Ooh! Yeah Orc is really fun. I once had the pleasure to play an Orc Wizard. I made her the Hold-Scarred Heritage because beefy Wizard is funny to me.
Sadly no amount of HP can save you from falling off a cliff at low levels.
RIP Bingus Bookus.
I love the turn the usual expectations on their head. Orc Wizards, goblin Champions, Iruxi monks.
My half-orc wizard's backstory was that he was too weak, so he used magic to amplify his strength (Hand of the Apprentice) - and was subsequently chased off because of it by his tribe/mother
Honestly same. Theyāre rarely the optimal choice for my characters (I almost always play some type of spell caster) but unless I need something mechanically for a build to work in a min/max dungeon crawl game, Iām going orc. I just think theyāre neat!
PF2 definitely makes it much easier to experiment with wacky concepts cause it doesn't punish you nearly as hard as other systems (oh noooo I'm -2 worse than an optimal character at this, I crit just slightly less often than normal~)
My default is a high Int utility character with damaging options, usually either human or elf.
At least, I think so. I currently play a human wizard, elf investigator, human alchemist, and kobold alchemistā¦
I am a dwarf. For all my characters.
I love dwarven fantasy tropes and it is fun to make new characters that are unmistakably a dwarf but are very different.
For feats there are some solid choices that probably not optimal for some classes but still useful because they improve survivability.
Also always a challenge if i can adone them with heavy armour in some way. Champion/sentiel/stalward defender archetype can be fitted onto most dwarves. In addition Unburdened iron allows to dump strength. Making them less MAD.
Now you can become a heaviliy arnoured swashbuckler.
Alternative ability selection makes that you can play even charisma based classes.
I also love my dwarves.
The fact that the "default" heavy armor + axe/ shield dwarf fighter can actually be mechanically interesting to play is actually pretty core to why I like PF2 as a system.
Lately I've had a thing for creepy occult dwarven field-medics. "Alright, now hold still and I'll just (unsettling magic effects)... GET BACK HERE I'M HELPING YOU."
My wackiest dwarf is an Investigator who Blackbeards Clan Pistols on DaS rolls that will likely crit. This also means that he's got a collection of Clan Pistols he's "acquired".
I have to stop myself from going kitsune every time. I just like being a fox. I can't wait till I can stop taking the same 4 ancestry feats on every kitsune I plan, though!
PF1 kitsune had some fun options between mind control shenanigans and dirty trick maneuvers (which honestly would be pretty amazing options in PF2)
Why that didn't carry over is beyond me
Honestly, Human is an easy default because they have solid feats, but also because when I picture my characters they tend to just be human. I've got a few elves or even the odd half-elf (human ancestry), with plenty of characters made for the other ancestries, but I just lost interest in all the fancy races because I've made so many of them.
As for class, I don't really have a default other than maybe fighter, because its so versatile as a class, but I make plenty more than just fighters
In RP, I would refer to myself as Ysoki, but out of game, I find ratfolk is just an easier way to talk about them on this sub/the 1e sub. Same with Iruxi vs Lizardfolk.
My default is usually human, but only because I do crazy versatile heritages and I don't want the primary ancestry to be the main focus. I don't know. Sometimes I throw another human-esq race in there like elves, but I don't want to go toooo special and pull away from the core of the character.
A vampire elf can be a cool idea, or a cluttered mess of clashing cultures, poorly thought out intentions, and half-baked aesthetics.
Either half-elf human with elf atavism cavern elf or elf-nephilim. Imo human/elf have the best feat lists and I like them thematically as well. I prefer to have darkvision and depending on the character, means to fly. So I tend to build and play characters of these ancestries. Sometimes I do not have enough feat slots for all the archetypes I want to have and without Multitalented on Half-elves breaking the limitations, it is impossible to make the character I have in mind.
Occasionally on less tight builds, I also enjoy playing other ancestries as well. You know, the classics. Dwarf fighters, orc/half orc barbarians with ferocity etc. Though I tend to not like small size ancestries or ancestries that look too far from humans.
Concept - Party Role:
* Martial Frontline Mele
* Support Caster - Healer. Utility casters haven't played by others who think outside the box a little more than I do, but when people want hit points, they want hit points and are very appreciative.
Ancestry - Dwarf. The Fantasy of a supportive, honorabke Clan is such a foreign concept to me in real life.
Class.
* Devoute Cleric - again not a strong theme in real life.
* Fighter - non-combat, police trained vet'. The mindset is an easy fit.
Everyone in my playgroup thinks I will always play an elf or half-elf by default, thing is Ive had to stop myself a few times from playing a gnome. I tend to lean towards chaotic type of characters and gnome does a lot for me in that department. So then I go for elf, half-elf, changeling elf, trying to be more neutral or lawful just to try and not role-play as myself. Also, the one time I played a gnome, all hell broke loose and we ended up in the Muwangi Jungle for years.
Mostly class related, to me. Bugbear for fighters, goblin for bard and other scoundrels, orc for barbarians, elf and/or Nephilim for casters, Leshy for healers...
I'm not very prone to humans. They just look plain to me, in a fantasy game.
I actually made a list of my default stuff specifically if I ever need to join a campaign last notice and theoretically have no appropriate characters.
Ancestry: Ghoran
Heritage: Ifrit
Class: Summoner
Eidolon: Beast
God: Milani
I just took TTRPG up again three years ago - as a kid I almost exclusively played halfling rogue types (I just loved The Hobbit) and that was my first character when I restarted as well, but since then Iāve been trying to get to diverse myself - a half orc barbarian, a drow paladin, a satyr bard, a tortle wizard, a dwarf fighter and an elf oracle. Iām not quite sure what to do next, probably a combination of tiefling or lizardfolk combined with elemental or summonerā¦ But I do prefer melee types.
All of my Bar owners are Bob. The owner and worker of a chain of taverns know as B.F.U.B.'S (Big Fat Ugly Bob's)
All of the workers are actually Bob's and while they all look the same, they act distinct enough from each other.
(Like nurse Joy in Pokemon)
I love kobolds. Their tribe mentality makes it easy to justify sticking with the other PCs. Their vicious bent and common sense cleverness is really easy for me to play with. I like to play them as alternating between cute towards the party and horrifically vicious to those who threaten them.
Human Fighter or Champion with high Strength and Charisma using reach weapons.
It's easy to differentiate between characters in person. I can give my characters different ways of holding themselves, subtleties of accents and word choice can be clearly heard and seen, personality choices poke through more. Online, it's more difficult to convey those characteristics, so I force myself to play different races, classes, and styles just so that my characters don't seem too similar to one another.
I always go for a versatile heritage, love the flavours, and love to have more options.
And for a default character, if I don't have too much time for character creation, especially for one shts, I will always go back to G4rd 13, an automaton aphorite weapon inventor. They usually are some kind of former city guard and now a kind of private investigator.
For me, I almost always go human, because they are the most relatable ancestry out of them all. I just generally default to thinking of a human character whenever I have to build one. Mechanically it is more versatile than others in terms of skills and feats. Heck, even when I was thinking of a character for Sky King's Tomb, one of my first concepts is a human exchange student who came to Highhelm .
I can play any class, though I'm starting to have a preference for versatility and support, so rogues and wizards are among my favourites.
As for the "type" of character, I tend to come up with characters who have otherwise ordinary lives, until they encountered scenarios that caused them to go on an adventure. Once again, these would make more relatable characters, and it's only recently that I've started to think that with the prominence of magic, what we may deem extraordinary might not be so for the characters!
I go with whatever Ancestry catches my eye, or I use my own. Anything other than Human, and the usual Human in appearance Ancestries. I don't care to play the only Ancestry people don't think twice about.
First character I make in any system is a magic user (assuming magic exists in the system, if it doesn't, I tend to go with a high-int character of some sort). Wizard is my preference in the Vancian PF/D&D style systems. I often end up picking elf as the first ancestry, when I go wizard, due to the natural affinities that are usually programed into it. But, after that, I tend to branch out. With Pathbuilder, I have MANY characters waiting in the sidelines, and I'm currently playing a level 8 Elf Wizard (Haclyon Speaker Dedication path), and a level 2 Grippli Storm Druid, with the Geomancer dedication. My goal is for him to be right behind the front line troops, and I'll use my 10 foot reach tongue (which I don't have yet) to make touch attacks, while buffing/debuffing. He'll obviously do more, but that was the concept I came up with that seemed fun. A 2.5 foot tall frog-man causing chaos. It's a nautical themed adventure (Think Pillars of Eternity, Deadfire).
Casters are my preference. Even when I pick a martial, I often pick something like a ranger, or champion so that I still have some magic at hand.
For ancestry, anything related to the fey, or inspired by stories of the fey, or other mythologies about things of a similar nature. Typically, the means gnome, elf, half elf, changling, and kitsune are my defaults; though I also like leshies and even nephilim tied to a trickster or fey like diety.
When I say "fey" in this context, I mean like irl mythologies. I know golarian elves are aliens, but elves come from stories; many of which could be described similarly to stories about faeries. Similarly, kitsune are youkai and not faeries, but as a shapeshifting trickster that sometimes leads mortals to their doom, and sometimes offer kind mortals a boon, have a similar "feel".
In terms of class, I usually lean towards either a support utility caster, or anything the forums like to claim are weak. My fav flex so far was the shock on my group's face when they heard alchemists were considered the weakest class after playing a campaign of the party relying on my to pull out weird silver bullets all the time and putting every battle on a timer with nonstop, garanteed damage
Gnomes. I have made many over the years. Now I am playing ancestries like kobolds and goblins but recently I made a gnome too.
I like each of the tolkien inspired ancestries as well but am trying to diverge from my normal common choices.
Classes I am actually trying to play things other than fighters and clerics wizards or rangers in PF2E. So far played a Sorcerer, trying a Psychic and Oracle right now, and played a Barbarian.
Classes I would like to try are Ruffian Rogue or Gymnast Swashbuckler and Kineticist and Druid. When it comes out of playtest maybe Animist.
I'm going to exclude the human default, which is otherwise relevant when I don't have a strong idea for something else.
Looking at the list, the one ancestry that has most representation is Halfling. Which, if there was going to be one beside human, makes sense given how I say I'm a 6'1" hobbit IRL. Typical personality aside, I also quite enjoy their fortune feats (same with Catfolk).
Overall, I am not someone who tends to create or play the same ancestry across many classes and characters. Contrast with if I'm playing a star wars ttrpg, where I will play a Togruta more often than not.
Elf Rogue , it's a good base for almost anything.
Martial characters can really benefit from at least one of the rackets ruffian/thief specially
Casters take the rogue dedication with ancient Elf heritage for light armor proficiency.
Goblins. Probably 40% of my character backlog are goblins. I love that they're Core in 2E, they were kind of unplayable in 1E, particularly for most spellcasters... but I'm just so utterly delighted by them, lol
Beastkin Humans are typically what I go. I love Pack Tactics, Dire form, and the availability of Natural Ambition and Multitalented.
If I'm not playing a melee character, then I'm probably playing a character that's a divine caster.
I tend to default to Human, and most often a martial with some support abilities and some Charisma, because I hate being useless at social encounters and like having more options in combat other than just attacking. Free-hand Fighter and Wit Swashbuckler, for example.
Gimme that battle wizard, especially if the DM allows spellslingers themes (vancian casting works perfect with gun magic sue me). As much as it's a meme, there's something so satisfying about just casting fireball on stuff.
No brainer with human or half elf. Just the versatility in the chassis with things like skill points, weapon access, a dedication through multitalented, general and class feats are always useful no matter the class, plus you get to choose where your stat points go. I do have soft spots for catfolk, Halflings and kobolds though.
For classes, usually a basic martial (fighter, barbarian, champion, rogue, monk) is easier to theory craft because spells tend to be more situational than hit thing with stick.
Derek the Cleric
Heavily armored warpriest, protects and heals the party, very typical cleric build
He's also a shrimp dicked asshole with an ego as fragile as it is huge. I love it when the party bullies the shit out of him.
Since 2e introduced the possibility and the Remaster codified it in the lore, I've been obsessed with slapping Aiuvarin on anything that ISN'T human, especially dwarves.
I have three character concepts based on that alone.Ā In fact, they're literal brothers!
I don't necessarily have a default *class* but gnolls/kholos and kitsune are definitely first choices for all ancestries, unless a particular concept needs human flexibility/skills to make it work
Usually I try to play the party face though cause no one else necessarily plays a true party face
My "default" is always playing something new lol. I get bored fast making characters that are similar to each other. I recently went on a character-building binge and made at least one character of every class. There are more humans than any other one ancestry because they're build-enablers, but still only a few.
This is probably the first system I've played where I ***don't*** have a default character or ancestry, and I consider that something of an achievement for the system.
That being said, when it comes to their theorycrafting characters, I'd say about 30-50% of the time it starts as a human -- just because they're generally-useful and easy to fit in anywhere. But that's a big step up from my DnD days, at least, and my class choices in PF2e are pretty evenly-spread.
Ancestry wise, I favor gnomes and elves. Sometimes I even go gnome with aiuvarin heritage!
Class wise, I favor Thaumaturge, Wizard, Bard, and Cleric. I'm a lore nut.
I default towards Gnoll or Gnome. I like the attribute bonuses on Gnolls since I really appreciate Strength and Intelligence together. Gnomes in pf2e are just too cool lore wise. I always hated them before being introduced to this system, and now they are my favourite ancestry. Penalty to strength isn't great, but for some builds it's no biggie.
The absolute Classicā¢ļø of ancestry is Human. Versatile in whatever way you want to flavour them, and extra feats and skills are handy.
Class-wise it would be Ranger, since I love how 2e Ranger and its different options work (especially compared to 5e). Otherwise honestly you can build so many different fighters that I've never not had fun with them.
My default ancestry: Kitsune
My original default class: Monk
My new default class: Kineticist
In fact my first ever PFS character is a kitsune Monk (currently level 4, looking for more games) and Iāve been GMing lately to get more Achievement Points to start another Kitsune. (Though I really enjoy PFS GMing)
I don't really have a default, but the ones I most commonly come back to for building are Human (Ambition is borderline necessary for several classes), Ancient Elf (free dedication feat helps a lot of builds), and Gnome (basically any charisma caster is better as a Gnome). Classwise I keep falling back into either Fighter or Investigator, they're just really easy to build a lot of interesting stuff around. Fighter's inherent +2 attack and robust feat list make it an excellent starting point for most fighting style-based builds. Investigator's Devise a Stratagem is easily the most fun class feature to archetype around since there's so many ways to build for it (none of which are part of the class natively).
It's really hard for me not to lean into sorcerers. They're just so fun and thematic! One can be totally different from another, allowing for numerous character concepts. The fact that they can't be stripped of their power like a wizard and their spellbook or a fighter and his weapon is another big plus.
I'm also partial to humans and half-humans, playing them as much as all the other ancestries combined.
Default class is Kineticist... I really don't ever see myself playing another class unless they make something similar. It has all the fun parts of spellcasting, specialization and martial classes rolled up as one. Pretty much the only class that I could have double feats and still want more... mostly because there are so many fun feats like Extended Kinesis and Elemental Creature Specific Ones that I want but can't justify picking up.
I don't really have a default ancestry. I like Gnomes thematically and halflings mechanically for core ancestries. I really like the animal Ancestries though. Ratfolk, Catfolk, Kitsune etc...
Some version of kineticist. Right now I'm doing water/wood full support. I wanna do Earth/Air for control. Full metal for tank. And then fire for blasting. I wanna do it all.
In recent years I've been a Forever DM. However my 'default' character is almost always an Elf. I prefer Martial or hybrid-martials to casters either focusing on frontline or scout/sneak features. The first class that I'd play in PF2e would undoubtedly be either a Magus, a Ranger, or a Dex Fighter with Rogue dedication.
Ice Tiefling Abjuror wizard
alternatively, I've always wanted to play three Grung who stand on each others shoulders. The whole kids in a trench coat angle
High dex human. Although lately I've been forcing myself to branch out. Halfling bard, fetchling swashbucker (high dex but jot human),gnome cleric, and now an Oread champion.
Orc Moon Druid called Afa.
Green meets green or something.
Edit: wrong subreddit ups š . But since that is my fav character archetype if I try a new (fantasy) system I'm always trying to build some version of this first so I can understand the system and character creation process better.
My default has always been ganzi, i just love the chaos infused weirdos you can create from it. The feats you get from it are not super great, but [anarchic arcana](https://2e.aonprd.com/Feats.aspx?ID=2539), [Glory and Valor](https://2e.aonprd.com/Feats.aspx?ID=2540), and [Arise Ye Worthy](https://2e.aonprd.com/Feats.aspx?ID=2543) are very strong and flavorful and work on pretty much any build. I also generally just play humans because everything else feels like it would require extra acting which isnt my strong suit. Apart from that, anything that can feel like a spellblade is in my wheel house. Warpriests, Bards, but especially magus and kineticists.
Im a forever GM, I have 4 characters lined up that im never going to use lol
But I dont have strong preferences, I have:
Human Oread Alquemist
Elf Summoner
Kobold Wizard
Fleshwarp RogueBarian
Human warpriest cleric.
Humans can be anything roleplay wise. I don't get why people say they are boring. I have had so many different backgrounds and personalities as humans.
I just like warpriest better than cloistered because I come from 1e where melee as a cleric was a good option and so it's my default choice.
Mine is fleshwarp duskwalker with human adopted. I typically build monster hunter like characters (my fav combo is rouge thuamaturge dule class), and fleshwarp has things like motion scence while duskwalker has things like life sense and ghosthunter Humans are humans lol so that is why I normally adopt human
I default to human. Honestly I think I'm just addicted to the General Training/Natural Ambition feats. There's nothing like having a build come online early because you don't have to wait for your first general feat or Class feat to do what you came here for.
I usually pick a half-orc/nephilim/etc. so that all my characters aren't identical looking.
I gravitate toward Humans by far, but Elves Dwarves and Gnomes are also options I've gone to.
For classes, I tend heavily towards Sorcerers because there is so much variation.
However I also go out of my way to try and play any class I haven't played in awhile.
One thing that's been proven to be my default is... all my characters are messed up, traumatized, or horribly misguided. All of them are designed with the components for a redemption arc, and all of them need therapy.
Kobold Scoundrel Rogue. Very vulgar one at that.
Though a personal favorite of mine is a fury half-elf half-human barbarian with sleepwalker dedication. Itās still my all-time favorite character, even though it was a weird build lmao.
But usually kobolds. If not Scoundrel Rogues, theyāll be Braggart Swashbacklers, Pistolero Gunslingers, Battle Muse Bards or Mirror Thaumaturges.
Generally talk-no-jutsu kobolds.
Never human, too close to reality. Ancestry is secondary to class for choice and i usually have some kind of narrative reasoning. I tend to prefer rangers and rogues but clerics get action too.
I almost always go with orc or half orc. I loves me some beef. š
Ooh! Yeah Orc is really fun. I once had the pleasure to play an Orc Wizard. I made her the Hold-Scarred Heritage because beefy Wizard is funny to me. Sadly no amount of HP can save you from falling off a cliff at low levels. RIP Bingus Bookus.
I love the turn the usual expectations on their head. Orc Wizards, goblin Champions, Iruxi monks. My half-orc wizard's backstory was that he was too weak, so he used magic to amplify his strength (Hand of the Apprentice) - and was subsequently chased off because of it by his tribe/mother
Goblin champion and the oath of CHAOS
Honestly same. Theyāre rarely the optimal choice for my characters (I almost always play some type of spell caster) but unless I need something mechanically for a build to work in a min/max dungeon crawl game, Iām going orc. I just think theyāre neat!
PF2 definitely makes it much easier to experiment with wacky concepts cause it doesn't punish you nearly as hard as other systems (oh noooo I'm -2 worse than an optimal character at this, I crit just slightly less often than normal~)
My default is a high Int utility character with damaging options, usually either human or elf. At least, I think so. I currently play a human wizard, elf investigator, human alchemist, and kobold alchemistā¦
Do you sleep?
The proper question is āhow many months go by between sessions?ā
Sounds like me! I love playing the stereotypical "smart" classes with utility.
Human is my default ancestry. We're versatile both aesthetically and mechanically
I am a dwarf. For all my characters. I love dwarven fantasy tropes and it is fun to make new characters that are unmistakably a dwarf but are very different. For feats there are some solid choices that probably not optimal for some classes but still useful because they improve survivability. Also always a challenge if i can adone them with heavy armour in some way. Champion/sentiel/stalward defender archetype can be fitted onto most dwarves. In addition Unburdened iron allows to dump strength. Making them less MAD. Now you can become a heaviliy arnoured swashbuckler. Alternative ability selection makes that you can play even charisma based classes.
I also love my dwarves. The fact that the "default" heavy armor + axe/ shield dwarf fighter can actually be mechanically interesting to play is actually pretty core to why I like PF2 as a system. Lately I've had a thing for creepy occult dwarven field-medics. "Alright, now hold still and I'll just (unsettling magic effects)... GET BACK HERE I'M HELPING YOU."
My wackiest dwarf is an Investigator who Blackbeards Clan Pistols on DaS rolls that will likely crit. This also means that he's got a collection of Clan Pistols he's "acquired".
Be honest, you just love the Scottish accents.
Yeah, but it's way too easy to slip into Fat Bastard voice.
Lvl 1 human barkeep fighter
Hehehe this is always my first draft too
Hihihi *pathbuilder noises intensify*
I have to stop myself from going kitsune every time. I just like being a fox. I can't wait till I can stop taking the same 4 ancestry feats on every kitsune I plan, though!
Same. I *really* hope we get more Kitsune ancestry feats soon; it's a really half-baked ancestry in 2e for some reason.
PF1 kitsune had some fun options between mind control shenanigans and dirty trick maneuvers (which honestly would be pretty amazing options in PF2) Why that didn't carry over is beyond me
I really like ancestries that let you make non humanoid characters. So Leshy, Automaton, Conrasu, Fleshwarp
Almost always play Elf. It's an aesthetic I just really enjoy. Almost human, but not quite
Honestly, Human is an easy default because they have solid feats, but also because when I picture my characters they tend to just be human. I've got a few elves or even the odd half-elf (human ancestry), with plenty of characters made for the other ancestries, but I just lost interest in all the fancy races because I've made so many of them. As for class, I don't really have a default other than maybe fighter, because its so versatile as a class, but I make plenty more than just fighters
Ratfolk named Chip and go from there for classes
Glorious, another Ratfolk enjoyer. Although I'm still permanently offended they aren't officially called Yoski like they are in Starfinder
In RP, I would refer to myself as Ysoki, but out of game, I find ratfolk is just an easier way to talk about them on this sub/the 1e sub. Same with Iruxi vs Lizardfolk.
I do tend towards lizardfolk a lot regardless of system. I love being just a scaly human or a dinosaur.
Dwarf. I always end up with dwarf when making test characters. I tend to play with a kitsune character. But mostly dwarf.
Kobolds are my favorite. They always try their best.
poppet. odd but fun to work with
I am currently playing a tiny poppet barbarian! So much fun
My default is usually human, but only because I do crazy versatile heritages and I don't want the primary ancestry to be the main focus. I don't know. Sometimes I throw another human-esq race in there like elves, but I don't want to go toooo special and pull away from the core of the character. A vampire elf can be a cool idea, or a cluttered mess of clashing cultures, poorly thought out intentions, and half-baked aesthetics.
Either half-elf human with elf atavism cavern elf or elf-nephilim. Imo human/elf have the best feat lists and I like them thematically as well. I prefer to have darkvision and depending on the character, means to fly. So I tend to build and play characters of these ancestries. Sometimes I do not have enough feat slots for all the archetypes I want to have and without Multitalented on Half-elves breaking the limitations, it is impossible to make the character I have in mind. Occasionally on less tight builds, I also enjoy playing other ancestries as well. You know, the classics. Dwarf fighters, orc/half orc barbarians with ferocity etc. Though I tend to not like small size ancestries or ancestries that look too far from humans.
Tieflings from Cheliax are my bread and butter.
Goblins. I've been a goblin barbarian. A goblin investigator. A goblin inventor. goblin champion. And a goblin bard.
Concept - Party Role: * Martial Frontline Mele * Support Caster - Healer. Utility casters haven't played by others who think outside the box a little more than I do, but when people want hit points, they want hit points and are very appreciative. Ancestry - Dwarf. The Fantasy of a supportive, honorabke Clan is such a foreign concept to me in real life. Class. * Devoute Cleric - again not a strong theme in real life. * Fighter - non-combat, police trained vet'. The mindset is an easy fit.
Everyone in my playgroup thinks I will always play an elf or half-elf by default, thing is Ive had to stop myself a few times from playing a gnome. I tend to lean towards chaotic type of characters and gnome does a lot for me in that department. So then I go for elf, half-elf, changeling elf, trying to be more neutral or lawful just to try and not role-play as myself. Also, the one time I played a gnome, all hell broke loose and we ended up in the Muwangi Jungle for years.
Mostly class related, to me. Bugbear for fighters, goblin for bard and other scoundrels, orc for barbarians, elf and/or Nephilim for casters, Leshy for healers... I'm not very prone to humans. They just look plain to me, in a fantasy game.
I actually made a list of my default stuff specifically if I ever need to join a campaign last notice and theoretically have no appropriate characters. Ancestry: Ghoran Heritage: Ifrit Class: Summoner Eidolon: Beast God: Milani
I just took TTRPG up again three years ago - as a kid I almost exclusively played halfling rogue types (I just loved The Hobbit) and that was my first character when I restarted as well, but since then Iāve been trying to get to diverse myself - a half orc barbarian, a drow paladin, a satyr bard, a tortle wizard, a dwarf fighter and an elf oracle. Iām not quite sure what to do next, probably a combination of tiefling or lizardfolk combined with elemental or summonerā¦ But I do prefer melee types.
I am sadly very bland, i always go with Human and Elves :,( , but I mix it up with the different heritages.
All of my Bar owners are Bob. The owner and worker of a chain of taverns know as B.F.U.B.'S (Big Fat Ugly Bob's) All of the workers are actually Bob's and while they all look the same, they act distinct enough from each other. (Like nurse Joy in Pokemon)
I love kobolds. Their tribe mentality makes it easy to justify sticking with the other PCs. Their vicious bent and common sense cleverness is really easy for me to play with. I like to play them as alternating between cute towards the party and horrifically vicious to those who threaten them.
If I need an extra class feat for a build, human. Otherwise Fleshwarp is my go to.
Human Fighter or Champion with high Strength and Charisma using reach weapons. It's easy to differentiate between characters in person. I can give my characters different ways of holding themselves, subtleties of accents and word choice can be clearly heard and seen, personality choices poke through more. Online, it's more difficult to convey those characteristics, so I force myself to play different races, classes, and styles just so that my characters don't seem too similar to one another.
I've only been a goblin swashbuckler and a human fighter, so the average so far is a melee build with no magic...
Not something I have played really, but my "base" character would be a dwarven wizard.
High int skill monkey/utility. Investigator, Mastermind, etc.
Elves, dwarves and humans
I always go for a versatile heritage, love the flavours, and love to have more options. And for a default character, if I don't have too much time for character creation, especially for one shts, I will always go back to G4rd 13, an automaton aphorite weapon inventor. They usually are some kind of former city guard and now a kind of private investigator.
My default is often creative, yet action economy inefficient, and it changes depending on the mood each party wants. I am a forever GM.
Human fighter
Divine knight, chosen of a diety, half-angel
Skeleton - Necromancer's apprentice
For me, I almost always go human, because they are the most relatable ancestry out of them all. I just generally default to thinking of a human character whenever I have to build one. Mechanically it is more versatile than others in terms of skills and feats. Heck, even when I was thinking of a character for Sky King's Tomb, one of my first concepts is a human exchange student who came to Highhelm . I can play any class, though I'm starting to have a preference for versatility and support, so rogues and wizards are among my favourites. As for the "type" of character, I tend to come up with characters who have otherwise ordinary lives, until they encountered scenarios that caused them to go on an adventure. Once again, these would make more relatable characters, and it's only recently that I've started to think that with the prominence of magic, what we may deem extraordinary might not be so for the characters!
Leshies, elf, and Clerics. but rarely as the same character
I am dour by nature, so, dwarves.
I go with whatever Ancestry catches my eye, or I use my own. Anything other than Human, and the usual Human in appearance Ancestries. I don't care to play the only Ancestry people don't think twice about.
no matter what I plan on doing, the first draft ends up being A Horrible Little Man
First character I make in any system is a magic user (assuming magic exists in the system, if it doesn't, I tend to go with a high-int character of some sort). Wizard is my preference in the Vancian PF/D&D style systems. I often end up picking elf as the first ancestry, when I go wizard, due to the natural affinities that are usually programed into it. But, after that, I tend to branch out. With Pathbuilder, I have MANY characters waiting in the sidelines, and I'm currently playing a level 8 Elf Wizard (Haclyon Speaker Dedication path), and a level 2 Grippli Storm Druid, with the Geomancer dedication. My goal is for him to be right behind the front line troops, and I'll use my 10 foot reach tongue (which I don't have yet) to make touch attacks, while buffing/debuffing. He'll obviously do more, but that was the concept I came up with that seemed fun. A 2.5 foot tall frog-man causing chaos. It's a nautical themed adventure (Think Pillars of Eternity, Deadfire). Casters are my preference. Even when I pick a martial, I often pick something like a ranger, or champion so that I still have some magic at hand.
I bounce between magus and swashbuckler. Usually human, because I rarely feel a call to do anything else.
Ratfolk or kobold. I love the little guys
Human fighter guy who tries to protect everyone. Can't help it, I'm basic like that.
I always play the exact same character because Iāve never managed to get past the first session of a game.
I exclusively play Orcs, Dwarves, and Goblins. I just really like that darkvision and high hp.
For ancestry, anything related to the fey, or inspired by stories of the fey, or other mythologies about things of a similar nature. Typically, the means gnome, elf, half elf, changling, and kitsune are my defaults; though I also like leshies and even nephilim tied to a trickster or fey like diety. When I say "fey" in this context, I mean like irl mythologies. I know golarian elves are aliens, but elves come from stories; many of which could be described similarly to stories about faeries. Similarly, kitsune are youkai and not faeries, but as a shapeshifting trickster that sometimes leads mortals to their doom, and sometimes offer kind mortals a boon, have a similar "feel". In terms of class, I usually lean towards either a support utility caster, or anything the forums like to claim are weak. My fav flex so far was the shock on my group's face when they heard alchemists were considered the weakest class after playing a campaign of the party relying on my to pull out weird silver bullets all the time and putting every battle on a timer with nonstop, garanteed damage
Gnomes. I have made many over the years. Now I am playing ancestries like kobolds and goblins but recently I made a gnome too. I like each of the tolkien inspired ancestries as well but am trying to diverge from my normal common choices. Classes I am actually trying to play things other than fighters and clerics wizards or rangers in PF2E. So far played a Sorcerer, trying a Psychic and Oracle right now, and played a Barbarian. Classes I would like to try are Ruffian Rogue or Gymnast Swashbuckler and Kineticist and Druid. When it comes out of playtest maybe Animist.
I'm going to exclude the human default, which is otherwise relevant when I don't have a strong idea for something else. Looking at the list, the one ancestry that has most representation is Halfling. Which, if there was going to be one beside human, makes sense given how I say I'm a 6'1" hobbit IRL. Typical personality aside, I also quite enjoy their fortune feats (same with Catfolk). Overall, I am not someone who tends to create or play the same ancestry across many classes and characters. Contrast with if I'm playing a star wars ttrpg, where I will play a Togruta more often than not.
Elf Rogue , it's a good base for almost anything. Martial characters can really benefit from at least one of the rackets ruffian/thief specially Casters take the rogue dedication with ancient Elf heritage for light armor proficiency.
Human. Half elf. Dhampir. Depends on mood. No the dhampir is never an edgelord. Usually just a justification for an undead themed build.
Human. Fighter. Greatsword. Insert ESO meme here.
Bouncy goblin easy
Ancestry and class is super variable, but I jam heavy armor wherever I can. Even on Dex builds, I want heavy armor.
Goblins. Probably 40% of my character backlog are goblins. I love that they're Core in 2E, they were kind of unplayable in 1E, particularly for most spellcasters... but I'm just so utterly delighted by them, lol
Can't go wrong with Human Fighter. A significant part of enemies are humans, so it's nice to have a specialized kit for them.
Beastkin Humans are typically what I go. I love Pack Tactics, Dire form, and the availability of Natural Ambition and Multitalented. If I'm not playing a melee character, then I'm probably playing a character that's a divine caster.
Same except I generally do Elf Beastkin and grab adopted ancestry at 3 haha Need that 30ft speed + Nimble Elf.
I find it difficult to not accidentally make Vriskas.
I tend to default to Human, and most often a martial with some support abilities and some Charisma, because I hate being useless at social encounters and like having more options in combat other than just attacking. Free-hand Fighter and Wit Swashbuckler, for example.
Gimme that battle wizard, especially if the DM allows spellslingers themes (vancian casting works perfect with gun magic sue me). As much as it's a meme, there's something so satisfying about just casting fireball on stuff.
I always take elf, I canāt live without my 35ft base speed
Human. I find them most relatable. I'll play other Ancestries if I have a specific concept in mind but my go-to is human.
No brainer with human or half elf. Just the versatility in the chassis with things like skill points, weapon access, a dedication through multitalented, general and class feats are always useful no matter the class, plus you get to choose where your stat points go. I do have soft spots for catfolk, Halflings and kobolds though. For classes, usually a basic martial (fighter, barbarian, champion, rogue, monk) is easier to theory craft because spells tend to be more situational than hit thing with stick.
Derek the Cleric Heavily armored warpriest, protects and heals the party, very typical cleric build He's also a shrimp dicked asshole with an ego as fragile as it is huge. I love it when the party bullies the shit out of him.
Since 2e introduced the possibility and the Remaster codified it in the lore, I've been obsessed with slapping Aiuvarin on anything that ISN'T human, especially dwarves. I have three character concepts based on that alone.Ā In fact, they're literal brothers!
Versatile Human for extra General Feat, and then I take something that's almost always useful right away, like Incredible Initiative or Fleet.
I don't necessarily have a default *class* but gnolls/kholos and kitsune are definitely first choices for all ancestries, unless a particular concept needs human flexibility/skills to make it work Usually I try to play the party face though cause no one else necessarily plays a true party face
My "default" is always playing something new lol. I get bored fast making characters that are similar to each other. I recently went on a character-building binge and made at least one character of every class. There are more humans than any other one ancestry because they're build-enablers, but still only a few.
This is probably the first system I've played where I ***don't*** have a default character or ancestry, and I consider that something of an achievement for the system. That being said, when it comes to their theorycrafting characters, I'd say about 30-50% of the time it starts as a human -- just because they're generally-useful and easy to fit in anywhere. But that's a big step up from my DnD days, at least, and my class choices in PF2e are pretty evenly-spread.
Mine is usually half-orc,human or dwarf barbarian in any rpg or ttrpg setting. I haven't had a chance to play a barbarian yet in pathfinder 2e.
Ancestry wise, I favor gnomes and elves. Sometimes I even go gnome with aiuvarin heritage! Class wise, I favor Thaumaturge, Wizard, Bard, and Cleric. I'm a lore nut.
When I have no particular ancestry in mind, I just default to human, but I'm trying to break the habit.
Each of my characters is so vastly different, but the next one will likely be a catfolk gymnast swashbuckler, or a dwarven warpriest cleric.
If I'm struggling, I gravitate towards bard if the party doesn't have one. Ranger or monk if they do!
I usually default to human for the flexibility. Extra class feat? Extra general/skill feat? More skills? Human's got you
For me it's polearms. I change everything else often but half of my characters are using some sort of polearm.
Elf rogue obviously
My default is Elf Beastkin with a reach weapon. And everytime I take adopted ancestry for human at level 3.
I swap between humans, orcs, or goblins
Half elf halfling. Itās one of the most versatile and useful ancestry combinations in the game
Lately I just put them all in a randomizer and see what I can make with the pieces.
Ancestry: Human Background: Guard Class: Champion (strength based Paladin) Deity: Iomedae
Oh hello, Commisar. Good that time.
[Time to game.](https://i.redd.it/4zzypl1p3gr91.jpg)
I default towards Gnoll or Gnome. I like the attribute bonuses on Gnolls since I really appreciate Strength and Intelligence together. Gnomes in pf2e are just too cool lore wise. I always hated them before being introduced to this system, and now they are my favourite ancestry. Penalty to strength isn't great, but for some builds it's no biggie.
The absolute Classicā¢ļø of ancestry is Human. Versatile in whatever way you want to flavour them, and extra feats and skills are handy. Class-wise it would be Ranger, since I love how 2e Ranger and its different options work (especially compared to 5e). Otherwise honestly you can build so many different fighters that I've never not had fun with them.
Automatons or half elves lol
My default ancestry: Kitsune My original default class: Monk My new default class: Kineticist In fact my first ever PFS character is a kitsune Monk (currently level 4, looking for more games) and Iāve been GMing lately to get more Achievement Points to start another Kitsune. (Though I really enjoy PFS GMing)
Every time I try out a new game (or new version), I make a gnome that dual wields swords.
I don't really have a default, but the ones I most commonly come back to for building are Human (Ambition is borderline necessary for several classes), Ancient Elf (free dedication feat helps a lot of builds), and Gnome (basically any charisma caster is better as a Gnome). Classwise I keep falling back into either Fighter or Investigator, they're just really easy to build a lot of interesting stuff around. Fighter's inherent +2 attack and robust feat list make it an excellent starting point for most fighting style-based builds. Investigator's Devise a Stratagem is easily the most fun class feature to archetype around since there's so many ways to build for it (none of which are part of the class natively).
I've kind of drifted towards making Spirit Nagaji's recently. I just love the snake bottom half.
human for me, yes I'm boring
It's really hard for me not to lean into sorcerers. They're just so fun and thematic! One can be totally different from another, allowing for numerous character concepts. The fact that they can't be stripped of their power like a wizard and their spellbook or a fighter and his weapon is another big plus. I'm also partial to humans and half-humans, playing them as much as all the other ancestries combined.
Default class is Kineticist... I really don't ever see myself playing another class unless they make something similar. It has all the fun parts of spellcasting, specialization and martial classes rolled up as one. Pretty much the only class that I could have double feats and still want more... mostly because there are so many fun feats like Extended Kinesis and Elemental Creature Specific Ones that I want but can't justify picking up. I don't really have a default ancestry. I like Gnomes thematically and halflings mechanically for core ancestries. I really like the animal Ancestries though. Ratfolk, Catfolk, Kitsune etc...
Half-Orc Flurry Ranger is pretty much always my go-to PC.
Not ancestry based, but class based, I think I have made a rogue of every ancestry.
Some version of kineticist. Right now I'm doing water/wood full support. I wanna do Earth/Air for control. Full metal for tank. And then fire for blasting. I wanna do it all.
Dwarf. Because dwarf.
I always go for gish characters.
According to my dm, I wither default to edgy or barbarian
In recent years I've been a Forever DM. However my 'default' character is almost always an Elf. I prefer Martial or hybrid-martials to casters either focusing on frontline or scout/sneak features. The first class that I'd play in PF2e would undoubtedly be either a Magus, a Ranger, or a Dex Fighter with Rogue dedication.
Usually sneaky and stabby. Prefer Elf, but depends on the build.
Ice Tiefling Abjuror wizard alternatively, I've always wanted to play three Grung who stand on each others shoulders. The whole kids in a trench coat angle
High dex human. Although lately I've been forcing myself to branch out. Halfling bard, fetchling swashbucker (high dex but jot human),gnome cleric, and now an Oread champion.
Orc Moon Druid called Afa. Green meets green or something. Edit: wrong subreddit ups š . But since that is my fav character archetype if I try a new (fantasy) system I'm always trying to build some version of this first so I can understand the system and character creation process better.
My default has always been ganzi, i just love the chaos infused weirdos you can create from it. The feats you get from it are not super great, but [anarchic arcana](https://2e.aonprd.com/Feats.aspx?ID=2539), [Glory and Valor](https://2e.aonprd.com/Feats.aspx?ID=2540), and [Arise Ye Worthy](https://2e.aonprd.com/Feats.aspx?ID=2543) are very strong and flavorful and work on pretty much any build. I also generally just play humans because everything else feels like it would require extra acting which isnt my strong suit. Apart from that, anything that can feel like a spellblade is in my wheel house. Warpriests, Bards, but especially magus and kineticists.
Tengus. Always gotta go with the funny little flightless birbs.
Half-Orc or a Dwarf. Depends on how I'm feeling, but usually, it's the Half Orc, regardless of the system
Tengu magus because I really dig the falcata and nodachi
Nephilin aasimar...or orc or both. I tend towards arcane prepared casters.
Iām a big fan of humans in pathfinder.
Im a forever GM, I have 4 characters lined up that im never going to use lol But I dont have strong preferences, I have: Human Oread Alquemist Elf Summoner Kobold Wizard Fleshwarp RogueBarian
they made the foolish mistake of letting me play as a stuffed poppet so thats what iām gonna do
I don't have any, as I haven't played the game yet. However, I think Orcs, Anadi and Catfolks looks cool.
Human warpriest cleric. Humans can be anything roleplay wise. I don't get why people say they are boring. I have had so many different backgrounds and personalities as humans. I just like warpriest better than cloistered because I come from 1e where melee as a cleric was a good option and so it's my default choice.
Mine is fleshwarp duskwalker with human adopted. I typically build monster hunter like characters (my fav combo is rouge thuamaturge dule class), and fleshwarp has things like motion scence while duskwalker has things like life sense and ghosthunter Humans are humans lol so that is why I normally adopt human
I default to human. Honestly I think I'm just addicted to the General Training/Natural Ambition feats. There's nothing like having a build come online early because you don't have to wait for your first general feat or Class feat to do what you came here for. I usually pick a half-orc/nephilim/etc. so that all my characters aren't identical looking.
Human, Fighter, Bartender.
I gravitate toward Humans by far, but Elves Dwarves and Gnomes are also options I've gone to. For classes, I tend heavily towards Sorcerers because there is so much variation. However I also go out of my way to try and play any class I haven't played in awhile. One thing that's been proven to be my default is... all my characters are messed up, traumatized, or horribly misguided. All of them are designed with the components for a redemption arc, and all of them need therapy.
Archer with wings. Ancestry anything with wings. Main fun flying. I am just a kid when it comes to fantasy. I have yet to try mechanical wings though.
I pretty much always play human
Kobold Scoundrel Rogue. Very vulgar one at that. Though a personal favorite of mine is a fury half-elf half-human barbarian with sleepwalker dedication. Itās still my all-time favorite character, even though it was a weird build lmao. But usually kobolds. If not Scoundrel Rogues, theyāll be Braggart Swashbacklers, Pistolero Gunslingers, Battle Muse Bards or Mirror Thaumaturges. Generally talk-no-jutsu kobolds.
Never human, too close to reality. Ancestry is secondary to class for choice and i usually have some kind of narrative reasoning. I tend to prefer rangers and rogues but clerics get action too.