For fun i was trying to make a character centered around the flavor of an iaijutsu master using ONLY pathfinder material. So i have been tossing a few ideas around but i am trying to build a character that does this. It doesnt have to actually be the samurai class just has to fit the flavor. Refluffing to a minor extent is okay, (no pretending your rapier is a katana). Anyway stipulations on the character:
Requirements:
Unarmored (with incentive to stay unarmored)
Can keep up with a party of average competancy
Needs to viable to level up from level 1 without the party babysitting you the whole time.
Stuff ive looked at with potential
Weapon wielding monk
Kensai/(with another archtype that eschews armor) magus
Aldori swordlord fighter/swordlord prestige (so far this one looks like it has the most potential for a non magical option)
sword saint samurai
So anyways, this is just for fun since i was playing with a few friends who were playing eastern themed characters.
What about A Eldritch Knight? It fill a similar role to a Kensai.
I will not bore you too much with the details, since I am largely just using Zolthux's guide as a cheat sheet, but here are the advantages compared to a magus: you can choose to be a spontaneous caster, you have a wide selection of spells, you will have more spells per day, and you have more choice of customization.
As far as being viable from level 1, you could easily just start off with a spell caster with a decent Strength score. a bit fragile, but not impossible to pull off.
Good option is Kensai/black blade (the spirit of the black blade could be the spirit of the ancestors who used the weapon in the past, maybe) or just Kensai. Kensai at level 1 with a good dex could have an in-battle AC of 18 (+3 Dex, +1 Int, +4 mage armor or shield) and 15 out of battle (+3 Dex, +1 Int, +1 Haramaki).
Another option is MoMS/Sohei Monk/Sword Saint Samurai (Sohei/MoMS for the AC bonus, the ability to act in a surprise round, and Snake Style to use Sense motive as AC, and/or Crane Style + Crane Wing to reduce the penalty for fighting defensively and to be able to deflect one attack per round).
Paladin of Baha-who? wrote: Good option is Kensai/black blade (the spirit of the black blade could be the spirit of the ancestors who used the weapon in the past, maybe) or just Kensai. Kensai at level 1 with a good dex could have an in-battle AC of 18 (+3 Dex, +1 Int, +4 mage armor or shield) and 15 out of battle (+3 Dex, +1 Int, +1 Haramaki).
Another option is MoMS/Sohei Monk/Sword Saint Samurai (Sohei/MoMS for the AC bonus, the ability to act in a surprise round, and Snake Style to use Sense motive as AC, and/or Crane Style + Crane Wing to reduce the penalty for fighting defensively and to be able to deflect one attack per round).
You cannot combine Sohei and MoMS as they both modify the Monk's Bonus feats.
I was going to recommend the MoMS 2/Sword Saint 18 with Crane Styel as well though!
Here is something: does he have to go with the one handed and crane style method? Sure, for any gish build, that is inevitable, but everyone is suggesting this for other classes as well.
I am also going to throw this out of left field, but how about a summoner? This goes against the idea of the build a bit, but I can keep with the spirit of it since I was thinking of a weapon wielding Eidolon as our 'samurai.' The actual summoner just serves as a buffer. (I will not even try to suggest a synthesist for this, since that is a whole other cane of worms) Just take a bipedal base shape and take a weapon proficiency feat for whichever sword you want. Eidolons do not necessarily have to be huge multilimbed monstrousities. You can give it natural armor (so no need for actual armor) and you can pump up its strength score through evolutions to make up for its medium BAB. Add some fast healing and you have a half decent warrior. As a side note, I began to think of this after fully reading the summoner archetype for fetchlings. It includes some flavorful fluff where your eidolon is your shadow, and the magical mark on its head is replaced by a shared lack of a shadow between the pair.
Summoner is suggested once in every build ever for some reason. So far reflavoring the dueling sword is a japanese style dueling katana makes for a really good low magic themed iaijutsu master. Mixing the monk and samurai class is just cool though i didnt think it could work. My reasons for the swordlord were that, it gives incentive not to where armor once you hit the prestige class swordlord. The dueling sword already looks like a katana and is about right in size and handling and the execution of the class with performance combat just kind of seems right. Only thing id ask for is incentive to strike first like the samurais iaijutsu ability and id be set. I am suprised to see that this isnt a samurai archtype to be honest.
I'll throw a curve ball. Bards have a few nice little spells that taunt the enemy to attack them. If you're going off Iaijutsu damage alone you only get the boost when you attack by unsheathing... meaning you will have to sheath each time and wait for something to come to you. The Bardic Performances give you something to do while you wait for someone to hit you, and I always go after the buff guy first... or the healer.
A cleric could be cool with it.
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