Pathfinder 2E Barbarian – Moving, Breathing, and Striking in the Same Round

action-economyoptimizationpathfinder-2e

I have an concept in mind, a fire-breathing Kobold Barbarian. For it to be effective, it needs to take advantage of the additional damage of Rage, (so Strike at least once, 1 action) and use breath a weapon1 (2 actions). However, to be able to include as many enemies as possible (or exclude allies) it usually needs to be able to Stride or Step, which would be another action.

What I found:

  • Beastmaster Dedication + Mature Beastmaster Companion2 lets your mount move (so move you) as a free action at level 4
    • I have many mounted characters, so I would like to avoid this
  • Rogue Dedication + Skirmish Strike lets you Step and Strike, which would be perfect at level 12
    • Level 12 is very far away
    • Drows Shootist can get it on level 6, but this Archetype is Uncommon (and Drow is far from ideal for a Barbarian, and cannot breath fire)
  • Potion of Quickness gives you Haste
    • It is very costly, and not available before level 8
  • Various reactions can be used to move
    • I would like to use the reaction for AoO

What is the earliest solution to cram a Breath, a Stride or Step, and a Strike into one turn? It does not have to be at-will, once per encounter is fine.

I am interested in PFS legal, preferably common solutions.


  1. when available
  2. or Cavalier dedication

Best Answer

Spellcasting

If you're willing to set your combo up in advance (and gain the continued benefits of the spell), you can gain the ability to Haste yourself using any non-divine spellcasting archetype and their Basic Spellcasting Feat. You can increase the number of times per day you can do this with wand(s) of Haste. This takes until level 8 to come online, with the possibility of doing it slightly early if you get your hands on one or more Wand(s) of Haste (a level 7 item).

Inventor

At level 12, with the Inventor archetype, you can take Advanced Breakthrough > Clockwork Celerity (assuming armor or, more likely, weapon innovation) to gain 1 round of Quickened to Step/Stride (armor) or Strike (weapon). This has the Unstable trait meaning you can do it once between resting for 10 minutes unless you succeed at a DC 17 Flat Check, in which case you can use it again immediately, when you wish. You'll likely want to reskin the Inventor to fit your theme, but it is ripe for doing so if you don't dive hard into the Gadget options.

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