Precise Strike and Brawlers Flurry, a viable combination?.


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advanced class guide wrote:

Precise Strike (Ex): At 3rd level, while she has at least 1 panache point, a swashbuckler gains the ability to strike precisely with a light or one-handed piercing melee weapon (though not natural weapon attacks), adding her swashbuckler level to the damage dealt. To use this deed, a swashbuckler cannot attack with a weapon in her other hand or use a shield other than a buckler. She can even use this ability with thrown light or one-handed piercing melee weapons, so long as the target is within 30 feet of her. Any creature that is immune to sneak attacks is immune to the additional damage granted by precise strike, and any item or ability that protects a creature from critical hits also protects a creature from the additional damage of a precise strike. This additional damage is precision damage, and isn't multiplied on a critical hit. As a swift action, a swashbuckler can spend 1 panache point to double her precise strike's damage bonus on the next attack. This benefit must be used before the end of her turn, or it is lost. This deed's cost cannot be reduced by any ability or effect that reduces the amount of panache points a deed costs (such as the Signature Deed feat).

Brawler's Flurry (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, a brawler can make a brawler's flurry as a full-attack action. When doing so, a brawler has the Two-Weapon Fighting feat when attacking with any combination of unarmed strikes, weapons from the close fighter weapon group, or weapons with the "monk" special feature. She does not need to use two different weapons to use this ability. A brawler applies her full Strength modifier to her damage rolls for all attacks made with brawler's flurry, whether the attacks are made with an off-hand weapon or a weapon wielded in both hands. A brawler can substitute disarm, sunder, and trip combat maneuvers for unarmed attacks as part of brawler's flurry. A brawler with natural weapons can't use such weapons as part of brawler's flurry, nor can she make natural weapon attacks in addition to her brawler's flurry attacks. At 8th level, the brawler gains use of the Improved Two-Weapon Fighting feat when using brawler's flurry. At 15th level, she gains use of the Greater Two-Weapon Fighting feat when using brawler's flurry.

So.

A first level human swashbuckler picks weapon focus (nine-ring broadsword) and slashing grace for her first level feats, gets to at least 3rd level swashbuckler and 2nd level brawler. Am I correct in assuming that she can now use brawler's flurry to essentially two-weapon fight with her nine-ring broadsword (a one-handed, martial, and slashing monk weapon) and still benefit from precise strike? If so, how viable would you say that this character would be?

According to This post by Jason Bulmahn you can use the feats granted by Brawler's Flurry (i.e. Two-Weapon Fighting for this build) to qualify for other feats (but only for use with brawler's flurry). So eventually nabbing improved and greater two-weapon fighting doesn't seem like a tall order for a dex-based swashbuckler with slashing grace.

The character would still suffer from quite some mechanical drawbacks (full-attack reliance, poor saves, reliance on a rarely found exotic weapon etc.) but given the right circumstances the payoff in terms of damage output seems like it could be rather significant.

Thoughts?


Very cool idea. Seems legit to me.


If I'm correct there's also the double-chicken sabre and the (exotic) temple sword, both of which has a 19-20 crit range and may thus be more optimized for the swashbuckler part. I just prefer the visuals of the broadsword.


Imho, the best way to do this is 5 levels on Rondelero Duelist or Shielded Fighter, you can flurry with any one-handed weapon (notably the Falcata with its unbeatable crit range) as long as you have the TWF feats and a shield.

I'm not sure picking up ITWF or GTWF will allow you to add extra attacks with flurry.


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Secret Wizard wrote:
I'm not sure picking up ITWF or GTWF will allow you to add extra attacks with flurry.
Jason Bulmahn wrote:
• A brawler can use the feats granted by brawler's flurry to qualify for other feats, but can only use those other feats when using brawler's flurry (as that's the only time she actually meets those prerequisites).

From the thread I linked to above (the brawler playtest thread's first post). Seems pretty clear to me.

While I agree that the Rondelero Duelist is great for something like this I'd be hesitant to multiclass for five levels since it sets back your swashbuckler progression by quite a lot and it's a hefty investment that doesn't really pay off until the early mid-levels.


The problem with 5 levels of Rondelero Duelist is that for every Swashbuckler level you're missing, you lose out on Precise Strike damage (as well as delaying other Swashbuckler goodies.)

ITWF and GTWF should work just fine. Brawler's Flurry actually grants you the TWF feat (in a limited way), unlike Flurry of Blows.

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