Hey I'm Jake, I make posts, videos and supplements for all things RPG. As of late, I have been delving into the wonders of Pathfinder 2e.
All the information I talk about here is on the Archives of Nethys site where all Pathfinder 2 resources are available for free.
I wanted to show you how you could play as a class that's in D&D 5e in Pathfinder 2e.
So at random, I chose the Wildfire Druid!
Main features of the Wildfire Druid in 5e: With the use of your Wild Shape, you can summon a Fire pet that attacks enemies and teleports around the battlefield, leaving a small AOE of fire behind it when it does. Also, Fire spells. Wildfire Druids get fire spells. That's the other thing they're known for.
I'll be taking this build from the very beginning including Ancestry selection (Race) and skill selection to show you one idea of how this could be done. I'll only be taking this to 5th level so you can see how to BEGIN the character's journey, plus most people don't play to level 15 or 20 so this is probably sufficient for most people.
You get spells like burning hands in both 5e AND PF2, so the fire theme is about even the whole way along.
So the first thing we're going to try to do is make a wildFIRE Druid with the emphasis on fire, that you could make in PF2. Then we'll see how we can include the pet a little later on.
Now I know the theme is going to be a Druid female, so her name is Vespa. Funny thing though, she doesn't LOOK Druish. *dramatic pause and deadpan stare*
RACE Ancestry: Human SUBRACE Heritage: Ifrit (Versatile Heritage) You gain the ifrit trait which means you're descended from fire creatures, and you look lavalike or firey. You gain resistance to fire and you treat environmental heat effects as if they were one step less severe.
Now let's take a Background and we're going with False Medium from "Secrets of Magic"
According to the book: "There are people in this world who possess the ability to pierce the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead, allowing them to communicate with spirits. You... are not one of them. But you know enough about the occult, as well as cold reading tricks and various practices from local religions, to scam your way into people's coin purses. Unlike a through-and-through charlatan, there's some real occult methodology behind your flimflam, but that's likely cold comfort to the people you swindle. Whether you decided to take a more righteous path, were caught and pledged to make it right, or still slip in a few “séances” between adventures, you've taken to an adventuring lifestyle as you move from place to place."
This lets you choose 2 ability boosts, one has to be Intelligence or Charisma, and one is a free ability boost and we'll increase Wisdom and Intelligence.
In PF2 you increase an ability score by 2 unless it's already 18, then you increase it by 1.
Gotta say: The ability boost system is so cool! It makes you feel more powerful quickly. Plus, it's fair. Everyone starts out with the same power level. That's really nice for the GM. Pathfinder 2 is really a very GM-friendly game in many ways.
You're trained in the Occultism skill, basically, it's like Arcana in 5e, but only for like spirits and cults and dark magic. And the Fortune-telling Lore skill, which means you know how Fortune-telling works and can make money doing it.
You gain the Deceptive Worship skill feat. You can use Occultism instead of Deception to Impersonate a typical worshipper of another faith or to Lie specifically to claim you are a member of the faith you are Impersonating.
So we are a person who travels from town to town putting on a big show, getting attention and money and then moving on, hopefully before getting caught. We also may pay people to spread rumors about us being wise or ancient or that we saved someone's life with our insight or something.
You'll use the "Fortune-Telling" Lore skill for earning money, mostly. You probably have a huge variety of tools to use for this, including a forked stick, a braided length of hair, white and black pebbles, runes, divination cards, star charts, bright candles (to say you can divine in the smoke) or whatever else you can think of. Palm reading comes to mind. Easy to do anywhere.
And we claim to be a part of ANY religion we see when we get to their town, even talking up the greatness of "the faith" to any clergy members, making it seem like we're a good person.
At 1st level you get an Ancestry feat, so we'll take the Ifrit feat Molten Wit Gives you proficiency in Deception and the Charming Liar Feat. So we're REEEEALLY good at making a first impression.
1st level Druid Skills - Whatever you like, but we're definitely taking Occultism, which you'll see why in a minute We're choosing the Druidic Order of Flames, so we get training in acrobatics. Feat: Fire Lung You breathe normally in ash and smoke, you can see THROUGH smoke, and it's easier to put yourself out if you're on fire. So much fire theme it's great.
You also gain the Wildfire order spell which you can cast basically every 10 minutes.
Source Secrets of Magic pg. 201 1.1 Cast somatic, verbal Range 30 feet; Area 10-foot burst Saving Throw Reflex; Duration sustained up to 1 minute "A thin layer of ash and flame covers the ground in the area. The area becomes hazardous terrain. A creature that moves on the ground through the area takes 1 fire damage for every square of that area it moves into. A creature that ends its turn in the area must succeed at a Reflex save or take 1 persistent fire damage.
Each time you sustain this spell, the radius of the burst increases by 5 feet. Sorta their version of spike growth. As part of your Order, you have to allow natural fires to follow their course. You also have to keep unnatural fires from spreading."
I kinda like the idea of making this character a Druid because it's like Nature is the only thing they hold as sacred and dear to their hearts. All the B.S. they say and do in town doesn't bother them because they don't really care about people. Nature is their true Temple.
Whiiiiich leads us to picking our 2nd level Druid feat. Order Explorer which gives us a 1st level feat from another Order. We're going to pick the Wild Order for Wild Shape, which is totally a definitive Druish thing, but we're taking it for another reason, which I'll get to in a minute.
At 2nd level you get a skill feat, that's a feat... that helps a skill.
"With a touch, you can read the psychic impressions left on objects by their previous owners. You must brush your bare hands over any objects you pass while you do this. This detects objects with significant emotional resonance attached to them, such as the joy from a child's beloved teddy bear, the sorrow from a widower's wedding ring, or the fear from a victim's murder weapon. If you're looking for a particular type of emotional resonance, you can choose to ignore other emotions. If you find an item with that resonance, you can explore that resonance with the following action."
And we're gonna use this to prop up our "Spirit Medium" reputation. You go into a person's house and touch all their objects, read about what this person was like while they were alive, and use that information later during your "Seance" to swindle their money out of them because you can't ACTUALLY speak to spirits.
2nd level Multiclass Archetype: Oracle Dedication And most people play with the "Optional" Multiclass Archetype Feat rule, which gives you a bonus feat every even level just for the purposes of an Archetype so you don't have to use your normal feat on it.
So we take the Oracle Mystery: Ash "You see all things in the world as little more than fleeting and temporary, waiting to be purified into their base essence: the ash left behind after a burning fire. While you understand fire is a necessary part of this process, you see fire mostly as a tool to achieve final purity, not a goal. You might see ash as the only true representation of the impermanent nature of life and its pointless existence. Alternatively, you may see the benefit ash can have on soils and farmlands as part of a larger cycle of death and rebirth."
There are other things that it lists it could mean to you, but I like the combining of these two: Nature as a whole is the only permanent thing in existence, and any damage or death you cause in the meantime is only adding to the refreshing of the Natural Cycle. Sure, a little off; but I never said this character was STABLE.
I guess this way of thinking means that they'd have to be Lawful Neutral.
Anyway, the Mystery Benefit is: "Your flesh flows around physical threats like a cloud of ash. You gain resistance equal to half your level (minimum 1) against all physical damage and you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to saves and DCs against Grapple, Shove, and forced movement."
I can see this character working the Ash ability into their séances to show an "immaterialness" of the material world when really it's just their flesh flowing around an object or ashes falling off of their clothing. Cuz that's what the curse gives you for being an Oracle.
3rd level skill increase Occultism to Expert which means you get +2 to it. General Feat: We're taking Aura Sight, it tells you a person's attitude toward you, their emotional state, and a general assessment of their physical health. Which is GREAT information to appear wise or to use later for a séance.
"Oh, I see your health wains my friend. May I see your palm? Aaaah yes. You have an aching in your chest and exhaustion every day. I have just the thing for that. Only $19.95!"
4th level Druid Feat This is why we took "Order Explorer" for the Wild Order to get Wild Shape, because it's a prerequisite for this: Humanoid Form. So you can frame people for murder or burglarize their house. What?
Skill Feat Crystal Healing. Use Occultism to heal people between combat using rocks instead of The Medicine skill.
"Ah, I see an imbalance in your Meridians here... see? The Amethyst has turned dark. You appear to have something that does not belong to you... you should give it to me. You'll feel so much better."
Archetype Feat
First Revelation Oracle Archetype Feat
Gives you the initial revelation spell Ashen Wind spell which you can use every 10 minutes too if you like.
"You conjure a swirling wind of ashes that blows through the area. Each creature in the area must attempt a Fortitude save or get the cloying ash in its lungs."
Which could be used for dramatic effect. This also advances your curse if you use it, so when you do, you get:
Minor Curse of the Oracle Mystery: Ash
"The smoldering furnace of power within you begins to feed on your body and generate ash, which you inhale with every breath and leave behind with every step, impeding your footing. You take a –1 penalty on Constitution-based checks, such as Fortitude saves, and your Speed is reduced by 10 feet." Yes, I know it's only bad but think of the creep factor it would give you! Good for roleplay.
5th level Ancestry Feat Ifrit Feat Noble Resolve "Once, genies ruled vast kingdoms, and a remnant of that confidence and power is reflected in your strong will.
So if somebody tries to control your mind or affect your mind, you get a bonus to it and you become aware of who did it as long as you can see them. Works for cases when someone is trying to pump you for information and tries to charm you."
OK overall, you can breathe normally in smoke, ash, and fire, see through smoke, you can survive in hot or radioactive areas better than other people, resist fire, shed ash, your flesh flows around objects like ashes, can create a wind of ash or a wildfire, and you more easily put yourself out if you're on fire. You DEFINITELY have a firey theme and can even speak of fire as your friend.
ALL of that is aside from this tricky huckster persona we have who cons people out of their money, buys fame and recognition, and doesn't care about living people one little bit. Oh, except, of course, for the ego-stroking and money they provide.
OK let's move onto the WILD fire Druid (Summoner Archetype) and see what we can do about including a pet.
We'll still have all the lying, cheating, and stealing shenanigans, but we'll be giving up everything that's "Ash" themed for the pet. A beast spirit that you can summon at will. (no use of Wildshape required) At 2nd level instead of Oracle Devotion, we take Multiclassing Archetype: Summoner Dedication
Beast Eidolon "Your eidolon is a manifestation of the life force of nature in the form of a powerful magical beast that often has animal features, possibly even several from different species.
You might have learned the way to connect with the world's life force via a specific philosophy or practice, or formed a bond on your own. Regardless, your link to your eidolon allows you both to grow in power and influence to keep your home safe from those who would despoil it."
I like the idea that our character here LOVES being in nature and has spent a lot of time in it, just laying down in a field or sleeping next to a brook. Maybe they even started a wildfire that a forest area actually REALLY needed and then this Beast spirit came to them. They may have even seen it as an encouragement to keep thinking of humanoids, people who live in towns as not important at all, and keep treating them like trash. People do this kind of self-validating all the time.
4th level Multiclass Archetype: Summoner, Initial Eidolon Ability. Which, for the Beast Eidolon, is Beast's Charge. So now it has the ability to charge an enemy for extra damage
OOOOR Energy Heart. So it's attacks deal a type of damage you choose, which will be fire. It also gets resistance to that element. So in combat, if you use fire, it'll be a little safer.
One thing as a final thought: I was thinking that we would eventually take the Oracle curse even higher in the first build, so eventually things just crumble to ash around us, giving everything within 10 ft. a vulnerability to fire damage. Awesomesauce! Yeah, I'd probably go the ashes Wildfire Druid route. I love my faithless false medium lover of the natural cycle.
So you see, all in all, we can make a "Wildfire Druid" from 5e in PF2 with a few changes. And we have some really nifty abilities in addition.
OR we could use one of the many many pages of options that PF2 provides to customize your character in a rather unique way.
I love that the RP and story ideas I have for this character have an ACTUAL mechanical impact on the game that the GM doesn't have to rule on separately. Or just go by the "Rule of Cool".
Here you will find a download to the editable PDF character sheet that I have already filled in what is needed for this build if you want to give it a try. Let me know how it goes!