Scarecrow
Returning to Gotham City after years of exile, Batman decided to use fear in his against the city's underbelly. His enemies quickly discovered how potent fear is as a tool.
But what if someone used it as a weapon?
Enter Dr. Jonathan Crane, a pschology professor who worked extensively at Arkham Asylum, experimenting with the minds of the criminals interred there. It was through these experiments that Dr. Crane developed the fear toxin, a chemical that could induce hallucinations of someone's worst phobias.
Becoming obsessed with his experiments, and his sadistic ability to terrify others through his mastery of fear, Crane styled himself as the Scarecrow. With this new moniker, Scarecrow vowed to be the Master of Fear, to bring Gotham City (and it's protecter) to its knees in terror.
Something interesting to me is how some of the most famous Batman villains can be so similar, and yet distinct. Scarecrow, Joker and Riddler all possess a related mindset, a somewhat similar worldview. All of them aspire in some way or another to create chaos.
Scarecrow's version is one that has gotten better with time, as depiction of the Caped Crusader have focused on elements like his use of fear. Scarecrow becomes a great foil, someone who uses the same means to a different ends. Spooky!
He's also a great standard addition to Batman videogames, like the Arkham series, where he can induce a classic "dream sequence" for a bit, sending Batman into a hallucination full of alley-way pearls and Joker paraphernalia.
So how do we make the Scarecrow in Pathfinder?
Keys to the Character
Fear in a Bottle
Scarecrow's lifetime accomplishment is his fear toxin, a chemical that induces terrifying hallucinations. Now that it's created, his new goal is to affect everyone with it.
Smile for the Doctor
Jonathan Crane's experiments have given him an expert knowledge in what's scary. He wears a freaky scarecrow mask because that tested the best.
Welcome to Arkham
After being fired from the University where he worked as a psychology professor, Dr. Crane's favored test subjects became the inmates for one of the most notorious asylums in fiction: Arkham.
Fingerblasted
One of the ways Scarecrow administers his toxins is through a specialized syringe glove, which is as scary looking as it's function.
The key to feeling like Scarecrow is scaring foes as much as possible, leaving them vulnerable to follow ups from Scarecrow himself and allies.
We will accomplish this through the liberal use of the Dread Ampoule. This alchemical bomb carries the poison, mental and fear tags – giving plenty of options for fine tuning with buffs and feats. Especially from the Alchemist class, which gains big buffs to poisons with the Toxicologist subclass.
On the battlefield, Scarecrow wants to severely debilitate foes with status effects before going in for the kill with damaging poisons and deadly syringe fingers. This all begins with the fear condition from Dread Ampoule (along with the flat-footed condition from Debilitating Bomb). On a successful hit and check, this bomb gets the terror started by lowering their AC by 3-4 and other saves by 1-2. This severely lowers the creature's ability to save themselves from poisons like Giant Centipede Venom, which can ravage a victims health if left untreated.
As well, the lowered defenses leave the foe open to strikes from Scarecrows syringe glove (claw blade), which allows him to fish for deadly crits that he would otherwise be unlikely to get with a mere expert weapon proficiency.
The playstyle comes at a cost: Scarecrow is squishy. He's just a doctor in a mask, remember. Jonathan Crane's version of defence is to attempt to debuff a foe with so many status effects that they simply cannot hit him, rather than be able to withstand any punishment.
Outside of battle, Dr. Crane spends most of his time crafting more poisons and experimenting on his chemicals to make them more and more powerful. He's also skilled in Medicine, thought I doubt any of his party members are willing to be treated by him.
His legendary intimidation can get the party what they want in nefarious ways. And, importantly, most poisons are more useful outside of battle than inside of battle. So he keeps on poisoning.
Build OVERVIEW
- Chain reactions of status effects debilitate foes
- Allies benefit from attack frightened enemies
- No need to shop for Halloween
- Useless against enemies immune to fear
- Low health
- Honestly? Kind of scary
Ancestry
Shapewrought Fleshwarp
Years of experimenting on the fear toxin has made the very air around Scarecrow lightly saturated with the chemical. The result is that despite being human, he looks to others like a horrible, mishapen mutant.
This rare ancestry may not fit into many builds, but it is so thematic for Scarecrow. Especially after taking a Human Adopted Ancestry to show that he really is human, its just that everyone perceives him as a horrendous fleshwarp.
The flavor starts right at level one, giving Scarecrow a Startling Appearance that trains him in Intimidation and the Intimidating Glare feat. Can't imagine it being more correct than that!
Down the line, this ancestry offers some cool visualizations of the toxin working – like black tentacles spewing from the mouth of his mask – while the human adopted ancestry comes in clutch with the best feat in the game, Multitalented.
Background
Academic
A little too academic, if you ask me. Or his patients.
Dr. Jonathan Crane was a professor of psychology, committed (or obsessed) with understanding the nature of fear. Especially phobias – highly potent, irrational fears unique to individuals. His study wasn't for the betterment of mankind, though. Just the opposite, the doctor's sadistic nature found joy in exposing test subjects to their fears. It got him fired, at minimum.
The background gives an Intelligence boost, good for his class. As well, the Academia Lore skill can come in handy more often than some of the more obscure lores, so that's nice.
Class
Toxicologist Alchemist
Of all the classes in Pathfinder 2e, the Alchemist seems to have the most baggage. This stems primarily, I believe, from assumptions made by players about how the class will play.
When your read "Bomber" subclass, you assume they will make the best bomb-slingers in the game – but only reaching Expert in throwing bombs hinders them in that view. Similarly, seeing "Mutagenist" makes many players imagine a Jekyll & Hyde or Banner & Hulk style character, but the reality isn't close to that fantasy at all.
It isn't that those sublclasses are bad. Both can be fun. They just don't meet the expectation that players create on a first glance as well as nearly all the other classes.
Toxicologist doesn't suffer from this problem. You want poisons, toxins and other nefarious chemicals? This subclass is going to do them better than anyone. Look no further than the initial features of the subclass, granting Scarecrow the ability to use his Class DC for infused poisons rather than the listed DC. This improves the success rate of nearly every poison, save for a very, very few high level ones. Not only that, but Scarecrow can add that poison to his claw blades for a single action, rather than two.
Plus, since Dread Ampoule – the main fear-inducing alchemical item – is listed as a poison, Scarecrow can make plenty of it with his infused reagents, despite not going Bomber.
The only feats we'll take outside the Alchemist Class are in a Champion Dedication (Desecrator, to be exact). After getting the archetype through Multitalented, we'll work toward Aura of Despair, which hinders nearby enemy's ability to save against fear, and blocks them from shaking off the effect entirely until they move away.
Skills & General Feats
What good what the inventor of a new alchemical weapon be if they weren't a legendary crafter? No good, is the obvious answer.
Dr. Crane doesn't have to worry about that, his extensive study has made him legendary in Crafting. And the subject that study is in (fear) has likewise made him legendary in Intimidation.
There are a few other important focuses for Scarecrow. Medicine is something he has some training in – you need to understand how humans work if you are going to turn their minds against them. Plus, with such low health, it's important for him to be stealthy enough that he can get his first fear effects off from the shadows.
Legendary: Crafting, Intimidation
Master: Stealth
Expert: Medicine
Attribute Increases
Equipment
Suggested Starting Equipment
Key Spells
Changelog
Related Builds
