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So, I wanted to make a swashbuckler that didn't feel like a swashbuckler.
I finally settled on taking the Aldori Dueling Sword and Slashing Grace, and going into Dueling Mastery. After that I'll start down the dirty trick line. His inspiration is the classic sarcastic, witty, and ridiculous swashbuckler from movies, doing things like cutting peoples belts so their pants fall down and things like cutting open a bag of flour that's above them to blind them while he taunts them.
Here is the feat progression I have so far:
1:Exotic Weapon Proficiency-ADS, Weapon Focus-ADS, Swashbuckler's Finesse
2:--
3:Slashing Grace
4:Quick Draw
5:Aldori Dueling Mastery
6:--
7:Combat Expertise
8:Improved Dirty Trick
9:Greater Dirty Trick
10:--
11:Dirty Trick Master
12:?
Anyone have any better ideas? Any mechanical combos I'm not thinking of that would fit this idea? The race is human and the traits I have so far are dueling cloak adept and inspired.
I can find almost no reason not to go half elf if you're getting an exotic weapon proficiency.
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First, I would suggest going with Half-Elf like BNW suggested. You can get Exotic Weapon Proficiency as a bonus feat at first level (instead of Skill Focus). In effect, you are trading 1 skill point per level for the other bonuses that half-elves get (low-light vision, elven immunities, keen senses, multitalented, ...).
Second, for your concept you probably want to go 7 levels of Swashbuckler (for Targeted Strike), but everything after that is less interesting. I recommend four or five levels of Fighter in there somewhere. If you put some of them in fairly early, say levels 6 and 7, then you can have all of your desired feats through Greater Dirty Trick by level 7, and Dirtry Trick Master by level 9. Go back to Swashbuckler for two levels to get the 7th-level deeds, then back to fighter. Being a half-elf, you will get favored class bonuses for both classes.
Take Weapon Specialization and Greater Weapon Focus at level 11.
At level 12 take an 8th level of Swashbuckler and Greater Weapon Specialization.
Edit: forget what I said about Weapon Specialization and Greater Weapon Focus. You really want to get Combat Reflexes. You may also want Improved Trip or Improved Disarm, and probably the Greater version of whichever you go with.
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Swashbucklers can't take fighter levels because of it being one of their parent classes.
I think I'm going to go half elf, let the Aldori Dueling Sword set me apart from the Inspired Blades and the Whirling Dervishes, and go with the Weapon Specialization line, perhaps even improved disarm.
A funky idea I had while talking with a coworker kind of has me wanting to go with swashbuckler to seven, then go with ninja and take shadow clone and vanishing trick.
The goal would be to thematically recreate a nightingale from skyrim.
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Swashbucklers can't take fighter levels because of it being one of their parent classes.
That was true in the play test, but not in the ACG.
Parent Classes: Each one of the following classes lists two classes that it draws upon to form the basis of its theme. Such abilities don't stack unless specified. If a class feature allows the character to make a one-time choice (such as a bloodline), that choice must match similar choices made by the parent classes and vice-versa (such as selecting the same bloodline).
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.... Kata Master of Many Styles Monk 2 / Brawler X ..... goood.Oh wow, really? I never thought to check. That opens things up A LOT for me...Swashbucklers can't take fighter levels because of it being one of their parent classes.That was true in the play test, but not in the ACG.
You know, I was planning something like this, using Snakebite Striker archetype, although taking those two Monk levels at 3rd and 4th leves, to complete Jabbing Style Feat tree before 5th level.
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Make a slayer instead. My swashbuckler died at level 2, after I was unable to change her to a better class. More like swashsuckler.O.o
My current Emerald Spire group is level 8 ish with two of us having Swashbuckler level(s). We're... uh... destroying things. Specifically, my character's a Swash 1 Eldritch Scion Magus 7. While not the optimal build path (that'd be Inspired Blade Swashbuckler into any other flavor of Magus going Int based instead of Cha based), I still provide strong damage to the group off of spell strikes in combination with the Precise Strike deed gleaned off of Arcane Deed. In this build, Swashbuckler provides strong defensive capability, with my being able to stop attacks before they hit my secondary layer of defensive buffs (Mirror Image, Blur/Displacement, AC.) It also enables finessing with a katana, but that's just a thematic selection.
Our other Swashbuckler took 5 levels in the class, setting up a support melee build centered around Butterfly's Sting. He doesn't do a great deal of damage per strike, but each swing gives a potential crit 30% of the time, which he forgoes per Butterfly's Sting to give one of the rest of us (two Strength beaters and my magus) a crit. Oh, and it procs Outflank. Which gives us AO's. One of which crits, triggering Outflank again.
Note: these are a pair of esoteric Swashbuckler builds, but are incredibly effective in play. Our team started building around the critbuckler once he came online, and now we're rolling though many encounters in single rounds, more if the terrain is unfavorable. I've also seen two other Swashbucklers who each provide solid offensive capabilities while maintaining good defense again non casters. The trick to building a Swashbuckler, it seems, is shoring up your Fort and Will. If you can do that, you're pretty much golden, or so I've seen. I'd say that they're in the top three classes introduced in the ACG, alongside Warpriest (which is good, but incredible with the Sacred...
It's been my experience that Swashbuckler's are one of the top classes in the ACG. One of my favorite builds of all time is my Swashbarian. I think it was four (maybe two?) levels of Urban Barbarian and the rest into Swashbuckler. I took the rage power that lets you reroll failed saves by drinking alcohol. He was pretty awesome.
As far as my recent proposal of the ninja levels after swash 7, I'm trying to run the action economy in my head to see if that would be far too many swift action options, but I don't think it is. I think it'd be an interesting build. Probably would lag behind some other PFS builds as far as brute damage and defensive capabilities but I could make it work.
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+1Make a slayer instead. My swashbuckler died at level 2, after I was unable to change her to a better class. More like swashsuckler.I vehemently disagree with your assessment that Swashbucklers are weak.
+1
Oh they are most definitely effective. My swashbuckler (inspired blade) has managed to take on several baddies at once. Like the bbeg at the end of level 2 or 3 of the emerald spire and his minions. Of course having six AoOs and the panache to parry 6 times without getting any more back from a crit. :D
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As a head's up, dirty trick master is not allowed in PFS. See the Additional Resources:
Pathfinder Player Companion: Bastards of Golarion
Archetypes: the archetype on page 9 is legal for play; Equipment: kin's face tattoo and ring of culturemeld are legal for play; Feats: all feats on pages 16-17 and pages 23-25 are legal, except the gillmen feat and dirty trick master; Misc.: the bard masterpiece on page 27 is legal; Traits: The traits on pages 4-13 and 28-29 are only legal if your character is of the same ethnicity as the section with the trait. All traits on pages 4-29 are legal, except azlanti inheritor, curse in the blood, evader, marked by unknown forces, mordant envoy, signature moves, and thinblood resilience.
(Emphasis mine.)
+1Make a slayer instead. My swashbuckler died at level 2, after I was unable to change her to a better class. More like swashsuckler.I vehemently disagree with your assessment that Swashbucklers are weak.+1
Oh they are most definitely effective. My swashbuckler (inspired blade) has managed to take on several baddies at once. Like the bbeg at the end of level 2 or 3 of the emerald spire and his minions. Of course having six AoOs and the panache to parry 6 times without getting any more back from a crit. :D
I've been fairly disapointed with mine. Besides the parry riposte the swashbuckler class doesn't do a lot thats... swashbucklery. It doesn't enhance movment, and the poor saves have been a problem on the front lines to the point that I think I'm going to mix in a few levels of paladin.
The level of dervish dancing bard i took for the scimitar and dex to damage feats gave a few things that felt swashbucklery enough that i'm starting his twin brother as a dervish dancing bard (that may take a level in swashbuckler)
The rest of the litter will have a bit more variety though.
Having to get to 4th level before dex to damage kicks in is a bit of a stretch.
The bard level added expeditious retreat and feather step for mobility which is kind of nice. (probably should have taken vanish) and opens up a host of useful wands.
For dropping peoples pants around their ankles, the targeted strike ability opens up a lot of options for that.
if your aldori swashbuckler takes the slashing grace and slashing strike feats will he also receive swashbuckler benefits that rely on a light piercing weapon?