Well thanks everyone for the discussion so far, I think I'll make a few mock ups as I agonize over what to choose, with only 6 or so hours to make the character though it's time I put a bit of pen to paper! :P Again thanks everyone for their input so far, it really helps a lot, especially for someone like me whom while I know how to play the game wouldn't nearly call myself "Good" yet! ^_^
The Spring Attack chain may also do well with Crane Style on a duelist since if you can deny your opponent full attacks Crane Wing becomes almost broken.
Fighting defensively is a standard action, so you can't combine it with Spring Attack (and yes, it would be broken if you could). If you move, you either attack and withdraw (taking AoOs) or you move and attack. It'll be really hard to deny your enemy full attacks in these cases.
I really wouldn't call snake an "armed" style. The immediate action AC replacer is a poor subsitute for just having good AC for all attacks, and the main attraction of the style, Snake Fang, only delivers unarmed counter attacks (unlike Crane Riposte, which is any weapon).
Like I said, Snake/Crane is my favorite combo by far. But I'd never consider snake a good style if seeking to avoid unarmed strike use...
It's mine too, but for a duelist-type build I'd go Crane all the way and ignore Snake.
Well thanks everyone for the discussion so far, I think I'll make a few mock ups as I agonize over what to choose, with only 6 or so hours to make the character though it's time I put a bit of pen to paper! :P Again thanks everyone for their input so far, it really helps a lot, especially for someone like me whom while I know how to play the game wouldn't nearly call myself "Good" yet! ^_^
I hope we've helped!
|
I can't believe nobody (myself included) brought this up before now: If you want to be a Free Hand Fighter with levels in something else too, why not Magus? Normally, I hate how the Magus is pretty much stuck with a certain narrow fighting style, but I think it would be an ideal pairing with Free Hand Fighter.
Ooo, here's a question, the DM is giving us a free masterwork (sorry I didn't clarify that earlier), even though Heirloom Weapon usually specifies a standard weapon could I use the masterwork one I'm already getting as said heirloom weapon. And am I allowed to choose an exotic with Heirloom weapon int he first place?
As a human would it be worth saccing skilled and the bonus feat for Dual Talent, which is an additional +2 to one ability score? Sorry to contradict myself about min/maxing... it's just hard not to think about numbers when they're staring you in the face. lol
Are you worried about MAD? Well, if you are going as a Master of Many styles with Crane style as a focus, you can easily have 14 dex and 10 wis, no armor, and still come out with a respectable 16 AC. If you also get Crane Wing at level 1, you could also ignore one melee attack per round. The idea is that as a human monk, you could easily take dodge and crane style with your 1st level feat, and crane wing with your class bonus feat. Combining dodge (+1), crane (+1), the suggested dex (+2), and fighting defensively (+2), you get decent AC at the cost of -2 to hit. Pump up your strength (18?) and it will not be too bad. Better if you wisely use your deflection from crane wing.
As you level, your character gets drastically better. If you get Crane riposte at level 2, you would only have a -1 penalty to attack plus the AoO when using crane wing. If you also took the Monk of the sacred Mountain archetype, you would also get +1 natural armor and the toughness feat. At level 3, 3 ranks of Acrobatics would give you a +1 AC when fighting defensively. Furthermore, you are under little obligation to go armorless, so you could don armor and boost all this further with a multiclass. You could easily have 22-24 AC by level 3.
You can make a monk very unlike the usual monk and still remain a serious threat with this type of build. With a 15-20 point buy, I could easily just dump the points in physical stats and never have to lower the mental stats.
I can't believe nobody (myself included) brought this up before now: If you want to be a Free Hand Fighter with levels in something else too, why not Magus? Normally, I hate how the Magus is pretty much stuck with a certain narrow fighting style, but I think it would be an ideal pairing with Free Hand Fighter.
Because you can do just as well pairing magus with magus.
|
|
I can't believe nobody (myself included) brought this up before now: If you want to be a Free Hand Fighter with levels in something else too, why not Magus? Normally, I hate how the Magus is pretty much stuck with a certain narrow fighting style, but I think it would be an ideal pairing with Free Hand Fighter.Because you can do just as well pairing magus with magus.
Not if you want to focus on fighting and weaponcraft and only dabble for 1-4 levels in magic - remember the Magus's inferior HD and BAB.
Not if you want to focus on fighting and weaponcraft and only dabble for 1-4 levels in magic - remember the Magus's inferior HD and BAB.
True, but the magic is what makes the magus work as well as it does. You are better off dipping fewer levels of Wizard for more versatility if you just want a touch of magic and buffs, so you get more levels of fighter. The only thing you get out of a magus dip is spell-combat, and that's only really useful if you have a lot of spells.
4 levels of Magus gets you 2nd level spells while losing only 1 BAB. Going Wizard or Sorcerer, 2nd level spells will cost you 2 BAB and you don't get the option of casting during a full attack.
4 levels of Magus gets you 2nd level spells while losing only 1 BAB. Going Wizard or Sorcerer, 2nd level spells will cost you 2 BAB and you don't get the option of casting during a full attack.
Actually it doesn't cost you 2 BAB, it still costs only 1 BAB because you take only 3 levels, then take fighter for the other one. Better and more fighter features, or cast during full-attack? Depends what you want to be doing with that free hand.
|
yeah free hand fighter + magus is a bad idea, much better to just go solid magus.
im a big fan of letting the player say "my bastard sword is really a scimitar in looks". nothing is lost from reskinning gear or fluffing class features to fit the concept.
with that in mind, i would go with a disarming character, and TWF with IUS. they have a few pretty awesome disarming feats in APG and UC. you would need to have a secondary fighting style to makeup for enemies without disarmable objects, but man ive always wanted to see one in play.