Advice on ninja / shadowdancer build

[garvdart]

level 6 stats are str10.dex18 +2 belt= 20(5)con(1)int(3)wis9 (-1)+1L 10(0) cha16(3)

1 f weapon finesse sneak 1D6
2 trick forgotten trick
3 f two weapon fighting sneak 2D6
4 trick vanish +1wis uncanny dodge.
5 f combat reflexes SNEAK 3D6
6 trick offensive defense two weapons =bab 4 or b4+a5+3*-2f=10/off hand=b4+a5+1*-2= 8 ac= 19+3=22
7 f dodge +1 ac=20 if SNEAK 4D6. Bab 5 b5+a5+3*-2f =11/9 ac= 20+4=24
8 trick wall climber 20’ climb speed +8 racial bonus on all Climb checks. The creature must make a Climb check to climb any wall or slope with a DC higher than 0, but it can always choose to take 10, even if rushed or threatened while climbing. If a creature with a climb speed chooses an accelerated climb (see above), it moves at double its climb speed (or at its land speed, whichever is slower) and makes a single Climb check at a –5 penalty. Such a creature retains its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) climb maxed 21 +1dex. Dex=19+2* 21
9 Improved uncanny dodge. Flank you can’t touch this.. unless 4 level rogue higher…bab=6/1= b6+a5+3*-2f=12/b1 +a5+3*-2=7 first attack…off hand =b0+5+1
f mobility +4 ac vs. attacks of opp SNEAK 5D6 ac=
10 trick; bleeding sneak add +5 bleed ..+5 ac jumps to 25/29 vs. attacks of opportunity.. ,master trick; invisible blade greater invisibility when vanished. Ki=5+3=8 bab=7/2 or 7bab+5a+3*-2=13 /10 offhand 5 really won’t need wall climber since I now have all acrobatic jump dc = ½
11 10/ 1shadowdancerr Hide in plain sight feat weapon focus; wakazachi
12 10/2 shadow dancer Evasion, If she makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage dark vision, improved uncanny dodgex2 or am I fighting a level 20. +1dex =20+2* 22 ac=10+4armor+6a+1dodge= ac 21 with OD jumps too 26 ac add in mobility and ac=30
13 11/2 SNEAK 6D6 Feat dazzling display While wielding the weapon in which you have Weapon Focus, you can perform a bewildering show of prowess as a full-round action. Make an Intimidate check to demoralize all foes within 30 feet who can see your display.
When I sneak I get a +6 too ac…
14 12/2 Ghost step As a swift action, a ninja with this trick can pass through walls as if she were a ghost. Until the end of her turn, she can pass through a wall or other surface that is up to 5 feet thick per level as if she were incorporeal. She must exit the solid material by the end of her turn. Each use of this ability uses up 1 ki point.
15 13/2 SNEAK 7D6 feat Improved Unarmed Strike
16 14/2 trick Unarmed Combat Mastery: A ninja who selects this trick deals damage with her unarmed strikes as if she were a monk of her ninja level –4. If the ninja has levels in monk, this ability stacks with monk levels to determine how much damage she can do with her unarmed strikes. Unarmed combat= monk level 10 7/2 attack 1d10.
17 15/2 SNEAK 8D6 feat Shatter defenses Any shaken, frightened, or panicked opponent hit by you this round is flat-footed to your attacks until the end of your next turn. This includes any additional attacks you make this round.
18 16/2 trick improved evasion. ½ damage or none.
19 17/2 SNEAK 9D6 feat weapon focus(unarmed strike) can now do a dazzle display/shatter defense unarmed. as monk= 13 10/5 2d6+1
20 18/2 trick Unbound Steps (Su): This trick allows a ninja to use her ki to walk through the air. Whenever the ninja uses the light steps class feature, she can walk on air, rising or descending as she desires. She must end her move on a solid surface. Each use of this ability uses up 1 ki point.

[garvdart]

If you see any glaring wholes in my build let me know

[Dark Immortal]

The build seems fine. Maybe I can give you ideas or inspiration as I am/was running a Rogue (with the ninja ki pool and got to use charisma or int for the pool).

Inspiration:

I went with the TWF, Improved TWF, Dodge, Mobility, Combat Reflexes, Dimensional Agility, Dimensional Assault, Dimensional Dervish, Dimensional Savant, Improved Initiative, Double Slice, Two Weapon Rend.

I went with Forgotten Trick, Vanishing Trick, Weapon Training, Combat Trick (Two Weapon Rend), Shadow Clone, Crippling Strike and Opportunist, Feat (not sure which feat I took).

At the time I made her, I was unaware that Pathfinder had changed feat acquisition to every odd level. So I built her using 3.5 feats progression and was short. I threw in the feats I wanted but could not afford to take (Two Weapon Rend, and Double Slice) but the numbers may not be exactly right.

There may be more tricks remaining, I'm not sure. But that's a general idea. This character actually went with Charlatan for the additional advanced talent (at level 3) of Grand Hoax (The Rumor Monger Talent).

She calls herself the shadow queen and intends to see if she can test diefic theory and make herself a demigoddess by making people believe she actually is one.

She has:

Str:16
Dex:18
Con:10
Int:17
Wis:9
Char:16

And is level 5. I rolled fairly well but this includes the +2 for being human and the +1 from level advancement at 4. Original stats were more like, 15, 16, 10, 17, 9, 15 (which is still pretty good).

The main idea is that she TWF's dealing sneak attack damage. At the higher levels the idea is to just use dimensional Savant to annihilate everything with her shadow step power, flanking with herself and letting the shadow companion hit easier and do the str damage to whoever should die from it or whoever she hasn't yet killed (crippling strike does str dmg and the shadow does str dmg).

The plan is 10 straight levels of rogue for advanced talent access, then the remaining 10 in the PRC. The class is rather back loaded but that's ok. 17 int on a human rogue means there are so many damn skill points, and with stats like hers, there is very little she can't do well. She is the party healer, burst damage dealer, secondary tank (shadow clone is amazing for tanking), general skill monkey, party face and knowledge buff (I like having lots of knowledge skills). When people say rogues are weak, I am positive they are not referring to this one. :-D

If I could have fit more onto the character, I'd have added Poison Use, and Poison related tricks/talents, or Pressure Points for even more str damage when I sneak attack. I'd also be interested in Fast Stealth, Invisible Blade, Master of Disguise, or the very thematic Shadow Split. On the rogue advanced list is, Another Day, Redirect Attack and the 'I'm staying alive' talents or the 'slippery mind' additional save ones.

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On your end, I think Ghost step is incredibly cool and 5 feet of thickness per level means whatever your movement is, basically. And it's a Swift action, too so...even better.

I am uncertain how I feel about Unbound Steps. If you could somehow get maybe a 60 foot or more movement speed, then sure. Otherwise, I'd rather invest in an item with teleport x times/day or flight for x times/day. Or even Dimension Door.

I also did not see the point in taking Wall Climber unless you figure that maybe you can combine that with Unbound Steps, break the RAW and use the RAI, ending your movement on a vertical surface. That would be pretty cool looking, and even tactically relevant. I suppose, if you are climbing via climb speed, there is no penalty and you can fight from that position? Seems interesting if it works that way If not, I'm not sure it's worth the cool factor you get out of it.

I am assuming you took unarmed combat mastery and the like for backup if disarmed or in a situation where you can't or shouldn't have a weapon so that you can still fight and even still sneak attack, correct? I don't know how I feel about it. I was thinking along the same lines but as far as coolness and optimizing go, I'd have wanted to tack on an unarmed specific feature on top of that, or something I could do with unarmed strikes that also could happen with the blade. I guess being able to sneak attack with the fists is fine, I just feel like so many options are available once you open up fists and not one is being explored because we stopped right there...at the start. lol.

Either way, it looks like you covered your bases if you want to be able to do what you want to do, all the time- get in, hit some people for Sneak Attack, get out. Doesn't matter if you have to go through walls, climb over walls, fly over, leap across lava, get disarmed, etc. Did I get the gist of the character?

[garvdart]

Dark Immortal wrote:

The build seems fine. Maybe I can give you ideas or inspiration as I am/was running a Rogue (with the ninja ki pool and got to use charisma or int for the pool).

** spoiler omitted **...

pretty much...nailed what I was thinking,

wall climber only because of her strength.
but also for positioning.....ie I can take 10 regardless, and still fight since no ac penalty and I dont have too have hands free.

ive thought about going further with shadow dancer+ dimensional agility feat chain...but very feat intensive/ and I lose at least 2 sneak dice.. although a 80' jump vs 40 makes it very interesting+ dimensional agility..

the unbound steps is solved with just one item boots of speed.=60 movement. and can be used for 10 rounds.

actually unbound steps is a full action, although slippers of spiderclimb...has some fun thing for my dm too deal with.

the unarmed etx is exactly that..if disarmed or captured..I can still fight...or of course ghost step out of there and run. Shattered defense also tacks onto it since i have weapon focus unarmed strike. so I dazzle and then shatter..gain sneak in ac for the round,and also bleed. now then if only I could stun or paralyze..tube shooter..on both wrists with a arrow doused in poison...

haven't even bothered for skill tricks but would have too say walk the walls would be in there...run up a wall one round...plus haste...equals a 40' wall with 20 movement left...escape attack...grappled roll escape then get sneak.

the forgotten trick allows me too do what I havent covered...I can still shadowclone, albeit at a cost of 3ki but this is barring magical item etx...ring of ki mastery= cost 2 for a non master trick.

thanks dark immortal..ill be looking at the dimensional feats alot more...

and of course I want too be the shadow that strikes...a 4 level dip into shadowdancer especially with the feat extra trick.