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Sossen wrote:

investing in Dex is already viable even if you intend to wear full plate.

It is?

Given that applying one of the four ability score increases to Wis is considered to be better than Int or Cha for a martial build simply because it increases your will save, I'd say that the same logic applies to Dex and reflex saves. The ranged attack bonus and Dex skills solidify this sentiment.

I think that a general feat like that would provide too much of an incentive to push Dex. Any source of extra unconditional damage at low levels is extremely valuable, and investing in Dex is already viable even if you intend to wear full plate. This feat and at least 14 initial Dex would become mechanically optimal for the vast majority of martial builds, even Str-focused ones.

Dex to damage sources should only be made available to specific builds when it is thematically justified and mechanically balanced.

I think a switch hitting ranger ought to max Dex and get the initial Str to 16 if possible. This optimizes the hit bonus in both modes as long as you are using finesse weapons. Compared to maxing Str you are only losing out on 1 damage per hit on melee attacks some of the time. And while finesse weapons are slightly weaker, the flurry edge/twin takedown combo is stronger with agile weapons which typically have finesse anyway.

I would choose a longbow as the ranged weapon. Any extra damage is more significant for ranged weapons, and once opponents get close you switch to melee. Shuriken are the strongest at low levels but not with the later striking runes. Also conceptually at odds with the ranger trope.

Beyond this build I would also consider making use of the specialized options available to rangers. This switch-hitter is at its best when delivering Strikes, which can become a bit repetitive. Building around an animal companion instead adds some variation to combat gameplay and can be powerful in its own right.

Building any functional character involves min-maxing, people just use different constraints.

Here's how I would do it: Grab unconventional weaponry as a human ancestry feat, select the kukri and have that be your "gnome familiarity" connection. Then, choose the thief racket. The damage boost is considerable and you want to be utilizing that finesse trait. Max DEX and go for as much CHA as you want - 18 in your casting stat is not necessary as a multiclass caster. CHA 16 is enough to feint as long as you are maxing deception, so it will always be an option along with tripping. Also, consider the option of fighting with two kukris and grabbing the Twin Feint feat to always have an easy flat-footed attack, which comes at the cost of complicating casting with material components.

Sweep gives +1 to hit while doing a Swipe which is a big deal, so advantage for the Fauchard.

Otherwise, the Guisarme will have a clear damage advantage while you are using the initial Striking rune. During those levels the Fauchard deals 4.5 extra damage on a crit on average, but the Guisarme deals 2 more base damage on average which translates to 4 more base damage on a crit. At other Striking rune levels the Fauchard catches up as long as you are critting fairly often. This is only considering attacks without MAP - subsequent attacks rarely crit and so the Guisarme has an advantage here, but the Sweep trait on the Fauchard can mitigate this when there are multiple targets available.

If you want to be using Swipe often then go for the Fauchard, otherwise I think the Guisarme is better.

Very helpful -- thanks everyone. Also the rules for somatic components say "You can use this component while holding something in your hand, but not if you are restrained or otherwise unable to gesture freely." So I should be good to go with casting spells even with shield and longsword.

That said, is there an advantage to raising a shield and getting shield block feat versus just using the shield cantrip?

The shield cantrip is not bad, but it only provides +1 AC compared to +2 AC with a regular shield. Once you use the shield cantrip to activate Shield Block you won't be able to cast it again for another 10 minutes. It is essentially a broken shield after the first block. If you were to use a regular, weak shield then it will also break after the first hit at higher levels, and its hardness will be much lower than that of a shield cantrip. However, if you want to use Shield Block you should be investing in a Sturdy Shield of the appropriate level. This shield, combined with the Divine Ally feat from the Champion Archetype, will basically have the same hardness as the shield cantrip with the ability to take multiple hits.

Champions should be able to take Barbarian Resiliency. It has a different requirement than the other resiliency feats.

I think this is a reasonable guide that accurately portrays the power level of most options. I would up the rating on the paladin reaction given that reach builds can apply the secondary effect consistently. An extra strike with no MAP is powerful.

The Champion dedication represents a classic "heroic leader" concept that happens to complement the Bard abilities remarkably well. The armor proficiency gains come at appropriate breakpoints given that Bard only gets to expert light proficiency at lvl 13. It's not necessary to deprioritize Cha when grabbing this dedication, since there are many ancestry/background combinations that can get Str 14/Cha 18 at lvl 1. However, if you don't want to be subject to armor check penalties and speed reduction during lvls 2-4, or if you prefer stronger melee attacks, then you might want a human ancestry. They are one of a few ancestries that can start with Str 16/Cha 18 or vice versa.

Beyond the armor proficiency you get access to most of the good stuff in the Champion catalogue. The reaction is a fantastic ability that doesn't interfere with your action economy as a Bard. If you don't mind spending an action to raise your shield every round then grabbing a shield divine ally and Shield Block as a general feat is a good way to mitigate low hp. If you happen to go deep into the dedication feat line then you can get a sizable hp boost from the resiliency feat.

All in all, a reasonable feat investment that will allow you to hold your own in melee.

My character currently looks like this, and yes my stats are over the top but another player got every stat above 15 with 4d6L:

Halforc Polearm Master 2

Str:18
Dex:16
Con:15
Int:12
Wis:15
Cha:8

Feats:Combat Reflexes, Power attack, Dodge

Excriminal trying to get away from his earlier life. He fights with a bardiche and wears a breastplate.

Essentially this is not a powergaming build: I want something that is appropriate to my character but also works in combat. My current idea is a tripbuild, utilizing defensive actions that protect the squishies but still dish out damage, as is appriopriate with a reach weapon. My feat progression looks something like this:

3:Weapon focus
4:Switch dodge for combat expertise, imp trip
5:weapon spec
6:greater trip

Tripbuilding like this makes sure that he is efficient up till this level, but at higher levels a lot of enemies will be immune to tripping. How do I proceed? Anything that should be switched out?

I have already gone over some ideas, like combat patrol, whirlwind attack etc, but those two seem underpowered when counting feat tree costs. Thoughts?