Dungeons and Dragons competitor Pathfinder has begun public playtesting for two new classes. Publisher Paizo shared detailed drafts of the Daredevil, a high-flying risk-taker, and the Slayer, a disciplined monster hunter, on February 17. Both were previously announced in a Paizo live last week, but this is our first full look at the new character options.
The Daredevil truly lives up to its name, offering high-risk, high-reward attacks that often involve grappling, tripping, shoving, and smashing objects into your opponent. If you want a class that gives you an excuse to shout ‘Parkour!’ at every opportunity, this is it. The Daredevil is lithe and nimble, able to bounce and backflip around the battlefield by pushing off of ‘props’ – and sometimes even enemies.
The class’ primary resource is adrenaline, which you gain for a turn by performing actions with the Risky trait. Some feats require you to spend adrenaline to gain buffs, while others can only be performed if you have adrenaline.
Daredevils aren’t the heaviest hitters, but they have reduced penalties when making repeat attacks in a turn, so they’re at least consistent. In fact, some of their handiest feats and actions come with a ‘press’ action, meaning they can only be used when you’re afflicted by a multiple attack penalty.
This class also wins the ‘funniest feats’ award. Some highlights from the playtest include ‘Stunt Driver’, which actually makes you a better vehicle pilot when you make risky maneuvers, and ‘Bouncing Hurl’, which lets you throw an object at an enemy and have it bounce off another enemy, damaging both. By far the most entertaining feat is ‘Knee to the Nethers’, which lets you grapple a creature and hit them “in their most sensitive regions”. I will only be punching goblins in the groin from this day forward.
The Slayer is a more serious and stoic class. It’s primarily a monster-hunting class, perfect for fans of Monster Hunter, The Witcher, or D&D‘s 2014 Ranger class. Your signature ability is Slayer’s Quarry, which lets you choose a creature of a level equal to or higher than yours as a marked target.
There are many benefits to damaging a quarry, but one of them is the chance to use your On The Hunt reaction. This gives you the quickened condition, and your extra action can be used to unlock a range of special actions with the Relentless trait.
Another key feature of the Slayer is their gear. Each Slayer has a signature tool, whether that be a weapon with unique powers, a set of holy charms, alchemical vials full of oils and potions, or warded armor. These items, plus most of your other equipment, can be modified by reinforcing them with trophies (think dragon fangs, tyrant armor, and other bits of a felled foe). There’s a huge amount of customization possible here, with different monsters offering damage types, traditions, and traits that can affect your attacks and resistances.
Slayer feats mainly focus on doling out damage, as well as inflicting plenty of debuffs along the way. You’ll get a few more ways to trigger your On the Hunt ability, and there’s more than a few abilities that show off how willful and disciplined a Slayer is.
You can see the full rules in the playtest documents. Playtesting and feedback is open until April 10, and Paizo says that these classes are planned for an as-yet-announced sourcebook releasing in Summer 2027.
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