative, Heavy Hitter for better unarmed damage.
Favored Class Bonus
Hit. Points.
Skills
Use Magic Devices, Diplomacy, Perception, Spellcraft, Intimidate will be your skills.
Feats by Level
1-Improved Unarmed Strike
Human Bonus-Catch Off-Guard
3-Dirty Fighting
5-Power Attack
7-Cornugon Smash
9-Improved Disarm
11-Improved Steal
13-Improved Grapple
15-Greater Grapple
17-Improved Trip
19-Improved Dirty Trick
Yup. We are doing a ravenous maniac build that should probably be put in an asylum. Catch Off-Guard makes us proficient with improved weapons and make unarmed opponents we attack with improved weapons flat-footed. We double down on this via Improved Disarm and Improved Steal. And with Power Attack+Cornugon Smash, the hurts and debuffs keep coming. We are also great at wrestling the asylum staff via Improved Grapple, Improved Trip and Improved Dirty Trick as we really don’t want to go back to our cell where the voices are especially strong.
Spells Learned by Level
1-Daze, Open/Close
2-Prestidigitation
3-Dancing Lights
4-Ventriloquism, Unseen Servant
5-Ghost Sound, Murderous Command
6-Contact Entity I
7-Detect Psychic Significance, Invisibility, Contact Entity II
8-Haste
9-Compel Hostility, Darkvision
10-Contact Entity III, Scrying
11-Dimension Door
12-Enlarge Person, Detect Thoughts, Dispel Magic
13-Contact Entity IV, Invoke Deity
14-Freedom of Movements
15-Bull’s Strength, Dreadscape, Modify Memory
18-Dream, Nightmare
Equipment
You don’t really need anything, but I guess a good armor is not a bad idea.
Final Thoughts on the Build
This build is wild, you are excellent with improvised weapons, can make enemies become terrified of you, your spell list is surprisingly great, you’ve got a beefed up Spirit Surge, and you can Channel Damage to all non-aberrations that deal fairly good damage and makes them Confused too. Plus you are a great battlefield controller via your various Combat Maneuvers. You are completely insane, but in my book that’s a plus, not a negative.
4. ↑ Medium – Soul Eater – Pathfinder 1E ( Soul Eater )
Soul Eater
So, a certain archetype of the Medium is the Spirit Eater. It…pretty much does what it says on the tin. You eat Incorporeal creatures to fuel your abilities. You also consider all your attacks as if they had Ghost Touch. Now what if we were to combine that with, say, the Souldrinker Prestige Class?
Our leveling should look like the following:
Class
Medium (Spirit Eater) 7/Souldrinker 10/Medium (Spirit Eater)+3
Race
We are going for a Vishkanya, who are Pathfinder’s not Yuan-Ti we swear wink wink. They get a bunch of poison related stuff which is fun and will play into what we will try to achieve here.
Ability Scores
Increase Dex to 20, the rest goes into Charisma.
15Point-Buy
Str 10/Dex 16/Con 14/Int 10/Wis 8/Cha 16
20Point-Buy
Str 10/Dex 16/Con 14/Int 10/Wis 8/Cha 18
25Point-Buy
Str 10/Dex 18/Con 14/Int 10/Wis 8/Cha 18
Traits
We want Silent Hunter to get Stealth as a Class Skill, and Reactionary is always good.
Favored Class Bonus
We are going for Skills. Yeah, wack. I know.
Skills
So we will need Knowledge(Arcana and Planes), and Spellcraft. We also want Stealth. Lastly we need at least 3 ranks in Knowledge(Religion), but after that, take Bluff and max it out.
Feats by Level
1-Weapon Finesse
3-Fiendish Obedience
5-Piranha Strike
7-Great Fortitude
Bonus 8-Improved Familiar
9-Two-Weapons Fighting
11-Weapon Focus(Kukri)
13-Slashing Grace
15-Improved Critical(Kukri)
17-Improved Two-Weapons Fighting
19-Improved Initiative
We are using a pair of Kukris(which we are automatically proficient in as a Vishkanya) with actually great efficacy between Weapon Finesse, Slashing Grace, Piranha Strike and Improved Critical, for some surprising amounts of damage capability. We also get a Cacodaemon Familiar and of course, as usual, familiars are really, really good.
Spells Learned by Level
1-Detect Psychic Significance, Detect Magic
2-Dancing Lights
3-Stabilize
4-Psychic Readings, Wizened Appearance
5-Ghost Sounds, Ventriloquism
6-Silent Image
7-Prestidigitation, Augury, Bestow Curse
9-Detect Thoughts
10-Oneiric Horror, Eagle’s Splendor
11-Divination, Dream
12-Scrying
13-Object Reading, Haste, Fly
14-Invoke Deity, True Seeing
15-Thoughtsense
16-Invisibility, Glimpse of Truth, Dream Council
19-Hollow Heroism, Nightmare
Equipment
A Pair of Kukris and a Chain Shirt will do. You are proficient with Shurikens which can be great to apply poisons at a distance. Also, invest in poisons.
Final Thoughts on the Build
You can Enervation people a lot. Like. A lot. And Enervation kills creatures really, really fast. Add to that your Spirits which you still get access to, the fact that you can eat Incorporeal Creatures to boost your combat abilities even further. You are actually surprisingly terrifying in Combat. Of the four Horsemen, I highly recommend you pick Charon for its various soul eating abilities which are quite thematic.
5. ↑ Medium – Storyteller – Pathfinder 1E ( Storyteller )
Storyteller
When I saw that the Medium had an Archetype called Storyteller, and considering this is a Pathfinder build, I thought to myself “screw this, I am making a Chronicler build. Our leveling should look like the following:
Class
Medium (Storyteller) 10/Chronicler 10
Race
We are going with a standard human, putting our floating +2 into Charisma
Ability Scores
Put everything in Charisma.
15Point-Buy
Str 10/Dex 10/Con 14/Int 10/Wis 10/Cha 18
20Point-Buy
Str 10/Dex 12/Con 14/Int 10/Wis 10/Cha 19
25Point-Buy
Str 10/Dex 13/Con 14/Int 10/Wis 10/Cha 20
Traits
Reactionary of course, Varisian Tattoos to get proficiency with the Starknife
Favored Class Bonus
Yep, it is, in fact, your boy: Hit Points.
Skills
Aight, we need Perform(Oratory), Profession(Scribe) and Linguistics. After that, the world’s your oyster, pick whatever you feel like!
Feats by Level
1-Divine Fighting Technique(Way of the Shooting Star)
Human Bonus-Point-Blank Shot
3-Precise Shot
5-Deadly Aim
7-Lingering Performance
9-Improved Initiative
11-Weapon Focus(Starknife)
13-Improved Critical(Starknife)
15-Heavy Armor Proficiency
17-Shield Proficiency
19-Tower Shield Proficiency
We use our Charisma to attack with our Starknife which is nice, and with Precise Shot and Deadly Aim, we deal some actually significant damage with it too. As we get some form of Bardic Performance, Lingering Performance becomes a must. And as our spellcasting is not hindered by armor, we eventually grab shields and heavy armor proficiencies to add to our defenses making us surprisingly resilient.
Spells Learned by Level
1-Detect Magic, Prestidigitation
2-Mage Hand
3-Stabilize
4-Enlarge Person, Reduce Person
5-Bleed, Remove Fear
6-Protection from Evil
7-Read Magic, Haste, Invisibility
8-Bull’s Strength
9-Ventriloquism, Hold Person
10-Fly, Scrying
Equipment
A few Starknives, and the best armor you can get. Eventually pick a Full Plate and Tower Shield for immense AC shenanigans.
Final Thoughts on the Build
We can summon a bunch of ghostly barbarians to mess up our enemies for us, and we get to buff our allies with Not Bardic Performance. We still get our Spirits which are great as usual, and our spell list is full of goodies our party will love. Plus our defenses are solid and we are charismatic enough to act as the party’s face. A surprisingly good build actually.
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