I've been meaning to try an Aldori swordlord with either the crane style from UC and/or duelist levels.
Now, Crane style requires you to put a feat in UAS, but it will improve your defensive fighting further - arguably reducing the penalties to 0 (-2 from swordlord, -2 from UC) and improving the bonuses. Later on you can flat out ignore one attack. As for the duelist, well, chances are you won't be wearing full plate with that character, so extra damage (which you can still claim if you hold the sword in both hands) and other goodies don't hurt. Oh, and at level 7, you get even more penalties from fighting defensively. You will have to get the dodge and mobility feats - not that they are all that bad, extra AC never hurts. With those stats, actually Agile Maneuvers and Stand Still sound pretty good, too.
By the way, your character can't take combat expertise or improved disarm as s/he is now. CE requires 13 in Intelligence.
Well, the swordlord does get damage on disarms, which I found a pretty useless feature and a complete loss compared to weapon training (maybe that was the point). In general, I treat the suggested feats as just that - suggestions you may or may not care about, at least unless your DM has some ideas about it. Anyway, in your case disarming is near-useless since you won't have the improved/greater versions, and combat expertise is actually a lot worse than just fighting defensively.
I suggest swapping out when you pick up Quick Draw and Weapon Focus. +1 to hit right from level 1 is gonna be more useful for you than a free action to draw a weapon when there's no benefit to full attack with it yet.
Cant swap it out Proto - its needed for Aldori Dueling mastery.
What I mean is swap out the order to pick up those 2 feats: weapon focus at level 1. Quick Draw at level 2.
Go 1 level Aldori Swordlord Fighter then take 2 levels of Weapon Adept Monk and the rest Aldori Swordlord Fighter from there.
Going human you'd get the following feats
1) Exotic Weapon Aldori Dueling Sword, Quick draw, and Weapon finesse
2) Dodge, Improved Unarmed, and Perfect Strike
3) Weapon focus Aldori, Deflect Arrows, and Crane Style
4) Aldori Dueling Master
5) Combat Expertise
6) Weapon Specialization Aldori Dueling Sword
7) Crane wing
8) *Improved Disarm
9) Crane Riposte
By going Monk you gain 5 extra feats though Perfect Strike is useless for you Aldori Dueling sword. The thing is you get Crane style and Aldori Dueling Master before 5th level. As well you gain boost to you saves, you wisdom to AC if you are not wearing armor. A few more class skills, Acrobatics being one of them, and some more skill points for those levels. And all you sacrifice is 1 BAB and delaying you fighter level by 2 levels.
* These can be swapped around depending what you prefer. Improved Disarm at 7th to use Disarming strike or Crane Wing for the defensive power.
|
Glad to see all the replies.
Anything to say about the ability scores? The main thing I dont like is the lower damage output from reduced Str. Playing this style of fighter isnt all about damage for sure. I want to carry my own weight in taking down mobs though, not just dancing around with a bazillion AC.
As others have said, you need to adjust your INT, you can't take the improved combat manuever feats that have combat expertise as a pre-req. I'd dump con to 12 and bump int to 13
Go 1 level Aldori Swordlord Fighter then take 2 levels of Weapon Adept Monk and the rest Aldori Swordlord Fighter from there.
With the weapon focus and perfect strike being only for certain monk weapons, I am not seeing the bonus of going Weapon Adept in this build.
The monks bonus to AC of their WIS is a great ability if you have a high enough WIS to have it outweigh not using armor. While he could switch stats around and get a +2 instead of a +1 to WIS... I am not sure I see that as worth it when you could have the same benefit from armor (more AC, not to mention enchanting armor with more bonuses and special abilities). Add on top of that, that you are now slowing down your access to abilities like Steel Net from the Aldori Swordlord and I just don't know that I agree that a Monk dip is worth it (and I am a big fan of dips).
That said, Crane Style feat is beautiful here. It DOES help with the IUS feat tax that you are paying to get it if you dip monk, but I think the benefits do not outweigh the cost in this case. I would pay the feat tax as a fighter and move on.
While disarming won't help in a lot of combats (against things that don't have weapons), when it does, it will significantly reduce the abilities of your opponent when it does. With no reduction in damage for doing so at level 5, it's a no brainer option... if they can be disarmed it is likely well worth your time to do so. You may lose out on some iterative attacks, but at the benefit of taking a weapon from someone who likely does not have a back up... NPCs are VERY susceptible to disarms and sunders if they have equipment. The flavor just rocks as well... you can't beat it for a duelist.
Anyway... good stuff! Should be a fun character. I love all the potential background and RP that an Aldori Swordlord could have in this campaign. I hope your GM plays it up!
Sean Mahoney
|
Glad to see all the replies.
Anything to say about the ability scores? The main thing I dont like is the lower damage output from reduced Str. Playing this style of fighter isnt all about damage for sure. I want to carry my own weight in taking down mobs though, not just dancing around with a bazillion AC.
You might check out the agile weapon enchantment in the PFS Field guide. When you use weapon finesse it uses your dex for damage instead of str.
You might check out the agile weapon enchantment in the PFS Field guide. When you use weapon finesse it uses your dex for damage instead of str.
This would be a good call. At low levels (when you can't afford it) it wouldn't help too much because using the aldori dueling sword lets you get 1.5 str anyway... so if you magically had the enchant at low levels it would only give you a +1 dmg difference anyway (+3 str to dmg vs +4 dex to dmg). But once you start getting DEX boosting items, and why wouldn't you, that difference will get bigger and bigger.
Glad to see all the replies.
Anything to say about the ability scores? The main thing I dont like is the lower damage output from reduced Str. Playing this style of fighter isnt all about damage for sure. I want to carry my own weight in taking down mobs though, not just dancing around with a bazillion AC.
Well, strength-boosting gear should help, but I think damage is best provided via the good old-fashioned power attack. IIRC there are no problems using it with a finessable weapon - and when you want to focus on damage, just grip the dueling sword in both hands. Check with your DM if you can use the sword as two-handed on your turn and one-handed on the enemy turn (so you can use the swordlord goodies) ;) .
Is the +1 to hit that much of an issue at level 1? With Weapon Finesse, Id have +5 to hit at level 1. I figured on taking Quick Draw 1st for flavor.
A Fighter with 18 Str would also have +5 to hit at level 1 and I'd still recommend Weapon Focus. A Dex-based fighter does less damage than Str-based so accuracy is gonna be even more important for you.
On the multiclassing-with-monk topic, go Master of Many Styles instead.
Fighter 1 = Exotic Weapon (Aldori Dueling Sword), WEAPON FOCUS, Weapon Finesse
MoMS Monk 1 = Improved Unarmed Strike, Stunning Fist, Crane Style (Monk Bonus Feat thanks to archetype: Don't need pre-reqs)
MoMS Monk 2 = Quick Draw, Crane Wing (Monk Bonus Feat thanks to archetype: Only need Crane Style as a pre-req)
Fighter 2 = Aldori Dueling Mastery
Crane Wing by level 3 (more of a defensive boost than Aldori Dueling Mastery anyways), Aldori Dueling Mastery by level 4. After that the world is your oyster.
On the multiclassing-with-monk topic, go Master of Many Styles instead.
Fighter 1 = Exotic Weapon (Aldori Dueling Sword), WEAPON FOCUS, Weapon Finesse
MoMS Monk 1 = Improved Unarmed Strike, Stunning Fist, Crane Style (Monk Bonus Feat thanks to archetype: Don't need pre-reqs)
MoMS Monk 2 = Quick Draw, Crane Wing (Monk Bonus Feat thanks to archetype: Only need Crane Style as a pre-req)
Fighter 2 = Aldori Dueling Mastery
That... is much harder to argue against. It is pretty hot.
I keep going over the other styles so you can use the two styles at once, but there isn't really any that would work well with this build and be worth the feat slot.
It does delay when you get to reduce the minus from fighting defensively as an Aldori Sword dude, but I think it pretty much makes up for it and then some.
You lose flurry... but you weren't going to be able to flurry with your dueling sword... yeah, I have nothing... this is a good way to go. Good find.
Rogue Eidolons take on my PC. Pretty much the same concept of dipping into Monk for the Crane Style feats. He however goes monk at 1 & 3 and goes straight for the Crane feats. Also, swaps Dex and Str in the abilities, doesnt Finesse, and doesnt go for Dueling Mastery.
Ah we'd all agree that Str-based fighter would be best bet in long run. Fewer feat/magic weapon requirements than making Dex work. Only reason why I'd do fighter for first level is for HP and armor proficiencies. Having a good flat-footed AC has saved my low-initiative melee-types more often than I can count.
|
I've considered that archetype a few times. But it's just so bad.
My suggestion is you play the weapon master archetype from APG and flavor yourself as an Aldori Swordlord. Especially if you are going to be facing other Aldori dueling swords, your Mirror Move ability is going to be $$$.
Ignore the various Aldori feats, and just go STR, Power Attack, Combat Expertise, Improved Disarm, etc. You will save yourself the headache of trying to make the character good but limited by rules.
If you go that route, you don't need Weapon Finesse, Aldori Dueling Mastery, and Exotic Weapon Proficiency. You can optimize it if you wish (18 STR!) or build it more well rounded but still have feats.
Quick Draw can be delayed to later levels. Something like 14 DEX, Improved Initiative, and Reactionary should be good enough to show off your "speed" in combat.