Not getting any advice on the Advice forums and looking for help

[Mr. Jonny Cage]

Hello I am Currently working on building a samurai (sword saint) for a Runelords campaign.

our party consists of:

A Brawler of a unknown race
An Elven Wizard
A Human Priest (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/3rd-party-classes/adamant-entertainment/pr iest) (3rd party but DM is allowing it)
A Gnome Bard (my ward and employer)
And myself a half-Elf Samurai

the build i plan on going with is the Cha build but am having a hard time allocating stats (20pt buy)

I plan on dropping my skill focus for an increased will save (unless I build Cha wise)

now I am having a hard time deciding how to build I want to wear med-armor preferably mountain pattern, using a Katana.

now my options are:
A) Dex build w/ two-wep fighting using Katana and Wakizashi.

B) Cha build w/ Wep focus (Katana) and Imitating Prowess (going down Dazzling Display feat tree)

C) Con Build for alot of HP and an unknown set of feats

my traits are Rich parents and either either elven reflexes or armor expert.

any advice?

(hopefully this can fall into discussion if not sorry for posting it here.)

[Kysune]

Mr. Jonny Cage wrote:

Hello I am Currently working on building a samurai (sword saint) for a Runelords campaign.

our party consists of:

A Brawler of a unknown race
An Elven Wizard
A Human Priest (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/3rd-party-classes/adamant-entertainment/pr iest) (3rd party but DM is allowing it)
A Gnome Bard (my ward and employer)
And myself a half-Elf Samurai

the build i plan on going with is the Cha build but am having a hard time allocating stats (20pt buy)

I plan on dropping my skill focus for an increased will save (unless I build Cha wise)

now I am having a hard time deciding how to build I want to wear med-armor preferably mountain pattern, using a Katana.

now my options are:
A) Dex build w/ two-wep fighting using Katana and Wakizashi.

B) Cha build w/ Wep focus (Katana) and Imitating Prowess (going down Dazzling Display feat tree)

C) Con Build for alot of HP and an unknown set of feats

my traits are Rich parents and either either elven reflexes or armor expert.

any advice?

(hopefully this can fall into discussion if not sorry for posting it here.)

Option C will hurt you more than help. You'll have a bigger pool of hitpoints but not killing the enemy faster will in return mean they'll be chewing through those hitpoints more easily.

As for option A & B - Write a backstory, visualize your character, watch some samurai movies and figure out if you want a dual wielding samurai or a single sword using samurai.

You could go with a Human and pickup the Focused Study racial trait. Take Perception (samurais must be careful at all times) and at 8th level pickup Knowledge Nobility and ask the GM if they can incorporate nobility checks in the campaign (so and so's house/clan and stuff. Knowing your enemy is half the battle). IMO it'd be more thematic to your character and is a good trade for a feat. If you're dead set on Half-Elf then feel free to take the extra bonus to Will Save or take Skill Focus Perception or Nobility instead.

All in all you'll want to have an idea of what your character is like and how they grew up in the world. building around that will make your character more fun to play for yourself and more interesting for others. Hope this helped some.

[Mr. Jonny Cage]

thanks for the quick and speedy advice

[Mr. Jonny Cage]

how does str 17, dex, 14, con 10, int 8, wis, 10, cha 16 for the dazzling display build sound?

[Mr. Jonny Cage]

Stats:
STR 17
DEX 14
CON 10
INT 8
WIS 10
CHA 16

swapping my racial skill focus for +2 will save (dual-minded)
traits are Rich parents, and Elven reflexes (900 start gold & +2 initiative)

Order of the Guard ( http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/cavalier/orders/paizo---cavali er-orders/order-of-the-guard)

my ward/employer is another PC (a bard)

my feats I plan for are as follows:

Lv1:
Weapon focus (Katana) and Dazzling Display.

Lv3:
Intimidating prowess

lv 5
power attack

Lv 6
cornugon smash

LV 7
shatter defenses.

Lv 9
Furious Focus

and I'm not sure from there.

[Kysune]

Lower Charisma to 14 and raise Con to 14. 14 Con is solid, 12 is iffy, and 10 is asking to get killed. I thought you meant like 16 or 18 con as a high Con build.

Feats look good.

[Akerlof]

Mr. Jonny Cage wrote:

Lv1:
Weapon focus (Katana) and Dazzling Display.

Lv3:
Intimidating prowess

lv 5
power attack

Lv 6
cornugon smash

LV 7
shatter defenses.

Lv 9
Furious Focus

and I'm not sure from there.

I'd swap Intimidating Prowess and Power Attack. Intimidating Prowess is handy, but Power Attack is going to be your bread an butter. It's generally overkill at levels 1-2, but by 3 or 4 you'll run into enemies with 40 or 50 hit points (the average CR 5 monster has 55 HP, and CR5 is a pretty common single enemy/boss for level 3 PCs.) Power Attack is a tremendous percentage of your damage at that level.

I really don't know how valuable Furious Focus will be to you by level 9. But that's a way down the road so no worries, just keep an eye out.

[Jodokai]

Check out this thread for some great de-buffing ideas: Clicky

Corrugon Smash, Hurtful and Cruel will make your Wizard, and Bard REALLY happy.

[Brad McDowell]

Rich Parents is a trap trait. I'd go Armor Expert and Elven Reflexes. Rich Parents only helps you at level 1. The other 2 keep on giving and giving.

[Claxon]

Do you want the concept and feel of being a Samurai? Or is there something in the mechanics you actually like?

Because honestly, the Sword Saint class is bad. But literally any martial class can fulfill the concept of Samurai well. Samurai were simply the eastern equivalent of knights. They fought for a lord, they were landed gentry with special titles and afforded respect and authority not held by others. But none of that is class mechanics.

So what is your concept beyond Samurai? What do you want your character to actually do?

As a note, if you think Iaijutsu Strike is what you're after you will be terribly disappointed. It's a full round action until you're 10th level. It's usuable only one per opponent per day. At 19th level it only averages 35 damage (10d6 -> 10*3.5 = 35), which is way less than you could do with your iterative attacks. It requires your sword to be sheathed, and sheathing it if it is out is a move action. If you opponent is not adjacent to your (or within 5ft) you must move to them, which precludes Iaijutsu Strike.

It is overall, a very terrible ability.