Pathfinder playtests give you the opportunity to participate in finalizing rules and new materials, including new classes, spells, ancestries, feats, and more!
Beat me to it while I was summarizing things. Reproduced below:
Commander
The commander is an Intelligence-based tactician with unparalleled authority over the battlefield! But they’re no slouch in the fight themself, being trained in martial weapons and all armors, so if you want to lead your fellow adventurers to victory, be sure to playtest the commander!
The Commander is a support martial class that buffs the party using Tactics to grant 2+INT party members extra reactions. They also buff nearby allies with a fear-opposing aura.
Guardian
The guardian is a Strength-based protector who excels in the use of armor, both for their own benefit and the aid of others. If you are the type of player who enjoys keeping others safe from harm, be sure to playtest the guardian!
The Guardian is a pure martial Tank, with some features that seem to be similar to Champions without the magical element. A defensive expert, focused on redirecting damage away from allies and towards themself, they have abilities that buff ally AC, and nerf enemy attack bonuses against allies while buffing those bonuses against themself, incentivizing enemies to attack them first.
Both of these look extremely interesting to me, at least on first pass. I currently have a Champion DMPC in my home game with my step-son that I could and might just re-build as a Guardian. I never wanted the magical elements anyway, and have largely been ignoring them (besides the very useful Lay on Hands spell). I’d be losing that self-healing, but I haven’t been able to make the most out of my reactions because the fam keeps staying way back while I try to intercept.
This would allow me to be more active in forcing enemies to attack me without just meta-gaming it, while still giving me reactions that are similar to what I (don’t) use as a Champion.
Beat me to it while I was summarizing things. Reproduced below:
The Commander is a support martial class that buffs the party using Tactics to grant 2+INT party members extra reactions. They also buff nearby allies with a fear-opposing aura.
The Guardian is a pure martial Tank, with some features that seem to be similar to Champions without the magical element. A defensive expert, focused on redirecting damage away from allies and towards themself, they have abilities that buff ally AC, and nerf enemy attack bonuses against allies while buffing those bonuses against themself, incentivizing enemies to attack them first.
Both of these look extremely interesting to me, at least on first pass. I currently have a Champion DMPC in my home game with my step-son that I could and might just re-build as a Guardian. I never wanted the magical elements anyway, and have largely been ignoring them (besides the very useful Lay on Hands spell). I’d be losing that self-healing, but I haven’t been able to make the most out of my reactions because the fam keeps staying way back while I try to intercept.
This would allow me to be more active in forcing enemies to attack me without just meta-gaming it, while still giving me reactions that are similar to what I (don’t) use as a Champion.