Guidance: The Merc with a Mouth

Welcome to Iconic Design, Private Sanctuary’s source for innovative and evocative character builds for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, written by Everyman Gamer Alexander Augunas. Today, we’re going to be looking at a build for Deadpool.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Well, almost anyway. This week, I’ve got a build that I’m SURE you’ll absolutely love to try at the ta—

MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Wha?! No, not another interruption!

YES another interruption! From me, Deadpool! The world’s most popular super hero and the absolute BEST role model for children of all ages! That is, if you’re a backwards hillbilly who doesn’t care about the emotional well-being of your child! JUST LIKE PA!!!!

Wow. That was more politics in a single sentence then I’ve had on Guidance since its conception.

And I plan to MAKE IT WORSE.

Greeeeat. So, I guess you want me to build you.

A-huh.

In Pathfinder.

A-huh.

A game you have absolutely no idea how to play?

Not yet, anyway. Currently I’m reading your Core Rulebook and browsing your community forms so I know what to do when I off you in a few pages.

Well, Pathfinder’s a bit harder then that to learn to … wait, what?!

Don’t worry about it! I know everything that I need to know about this game! Fighters are linear, wizards are mad-OP, and roughly 75% of the game’s fanbase consists of terrible people who’ve probably never touched a $@#$@$ in their entire lives.

DEADPOOL! This is an all-ages blog!

Hey now, I censored my naughtiness out. And besides, this way is better anyway. That way everyone can pretend that I specifically called out the precise kind of genitalia that they’d love to just take their !$#!@$ and #$@$%@#@#$@#$#@$#@—

ENOUGH. BUILD CONCEPT, NOW. Deadpool, everyone!

I’ll be here all article!

Build Concept

So, here’s how we’re going to make Deadpool work.

Yeah, you and Steve Rodgers can try all you want, but the only work I’m going to be doing involves my sword, a toupee, and a whole lot of blood.

Deadpool, you can’t be political on my blog.

WHY MUST YOU TRY TO RESTRICT MY FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND MURDER, ALEX?!

  • Human: Deadpool’s human. Mostly.
  • Slayer: Deadpool was a mercinary before he was Project X’s plaything. I think a couple of slayer levels will do him good.
  • Barbarian: Now, I know what you’re thinking. But when you think about it, isn’t one of the flavor description of damage reduction, “wounds seem to close before your eyes?” Fast healing is SUPER difficult to get in Pathfinder, but the barbarian gets damage reduction in DROVES. Especially….
  • Unchained Barbarian: The unchained barbarian specifically has the rage powers we need to make this build work. Regenerative Stance is the one we’re eying on specifically.

Ugh, can we PLEASE get this moving? I have to be at my movie premiere!

Deadpool, the premiere was WEEKS ago. RYAN REYNOLDS went.

Uh, of course he did! I told him that he should wear my costume to the performance and scare the $@#% out of random Hollywood celebrities by acting AS me while they WATCHED me on the big screen. I think he was worried about security of something. F#@%ing pansy.

Alright…. Let’s continue onward to the build, shall we?

Early Levels (1–7)

  • Classes: slayer 2 / barbarian 5
  • Feats: Exotic Weapon Proficiency: wakizashi (Bonus), Two-Weapon Fighting (1st), Exotic Weapon Proficiency: firearms (Bonus), Antagonize (3rd), Weapon Focus: wakizashi (5th), Raging Vitality (7th)
  • Abilities: danger sense +1, fast movement, improved uncanny dodge, rage, rage powers, slayer talents, studied target +1, track, uncanny dodge
  • Rage Powers: brawler (2nd), regenerative stance (4th)
  • Slayer Talents: Firearm Training (2nd)

Yeeeeeeep. I’m a sexy beast, and you KNOW IT! I mean sure, Wayde has his levels of slayer or whatever, but do you know what SCREAMS Deadpool goodness? Bar-freaking-barbarian. That’s right! You readers at home might not see it behind my awesome mask, but when I fight, I’m ANGRY! And yes, that’s when my script says that I have to tell you, because I can’t just say that you’re m#$%$#@-#$%^ing #@@$-@$$ design team won’t make fast healing easy for you mouth-breathing nerds to take as a class ability. But I digress.

Stop cursing off at my target audience and focus, Deadpool! First, we’re giving you proficiency with the wakizashi because you carry two bad-ass swords around you all the time, and we’re staying in slayer long enough to pick up Exotic Weapon Proficiency as a slayer talent. Then we’ll go Two-Weapon Fighting and pick up Antagonize, because you do NOTHING but Antagonize people.

Hey! I resemble that remark!

I know you do. I gave you the brawler rage power because you’re awesome at hand-to-hand fighting, and you’re going to be raging a lot in this build. I also picked Raging Vitality so when you rage, you get more temporary hit points. Better still, with regenerative stance, you slowly regain your temporary hit points from rage each round, sort of like—

Sort of like my healing factor! Yay! You did it, Alex! I mean, sure, your solution f%$@ing blows and doesn’t come anywhere NEAR being as awesome as my actual healing factor, but hey! You tried! Let’s get you a sticker; here, I got one right in my pants….

Deadpool, that’s a sword. Deadpool? DEADPOO—

I think I’ll take it from here, kids! Heh, “sticker.” “Stick-her.”

Mid Levels (8 –14)

  • Classes: slayer 2 / barbarian 12
  • Feats: Exotic Weapon Proficiency: wakizashi (Bonus), Two-Weapon Fighting (1st), Exotic Weapon Proficiency: firearms (Bonus), Antagonize (3rd), Weapon Focus: wakizashi (5th), Raging Vitality (7th), Double Slice (9th), Power Attack (11th), Improved Two-Weapon Fighting (13th)
  • Abilities: damage reduction 2/–, danger sense +4, fast movement, greater rage, improved uncanny dodge, rage, rage powers, slayer talents, studied target +1, track, uncanny dodge
  • Rage Powers: brawler (2nd), regenerative stance (4th), unexpected strike (6th), increased damage reduction (8th), increased damage reduction (10th), come and get me (12th)
  • Slayer Talents: Firearm Training (2nd)

Look at me now! I’ve gotten even cooler! I picked up neat feats like Double Slice and Power Attack and Improved Weapon Fighting so I can murder people faster. I also grabbed unexpected strike (because I’m unexpected) and picked increased damage reduction a LOT. That’s a grand total of DR 6/– for all the little Deadpool fans counting at home. 😉 Also, I took COME AND GET ME! because for some strange reason I’m REALLY good at getting people to Come and Get Me, and since I have Antagonize, I can FORCE people to Come and Get Me! So folks, COME AND GET MEEEEEEE!

I mean, I GUESS you could call me simple mechanically at this stage of the game. But I also GUESS that I’d have to come to your house and rip your #!#@$ ##@$!$@!@#$ Q!@$!#!@#@#$@!$, and then #$@#@%@@#!@@#^&(^&*^%^&%$@!!$@~$!@$.

I’m glad we’re all on the same page about this. Let’s finish the build!

Endgame (15+)

  • Classes: slayer 2 / barbarian 18
  • Feats: Exotic Weapon Proficiency: wakizashi (Bonus), Two-Weapon Fighting (1st), Exotic Weapon Proficiency: firearms (Bonus), Antagonize (3rd), Weapon Focus: wakizashi (5th), Raging Vitality (7th), Double Slice (9th), Power Attack (11th), Improved Two-Weapon Fighting (13th), Greater Two-Weapon Fighting (15th), Extra Rage (17th), Extra Rage (19th)
  • Abilities: damage reduction 4/–, danger sense +6, fast movement, greater rage, improved uncanny dodge, indomitable will, rage, rage powers, slayer talents, studied target +1, tireless rage, track, uncanny dodge
  • Rage Powers: brawler (2nd), regenerative stance (4th), unexpected strike (6th), increased damage reduction (8th), increased damage reduction (10th), come and get me (12th), increased damage reduction (14th), quick reflexes (16th), renewed vigor (18th)
  • Slayer Talents: Firearm Training (2nd)

And that’s it, folks! More Constitution! More temporary hit points! More damage reduction! More sexiness! Behold, this is the absolute BEST DEADPOOL BUILD EVE—.

BLAM.

Horse tranquilizer. Powerful enough to take down an entire pack of elephants. Alright folks, I need to take care of this miss; if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, leave’em below. Obviously this isn’t the only way to build Deadpool; the character is absolutely INSANE. So how would you do it? What would you do different from me, or was there a choice I made that you REALLY liked? Leave your questions and comments below, or on our FORUMS! Until next time, I need to find some duct tape so this chatter box won’t be bothering me for a bit. Later.

Alexander “Alex” Augunas has been playing roleplaying games since 2007, which isn’t nearly as long as 90% of his colleagues. Alexander is an active freelancer for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and is best known as the author of the Pact Magic Unbound series by Radiance House. Alex is the owner of Everyman Gaming, LLC and is often stylized as the Everyman Gamer in honor of Guidance’s original home. Alex also cohosts the Private Sanctuary Podcast, along with fellow blogger Anthony Li, and you can follow their exploits on Facebook in the 3.5 Private Sanctuary Group, or on Alex’s Twitter, @AlJAug.

EDIT: Not to worry, Deadpool fans! I’ve gone and fixed the fact that I didn’t have a 6th-level rage power originally. And now I’m going to go make this article about 25% more sexy ….

DEADPOOL!

Alex Augunas

Alexander "Alex" Augunas is an author and behavioral health worker living outside of Philadelphia in the United States. He has contributed to gaming products published by Paizo, Inc, Kobold Press, Legendary Games, Raging Swan Press, Rogue Genius Games, and Steve Jackson Games, as well as the owner and publisher of Everybody Games (formerly Everyman Gaming). At the Know Direction Network, he is the author of Guidance and a co-host on Know Direction: Beyond. You can see Alex's exploits at http://www.everybodygames.net, or support him personally on Patreon at http://www.patreon.com/eversagarpg.

5 Comments

  1. BardWannabe

    Hi Alex. Another approach would be to make him a Bloodrager with the Spelleater Archetype. That way he would get fast healing starting at 2nd level and would also be able to heal himself by burning spell slots. I would probably go with the Destined bloodline because it wouldn’t have any visual effects inconsistent with the character, and would represent his knack for getting away with things that he shouldn’t be able to.

  2. BardWannabe

    …Plus the Defy Death ability the bloodline gets at 12th level would give the impression that he is unkillable.

  3. Vesuvias

    So Studied target works while raging?

  4. Ivo D.

    Wouldn’t invulnerable rager give him DR 15 for just a couple of things?