I think that the key to this challenge would be in things other than damage. Disarm the barbarian, make him fall to the ground and poison your blade. Calm emotions effect would also make him hurt quite a bit if you release it on him after some rage (fatigue). If you had managed to dance round the falling barbarian taunting him and attacking as soon as his rage runs out you'd also make this character particularly hated. And don't forget to buff yourself. Quaffing a potion of heroism and haste (or perhaps have some minion to cast it) would also help.
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Consider the Arisocrat levels "free" levels (some bonus HP and skills aren't game breaking). So instead I'd consider her a high CR 2. I'd be happy to give her another level of Fighter (maybe even 2).
Secondly, play up her high intelligence and swashbuckling nature. She should choose where fights occur, and use terrain to best effect. If the barbarian is swinging with a big two handed weapon to deal major damage, have her lure him into an area where he would have to squeeze (like perhaps under a pier with pylons everywhere causing a -2 penalty on any 2 handed weapon).
Tangle foot bags and spring attack make her a very dangerous foe against practically anybody.
Hope that helps.
The CR of an NPC with (PC) class levels is level -1, I'd count the 2 aristocrat levels only for +1 CR, since they are normally level -2 CR you could argue she'd get an additional aristocrat level to make it CR +1.
So an aristocrat 2 / fighter 2 is only CR 2, also a villain can be some CR above the party, I'd say at least 2 over.
So a fighter 4 / aristocrat 2 would be fine as a CR 4. She should roughly be the equal of any two party pc's at this point. More importantly the CR is a guideline, compare her to other challenges, for example how'd she compare to an Ogre, a CR 3 creature ?
As it stands, she is closer to CR 2 than CR 3, one more level of fighter would put her solidly at CR 3. +1 chain shirt would allow for full dex bonus (as is) and would increase her ac to 20. Also, she gains no benefit from being without a shield, if she is intelligent, she would know this. At least give her a light shield (another +1 AC) until she gains duelist levels. Get combat expertise and improved trip.
Considering your villain is an aristocrat you might want to consider giving her above average wealth for an NPC. If this is the case she will no doubt possess the resources not only to equip herself with magic items comparable to the PCs, but also to hire some extra muscle. A couple bodyguards will make her a much greater threat, especially if they ambush your PCs.
Your villain knows she isn't as strong as the barbarian. She will not be challenging him directly, or she will surely die (and she knows this, at least in a fair fight... would she be one for fairness?). Instead she will try and take advantage of his weaknesses, exploiting them to the best of her ability. When push comes to shove, she will surely have an ace up her sleeve if you know what I mean.
For individual combat, improved disarm will serve her well. Not only will she be hindering your PCs, but she will be humiliating them to boot. Fun times.
Maximizing her hit points might increase her survivability as well. If you want to get fancy you could even throw the Advanced template on her ;)
Hope this helps. Good luck and happy-gaming.
Also, keep in mind as to how she is supposed to survive to become a recurring NPC. The barbarian will most likely be faster, so give her a couple of devoted warriors to buy her time to escape if things look bad.
Also, keep in mind as to how she is supposed to survive to become a recurring NPC.
+1
She has to survive. Don't he afraid to buff her considerably if that's what it takes.
+1 to everything that's been said so far. Also, really think about the non-combat ways she can make life uncomfortable for your PC's. She's an aristocrat. She knows people. What kind of people? ...People. She is well-connected, she can make life miserable for them. She has stooges and henchmen and mooks and all sorts of people she can use as resources. And don't forget her most important connection of all, her most useful contact... You.
Dump the Aristo levels. Take Rogue or Fighter levels. What are you getting for the Aristo levels? a few skills, and...? Title, and nobility does not define class levels. The rogue levels would give a lot of depth for skills. The fighter levels would give more raw combat power.
Put ranks into Bluff and then take Improved Feint. Ramp up damage by denying DEX and adding (if you go Rogue...) Sneak Attack damage. Take the Rogue Talent, Bleeding Attack. Once she lands one of those have her break contact and force the party to stop and heal it. Or, if she can catch the Barb alone, prick and then dance till he dies.
Look at Piranha Strike (acts as Power Attack for Finessers) to push up her damage.
Combat Expertise for AC.
Does she have a decent CHA? Maybe Use Magic Device would be helpful later?
Human Fighter2/Rogue2
Feats: Weapon Finesse, Combat Expertise, Improved Feint, Improved Disarm, Agile Manuevers.
Lots of options. :)
For gear, if she is DEX 18, Max her DEX Bonus with a Chain Shirt (total AC w/ +1 Chain Shirt is +9, with Dodge she gets an AC 20). Add to that the bonus for Combat Expert and she can ramp to a 21; fight Defensively for an AC of 22. That would be pretty nasty especially *after* she took away the big man's sword ;)
I like the idea of this villain-I hope the party plays along ;)
GNOME
An idea I had recently was a "feint fighter", something like FireberdGNOME is suggesting. You might be able to use some of it.
Combat Expertise, Improved Feint, and Improved Trip or Disarm (your choice). That's a level 2 fighter right there. If you're going to be level 4 (even with aristocrat levels), you can pick up whatever else. Also, if the duelist is human, that's another one.
Start with a decent CHA, and invest in Bluff (Aristocrats get it as a class skill). Skill Focus (Bluff) is not a horrible choice.
In combat, she can feint as a move action, denying her enemy DEX to her next attack *OR* combat maneuver. She can then disarm her enemy (or trip, if you went that way) far easier (No DEX, +2 from Improved X).
You could even dump STR, pump DEX, and grab Agile Maneuvers and Combat Reflexes. She wouldn't deal a ton of damage, but she could keep the barbarian disarmed, and stab at him when he tries to pick up his weapon, or if he attacks unarmed. If she's a tripper, she gets free shots when he stands up.
Greater Disarm is even better once you hit BAB +6. You can knock his weapon away and smack him when he runs to get it.
Also as GNOME said, a level of Rogue would be fantastic for when she wanted to deal damage, getting sneaker after a feint.
One quick thought: low Str makes improved disarm unattractive.
Doug M.
UMD + Wand of Shatter (3-4 charges left could be sufficient) may net you a naked empty-handed barbarian, but be careful with these tactics. They are quite frustrating.
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Quick Build:
Female Human Aristocrat 2/Fighter 3
LG Medium Humanoid
Init +4 Senses: Perception +5
Defense:
AC: 21 (+5 Chain Shirt, +4 Dex, +1 Buckler, +1 Dodge); Touch: 15; Flat Footed: 16;
HP: 38
Fort +5; Ref +6; Will +4 (+5 vs. Fear),
Offense:
Speed: 30 ft
Melee: Masterwork Rapier +10 (1d6+1/18-20) or Piranha Strike +9 (1d6+3/18-20)
Ranged: Dagger +8 (1d4+1/19-20)
Statistics
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 18, Con 13, Int 14, Wis 8, Cha 10
Base Attack: +4 CMB: +5 CMD: 20
Feats: Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack, Piranha Strike, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (Rapier),
Skills: Acrobatics +9, Bluff +6, Diplomacy +4, Handle Animal +4, Intimidate +6, Knowledge (Arcana) +6, Knowledge (Local) +6, Knowledge (Nobility) +6, Perception +5, Perform (Dance) +5, Ride +8, Survival +3, Stealth +7,
Languages: Common, two other
Special Features: Bravery +1, Armor Training 1
Equipment:
Chain Shirt +1, Cloak of Resistance +1, Masterwork Buckler, Masterwork Rapier, Potion of Cat's Grace (Note: Due to Armor Training and the Chain Shirt being Masterwork, the Dex from this will add fully to AC), Potion of Cure Light Wounds, Potion of Expeditious Retreat, Potion of Shield, 3 Daggers. Adventuring Gear as the adventure requires (she's got, like, 250 GP left for whatever you need specifically).
Note: This is by NPC WBL (3,450 GP) toss on another 7,000 or so to give her PC WBL (start by making the Rapier +1, then add an Amulet of Natural Armor +1 and a Belt of Dexterity +2). It's a little overly focused on defense (subbing in the Cloak for offensive items)...but the listed 1,400 isn't enough to buy a magic weapon anyway.
Assuming she jumps the PCs (as she should from the description), she can do so with her Potions all drunk (Cat's Grace first since it lasts three minutes) which will net her a 22 Dex and a +4 Shield bonus to AC, and thus +12 on attacks (+11 with Piranha Strike) and an AC of 26(!) as well as enhanced movement.
With that, the Barbarian needs an 18 to hit her (a 16 even when Raging) and she hits him on a 5 (3 if he's Raging). Assuming she's Piranha Striking she'll do something like 9d6+27 damage guaranteed over the 10 rounds before her Shield wears off, and she can keep fighting even then at AC 23. She's not gonna beat the party entirely by herself, but toss on some meat-shields (hired thugs...Warrior 2 types) to help her out and she can definitely do some damage.
Progression-wise her fourth level of fighter nets her Weapon Specialization, and some enhanced damage and then her fifth grants Weapon Training (plus Piranha Strike progression, and possibly Vital Strike) for more, and then Duelist for even more. Going that route, in three levels she could easily do 2d6+9 with that Rapier when Piranha Striking while also enhancing her AC. And all but one of that is only two levels away. Wow, that gets nasty fast.
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Quick Build:
Female Human Aristocrat 2/Fighter 3
LG Medium Humanoid
Init +4 Senses: Perception +5
[snippage]
Holy crap. That is awesome! And it's almost exactly what I'm looking for.
I was unaware of the existence of Piranha Strike -- don't have the APG. Was considering giving her Power Attack, but the Str requirement was a problem.
I can use this with very little tweaking.
Thank you!
Doug M.
No problem. Happy to help. :)
I aimed very hard for the feel of a swashbuckler, or at least a duelist. Someone who dances in and out of combat and is almost impossible to hit. I have this vivid image of a huge warrior lashing out at her futilely again and again as she slowly nicks him to death...
Glad to know I succeeded at least somewhat. :)
On mechanics: Piranha Strike is mechanically identical to Power Attack, just requiring Weapon Finesse instead of Str 13. And, on a pedantic note, it's apparently from the Sargava book, actually. I only found out of it's existence online, and I own the APG.
Going core only, it's relatively simple to switch her Str and Con and give her Power Attack anyway (something I considered doing)...though if you want to, say, give her better Charisma (something I also considered) it becomes somewhat more problematic.
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Piranha Strike only works with a light weapon - a rapier isn't a light weapon, so can't be used with the Feat, sorry. Still a nice option if she's going to have an off-hand dagger or something though.
With a high Int Fighter build I'm not sure why she's not focused on Combat Expertise and fighting defensively? You'll want Dodge first, naturally, but Combat Expertise is also the gateway to all those swashbuckler Feats which duellist types like. If she's not using an off-hand weapon, then a buckler fits with the theme nicely to help nudge up the AC a little more. Once you hit 3 ranks in Acrobatics your bonus for fighting defensively goes up to +3 as well (and a +6 bonus when using total defense to run away). So, at level 3, the character could have Dodge, Combat Expertise, and use Fighting Defensively with 3 ranks in Acrobatics to gain a +5 AC, at a -5 penalty (-4 for fighting defensively, -1 for Combat Expertise) to hit. At BAB +4 it's +6 / -6. So with a chain shirt and a buckler, she can have an AC of 21, before any bonus from Dex is figured in. Won't hit as much, of course, but she's a 'live to fight another day' type, correct?
Just swapping out the Piranha Strike on Deadmanwalking's build for Combat Experise, and having her fight defensively, would give her a healthy AC of 26.
iirc, Piranha Strike is in Sargava.
Also, you cannot have a potion of Shield (and, yes, that makes me cry! :( )
=PRD]Spells with a range of personal cannot be made into potions
Enjoy making the party work ;)
GNOME
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iirc, Piranha Strike is in Sargava.
Also, you cannot have a potion of Shield (and, yes, that makes me cry! :( )
=PRD]Spells with a range of personal cannot be made into potionsEnjoy making the party work ;)
GNOME
Where is that stated? I'm seriously not finding it. It's certainly not in the Potion section I'm looking at. And Shield's an Alchemist Extract, which would make it not being Potion-usable...weird. Not saying you're wrong, just saying that the PRD isn't saying that anywhere I can see.
Though everyone is of course right about Piranha Strike. My bad. Either switch out the weapon to a Short Sword or use my above suggestion (switching Str to 13 and Con to 12) and get Power Attack. Either works. Or use the above advice and get Combat Expertise, though her damage will definitely go south in that case...
Also, while I'm copping to errors, I actually got one number wrong: the Power Attack/Piranha Strike should be +8 for 1d6+5. Small mistake there, I was thinking it upgraded to -2/+4 at +5 BAB instead of +4.
Modification of a duellist I just built (going up to 11)
level progression: Aristrocrat 1, fighter 5, (aristocrat or fighter) 1, duellist 4
LVL 1: Weapon Finesse,
LVL 2: Dervish Dance
LVL 3: Dodge, mobility
LVL 4:
LVL 5: Weapon focus scimitar, weapon specialization scimitar
LVL 6: (fighter) weapon training duellist weapons
LVL 7: Spring Attack
LVL 8:
LVL 9: fleet, or any other feat you may desire
LVL 10:
LVL 11 Improved Critical Scimitar
You can put the 2nd aristrocrat level anywhere you want pretty much, and the build works well with mithril breastplate or mithril chain shirt (as you get higher levels), your strength could stay at 10 and starting with 17 dex (if point buy) by level 4 and 1 more dex from level you're doing 1d6+5 18-20x2 crits. And with dervish dance any bonus to dex (like the cat's grace potion) adds to damage and attack.
with the potion of cats grace you'll be doing 1d6+7 at (2 aristo 2 fighter) 11 ab or (level 5) 12 ab.
Note on Deadmanwalking's post, magic armor doesn't enhance the dex bonus (mastework only counts for armor mod, not dex max), you'd need mithral for that.
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"The imbiber of the potion is both the caster and the target. Spells with a range of personal cannot be made into potions."
Yup, there it is. My bad again. :(
In my defense, one doesn't usually check the rules for creating Magic Items when purchasing a Fighter's gear...that should really be mentioned in the actual potion section.
Ah well, replace with a Potion of Shield of Faith (which does work). That'll only drop the total AC by one (to 25), since the Shield never stacked with the Buckler.
EDIT: And damn, Lythe. You're right. I've been up all night and am clearly not at my best, I actually knew that one.
Mithril being a bit spendy unless going with PC wealth that drops the total AC to 24. Still not too shabby, though not quite as nice.
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Just an idea - instead of Duelist, give her the Student of War PrC from the Seekers of Secrets. Allows for Knowledge checks made against the party to translate into bonuses to pretty much whatever need she has (damage, AC, or maneuvers), especially great if it's a one-on-one duel and she doesn't have to worry about studying more than one enemy.
Also, +1 to ProffPott's comments on combat expertise - I would want her to beat them by taking a hit point at a time, being untouchable the entire time.
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Quick Build:
Female Human Aristocrat 2/Fighter 3
LG Medium Humanoid
Init +4 Senses: Perception +5
[snippage]
Holy crap. That is awesome! And it's almost exactly what I'm looking for.
I was unaware of the existence of Piranha Strike -- don't have the APG. Was considering giving her Power Attack, but the Str requirement was a problem.
I can use this with very little tweaking.
Thank you!
Doug M.
Well, if you don't have APG yet, you should definitely buy it; I have tons of D&D supplements, and it stands out easily as the best of the bunch! :)
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Okay, I'm definitely using this as the basis for her build. Some thoughts:
1) I want to keep her with the rapier for thematic reasons. So, I guess no Piranha Strike (though it seems odd -- a rapier's almost identical to a shortsword, except for piercing damage and a slightly better crit chance.)
So, a +1 rapier seems desirable here.
Yeah, assuming money can be scrounged for it. Personally, I'd house rule Piranha Strke to work with any weapon that Weapon Finesse works with. Given the prerequisite, that's a very logical change, and I don't think an unbalancing one. I mean, Power Attack works with literally anything.
2) Feats: if not Piranha Strike, then Power Attack? Swap Str and Con, doesn't seem a big deal. Well, as a recurring enemy she'd miss out on +2 Str bonus at 8th level. Okay.
Yeah. It keeps her HP a little lower than ideal, but actually enhances her damage slightly long-term. It's definitely viable. But if you're worried about her survivability, the Combat Expertise idea above has some definite poential, too.
3) No potion of Shield, more's the pity. (And Expeditious Retreat can't be made a potion either -- it's range: personal.)
So her AC maxes out at 23. The barb has a pretty good chance to hit her, so that's a problem -- he's about to hit 3rd level, so he can attack at +9 or +11 when raging for 2d6+6 or 2d6+9.
Still, she's now pretty competitive. That's great. Add in something like the pick-your-fight idea mentioned above, and this could do.
Sadly, not quite. As Lythe pointed out, I screwed up on the Armor allowing full Dex, so she'd only have a 22...however Shield of Faith is 1st level and can be made into a Potion, so that gets her back to 24. Give her a couple of potions of it for different fights (at 3 minutes, the Cat's Grace should last pretty well on it's own).
She can take three hits of the Barbarian on average if he's raging, and he needs a 14 to hit her, so he'll hit one in three times or so, maybe two out of five.
Assuming he has, say, 36 HP when Raging, he can take five hits from her (since I got it wrong and her damage is 1d6+5 w/Power Attack). She hits him six out of seven times when doing this...so over six rounds the odds actually favor her. Not alot, but enough. Unless he Criticals on his first attack or something.
Hmm. Looking at the Combat Expertise instead of Power Attack build above (-6 attack, +6 AC), she'd only hit half of the time, and need nine hits to bring him down, but for the first ten rounds he'd need a 19 or 20 to hit, and after that he'd still need a 17 or 18, so the odds would still favor her (probably even a little more), but the fight would be much longer, and likely more frustrating for the Barbarian.
She'd do worse against the Sorcerer with that build, though, since he'd get more chances for her to fail her Save before she shish-kebabbed him.
4) Other party members: she should take down the rogue with very little difficulty. (In fact, maybe she'll go after him first.) The sorceror... well, he has combat casting, and her Will save is no great shakes. Hm.
Yeah, a build can't have everything. If you wanted to give her Traits, Indomitable Faith adds one to Will Saves.
5) She has her own party: a ranger and a wizard, both 3rd level. Being LG, she'd only use them to make sure it was a fair fight (i.e., the rest of the PC party doesn't intervene as she tackles them one on one). The ranger is a NG elf; haven't fleshed him out at all. The wizard, some reaction rolls just showed that he's got a crush on her; he's true neutral, so he might slip the chain if he thinks she's in danger. Otherwise, they're support staff.
Ah. That makes sense. Is pre-combat buffing by the Wizards allowed? That might make a distinct difference in the fight. Particularly if the Wizard prepared spells with buffing her in mind. Bull's Strength on top of her Cat's Grace makes her a lot more dangerous...but not as much as the Barbarian getting Bull's Strength makes him.
6) Skills, surprisingly little tweaking. Perform: Dance, hah!
Glad I got something right. :)
At this point she's still friendly towards the PCs: she's met them by accident, as fellow adventurers. Her brother has only been "missing" for a few days. Ha, maybe I should have her invite them to a dress ball...
Doug M.
Heh. That could definitely be amusing.
A level 2 Alchemist cohort with the infusion discovery can net the lady "potions" of Expeditious retreat and Shield. He doesn't even have to be in the area.
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She's got a Wizard with her? Well, in that case I'd say Combat Expertise + Improved Disarm is a must. Weapon Finesse still applies to combat maneuvers as long as they're using the finesse weapon (so she can finesse her disarms with her rapier), but the beauty of having a Wizard companion is that he can ready an action to Mage Hand weapons away as soon as she disarms them. How much damage is the barbarian doing with just his fists? Hope he took Improved Unarmed Strike... ;)
If she's Lawful Good, I'd suggest the Ranger be made something of a 'trapper' - as in using nets or a whip or the like to slow opponents down, even if he can't set up actual (non-lethal) traps before the fight. Tanglefoot bags work well too. That way the focus of the combat can stay on your proto-duellist lady, and her two friends can just offer support. She's a highly mobile fighter, so anything which slows down the PCs is going to help her style of doing things.
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Female Human Aristocrat 2/Fighter 3
LG Medium Humanoid
Init +4 Senses: Perception +5
Defense:
AC: 21 (+5 Chain Shirt, +4 Dex, +1 Buckler, +1 Dodge); Touch: 15; Flat Footed: 16;
HP: 38
Fort +5; Ref +6; Will +4 (+5 vs. Fear),
Offense:
Speed: 30 ft
Melee: Masterwork Rapier +10 (1d6+1/18-20) or Piranha Strike +9 (1d6+3/18-20)
Ranged: Dagger +8 (1d4+1/19-20)
Statistics
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 18, Con 13, Int 14, Wis 8, Cha 10
Base Attack: +4 CMB: +5 CMD: 20
Feats: Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack, Piranha Strike, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (Rapier),
Skills: Acrobatics +9, Bluff +6, Diplomacy +4, Handle Animal +4, Intimidate +6, Knowledge (Arcana) +6, Knowledge (Local) +6, Knowledge (Nobility) +6, Perception +5, Perform (Dance) +5, Ride +8, Survival +3, Stealth +7,
Languages: Common, two other
Special Features: Bravery +1, Armor Training 1
Equipment:
Chain Shirt +1, Cloak of Resistance +1, Masterwork Buckler, Masterwork Rapier, Potion of Cat's Grace (Note: Due to Armor Training and the Chain Shirt being Masterwork, the Dex from this will add fully to AC), Potion of Cure Light Wounds, Potion of Expeditious Retreat, Potion of Shield, 3 Daggers. Adventuring Gear as the adventure requires (she's got, like, 250 GP left for whatever you need specifically).
Note: This is by NPC WBL (3,450 GP) toss on another 7,000 or so to give her PC WBL (start by making the Rapier +1, then add an Amulet of Natural Armor +1 and a Belt of Dexterity +2). It's a little overly focused on defense (subbing in the Cloak for offensive items)...but the listed 1,400 isn't enough to buy a magic weapon anyway.
Assuming she jumps the PCs (as she should from the description), she can do so with her Potions all drunk (Cat's Grace first since it lasts three minutes) which will net her a 22 Dex and a +4 Shield bonus to AC, and thus +12 on attacks (+11 with Piranha Strike) and an AC of 26(!) as well as enhanced movement.
With that, the Barbarian needs an 18 to hit her (a 16 even when Raging) and she hits him on a 5 (3 if he's Raging). Assuming she's Piranha Striking she'll do something like 9d6+27 damage guaranteed over the 10 rounds before her Shield wears off, and she can keep fighting even then at AC 23. She's not gonna beat the party entirely by herself, but toss on some meat-shields (hired thugs...Warrior 2 types) to help her out and she can definitely do some damage.
Progression-wise her fourth level of fighter nets her Weapon Specialization, and some enhanced damage and then her fifth grants Weapon Training (plus Piranha Strike progression, and possibly Vital Strike) for more, and then Duelist for even more. Going that route, in three levels she could easily do 2d6+9 with that Rapier when Piranha Striking while also enhancing her AC. And all but one of that is only two levels away. Wow, that gets nasty fast.
Are we talking the Pathfinder Advanced Fighter Variants? In this situation, for this particular encounter, I would suggest a Freehand Fighter, drop the buckler and focus on using Bluff to distract the Barbarian (taking into account the Barbarian won't likely have a high wisdom score, at low level!) you're only looking at a DC of 12 or 13, and with a Bluff score of 6, you're pretty much half-way there.
Cheap flanking tactics are the 'hired help' as has been mentioned, but a Wardog with Leather Barding gives the NPC some more punch, or a trained Falcon/Hawk Pet for the added "o.O" factor for the PCs, but challenging the PC to a duel is also excellent. Acrobatics allows this Duelist to dance circles around the Barbarian, avoiding AoO with relative impunity, so she can get to the high-ground or draw the Barbarian into terrain where a whopping big axe is more of a hindrance than an advantage.
The other thing to consider is that Barbarians run out of rage, and that leaves them Fatigued, meaning -2 to Strength and Dexterity, making the Barbarian much less able to defend or attack, and doing something that is physically tiring, such as running after the Duelist, will make the Barbarian exhausted instead, which means the Barbarian is effectively knackered when the Duelist comes sauntering back in to stab him/her in the throat a few times.
A Duelist is smart. This one is bloody smart. Tiring out the opponent while taking no damage (taking the Total Defence action also works here) can also take the brunt out of the Barbarian's bite, and Spring Attack allows the Duelist to run, stab, run again, and that means the barbarian has to either run after her, and can only take a single attack, or charge at her, and take the armor penalty, but also grants a higher chance of the Barbarian actually landing a hit...