I'm making a samurai for an acquaintance with a few rules:
dude is supposed to be absolutely phenomenal with a katana, and must have the infernal eldritch heritage feats (at least up to improved for the pit-touched con bonus). taking it as a challenge i got to work and ended up with the following:
the shogun 3rd party AT has been given the greenlight by the DM of his game, and the fighter levels are taken at 11th through 13th.
stats (20 point-buy):
24 (3pts. +2 racial, +3 level, +6 belt)
14 (5pts.)
30 (10pts. +2 level, +6 EH, +6 belt)
10
7 (-3pts.)
20 (5pts. +6 headband)
+13/+6/+6 saves before items
traits:
anatomist (+1 to crit confirmation rolls)
indomitable faith (+1 will)
feats:
1 - weapon focus (katana)
1r - skill focus (diplomacy)
3 - eldritch heritage (pit-touched infernal - 1st)
4* - diehard
5 - dazzling display
7 - shatter defenses
9 - improved critical
11 - imp. eldritch heritage (pit-touched infernal - 9th)
11** - strike back
12** - critical focus
13 - bleeding critical
15 - power attack
17 - furious focus
19 - cornugon smash
r - racial
* - cavalier bonus feat
** - fighter bonus feat
weapon will likely be something like a +5 adamantine/living steel/whathaveyou katana with:
conductive (1): spend two uses of a touch ability to deliver via weapon strike--works well with a decent CHA and the EH touch ability),
ominous (1): enhancement bonus to intimidate rolls, critical hit causes shaken for 1 minute (DC13 negates), this particular instance of shaken cant be inflicted more than once per target per 24 hours),
cruel (1): when striking a creature that is shaken/frightened/panicked, sickens the target for one round. dropping such a target gives 5 temporary hp for ten minutes),
shocking/acid/etc. burst (2): because critfarming
staple equipment will likely be:
-a str/con (maybe/dex as well) belt (90,000g for str/con, 144,000g for str/dex/con)
-cha headband (36,000g)
-gloves of dueling (15,000g)
-ring of splendid security (180,000g)
-ring of spell turning (100,000g)
-minor cloak of displacement (24,000g)
-vudran ashak helm (22,000g)
-quick runner's shirt (1,000g)
-crusader's tabard (6,000g)
-whatever else i can think of that fits in the price range
best armor for these stats seems to be a mithral agile breastplate (if dex belt) or mithral fullplate or hellknights plate (with champion (1) + other enchants) and a +5 mithral buckler (heavy fortification) for those times you don't wanna 2H the katana, since you do respectable damage with str+con+challenge+30% crit rate(with +5 to confirmations) anyway
to note:
-i have absolutely no idea what order those feats should be taken in-- i know PA/FF/CS are late as all get out, which needs to be remedied, but i'm not sure where/when to squeeze them in! (this is the headache)
Afew questions, What level is this character starting at?
Why dazzling display and shatter defenses? unless its for something specific and im not seeing it.. Why the 20 Charisma? Just for Intimidating purposes? It seems ur buddy wants tobe as devestating with a katana as possible and if he wants to use intimidate i would do it diff. With this in mind i would do..
stats:
str-14+2race+2level+6belt+4book = 28
dex-13+6belt+1book = 20
con-16+2level+6belt+6eh = 30
int-10
wis-12
cha-11+6headband = 17
feats:
1st-Power attack
1st-skill focus(dip)
3rd-eh-pit touched
5th-intimidating prowess
7th-cornugon smash
9th-critical focus
11th-imp eh- pit touched
13th-staggering critical
15th-open for whatever.. weapon focus maybe
17th-greater eh-wings or stunning critical
19th-g eh-wings or stunning critical
gear i would do:
+5 celestial fullplate (reskin as infernal), serveral other nice enhancements for armor as well..
+5 keen katana with the other enhancements u wanted i suppose
gloves of dueling
belt str/dex/con +6
headband cha +6
book of str +4
book of dex +1
plus the other stuff u suggested..
With max ranks in intimidate ur check will be close to +40 if not over, so an auto success vs anything pretty much.. Dont spend a feat on imp crit when the keen enhancement is cheap.. Good Luck!
i said he'd be starting at 7th, but it was kinda lost in there, my bad.
dazzling display is simply there as a prereq for shatter defenses--since cornugon smash and infernal EH'll be giving them shaken quite often i'd think. cruel adds on a little more punishment, as would the various critical feats.
the improved crit feat was mostly to open up that +1 enchant slot for more useful things--it also means any katana is effectively keen for him without taking up 'space' on the weapon.
but yeah, def. mismanagement on my part.
curious how intimidate gets that high, since im coming up with 20 ranks + 3 class skill + 5 ominous weapon.