Introduction
Commander is Battlecry's tactical martial: an Intelligence-based leader who prepares maneuvers, drills allies, signals orders, and turns party positioning into action economy. It is not a solo damage class with a military hat. It is a party multiplier.
Use this guide with Battlecry, the Commander feat guide, combat, skirmish warfare, war campaigns, equipment, banners and whetstones, and archetypes.
Disclaimer
This is a ranking and build guide, not a replacement for Battlecry. It summarizes Commander choices without reproducing full class tables, tactic text, feat text, banner item text, skirmish rules, troop stat blocks, or encounter material.
Ratings assume a coordinated party, normal Remaster math, visible or audible signals, and a campaign that sometimes uses terrain, objectives, morale, and tactical enemies. If the table refuses to coordinate, Commander becomes a martial support class trying to conduct an orchestra made of shopping carts.
Rating Legend
| Rating | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ● | Excellent. Build-defining or broadly powerful. |
| ● | Strong. Good in many parties, but not automatic. |
| ● | Situational. Great at the right table, awkward elsewhere. |
| ● | Weak, narrow, or a trap unless your campaign specifically wants it. |
Class Snapshot
| Piece | Commander value |
|---|---|
| Source | Battlecry |
| Key attribute | Intelligence |
| Hit Points | 8 plus Constitution modifier per level |
| Perception | Starts expert |
| Saves | Trained Fortitude, expert Reflex, expert Will |
| Skills | Society, Warfare Lore, plus extra skills from Intelligence |
| Weapons | Simple weapons, martial weapons, unarmed attacks |
| Armor | All armor and unarmored defense |
| Class DC | Trained, then improves through tactician features |
| Core identity | Prepared tactics, drilled squadmates, banner aura, reaction-based teamwork |
What Commander Is Actually Good At
Commander is best when the fight has a shape. A blank-room brawl with everyone trading Strikes still works, but it wastes the class's best texture. Commander wants flanks, retreats, caster pockets, reload lines, chokepoints, high ground, objectives, and enemies smart enough to punish sloppy formation.
| Job | Why |
|---|---|
| Team action economy ● | Drilled reactions and tactics can let allies move, reload, Strike, Raise a Shield, or reposition at better times. |
| Battlefield positioning ● | Many tactics change where allies stand, which is often stronger than another personal attack. |
| Party morale and fear defense ● | The banner's fear-facing aura is modest but constant, and it matters more in scary Monster Core encounters. |
| Personal weapon damage ● | Commander is still a martial with weapon proficiency progression, but it is not trying to out-Fighter the Fighter. |
| Scouting and tactical reads ● | Warfare Lore for initiative and battlefield information makes the class feel smart in play. |
| Solo carry play ● | The class loses value if allies do not coordinate or if the campaign rarely rewards positioning. |
Hot Take: Commander is strongest when the party treats positioning and reactions as shared resources, not personal turns.
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Core Feature Rankings
| Feature | Practical take |
|---|---|
| Tactics folio ● | The engine. You know tactics, prepare a smaller daily set, and adjust with drilling. Pick for the party and the map, not for flavor text. |
| Drilled reactions ● | Extra reaction access tied to tactics is real action economy. It lets the Commander create turns that would not otherwise exist. |
| Warfare Lore initiative ● | Acting early is huge for a class that wants to establish formation, signals, and target priority. |
| Commander's banner ● | A 30-foot morale anchor, signal tool, and ability origin point. Strong, but it asks you to care about visibility and positioning. |
| Intelligence key attribute ● | Excellent for skills, Warfare Lore, and planning. Less good if you wanted a purely physical bruiser. |
| Shield Block ● | The visible leader gets attacked. Shield Block is the game quietly telling you not to build like paper. |
| Expert, master, legendary tactician ● | More prepared tactics, better class DC, and better Warfare Lore scaling keep the class relevant. |
| Weapon and armor progression ● | You can fight and survive in the line, but your biggest value still comes from the party's improved turns. |
Command Styles Ranked
● Tactical Support Commander
This is the default best Commander. You stand in the middle layer, keep the banner useful, use Warfare Lore early, and select tactics that make allies better. You are not hiding behind the party, but you are also not pretending to be a selfish striker.
Best with: Fighter, Rogue, Ranger, Guardian, Champion, and Swashbuckler.
● Frontline Banner Commander
You carry the standard into the danger zone, use armor and shield play, and make the banner aura easy for melee allies to use. This style fits dungeon crawls, war fronts, and parties that naturally fight near each other.
The risk is obvious: enemies can see the bossy person with the flag. Build your defenses like they can read.
● Ranged Signal Commander
You use a ranged weapon, Guiding Shot style support, reload tactics when the party supports it, and safer midline positioning. This is strong when the party includes guns, crossbows, thrown weapons, or casters who want a protected firing lane.
Link this style with ranged weapons, Guns and Gears, and siege weapons and battle vehicles if the campaign leans military.
● Staff Officer Commander
You lean into Warfare Lore, Society, Medicine, Diplomacy, scouting, map reading, and campaign planning. This style is stronger in GM war campaigns, political campaigns, faction play, and objective-heavy adventures.
● Solo Damage Commander
You can do it. You should not build the entire class around it. If your favorite tactic is "I Strike three times and hope the party admires me," the Fighter, Barbarian, or Ranger will make you happier.
Tactics Ranked
The best tactics are the ones your allies can actually use. Ratings below assume a normal four-character party with at least two allies who care about tactical movement or attacks.
Mobility Tactics
| Tactic | Best use |
|---|---|
| Gather to Me! ● | Rebuilds formation, pulls allies into the banner zone, and fixes scattered starts. Excellent in messy maps. |
| Passage of Lines ● | Swapping endangered and fresh allies is tactical gold. This is one of the cleanest "save the caster, rotate the tank" tools. |
| Defensive Retreat ● | Strong when the party needs to disengage without turning retreat into a disaster. Less useful in cramped rooms. |
| Protective Screen ● | Excellent with casters and ranged attackers who need a safer window. Party dependent, but very real. |
| Mountaineering Training ● | Great in cliffs, ruins, ship rigging, caves, and vertical battlefields. Dead weight in flat rooms. |
| Naval Training ● | Outstanding in water campaigns, coastal arcs, and ship battles. Otherwise niche. |
Offensive Tactics
| Tactic | Best use |
|---|---|
| Pincer Attack ● | Off-guard access for multiple squadmates is exactly the kind of broad party value Commander wants. |
| Strike Hard! ● | Simple, readable, and powerful when the right ally has the best Strike. Give the big hit to the person built for big hits. |
| Shields Up! ● | Raise a Shield as a reaction is boring until it prevents a critical hit. Then it becomes everyone's favorite order. |
| Tactical Takedown ● | Good when two allies can converge and punish prone. Needs positioning, but the payoff is clear. |
| Double Team ● | Strong with Athletics-heavy allies and melee follow-up. Weaker if your party lacks maneuver investment. |
| Coordinating Maneuvers ● | Useful for moving enemies into bad spaces or flanks, but it asks more from the squadmate. |
| Reload! ● | A broad pick in a firearm or crossbow party and narrow elsewhere. This is the definition of party-dependent value. |
| End It! ● | Dramatic and useful when the condition is met, but incapacitation and setup requirements make it less reliable. |
Expert Tactics
| Tactic | Best use |
|---|---|
| Demoralizing Charge ● | Movement, Strikes, and fear pressure in one package. Great with martial allies who can reach priority targets. |
| Slip and Sizzle ● | Trip plus spell follow-up is nasty with a prepared caster, though the caster pays for the timing. |
| Stupefying Raid ● | Strong against casters and mental-action enemies. Less exciting against brute monsters. |
| Buckle-Cut Blitz ● | Clumsy pressure is useful, especially when multiple allies can exploit the AC and Reflex drop. |
| Alley-Oop ● | Excellent when consumables matter. Connect this with consumables and an Alchemist. |
| Take the High Ground ● | Very cool on vertical maps. Middling when the battlefield has no meaningful height. |
Master Tactics
| Tactic | Best use |
|---|---|
| Pop, Drop, and Lock ● | Strike, Trip, and Grapple pressure from multiple allies is exactly how you make one enemy have a miserable round. |
| Ready, Aim, Fire! ● | Excellent with ranged parties and cantrip users. It turns the squad into a volley line. |
| The Bigger They Are ● | Great for squads that use Athletics against large monsters. Monster Core boss fights make this more attractive. |
| Piranha Assault ● | Very good when resistance is the problem. Less relevant when enemies do not lean on resistance. |
| Mirrored Wall ● | Fun, flavorful, and potentially strong, but setup and lighting requirements make it campaign dependent. |
| Roaring Charge ● | Big cinematic movement and fear pressure, but incapacitation keeps it from being a universal answer. |
Legendary Tactics
| Tactic | Best use |
|---|---|
| Valkyrie's Charge ● | A once-per-day emergency swing that can turn a collapse into a countercharge. Save it for a real disaster. |
| Executioner's Volley ● | Excellent in ranged squads, especially when resistances and weaknesses matter. |
| Cry Havoc! ● | Huge battle-scene energy and strong against clustered enemies, but map shape matters. |
| Bloody Guillotine ● | Terrifying when it lands, but death and incapacitation effects always need realistic expectations. |
| Insta-Ballista ● | Hilarious and memorable in siege play. Awkward if your party does not want to carry the plan around. |
| Sanguine Revitalization ● | Powerful with the right melee weapons and target, but its once-per-day nature and weapon requirements narrow it. |
Hot Take: The best tactic is often the least dramatic one: moving the right ally five feet wins more fights than the table gives it credit for.
Formation Choices Ranked
| Formation | How to use it |
|---|---|
| Open skirmish line ● | Keep allies close enough for signals and banner effects, but spread enough to avoid area damage. This is the default smart formation. |
| Anchor and flank ● | Put the Commander near the durable ally, then let Rogue, Swashbuckler, Monk, or Ranger exploit angles. |
| Shielded caster pocket ● | Guardian, Champion, Fighter, or shield-bearing ally protects a caster lane while the Commander keeps movement tools ready. |
| Chokepoint rotation ● | Passage of Lines and defensive tactics shine when the party can rotate who holds the door. |
| Volley line ● | Strong with bows, crossbows, firearms, cantrips, and Ready, Aim, Fire! style play. |
| Tight banner clump ● | Useful against fear and when the map demands it. Dangerous against bursts, cones, breath weapons, and enemy control. |
| Split squad ● | Sometimes the objective demands it, but it fights your class engine. If half the party cannot hear or see the signal, you are just a martial with paperwork. |
Initiative, Movement, And Reactions
Commander wants to act before the party commits to bad geometry. Battlecry's Warfare Lore initiative option matters because your first turn often decides whether the party enters the fight as a unit or as four unrelated emergencies.
On your turn, ask these questions in order:
- Can the squad see or hear the signal?
- Who needs a reaction more than they need their normal turn?
- Is the party close enough to coordinate without inviting area damage?
- Which enemy is the priority target, and which ally is best built to punish it?
- Is the objective still "kill them," or has it become rescue, retreat, hold, breach, or survive?
Drilled reactions are the class's quiet powerhouse. Do not waste them on the ally with the least relevant response. Give them to the ally whose reaction changes the encounter state: a Fighter with the best attack, a Rogue who needs a setup, a Guardian who can protect, a caster who can exploit prone, or a reload user who is otherwise action-starved.
Ability Scores
Commander is an Intelligence class first, but it still has to stand somewhere dangerous while waving a banner that says, "please notice me." Build the brain, then make sure the body survives the consequences.
| Attribute | Guidance |
|---|---|
| Intelligence ● | Key attribute, Warfare Lore engine, skill depth, and the reason your tactics feel planned instead of improvised at knife point. Start high. |
| Constitution ● | You are visible, valuable, and often near the fight. More HP keeps the squad's tactical engine online. |
| Strength ● | Best for heavy armor, melee weapons, Athletics, shield pressure, and frontline banner builds. |
| Dexterity ● | Best for ranged signal builds, Reflex comfort, initiative support, lighter armor, and avoiding the classic officer problem of being easy to stab. |
| Wisdom ● | Perception, Will comfort, Medicine, Survival, and battlefield awareness are all useful on the person making timing decisions. |
| Charisma ● | Helpful for Diplomacy, Intimidation, and leadership scenes, but Commander is not secretly a Bard with a clipboard. |
Best Ancestries And Heritages
Commander ancestry choices should support durability, Intelligence, movement, skill breadth, weapon access, or table identity. Use this with the ancestry guide hub and heritage guide.
| Option | Best for | Why it fits Commander |
|---|---|---|
| Human ● | Any Commander | Flexible feat and build support is excellent when the class wants tactics, defenses, skills, and party-specific planning. |
| Dwarf ● | Shield commander, heavy armor officer | Durability and formation discipline fit a Commander who expects to stand with the line. |
| Hobgoblin ● | Military commander, fear tactics | The ancestry's martial culture and intimidation-friendly identity line up naturally with Battlecry's war-facing play. |
| Ratfolk ● | Skirmish planner, utility officer | Clever, mobile, tool-oriented Commanders can make excellent use of skill play and positioning. |
| Tengu ● | Weapon-focused signal officer | Weapon flavor and flexible adventuring identity can support unusual banner, ranged, or skirmisher concepts. |
| Orc ● | Frontline commander | Toughness, battlefield presence, and intimidation support the officer who leads from the dangerous square. |
| Kholo ● | Pack tactics commander | Strong party identity, physical presence, and tactical group flavor make a good fit. |
| Elf ● | Ranged or mobile commander | Speed is excellent, but defensive planning matters if the Commander becomes a priority target. |
| Versatile heritages ● | Campaign-specific commanders | Add a second story layer when it supports the military role, not just because the banner needed more biography. |
Backgrounds
Battlecry adds war-facing backgrounds, and Commander is one of the classes that can use them without forcing the concept. The best background gives you a reason to lead and a skill you will actually roll. Use the backgrounds guide for the broader character-creation layer.
| Background direction | Best for | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Conscript, soldier, officer, or drill instructor ● | Any Commander | Direct military training fits Warfare Lore, tactics, armor, formation play, and the class fantasy cleanly. |
| Scout, guerrilla, saboteur, or border warden ● | Skirmish commander | Works well with movement tactics, ambush planning, Stealth, Survival, and objective-based fights. |
| Medic, battlefield surgeon, or quartermaster ● | Support commander | Medicine and logistics make the Commander useful when the party is not currently rearranging enemies. |
| Noble, envoy, strategist, or academy graduate ● | Staff officer commander | Society, Diplomacy, war rooms, chain of command, and campaign planning all fit the Intelligence-based leader. |
| Artisan, siege engineer, armorer, or weaponsmith ● | Gear-heavy or siege campaign | Crafting and equipment fluency support banners, armor, siege tools, battle vehicles, and war logistics. |
| Mercenary, caravan guard, or veteran adventurer ● | Practical field commander | Good for parties that want a grounded leader without formal rank or aristocratic baggage. |
| Performer, propagandist, or herald ● | Morale and faction play | Strong if the campaign cares about reputation and public messaging. Less useful if every problem is solved in a basement. |
| Criminal, deserter, prisoner, or refugee ● | War trauma or redemption arcs | Good story fuel, but make sure it supports teamwork instead of giving the party a second campaign to babysit. |
Best Skills
| Skill | Why |
|---|---|
| Warfare Lore ● | Core class identity, initiative option, creature assessment, and military problem solving. Max it. |
| Society ● | You start trained, and it fits politics, armies, factions, logistics, and campaign-facing play. |
| Medicine ● | Officer's Medical Training makes battlefield triage very attractive if you want an Intelligence-friendly support angle. |
| Diplomacy ● | Useful for leadership, negotiation, and military authority that does not become constant yelling. |
| Intimidation ● | Fear support stacks nicely with aggressive command styles and demoralizing battle plans. |
| Athletics ● | Strong if you fight near the front and want to Shove, Trip, Grapple, Climb, or Swim when tactics do not cover it. |
| Crafting ● | Better in siege, gear-heavy, and war campaigns; less important in ordinary dungeon loops. |
| Stealth ● | Useful for ambush planning, but heavy armor and visible banners complicate the fantasy. |
Feats To Watch
Use the Commander feat guide for the full ranking, but these patterns matter most.
| Feat pattern | Why |
|---|---|
| Tactical Expansion ● | More tactics in the folio means better answers to more maps. |
| Plant Banner ● | Changes how the banner anchors the fight and rewards parties that hold ground. |
| Officer's Medical Training ● | Intelligence-friendly Medicine plus Battle Medicine is efficient support. |
| Combat Assessment and Rapid Assessment ● | Information before or during a fight makes the Commander's decisions sharper. |
| Set-Up Strike and Guiding Shot ● | Good when you want your personal attacks to improve the next ally's attack. |
| Defensive Swap ● | Protects allies and creates table drama without needing magic. |
| Banner upgrades ● | Stronger at tables that respect banner placement, morale, and battlefield identity. |
| Companion banner play ● | Good if you want a mobile banner origin, but it adds another body and more tactical overhead. |
Best Equipment
| Equipment | Notes |
|---|---|
| Banner plan ● | Decide whether the banner is on a weapon, shield, pole, backpack rig, companion, or planted standard. This is a rules decision and a table-visibility decision. |
| Shield ● | Shield Block is built in. A shield also makes frontline and midline Commander play much safer. |
| Medium or heavy armor ● | You are visible, important, and often near allies. Wear real protection unless the build has a reason not to. |
| One-handed weapon ● | Keeps a hand economy path open for shield, banner, consumables, and commands. |
| Reach weapon ● | Excellent if the banner is attached to the weapon and you want a larger threat profile. Watch hand economy. |
| Ranged weapon ● | Good for Guiding Shot, volley plans, and safer signal positions. Best with reload support or low-action ranged choices. |
| Fundamental runes ● | Weapon and armor math still matters. Leadership does not replace accuracy or AC. |
| Skill items ● | Prioritize items that support Warfare Lore style knowledge, Medicine, Society, Diplomacy, or Intimidation. |
| Consumables ● | Potions, elixirs, talismans, ammunition, and emergency tools become better when tactics move them to the right person. |
| Siege gear ● | Great in war campaigns, skirmish warfare, and Battlecry set pieces. Too much for normal room fights. |
For deeper shopping, use weapons, armor, ranged weapons, consumables, banners and whetstones, and siege weapons and battle vehicles.
Best Archetype Directions
| Archetype direction | Why |
|---|---|
| Martial archetypes ● | More weapon, defense, and reaction tools make the Commander less dependent on perfect tactic turns. |
| Battlecry archetypes ● | Best when the campaign wants military roles, formation identity, and war-facing play. |
| Multiclass martial archetypes ● | Fighter, Ranger, Champion, Monk, Rogue, and Guardian directions can all support different command styles. |
| Medic-style support ● | Commander already has good reasons to care about battlefield triage. |
| Caster archetypes ● | Useful for utility, but the class already has a lot to spend actions on. Do not overload the turn. |
Use martial archetypes, multiclass archetypes, Battlecry archetypes, free archetype, and archetype combinations to choose the campaign fit.
Party Synergy
| Ally | Commander value |
|---|---|
| Fighter | Best target for Strike Hard! style orders because Fighter accuracy turns extra attacks into real results. |
| Rogue | Loves off-guard access, repositioning, and enemy placement. |
| Ranger | Enjoys target focus, mobility, and clean action timing. |
| Champion | Protects the line and rewards formations where allies stay within defensive reach. |
| Guardian | Probably your best friend in Battlecry-style play. Guardian protects the squad while Commander coordinates it. |
| Monk | Makes excellent use of movement tactics and flexible positioning. |
| Swashbuckler | Wants movement, angles, and openings. Commander helps create all three. |
| Alchemist | Better when the party plans item use, weaknesses, thrown lanes, and consumable timing. |
| Full casters | Benefit from Protective Screen, enemy repositioning, prone setups, and a party that keeps monsters out of their faces. |
Monster Core Matchups
Commander performs differently depending on what the GM puts on the table.
| Enemy type | Commander plan |
|---|---|
| Many weaker foes | Formation, area denial, fear control, and movement tactics matter a lot. |
| One elite brute | Use positioning, prone, resistance handling, and the ally with the best attack bonus. |
| Flying or climbing enemies | Mountaineering Training, ranged plans, and Take the High Ground become more attractive. |
| Fear enemies | Banner aura and party discipline matter more than usual. |
| Area damage enemies | Spread out. The banner aura is not worth turning the party into one target. |
| Intelligent enemies | Expect them to pressure the Commander, disrupt the banner, break line of sight, or isolate squadmates. |
| Mindless enemies | They may not care about morale or deception, but they still care about being tripped, blocked, kited, and shot. |
GM Core And War Campaign Fit
Commander shines when encounters have more than a hit point race. GM Core-style encounter goals make the class better: escort civilians, hold a gate, seize a bridge, protect a ritualist, break a siege line, survive a charge, rescue a downed ally, or retreat without losing the wounded.
In war campaigns, the Commander also gets narrative authority. Warfare Lore, Society, Diplomacy, scouts, military contacts, banners, drills, logistics, and battlefield preparation all become part of the story instead of just numbers on a character sheet.
Hot Take: Commander needs maps with decisions on them; an empty rectangle leaves too little for its tactics to solve.
Example Build: Banner Captain
| Choice | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Key attribute | Intelligence first |
| Secondary attributes | Strength or Dexterity for weapon plan, Constitution for durability, Wisdom for perception and saves |
| Armor | Medium or heavy armor depending on Speed and proficiency comfort |
| Weapon | One-handed martial weapon plus shield, or reach weapon if you want a more aggressive banner profile |
| Core skills | Warfare Lore, Society, Medicine, Diplomacy, Athletics |
| Starting tactics | Mix one movement tactic, one defensive tactic, and one offensive tactic that your best ally can use every fight |
| Formation | Open skirmish line with the Commander in the midline |
| Feat direction | Tactical Expansion, Plant Banner, assessment support, banner upgrades, or medical support |
| Equipment direction | Banner, shield, armor runes, weapon runes, consumables, skill items, backup ranged option |
This build plays like a practical officer: read the fight, establish the line, make the best ally better, and keep enough defense that enemies cannot remove the party's brain in round one.
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Why it hurts |
|---|---|
| Preparing tactics for imaginary allies | If nobody can or wants to use the tactic, it is not a plan. It is stationery. |
| Overclumping around the banner | The aura is useful, but breath weapons and burst spells love neat little circles. |
| Ignoring personal defense | You are visible, valuable, and often close enough to be punished. |
| Forgetting signals | Auditory and visual access matters. Darkness, silence, distance, walls, and confusion can all complicate tactics. |
| Treating Commander like a Charisma class | Intelligence, Warfare Lore, and preparation are the class's actual spine. |
| Hoarding the big tactic | Strong once-per-day options should be saved for real stakes, not saved until the campaign ends. |
Related Guides
| Need | Guide |
|---|---|
| PF2e class hub | PF2e Remastered class guides |
| Battlecry hub | Battlecry guide |
| Commander feats | Commander feat guide |
| Guardian ally | Guardian class guide |
| Fighter ally | Fighter class guide |
| Rogue ally | Rogue class guide |
| Combat hub | Combat guides |
| Skirmish warfare | Skirmish warfare guide |
| War campaigns | War campaigns guide |
| Banners and whetstones | Banners and whetstones guide |
| Siege gear | Siege weapons and battle vehicles |
| Battlecry archetypes | Battlecry archetypes guide |
Final Verdict
Commander is excellent if the table wants coordinated play. It rewards players who listen to each other, care about positioning, and enjoy winning through the whole party instead of one heroic damage spreadsheet.
If your group plays like four solo protagonists who happen to share initiative, Commander will feel fussy. If your group likes tactics, it is one of the most flavorful martial support classes in PF2e Remastered.
