Disclaimer: I will occasionally throughout the length of this writing make assumptions and GM based calls on how I personally interpret the language of the class. Everyone should feel free to hold their own opinions and continue to arbiter their own games as is appropriate for them. Also I apologize if any of the spacing is off or difficult to read, it did not translate well from my .rtf document.
Today I will be examining the Samurai class as printed in the Ultimate Combat Playtest. First a little about me: I've been playing tabletop roleplaying games for almost 20 years, and working as a DM for more than half of that time. My experience mostly comes from AD&D, D&D 3.0 and 3.5, Heroes 5th edition, and Shadowrun 3rd & 4th edition. In college I earned degrees in Linguistics and East Asian Studies. I spend a good amount of my free time engaging in thought exercises related to various spheres of gaming and writing. The humble monstrosity of text and data below is the result of about 2-3 days worth of dry combat tests, comparisons to other classes, and what happens when I'm sick with the flu and stuck next to my computer all day.
To begin, I took a 20 point ability point pool to create a human with the following stats:
STR: 19 (17 +2 racial bonus)
DEX: 12
CON: 14
INT: 10
WIS: 10
CHA: 10
I then advanced him to a level five samurai, putting his 4th level ability point into strength to round it out to 20. His approximate wealth is 10,500 gp which I will spend on the following:
+1 Katana 2,335 gp
+1 Full Plate 2,650 gp
Belt of Giant Strength +24,000 gp
Cloak of Resistance +1 1,000 gp
Other Gear 515 gp
For his feats, I will take the following:
Human Bonus Power Attack
1st level Weapon Focus (Katana)
3rd level Improved Sunder
5th level Improved Initiative
Already I have come to a slight situation at feat selection. The final clause in Weapon expertise reads:
"...his samurai levels stack with any fighter levels he possesses for the purposes of meeting the prerequisites for feats that specifically select his chosen weapon, such as Weapon Specialization."
One could infer that this simply means that Samurai are able to choose weapon-specific feats that are normally restricted to fighters. However, since the language reads 'levels he possesses' and not 'levels he may possess' I do not think this is the case. A samurai who wishes to take feats like Weapon Specialization would need at least one level of fighter for the stack to occur. If there are no fighter levels, then the latter part of the clause does not take effect. Now a Samurai could take 1 fighter level and reap the benefits of that effect, but then he would lose out on Last Stand at level 20.
I think that trade-off is intentional, but I digress.
Skills: 5 ranks in Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge (Nobility), Ride, & Sense Motive. Skills are largely irrelevant for my testing purposes.
Hit Points: For purposes of these tests I will assume that the character has max hit points for first level, and the average result of his die for every level thereafter.
10+5.5(x4)+10 (con) +5 (favored class bonus) = 47 hit points.
I will take the Order of the Warrior for him.
He wields his katana in two hands.
Attack Bonus with his katana is: +5 BAB +6 STR +1 Weapon Focus +1 +1 katana = +13
Damage line for his katana is: 1d10 +10 (19-20/x2)
Power attack reduces his attacks by 2 and increases his damage by 6
CMB for Sunder attempts: +5 BAB +6 STR +2 Improved Sunder = +13
AC: 21 (+10 armor, +1 dex)
CMD: 22 (+5 BAB, +6 STR, +1 DEX [+2 vs. sunder])
His saves are:
Fort: +7
Refl: +3
Will: +2
So, now armed with Tanaka the level 5 Samurai, let the battles commence. I will take a variety of opponents of varying difficulties and have them fight. Assume the combatants start 30 feet away from one another.
Round 1. Vs. Cockatrice (CR3)
Initiative: Tanaka 24 (19+5), Cockatrice 4 (1+3)
Tanaka goes first, charging to his foe as he designates it his challenge target "Stand and face me dishonorable chicken!" he cries as he swings while using power attack. He rolls a 2...+13 from his normal modifiers +2 from charging but -2 from power attack means he comes just short of hitting.
The cockatrice lets out a confused warble and pecks at Tanaka's foot. It rolls a 17 +9 = 26, easily enough to hit for 0 damage (reduced by DR from Order of the Warrior). Tanaka passes his fort save vs. petrification, rolling a 19 +7 = 26.
Tanaka, feeling somewhat put off by his failure, reigns in his zest and opts to take a normal swing at the cockatrice. Scoring a roll of a 10 +13 = 23 he easily hits the cockatrice for 7 +15 = 22 points of damage. He now feels somewhat vindicated.
The cockatrice retaliates with a hellish squack and pokes him again. However with a roll of a 9 +9 = 18, it fails to hit. Its eyes go as wide as dinner plates as Tanaka takes his turn.
Sensing victory, Tanaka swings with skill, rolling a 9 +13 = 22. Dealing another 4 + 15 = 19 points of damage to his foe, he severs the beast in twain and thinks to himself: [/i]"Well that was easy..."[/i]
Round 2. Vs. Griffon (CR4)
Initiative: Tanaka 20 (15+5), Griffon 8 (6+2)
Tanaka goes first, emboldened by his previous victory he repeats his last action, charging forth while designating a challenge target and using power attack. He critically threatens with a natural 20, following it up with a 11+13 = 24, which confirms. For damage he rolls a 9 +21 = 30 x2 is 60. The griffon is split in twain without so much as a second thought. Much like smiting evil, critical challenge hits are nasty.
Round 3. Vs. Winter Wolf (CR5)
Initiative: Tanaka 10 (5+5), Winter Wolf 15 (10+5)
The Winter Wolf goes first, snarling as it moves closer and delivers its breath attack, blasting Tanaka in the face with icy shards. Tanaka rolls a 10 +3 = 13 for his saving throw, not enough to save him. He takes the full force of 18 cold damage.
Tanaka goes, declaring his challenge target and charging the reamining 15 feet while power attacking. He rolls a 9 +13 = 22, enough to his his target for a crushing 8 + 21 = 29 damage.
The Winter Wolf, now bleeding profusely responds with a bite rolling a 10 +10 = 20. Since Tanaka charged and it has not come to his turn again, this will hit his AC. The bite deals 6 cold damage, 2+7 = 9 points of physical damage and the wolf attempts to trip. Rolling a 9+12 = 21 whcih falls short of his CMD by 1.
Tanaka is now feeling hte pressure and wishes very desperately that the Winter Wolf would kindly die. Deciding to go for broke, he power attacks. Luck favoring him, he rolls an 18 + 11 = 29, easily hitting his foe and dealing 2 + 21 = 23 damage. Unfortunately the Winter Wolf is still alives.
Lunging for the throat, the Winter Wolf attacks, rolling a 16 + 10 = 26, hitting him easily and dealing dealing 4 points of cold damage, and 17 points of physical damage. Tanaka is now at -7 HP and is dying.
Results: The benefit of being able to Challenge any foe on the battlefield makes the damage bonus for the samurai more versatile than Smite Evil, but assuming the clause with Weapon Expertise functions the way that I mentioned above, then his baseline damage will be reduced for not being able to take Weapon Specialization or Greater Weapon Specialization. Under that premise I can definitely see the argument for a 1 Fighter/19 Samurai build if you don't mind losing Last Stand.
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Level 10.
Tanaka is now level 10. At level 8 he opted to put a point into DEX.
STR: 20 [24 w/belt]
DEX: 13
CON: 14
INT: 10
WIS: 10
CHA: 10
His adjusted equipment becomes:
+2 flaming katana 18,335 gp
+3 Full Plate 10,650 gp
Belt of Giant Strength +4 16,000 gp
Cloak of Resistance +3 9,000 gp
Ring of Protection +2 8,000 gp
Other Gear 15 gp
For his feats, I will still operate under the assumption that I cannot choose Fighter specific feats:
Human Bonus Power Attack
1st level Weapon Focus (Katana)
3rd level Improved Sunder
5th level Improved Initiative
Samurai 6 Greater Sunder
7th level Toughness
9th level Dodge
Skills: Remain largely irrelevant, assume that he has 10 ranks now in the skills he had at level 5
Hit Points: Continuing the formula from level 5
10+5.5(x9)+20 (con) +10 (favored class bonus) +10 (toughness) = 99(.5) hit points.
He still wields his katana in two hands.
Attack Bonus with his katana is: +10 BAB +7 STR +1 Weapon Focus +2 +2 flaming katana = +20/+15
Damage line for his katana is: 1d10 +12 +1d6 fire (19-20/x2)
Power attack reduces his attacks by 3 and increases his damage by 9
CMB for Sunder attempts: +10 BAB +7 STR +4 Sunder Feats = +21
AC: 25 (+12 armor, +1 dex, +2 deflection)
CMD: 30 (+10 BAB, +7 STR, +1 DEX, [+2 vs. sunder])
His saves are:
Fort: +12
Refl: +7
Will: +6
That was easy. Now on to the level 10 encounters.
Round 1. Vs Young Green Dragon (CR 8)
Initiative: Tanaka 16 (11+5), Dragon 20 (19 +1).
The Green Dragon wins initiative, and seeks to end the combat early by annihilating the samurai with its mighty breath weapon. Tanaka rolls a 19 +7 = 26 on his reflex save, taking half damage. He takes a total of 20/2 = 10 damage.
On Tanaka's turn he designates the dragon as his challenge target, wiping acid from his eyes as he charges in, power attacking as per his typical reckless opening combat round. Tanaka rolls a 19 +19 (+2 for charging, -3 for power attack), and confirms his critical threat with a 16+19 = 35. Dealing a total of 2 fire + 66 points of physical damage. With a mighty battle cry, he stands fearless against the dragon, whom is now seriously re-evaluating its life choices.
But not before it gets its licks in. It unleashes a full attack round against Tanaka: Bite 4+13 = 17 (miss), Claw 5+13 = 18 (miss), Claw 15+13 = 28 (hit), Wing 10+8 = 18 (miss), Wing 6+8 = 14 (miss), and Tail Slap 17+8 = 25. One claw and the tail slap connect with Tanaka, dealing 6 and 13 damage respectively after calculating damage reduction from his challenge target.
Tanaka, sporting a dandy scar that will earn him extra street cred, puts the dragon out of its misery. Reigning in his anger he attacks with a pair of rapid cuts: 9+20 = 29 (hit) and 15+15 = 30 (hit). 3 fire and 28 physical from the first hit is enough to fell the beast, with his second stroke sounding a 'snicker-snap' off its scaley throat.
Round 2. Vs Vampire (Sample from Bestiary, CR 9)
Initiative: Tanaka 8 (3+5), Vampire 19 (11+8)
The Vampire gets the drop on Tanaka, laughing evilly as she casts Greater Invisibility on herself.
Tanaka readies his weapon and holds his ground, readying an action to strike at the square where a melee attack comes from.
The Vampire focuses her will on Tanaka, using her Dominate ability. Tanaka opts to use resolve and rolls a 3+6 = 9 and a 17+6 = 23. The second roll succeeds, resisting her allure for this round.
Tanaka still has no way to detect the Vampire, he continues to hold his readied action.
The Vampire, somewhat annoyed by Tanaka's resistance, merely tries again, slipping her tendrils into Tanaka's mind to try and conquer him. Once again Tanaka's uses resolve and his initial roll is low, 2+6 = 8 while his second roll is 15+6 = 21, just barely resisting her again.
These turns continue until the Vampire succeeds in making Tanaka her thrall.
(Note: Statisically this was bound to happen in one-on-one scenarios like this. Ideally Tanaka would be in a party with the typical array of support and able to receive a protection from evil spell or other forms of support. The middle level ranges start to explode with creatures that have instant take-you-out-of-the-fight maneuvers unless your party is prepared for it. Make of this combat what you will, but given how much of the Samurai seems to be built around fortitude and will, it seems odd that they get nothing to juice their will save.)
Round 3. Vs Fire Giant (CR 10)
Initiative: Tanaka 15 (10+5), Fire Giant 14 (15-1)
Tanaka goes first for once, but decides to be somewhat more tactical in this combat. Instead of charging in, he designated the giant as his challenge target and readies an action to sunder the giant's greatsword when it comes within range.
The Giant moves in, triggering Tanaka's readied action.
Tanaka swings for the sword, rolling a 15+21 = 37, which overcomes the giant's CMD and thus he gets to sunder the giant's sword. As a large-sized, two-handed, iron/steel based item the greatsword has 20 hp and 10 hardness. Tanaka deals 4 points of fire damage and 22 points of physical damage for a total of 26-10 = 16 points of damage. The greatsword now gains the 'broken' condition.
His readied action finished, the giant takes his swing, now at a -2 penalty from his sword which has a large chunk missing from it. Still, 14+19 = 33, which will hit Tanaka easily for 17 points of damage.
Let's split this combat into two hypothetical directions now, one where Tanaka presses the attack on the giant's sword to destroy it, and another where Tanaka goes for broke and tries to take down the Giant after merely breaking his sword.
OPTION 1 (Attacking the Sword):
Tanaka attacks the giant's sword again, not interested in taking another swing from that weapon. He rolls a natural 20+21 = 41, critically sundering the giant's sword for 6 points of fire damage and 29 points of physical damage. It is enough to shatter the weapon, sending it scattering to the four winds.
The Giant, now enraged, takes his anger out on Tanaka in the form of punching him in the head. Two slam attacks: 2+20 = 22 (miss) and 9+22 = 29 (hit). Tanaka is hit for another 13 points of damage.
Tanaka recognizes the need to press the attack now, declaring power attack as he hopes to tear in to the Fire Giant. Two attacks: 17+17 = 34 (hit) and 9+12 = 21 (miss). One hit lands, dealing 38 points of damage.
The Giant continues to trade blows with Tanaka scoring two more hits with a 15+20 = 35 and 17+20 = 37. The giant rolls average damage, dealing 12 and 13 points of damage.
Tanaka retaliates in kind, continuing his power attack and hitting just once: 15+17 = 32 (hit) and 8+12 = 20 (miss). Tanaka has the fortune to roll maximum damage though, dealing 41 more points of damage. Blood, sweat, and tears go sailing through the air as the Samurai and the Giant continue
The Giant responds with two more hits: 18+20 = 38, 14+20 = 34. He deals 10 and 14 damage with his mighty fists. Tanaka is down to 15 hit points, while the Giant still has 63 hit points. (It is interesting to note here that even though Tanaka spent his first two attacks sundering the giant's weapon, they have dealt equal amounts of damage to one another.)
Tanaka presses the attack, realizing his only hope is to let his power attack continue to assault the giant's defenses and pray. Luck may favor him, he scores two hits: 7+17 = 24 and 16+12 = 28. His two hits cut through the giant's legs dealing 37 and 33 points of damage. As the giant crumbles to the ground, Tanaka takes a knee to catch his breath, realizing he would be quite dead if both his strikes had not landed.
OPTION 2 (Attacking the Giant):
Tanaka opts to let the Giant continue to fumble with his broken weapon and attacks the giant directly, shouting out a battle cry as he uses power attack and slashes away. His first attack is a critical threat on a nat 19, confirmed with 15+17 = 32, his second attack still hits, but barely on a 12+12 = 24. The critical hit deals a massive 70 points of damage while his iterative deals 35 more.
The Giant staggers, but insists on smiting the small creature as best it can, slashing down three times with its broken sword. The first of the Giant's attack is a natural 20, confirmed with a 16+19 = 37, but Tanaka spends a point of resolve to negate the critical hit. One of the other two attacks hit with a 16+14 = 30, and the other misses on a 10+9 = 19. All told, Tanaka takes 20 and 26 points of damage.
Tanaka grits his teeth and steels his resolve, forgoing power attack in favor of calmer, more disciplined blows as he seeks to end the conflict. Tanaka manages to hit twice more on a 9+20 = 29 and 12+15 = 27. 32 damage on the first attack and 25 damage on the second attack is enough to kill the fire giant.
Results: Interesting round with the fire giant, a lot of the outcome of that combat was based on luck, but even without that Tanaka had nearly a 50% or higher chance to succeed on any combat action he took. Nice to see that Sunder came in handy too. It makes sense that the samurai would be weak against the vampire. Fighter archtypes by themselves versus tricky monsters like that will almost always fall prey to their tactics. It seems balanced enough, though the nature of the challenge especially in these 1-on-1 combats definitely leads to a 'kill it before it can kill me' mentality. Resolve abilities: Pretty damn cool.
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On to Level 15. At level 12 Tanaka chose Dex again for his statistic, giving him another healthy point of Dex modifier.
STR: 20 [24 w/belt]
DEX: 14 [18 w/belt]
CON: 14 [18 w/belt]
INT: 10
WIS: 10
CHA: 10
His adjusted equipment becomes:
+4 ghost touch katana 50,335 gp
+5 Mithral Full Plate 35,650 gp
Belt of Phys. Perfection +4 64,000 gp
Cloak of Resistance +5 25,000 gp
Ring of Protection +3 18,000 gp
Ring of Fire Resist. (minor) 12,000 gp
Amulet of Nat. Armor +3 18,000 gp
Winged Boots 16,000 gp
Other Gear 1,015 gp
For his feats, I will still operate under the assumption that I cannot choose Fighter specific feats:
Human Bonus Power Attack
1st level Weapon Focus (Katana)
3rd level Improved Sunder
5th level Improved Initiative
Samurai 6 Greater Sunder
7th level Toughness
9th level Dodge
11th level Critical Focus (Katana)
Samurai 12 Improved Critical (Katana)
13th level Iron Will
15th level Blinding Critical (Katana)
Skills: Remain largely irrelevant, assume that he has 15 ranks now in the skills he had at level 5
Hit Points: Continuing the formula from levels 5 and 10
10+5.5(x14)+60 (con) +15 (favored class bonus) +15 (toughness) = 177 hit points.
He still wields his katana in two hands.
Attack Bonus with his katana is: +15 BAB +7 STR +1 Weapon Focus +4 +4 ghost touch katana = +27/+22/+17
Damage line for his katana is: 1d10 +14 (17-20/x2)
Power attack reduces his attacks by 4 and increases his damage by 12
CMB for Sunder attempts: +15 BAB +7 STR +4 Sunder Feats = +26
AC: 33 (+14 armor, +3 dex, +3 deflection, +3 natural)
CMD: 35 (+15 BAB, +7 STR, +3 DEX, [+2 vs. sunder])
His saves are:
Fort: +18
Refl: +14
Will: +11
Also let's remember that he has Strike True now from his Order of the Warrior. This could make or break some of the encounters.
Starting to look like a badass now aren't we Tanaka? Level 15 encounters, here we come.
Round 1. Vs Ice Devil (CR 13)
Initiative: Tanaka 28 (20+4), Ice Devil 28 (19+9). The Ice Devil has higher dex, it goes first.
The Ice Devil begins by unleashing its cone of cold spell like ability at Tanaka. Tanaka botches his reflex save by rolling a 2+14 = 16. He takes the full 40 points of cold damage.
Tanaka designates his challenge target as the devil and moves in to attack, deciding to charge and use power attack as per normal. He rolls a 9+25 = 34 which is a hit. Unfortunately his weapon does not overcome the devil's damage reduction. But he still deals 34 damage.
The Ice Devil regenerates 5 hit points on its turn and then sets in to attack Tanaka with its ice spear and natural attacks. 5 attacks: Spear 3+21 = 24 (miss), Spear 1+16 = 17 (miss), Spear 11+11 = 22 (miss), Bite 5+14 = 19 (miss) and tail 14+14 = 28 (miss). No hits.
Tanaka returns the favor by slashing out three times while maintaining his power attacking trend. 9+24 = 33 (hit), 3+19 = 21 (miss), and 17+14 = 31 (miss). With one hit, Tanaka deals an additional 41 points of damage after DR. He opts to drop power attack for subsequent rounds.
The Ice Devil continues to attack as its regeneration slowly heals it. 5 attacks: Spears 11+21 = 32 (miss), 4+16 = 20 (miss), 1+11 =12 (miss), Bite 2+14 = 16 (miss), Tail 3+14 = 17 (miss). Once again the Ice Devil fails to land an attack on Tanaka.
Tanaka opts to be more judicious and careful in his swings now. He drops power attack and swings for the fences: 6+27 = 33 (hit), 14+22 = 36 (hit), 16+17 = 33 (hit). Three hits, his luck pays off and he deals 29, 26, and 19 points of damage. One more round like that will fell the devil.
The devil opts for a different strategy, backing away five feet and readying another cone of cold at Tanaka. He rolls a 10+14 on his reflex save, enough to take half damage. He takes 18 points of cold damage from this attack.
Tanaka moves in, sensing a kill. Continuing his careful slicing. 3 Attacks: 9+27 = 36 (hit), 12+22 = 34 (hit) and 5+17 = 22 (miss). Two hits for 24 and 25 total damage is enough to send the creature down, whereupon he can apply some holy water to his weapon and finish it off.
Round 2. Vs Adult Red Dragon (CR 14)
Initiative: Tanaka 1+8 = 9, Dragon 7+4 = 11
The Dragon wins initiative, rearing back to deliver its mighty breath weapon. Tanaka has a stroke of bad luck, rolling a 7+14 = 21. He takes full damage, a total of 48 damage after his ring of fire resistance. Also while we're at it, lets make Tanaka roll vs. frightful presence. He uses resolve to roll this throw twice: rolling a 4+11 = 15 on the first and 19+11 = 30, passing it that time.
Tanaka tries to get his bearings, designating the dragon his challenge target and taking a 5 foot step forward, charging forward and throwing caution to the wind, power attacking and using his strike true ability. He eats an attack of opportunity for the charge, the dragon bites at him rolling a 15+25 = 40 for 22 total damage. Tanaka swings: 5+25 (+2 for charge, -4 for power attack) = 30 which becomes a threat under his ability. He confirms easily with an 18+25 = 43. The attack deals maximum damage of 102 and decides to make the dragon staggered with this ability (no save) for 2 rounds. Additionally his blinding critical feat triggers. The dragon rolls a fort save of 7+16 = 23, which fails. The dragon is now blind as well.
The Dragon gets one standard action, it opts to bite at the last square it saw Tanaka. He misses due to concealment from being blind.
Tanaka is guardedly certain that his victory is at hand and unleashes a full round of power attacks. Three attacks: 16+23 = 41 (hit), followed by a threat on a 19 confirmed with a 14+18 = 32, then a 10+13 = 23 (miss). 1 hit, 1 crit. 44 damage on the regular hit, 100 extra points on the critical hit. This is enough to utterly murder the red dragon.
Round 3. Vs Neothelid (CR 15)
Initiative: Tanaka 22 (14+8), Neothelid 5 (3+2)
Tanaka, with memories of his righteous victory over the red dragon, seeks another resounding victory and charges in, challenges, and uses strike true. He rolls an 18+25 = 43 which hits and threatens his critical. Confirmation roll is 10+25 = 35, which will confirm, triggering this ability. Once again he chooses for the Neothelid to be staggered for 3 rounds after it takes 102 points of damage. The Neothelid rolls a 16+15 = 31 so it saves against being blinded. Still, it's not having a good day.
The Neothelid wishes to end this quickly, and targets Tanaka with its psychic crush ability. Tanaka does not wish for his mind to be crushed so he uses a point of resolve. His first roll is a 9+11 = 20 while his second result is a 17+11 = 28 which will pass. He still takes 22 points of damage and is sickened for a round though.
Tanaka, on his turn, decides to drop power attack while he is sickened and resorts to just hitting the Neothelid with his regular attacks. 3 Attacks: 16+25 = 41 (hit), 16+20 = 36 (hit), and 14+15 = 29 (miss). 2 hits, for 27 and 24 damage (after damage reduction).
The Neothelid, still staggered, opts for a tongue attack, hoping to eat the hapless samurai. On a roll of 13+21 = 33, he hits, dealing 15 points of damage and initiating a grapple on a roll of 8+29 = 37 which is a successful grapple.
Tanaka is in a pickle now. He does not have the exotic proficiency to attack with one hand without eating the penalty. No ranks in escape artist either, and his CMB is such that he has less than a 30% chance to overpower the grapple. He decides to go for the grapple, rolling a 13+22 = 35, not quite enough to get him what he needs. He has a move action left, but nothing left to do with it.
The Neothelid goes on it's 3rd staggered round attempts to devour Tanaka. It easily does so on a roll of 12+33 = 45. Tanaka is slurped down in a single gulp, taking 6 acid damage and 14 points of physical damage.
Tanaka has no choice now but to attack the gullet, let us assume that he has a Masterwork wakizashi on his belt as part of the traditional daisho. Fortunately the AC of the stomach is quite small in comparison. (As a GM call I will say that the gullet counts for purposes of his challenge target). On an attack of 13+23 = 36 he easily hits the gullet's AC and deals 26 points of damage, enough to cut himself free and land on his feet below the Neothelid.
The Neothelid is ornery at this point, but is no longer staggered and rears back to spew acid all over Tanaka. Tanaka rolls a 14+14 = 28 on his reflex save, making the DC barely but still taking 38 points of acid damage.
Tanaka seeks to end this fight, shrugging off some of the lingering acid as he swings his weapon about 3 times. He opts to ignore power attack for now, relying on his challenge bonus to finish the job. Three attacks: 1+27 = 28 (miss), 2nd attack threats on an 18+22, does not confirm with a 2+22 = 24, Final attack threatens on a 19+17, once again does not confirm on a 9+17 = 26. Still, 2 hits are 2 hits. Damage: 24 and 24. The Neothelid is still alive, one more swing would've taken it down.
The Neothelid unleashes the full fury of all four tongue attack. Four attacks: 6+21 = 27 (miss), 3+21 = 24 (miss), 12+21 = 33 (miss), and 3+21 = 24 (miss). Four attacks, no hits. One very preturbed worm-thing.
Tanaka finishes it off, scoring a 3+27 (miss), 15+22 = 37 (hit), 17+17 = 34 (fails to confirm on a 7+17 = 24). 2 hits, 22 and 27 damage. The Neothelid is dead.
Results: I honestly thought the samurai would not be able to hold up to a Neothelid. One will save or die and it's game over. Still the ability to throw resolve out like that is certainly handy in these situations. Strike True may be a little overpowered. If it's going to be an automatic critical with extra detrimental effects without a save, probably shouldn't be a max damage hit on top of that. Obviously I'm conducting these fights in a vacuum as well, assuming there is no strange terrain and that both combatants are fully rested and prepared. Still, the Samurai with the ability to land potentially multiple critical effects with Strike True seems to be a winning combination. Almost finished.
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Finally, level 20. At level 16 and 18 Tanaka chose STR for his statistic. Also he will buy a Manual of Gainful Exercise +4, Manual of Bodily Health +2, and a Manual of Quickness of Action +2
STR: 26 [30 w/belt]
DEX: 16 [20 w/belt]
CON: 16 [20 w/belt]
INT: 10
WIS: 10 [16 w/headband]
CHA: 10
His adjusted equipment becomes:
+5 speed axiomatic katana 200,335 gp
+5 Moderate Fortification
Improved Fire Resist
Mithral Full Plate 111,650 gp
Headband of Inspired
Wisdom 36,000 gp
Belt of Phys. Perfection +4 64,000 gp
Cloak of Resistance +5 25,000 gp
Pale Green Prism Ioun Stone 30,000 gp
Ring of Protection +5 50,000 gp
Ring of Evasion 25,000 gp
Amulet of Nat. Armor +5 50,000 gp
Winged Boots 16,000 gp
Manuals 220,000 gp
Other Gear 52,015 gp
For his feats, I will still operate under the assumption that I cannot choose Fighter specific feats:
Human Bonus Power Attack
1st level Weapon Focus (Katana)
3rd level Improved Sunder
5th level Improved Initiative
Samurai 6 Greater Sunder
7th level Toughness
9th level Dodge
11th level Critical Focus (Katana)
Samurai 12 Improved Critical (Katana)
13th level Iron Will
15th level Blinding Critical (Katana)
17th level Mobility
Samurai 18 Spring Attack
19th level Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Katana)
Skills: Remain largely irrelevant, assume that he has 20 ranks now in the skills he had at level 5
Hit Points: Continuing the formula from levels 5 and 10
10+5.5(x19)+100 (con) +20 (favored class bonus) +20 (toughness) = 254(.5) hit points.
He still wields his katana in two hands.
Attack Bonus with his katana is: +20 BAB +10 STR +1 Weapon Focus +5 +5 speed axiomatic katana = +36/+36/+31/+26/+21
Damage line for his katana is: 1d10 +20 +2d6 vs chaotic (17-20/x2)
Power attack reduces his attacks by 5 and increases his damage by 15
CMB for Sunder attempts: +20 BAB +10 STR +4 Sunder Feats = +34
AC: 37 (+14 armor, +3 dex, +5 deflection, +5 natural)
CMD: 43 (+20 BAB, +10 STR, +3 DEX, [+2 vs. sunder])
His saves are:
Fort: +22
Refl: +16
Will: +16
Here we are, the end of the journey. Level 20. If you're still reading this, give yourself a pat on the back. Without any further ado:
Round 1. Vs Ancient Blue Dragon (CR 18)
Initiative: Tanaka 15 (6+9), Blue Dragon 15 (12+3). Tanaka has a higher Dex modifier, he will go first.
Tanaka will begin this combat the same way he begins every combat: designating a challenge, charging, power attack. He rolls a 16+33 = 49, scoring an easy hit on the dragon. Since it is the first round, the dragon is flat-footed and cannot take it's customary Attack of Opportunity. He rolls minimum damage: 56
The Dragon will retaliate by unleashing a full-attack round on Tanaka. 6 Attacks: Bite 12+33 = 45 (hit), Claws 8+32 = 40 (hit) and 14+32 = 46 (hit), Wings 16+30 = 46 (hit) and 5+30 = 35 (miss), Tail Slap 19+30 = 49 (hit). 5 hits, even with Tanaka's DR from his Order of the Warrior, this is going to hurt. Damage: 23, 15, 17, 6, and 20 for a total of 81 damage.
Tanaka will respond in kind, tearing and slashing at the dragon with his supremely quick blade. He will continue to power attack for now. 5 attacks: 15+31 = 46 (hit), next attack is a threat on a natural 20 followed by a 7+31 = 38 which successfully confirms, followed by a threat on a 17 however it is not confirmed on an 11+26 =37, 3+21 = 24 (miss), and 12+16 = 28 (miss). 2 hits, one critical hit. Damage: 57, 59, 116. The dragon fails its save vs. Tanaka's blinding critical on a 3+21 = 24. The dragon is now in bad shape.
The Dragon knows what square Tanaka is in and will opt to use its breath weapon there in the hopes of smiting him with that. Tanaka rolls a 20+16 = 36 on his saving throw. With his ring of evasion, he takes no damage.
Tanaka senses victory at hand, and switches his stance to a disciplined, refined fury as he presses the final few strokes. 5 attacks: 9+36 = 45 (hit), 4+36 = 40 (hit), 10+31 = 41 (hit), 6+26 = 32 (miss), 5+21 = 26 (miss). 3 hits: 58, 62, and 65 damage. The Blue Dragon has been reduced to a fine red mist.
Round 2. Vs Shoggoth (CR 19)
Initiative: Tanaka 25 (16+9), Shoggoth 25 (14+11). The Shoggoth has superior DEX, therefore it will go first.
The Shoggoth begins by emitting its maddening cacophony as a free action. Tanaka will once again use resolve to get two rolls. Good thing, for his first roll is a 5, on his second he rolls a 19+16 = 35, easily keeping his nerve. The shoggoth then, having a range of 30 feet, makes a full round attack action with it's 4 slam attacks. 4 attacks: 10+30 = 40 (hit), 4+30 = 34 (miss), 18+30 = 48 (hit), 11+30 = 41 (hit). 3 hits for 28, 25, and 22. Also three grabs all of which successfully grapple.
Tanaka's turn. He dislikes the recent turn of events, but is pleased that he is now proficient with his sword in one hand. He designates the Shoggoth as his challenge target and goes to town. He does not choose to power attack this time, opting for accuracy and rapid hits over power. 5 attacks: 11+36 = 47 (hit), 20+36 = 56 (hit, won't bother rolling critical confirm since oozes are immune), 15+31 = 46 (hit), 14+26 = 40 (hit), 5+21 = 26 (miss). 4 hits, Tanaka is at something of a disadvantage since the Shoggoth cannot be crit, but he still deals 41, 38, 42, and 38 damage (after DR from the shoggoth.)
The Shoggoth, on its turn, engulfs Tanaka on a roll of 13+39 = 52. Tanaka is absorbed inside, taking 35 points of bludgeoning damage and 34 points of acid damage.
Tanaka dislikes the recent turn of events and draws his wakizashi as he attempts to slash his way out. He easily hits the internal AC on a 6+31 (assume the wakizashi is still just masterwork). He deals 35 points of damage and makes his way out, landing next to the shoggoth and feeling generally annoyed. Since the Last Stand ability doesn't state what sort of action it is, I assume it is a swift and that he uses it this turn.
The Shoggoth seems unimpressed and seeks to simply trample him. Tanaka cannot hope to avoid, so he takes the attack. he rolls a 6+32 = 38, which is a hit. He's back to two-handing his weapon so he deals 36 points of damage. He is then trampled for 14 points of damage and takes engulf damage. Here's where some of the wording on Last Stand gets interesting:
"...all melee and ranged weapons deal the minimum amount of damage to the samurai..."
Is this to imply that this only applies to manufactured weapons? I am going to choose to not interpret it this way and would apply to all natural physical based attacks. Thus the engulf itself deals 21 points of physical damage and 19 more acid damage.
Tanaka is not all that happy with the current situation, but he draws his wakizashi and goes for the exit again. He easily hits the internal AC on a 17+31 = 48 and deals 32 points of damage, which is not enough to free himself.
The Shoggoth continues to heal on its turn and proceeds to digest Tanaka, dealing another 21 points of physical damage and 26 acid damage.
Tanaka is nearly dead, but not to be defeated, he slashes his way out of the gullet on a roll of 8+31 = 39 and 31 more damage. He is on his feet, but the Shoggoth is coming for him again.
The Shoggoth continues to attack, trampling again as Tanaka takes his attack, opting to power attack this time and go all for nothing. He rolls a 16+27 = 43 (hit) and hits for 57 points of damage. The Shoggoth is nearly dead, but not quite dead enough. It tramples and enfulfs him, dealing 19 damage on the trample, 21 physical from the engulf, and 31 points of acid damage. Tanaka has been defeated. But he came damn close.
Round 3. Vs Balor (CR 20)
Initiative: Tanaka 26 (17+9), Balor 22 (11+11)
Tanaka is first. He howls with fury as he challenges the Balor that has been corrupting his ancestral homelands. He then charges forward and uses Strike True and power attacks. He rolls a 12+33 = 35 which would normally miss but since this is round 1, it hits the Balor's flat-footed AC. He rolls to confirm, getting a 16+33 = 49. The critical hit is in, dealing maximum physical damage and 9 points from his axiomatic property for a total of 139 points of damage. He opts to stagger the demon lord for 4 rounds. The Balor easily makes his fort save against being blinded 3+29 = 33. Tanaka's fire resistance easily handles any damage from the Balor's flaming body.
The Balor is staggered, but will not be that easily defeated. It takes a five foot step back out of Tanaka's range and casts Implosion on him. Tanaka rolls a 6+22 = 28 on his fort save, managing to shrug off the damage just barely.
Tanaka steps in, sword keening as he continues to power attack. 5 attacks: 11+31 = 42 (hit), 9+31 = 40 (hit), 4+26 = 30 (miss), 9+21 = 30 (miss), 18+16 = 34 (miss). 2 hits. 59 and 60 points of damage.
The Balor is still staggered, ears ringing from Tanaka's mighty blow. But it focuses its infernal energy again, trying to get Implosion to work. Tanaka fails his roll on a nat 1+23 = 24. He takes 200 points of damage up front as his body starts to cave in on itself. Miraculously though, he is still alive.
Tanaka decides to continue power attacking, hoping to fell the Balor before it can make another attack like that. 5 attacks: 8+31 = 39 (hit), 6+31 = 37 (hit), the next hit is a critical threat on a 19+26 = 45 which confirms on a roll of 12+26 = 38, next attack is at 2+21 = 23 (miss), and the final attack misses on a roll of 1+16 = 17. 2 hits and a crit, this one may finish the Balor off...the attacks deal 61, 56, and 120 points of damage even. This damage is more than enough to finish off the Balor, whose body begins to surge and burst in its final death throes.
Tanaka fails his reflex save on a roll of a 1+16 = 17. He takes an additional 80 points of fire damage, which is enough to kill him...however, he opts to use True Resolve, limiting himself to only -1 hit points and stabilizing him instantly.
Results: Color me impressed with Tanaka. He had a pretty good track record. Now, what this means? This means that the class might be a little too powerful if it can single-handedly take down CRs of its own level without any outside assistance. A fighter in many of the same situations would not have the ability to use resolve to potentially save his bacon on a failed save, or challenge for so much extra damage. Of course in a real game the Samurai will have to ration his challenges and save them for important foes only. If Weapon Expertise truly does not allow a samurai to take fighter feats without having a fighter level, then I am definitely a fan of the 1 fighter/19 samurai build to get a better baseline of damage.
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The Breakdown
Base: I have only two things to say about the skeleton of the Samurai class (I refer to the base statistics: skill points, HD, BAB, saves, etc). First, Shield Proficiency should go. Considering that most of the samurai's favored weapons are two-handed anyway it doesn't mean a whole lot to have it. Second, a lot of how the class is written makes it seem like it should have a strong will save. Or barring that, some kind of ability that gives them a bonus to their will save, or just Iron Will for free. Obviously if one were to give the class two strong base saves then a completely new pass at re-balancing would need to occur.
Challenge: Excellent baseline ability for the class from a conceptual, practical, and aesthetic level. Being able to lay down epic challenges to ancient foes is the bread and butter of almost any Samurai story.
Mount: There is precedent for the mounted samurai warrior tearing his way across the battlefields but this tends to be the exception rather than the rule. I'll admit that the games I run typically involve places that horses and animal companions can not travel. But, setting that aside, I was in favor of the variants in the base classes that allowed them to sacrifice their animal companion or mount for some other bonus. Perhaps something like that would be appropriate here? An easy fix would be to apply the old daisho enchantment rules from the 3.0 Oriental Adventures samurai, but it could just as easily be a variant on divine bond that allowed them to imbue their weapon with extra 'oomph' for a limited time. I would extend this to Cavaliers too but it would require a bit of a change to their class.
Order: When I first saw that the Samurai was based on the Cavalier orders I admit I was a little confused. But, when you realize that 'order' could just as easily be called 'fighting style', 'lord affiliation', 'dojo', it opens up the class to unprecedented amount of customization from a GM and players alike.
Resolve: These abilities are neat. Just plain neat. I love them all.
Weapon Expertise: Aside from the ambiguity I mentioned at the beginning of this dissertation, this ability seems fine. It's a bonus feat that gives you a little bit more, or a lot more if the Samurai has a Fighter level.
Mounted Archer: I would switch this to some kind of ability based on what the Samurai chose as their focus in Weapon Expertise. Maybe the naginata wielder can make attacks against adjacent allies, the katana/wakizashi wielder gets a small shield bonus to AC while wielding their weapon, or the archer can make melee attacks with their bow as a quarterstaff. It just seems odd to me to have them choose a weaopn at level 3, and then the very next level give all of them an archer based ability.
Banner: Though conceptually appropriate, I have to question this ability a little. Given how Samurai tend to operate would they not be fighting under the banner of their lord rather than their own? And in that case, how does one approach the Ronin? I would actually re-tool this ability slightly. Call it 'Reputation' and have the focus be the Samurai himself, or perhaps a specific item he keeps with him. It lends more to the image of a Samurai's foes shaking at the mention of his name, or his allies having unwavering faith in the resolve of their lords best warrior. You could even mix it up a little, make the effects it give based on the Samurai's alignment and do it along the Law/Chaos axis. Chaotic Samurai inspire fear in their enemies, Lawful Samurai inspire heroics and bravery, while Neutral Samurai get to choose.
Bonus Feats: A feat is a feat. I wish they got more. It's obvious why they don't.
Greater Resolve: See my opinions on Resolve.
Honorable Stand: It's...nice I suppose. Immune to fear effects seems kinda superfluous when they can spend a point of resolve to remove anything but panicked. Not falling unconscious at negative hit points is nice too but considering how narrow the death's door is then its a very narrow wire where they get to still act. I assume they would still be staggered at this point anyway so it seems like an excellent way for a dying Samurai to monologue, which is certainly appropriate. I just wonder if there's a way to spice it up somewhat without making it as good as Last Stand.
Demanding Challenge: Just like barbarians get improved versions of rage, it makes sense for the challenge to get better at higher levels.
Greater Banner: Greater Reputation? Standard action to let out a war cry or epithet of some kind? Again, advanced progressions on earlier abilities are nice.
True Resolve: I maintain: neat.
Last Stand: Conceptually: Really, really, really cool. Practically: Well let's think. Obviously against other level 20 martial characters this ability is exceedingly effective. In a war-based campaign this ability is astoundingly effective as the Samurai simply goes wading through the thickest of enemies, taking minimal damage as he barrels towards his foe.
However, the other side of the coin is this ability rapidly loses its effectiveness against any non-martial foe. A Resilient Sphere cast by a 20th level wizard has a good chance to stop the Samurai in his tracks. Or he could just be pelted with fireballs and chain lightning bolts or a dragon's breath weapon.
So the question becomes: How does it stack up to other level 20 abilities from other classes? His counterpart, the Cavalier, gets bonus damage while charging on his mount and the ability to make a foe stunned or staggered on a critical charge. In a way the Cavalier is similarly restricted in the effectiveness of his level 20 ability (must be mounted). The Fighter, on the other hand, can use Weapon Mastery wherever he is. Granted it only applies when he lands a critical threat, but he doesn't have to worry about any conditions to meet for his ability.
So does it stack up? I don't know, that's a decision for the design team. On the one hand it is astoundingly powerful in the right circumstances, on the other hand those circumstances are subject almost entirely to the will of the DM.
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Concepts
The Good: This is probably the best representation of a samurai class that I've seen. The net it casts is wide enough that if you feel there is something that is missing, you can design a new Order for it. The Complete Warrior (D&D 3.5) interpretation made the mistake of trying to be all things at once and missing the mark while the Oriental Adventures (D&D 3.0) tried to make the class varied by clan and feat trees, but the class ended up falling short next to a fighter.
The Bad: By making the class an analogue to the Cavalier, it inherently restricts what you can do with it by making it essentially a variant. That's not to say that some of the things from Cavalier aren't appropriate, it's just not how I would've built the class. Also after seeing how the class performs in combat, it may just be a little too powerful. Certainly if they have all their tricks available to them, they can make short work of even the nastiest of foes.
The Ugly: Shield proficiency is inappropriate for the Samurai.
Reflections: It seems the class is quite versatile at the moment, tough enough to stand in front and soak some attacks, and mean enough to dish out a ridiculous amount of damage when they need to.
Samurai as Horse Riders: There is historic precedent to have samurai as cavalry troops. In the Sengoku period (the date ranges vary but most historians put the date ranges in the mid 1450's to around 1600) the daimyo Takeda Shingen was renowned for his highly trained cavalry. Ultimately his forces were decimated time and time again by Oda Nobunaga and his use of firearms. However, horses were not native to Japan and were imported from China, which made them quite rare (especially since Japan went through a few periods of isolationism when they closed their borders to trading with nearly everyone except for the Dutch out of Nagasaki). During the Edo period (1603-1868) the mythos of the Samurai received several creative reinventions, which focused more on the recently created philosophy of Bushido and began to romanticize the Samurai. In the end, the Samurai had horses, whether any individual daimyo had enough of them to put them to use is another question.
Samurai as Archers: There is more historic precedent for noble samurai archers. Historians report the use of the longbow to be instrumental in the Genpei war (1180-1185), which marked the beginning of the end of the Heian period (794-1185). Archery became highly associated with the upper crust of warrior-noble culture which continued all the way into the Sengoku period. When Nobunaga began using firearms with ruthless efficiency, the way of the bow fell by the wayside. However, during the Edo period, the samurai caste continued to practice their warlike skills and a revival of kyudo (Lit. way of the bow) was seen. Mounted archery was a tried and true tactic by the daimyo who could afford it in the Sengoku period.
Samurai as Two-Weapon Fighters: There is less historic precedent for this, as it seems to be more a result of Edo period romanticism and contemporary era sensationalism regarding the Samurai. Historians didn't keep track of any individual warrior's fighting style during periods of war, so almost any representation of a dual-wielding samurai will be seen through movies, literature, and video games. That being said, it is pervasive across those spheres and here's where things get complicated. How much of popular culture do you blend with historical culture to make a class that is both fully realized and fun to play? Should all samurai get two-weapon fighting as part of Weapon Expertise? This leads to the heart of the issue with crafting the samurai class:
Varieties of Samurai: The best way I can illustrate this is by saying: Watch the Seven Samurai. Not only is it an excellent film, it will give you an idea about the various types of Samurai that made their way into the modern mythos. I would go so far as to argue that, in Pathfinder terms, you could have a different samurai for every primary statistic.
Strength - The rough and tumble bruiser type, commonly seen with a sake bottle.
Dexterity - The iaijutsu wielder who cuts you twice before you know he's there.
Constitution - The samurai who just won't die, guided by a higher purpose.
Intelligence - The brilliant tactician, guiding his warriors to effective victory.
Wisdom - The meditative warrior-monk.
Charisma - The samurai with the ability to unite the lands.
I'm effectively pulling all those archtypes off the top of my head. You don't have to go digging very far through media to find an example for all of them. Here are some places to start: Seven Samurai (movie), Way of the Samurai 1-3 (PS2, PS3 video game franchise), Musashi (novel), Samurai Seven (anime adaptation of the aforementioned movie).
It cuts to the question of "What is a Samurai?" The answer: Many things. I actually think the varieties can be adaquately addressed with the various orders which, in hindsight, was a pretty damn good idea on how to tackle this. Again I would probably rename them for the samurai as 'Lords' or 'Dojos' but the idea remains the same. The only question beyond that comes with what constitutes the core of the Samurai, and what can be added later with Order abilities?
I really need to wrap this up, so let me just end on a somewhat personal note. I love the dexterity-based samurai who tears things up with iaijutsu. To that end I present you with this Order:
Order of the Wind
The way of the wind emphasizes courage in the face of oppression, grace, respect, and a reverence to the natural world. Warriors who follow this code are expected to challenge tyrannical figures of authority, act with poise and deference, and not bring undue harm to the world around them. Samurai who follow the order of the wind build a reputation for being polite yet silent drifters who oppose cruelty wherever they go.
Edicts: The samurai must be ready to give his life for the sake of saving personal freedoms, especially to repressed individuals. He must be polite and respectful to all he meets. When passing any shrine dedicated to the natural world, he must stop and pay his respects.
Challenge: Whenever an order of the wind samurai declares a challenge, he receives a +1 dodge bonus to his AC against his challenge target. This AC bonus increases by +1 for every four levels the samurai possesses.
Skills: An order of the wind samurai adds Acrobatics and Stealth to his list of class skills.
Order Abilities: A samurai who belongs to the order of the warrior gains the following abilities as he increases in level.
Move Like the Wind (Ex): At 2nd level the samurai learns how to move as graceful as the wind itself. He gains a +20 permanent bonus to his land speed and does not apply his armor check penalty to his stealth or acrobatics checks. In addition, he may use one daily use of resolve under the resolute ability to reroll a reflex save that he just made as an immediate action. He must decide to use this ability before he rolls the saving throw.
Iaijutsu Charge (Ex): At 8th level the samurai is able to make a charge attack that strikes multiple foes as a standard action. Using this action he may move up to twice his move speed in one direction, making a single attack roll that resolves against every foe he threatens along his path. He does not suffer attacks of opportunity for this movement. Roll a single attack roll and apply damage as applicable for every target he hits. Precision and critical hit based damage applies to only one target along the path of the charge, but extra damage from weapon abilities (such as bane, flaming, etc) apply as normal. The samurai can use this ability once per day, plus one additional use per day for every 3 levels beyond 8th.
Bladestorm (Ex): At 15th level the samurai can use his affinity with nature and supernatural speed to create a field of lightning-quick slashes all around him. Using this ability is a full-round action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. Every creature within 30 feet of the samurai takes damage as if he struck them with his melee weapon (the samurai may not use power attack with this ability, but bonus damage for his challenge target applies as normal). Precision based damage applies as normal if the samurai has it, but since no attack roll is made no critical hit may occur. He may not use any other ability that would garuntee him a critical hit in conjunction with this ability. He may choose to leave a number of creatures up to his dexterity modifier out of this field. This ability can be used as often as the samurai wishes, but using it takes two points of resolve.
There, done. Those are my thoughts on the subject. They are by no means conclusive or meant to be the biblical truth. Next week: Maybe Ninja.
(All told this thing was 35 pages on my computer)
-KRW (CDP)
