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Hi All,
My first PFS character has just made Level 3 and so he gets a new feat. I've having some problems deciding on which one
Str 10, Dex 18, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 8, Cha 14.
Elf. Took Fencing Grace at level 1. I would switch Str & Wis if I could. (Don't have Ult Campaign for the retraining and haven't read it to know if it would be worthwhile).
Major items I currently have are Masterwork Rapier, Masterwork Buckler, Mithril Chainshirt, Shining Wayfinder & Cloak of Protection (+1).
Some options I've considered:
Iron Will: Because my Will save sucks and its the most important save.
Combat Reflexes: Lets me parry a lot instead of AoO's (Speaking of AoO's - They have almost never happened to anyone in any of my parties in any of my 12 or so PFS scenarios). But since I only regain panache with a crit I was going to wait until level 5 to get combat reflexes because that's when Improved Critical kicks in.
Quick Draw: Works well with level 3 deed to draw a weapon with Init check so I can always parry even during a surprise round.
Combat Expertise: Requirement for Improved Disarm & Improved Trip which is one way I was considering to take my character (thematically). The problem with that is then I also need to take Agile Manuevers. It seems like to many feats.
Any other suggestions for now and future feat choices (especially level 4 - I was thinking Weapon Specialization)??
Any equipment recommendations? I was thinking an elemental burst enchantment since I will be crit'ing a lot.
And finally what to spend PP on? Ive got 10 available (only spent 2) and it seems a bit of a waste to just have them sitting there....
Thanks all
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I would warmly recommend power attack, since there will be plenty of occasions where your precision damage will not work (plus you'd get more out of criticals...). But your stats don't quite support that. (lvl 4 ability bonus and a belt/ioun stone would get you enough strength, but that's quite an investment)
Combat reflexes and Answering enchantment will work wonderfully together when using Opportune Parry and Riposte, making you really hard to hit.
Combat expertise in annoying feat tax, but disarming goes with the theme :) You don't need agile maneuvers, see here. Also note that you'll get Targeted Strike at level 7, which may or may not make improved disarm/trip a bit redundant.
And weapon specialization is a great feat for lvl 4
Your next purchases could go to some of these:
Plume of Panache
+1 enchantment for rapier
+1 enchantment for buckler/armor
handy haversack
And as stated earlier, it is a good idea to save 16 prestige for raise dead (unless you're part of scarab sages, who'll get a "discount" raise). I assume your 2PP went to wand of CLW... Other good to have items are Scroll of 5x lesser restoration, potion of fly etc.
We are in almost the exact same boat. I'm currently running an Inspired Blade with the same stat allocation. I too just hit level 3 and am picking my first feat. With our Wis scores so low and our base Will saves terrible, I have tried to counter that.
I went Human and took Fencing Grace along with Combat Reflexes at level 1. Combat Reflexes is amazing for parrying multiple opponents per round. However, you can only 'riposte' once per round unless you have the Fortuitous enchant on your weapon (which I plan to get as soon as I have the funds).
For my 3rd level feat I am going to pick up Steadfast Personality. It is basically Iron Will but better in that it allows you to add your Cha score to the nastiest types of will saves and it stacks with Charmed Life.
For my 4th level bonus feat I am most likely going to pick up Piranha Strike. It is effectively Power Attack but for a Dex fighter. However, it does require you to purchase an Effortless Lace to apply to your rapier to make it a light weapon.
If I was in your shoes I'd most likely pick up Combat Reflexes as my level 4 bonus feat as it has to be a Combat feat. It is a great feat that can mitigate a ton of damage. Also, at level 5 we get Rapier Training which gives us the effects of 'Weapon Specialization' and Improved Critical so no need to spend feats on those.
Your next purchases could go to some of these:
Plume of Panache
+1 enchantment for rapier
+1 enchantment for buckler/armor
handy haversack..
These are excellent choices and I would also add:
Effortless Lace (if you plan to pick up Piranha Srike)Swordmaster’s Flair: Blue Scarf (allows you to spend 1 Panache to double your melee range for one minute) which is great for setting up AoO's on engaging melee or staying out of harms way.
Hopefully some of this wall of text helped :).
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I skimmed through your guys' posts and just a few quick things. Effortless Lace isn't legal for PFS and Power Attack has a Str prereq of 13.
Once you make your rapier +1 (should be first improvement) the Answering special ability was specifically made for swashbucklers that plan on parrying. And you're right, Improved Disarm and Improved Trip are probably too feat intensive if you'd also need agile maneuvers (which you would). Combat Reflexes is pretty necessary for a swashbuckler, imo. If you have Swashbuckler Initiative, quick draw is good, but not really necessary because you'll have a high init and will probably go first anyway so your weapon will probably already be in your hand when you need it.
Handy Haversack is good, but if you're new to PF, then you're probably not carrying around the army of supplies that necessitates a HH anyways.
Anyways, here's some good stuff to read through to know what to buy.
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
Also, don't forget that you have to spend 1 panache for each parry attempt. You're starting at 4 panache based on those stats, so with combat reflexes you could potentially wipe your entire panache pool out in a single round. It sounds good, but it's extremely expensive to parry IMO.