PF2 Class Samurai

Pathfinder 2 – Class Conversion

GM Campaign – Samurai

Introduction to Custom Class

Why convert the Samurai? One of the last class conversions to get my Jade Regent game converted across is the Samurai. The play in question has faced death more times than most in the game, and being beside himself on more than one occasion when reincarnated. Now that this spell is not in the pathfinder 2 ruleset I am disappointed as I was curious to see just how many bodies he would leave behind, and how many heads of his one of the NPC’s (Non-Player Character) would collect over the course of the campaign.

I am hoping that my version of this class will be more stable and last longer. Only time will tell. Though the dice appear to be against him, having rolled more publicly rolled natural 20s (vs secret rolls behind a screen) against this character than most of the others.

Note: Not currently in use in ongoing games.

Class Basics – The Samurai

• Key Ability: Strength
• Hit Points: 10 + Con Bonus
• Perception: Trained in Perception
• Saving Throws: Trained in Reflex and Will, Expert in Fortitude
• Skills: Trained in three additional skills plus your intelligence modifier
• Attacks: Trained in simple and martial weapons and unarmed attacks, Expert in Katana
• Defence: Trained in light, medium and heavy armour and shields
• Class DC: Trained in samurai class DC

Class Features

• LEVEL 1
  • Challenge – Free Action – At first level, challenge a target once per day. Your weapon deals an extra dice of damage vs the target and attacks against you from other targets roll twice and take the highest result. Your order may provide other effects.
  • Resolve – At 1^st level, gain a Focus (Max 3). You can spend a focus to do the following:
    • Determined – One Action – remove or reduce a condition (Fatigued, Frightened or Sickened)
    • Resolute – Free Action – When making a Fortitude or a Will saving throw, can roll twice and take the best if used before the roll is made.
    • Unstoppable – Free Action – When reduced to 0 hp and not killed by the blow, you are instead take no damage, but increase your wounded and doomed by 1.
  • Shield Block – At 1^st level, you gain the shield block general feat on page 266.

• LEVEL 3
  • Attack of opportunity – At 3^rd level, you gain the attack of opportunity reaction from a fighter. See page 142.
  • Mount – Downtime – At 3^rd level, your mount becomes a young animal companion you can ride.

• LEVEL 5
  • Samurai Weapon Expertise – At 5^th level, you become an expert at selected weapon group. You become master at Katana and can drawn the weapon as a free action. You gain the critical specialisation for all weapons you have mastery with.

• LEVEL 7
  • Improved Resolve – At 7^th level, gain a Focus (Max 3). You can spend a focus to do the following:
    • Improved Determined – One Action – remove or reduce a condition (Doomed, Drained, Wounded)
  • Weapon Specialisation – At 7^th level you gain 2 damage with weapons your expert with, dealing an extra damage with each proficiency increase.

• LEVEL 9
  • Greater Resolve – At 9^th level, gain a Focus (Max 3). You can spend a focus to do the following:
    • Improved Unstoppable – Reaction – Reduce a critical hit to a normal hit.
  • Lesser Evasion – At 9^th level, your reflex save increases to Expert

• LEVEL 11
  • Demanding Challenge – At 11^th level, when you have a target of your challenge, and when they attack a target other than you, they roll twice and take the lower result.
  • Juggernaut – At 11^th level, gain master in fortitude saving throws, and a success is treated as a critical success.
  • Samurai Expertise – At 11^th level, gain expert in Samurai class DC.

• LEVEL 13
  • Armour Expertise – At 13^th level, gain expertise in your armour, and you can use the armour specialisation abilities of medium and heavy armour.

• LEVEL 15
  • Greater Weapon Specialisation – At 15^th level, for all weapons of proficiency of expert or higher, add the expertise bonus (not the level) to the damage (instead of half from weapon specialisation).
  • Samurai Weapon Legend – At 15^th level, you become master at the selected weapon group, and increase another group to expert. You become Legendary at Katana.

• LEVEL 17
  • Evasion – At 17^th level, your reflex save increases to Master, and when you roll a success, you gain a critical success instead.
  • True Resolve – At 17^th level, you can spend two or more focus to do the following:
    • Avoid Death – Free Action – If you would die by any means, and have at least two focus remaining, you can spend all your focus to stabilised but unconscious.

• LEVEL 19
  • Armour Mastery – At 19^th level, increase your proficiency with armour to master.
  • Samurai Legend – At 19^th level, increase your samurai class DC to master, you increase all your weapon groups so you have one at legendary, one at master and gain a new one at skilled.

Samurai Class Feats

• 1^st Level
  • Ronin – new Feat
  • Warrior – new Feat

• 2^nd Level
  • Honour in All Things (Warrior) – new Feat
  • Self Reliant (Ronin) – new Feat

• 4^th Level
  • Mounted Warrior – New Feat

• 6^th Level
  • Banner – New Feat

• 8^th Level
  • Way of the Samurai (Warrior) – new Feat
  • Without Master (Ronin) – new Feat

• 10^th Level
  • Honourable Stand – new Feat

• 12^th Level
  • Demanding Challenge – new Feat
  • Imposing Destrier (see Champion 10 p113)

• 14^th Level
  • Greater Banner – new Feat

• 16^th Level
  • Strike True (Warrior) – new Feat
  • Chosen Destiny (Ronin) – new Feat

• 18^th Level
  • Auspicious Mount (see Champion 16 p115)

• 20^th Level
  • Last Stand – new Feat

Samurai New and Updated Feats

Ronin – Samurai Feat 1

A Ronin has a personal code of honour, you must define three edicts or provisions as agreed by the games master.

Your attacks against your challenge increase by +1, and your armour class against your challenge also increases by +1.

Warrior – Samurai Feat 1

A warrior has a code of honour to protect the life and lands of his lord with his life. He must be truthful and courageous, respectful of his elders and his master, and loyal to his friends and his liege. He must also conduct himself with honour and dignity.

Your gain resistance to the target of your challenge equal to your samurai level against melee and ranged weapon attacks.

Honour in All Things – Samurai Feat 2

Requirements: Warrior

You can spend your focus as a free action to roll twice on a skill check or saving throw and take the best of the two rolls.

Self Reliant – Samurai Feat 2

Requirements: Ronin

When you fail a Will saving throw against an effect greater than 1 round, you can make an additional save at the end of your next round to treat the effect as if you had saved from that point onwards. If you are in the process of dying, you roll twice and take the best result on the recovery check.

Mounted Warrior – Samurai Feat 4

You may use your actions, before, during or after your mount actions.

Banner – Samurai Feat 6

All allies within 60 ft gain a +1 bonus to saving throws vs fear effects and a +1 to hit on attacks made after a stride move if they start or end a stride within 60 ft of you.

In addition to this your animal companion gains the benefit of Mature animal companion.

Way of the Samurai – Samurai Feat 8

Requirements: Warrior

[1A] By using one of your focus points, you can over the next minute, make one attack roll, saving throw or skill check using three dice and taking the best result, as long as this is chosen before you first roll.

Without Master – Samurai Feat 8

Requirements: Ronin

[R] You can once per combat do one of the following: the unstoppable resolve action without spending a focus, you can make a hit a critical hit, or roll a second time and take the best result on a skill check used in combat that can be chosen after seeing the first roll.

Honourable Stand – Samurai Feat 10

[1A] While your challenge is still in effect, you are immune to the frightened, petrified or fleeing condition. If reduced to below 0 hp, may use the unstoppable resolve action without spending a focus. May spend a focus to re-roll a saving throw. If you retreat from a challenged foe, your challenge cannot be refreshed until 24 hrs have passed.

In addition to this your animal companion gains the benefit of Incredible animal companion.

Demanding Challenge – Samurai Feat 12

The target of your challenge, if within your threatened range, allows your allies to make two rolls to attack taking the highest result.

Greater Banner – Samurai Feat 14

All allies within 60 ft gain a +1 bonus to saving throws vs charm and compulsion effects and a +1 to hit on attacks made after a stride move if they start or end a stride within 60 ft of you. Once per day, as an action you can wave your banner and grant a new saving throw vs fear, charm or compulsions to all allies within 60 ft.

Chosen Destiny – Samurai Feat 16

Requirements: Ronin

When you make a saving throw against a charm or compulsion, you roll twice and take the best result. Once per day, using a focus, you can make any dice roll a natural 20.

Strike True – Samurai Feat 16

Requirements: Warrior

[1A] Spend a focus and make an attack, if you hit, it is treated as a critical hit, if you miss, but not critically fail it is considered a normal hit, while a critical miss is treated as just a miss. Weapon damage is maximised, but energy, precision and critical effects are all rolled as normal. The attack bypasses resistance and the target is blinded, deafened, sickened or stupefied for a number of rounds equal to your wisdom modifier.

Last Stand – Samurai Feat 20

Requirement: Honourable Stand

[1A] You can turn your honourable stand into a last stand, which includes the effects of honourable stand. When activated, you take minimum damage from all ranged and melee weapon attacks that do not score a critical hit. If the damage would take you below 0 hit points, you take no damage if caused by another melee or ranged weapon not wielded by your challenge. If damage is caused by your challenge or another source, you treat that damage as if you used the unstoppable resolve action without spending a focus. If you strike out at another target other than your challenge, this effect ends.

Concluding Thoughts

This was a fun build, combining elements of Paladin, Fighter and the Samurai from pathfinder 1 to create a unique class. To make it a fully fledged class I would need to expand the options and I can use the archetypes from pathfinder 1 to do this, but only if there is a need in my game (or someone asks for it). This should be the last of the class conversions I am planning on doing for my campaigns.

This character lasted the campaign and felt like it was a match for the published characters so I was happy with the final result.

Content Updates

• 2021-07-30 – Update to layout and links.
• 2020-04-10 – Restructure.
• 2020-02-20 – Updated the Banner and Honourable stand feats to also upgrade the animal companion.
• 2019-11-23 – Fixed a duplicate ability

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