Building my L6 2H fighter

[Sydänyö]

Hey,

I'm playing in a somewhat casual group (we play once every couple months or so) what could only be called a bit of a "cheesy" and min-maxed fighter, similar kind of a character I've played in one of my D&D group as well.

He's on level 6 2HF right now, human (20 14 14 12 6 8), with Dodge, Power Attack, Cleave, Great Cleave, WF, WS, Vital Strike, Improved Initiative, and has two traits; Adopted/Elven Reflexes and the other I can't remember but it also gave +1 to initiative IIRC. He uses a MW greatsword.

I'm thinking of multiclassing him to a Foreshadowing wizard, giving me two level 1 spell slots, of which one has to use a Divination spell. I'll also take my GSW as the bound item. Through being Divination/Foreshadowing wiz, I should get the ability to "pre-roll" a die three times a day, as well as get +1 to initiative and the ability to act during the surprise round.

I can then cast one of my spells via my sword once per day and I'll have two slots for my level 1 spells, one of which has to be Divination.

Good spells to go with this are True Strike (really the reason why I'm planning on doing this), as well as things like Enlarge, spells that give me double base move for 1 minute, triple carrying capacity for 2 hours, +5 initiative, and other nifty spells that should help my character as a fighter.

I'd just like to know if I've made a mistake somewhere or if I should consider doing something differently, and whether there are any Pathfinder prestige classes that would be perfect for this character, as well as if there's any gear that I should look into getting.

In general just any advice anyone has. Thanks! :)

[Hawktitan]

Consider going into Magus instead of Wizard. If you really want Wizard, then going 5 levels into Wizard then going into Eldritch Knight Presige Class is another option. It might suck for awhile while you level up as a wizard but depending on the rest of your group you could have some fun with it. Hopefully you can get some items to raise your int.

[Sydänyö]

Hey Hawktitan,

I looked at the Magus, but it didn't really convince me straight off the bat. His Spell Combat doesn't work with a 2H weapon, which makes that ability useless since my fighter is specifically a 2H fighter archetype.

Spellstrike might be fun if combined with some really nice touch spell. Not sure if it can be used with 2H weapon, though. It doesn't say, but if it's in line with Spell Combat, then he wouldn't be able to.

Also, it looks like the Magus works very nicely as it's own class, and is more or less designed to do so, with great abilities all the way to level 20, much like for example a monk. Since I'm thinking of being mainly a fighter, I don't think the Magus would be a very good multiclass option.

Also, our DM doesn't have Ultimate Magic. :(

I did look at the Eldritch Knight, but it doesn't really bring any nice class-specific abilities, and looks more like a "continuation hybrid" for both the fighter and wizard, except that taking it - while I do get access to higher level wizard spells (pointless with a low intelligence though) - I lose out on a bunch of feats through being a fighter. Not sure I'd like that one as my prestige. Pathfinder could use a few more prestige classes from D&D I think.

I wouldn't mind leveling up as a caster class though, since as a fighter I'm doing quite well atm. BAB6, STR5, MW1, WF1, WT1 gives me a hit of +14, +12 if I do a PA, +16 when charging, +14 if I charge with PA. When not charging, with Overhand Chop, Vital Strike and PA I can do a 4d6+19 damage (10STR, 6PA, 2WS, 1WT) hit (4d6+38 crit, 19+ range atm), and with Great Cleave and PA I can do 2d6+16 to as many guys in a row I can hit.

(I'm guessing I can't use OC/VS with neither cleaves nor charges.)

Add to that an initiative of 9+d20 and being a fighter doesn't suck right now. That's mainly why I'm looking into trying to become a bit more versatile perhaps via being multiclassed as a wizard. I was thinking of raising my INT by at least one anyway to get WW, so I might as well raise it even more. Would have INT 14 by level 12 I guess, so that's not horribly low.

Anyways, if anyone has any thoughts, feel free to chime in! :)

[Joanna Swiftblade]

Magus is best if you just play as a Magus, you are right. My recommendation for a Fighter/Spell caster would be Dragon Disciple. You would have to shift your stat buy in to allow yourself a positive Charisma, but at the same time you could just lower your strength a point or two and not lose anything because you make that back by level 2 DD.

Dragon Disciples make for great two weapon fighters naturally, because of the massive strength score they get just for being DD. If you started with a 16 str, you score could be 24 by level 9 with no belt. You would then also be able to cast Bulls Strength on yourself bringing you up to 28, so now you're dealing 4d6+18STR+2WS+Weapon Enchantment with every vital strike. Now you'd probably have to wear Mithral Chain Shirt, so your AC would be not that great, but again you can just cast Sheild and get +4 AC (which is massive)

The spell casting might be a little iffy though, using a 2H sword.

Now there is no way in hell I'm letting the Magus in my group do this (he's over powered as it is already and he's one level below the rest of the party due to a few unlucky rolls on his an my part), but you COULD argue with the DM that you could...

1. Let go of your great sword with one hand (free action), let it fall to the ground (still in your second hand at this point), cast a spell (standard), then use the Quick Draw feat to lift your sword back up (free action). Rather annoying, but it would work.

OR

2. Be dragon disciple > have massive strength score > be able to support the great sword with one arm while you spell cast because MUSCLES!

That's my take on it.

[Lacdannan]

I have a Barb/Sorc/Dragon Disc similar to what Joanna suggested and a Wizard (Diviner)/Ninja very similar to what you suggested Sydänyö. They are both a lot of fun to play.

For a DD I recommend going the Eldritch heritage feat line if you can for Orc (first choice) or Abyssal (second choice). With improved eldritch heritage you get inherent bonuses to strength which stack with you DD bonuses. Orc will also give you a touch of rage ability whereas abyssal gives you some limited use of claws. If you go this route, pick up a Robe of Arcane heritage when you can. Otherwise, Joanna's description is spot on for the benefits of this route.

For the diviner, the perks you mentioned you are well aware of (+1 initiative, Roll a d20 at the top of the round to substitute for a roll, etc.) You get scribe scroll and a larger list of spells known which is handy for a huge amount of versatility. Scrolls of Comprehend languages have been great for my party. Also, take a Compsognathus familiar and you get a +4 Initiative from him. He also has a poison (1d2 Str damage, 1/round, 6 rounds) that is HD based, so even with a 1 level dip in wizard, he has HD equal to you and has a better poison for it. You won’t have poison use like my ninja, so using the poison is a bit more risky, but just pointing out it's available. The suggestion to go Eldritch knight put forth Hawktitan is a good choice for this route.

Your biggest issue with either route is arcane spell failure from your armor. Mithril will help mitigate this a bit, and there are feats that can reduce it, but you need to be aware that it will be an issue. Wands will be your friend for either build. A wand of Truestrike is great since it is not a caster level dependant spell, cheap to buy, doesn't provoke an AoO when used, and doesn't require any UMD since it's on your spell list.

If you are doing a 1 level dip, you may want to ask if you can swap one of your traits for magical knack. The extra 2 to your caster level is huge for such a build. Vanish goes from being virtually worthless to a decent combat option. Expeditious retreat now has a duration long enough to get some mileage out of it. Mage armor has a respectable duration and shield is a more viable.

Anyways, just my experience. Whatever you choose, you'll love it so no worries.