What type of Pathfinder are you?

"Excuse me?" The young man at the counter said to the dwarf beside him, behind them the rest of his party was laughing, cheering and telling tall tales about their recent antics
"I said, 'what type are ya boy?' I see you got a brand new shiny wayfinder on yer belt; so yer a pathfinder or a really stupid thief to wear it here in the Wisp out in the open." The dwarf said as he fished out a hip flask to add a jot of something to his mug. "You earn it in the tower, doing yer time as an apprentice, or in the field doing something truly impressive and or stupid that saved someone's life or epically heroic and stupid? Two ways ta get in the society." The dwarf drawled as he turned to face the boy, his much more beaten and weather worn wayfinder showing. "Oh I see you want ta ask how I earned mine? Definitely a case of 'epic stupid heroics', with a jot of sheer terror, an a few fine explosions."  The dwarf added a jot to his drink. "Tell ya what.. you drink wit me an I'll tell ya about MY confirmation." His eyes twinkled. "Might even tell it all truthful like too."

There are two basic ways to join the Pathfinder Society; you can apply and do your time as an apprentice in Abaslon as an apprentice or you can earn a 'field commission' and doing something of note for the Decimivariate. (Gloriapedia)

Apprentices:

The girl was skinny and only just starting to grow into a woman like her mother, lithe and fast as a ferret; her brown eyes held the inquisitive alertness of her father as she looked him over and the bundle in his hands. She'd only left the gunworks when his man had given her the wayfinder clasped in her hands. He rubbed the scars over his face,  recalling the two pathfinders who had been her parents from his days training them. He'd been away too long but he promised them he'd see to her needs. Hence his tracking her down and offering the teen a new family. 
"You say this is an apprenticeship my parents would have gotten me into?" She asked as she held the other thing he'd given her; the long scarf that had been in her mother's family for generations. The kapenia that had been part of her clan for centuries. If you knew how to read it, there was a story in each one; telling the story of a Varisian's family and clan.  He nodded as he pulled out the last thing he'd brought with him and unrolled the bundle to show the doeskin scabbard. He pulled the musket from it and set it down in front of her. Her father's musket, now her weapon, recovered along with their bodies from where they had fallen. 
"Let me tell you about the Pathfinder Society; It is, after all, in many ways your family." Torch said as he told her of how her mother and father had met one another.

Apprentices are mostly volunteers who have been tested extensively before being allowed to apprentice with the society. From there they are put to the oath and spend years under the tutelage of one of the Masters in Abaslon before taking their final test, the Confirmation, and full membership within the society. The three masters cover the three big schools of the society: The Sword, The Scroll and The Spell. Martial skill, lore and magic are all vital tools in the pathfinder's job, and no school is totally exclusive. A swordsman might study under the Master of Lore to learn a language, or with the Master of Spells to learn the weaknesses of some magical beast or how to use some mystical item that he or she found in the field.
Till such time as then they work around the Grand Lodge as well as study there. There are always a bustle of pages, staff helping pack up the library, assist the masters with projects throughout the Lodge, runners who are sent out to fetch pathfinders that are to be sent out into the field (What you think Drendle Dreg finds all his agents at 3AM? He delegates the fetching and stays in his snug and warm office thank you very much!)

Field Commissions:

"I appreciate what you did Simon." The tall dark haired woman said as she poured the tea. "You managed to save more than one of my people in Nerosyam during the attack. Mostly after your own unit was wiped out." 
"I was looking to survive myself, m'lady'" The tall taldane man said uncomfortably as he fidgeted in his chair. She was privileged and he was a grunt, why was he here? "My job was to fight and help the lads stay on their feet. I swore an oath on behalf of the Emperor to help the Crusade stand strong against the worldwound." He struggled to kept the disappointment from showing on his face.
"I came on behalf of a mutual associate; your comments have been .. intemperate of late and there is someone who has decided, for the sake of his son, that you are to remain where you are till he can 'tend' to you." She sat back and looked at him. "Without your skill at arms my team would have died in the Lodge." Her face was grim as she extended a document with an ornate glyph on it. "Discrete, honorable, skilled and flexible are all assets the society looks for in our agents; Taldor might not see your worth Simon, but we do. You've made impressive enemies since the siege; ones who have rivals in the Society. Why don't you help us with our traitor and our efforts to assist the crusade and we'll help you with returning home and tending to your commanding officer's cowardice from a position of strength?"

The other option for joining the Society is to be awarded a field commission; there are a variety of ways you can held the Ten enough to be awarded a field commission, for example: bringing something of unusual worth to the Society (lost lore, powerful magic or such), helping the Pathfinders in a situation of dire need (like helping out a team in the middle of war zone), a specific skill(s)/talent/area knowledge/connections, through political favors, or having someone in the Society pull strings to get you a position.
The field agent might have the 'short cut' to full standing but they also don't have as firm a foundation as an apprentice. Still, they bring vital skills and knowledge to the society.

Note: The next section is just my thoughts and impressions from my time in PFS play. I find these approaches best for getting characters that fit in and help parties pull off their missions.

Types of Pathfinders:

There are as many types of Pathfinders as there are players making characters for play; that being said, there are a variety of 'types' that help play run smoothly. You can build character who fit multiple roles, as these are definite and clear set roles. You might be a 'Wall' AND an 'Assistant' AND the 'Specialist'

"How about translating the riddle and giving Akim what he needs to undo the trap." She called as she stepped into the door way, seeing what looked like an endless array of undead coming down the hall as she put her tower shield down and leaned against it. They were many ,but dessicated skeletons couldn't match the weight of seventeen stone of her in armor and shield.
"What are you going to do?"
"What does it like? Keep you alive while you save us!" She yelled as she slashed at a skeletal arm reaching past her shield. "Be a minder, Rhea, keep them out of trouble, Rhea.." she said in a sing song tone mimicking her mentor's words. "I don't recall any necromancer's tomb in the briefing Drendle."

-The Wall: Bodyguard, wall, barrier, defender, tank and so on. You are the guy who steps up and beats on the foe, pulling their attention from the guy healing the fallen or woman raining fire upon them. (Somehow, the sight of 6+ feet of armored mayhem smashing at them is supposed to be more scary than the fire flinger.. more immediate definitely). Your job is to suck up damage and block the path of attack to the more fragile members of your group.

-The Face: The socialite, intimidating mobster and/or the sneaky weadling conartist. All of them have the gift of putting the right turn of phrase to get the job done. Sometimes it's the genteel offering of fifty head of oxen to the dragon so he'd let you go by, another time it might be infering that this store has a LOT of breakables that it would be tragic to see shatter, or simply putting the flim flam word play that leaves the person you're talking wondering what the hell just happened and where did his pants go? You can do it to get info on the location of the 'widget of doom', or to get the snake men's allies to take a five minute break at the stroke of midnight and that it might be healthy to not pay to much mind to the blood curdling screams and loud explosions that they might hear shortly there after.
There are more than a few scenarios that can be easily done with a well roleplayed 'talking' guy. Several scenarios over the last two or three seasons have long long term implications form the (lack) of talking the right way to someone. For example, season 5 villain is met at a wedding and left with less than a gracious opinion of the society (what can I say.. my gunslinger goofed on her roll, and she DID shoot his brother). With the new reporting system in place the impact of how you get along with some folks CAN have an impact.

-The Sage: Someone who knows what the hell THAT is. A vital thing in a fight. Knowing the difference between a zombie, a juju zombie and a specialized zombie with all sorts of surprises. Knowing what a critter is and how to kill it is vital in some cases. That is the immediate effect of having someone knowing all sorts of things. The lead up in a scenario can help with a variety of things; for example, researching about a region/person/group/critter that you'll have to face might help you prepare ahead of time and give your group a foot up in handling the big bad.

-The Jack of All Trades: The guy with all the skills, who knows what to do with a spring loaded bolt chucking trap. Or how to smooth talk the concierge at the social club. Or know who is feuding with whom this season. Or .. so on and so forth. Fill in the spot that a specialist might normally fill but your 'know-everything-about-royal-blowhards' isn't here due to car trouble. He's not likely to be as good at any particular skill as a specialist, but he can fill in the basics.

-The Assistant: Another sort of Jack of All Trades, this character isn't built around being good with at just skills. Aiding others can be a pay off in a variety of ways. Teamwork feats, aiding actions (and feats to enhance it), racial traits (halflings rock at being helpful) and so on. It could be a twist to help the main melee guy hit a difficult target, flanking to give the rogue a boost up in sneak attacking, protect the cleric/wizard with an aid to his defense or switching spots with him. It's not simply aiding another by the action but looking for ways to step in and help. It could be something like carrying a box of pathfinder journals and an 'aid another' roll to find out something during the briefing, using aid another in combat or one of the teamwork feats and/or combat manuevers to set up a bad guy for the main hitter.

-The Killer: A character that hammers things flat. 'Killer McKillmasses' is the optimized version of this that you occasionally run into in a wide variety of incarnations. The guy who does triple figures of damage in a round, or ionizes the entire encounter in one massive specialized spell that leaves a crater where the challenge should be. Consider this, if you make a guy who vaporizes the entire scene what are the other guys at the table going to get out of the scenario? This is a hard one to balance, between doing lots of damage and smoking everything and leaving ruins in the wake.  


Types of Pathfinder Missions:
There are a variety of missions that a group of pathfinders can get sent on.
-Collection/Escort: A pathfinder team needs your group to pick up something and transport it safely to another location. This pathfinder needs you to bring the 'widget of doom' to him to enable him to negotiate this treaty with someone. There is a vital need for this healer/sage/whatever to get somewhere he or she isn't suited to go to alone. Hence, the team is sent in to escort/recover the item/person. Examples: Heresy of Man I
-Survey: The Society has found something that needs investigating. A secluded dungeon in the literal middle of no-where, a strange otherworldly vessel that appears only once a century, the location of strange temple in the middle of the jungle or a dwarven outpost only recently discovered. They all need 'investigating' to see if there is something of interest to the society. Long lost lore, magics waiting to be rediscovered, or whatever there is to be find there. The Society lives for a good mystery being solved. Examples: Destiny in the Sands II and III

-Social Event: Not entirely a new event, but one that the last few seasons have refine fairly well. Think of it as dinner and a dance, except the 'dance' is someone trying to kill everyone else there. Society goals are all killing folks and looting tombs; sometimes you have to smooze the guys who own the land the tombs are one, smuggle the stuff you want, or know where the folks you're looking to kill are. Social events and roleplay with mayhem and death for desert. So bring your fine clothes and dress weapons. Examples: The Blackros Matrimony.
-Clean Up: Sometimes being the premiere association of delving into lost lore, loot and locations mean you unearth things better left buried, cross folks that think for one reason or another that trinket belongs to them or simply wants to loot your teams cold bodies. When that happens, the Society sends your team in to clear out the threat, put down the ungodly threat or simply put boot too buttock to avenge the last team of pathfinders who didn't make it back. Find them or avenge them. Or simply find the traitors and put them down like the Ten demands. Examples: Eyes of the Ten I-IV (it's all one long rundown),
-Contest: Sometimes to get something, you got to play the owner's game. That means competing in some sort of contest. It could be a scavenger hunt, arena combat, riddles and so on, or even all of the above. The Society sends in a team with wits, will and weapon skills to pull out what they need. Examples: The Ruby Phoenix Tournament, You have what you Hold.




Note: Updated the types.. the damage monster is added.

Jess Le Rue (Kitsune Female Fighter:Archer)

Nine-tail (to be) Archer

Foxy Lady..

The kitsune race has an interesting racial feat, Magical Tail, that adds an additional tail each time it's taken up to a total of nine tails. The hard part of getting all eight feats stacked in and the impact it has on feat economy. While they add some interesting spells to the mix, eight feats is a lot to impact some classes and their functionality.
A few months back another blog did an awesome build that I confess that I took more than a little inspiration from.  The build was DEFINITELY an influence. After all I'm using the same basic idea, a bow based fighter. So it would be extremely remiss NOT to credit them. (Know Direction) Not to mention they put out AWESOME advice and builds. Check them out. The blogs are awesome, the podcasts are informative. I look on them as a guide post on how to learn to write.

Back to the build. There are a few differences in my build and theirs. I went for pure PFS legal 9 tail, though I wish that Sniper's Lantern was legal (cause.. DAMN.. it would be PERFECT for a Kitsune  archer. Hunter's Mark out of World of Warcraft)

Few notes: Like Alex Augunas' build, I went with fighter (archer) but I cut back to strictly to one class. It's hard for me to spread feats and sacrifice extra stats as well. Favored class will be alternating  between hit points and skill points. 
Things to get on the way. Kitsune Gems. A few of the first and second level gems, and maybe one or two of the third level gems and you got some awesome tricks going down. Disguise Self, Dancing Lights, Misdirection are all useful; Invisibility and Displacement AWESOMELY useful for an archer. Charm Person, Dominate Person and Confusion are very helpful in the right mix of PCs. A penalty to Will saves and that makes for an awesome combination but given the lack of ability boosting to DC only a weak will save or a lucky failure on the target's behalf. Armor wise a nice suit of mithril agile breastplate and buckler (for when you're not flurrying arrows at your foe); a dagger or rapier for melee (possibly with agile on it) for those moments when the bad guy gets to close.

LOTS of Arrows. LOTS of them.  Keep a track of what is offered on your chronicle sheets. A few bane arrows here, a few burst damage types there, and such. Durable arrows of specific materials will help keep costs down in the long run (barring damaging critters like fire elementals) Tinkering with the skill load out to get Use Magic Devices might be useful, particularly if you get Wand key ring (ARG) for those few spells you might favor, such as Gravity Bow and Abundant Ammunition, could be useful. Given my outlook on fighters, a cloak of resistance is a must for those abyssal will saves (along with a possible wisdom/charisma headband) and some flavor of strength boosting belt is a must to hedge up damage a bit more.
Lastly, and most importantly, comes the composite longbow that is the key to the whole build. There is the hinge of it. You could go all pluses to maximize damage, add just pluses in, or you could top up on things like bane (for specific groups..human bane is a good standy) or utility like limming, distance or such. More personal choice than anything else. There is one bow of note, a +1 keen bow, in a certain Demanding super-module; one that can be upgraded.
Build Notes: Favored Class Bonus: Built on +1 skill, then +1 HP. All the way to 15th. Options such as switching out one or two feats at the right time for other racial feats like: Fox Shape, Realistic Likeness, Swift Kitsune Shapechanger and Vulpine Pounce. Other options could be built around a kitsune who can as a swift action shapeshift. (More suitable to a rogue I'm guessing .)


1st level

Kitsune fighter 1 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Race Guide 192)

NG Medium humanoid (kitsune, shapechanger)

Init +3; Senses low-light vision; Perception +1

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Defense

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AC 15, touch 11, flat-footed 14 (+3 armor, +1 Dex, +1 shield)

hp 12 (1d10+2)

Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +0

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Offense

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Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)

Melee shortsword +1 (1d6/19-20) or

   bite -4 (1d4)

Ranged longbow +4 (1d8/×3)

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 1st; concentration +3)

   3/day—dancing lights

   2/day—disguise self

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Statistics

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Str 10, Dex 17, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 11, Cha 14

Base Atk +1; CMB +1; CMD 14

Feats Magical Tail[ARG], Point-blank Shot

Traits deadeye bowman, killer

Skills Acrobatics +0 (-4 to jump), Craft (bows) +5, Perception +1, Survival +4; Racial Modifiers +2 Acrobatics

Languages Common, Kelish, Sylvan

SQ change shape, kitsune magic

Other Gear studded leather, buckler, arrows (20), longbow, shortsword, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, flint and steel, hemp rope (50 ft.), mess kit, pot, soap, torch (10), trail rations (5), waterskin, 25 gp

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Special Abilities

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Change Shape (Su) Assume a single human form.

Deadeye Bowman When using a longbow, your target is denied the soft cover AC bonus from one creature.

Killer Add weapon's critical modifier to its critical bonus damage.

Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in low light, distinguishing color and detail.

Point-Blank Shot +1 to attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons at up to 30 feet.
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Things to consider: Items.. simple things. Light armor (cause you're a mobile ranged fighter and a long bow can be a big part of your budget), alchemical weapons (swarms), other types of arrows (durable arrows or simply 20 blunt arrows to go with the normal arrows). Your role in combat is to hit folks, which means you need to be flexible. Given your need to buy tails, you're down one vital archer feat (Precise shot) till next level. Thanks to dead eye bowman though you get the option to shoot through one person and they don't provide your foe with cover. (Just the -4 for shooting into melee). Start saving up for a composite long bow, possibly with a +1 to damage if you shuffle your stats around. (Adaptive will be your friend in the future though)

4th level

Kitsune fighter 4 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Race Guide 192)

NG Medium humanoid (kitsune, shapechanger)

Init +4; Senses low-light vision; Perception +3

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Defense

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AC 15, touch 11, flat-footed 14 (+3 armor, +1 Dex, +1 shield)

hp 38 (4d10+10)

Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +1 (+1 vs. fear)

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Offense

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Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)

Melee shortsword +4 (1d6/19-20) or

   bite -1 (1d4)

Ranged longbow +8 (1d8/×3)

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 4th; concentration +6)

   3/day—dancing lights

   2/day—charm person (DC 14), disguise self

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Statistics

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Str 10, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 11, Cha 14

Base Atk +4; CMB +4; CMD 18

Feats Magical Tail [ARG x2], Point-blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot

Traits deadeye bowman, killer

Skills Acrobatics +3 (-1 to jump), Craft (bows) +6, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +5, Perception +3, Survival +4, Swim -2; Racial Modifiers +2 Acrobatics

Languages Common, Kelish, Sylvan

SQ armor training 1, change shape, kitsune magic

Other Gear studded leather, buckler, arrows (20), longbow, shortsword, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, flint and steel, hemp rope (50 ft.), mess kit, pot, soap, torch (10), trail rations (5), waterskin, 25 gp

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Special Abilities

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Change Shape (Su) Assume a single human form.

Deadeye Bowman When using a longbow, your target is denied the soft cover AC bonus from one creature.

Killer Add weapon's critical modifier to its critical bonus damage.

Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in low light, distinguishing color and detail.

Point-Blank Shot +1 to attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons at up to 30 feet.

Precise Shot You don't get -4 to hit when shooting or throwing into melee.

Rapid Shot You get an extra attack with ranged weapons. Each attack is at -2.

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Things to consider: Now you got a couple tails, precise shot and at the least a MW Composite Longbow (Str+0). Depending on how you select your targets, Charm Person can be very helpful. Granted your DC isn't too good but who expects a fighter type to be able to scramble someone's mind? Possibly invest in a few Kitsune Gems, essentially pearls of power for the tail's magic powers, and stock up on as many arrows as you can from chronicle sheets. After all a sleeping or two might work, a +1 shocking or whatever arrow can be helpful. Now you're able to do rapid shot (giving you two pops at -2 to BAB) and throw out two arrows a round.  Make sure you stock up a few potions such as the inevitable cure potions, protection from evil and such. A few 'trick arrows' like a couple raining arrows (holy water vs undead), and such.

7th level

Kitsune fighter 7 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Race Guide 192)

NG Medium humanoid (kitsune, shapechanger)

Init +4; Senses low-light vision; Perception +7

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Defense

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AC 15, touch 11, flat-footed 14 (+3 armor, +1 Dex, +1 shield)

hp 63 (7d10+17)

Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +2 (+2 vs. fear)

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Offense

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Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)

Melee shortsword +7/+2 (1d6/19-20) or

   bite +2 (1d4)

Ranged longbow +12/+7 (1d8+1/×3)

Special Attacks weapon training (bows +1)

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 7th; concentration +9)

   3/day—dancing lights

   2/day—charm person (DC 14), disguise self, invisibility, misdirection

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Statistics

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Str 10, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 11, Cha 14

Base Atk +7; CMB +7; CMD 21

Feats Deadly Aim, Magical Tail[ARG, x4], Point-blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot

Traits deadeye bowman, killer

Skills Acrobatics +7 (+3 to jump), Climb -2, Craft (bows) +6, Diplomacy +3, Disguise +3, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +5, Linguistics +4, Perception +7, Survival +4, Swim -2; Racial Modifiers +2 Acrobatics

Languages Common, Kelish, Sylvan

SQ armor training 2, change shape, kitsune magic

Other Gear studded leather, buckler, arrows (20), longbow, shortsword, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, flint and steel, hemp rope (50 ft.), mess kit, pot, soap, torch (10), trail rations (5), waterskin, 25 gp

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Special Abilities

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Change Shape (Su) Assume a single human form.

Deadeye Bowman When using a longbow, your target is denied the soft cover AC bonus from one creature.

Deadly Aim -2/+4 Trade a penalty to ranged attacks for a bonus to ranged damage.

Killer Add weapon's critical modifier to its critical bonus damage.

Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in low light, distinguishing color and detail.

Point-Blank Shot +1 to attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons at up to 30 feet.

Precise Shot You don't get -4 to hit when shooting or throwing into melee.

Rapid Shot You get an extra attack with ranged weapons. Each attack is at -2.

Weapon Training (Bows) +1 (Ex) +1 Attack, Damage, CMB, CMD with Bows

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Things to consider: Now you FIVE spell like abilites. Some are 'meh' or simply utility such as dancing lights; others are very useful in the right situation such as misdirection, disquise self, and charm person. Then there is the BIG special one, Invisibility, that has unbelievable usefulness. Bearing in mind to remember that it's not a 'fix all' for everything. You're creeping into the level where some creatures can see invisible at well. A few more kitsune gems for the levels you think you want, some medium armor (such as Agile Breastplate) with a few bonuses and a few 'essentials' like a +1 or so bow, a cloak of resistance (particularly to cover your weak will save) and such. Odds are you're on your second quiver, even with durable/salted arrows. (And a bundle in your haversack or bag of holding). Deadly aim and rapid shot means you're now rocking out 3 shots a around as a full action. With boots of speed, haste or other 'speed spells/items you'll be hitting 4/shots (3 @ full BAB-2). Deadly Aim starts to fill out that shortfall that a 10 strength even if you don't get a way to put it up such as a belt or ioun stone.

12th level

Kitsune fighter 12 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Race Guide 192)

NG Medium humanoid (kitsune, shapechanger)

Init +5; Senses low-light vision; Perception +12

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Defense

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AC 15, touch 11, flat-footed 14 (+3 armor, +1 Dex, +1 shield)

hp 106 (12d10+30)

Fort +10, Ref +9, Will +4 (+3 vs. fear)

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Offense

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Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)

Melee shortsword +13/+8/+3 (1d6+1/19-20) or

   bite +7 (1d4)

Ranged longbow +19/+14/+9 (1d8+2/×3)

Special Attacks weapon trainings (bows +2, light blades +1)

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 12th; concentration +14)

   3/day—dancing lights

   2/day—charm person (DC 14), disguise self, displacement, invisibility, misdirection, suggestion (DC 16)

--------------------

Statistics

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Str 10, Dex 20, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 11, Cha 14

Base Atk +12; CMB +12; CMD 27

Feats Clustered Shots[UC], Deadly Aim, Improved Precise Shot, Magical Tail[ARGx 6], Manyshot, Point-blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot

Traits deadeye bowman, killer

Skills Acrobatics +13 (+9 to jump), Climb -2, Craft (bows) +6, Diplomacy +3, Disguise +3, Knowledge (arcana) +2, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +5, Linguistics +10, Perception +12, Survival +4, Swim -2; Racial Modifiers +2 Acrobatics

Languages Common, Kelish, Sylvan

SQ armor training 3, change shape, kitsune magic

Other Gear studded leather, buckler, arrows (20), longbow, shortsword, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, flint and steel, hemp rope (50 ft.), mess kit, pot, soap, torch (10), trail rations (5), waterskin, 25 gp

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Special Abilities

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Change Shape (Su) Assume a single human form.

Clustered Shots Total damage from full-round ranged attacks before applying DR

Deadeye Bowman When using a longbow, your target is denied the soft cover AC bonus from one creature.

Deadly Aim -4/+8 Trade a penalty to ranged attacks for a bonus to ranged damage.

Improved Precise Shot Ignore AC bonuses and miss chance from anything less than total cover/concealment.

Killer Add weapon's critical modifier to its critical bonus damage.

Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in low light, distinguishing color and detail.

Manyshot You can shoot two arrows as the first attack of a full attack action.

Point-Blank Shot +1 to attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons at up to 30 feet.

Precise Shot You don't get -4 to hit when shooting or throwing into melee.

Rapid Shot You get an extra attack with ranged weapons. Each attack is at -2.

Weapon Training (Blades, Light) +1 (Ex) +1 Attack, Damage, CMB, CMD with Light Blades

Weapon Training (Bows) +2 (Ex) +2 Attack, Damage, CMB, CMD with Bows

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Things to consider: Now you got another spell that is awesome for a ranged fighter, displacement; it's like having cover pretty much all the time. 50% cover bonus is nothing to sneeze at, even if it's just for 12 rounds/ twice a day. You cannot belive how much that can mitagate some things. Ranged touch spells don't kill if they don't hit. Your collection of magic arrows by this point should be impressive with the right chronicles, your quiver(s) will pretty much be always full. If you make friends with someone, spells like gravity bow and abundant ammunition are awesome, particularly given your (up to) six arrows a round on a normal full attack. Manyshot, rapid shot, and clustered shot makes for a nasty full round combo that means you don't have to stress the DR factor AS much as most. 40+ damage all piled in on one shot. (for considering DR anway). With Improved Precise Shot you don't have to stress anything less than full cover.  Add in suggestion to your spell pool, and you can do sneaky things like convincing the weak willed NPC to help out or forget that they were asked about this or that.

15th level (9 tails)

Kitsune fighter 15 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Race Guide 192)

NG Medium humanoid (kitsune, shapechanger)

Init +5; Senses low-light vision; Perception +13

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Defense

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AC 15, touch 11, flat-footed 14 (+3 armor, +1 Dex, +1 shield)

hp 132 (15d10+38)

Fort +11, Ref +10, Will +5 (+4 vs. fear)

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Offense

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Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)

Melee shortsword +17/+12/+7 (1d6+2/19-20) or

   bite +11 (1d4+1)

Ranged longbow +19/+19/+14/+9 (1d8+12/×3)

Special Attacks weapon trainings (bows +3, light blades +2, natural +1)

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 15th; concentration +17)

   3/day—dancing lights

   2/day—charm person (DC 14), confusion (DC 17), disguise self, displacement, dominate person (DC 17), invisibility, misdirection, suggestion (DC 16)

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Statistics

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Str 10, Dex 20, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 11, Cha 14

Base Atk +15; CMB +15; CMD 30

Feats Clustered Shots[UC], Deadly Aim, Improved Precise Shot, Magical Tail[ARG x8], Manyshot, Point-blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Weapon Focus (longbow)

Traits deadeye bowman, killer

Skills Acrobatics +14 (+10 to jump), Climb -2, Craft (bows) +8, Diplomacy +7, Disguise +3, Knowledge (arcana) +2, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +5, Linguistics +12, Perception +13, Survival +4, Swim -2; Racial Modifiers +2 Acrobatics

Languages Common, Kelish, Sylvan

SQ armor training 4, change shape, kitsune magic

Other Gear studded leather, buckler, arrows (20), longbow, shortsword, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, flint and steel, hemp rope (50 ft.), mess kit, pot, soap, torch (10), trail rations (5), waterskin, 25 gp

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Special Abilities

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Change Shape (Su) Assume a single human form.

Clustered Shots Total damage from full-round ranged attacks before applying DR

Deadeye Bowman When using a longbow, your target is denied the soft cover AC bonus from one creature.

Deadly Aim -4/+8 Trade a penalty to ranged attacks for a bonus to ranged damage.

Improved Precise Shot Ignore AC bonuses and miss chance from anything less than total cover/concealment.

Killer Add weapon's critical modifier to its critical bonus damage.

Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in low light, distinguishing color and detail.

Manyshot You can shoot two arrows as the first attack of a full attack action.

Point-Blank Shot +1 to attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons at up to 30 feet.

Precise Shot You don't get -4 to hit when shooting or throwing into melee.

Rapid Shot You get an extra attack with ranged weapons. Each attack is at -2.

Weapon Training (Blades, Light) +2 (Ex) +2 Attack, Damage, CMB, CMD with Light Blades

Weapon Training (Bows) +3 (Ex) +3 Attack, Damage, CMB, CMD with Bows

Weapon Training (Natural) +1 (Ex) +1 Attack, Damage, CMB, CMD with Natural weapons

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 Things to consider: You've got all 9 tails now, adding Confusion and Dominate person to your collection of spells. Granted with a high teens DC (barring buffs), you'll rely on your debuffing bard/witch/wizard/cleric ect to soften up the big guys for you. Still confusion can make a nasty encounter into a 'quit hitting yourself' fight. Which is always fun when you're not on the receiving end of it. A few more pops to your cloak of resistance, so you don't riddle your party with arrows; and a few more points to your bow (possibly adding a bane, or something utility-like such as limming) and topping off your collection of magic arrows (possibly trading folks for a custom order boon to buy small sets of a specific arrow, cause sets of 10 are way cheaper than sets of 50). Armor training means you can run your full 30 in heavy armor; so you can trade in your agile breast plate for heavy plate if you want. Something to consider if you've gone with a strength bonus of some sort (such as a belt of physical perfection +2/4 if you're willing to spend the coin). A headband of charisma +4/6 might work for you if you are getting good use out of your innate spells; though I don't think it's cost effective. Make sure your buckler has kept up with your armor, cause you're going to get attacked before you can unlimber your bow; additionally you'll want to make sure that your melee weapon has kept up as well.. cause, when you turn the other sides powerhouse into an arrow-riddled corpse, the smart ones will attack you. You're a ranged fighter, but the vital word is FIGHTER, and you can put a light weapon (possibly agile) to awesome use as a backup weapon for when the bad guys come to you. Depending on your feat spread, you can even just focus on the bow, both in and out of melee, with feats like snap shot by swapping out things like multishot, cluster shot and a few others for the snap shot chain; add in combat reflexes and the ability to do AoOs out to 15 feet from you can truly impressive. Not to mention the required weapon focus adds another plus to your to hit. Figure (conservatively) a 22 to 24 dex means you'll have MANY AoOs.

Tricks of the Trade: Alchemist

“Yeah, baby! 'Cause I'm the Evil Midnight Bomber What Bombs at Midnight!” Ah ha ha ha ha ha!

 Alchemists are fun. At least for me. I have a fun time with mine, both of them. I have a Gunslinger/Alchemist and a straight up Alchemist, both of whom are grenadiers. (Alright I got a weakness for the archetype). Warning: I ramble and wander. My train of thought goes over many hills and valleys. :-D

Alchemist Roles:
-Bomber: A guy who can blow $h!t up. With lots of discoveries to aid it (Force, Explosive, Ice, Acid, and on and on), feats (Point Blank, Precise Bombs) and extracts. He can literally be johnny on the spot with the right bomb for the right situation.
-Buffer: The discoveries of combine extract and infusion make for an unique buffing mix in a lot of ways. Infusion let's you give others some spells no other caster can give another person..AND let the person you give them to to pick the time to 'cast' them by drinking.  Monstrous Form X. Giving a person the physical attacks of say..a gargoyle. 5 natural attacks, natural armor, darksight, size bonus to str. Shield/Enlarge Person for the monk.
-Melee Monster: You got access to Bull's Strength, Mutagen and multiple polymorph style extracts. You add in a level (or two) of something mean.. like say.. Barbarian (adding another source of buffing) and you got a guy who can hit SCARRY levels of physical power. Pop a few potions, pull on your purple pants, and get angry; they won't like you when you're angry. Cause you rip people apart.

Class Features:
-Bombs: Bombs are one of the two features that everyone know about Alchemists in pathfinder. They stage up as the character levels up, both in damage dice and DC. It is important to note one thing I see in new alchemist players, only the FIRST die of the bomb crits. Then there are the 'modifiers' that effect the bombs: spells, feats, and discoveries.  Feats like Precise Bombs, Fast Bombs, and Extra Bombs are a few examples. Spells and Discoveries can alter the bombs in a variety of ways by altering the damage type and delivery methods.
-Mutagen: The other point of distinction of the alchemist; mutagen, the Mr. Hyde potion, that can physically augment the alchemist's physical stats at the cost of his mental stats. There are several other versions of mutagen that do other things. One of the notable ones is Cognatogen, which boosts mental stats at the cost of ability damage to a physical stat (stock up on lesser restorations). Fun note: Mutagen grants an alchemical bonus to the stats, which allows for the stacking of enhancement and size bonuses for some truly epic bonuses if you stack them right.
-Poison Use: This is the one I'm admittedly weak on .  Poison is potent if used properly but can be pricey for them. So, I tend to not use them that much, and given that my favorite archetype eschews Poison Use for a new class feature, I don't use them that much. There are several discoveries that enhance the poison use in ways that no one else can.
-Alchemy: The alchemy skill itself is a potent point for the class; so much so that you get a mssive bonus based your your class level. You can use it to ID potions, create alchemical items and (for PFS) make some serious coin as a day job skill check. Note: You can create 3 items for the cost of one with a craft (alchemy) check. Which can make for some serious savings when you're paying 1/3rd the cost for an item.

Alchemical Items:
-Remedies: Antiplague/antitoxin are the first two big ones. Definitely for the weak fort save guys when facing disease or poison users; a useful pair of items if you playing backup healer/buffer. Other remedies of note are alchemist's kindness (drunkenness), meditation tea (mind-affecting),  smelling salts (sleep), soothe syrup (nauseated/sickened), troll oil (stabilize) and twitch tonic (sleep, paralysis and staggered)
-Tools:  Tools are typically a quick thing to help out when you're not sure you got enough skill to pull something off or just hedging your bets. or doing something fast and quick. Lots of things here to use for a variety of purposes; you can add to saves/skill rolls (bloodblock, chill cream), making/unmaking things (Alchemical cement/glue/solvent, casting plaster, defoliant are but a few) or adding to the item in question (Weapon Blanches). It is a fun section of alchemical items that typically doesn't get a lot of attention. Which is a shame that beside a few items (blanches) most get ignored; you could go total James Bond with things like smoke pellets, glowing/invisible ink, impact foam, scent cloak, smoke sticks and lots of other items.
-Weapons: the best known category if alchemical items. EVERYONE knows about alchemist fire, particularly after their first encounter with goblins, and it's a very excellent back up for the Alchemist. You get to add your int bonus to the damage, which is helpful and can turn measely 1 point of splash damage to something nastier (assuming a decent Int score). Then there are the secondary effects; you got continuing fire damage (alchemist fire), disabling abilities of/hindering the target (slime slow and tanglefoot bags) or both (tangleburn). It seems everytime I get a new supplement there is a new toy in this category to get (best example of this is Artokus's Fire (alchemists fire on steroids..even the mundane stuff). Another fun thing alchemical arrows, courtesy of the Elves of Goloarian and the Alchemy Manual, which can bring a lot of fun to the table. Not high DC stuff, but extras like being able to attack swarms with an arrow (spintercloud arrow), holy water (raining arrow), and durable arrows (no more losses to breakage.. to fire elementals yes... breakage no)
-Reagents: Using alchemical items and chemicals to supplement/enhance spells, courtesy of the Adventure's Armory and Alchemy Manual, for a variety of reasons. Alchemist fire to add it's continuing burn to a fire spell (1 flash per victim) or a focus item to a +1 to ranged touch for fire spells (like scorching ray). The Alchemy Manual adds even more to the mix with spontaneous alchemy, which in the hands of a skilled player, makes for the ability to literally whip up things on the fly with materials on hand.

Magic Items:
-Potions & Oils: D'uh. Pretty much self explanatory.  A lot of folks miss out one of the BEST 2nd level extracts, Alchemical Allocation. This doubles up your potion purchases effective use; which means you'll get twice the bang for your fly/shield of faith/whatever potion.
-Wondrous Items: Sweet Baby Bomber in a basket, there a LOT of items out there that supplement the alchemist and his tools/extracts. For example right off the bat, you have boro beads and preserving flasks to start with; the first lets you recover an extract you've already used for the day and the second lets you STORE an extract that you don't get to use on one day (I had my grenadier store an enlarge person in one as a back up..frees up one enlarge for something else. )  A staple EVERY (and I mean EVERY) Alchemist should get right off is a hybridization funnel, a vital tool that works GREAT with the class. You get a bonus to your craft (alchemy) skill, which shoehorns with this item quite well, you can combine two alchemical items together (gleeful note INCLUDING holy water) for some really really interesting combinations. (More of this later). There are a lot of things that aren't work as well for non-alchemists such as focusing flask, winged bottle and vial of efficacious medicine among just a few. Another fun one, if a bit pricy, is volatile vaporizer which lets you turn a single person potion into a 10 foot cloud that effects everyone in it. Nice for things like haste potions or such when you have need of them.

Tricks of a successful Grenadier:
-Hybridization Funnel: Mixing and matching alchemical weapons for fun and profit. Mix ghast stench flask and itching powder and you got something no caster will like to get. Or one of my favorites Artokus's Fire + Holy Water, two types of mayhem for an undead critter. It does require a skill check to pull off and only lasts a day, afterwards going inert, so be cautious in what you use. Warning: Table Variance can occur. Some GMs are saying you can only do alchemical weapons this way.
-Sipping Jacket: While I haven't as yet used it, it's a great back up for putting potions into play when needed. For instantaneous potions, like cures, as a swift action that can literally save your ass at the moment. For potions that are measured in rounds, you can use them a round at a time. Again, you will lose the potion if not used that day. Good back up though.
-Durable arrows. Don't leave home with out them; you cut back a lot on breakage and lost arrows. Granted shooting that critter with burning blood..yeah that arrow is destroyed but you get most of them back.
-Mutagen (Str)+Bull's Strength+ Enlarge Person: Just these alone add +12 to your strength (or more with greater mutagen). Add in things like Rage or spells with a funky strength bonus like Eaglesoul, and your guy can hit mythic levels of strength from the 'puny' strength he normally has. Example: Runt, a grenadier with a 'low' 14 strength pops a Bull's Strength/Enlarge Person Extract (combine extract discovery) and between it and the mutagen already rocking in his system he rockets to a 24. Which when combined with his +1 adaptive longbow and the handful of large durable cold iron arrows he has on hand means he does 2d6+9, without deadly aim or any of the nasty alchemical weapons AND/OR bombs he can toss on to that (or the bane arrows he might be carrying for that special target). Adding in a bomb and hydridized artokus's flame/holy water the damage starts to get surreal. That is 2d6+9 (Arrow) plus 2d6(fire)/2d4 (holy water) plus 4d6+4 (bomb, takes int hit for mutagen) A crit does 6d6+27 (arrow) plus 2d6/2d4 (alchemical weapons don't crit) plus 5d6+8 (crit range for bomb is x2, and only first die counts)  or more easily summed up13d6+35 PLUS 2d4. Add in a rage extract (morale bonus to strength) and eaglesoul (sacred bonus) and you can see Runt topping out at 30 (assuming he makes his UMD roll for the scroll of eaglesoul)

More to come as I hear/see/discover new things to say about the alchemist

Kara Silverblade [Core; Two-Blade Swordswoman] (Human Female Fighter)

One big complaint that I keep hearing about Valeros is that he's 'useless' as a two-weapon fighter. That is..the reason folks play iconics is to fulfill a role or two and he doesn't fit either the damage monster or tank that most folks would be wanting a tank for.

I dunno. Most of the complaints are he doesn't fit a role and he fails to fit either with minimal role outside of combat. (Still working on the last part on this build... but that will come in time I'm sure)

Two-Weapon Fighter: Strengths: Feats. LOTS &  LOTS of feats. Hella lots. Class abilities: Armor and Weapon Training: Armor training reduces penalties and allows full movement in heavy armor (eventually). Weapon Training, like weapon focus/specialization for an entire category of weapons that ADDS in to weapon focus/spec feats. A bonus to save vs fear (working on the weak will save)
Weaknesses: A chronic lack of skill points. More than a wizard BEFORE int bonuses but still. Will Save. The Achilles Hell of the class. First and foremost focus is to ensure that you buff your will save if you can.

Pay no mind to the kaju in the background

Starting the Dance..(1st Level)

Kara Silverblade (Core)

Female human (Varisian) fighter 1

CG Medium humanoid (human)

Init +5; Senses Perception +1

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Defense

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AC 16, touch 13, flat-footed 13 (+3 armor, +3 Dex)

hp 13 (1d10+3)

Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +0

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Offense

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Speed 30 ft.

Melee two-bladed sword +4 (1d8+3/19-20) or

   two-bladed sword +2 (1d8+2/19-20), two-bladed sword +2 (1d8+1/19-20)

Ranged javelin +4 (1d6+2)

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Statistics

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Str 14, Dex 17, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 10

Base Atk +1; CMB +3; CMD 16

Feats Exotic Weapon Proficiency (two-bladed sword), Two-weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus (two-bladed sword)

Traits bully, reactionary

Skills Acrobatics +3, Intimidate +5, Perception +1, Survival +4

Languages Common, Shoanti, Varisian

Other Gear studded leather, javelin (4), two-bladed sword, 21 gp

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The start: There are a few options here. You can switch out EWP: Two-Blade Sword and go with something else. Like Improved Shield Bash. So you can swat/hammer your shield in instead of dancing around with a flurry of steel. That would free up a lot of coin for a sword/shield combo and possibly a heavier armor starting off.
Basically it's a two weapon fighter who can go hard (Power attack) or not. Simple and blunt.
Things to get: Keep an eye out early on for things you might not be able to fight. Swarms are the big one starting off.
Options: Like I said, instead of going with a two-sword exotic weapon fighter, you can go sword/board or two separate weapons (scimitar, short sword(s) and other one-hand/light weapons). The big points are to stock up on options that expand your role such outside of combat.
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Walking the Circle (4th level)

Kara Silverblade

Human (Varisian) fighter 4

CG Medium humanoid (human)

Init +6; Senses Perception +4

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Defense

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AC 17, touch 14, flat-footed 13 (+3 armor, +4 Dex)

hp 40 (4d10+12)

Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +3 (+1 vs. fear)

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Offense

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Speed 30 ft.

Melee two-bladed sword +7 (1d8+3/19-20) or

   two-bladed sword +5 (1d8+2/19-20), two-bladed sword +5 (1d8+2/19-20)

Ranged javelin +8 (1d6+2)

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Statistics

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Str 14, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 10

Base Atk +4; CMB +6; CMD 20

Feats Double Slice, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (two-bladed sword), Iron Will, Power Attack, Two-weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus (two-bladed sword)

Traits bully, reactionary

Skills Acrobatics +8, Climb +6, Intimidate +5, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +5, Linguistics +3, Perception +4, Perform (dance) +1, Survival +4, Swim +6

Languages Common, Kelish, Osiriani, Shoanti, Varisian

SQ armor training 1

Other Gear studded leather, javelin (4), two-bladed sword, 21 gp

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Special Abilities

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Power Attack -2/+4 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.

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Stepping up: By now the character has some teeth to her attacks with power attack, weapon focus and double slice adding to the to hit and damage. Add in iron will to help the will saves a bit. 

Things to get: A good medium armor to keep you going till you hit 7th and armor training 2. A masterwork two-bladed sword (possibly of a specific material) and a solid backup weapon. Something that might be missile or backup/different damage types. (And something for swarms, remember they don't have swarm bane clasp in core play).  Buy up a cloak of resistance. look into a belt of str/con and AC options.

Dueling through the Dance (7th level)

Kara Silverblade (Core)

Human (Varisian) fighter 7

CG Medium humanoid (human)

Init +6; Senses Perception +7

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Defense

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AC 18, touch 14, flat-footed 14 (+3 armor, +4 Dex, +1 shield)

hp 67 (7d10+21)

Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +4 (+2 vs. fear)

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Offense

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Speed 30 ft.

Melee two-bladed sword +11/+6 (1d8+6/19-20) or

   two-bladed sword +9/+4 (1d8+5/19-20), two-bladed sword +9/+4 (1d8+5/19-20)

Ranged javelin +11 (1d6+2)

Special Attacks weapon training (double +1)

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Statistics

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Str 14, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 10

Base Atk +7; CMB +9; CMD 23

Feats Double Slice, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (two-bladed sword), Improved Two-weapon Fighting, Iron Will, Power Attack, Two-weapon Defense, Two-weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus (two-bladed sword), Weapon Specialization (two-bladed sword)

Traits bully, reactionary

Skills Acrobatics +11, Climb +6, Intimidate +5, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +5, Knowledge (engineering) +5, Linguistics +7, Perception +7, Perform (dance) +2, Survival +4, Swim +6

Languages Common, Hallit, Kelish, Osiriani, Shoanti, Skald, Tien, Undercommon, Varisian

SQ armor training 2

Other Gear studded leather, javelin (4), two-bladed sword, 21 gp

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Special Abilities

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Power Attack -2/+4 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.

Two-Weapon Defense +1 to AC while wielding 2 weapons. +2 when doing so defensively.

Weapon Training (Double) +1 (Ex) +1 Attack, Damage, CMB, CMD with Double weapons

Whirling blades: By now you've got a massive full attack monster, with a good dex to help balance out the lack of shield and to buff your reflex save. Four attacks in full attack mode, weapon focus/spec to enhance your to hit and damage, and with two-weapon defense you get a bonus to AC that a non-shield fighter needs. Armor training lets you do this in full plate and finally start looking for a good AC that you'll need.
The big issue: How to build up your blade? By now, you've been the happy owner of a masterwork two-bladed sword, possibly even an adamantine one (a MERE 3,100 gp) that can hack through constructs, doors, boats, walls, and anyone that gets in your way. Of course, there is the cost for TWO WEAPONS in one. So odds are you'll never get pass +2 and most likely go with something like +1 to each end with a +1 enhancement like keen or such.

Mistress of the Bladedance (12th Level)

Kara Silverblade (Core) #4

Human (Varisian) fighter 12

CG Medium humanoid (human)

Init +7; Senses Perception +12

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Defense

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AC 20, touch 16, flat-footed 14 (+3 armor, +5 Dex, +1 dodge, +1 shield)

hp 112 (12d10+36)

Fort +10, Ref +10, Will +6 (+3 vs. fear)

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Offense

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Speed 30 ft.

Melee two-bladed sword +19/+14/+9 (1d8+9/19-20) or

   two-bladed sword +17/+12/+7 (1d8+8/19-20), two-bladed sword +17/+12/+7 (1d8+8/19-20)

Ranged javelin +18/+18 (1d6+2)

Special Attacks weapon trainings (double +2, light blades +1)

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Statistics

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Str 14, Dex 20, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 10

Base Atk +12; CMB +15; CMD 30

Feats Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Double Slice, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (two-bladed sword), Greater Two-weapon Fighting, Greater Weapon Focus (two-bladed sword), Greater Weapon Specialization (two-bladed sword), Improved Two-weapon Fighting, Iron Will, Power Attack, Two-weapon Defense, Two-weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus (two-bladed sword), Weapon Specialization (two-bladed sword)

Traits bully, reactionary

Skills Acrobatics +17 (+29 to jump), Climb +6, Intimidate +6, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +5, Knowledge (engineering) +5, Linguistics +13, Perception +12, Perform (dance) +5, Survival +4, Swim +6

Languages Azlanti, Common, Dwarven, Elven, Hallit, Kelish, Osiriani, Shoanti, Skald, Thassilonian, Tien, Undercommon, Varisian

SQ armor training 3

Other Gear studded leather, javelin (4), two-bladed sword, 21 gp

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Special Abilities

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Combat Expertise +/-4 Bonus to AC in exchange for an equal penalty to attack.

Combat Reflexes (6 AoO/round) Can make extra attacks of opportunity/rd, and even when flat-footed.

Power Attack -4/+8 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.

Two-Weapon Defense +1 to AC while wielding 2 weapons. +2 when doing so defensively.

Weapon Training (Blades, Light) +1 (Ex) +1 Attack, Damage, CMB, CMD with Light Blades

Weapon Training (Double) +2 (Ex) +2 Attack, Damage, CMB, CMD with Double weapons

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Hurricane of steel: Now you're looking at a nasty mix of tough fighter and a blade that flies like lightning in her hands. You got 6 attacks on a full round attack and 6 attacks of opportunity a round; the trick is to get in a place where you can be in the center of things. Things like boots of haste or a friendly wizard with haste are awesome at this. A full 60 move, an extra attack from each weapon end at full BAB, and if you can get a good flanking buddy and you're 'Lady Quisinarte'. Odds are the last attack(s) won't hit a big bad buff boss type or some of the more potent elemental/planar types but 'a 20 is a 20' still applies. You've now gotten the full weapon focus/spec feat chain PLUS weapon training +2 (double weapons) for an impressive +4 to hit and damage before strength and magic bonuses. Still not going to beat out the -10 on the final attack.
Things to get. Still going to be weak on will saves, one good dominate and the caster types could be chunky salsa really quick; so odds are a cloak of resistance would be up around +3 (or higher) by now. A few scrolls (for the casters to help you out), potions (so you can do it yourself) can go a long way. Things like haste, fly, greater magic weapons for those right fights, as well as things like align weapon for those 'special' moments when a high DR laughs at your 1d8+8 (12 with power attack) attacks. Out of combat, I went with the 'translator' role I do with most martial types. You don't have a lot of skills why not pick a few 'dialects' and regional languages to help your face guy out? You're not going to be able to do a log beyond 'aid another' with your a scant languages and my standby, the pathfinder journals, aren't available in Core.
Alternative approaches: As I said in the first level section, you can have gone sword/board and mixed in a few other options. By now you could have weapon focus (x2), greater weapon focus (shield), improved shield bash and shield slam; which means you could hammer at the bad guys with your sword (or axe), and shield (keeping your AC while doing so) and occastionally slamming them back on their butt. Of course, putting magic weapon/armor pluses on the shield will make for a really expensive item, but you're also looking at a weapon that helps your AC and your fighting.