The book this archetype for the samurai comes from is published by Paizo, and I was wondering if I could play it in pathfinder society. It is integral to this particular character, and if not I will just create something else entirely.
Just curious.
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Sword Saint is legal.Some might say that this archtype is better than the core class. Although everyone will say that this class needs more archtype support.
That's odd; all I've ever heard (and thought personally), much to my own dissatisfaction, is that the Sword Saint is outstandingly poorly-executed.
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That's odd; all I've ever heard (and thought personally), much to my own dissatisfaction, is that the Sword Saint is outstandingly poorly-executed.Sword Saint is legal.Some might say that this archtype is better than the core class. Although everyone will say that this class needs more archtype support.
Admittedly, you need a little 3rd party help (which isn't PFS legal) and a trait for the Sleight of Hand skill in order to unlock the full potential of the archtype. Having a trait for UMD so you can use wands/scrolls for Shield or some other buff like Mirror Image or Displacement would certainly be a benefit too.
I love the flavor of an Iaido trained swordsman.
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The mount is n times more useful than the zany iaijutsu ability, but some people just can't stand pets.
If you're a small creature on a medium mount, then sure, I'd agree with you there. Unfortunately for PFS, you'll find yourself underground in small spaces more often than not. Narrow Frame helps, but there are times where you can't logistically take a mount with you at all.
EDIT: Sorry, also forgot about this little gem from the ACG. The thought of someone on a large breed dog (for example) just seems comical though.
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I have to disagree. There's plenty of space more often than not. It's all about getting the mount there, but the actual fighting areas can fit a large creature.
And even if you hate spending for a hosteling enchantment, a pet still gets you a lot of benefits(tricks, tracking, spotter, draft animal,etc)
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I have to disagree. There's plenty of space more often than not. It's all about getting the mount there, but the actual fighting areas can fit a large creature.
And even if you hate spending for a hosteling enchantment, a pet still gets you a lot of benefits(tricks, tracking, spotter, draft animal,etc)
^_^ We might just have to agree to disagree then.
True, a pet does give its own perks and benefits of having one around. My own experiences with them are more GM-centric as opposed to using them as a player. That being said, and table variance aside, I find that these character builds often struggle to effectively do what they are intended to do either by terrain complications, inadvertent player interference, or it simply makes no sense why you would be on a mount inside an important dignitary's manor. Unless you're Trojan Man...then you get a pass. A very sexy pass.
Thank you all for the comments, very helpful
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Don't get me wrong; there should totally BE an iaijutsu master Samurai, not to mention at least one Archetype that replaces the Mount with something else - it's just that the mechanics they gave this concept fall seriously flat. People who say that anything that replaces the Mount needs to be seriously awesome are absolutely right, and this super-finicky 1/battle Sneak Attack-like thing just doesn't cut it (pun not intended).
3.0's Oriental Adventures had an Iaijutsu Master prestige class that I thought was very good in most ways - they could stand to learn from it.
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This is an incredibly ordinary prestige class.
We are discussing the Sword-Saint archetype for Samurai, from the Dragon Empires Primer book.
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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I've seen a couple of sword saints in PFS. One of them made the class work by carrying multiple sheathed weapons. He moved up to a foe, challenged, and attacked with a routine weapon on the first round, and then dropped the weapon and executed a iaijutsu strike the second round.
But yes, it's a full-BAB class with something like a poor sneak attack. I like the idea of an archetype focused on the Cavalier's challenge mechanic, but this didn't do enough.
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I play my Sword-Saint in Jade Regent, not for PFS, but with people who play PFS.
Iajutsu strike is hard to get to work, but when it does, it can be brilliant. We were attacked by more than a dozen attackers one time, and I was able to get all of them in a terrifying Iajutsu. Over half of them were shaken, and it was much better from there.
The really rough part, is to wait for the enemy to come for the full-round action to activate it. Usually I want to go to them. My samurai is Order of the Shield, and Stem the Tide (variant of the feat Stand Still) is a big part of how I play him.
Now that I'm 10th level and can do Iajutsu Strike with a standard action, I'm expecting to see it used a lot more.
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Having a Scabbard of Many Blades would definitely be helpful to the aspiring Sword Saint. This gives you the option to start with a reach weapon, then drop it and strike with your full-round/standard on your turn as normal. But, then you could have different metal and B/S/P weapons in reserve incase of DRs. It's hilarious to watch the GM's face (out of character) and the enemy's (in character) when I start pulling different lances from a scabbard at my hip.
