Half Orc 'Ghost Faced Killer' ... ?

[Ser Earling Grey III]

My friend is starting a new campaign and I was interested in trying to recreate the Ghost Faced Killer. It was one of those prestige classes in 3.5 that took my imagination by storm, but alas never got the chance to play it. Now I have my chance and I want to be able to be a Ghost Faced Killer in both fluff and combat ability. The fluff is easy ... Finding the most efficient way to create the GFK is another story. Hence this post;

I have two ideas ...

Uno ... The Ninja alt class is the most logical path. With the disappearing trick, ghost step and even the ki pool ... It just seems like the right fit. What troubles me is that I cannot apply the skulking slayer archetype which I want mainly because of the d8's for sneak attack and such. Which brings me to ...

Dos ... make a skulking slayer/scout rogue and take the ninja tricks as rogue talents. Sadly to make full use of this I would need to burn a rogue talent just to pick up Ki Pool, which is not even close to the usage of the Ninjas Ki Pool.

So this is my dilemma, and I was wondering if anybody could help me decide or even offer a better way to recreate the Ghost Faced Killer.

[Name Violation]

cavalier 2, order of the cockatrice, thug rogue. crazy AoE fear build. pick up enforcer, power attack, and cornegun smash, use shatter defensives feat.

[Ciaran Barnes]

I would narrow down the key elements of the class to the following: sneak attack, stealth/nvisability, power attack, and intimidation. I would stick to those and not sweat the rest of it.

[Ser Earling Grey III]

Okay that works. Then I am better off going ninja with a two hander. But I'm curious if that is just not a good decision. I will probably be using a falchion primarily with some throwing daggers for range.

[Krodjin]

You could use a katana for basically the same damage as Falchion with option to use in one hand should the need arise, like for throwing shuriken..

[Ser Earling Grey III]

Krodjin wrote:

You could use a katana for basically the same damage as Falchion with option to use in one hand should the need arise, like for throwing shuriken..

Is there a penalty for throwing a weapon from your off hand?

[Kazaan]

Ser Earling Grey III wrote:

Krodjin wrote:

You could use a katana for basically the same damage as Falchion with option to use in one hand should the need arise, like for throwing shuriken..

Is there a penalty for throwing a weapon from your off hand?

Only if it's an actual off-hand attack; meaning you take TWF penalties and designate the thrown weapon as your off-hand weapon to get extra attacks above your BAB allowance. Say, for example, you have a Katana (with EWP) and some Shuriken, Bab +6, ITWF, and a net attack bonus of +10 for the Katana and +8 for the Shuriken (including BAB). You have 2 iterative attacks and 2 off-hand attacks. If you choose not to TWF, you get your two iteratives with which you can do any of the following:

Katana +10/Katana +5
Katana +10 /Shuriken +3
Shuriken +8/Katana +5
Shuriken +8/Shuriken +3

None of these are off-hand attacks so your attacks get full Str to damage and you can even 2-h the Katana for 1.5x Str since releasing is a free action and, again, none of these are off-hand attacks since you're only using your two allotted BAB iteratives. If you wanted to use TWF, you'd designate a weapon as an off-hand (I'll presume the Shuriken in this case) and can do the following:

Katana +8/Katana +3/Shuriken +6/Shuriken +1
Katana +8/Shuriken +6/Katana +3/Shuriken +1
Katana +8/Shuriken +6/Shuriken +1/Katana +3
Shuriken +6/Katana +8/Katana +3/Shuriken +1
Shuriken +6/Katana +8/Shuriken +1/Katana +3
Shuriken +6/Shuriken +1/Katana +8/Katana +3

Remember that you can "shuffle" your main and off-hand attacks (and other bonus attacks from Haste, FoB extra Ki attack, etc.) at your discretion so long as your main-hand attacks, overall, follow normal BAB sequence and the off-hand attacks, overall, follow standard>ITWF>GTWF sequence. Lastly, if you want to get all fancy with it, you can try the following "bonus TWF shenanigans" by utilizing "off-hand/2-h debt", again with the same parameters as the off-hand sequences above and presuming one set of release/re-grip allowed per round:

Katana +8 (2-h)/Katana +3 (1-h)/Shuriken +1 (you lose the +6 Shuriken due to "2-h debt" from prior use of the katana two-handed)
Shuriken +6/Katana +8 (1-h)/Katana +3 (2-h) (you must one-hand the first katana attack due to "off-hand debt" from using your first shuriken, but then two-hand the next katana attack at the expense of your second shuriken)

[Mofisto]

Kazaan wrote:

A bunch of awesome, TWF Katana/Shuriken goodness

I just want to say, those last few combinations are pretty awesome...

But I'll add that if you go Weapon Finesse and pick up a wakizachi instead you lose 1 avg damage but can focus your build more heavily on dex. Sadly going two-handed with a light weapon wouldn't get you anything so you wouldn't have that option, but you're not focusing on strength anyway so you might have a 12 or something in it, giving no benefit to two handing anyway.

[Ser Earling Grey III]

Mofisto wrote:

Sadly going two-handed with a light weapon wouldn't get you anything so you wouldn't have that option, but you're not focusing on strength anyway so you might have a 12 or something in it, giving no benefit to two handing anyway.

Well to be honest I planned to put more into Str than Dex. I enjoy hitting hard and I'm a huge advocate of Intimidating Prowess. Plus I think a beefier ninja is more interesting to play than a stock Dex based one.

I just imagine breaking invisibility right behind my opponent and cleaving him in twain, while simultaneously causing any of his companions to uncontrollably turn scarlet and soil themselves.

Oh and random question; Is there any feat that allows you to use Dex for Feinting instead of Cha? Just curious.

[Kazaan]

Half-Orc

Stats and Traits

Spoiler:

20 pt buy

Str 18 (10)
Dex 12 (2)
Con 14 (5)
Int 8 (-2)
Wis 10
Cha 14 (5)
+2 Intimidate
Darkvision 60ft

Choice Traits: Pick however many you're allowed at your discression.
Reactionary (Combat) +2 Init
Indomidable Faith (Faith) +1 Will
Bully (Social) +1 Intimidate
Brute (Race) +1 Intimidate

Level Progression

Spoiler:

1) Samurai Sword Saint (Cockatrice) 1; Bab +1, Weapon Focus (Katana) (lvl 1), +1 dam Challenge (when only threatened by you), Resolve, Iaijutsu Strike
2) Samurai 2; Bab +2, Braggart(Ex), Dazzling Display (no weapon needed)
3) Ninja Scout 1; Bab +2, Power Attack (lvl 3), 1d6 SA
4) Ninja 2; Bab +3, Trick: Vanishing Trick, +1 Dex
5) Ninja 3; Bab +4, Improved Feint (lvl 5), 2d6 SA
6) Ninja 4; Bab +5, Trick: Unarmed Combat Training
7) Fighter 1; Bab +6, Cornugun Smash (fighter), Shatter Defenses (lvl 7)
8) Ninja 5; Bab +6, 3d6 SA, Dex +1
9) Ninja 6; Bab +7, Trick: Combat Trick (TWF), Intimidating Prowress (lvl 9), Light Steps (Ex)
10) Ninja 7; Bab +8, 4d6 SA
11) Ninja 8; Bab +9, Trick: Combat Training (Unarmed Strike), Enforcer (lvl 11), Skirmisher (Ex)
12) Ninja 9; Bab +9, 5d6 SA, Dex +1
13) Ninja 10; Bab +10, Master Trick: Ghost Step, ITWF (lvl 13)
14) Ninja 11; Bab +11, 6d6 SA
15) Ninja 12; Bab +12, Master Trick: Master Talent (Hunter's Surprise), Persuasive (lvl 15)
16) Ninja 13; Bab +12, 7d6 SA, +1 Str
17) Ninja 14; Bab +13, Master Trick: Unarmed Comabat Master, Dastardly Finish (lvl 17)
18) Ninja 15; Bab +14, 8d6 SA
19) Ninja 16; Bab +15, Master Trick: Feat (Iron Will), (Feat of your choice) (lvl 19)
20a) Ninja 17; Bab +15, 9d6 SA

20b) Fighter 2; Bab +16, (Combat Feat of your choice) +1 Str

Basic Strategy

Spoiler:

Before taking levels in Ninja, you'll basically pick out a foe to challenge, move into a position close to them, then use Start a Full-Round Action to begin Iaijutsu Strike. Next round, you'll move up to the target, if need be, and Complete a Full-Round Action to execute the Iaijutsu Strike. Then just wail on them, using Braggart as needed.

Once you get lvl 5 and Improved Feint, you can start feinting as a move action to get in your Sneak Attacks, or use Scout's Charge at lvl 6. Cornugun Smash with Shatter Defenses will come online JUST as you get your first iterative. At that point, it's just a matter of landing that first smash and nailing the intimidate check to get SA on your subsequent attacks.

Enforcer will give you extra chances to land intimidate with Unarmed Strike off-hand attacks at the beginning of your routine; between Enforcer and Corungun, each off-hand unarmed strike gets 2 chances to put intimidate on. If you intimidate them on the first strike, forgo the second off-hand and just two-hand your Katana from the second main-hand onward, unless you need to save an off-hand for a second opponent.

Dastardly Finish will let you CDG your demoralized targets if you so choose and the Katana's Deadly weapon feature is just gravy for a harder save. It's also quite thematic for the Cocksu...Cockatrice Order... that's what I was gonna say.

[Ser Earling Grey III]

Mother of God ...

[Pupsocket]

Skulking Slayer should be easily adaptable to Ninja.

[Ser Earling Grey III]

Pupsocket wrote:

Skulking Slayer should be easily adaptable to Ninja.

Well the Ninja class does not possess the trap based rogue features that The Skulking Slayer replaces.

[Kazaan]

Ninja only shares Uncanny Dodge and IUD with Rogue so only rogue archetypes that replace only those can be applied to Ninja.
The only archetypes that work with Ninja:
Bandit
Burglar
Sanctified Rogue
Scout
Trapsmith
Cat Burglar (Catfolk)