Having spent some time looking into this, yesterday, it seems that Dex to damage is very hard to get in the PF RPG. I read some discussions about how allowing it can make Strength a dump stat.
Although there are a few ways to get it, mostly related to being a dervish swashbuckler (not sure of the official archetype name), the purest way to get it with all finesse weapons would be via Mythic Weapon Finesse (which is only available to characters when the Mythic Rules are in play and the character has somehow become mythic). Mythic Pathfinder is still an unknown to me. So, I'm not sure how hard that is to get.
Ultimately, for this, I may settle upon a house-ruled feat that requires Weapon Finesse as a pre-requisite and probably only open to fighters of 4th level and higher.
You're an expert with weapons that rely on your agility.
Prerequisite: Weapon Finesse, fighter level 4th or base attack bonus +6.
Benefit: When using Weapon Finesse, you may also use your Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength modifier on your damage rolls. If you carry a shield, its armor check penalty doesn't apply to either the attack rolls or the damage rolls.
Would that be fair enough?
Also, how would one go about getting Dex Mod to damage with ranged weapons?
Deadly Agility, from Path of War, already does Dex to Damage. I think Finesse is the only prereq, but I might be wrong (posting from limited access, can't get to books or pfsrd, etc.)
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It's not that hard to get dex-to-damage in pathfinder, there are at least four feats that let you do it (dervish dance, slashing grace, fencing grace, and starry grace.)
The thing that unites all these feats is "you cannot use them with two-weapon fighting" which is perhaps prudent, because due to the high dex prerequisites for TWF feats a TWF character who bases everything on damage has the potential to outshine other melee fighters.
If you were to add something like "You cannot use this feat if you are carrying a weapon in your offhand or using a shield as a weapon" it would probably be better balanced.
If you want to allow it to be compatible with TWF, I think you need to drill down on the math.
Is it needed? Dex already affects reflex, initiative, a bunch of skills, ranged attack, AC. If it is easy to add Dex to damage, why would anyone build str builds?
Is it needed? Dex already affects reflex, initiative, a bunch of skills, ranged attack, AC. If it is easy to add Dex to damage, why would anyone build str builds?
Because two-handed weapons will always hit harder.
And if the prevailing winds blow, Adventurer's Armory II may introduce Str based weapons.
Deadly Agility, from Path of War, already does Dex to Damage. I think Finesse is the only prereq, but I might be wrong (posting from limited access, can't get to books or pfsrd, etc.)^this but needs weapon finesse and +1 bab
.....Aaaaaaaaand that's what I get for not having a photographic memory. Still, probably the easiest route to go.
I prefer my Deadly Finesse feat which I consider more balanced than Slashing Grace and Deadly Agility.
I'm running a campaign that has gone for 4 years with a mixture of Strength and Dexterity characters. Dex-to-damage for melee weapons is fine as long as:
A) Dexterity builds don't get the perks of two-handing weapons, and
B) gish classes cannot get it at 1st level.
Deadly Finesse (Combat)
You can strike foes with deadly precision using a finesse weapon.Prerequisites: Weapon Finesse, base attack bonus +1
Benefit: You may add your Dexterity modifier in place of your Strength modifier on damage rolls when wielding a weapon benefiting from the Weapon Finesse feat. Wielding a weapon two-handed or using an off-hand does not increase or decrease this modifier to damage. If you have a Strength penalty, this penalty applies to damage rolls while using this feat.