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I am working on making a samurai and would like some advise on what people would take for the the first three or four feats. I don't often play fighter classes so any advise would be helpful.
I started with Power Attack. If you are using your katana two-handed the extra damage adds up fast. I'm playing a samurai in our home campaign now, and between my high strength and Power Attack damage I generally drop most opponents in a single hit.
Weapon Focus is a good choice. It opens up the possibility of Weapon Specialization later. It also helps off-set the attack penalty from Power Attack.
Iron Will is a solid option, since Samurai have poor will saves. I took it as my extra human feet at 1st level and I haven't regretted it. You never know when you're going to need to make a will save.
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By the numbers:
1. I am still working on the stats. I am looking at high str and dex but I want to make sure I don't need something later that I thought was a throw away. Still reading over the UC to make sure I understand the class.
2. I am thinking straight forward swordsman with a Katana and light armor (until I can afford better).
3. I am playing PF Society. I have to travel a ways (no game shops here) to play, so, I only play once a month with a society group.
Hope that helps.
What Aberrant Templar said. Also, I would suggest taking Furious Focus, if you are going to use the Katana two-handed. It let you have the benefits but none of the penalty of the Power Attack in your first strike.
Check how your DM interprets Weapon Expertiseclass feature.
Some believe it lets a Samurai take fighter feats, others believe it requires a dip.
Now DEADLY STROKE is uber for a Samurai.
It doubles ALL fixed damage bonuses on a Strike AND inflicts awesome CON bleed.
So: Trait: Reactionary Initiative
1.Samurai 1:Power Attack, H-skill Fcs: Intimidate
2.Fgtr 1: Weapon Focus
3.Samurai 2: Imp Initiative
4.Samurai 3
5.Samurai 4: Conrugan Smash
6. Samurai 5
7. Samurai 6: Dazzling Display, Shatter Defenses
8. Samurai 7
9. Samurai 8: Gtr Wpn Fcs
10 Samurai 9
11 Samurai 10: Deadly Stroke
12. Samurai 11
13. Samurai 12: Dazing Assault, Wpn Spl
Now, Beat a foes initiative roll and move in and deadly Stroke. Now he's shaken. And you did huge damage. And his AC is lower. He'll remain shaken (thus flatfooted) for multiple rounds and you can deadly stroke over and over.
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1) You can't get to 13th-level in PFS, so you have to plan multiclassing carefully.
2) You don't need a crap-ton of damage-dealing feats as a samurai -- because you just kick in your Challenge to deal with anything really nasty.
3) A samurai's main weakness is armor more cumbersome than a fighter when he is on foot; think carefully before committing yourself to heavy armor. Your will save is also pure, concentrate garbage once you've used up your Resolute uses per day.
4) 20pts stat arrays: 15/14/12/12/12/12 or 17/14/12/12/12/07 pre-racial-bump are recommended. Dip barbarian going the first one.
5) You get a full druid-level mount; don't waste it -- take Mounted Combat and throw points into Ride, etc. It is exceptionally good if you plan on playing a small race on a medium mount. Take Ride-by attack, and it's like having Dodge/Mobility/Spring Attack on both you and your mount, and you don't have to end movement in full-attack range of the opponent.
Even if you don't wanna ride your mount.
It's pretty tough and has 3attacks, scent, good HP, STR
It gets it's own feats: Power attack, Imp Overrun and Charge through are great.
Have your mount Overrun your opponent, tripping him. You then move in and attack a prone opponent (dont block the horse's charge line.), when he gets up (to get rid of the -4AC) that provokes. The horse can run him over on it's turn again.
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Needless to say, samurai are ungodly agents of destruction with a bow. The archetype gives you a big, fat hint by providing Mounted Archery for free.
You just machinegun things things a paladin is useless against.
IOW, don't trash your DEX too far if you're a STR/PowerAttack guy -- because if the bag guys see you coming in all covered with muscles, they're might retreat and shoot at you. You'll feel lame if all you have at that point is a non-masterwork light crossbow you've been hauling around since 1st level.
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By the numbers:
1. I am still working on the stats. I am looking at high str and dex but I want to make sure I don't need something later that I thought was a throw away. Still reading over the UC to make sure I understand the class.
2. I am thinking straight forward swordsman with a Katana and light armor (until I can afford better).
3. I am playing PF Society. I have to travel a ways (no game shops here) to play, so, I only play once a month with a society group.
Hope that helps.
There are a couple more things to keep in mind:
First, when picking your stats don't forget that if you use your katana two-handed you get to add 1.5 times your normal strength modifier. You also get a larger power attack bonus (+3 instead of the normal +2). So with a 14 strength and power attack you'll have a +6 to damage. An 18 strength and power attack would give you a +9 to damage.
Second, don't forget that you can take cavalier orders. Both the Order of the Cockatrice and the Order of the Dragon are solid choices. Just remember you won't ever get the 15th level ability no matter what you choose.
Third, you won't get a ton of feats as a samurai AND you have to consider the level cap. Assuming you don't multiclass, over your whole career you'll have 9 feats available (10 if you are human). So I'd be careful about spending too many feats on mounted combat unless you want to focus on that area. A small samurai will have more opportunity to use their mount during adventures, but a small samurai is also trading away damage.
Finally, if you don't mind a little extra paperwork you might consider plotting out a "samurai" using the fighter class. What you lose in special abilities you'd make up in feats, which gives you a little more flexibly in developing your character (13 feats/ 14 if human).
Which thread, linky please
(My DM thinks you need the dip)
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There is a thread on the Playtest boards where one of the Paizo guys says it Samurai levels count AS fighter levels without the dip. Then, with all the confusion caused and resolved there on the playtest board they didn't take the time/effort to clarify it in the wording of UC.A small samurai will have more opportunity to use their mount during adventures, but a small samurai is also trading away damage.A halfling will do a TON of damage TWFing Agile wakazashies.
Yeah; "Weapon Expertise" (3rd-level bennie) could have been written better.
My PFS samurai won't be taking weapon-spec anyway; he rotates between many weapons.
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im a big fan of switch hitting samurai,
2 levels of fighter and one of urban barbarian, then use TWF trees with rapid/many shot and have insane flexibility and damage potential.
long sword/short sword until level 3 then upgrade to katana/wakazashi, i like halfling as my first choice, then human as my second choice for races.
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The best response I found to Samurai and there weapon expertise.
James, can you clarify the designers intent for the Samurai weapon expertise ability? Do they actually REQUIRE a fighter dip to take fighter weapon feats?
Magus, Eldritch Knight have similar abilities that DON'T require a dip.
NO class should require multiclassing to work as its own class. That's a fundamental philosophy of Pathfinder's design.
When we say: "The samurai levels stack with fighter levels," that's the same as saying, "For the purposes of meeting the prerequisite for feats like Weapon Specialization normally only available to fighters, the samurai treats his samurai levels as fighter levels.
Thus, a 4th level Samurai can take Weapon Specialization without multiclassing.
Yay. I get my Deadly Stroke Straight Samurai.
Actually, my move in a deadly stroke tactic is ok vs whomever you beat on initiative.
Even better is IF you can Participate in a surprise round. You get one standard or Move. You can't deadly stroke in a surprise round BUT you could Dazzling Display to debuff everybody. Then move in a deadly stroke anyone intimidated by you...
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I disagree that Deadly Stroke is ideal for a PFS character -- you're saddled with some pretty useless prerequisite feats that do not pay off until 11th level...just before retirement.
Even better is IF you can Participate in a surprise round. You get one standard or Move. You can't deadly stroke in a surprise round BUT you could Dazzling Display to debuff everybody. Then move in a deadly stroke anyone intimidated by you...
He can't Dazzling Display in a surprise round because it's a full-round action for a samurai, not a standard-action (as if for a Cockatrice cavalier).
I also wouldn't count on going first, even with Improved Initiative, if you're not a DEX maxer/advancer.
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I'm not all that sure about the deadly stroke route, I prefer the improved critical katana route and piling focus and specialization into it. If you're going the Warrior route, rolling three dice and going for the 15-20 crit chance is pretty likely. I'm level 9 and on the sword route, +2 to the will save, mount strength added to charge damage and it's not difficult to get spirited charge that way. On a crit mount charge I do from 156-212 damage, otherwise a normal swing is a d8+22 without a challenge or a mount at all. I'm not a fan of humans either, I'll take half-orc almost every time and treat darkvision as my human feat =p I'm gonna find a mage to permanency reduce person on me, the reduction in damage dice is more then worth it.
Each to thier own. The Deadly Stroke build is for a Katana Weapon Master Type of Dude who doesn't care about mountedmuch.
Sounds like you are focusing on mounted.
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I like everything about deadly stroke except for dazzling display...I almost feel it's better to intimidate a single opponent and move in to focus them down rather then spend your first round wiggling your sword about. If you're lucky enough to have an Inquisitor in your party, have that horrifying individual give someone the stink-eye (Since they'll probably go before you anyway and their intimidate will probably last a while.) If you're fighting mindless things, that's an awful lot of useless feats unless you have an Antipaladin.
If you're Cockatrice I suppose Dazzling Display is alright, but you're giving up Warrior or Sword and that's not a good trade off abilitywise. Needing Charisma in a class that needs strength, constitution, Wisdom (to cover their low will save) and even dexterity to properly fill out O-Yoroi armor is harsh.
tl:dr?
Dazzling Display is underwhelming and it makes my heart sad.
This is Toshio. I am playing him in ROTRL atm. Unlike the first time I used a deadly stroke build (one shot game starting at 14.I had a 25pt buy and a +10 skill item so didn't need skill focus)
So far he's keeping up with our Barbarian for Damage, despite not having any + to hit abilities.
Weapon Focus and Masterwork weapon is doing well.
He took skill focus because he only had CHA 10.
In hindsight Intimidating Prowess would be better because youget the same bonus to start, but my STR with gear will eventually be greater than 22 (+6) so will outdo Skill Focus.
Not a problem though because the check gets easier vs hit dice as you level.