Eldritch Knight Dimensional Dervish


Advice


Yet more theorycraft. This time I'm aiming for an Eldritch Knight early entry build to take advantage of Dimensional Dervish. I have 3 main options I'm looking at right now, and I can't decide which to use.

Fighter 1/Wizard (Scryer)1/EK 10/Wiz8
Pros:
+Can have Dimensional Dervish by level 11
+Can be any race, Scryer fills the need for a 3rd level spell
+Has a BAB above +0 before level 3
Cons:
-Not guaranteed to have access to dimension door because wizards don't get automatic spells known from prestige class levels
-Prepared casting means this trick is strictly limited by how many times I prepare Dimension Door each day. This can be slightly improved by taking the bonded item instead of the familiar, but it's still not great

Aasimar Monk (Sohei) 1/Sorcerer (Empyrial) 1/EK 10/Sor 8
Pros:
+Casting stat adds to AC
+Huge will save bonus
+Flurry of Blows is an extra attack
Cons:
-Can't get Dimensional Dervish until level 13
-Requires a lot of high stats if not going Dex based

Aasimar Oracle (Battle or Metal) 1/Sorcerer (Any) 1/EK 10/Mystic Theurge 8
take the Skill At Arms revelation
use Heavenly Radiance (Wake of Light) to qualify for MT
Pros:
+Added divine casting on top of the usual EK stuff
+Can pick up additional revelations via feats
Cons:
-Also can't get Dimensional Dervish until level 13


The dimensional feat line is 3 feats deep and you can't start it until you can cast dimension door. They're not metamagic or combat so you're not getting them as bonus feats. Hence your first idea can't get d.dervish until character level 13, the others don't get it until 15.

A synthesist summoner if available could finish the feat line by character level 11 and make excellent use of it. A normal summoner has less use for it though they could get it at the same time.


Ask your DM if (Su) Shift from the Wizard school qualifies for Dimensional Agility, using the same logic as the ruling on SLA's that you're using for early entry to begin with.

If so, you could go the Wizard route with the Conjuration (Teleportation) school and use a racial SLA for early entry. You would then have Dimensional Dervish at level 7 and Dimensional Savant at level 9 (along with Outflank + Combat Reflexes from your EK bonus feats). Other than those you'd have your first level feat, and either a bonus combat feat (Fighter) or a pile of skills + a Favored Enemy) (if Ranger)

Edit: If you're not dead set on being an Arcane caster, a Travel Domain Cleric could have Dimensional Dervish by level 11, however with no bonus feats he'd have to take Savant at 13 and only get Outflank at 15.

If you just want to hit things and have tons of Dimension Doors every day, and don't care about the loss of casting, you could take 3 levels of Horizon Walker for 3+Wis more per day as an SLA. This is also an option for non-magical classes to get the combo going.


If you are trying to get Dimensional Dervish the fastest, the 'trick' is a samaran witch or wizard who uses mystic past life alternate race trait to get Dimension Door as 3rd level spell from the summoner spell list- which means the level 5 feat can be taken as Dimensional agility and Dimensional Dervish can be taken at level 9 (which would likely be wizard(witch) 5/ fighter 1/ EK 3 - watch the BAB which must be +6 to qualify for Dimensional Dervish). Note this is not an early entry EK because EK loses a level of spell casting which puts Dimension Dervish off to level 11.


Since this is theory crafting...

I know you probably are attracted to early entry to the Eldritch Knight, but consider this, a fair few combat feats have BAB requirements - it may actually be more limiting for you in terms of feat choice for the bonus combat feats you get. Therefor I would advocate delaying your entry into E.K.

e.g.

Wizard 1, Fighter 1, E.K. 1 = +2 BAB;
Wizard 6, Fighter 1, E.K. 1 = +5 BAB;

and so when you get your bonus combat feats you have more options available to you.


Well, crud. Here I thought they were combat feats. Guess I'll trash this one.


One thought - Magus with the wand wielder magus arcana and a wand of dimension door, if your DM allows the combo to work with those feats.


You can do an early entry EK and get Dimensional Dervish at level 11 by using the samsaran trick and the scyrer technique, and dimension door is a level 3 spell for you. The non-early entry EK was mentioned because it gets Dimensional Dervish at level 9.


I'm pretty sure the samsaran trick will not work since Dim Door is already on the wizard spell list.


The early entry looks attractive but a lot of fighter/combat feats have Base Attack Bonus prerequisites (not just the dimensional dervish stuff) and you have no choice regarding when you get these feats. So the higher your BAB the more options you have with these feats - that could be damage, critical feats or dimensional dervish stuff, your choice - it's a nuance that is all.


Eldritch knight has full BAB progression though, so I'd be only one or two behind a straight fighter.


Yes but your 2nd bonus feat is at 5th level - if you only had 1 level of mage (F:1, W:1, E.K.5) you have a BAB +6 = not enough for Improved Critical, if you had 6 levels of Wizard = BAB +8 = QUALIFIES FOR IT)
so as this was theory crafting it is worth pointing these things out.
In short early entry does have some implications for feat choices.


Darigaaz the Igniter wrote:
I'm pretty sure the samsaran trick will not work since Dim Door is already on the wizard spell list.

I was of this opinion too until shown a dev post mentioning early access to spells being a use for mystic past life. I cannot recall where it was though, you can search for it if you want.


strayshift wrote:

Yes but your 2nd bonus feat is at 5th level - if you only had 1 level of mage (F:1, W:1, E.K.5) you have a BAB +6 = not enough for Improved Critical, if you had 6 levels of Wizard = BAB +8 = QUALIFIES FOR IT)

so as this was theory crafting it is worth pointing these things out.
In short early entry does have some implications for feat choices.

Or, I could just take improved crit at Ftr1/Wiz1/EK7 with a regular feat.

Ftr 1/ Wiz 6/ EK 5 is 12th level overall, so you've delayed yourself by 4 levels where I've delayed myself by one only compared to a straight fighter who gets a feat every level.

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