Hey y'all,
I'm working on a character and I need help in optimizing. I'm looking to make a Kitsune Slayer focused on DEX and critical strikes using feint attacks. For reference, here is what I have so far on the build:
KITSUNE:
Superior Shapeshifter (replacing Kitsune Magic)
Natural Finesse (replacing Natural Weapons)
SLAYER TALENTS:
2nd Level: Ranger Combat Style - Deceptive
4th Level: Trapfinding
6th Level: Shank, Minor
8th Level: Shank, Moderate
ADVANCED TALENTS:
10th Level: Assassinate
12th Level: Shank, Major
14th Level: Vicious Study*
16th Level: Twist the Knife
*Vicious Study is only a possibility, should my GM allow it to stack with Shank, Major. If my GM doesn't allow it, then I would take Twist the Knife in its place and not know what talents to take at levels 16, 18, or 20.
Feats:
1st Level: Piranha Strike
3rd Level: Weapon Specialization**
5th Level: Combat Expertise
7th Level: Slayer's Feint
**Weapon Specialization requires Fighter Level 4, but I was told that there was some way to may this work as a Slayer. Is that true? If not, then I can take Combat Expertise and Slayer's Feint earlier. After that, I have no clue what feats to take.
What do y'all think? I'm fairly new to going this in depth with character creation, so I will take any and all advice I can get on making this character optimal. Thanks in advance!
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1) Are you aware of the fact that Natural Finesse is 3rd party? It means that it's not official Paizo material ,and therefore you should first be sure that your GM is OK with it. Usually 3rd party material is not allowed because of balance issues.
2) At 2nd level you need to select which Deceptive Ranger Combat Style feat you want.
3) Shank is, again, 3rd party material.
4) There are no ways that I know of that allow a Slayer to get Weapon Specialization.
5) You should really find a way to add Dex to damage.
1) Are you aware of the fact that Natural Finesse is 3rd party? It means that it's not official Paizo material ,and therefore you should first be sure that your GM is OK with it. Usually 3rd party material is not allowed because of balance issues.
2) At 2nd level you need to select which Deceptive Ranger Combat Style feat you want.
3) Shank is, again, 3rd party material.
4) There are no ways that I know of that allow a Slayer to get Weapon Specialization.
5) You should really find a way to add Dex to damage.
Yes, I'm aware of the third party rules. My GM has allowed them in the past, and I'm 99% sure he would this time as well.
As for the Deceptive Combat Style, I forgot to mention that my choice of feat would be Improved Feint (I think that's pretty obviously a necessity based on what I'm going for with the build).
Lastly, what ways would you recommend getting that Dex to damage? That's why I put priority on Weapon Finesse from the third party racial trait, but I don't know what else I can do to get there. Also, adding to the damage is obviously the purpose of all the Shank feats, as well as the Piranha Strike feat at level 1.
Are you sure you want slayer's feint? You could easily replace it with skill focus (bluff) to the same effect if your charisma is no more than 6 points lower than your dexterity (12 points from level 10), which would also give you bonuses when simply lying to people.
If 3rd party material is OK, the easiest way to get dex to damage is deadly agility.
Other feats you're likely to want are greater feint and some means of making a feint faster than the use of a move action. The TWF and two-weapon feint feats are the easiest.
Assassinate may look good but it doesn't really work. The save DC's too low and the setup can be difficult. Replacing that talent with another ranger combat style feat is probably a good idea.
Are you sure you want slayer's feint? You could easily replace it with skill focus (bluff) to the same effect if your charisma is no more than 6 points lower than your dexterity (12 points from level 10), which would also give you bonuses when simply lying to people.
If 3rd party material is OK, the easiest way to get dex to damage is deadly agility.
Other feats you're likely to want are greater feint and some means of making a feint faster than the use of a move action. The TWF and two-weapon feint feats are the easiest.
Assassinate may look good but it doesn't really work. The save DC's too low and the setup can be difficult. Replacing that talent with another ranger combat style feat is probably a good idea.
Well, the main reason I went with Slayer's Feint is because I want my character to focus heavily on dexterity. I anticipate this character being the only rogue-esque member of the party, so I want to pretty much dump everything into Dex and Dex-based skills (stealth, acrobatics, etc.).
I was having the same thoughts on Assassinate. I was pretty on the fence about it, but didn't see other options being too viable. I'd imagine you're right about switching to another Ranger Combat Style feat.
Thanks for the Deadly Agility reference. That's exactly what I was looking for!