Piranha strike

[Jucassaba]

is this feat a must have for a finesse character? I'm playing a low level campaign that will have few slots for feats, and I don't know if I take this or dervish dance for my swashbuckler. thanks.

[Krodjin]

Only works with light weapons. So if your dervish dancer uses a scimitar you're out of luck.

[Zahir ibn Mahmoud ibn Jothan]

I vote yes on Piranha Strike if you are a straight finesse character.

Note though that PS won't work with the scimitar with Dervish Dance.

[mplindustries]

Dervish Dance is better than Piranha Strike for sure, if you're able to qualify for it.

Most Dervish Dance builds I've seen have 13 Strength, though, so they can Power Attack later. Of course, Power Attack on a one handed weapon, it's not really as good a trade as it is for a two-hander.

[blackbloodtroll]

Dervish Dancer works with Power Attack.

So, you will need at least 13 strength.

[Krodjin]

blackbloodtroll wrote:

Dervish Dancer works with Power Attack.

So, you will need at least 13 strength.

A 2 level Ranger dip would eliminate that... Don't know enough about the OP's character to know if either is appropriate though.

[blackbloodtroll]

Well, a medium PC wielding a small Scimitar could use Piranha Strike with it.

That is a lot of penalties though.

[Gwen Smith]

Some thoughts about Dervish Dancer:

Does your swashbuckler actually use a buckler? If so, you don't want Dervish Dancer (can't have a shield in your off hand).

If you take Dervish Dancer and Power Attack, you could potentially put your second hand on the scimitar, and trade the dex bonus to damage for 1.5 times power attack bonus. That won't be useful until you are high enough level that half your power attack bonus is higher than your dex bonus.

Some thoughts on Piranha Strike:

You do have to watch the difference between "light weapon" and "weapon I can use weapon finesse with". There are quite a few weapons that you can use with weapon finesse (with the right feats) but can't use with piranha strike (scimitar, whip, Elven curved blade, Aldori dueling sword, etc.).

General thoughts:

For Dex-based fighter damage, your biggest bang for the buck is probably the Elven curved blade with Power Attack: 1d10, two-handed weapon you can use with Weapon Finesse. The sweet spot there is a 14 STR, though, so you have the 13 str minimum for power attack and the extra +1 damage for two hands. Those extra points might be better off in a different stat, and two handed weapons don't seem very "swashy" to me.

The Pirates of the Inner Sea has some interesting stuff for swashbucklers, including the hook hand. (Hm...would a hook hand count as a "weapon in your off hand" for Dervish Dance? Maybe only if you actually attack with it that round?) If you go with the Piranha Strike, the cutlass is a spiffy weapon, and it fits in the theme nicely.

I'm a big fan of swashbucklers, so I'd love to hear what you finally come up with!