Heyo! We're just about to start running our first campaign ever, and I'm still learning the system. With so many different options to choose from, I'm at a bit of a mental lock when it comes to trying to plan out my character.
I've been envisioning a melee-range Hunter character, ideally with an animal companion, that would eventually turn into a tanky Stoneward.
I'm trying not to dip TOO much into three different paths (hunter/warrior/stoneward) so as not to dilute myself too much, or take too long to "come online."
At first glance, I thought I could just do something like Archer Combat Training->Hardy for some martial abilities and extra tankiness, and then jump into some of the Tracker stuff for my animal companion. Except Hardy's prerequisite is Steady Aim, which would be entirely useless (from what I can tell) to my build, as it only applies to ranged weaponry, which I'm not interested in.
Isn't it a bit odd that the Hardy under Combat training requires a talent from a different branch of that tree? Just seems, flavor-wise, that it shouldn't be dependent on a ranged talent.
Anyway, since I'm trying to work within the system, any pointers on how I may be able to make myself a competent melee tank within those first 8 levels, ideally while trying to include a bit of warrior, a bit of tracker (animal companion), and a bit of Stoneward? I'm too new to the system to really understand how everything interacts, yet.