which 2 hander for my shadow dancer


Advice


Hey all

I'm building a character for an upcomming game i'll be in, kick off is next week. I'm going for a shadow dancer along the lines of this guide https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ECKpD15DbcDuEyPKiR1BsY2JLSGRjLwEp8Fncq3 Smjw/edit

I dont ususally play characters with 2handed main weapons and would like some recomendations on what to pick. Greatsword is ever iconic and good on stats but what about a reach weapon, or somthing with better critting?

Or what about somthing with more flavour?

thoughs please? :)


Greatsword will deal the most damage up to a certain static damage modifier, after which the Nodachi with it's greater crit range will have greater average dpr. If I recall correctly, the break even point was somewhere around 25 points of static damage where the nodachi became better. Of course, if you have things that rely on critical hits it becomes more attrative earlier.

If you don't mind burning the extra feat, two handing a falcata can be good. Expanded crit range and increased damage multiplier can do a lot.

Unless you're going to build around reach, it's useful but not the end all be all. This involves picking up combat reflexes and having a decent dex. If you go this route, look up the fauchard which also has an expanded crit range in addition to reach.


I'll second the Nodachi suggestion.


Katana, Nodachi or Falchion would be possibilities with a high crit range. But a pole-arm shadow dancer could be cool, too. But most of those have slightly worse stats.


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Elven curve blade? Not as much damage, but it's finesse-able.
If you're an elf or half-elf, it won't cost you a feat, maybe.

Scarab Sages

For reach weapons, Fauchard is best, but Bardiche or the Dwarven Longhammer come close. The Lucurne Hammer is slightly inferior, but the damage types and bonus to sunder armor make up for that. The Ripsaw Glaive is just fun.


thematically, Scythe!


Scythe are fun. That x4 crit multiplier.. mmmmmmmmm....

I've seen the earthbreaker used to great effect as well. 2d6 bludgeoning, x3 crit. You'd need to improve it's crit range with a feat, as it can't be keened.

Greataxe is similar, with a d12 instead. A pretty fun weapon, overall.

I'm a fan of a katana if you can get it, as it gives you the option of one-handing but still threatening when the situation calls for it, and it's better than the similar long/bastard swords with it's 18-20 crit.


I love lucerne hammers for their flexibility in damage types and reach, then you carry a special material cestus if anything comes up close. Ranseurs are also handy for their disarm and trip properties, pop out of a shadow, put the enemy on the ground, and enjoy hitting them while they're prone, scoring sneak attack damage. You're not fishing crits, but that means you save on feats/weapon enchantments that can go elsewhere.


Proley wrote:
pop out of a shadow, put the enemy on the ground, and enjoy hitting them while they're prone, scoring sneak attack damage.

That sounds as if being prone allowed sneak attacks. But I can't find anything in the prone condition text that allows it.


Prone doesn't deny them dex, which you'd need for sneak attack.

Now I have an image of a long weapon shooting out of the darkness for a sneak attack before receding, and never seeing the attacker. Sounds fun!


Or something entirly diffrent. A whip or even more evil a dorn-duergar or meteor hammer. Something with reach shooting out of the shadow like a viper. The question do you go by max damage or the rule of cool?


Good question Helikon, i like to try and find a happy place in the middle between "optimum mechanical character building" and "general badassery" as i like to reffer to them as ;).

A 2 handed Falcata would be good fluff wise as i am from Taldor... But seriously i doubt you could actually 2hand one of those!

For one the guard is not designed for it, 2 the thing is about the length of a short sword... what gives?

I think i'll ask my GM if she wants to make some kind of variant, or apply some penalties to a 2 handed Falcata user then see how it looks after that.


Oh, I guess prone denying dex to AC is a houseruled thing we play with. Disregard, I am silly.


Pathfinder Lost Omens Subscriber

if you have a free feat there's the "mighty Sword" (there's also a dread maul and axe) which is basically a taking of the bastard-sword rule that allows you to take a feat to make it one handed and take a sword that is normally too large and make it a two-hander(but still designed to be wielded by someone of your size).

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