I'm playing a level 10 Human Dervish Dancer in a Skull&Shackles campaign, and having the most fun with a character that I've had in a long time. However, I could use some tips on how to progress from here.
We're playing a 25 pt buy campaign with minimum 4+Int modifier skill points and getting at least half a HD per level (I'm rolling 4+1d4 hp instead of 1d8). The GM accepts pretty much anything if we just ask.
STR: 21
DEX: 14
CON: 14
INT: 14
WIS: 10
CHA: 18
(started with Dual Talent)
Traits: Anatomist(+1 to confirm crits) Life of Toil (+1 Fort save)
HP: 98 AC: 25(27 when dancing) Speed: 30'(50' when dancing)
Init: +6 Fort: +8 Ref: +11 (+13 when dancing) Will: +9
BAB: +7/+2 CMB: 11 CMD: 26
Acrobatics +22, Bluff +13, Climb +15, Diplomacy +13, Escape Artist +8, Intimidate +8, Knowledge Arcana/Local/Nature/Planes/Religion +6, Perception +5, Perform Dance +22, Perform Sing +17, Profession Sailor +5, Sleight of Hand +6, Spellcraft +12, Stealth +13, UMD +11
GM has reinstated Bardic Knowledge to me, even though that's normally lost as a DD. My Perception is very low, I'll spend some skill points on that.
Arcane Strike, Power Attack, Furious Focus
Improved Initiative, Toughness, Ensemble (bonus feat given by GM)
Class ability Razor's Kiss granting Improved Critical with all manufactured weapons
+2 Impact Ten Ring Sword (counts as cutlass/scimitar, house ruled to 2d6 base damage from Impact)
+2 Overhead Shield
+1 Buccaneer's Mithril Chain Shirt
+2 Amulet of Natural Armour
+2 Ring of Protection
+2 Cloak of Resistance
Adamantine Ring of Foe Focus (Attached to the sword. Houseruled that I can use both effects at once as a move action.)
Ring of Sustenance
Headband +2 Cha/Int
Belt +2 Str
0: Detect Magic, Read Magic, Prestidigitation, Ghost Sound, Dancing Lights, Message
1: Charm Person, Grease, Expeditious Retreat, Feather Fall, Cure Light, Heightened Awareness, Saving Finale, Silent Image
2: Invisibility, Acute Senses, Tactical Acumen, Tongues, Mirror Image, Gallant Inspiration, Glitterdust, Ghostbane Dirge
3: Daylight, Remove Curse, Good Hope, See Invis, Haste
4: Impr. Invis, Freedom of Movement
All favoured class bonuses have gone towards extra spells known, and I have consciously selected (mostly) spells that are non-offensive in nature due to having a relatively low DC.
With all this, I'm doing 2d6+18 damage each attack with Arcane Strike and Power Attack with a 15-20/x2 threat range and +1 to confirm on each of three attacks per turn while dancing, potentially adding +2 damage from Good Hope when I have that active. Just last night I did two crits in one round for 56 and 48 damage respectively.
Anyone have any suggestions how I can improve on this and what to get further down the line? What feats would work well with what I already have? Any particular gear I should look into? At the moment I've got 17k available to spend.
Any and all comments are welcome.
A mnemonic vestment and some scrolls would add some more tricks. Unless you have a party member who can solve this for you, by this level you really should have some means of flight - at the very least a potion or two of fly, maybe a permanent item. Since you may well be in melee when you're casting spells, spellguard bracers may be worth considering.
Master Performer and Grand Master Performer are always tasty on a bard.
Outflank (Feat) + Menacing (Weapon enchant) is also nice if you have other Melee in the party.
I didn't bother writing up my scrolls/potions, but I do have a selection of tricks there. Spellguard bracers maybe, although it doesn't feel like I cast a lot of spells while fighting. Would Boots of Levitation be a decent option?
Sadly, the Performer feats are useless for a DD as I only affect myself with my performances. Outflank might be an option as there's also a Bloodrager and a Swashbuckler in the party.
The sort of scenarios I imagine planning for at ~level 10 include, a dragon is strafing you with his breath from 40' up; or, some competent archers with longbows are trying to maintain 100' distance, say on the deck of another ship. No idea whether either comes up in skulls & shackles. Boots of levitation answer neither, though a potion of fly will do. An ebony fly figurine (10K), or slippers of cloudwalking (4400 gp) and a means of generating fog, or a decent ranged attack (varies) are all means of answering this within your budget. Sandals of the lightest step (5K) might just do the trick with your speed.
If you can't guarantee resupplying your scrolls mnemonic vestments really are handy. If you usually can, fine, you don't really need them. I'm sort of surprised you haven't needed to cast spells defensively but if that's the way your games run then the bracers are unnecessary too.
You do count as your own ally, usually. So the performer feats should work for you.
The sort of scenarios I imagine planning for at ~level 10 include, a dragon is strafing you with his breath from 40' up; or, some competent archers with longbows are trying to maintain 100' distance, say on the deck of another ship. No idea whether either comes up in skulls & shackles. Boots of levitation answer neither, though a potion of fly will do. An ebony fly figurine (10K), or slippers of cloudwalking (4400 gp) and a means of generating fog, or a decent ranged attack (varies) are all means of answering this within your budget. Sandals of the lightest step (5K) might just do the trick with your speed.
If you can't guarantee resupplying your scrolls mnemonic vestments really are handy. If you usually can, fine, you don't really need them. I'm sort of surprised you haven't needed to cast spells defensively but if that's the way your games run then the bracers are unnecessary too.
No dragons so far in the campaign, yesterday we took out a cyclops fortress including a Huge cyclops. We've run into archers on opposing ships a few times but it hasn't been much of a problem. Offhand, I cannot really remember an encounter where I was thinking "Fly would have been really handy right now". Keeping a couple potions in reserve is no big deal though.
Not needing to cast much defensively has to do with my spell selection I guess. Most combats, I tend to cast either Good Hope and/or Mirror Image right at the start and then just start whacking away. The rest of my spells either have long durations and can be cast pre-combat or are more situational utility spells.
So I've done a bit of research on feats and come up with a list of the ones I think would be most beneficial to me.
Combat Feats:
Cleave
Outflank - not an option until level 13 at the earliest as the other melees in the group have their feats planned already
Amateur Swashbuckler - Dodging Panache
Weapon Focus - useful for a 3/4 BAB
Dispelling Critical - level 15 at the earliest due to BAB
Dodge+Mobility - might be one of the best options since the Dervish Dancer gets Dance of Fury at level 12
Shield Focus
Riving Strike - nice feat, but maybe not super useful with current party composition
Metamagic:
Extend Spell - Double duration Good Hope? Why not.
Racial:
Defiant Luck
Surge of Success
General:
Corsair - interesting in a Skulls&Shackles campaign, lots of time spent on boats
Destructive Dispel
Expanded Arcana/Extra Performance: More utility is never a bad thing
Minor Spell Expertise - Feather Fall as spell-like ability, saving my precious spells per day for other uses. Cure Light is an interesting option as well.
Steadfast Personality - would boost my Will saves by a massive 4 points
What would you pick, and why? Any and all comments are welcome.
Levation isn't good for combat. Your attacks get progressively worse unless you spend a full round steadying yourself.
One other feat to consider - Lunge. Fits your character & useful.
Acquire Dimension Door, then start in on the Dimensional feats - Dimensional Agility, Assault, Dervish, Maneuvers, and Savant. Become your own multi-flanker.