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Yes, very much so. I have a much better idea of the character I'm likely to build, now.
I'm either going to attempt a Slayer based build and just be a strong fighter who also gets some Sneak Attack dice, or attempt something ridiculously crazy and exploitative that tries to get seven sneak attacks in a round.
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Two weapon fighting has the highest potential damage, but there are some problems. You'll do minimal damage on the first round while you're still positioning (minimal enough that it might become worth it to debuff by dirty tricking or something instead - keep it as an option) and absolutely murder them on round two. IF you're flanking, or otherwise have some trick to consistantly get damage... and IF you hit.
Two handing a weapon has the advantage of having a high static modifer. You'll do less damage overall but be more mobile on the field and flexible in terms of encounters in general. I've gotten a great deal of payoff from making my ninja a single weapon fighter. Of course, I got a 1/day haste item from part of an AP, and ninjas can spend a ki point for an extra attack. Those two things do a great deal to mitigate the downsides of having only one weapon.
The non-leathal damage route yeilds the most damage, but there a number of opponents who are immune to it. You won't always be able to depend on it. Of course, this is PFS with its hoard of humanoid opponents so that's a mitigating factor.
The Slayer class sounds like the best bet. I'd run the numbers and see what your average damage is like both as a two-hander and a strength based two weapon fighter. The alternative is a two weapon fighting Ninja using nonlethal damage for insane damage, but lack of an attack bonus booster is a definite concern and the build is more gimmicky overall. The Slayer has the advantage of being new, and thus mad optimization will be obsfuscated for a time. Unless the home crowd reads this thread, of course. ;)
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Two weapon fighting has the highest potential damage, but there are some problems. You'll do minimal damage on the first round while you're still positioning (minimal enough that it might become worth it to debuff by dirty tricking or something instead - keep it as an option) and absolutely murder them on round two. IF you're flanking, or otherwise have some trick to consistantly get damage... and IF you hit.
Two handing a weapon has the advantage of having a high static modifer. You'll do less damage overall but be more mobile on the field and flexible in terms of encounters in general. I've gotten a great deal of payoff from making my ninja a single weapon fighter. Of course, I got a 1/day haste item from part of an AP, and ninjas can spend a ki point for an extra attack. Those two things do a great deal to mitigate the downsides of having only one weapon.
The non-leathal damage route yeilds the most damage, but there a number of opponents who are immune to it. You won't always be able to depend on it. Of course, this is PFS with its hoard of humanoid opponents so that's a mitigating factor.
Exellent advice. I still remember what Kyras does to bosses whom he can steak attack on the first round.
I really, really wanted to roll initiative against you that combat.
Also, remember that attacks from spending ki points stack with attacks from haste. Because of this, a pair of boots of speed are a solid investment for either a two-handed or dual-wielding build. With the boots and a ki point spent, you could be looking at 6 attacks at level 8, 4 of which are at full BAB and the other 2 at -5.
I think your numbers are off.
Level 8 Ninja: +6/+1TWF: +4/-1/+4
ITWF: +4/-1/+4/-1
Haste: +4/-1/+4/-1/+4
Ki: +4/-1/+4/-1/+4/+4
The only way I know to get a -5 when using TWF is with a secondary natural attack (NA), which is not related to TWF. If you are using NA, you can get multiple NAs: Kobold with the Dragonmaw trait and the Tail Terror has two NAs. There may be ways to get more than that. All NAs used with iterative (weapon) attacks are treated as secondary and get the -5. A two handed fighter cannot use those hands for claw attacks, so having claws cannot help make more attacks.
The above kobold could get: +4/-1/+4/-1/+4/+4/+1/+1
That is 8 attacks at level 8.
/cevah
What?!
This isn't the child of the Ranger and the Rogue. It's the Rogue Mk II.
Take everything you like about the Rogue. Mix it with everything you like about the Ranger (except the animal companion, which is three feats away if you really need it). Never look back.
The best part? Players can finally build Drizz't Do'Urden in Pathfinder. Because... yanno... what pathfinder society really needs is a small army of dusky skinned elves who are strangely without magic tracking things out in the wilderness while dual wielding scimitars.
BRB! Begging John Compton to give out a token that can summon a panther as a purchasable item in one of the upcoming chronicles. :p
For your consideration:
Race: Human (Heart of the Wilderness and Focused Study Alternate Racial Traits)
Class: Ninja (Bandit Archetype)
Favored Class Bonus: 1/6 new talent
Traits: Axe to Grind, Birthmark, Exile (Drawback - Paranoid)
STR: 15 (17 after Racial Adjustment) [2nd Ability Point]
DEX: 14
CON: 11
INT: 10
WIS: 10
CHA: 15 [1st Ability Point]
Level/Feat/Trick:
1. Feat: Improved Initiative / Feat: Skill Focus (Knowledge Plains)
2. Trick: Vanishing Trick
3. Feat: Eldritch Heritage (Abyssal - Claws)
4. Trick: Shadow Clone
5. Feat: Power Attack
6. Trick: Weapon Training - Katana / Trick: Underhanded
7. Feat: Furious Focus
8. Trick: Offensive Defense / Feat: Skill Focus (Perception)
9. Feat: Quick Draw
10. Trick: Invisible Blade
11. Feat: Improved Eldritch Heritage (Strength of the Abyss)
12. Trick: Assassinate / Trick: Combat Trick - Point Blank Shot
Items: +X Katana (maybe Menacing), Belt +X Con/Str, Cloak of Resistance +X, Boots of Speed, Bane Baldric, +X Tube Arrow Shooter, and perhaps a Headband +X Cha
Tactics will include initiating Surprise Rounds, as often as you can. As a Bandit you can move in, attack (utilizing Underhanded & Assassinate at 12), and Swift Action Shadow Clone. In round 1 you hopefully go first, full attack using a Swift Action to add an additional attack at Full BAB, using a Free Action to activate Boots of Speed and adding another additional attack at Full BAB, Free Actions also possibly include growing claws and letting go of your Katana with one hand to make a secondary Natural Attack at Full BAB -5. Something should be dead at this point. Possibly two things since your surprise attack could be used to use Assassinate and Underhanded or Offensive Defense on something at range with a Tube Arrow Shooter, then using your move action to close distance on a second enemy and killing it in round 1. Also you will have the Bandit fear ability for a bit of situational crowd control:
Fearsome Strike (Ex): At 8th level, a bandit can terrify an opponent with a single hit. A number of times per day equal to her Charisma modifier (minimum 1), when a bandit confirms a critical hit and deals sneak attack damage to an opponent, she can choose to make the opponent frightened for a number of rounds equal to her Charisma modifier (minimum 1). She cannot use this ability in conjunction with a critical feat. This ability replaces improved uncanny dodge.
At 12 your full attack will be: +9/+9/+9/+4/+4 (This is only counting your BAB numbers, not your Str, Weapon Enhancements, Feats, etc...)
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What?!
This isn't the child of the Ranger and the Rogue. It's the Rogue Mk II.
Take everything you like about the Rogue. Mix it with everything you like about the Ranger (except the animal companion, which is three feats away if you really need it). Never look back.
The best part? Players can finally build Drizz't Do'Urden in Pathfinder. Because... yanno... what pathfinder society really needs is a small army of dusky skinned elves who are strangely without magic tracking things out in the wilderness while dual wielding scimitars.
BRB! Begging John Compton to give out a token that can summon a panther as a purchasable item in one of the upcoming chronicles. :p
You mean these?
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/wondrous-items/e-g/figur ines-of-wondrous-power
And this (aka the Driz'zt feat)?
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/general-feats/companion-figurine
Yes! Bwahahahahaha! Now I just a feat that allows a character to TWF with a one handed melee weapon (AKA scimitars) for the normal -2 penalty instead of a -4 penalty.
Heh! One thing I really appreciated about the shift from 3.5 to Pathfinder was the inclusion of Ambidexterity into the TWF feat. The fighting style is already feat heavy enough. But if they restyle it to allow someone to TWF with non-light one handed weapons for the normal -2 penalty...
Race: Half Orc (Sacred Tattoo, and Scavenger Alternate Racial Traits)
Class: Rogue (Skulking Slayer and Scout Archetypes)
Favored Class Bonus: 1HP/Level
Traits: Reactionary, Fate's Favored, and Axe to Grind (Paranoid Drawback)
.
Stats:
STR: 16 (18 After Racial Adjustment)
DEX: 14
CON: 13 [1st Ability Point]
INT: 10
WIS: 12
CHA: 10
Level/Feat/Talent:
1. Feat: Exotic Weapon Proficiency - Tetsubo
2. Talent: Combat Trick - Improved Initiative
3. Feat: Sap Adept
4. Talent: Resiliency
5. Feat: Sap Master
6. Talent: Offensive Defense
7. Feat: Iron Hide
8. Talent: Weapon Training - Tetsubo
9. Feat: Dodge
10. Talent: Feat - Mobility
11. Feat: Toughness or Improved Natural Armor
12. Talent: Crippling Strike
Items: +x Merciful Tetsubo, Boots of Speed, Vest of the Cockroach, etc…
Tactics: Charge often. Charge into positions where you are Flanking or within a 5’ step of Flanking. Every time you charge you get SA using d8s, if you are using Merciful you double the number of SA dice and add twice the number of dice to base damage. If you turn Merciful off you are still doing good lethal damage too. Every time you gain SA you add the number of dice you rolled to your AC via Offensive Defense, unless you use another SA mod talent like Crippling Strike. Eventually you also have Dodge, Mobility, and Iron Hide to help bolster your lower AC. And you will have Resiliency to give you a reserve if you get dropped to 0 or lower.
Alternately, with this build you could take 4 levels as a Two-handed Fighter to gain extra Feats, BAB, Fort Save, and the Overhand Chop ability to add x2 STR bonus to damage when you make a single attack, including on a Charge. With the last four levels traded for Fighter it could go something like this:
Level/Feat/Talent:
1. Feat: Exotic Weapon Proficiency - Tetsubo
2. Talent: Combat Trick - Improved Initiative
3. Feat: Sap Adept
4. Talent: Resiliency
5. Feat: Sap Master
6. Talent: Offensive Defense
7. Feat: Iron Hide
8. Talent: Weapon Training - Tetsubo
9. Feat: Dodge / Feat: Mobility
10. Feat: Power Attack
11. Feat: Furious Focus
12. Feat: Weapon Specialization - Tetsubo
Yes! Bwahahahahaha! Now I just a feat that allows a character to TWF with a one handed melee weapon (AKA scimitars) for the normal -2 penalty instead of a -4 penalty.
How about: Moonlight Stalker? "Benefit: While you have concealment from an opponent, you gain a +2 bonus on attack and damage rolls against that opponent."
I also recall either a feat or magic item that let you negate -2 from the off hand 1/round. Can't find it just now.
/cevah
This thread is now officially about "How to build Driz'zt."
I would probably go with Two Weapon Warrior Fighter. Their 15th level ability allows them to TWF with two one handed weapons at only a -1 penalty. Plus Driz'zt doesn't seem to have a true animal companion or Ranger spells. Take the Bitter Nobleman and Outcast traits for Stealth and Survival as class skills.
Then all you have to do is commission a custom magic item that casts summon monster to get a nice Panther companion.
Ideally, if you could run a gestalt character combining the above TWW with Barbarian I think that would fit pretty perfectly.
This thread is now officially about "How to build Driz'zt."
Of course it is. Drizz't is awesome!
Plus, it's not actually that far from your original goal. He can be a murder machine when he wants to. ;)
Shadowlord, you have a good point. I can totally see Drizz't as a high level fighter. I would ideally like to play him in PFS though. The horizon walker build looks pretty interesting. I'll have to check the class out.
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This thread is now officially about "How to build Driz'zt."Of course it is. Drizz't is awesome!
Plus, it's not actually that far from your original goal. He can be a murder machine when he wants to. ;)
Shadowlord, you have a good point. I can totally see Drizz't as a high level fighter. I would ideally like to play him in PFS though. The horizon walker build looks pretty interesting. I'll have to check the class out.
Driz'zt honestly is a sniveling little @%#$& elf compared to either Jarlaxle or Artemis Entreri. I can't even come close to admiring Driz'zt when those two Badassery Elementals exist in the same universe.
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Well, point. I always thought Artemis was a good villain, but Jarlaxle could teach just about anyone a lesson in how to do something with style.