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Hi Group Mind,
I have a PFS magus character (kensai archetype) who is a Sylph. She has good bonuses to Dex and Int but not to Str. As a kensai I can be proficient with a katana, but I don't see an easy way to be able to apply Dex to both my to hit and to my damage rolls. I know I can use slashing grace to be able to add it to my damage rolls, but is there anyway to add it to my to hit? I expect I will need to use a rapier and rely on weapon finesse and fencing grace to achieve my goal but I wanted to check in case there is an obscure way to do it with a katana.
Thx!
A fighter of level 5+ can pull it off with the Fighter's Finesse Advanced Weapon Talent.
I don't know of any way for a Kensai Magus to pull this off.
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A level dip in swashbuckler will give you Swashbuckler's Finesse (Dex to hit for light and one handed piercing weapons). Then with Slashing Grace (Katana) you can treat the katana as a 1 handed piercing weapon. There is your Dex to hit and damage, but remember it does not work while using spell combat.
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Thank you for the advice! I am going to take a dip in sleuth (investigator) to get evasion, the + 2 to initiative and of course the versatility of all those knowledges. I don't think I want to double dip into two different classes, I think that would nerf my core kensai abilities too hard. I will be satisfied being a rapier lord!
As RSX Raver mentioned, Slashing Grace and Fencing Grace don't work with Spell Combat so they aren't good choices for a lot of Kensai builds. For a DEX build, you are usually better off going with a finesseable weapon and eventually adding the Agile Special Ability. If you want a finesseable weapon with a bit more oomph than a rapier, might I suggest the Estoc?
Dervish Dance might also be an option (though I find that dex to damage is not as critical to a magus as dex to hit.)
Agreed. Once you have a few levels, the damage from your spells outweighs the damage from DEX. Being able to hit and having a large critical threat range are usually going to be more important.
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Dervish Dance might also be an option (though I find that dex to damage is not as critical to a magus as dex to hit.)Agreed. Once you have a few levels, the damage from your spells outweighs the damage from DEX. Being able to hit and having a large critical threat range are usually going to be more important.
Having encountered a Magus in a scenario who dropped my 7th level cleric from full to 2 away from dead in one round, the large crit range is very effective.
use a wakizashi, it's a light Katana
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Funny, I was just putting the finishing touches on my own Sylph Kensai.
I'm doing the whole Weapon Finesse thing, but I'm relying on spells to deal damage. While Kensai has a lower number of spells per day, spells like Frostbite allow for multiple attacks. Who cares about dex to damage when I'm adding 1d6 plus my level magic damage instead, along with fatigued, and things like demoralized and entangled?
Dex to damage is super cool when you can get it, but Spellstrike is and always has been your workhorse for damage. You'll be fine as long as you manage your resources and pick up some pearls of power.