Captain America

This is the second version of a Captain America build on the site. The first was a bit more focused on the Marshal Dedication, deliberately attempting to take those feats early to fill the role of field leader more clearly.

No offense to that build, but people want Cap to block things with shields, hit things with shields and throw shields at things. And so this V2 version was built – more shields, less feels. The Marshal Dedication is still there, starting at level 10, but the early levels are about blocking. The result is among the Pathfinder 2e best fighter builds, from a flavor perspective. Let's go cap!

In a party, Cap primarily fills the roles of Tank and Bruiser. By utilizing many feats that enhance his shield usage, he gains a lot of versatility with how he can block attacks – and who he can block them for. His shield also contributes to his battlefield control, as he utilizes the shove trait to push back and chase after the targets of his shield bashes.

This is made possible with the rules as written by an item introduced in The Grand Bazaar - Shield Augmentation. By applying to Captain America's shield, he can add runes that affect his bash, as well as weapon traits (specifically thrown 10 ft. and shove).

When he’s up close, Rogers focuses on grapples and shield bashes to further render targets ineffective and set up easier strikes for his allies. Despite this focus on control, his high strength and proficiency keeps him dishing out damage while doing so.

Finally, the build splashes into the Marshal Dedication to represent Captain America’s role as a propaganda symbol – inspiring his fellows to push themselves to greater heights.

As well, Cap can be an asset outside of battle, with his Legendary Diplomacy (and Master Intimidation) getting the party into places it may not have had access to.

Human – Versatile

The versatile human combo is one of the best in the game for starting a build out with a lot of flavor right from level 1. That can be important for builds like Cap's, which take two different dedications down the line. Having Natural Ambition to give an extra fighter feat early let's him capitalize on his own class before dipping into others.

The versatile heritage also gives an extra general feat that we use for Toughness, giving some extra health right from the start of the game, positioning Steve to be the team's heavy.

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Guard

This background works great for Cap’s military training and service. The Strength boost is key, to go along with a Constitution boost. Warfare Lore can come in handy in understanding the tactics of enemy forces.

Being trained in Intimidation is nice too. That's a skill he will eventually take to Master level, so getting a point in it early is great.

Fighter

No other class better represents Captain America's depth and well-roundedness as a combatant and defender. He is a fighter, through and through.

One thing that fighter specifically does well is provide a great base class for other dedications. Weapon and Armor specializations continue to climb regardless of class feats, and features like Combat Flexibility give us access to a few fighter feats even if we spend every class feat on archetype choices.

That said, Fighter also is a class that has a ton of options to fit different playstyles – including a shield build. That's tought, because Cap would love to have a lot of those. There is definitely some FOMO and tough choices along the way. The biggest choice beign when to focus on feats that improve his shieldplay, and when to focus on other things, like damage or the Marshal line.

This build is a pretty robust collection of those elements. Early game is focused more on blocking, then mid-game is leading, and we end with bashing. All of it's fun.

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Steve's Super Soldier Serum shows its power through a legendary Athletics skill. This is Steve's climbing and jumping, sure, but it's also his grappling – somethign his teammates will want him to do to keep foes away from them.

Of course, Captain America also knows when not to fight. A legendary diplomacy skill ensures that he can talk his way out of tense situations when the need occurs, rather than bash his way out.

Legendary: Athletics, Diplomacy

‍Master: Intimidation

‍Expert: Acrobatics

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