Commander

Hit Points

At first level and every level thereafter, you increase your maximum hit points by 8 plus your constitution modifier.

Key Ability

At first level, you increase one of these ability scores by 2. Some of these options might be tied to subclasses (such as the rogue’s rackets).
Key Ability: Intelligence

Initial Proficiencies

Saves

Expert in Perception
Expert in Reflex Saves
Expert in Will Saves
Trained in Fortitude Saves

Weapons

Trained in unarmed attacks
Trained in simple weapons
Trained in martial weapons
Trained in Commander class DC

Armor

Trained in all armor

Skills

Trained in Society
Trained in a number of skills equal to 2 plus your intelligence modifier

Class Features

Tactics Feature 1

By studying and practicing the strategic arts of war, you can guide your allies to victory. You begin play with a folio containing five tactics. These are combat techniques and coordinated maneuvers you can instruct your allies in, enabling them to respond to your signals in combat. As you increase in level, you gain the ability to learn more potent tactics. When you gain the Expert Tactician class feature, you gain the ability to add expert tactics to your folio; when you gain the Master Tactician class feature, you can add master tactics to your folio; and when you gain the Legendary Tactician class feature, you can add legendary tactics to your folio.

Preparing and Changing Tactics

Each day during your daily preparations, you prepare three tactics from your folio and drill in them alongside your allies, enabling you to use these tactics until your next daily preparations. When you drill, you can instruct a total number of allies equal to 2 + your Intelligence modifier, enabling these allies to respond to your tactics in combat. These allies are your squadmates. A squadmate always has the option not to respond to your tactical signal if they do not wish to. You count as one of your squadmates for the purposes of participating in or benefiting from a tactic (though you do not count against your own maximum number of squadmates). The tactics trait is explained in more detail in the key terms sidebar on this page.

You can change which tactics you have prepared from those in your folio by spending 10 minutes to drill, replacing all previously prepared tactics and squadmates. This does not prevent your allies from performing their own activities during this time frame. Some tactics have a limited usage, such as the Valkyrie's Charge tactic, which can be used once per day. These tactics can never exceed their indicated use limit even if you replace them with a different tactic and then prepare them again later that same day, but you can replace a tactic whose limited use has been expended with another tactic you know any time you are able to change your prepared tactics.

Gaining New Tactics

You add additional tactics to your folio and increase the number of tactics you can prepare when you gain the expert tactician, master tactician, and legendary tactician class features. You can also add tactics to your folio with the Tactical Expansion feat, though this does not change the number you can have prepared. Because tactics folios use shorthand and signals unique to each commander, there is typically no benefit to using (or stealing) another commander's folio, though you can train with another commander to retrain one tactic in your folio to another that they know.

Drilled Reactions Feature 1

Your time spent training your allies allows them to respond quickly and instinctively to your commands. Once per round when you use a tactic, you can grant one ally of your choice benefiting from that tactic an extra reaction. This reaction has to be used for that tactic and is lost if not used.

Shield Block Feature 1

You gain the Shield Block general feat, a reaction that lets you reduce damage with your shield.

Commander's Banner Feature 1

A commander needs a battle standard to help guide their allies on the field. You start play with a custom banner that you can use to signal allies when using tactics (see below) or to deploy specific abilities. Your banner can be affixed to a weapon or shield you are wielding, attached to a simple pole or handle and held in one hand, or worn affixed to a pole alongside your backpack. Your banner might be a literal flag or pennant, a decorated fan, a personalized totem, or some other highly visible and item of negligible or light Bulk. Your banner requires customization and influences your allies' morale, so you can have only one banner at a time designated as your commander's banner; designating a new banner or standard as your commander's banner takes 1 minute.

As long as your banner is visible and in your possession, it provides an aura that gives you and all allies in a 30-foot emanation a +1 status bonus to Will saves and DCs against fear effects. You can pause or resume this effect as part of any action you would typically use to stow or retrieve your banner. If your banner is destroyed or stolen, allies currently benefiting from its bonuses become Frightened 1. This effect has the aura, emotion, mental, and visual traits.

Some abilities allow you to place your banner in a specialized manner, such as the Commander's Companion and Plant Banner feats. As long as you have placed your banner in this way, any banner abilities originate from your banner's space instead of your own, and you gain the same basic benefits as when it is in your possession. An unattended banner has the base Hardness and Hit Points of a standard item of its type (usually cloth, thin leather, or thin wood) or the Hardness and Hit Points of the object it is affixed to, whichever is greater.

Warfare Expertise Feature 3

Your knowledge of war and strategy grows and guides your decisions in battle. You gain expert proficiency in Warfare Lore. You can use Warfare Lore to Recall Knowledge about most creatures regardless of type, but typically only to determine whether they can be reasoned with, their most notable offensive abilities, and whether one of their saving throws is particularly weak. In addition, as long as you are observing at least one opponent when initiative is rolled, you can use Warfare Lore for your initiative roll.

Military Expertise Feature 5

You've studied in a wide variety of weapons and learned to apply their principles in combat. Your proficiency rank for martial weapons, simple weapons, and unarmed attacks increases to expert. When you critically succeed at an attack roll with a weapon you are at least an expert with, you apply the weapon's critical specialization effect.

Expert Tactician Feature 7

Your time spent leading and training others on battlefield tactics has improved your combat acumen. Your proficiency rank for your commander class DC increases to expert, and you add two new tactics to your folio; these can be any mobility or offensive tactics you don't already know, or you can choose from expert tactics you have access to. The total number of tactics you can have prepared increases to four. In addition, your proficiency rank in Warfare Lore increases to master.

Weapon Specialization Feature 7

You've learned how to inflict greater injuries with the weapons you know best. You deal an additional 2 damage with weapons and unarmed attacks in which you are an expert. This damage increases to 3 if you're a master, and 4 if you're legendary.

Fortitude Expertise Feature 3

Animist Spiritual energy reinforces your body, making you more resilient. Your proficiency rank for Fortitude saves increases to expert.

Bard, Commander, Investigator, Swashbuckler Your physique has grown hardy in your adventures. Your proficiency rank for Fortitude saves increases to expert.

Druid Adventures have made your physique more hardy. Your proficiency rank for Fortitude saves increases to expert.

Psychic Your mind holds your body to a subconscious mental image of yourself. Your proficiency rank for Fortitude saves increases to expert.

Commanding Will Feature 11

You know that if you break, so too will those who follow you, and so you have cultivated a will that bends to no outside force. Your proficiency rank for Will saves increases to master. When you roll a success on a Will save, you get a critical success instead.

Armor Expertise Feature 7

You have spent so much time in armor that you know how to make the most of its protection. Your proficiency ranks for light, medium, and heavy armor, as well as for unarmored defense, increase to expert. You gain the armor specialization effects of medium and heavy armor.

Perception Mastery Feature 7

Barbarian Your instinct heightens each of your senses further. Your proficiency rank for Perception increases to master.

Bard, Gunslinger, Rogue You've developed keen awareness and attention to detail. Your proficiency rank for Perception increases to master.

Commander You've developed the ability to see a scenario from every side. Your proficiency rank for Perception increases to master.

Exemplar Through your adventures, you've developed keen awareness and attention to detail, the better to watch over your wards and keep an eye out for monsters and other threats. Your proficiency rank for Perception increases to master.

Investigator, Swashbuckler, Thaumaturge Through your adventures, you've developed keen awareness and attention to detail. Your proficiency rank for Perception increases to master.

Ranger You have highly developed acuity and attention to detail. Your proficiency rank for Perception increases to master.

Weapon Mastery Feature 13

Barbarian Your rage makes you even more effective with the weapons you wield. Your proficiency ranks for simple weapons, martial weapons, and unarmed attacks increase to master.

Commander You've drilled extensively in your weapons. Your proficiency ranks for unarmed attacks, simple weapons, and martial weapons increase to master.

Guardian Your hours of battlefield experience grant you greater prowess. Your proficiency ranks for simple weapons, martial weapons, and unarmed attacks increase to master.

Magus, Runesmith, Thaumaturge You fully understand your weapons. Your proficiency ranks for simple weapons, martial weapons, and unarmed attacks increase to master.

Greater Weapon Specialization Feature 15

Your damage from weapon specialization increases to 4 with weapons and unarmed attacks in which you're an expert, 6 if you're a master, and 8 if you're legendary.

Battlefield Intuition Feature 15

Your experience across a wide array of battlefields gives you a preternatural ability to predict and avoid damaging effects. Your proficiency rank for Reflex saves increases to master. When you roll a success on a Reflex save, you get a critical success instead.

Master Tactician Feature 15

You are among the greatest tacticians to have ever led forces on the field of battle. Your proficiency rank for commander class DC increases to master, and you add two new tactics to your folio; these can be any mobility or offensive tactics you don't already have in your folio, or you can choose from expert tactics or master tactics you have access to. The total number of tactics you can have prepared increases to five. In addition, you gain legendary proficiency in Warfare Lore.

Armor Mastery Feature 13

Barbarian Your training and rage deepen your connection to your armor. Your proficiency ranks for light armor, medium armor, and unarmored defense increase to master.

Champion, Commander Your skill with armor improves, helping you avoid more blows. Your proficiency ranks for light, medium, and heavy armor, as well as for unarmored defense, increase to master.

Fighter Your skill with armor improves further. Your proficiency ranks for light, medium, and heavy armor, as well as for unarmored defense, increase to master.

Legendary Tactician Feature 19

You are an unrivaled legend in your use of battlefield tactics. Your proficiency rank for your commander class DC increases to legendary, and you add two new tactics to your folio; these can be any mobility or offensive tactics you don't already have in your folio, or you can choose from expert tactics, master tactics, or legendary tactics you have access to. The total number of tactics you can have prepared increases to six.