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Piranha Strike is the Weapon Finesse version of Power Attack, and potentially well worth it. By the official rules it doesn't work with a rapier, but then by the official rules you can't buy a Feat and get +Dex to damage with a rapier either.
If you have a Flanking Buddy, both of you grabbing Precise Strike or Outflank might well be worth it. If you don't have one willing to go teamwork, grab Weapon Focus.
As for AC, grab a miithril chain shirt, a Belt of Dexterity, an Amulet of Natural Armor, a Ring of Protection, and (until you actually are a duelist) a masterwork buckler. You could also get Combat Expertise, obviously, which does stack with Fighting Defensively.
Agile Weapon enhancement (which counts as a +1) seems to be what you need here.
This enhancement can only be placed on a melee weapon which is usable with the Weapon Finesse feat.
Agile weapons are unusually well balanced and responsive. A wielder with the Weapon Finesse feat can choose to apply her Dexterity modifier to damage rolls with the weapon in place of her Strength modifier. This modifier to damage is not increased for two-handed weapons, but is still reduced for off-hand weapons.
An alternative to straight rogue (until duelist) could be taking 3 levels of weapon master (fighter archetype) to get weapon training earlier than other fighters and buying gloves of dueling for +3 to hit and damage. This would also give you another feat.
An alternative to straight rogue (until duelist) could be taking 3 levels of weapon master (fighter archetype) to get weapon training earlier than other fighters and buying gloves of dueling for +3 to hit and damage. This would also give you another feat.An interesting suggestion but the gloves of dueling are way outside of the price range of items I'd expect the DM to allow me to come in with. Although I do welcome other suggestions for multiclassing for anyone suggesting it keep in mind I do need to also fulfill the party's trap specialist role.
Well, as a human with decent intelligence you will be able to put full ranks in disable device anyway.
As for the gloves, you may be able to buy them later: you still get a +1(almost +2 thanks to full BAB) to hit and damage.
How about the offensive defense rogue talent to boost your AC?
Imroved and greater feint could be a good option for you later as a duelist, if you don´t have a flanking buddy or other means to get sneak attack.
Also note, a keen rapier is a +2 rapier pricewise, because it has to have at least a +1 enhancement before you can apply other enhancements. So it´s already nothing you find in grandmothers storeroom normally.
If you really want to be a great swashbuckler, you should learn to feint well and practice your winning smile.
I'd go:
Human bonus: Combat expertise
Level 1: Dodge
Level 2 Rogue talent: Finesse rogue
Level 2: Improved Feint
Level 3: Rogue talent: Befuddling strike
Level 4: Skill focus (bluff)
Traits: Fast-talker, whatever you want
Str 10
Dex 18
Con 14
Int 14
Wis 11
Cha 16
At level 4, you will have 4 (level) + 3 (favored) + 3 (focus) + 1 (trait) = 11 bluff.
Unless you're fighting very high sense motive opponents, you should have to make a bluff check of 10+BAB+Wis, which means usually in the 13-16 range. Which means you'll almost always be able to feint.
Move action feint, then stick them with the pointy end for 1d6+2d6 and he gets -2 to hit you. And you get to sway the ladies as well. That's what swashbuckling is all about.
Offensive defense scales better as befuddling strike, since it scales with sneak attack dice. You can use both though to be even harder to hit.
As for feinting, its better you hit once with sneak attack as twice without, because you damage in the first case will eventually become higher. Feint as move action then land a sneak attack with highest attack is ok. Combat expertise is good to boost your AC too if necessary.
Greater feint comes in handy for your parry AoO´s with duelist later.
It all comes down to if you have a reliable flanking partner or not though. If you have one maybe better take outflank the both of you and other teamwork feats that let you take more AoO´s.
As i see it, as a duelist you can already boost our AC later with INT and canny defense and the other abilities. What you want as a duelist too is the highest possible +hit bonus you can get to parry.
The magic weapon issue is bad though, because it will really hamper you over the levels. What you want is a flat bonus and if you can´t get haste regularly a speed weapon. For keen you can just take the improved critical talent. Should be possible in between somewhere.
For talents and feats in general i would suggest:
-dodge, mobility, weapon finesse to get duelist
-your finesse strike if possible (you get precise strike though, adding duelist elvel on damage and you have sneak attack if you do it right, so your damage should be ok)
-weapon focus rapier
-trap spotter if you like
-offensive defense, befuddling strike if you feel its necessary, but remember duelists get canny defense
Then you either go the flanking route with outflank and other teamwork feats as you like, or you go combat expertise - improved feinting - greater feinting.
If you want trapfinding, I would go Trapper Ranger for at least one level. Then you could pick any Fighter Archetype for 5 levels and still get Weapon Training. You wouldn't lose any BAB.
Your Rogue 3/ Fighter 3 entry to Duelist won't work because you don't have enough BAB.
You have to decide if you want to use sneak attack or not. One sneak attack with weapon damage+other modifiers+3d6 or more is better than two attacks with only weapon damage+other modifiers. Also you aim at hitting flat-footed AC (which essentially means being denied DEX and other similar boni to AC and is therefore lower in most cases).
If not and you go into rogue only or mainly for flavor, skills etc and disarming magical traps etc, you should consider other choices.
You should then look into a full BAB class for a better +hit chance, also pimping your duelist abilities. One level rogue or something else getting to disarm magic traps etc would then be enough. Or like you said free hand fighter or something.
I was trying to come up with suggestions and just ended up writing up a whole build. This goes up to level 10. I went off of various suggestions to include a feint build-- I am assuming since Str is low, you will rely on sneak attack as well as precise strike for damage.
To take or leave:
Rogue 8/Duelist 2
Move 30 ft
Initiative +6
Senses Perception +13
DEFENSE
AC 17 (10+4 Dex+2 Int +1 Dodge)
Hp 70 (8d8+2d10)
Fort +4 (+2) Ref 11 (+7) Will +2 (+2)
Evasion
Uncanny Dodge, Improved Uncanny Dodge
Canny Defense (currently +2 Int to AC, at 3rd level of Duelist will be +3)
OFFENSE
BAB +8/+3; CMB +9
Rapier +13/+8
Sneak Attack 4d6
Precise Strike (Ex): +2 (Duelist level) to attacks made with 1 hand – if attack with 2nd hand, cannot apply precise strike. Does not apply to those immune to crits.
Improved Reaction (Ex): +2 to Init
Parry (Ex): During full attack, can sacrifice 1 attack to parry an attack during same round.
STATISTICS
Str 12, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 16, Wis 10, Cha 14
(Human bonus to Dex, 4th level bonus to Str, 8th level bonus to Int—skill points go up then)
Rogue Talents:
Level 2: Weapon Training (Weapon Focus (Rapier)
Level 4: Combat Trick (Combat Expertise)
Level 6: Trapspotter
Level 8: Either a Sneak Attack talent (I like Bleeding Attack) or Honeyed Words
Feats: Dodge (Human), Weapon Finesse (1), Weapon Focus (Rapier) (Rogue Talent), Mobility (3), Combat Expertise (Rogue Talent), Improved Feint (5), Skill Focus (Bluff) (7), Greater Feint (9)
Skill points (8+2+1x7, 8+3+1x1, 4+3+1x2 = 105 skill points total)
Acrobatics (Dex) 10 ranks = +17
Bluff (Cha) 10 ranks = +21
Climb (Str) 3 ranks
Diplomacy (Cha) 10 ranks = +15
Disable Device (Dex) 10 ranks = +21
Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int) 5 ranks = +11
Knowledge (local) (Int) 5 ranks = +11
Perception (Wis) 10 ranks = +13 (+17 to find traps)
Perform (Oratory) (Cha) 2 ranks = +7
Sense Motive (Wis) 10 ranks = +13
Sleight of Hand (Dex) 10 ranks = +17
Stealth (Dex) 10 ranks = +17
Use Magic Device (Cha) 10 ranks = +15
Trapfinding; Trap Sense+2
Build is "naked."
I kept the gnomersy's original desire to be just Rogue/Duelist (but certainly Fighter/Rogue/Duelist can work very well), just for the sake of simplicity. I had no idea what books were allowed so I just stuck to core+APG (and it's mostly core except for the suggestion of Honeyed Words as a possible rogue talent).
I noted you wanted your character to be good at traps, so I left in trapspotter and didn't take any rogue archetypes so you could have both Uncanny Dodge (good for a swashbucklery/duelist type) and Trapfinding. I noticed the build you considered included Skill Focus (Disable Device) and you REALLY don't need that -- assuming you are just going Rogue before Duelist, you will have a minimum of 8 rogue levels which means you get a +4 to all Disable Device checks from your trapfinding ability, and you aren't going to find many traps that are going to have higher DCs than what you can handle with just training the skill and your trapfinding bonus.
I kept gnomersy's stats (I assumed they were rolled) but did a slightly different distribution--dumped Wis for Cha, since this is a suggested feint build. Boosted Int for eventually higher AC due to Duelist levels. Since good Cha, also trained Use Magic Device since that's always useful. Besides prerequisite skills, just built a character that offered good general skill monkey utility and some party face stuff.
Again all of this can be taken or left, just an idea.
I fully respect your choice for flavor reasons. A story that would work for me is a gradual movement of street rat to honorable fighter, and so 3 or 4 levels of Rogue (depending on whether or not you want the second rogue talent) and moving to 3 or 4 levels of Fighter and then to duelist can signify a progression of your character to a more noble fighting style.
One thing that might also work is something I discovered while looking at things for the Duelist. DeathQuaker has some good options for you, but I would recommend something a little different.
Instead of going with the more common Rapier, you can go with Dagger instead so you can throw them and gain a ranged attack. You can gain more attacks with Rapid Shot at that time, although multiple daggers can be expensive. Using Daggers as a thrown weapon works for precise strike too, and has more of a Rogue feel. Picking up Deadly Aim will only help with your damage, and with the addition of precise strike later you can keep up.
If you want to do TWF, you aren't limited to weapons you can hold in your off hand. Both the Blade Boot and Armor Spikes are piercing weapons that qualify for precise strike as well as being finessable.
Here is my recommended build for you.
Feats
Bonus Human: Weapon Focus: Dagger
1 Weapon Finesse
2 Combat Trick: Two Weapon Fighting
3 Dodge
4 (Fighter) Deadly Aim
5 Mobility
6 Rapid Shot
7 Weapon Specialization: Dagger
So before you get into Duelist, with an 18 Dex, you will be at a +11 not counting weapon bonuses. You will also get a bonus of +2 to damage with the Specialization and a 2d6 for your sneak attack. Deadly Aim can add another +4 for a thrown dagger, and a blade boot can get you another attack when it is advantageous.
Bard (Archeologist) 8 / Duelist could also be fun for what you have in mind.
@ Mongoose While I definitely did consider that option the party already consists of a Bard,Fighter,Cleric and I didn't really want to step on his toes.
I don't see how an archeologist would step on the toes of the other bard, as it don't get performances and get rogue talents and trapfinding instead, and you can choose other skills. You can have two very different character, I think.
But, again, I don't know your group dynamic.
I do have one last question for anyone still reading this though is access to weapon specialization from fighter 4 better than uncanny dodge?
Since you get Dex for damage at level 1, I wouldn't worry about specialization. You still get a Rogue talent, Uncanny Dodge and 6 skill points for sticking with Rogue for another level. Not a bad trade.