Looking over the boards it seems like everyone picks a single weapon or weapon style (twf, 2-hander, etc...) and runs with it. I've got this concept in mind of a gladiator-type that uses multiple types of weapons and weapon styles. Is there a way to make this build work without completely sucking? I don't care about "maximum DPR", but would like him to be decent to above average.
EDIT: the only thing I can think of is going gestalt with soulknife on one side (for the different mindblade forms)//and fighter on the other for the bonus feats.
The reason most people stick with a single weapon style is that most styles are feat intense. The best way to use multiple styles is to play a class with bonus feats that can ignore prerequisites. Rangers are about the only class that I know that can do this. The switch hitter is a perfect example of this, but you could easily use two weapon fighting instead of archery. Two handed style just needs power attack and maybe one or two more feats. A ranger can ignore the DEX requirements for the two weapon feats so can maximize STR without having to dump everything else.
It should be rather easy to switch between a two-hander and sword and board (non-TWF).
Combining TWF with another style is more feat intensive.
Pathfinder rewards specialization. It's better to be very good at one thing than good at several in the vast majority of cases.
The game doesn't handle trying to do multiple styles well unfortunately. Archery and TWF for instance take a pile of feats, and there's no overlap between them. Some aren't so feat intensive, like two handed fighting takes power attack and is for the most part good for life. Some feats are weapon exclusive, such as weapon focus and darn near everything that requires it, and that furthers the ideal of specialization.
Using a one handed weapon and either a buckler or quick draw (feat) and quickdraw shield (gear) you can easily switch between sword and board and thf.
Then there's the switch hitter ranger build who grabs power attack, quick draw, and uses the ranger bonus feats on archery stuff.
You could probably even combine the 2, but adding in any more styles would be difficult.
TWF and Sword and board with bashing should actually synergize quite well for a ranger, or anyone else who can ignore Prereqs, since most sword and boarders are grabbing the TWF chain of feats anyway.
There's also the problem of equipment james. Unless you're playing a very unusual campaign where you frequently lose your weapons and have to make do with whatever you find, there simply won't be very many situations where you'd be using anything except your preferred weapon(s).
So it looks like I have basically 4 choices to even remotely pull this concept off:
1) Fighter: spread out the feats and carry several different weapons. this would be ok, but I think very gold intensive trying to enchant all of them at higher levels.
2) Ranger: basically same as fighter but with fewer feats - probably limited to only 2 weapons/styles. The other ranger stuff provides a bit more diversity, but doesn't really fit my idea.
3)Monk w/empty hand archtype: turn anything - even existing weapons into improvised weapons, albeit ones with inferior than normal stats. This sounds like it could be pretty fun to play but I don't normally play monks because of the suck factor.
4)Soulknife (dreamscarred's pathfinder version): This seems to solve both of the main problems of feat expenditure (they'll still be some disparity for the different combat styles, but it's essentially 1 weapon that can function for any style (twf, 2hander, single strike, thrown, even sword and board and archery - with the right archtype/bladeskill) and gold expenditure (you gain the enchantments for free as you level, so no need to spend money on it). Howeer, since it's not core getting DM approval might be a hassle.
Of the 4, it think the soulknife best fits my concept. anyone have any experience playing one, or have any other ideas that could work for this?
If you're worried about damage types, ask your DM if your sword can do double duty as S/P, you know, like a KNIFE.
If not, a spiked shield can do Blud or Piercing dmg if you don't use the spikes. So, a sword + shield combo can take care of all your damage types (and really, I can't think of anything with DR/Piercing except a Rakshasa...)
A sword and boarder is properly using EVERY melee style.
When his opponents can't hit or are very large and hit anyways, he should set aside the shield and go two handed.
When surrounded by many small foes, or if he can always hit, he should TWF with sword and bash attacks, aiming for as many attacks as possible, sucking up the penalty to pile on the damage.
If he's defensive fighting, and needs to hit reliably while keeping his AC up, he should sword and board and only bash on followups.
==Aelryinth
I guess my main problem is how many feats to dedicate to each style.
2-hander: power attack +??? vital strike maybe?
TWF: twf + double slice + im. twf at the least +???
Sword and board: twf + im. shield bash +???
Ranged/thrown: point blank shot + rapid shot +???
that's alot of feats, most of which don't synergize with one another.
So sticking to pathfinder stuff, it looks like i'm SOL for this concept...dreamscarred here I come.
thanks for the input anyways.
What is this Brawler of which you speak? I had not heard of such a thing in 2013.