Hi
I am building a 1/2 elf swashbuckler , but I would like to use ancestral arms and use katana there.
If I go for slashing grace , does this or the katana interfere with panache abilities in the future , or can they only be performed with simple or martial weapons.
Thanks
So with swashbuckler finesse , at level 1 , I can take the slashing grace at level three , and then graduate to the katana , which would thematically fit the learning of sword play , and then regaining my lost ancestors sword (ancestral arms)...
Now to fit in the 15 other feat I want lol!
If you go:
Race EWP - Katana
Lv1 Swsh1 Weapon Focus (Katana), Weapon Finesse
Lv2 Swsh2
Lv3 Swsh3 Slashing Grace
Lv4 Swsh4 ???
Lv5 Swsh5 ???
Then, yeah, it's possible, buuuuuut...
I kinda feel like you can get a little more bang for your buck, however.
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As your Ancestral Arms, you take Bastard Sword.
At level 1, you take Swashbuckler to gain Weapon Finesse, which then applies to your Bastard Sword
At level 2, you take Warpriest (maybe Champion of the Faith, just because), with Shizuru as your Deity, and you gain Weapon Focus as a Bonus Feat(which you apply to your Katana).
At level 3, you re-enter Swashbuckler, and choose Slashing Grace with the Katana.
At levels 4 & 5, you take Swashbuckler again, and at level 5 you either use your Bonus Feat or your lv5 feat for Martial Versatility.
Because you also gain all bonuses of being a Human, you can take Martial Versatility, choosing Slashing Grace (Katana) which then becomes Slashing Grace (Heavy Blades) because of MV and thus you become equally nasty with ALL one-handed blades (not just the Katana, but Bastard Sword, Longsword, etc.)
Basically, I'd suggest something like this:
Deity Shizuru (Katana)
Race EWP (Bastard Sword)
Lv1 Swsh1 ???, Weapon Finesse
Lv2 Wrp1 Weapon Focus (Katana)
Lv3 Swsh2 Slashing Grace (Katana)
Lv4 Swsh3
Lv5 Swsh4 Martial Flexibility (Slashing Grace), ???
Until you get the feats Exotic Weapon prof and Slashing grace the vast majority of the swashbucklers abilities and deeds will be unusable. Including the recovery of panache points by any means other than the start of a new day.
They all require the use of a light or one handed piercing melee weapon and until you get the above mentioned feats a katana is neither a light or piercing weapon.
If you go:
Race EWP - Katana
Lv1 Swsh1 Weapon Focus (Katana), Weapon Finesse
Lv2 Swsh2
Lv3 Swsh3 Slashing Grace
Lv4 Swsh4 ???
Lv5 Swsh5 ???Then, yeah, it's possible, buuuuuut...
I kinda feel like you can get a little more bang for your buck, however.
---
As your Ancestral Arms, you take Bastard Sword.
At level 1, you take Swashbuckler to gain Weapon Finesse, which then applies to your Bastard Sword
At level 2, you take Warpriest (maybe Champion of the Faith, just because), with Shizuru as your Deity, and you gain Weapon Focus as a Bonus Feat(which you apply to your Katana).
At level 3, you re-enter Swashbuckler, and choose Slashing Grace with the Katana.
At levels 4 & 5, you take Swashbuckler again, and at level 5 you either use your Bonus Feat or your lv5 feat for Martial Versatility.
Because you also gain all bonuses of being a Human, you can take Martial Versatility, choosing Slashing Grace (Katana) which then becomes Slashing Grace (Heavy Blades) because of MV and thus you become equally nasty with ALL one-handed blades (not just the Katana, but Bastard Sword, Longsword, etc.)
Basically, I'd suggest something like this:
Deity Shizuru (Katana)
Race EWP (Bastard Sword)
Lv1 Swsh1 ???, Weapon Finesse
Lv2 Wrp1 Weapon Focus (Katana)
Lv3 Swsh2 Slashing Grace (Katana)
Lv4 Swsh3
Lv5 Swsh4 Martial Flexibility (Slashing Grace), ???
Im totally lost with what you are referring to, martial flexibility isn't a feat, its a class feature, you bounce around between bastard sword and katana, why would swashbuckler class features apply to bastard sword but not katana? you bounce around between martial flexibility and martial versatility. Prereq for martial vers is fighter level 4.
Im LOST!
I'm lost too, but mostly at the statement that a bastard sword is a top-tier weapon for a swashbuckler. It requires EWP, it doesn't crit on an 18-20, and it can't be used for any CMB stuff.
+1 average damage compared to a longsword does not make it a top-tier weapon, and that's about all the bastard sword offers.
Instead of getting slashing grace at third, you could play a human, get fencing grace at level 1, be combat viable from the beginning.
And Argus, no, you can use weapon finesse on a bastard sword IF (and only if) it's the unique swashbuckler's weapon finesse. But it's not optimum. Because bastard sword is a trap. Because larger damage die is not worth as much as static damage or increased crit threat or the ability to use the weapon for combat maneuvers.
Pendagast, maybe he's referring to Barroom Brawler, which is like Martial Flexibility, but not as good.
Until you get the feats Exotic Weapon prof and Slashing grace the vast majority of the swashbucklers abilities and deeds will be unusable. Including the recovery of panache points by any means other than the start of a new day.
They all require the use of a light or one handed piercing melee weapon and until you get the above mentioned feats a katana is neither a light or piercing weapon.
Actually, the only things the swashbuckler loses by using a slashing weapon before level 3 are Weapon Finesse and panache regeneration. Which are substantial to be sure, but he can still use all his deeds (including parry and riposte.)
Anyway, it sounds like his plan is to use a different weapon for levels 1 and 2 and then switch over to katana at 3.
thegreenteagamer how are you using a bastard sword with the swashbucklers finesse without slashing grace? Without slashing grace the swashbucklers only works on Light or One handed piercing weapons.
At 1st level, a swashbuckler gains the benefits of the Weapon Finesse feat with light or one-handed piercing melee weapons, and she can use her Charisma score in place of Intelligence as a prerequisite for combat feats. This ability counts as having the Weapon Finesse feat for purposes of meeting feat prerequisites
thegreenteagamer how are you using a bastard sword with the swashbucklers finesse without slashing grace? Without slashing grace the swashbucklers only works on Light or One handed piercing weapons.
At 1st level, a swashbuckler gains the benefits of the Weapon Finesse feat with light or one-handed piercing melee weapons, and she can use her Charisma score in place of Intelligence as a prerequisite for combat feats. This ability counts as having the Weapon Finesse feat for purposes of meeting feat prerequisites
I think he knows that, he probably just typed it wrong… his point basically is that you can't use it until you get slashing grace, and only then IF you are a swashbuckler can you use the weapon finesse with it….that was his point (i.e. its not a good choice)
as for slashing grace, it pretty much only exists for a few reasons, all of them end up basically at the same place either a) rule of cool or b) so we all don't end up making swashbucklers with shortsword or rapiers.
Slashing grace is also really cool for whips by the way (mysterious avenger I'm looking at you)
thematically, a half elf swashbuckler with a katana is really cool. Technically, you don't need to be a half elf to do it, could be a hummie too.
I like the katana swashbuckler just remember Mcleod… there can be only one!
A Sun Blade could get around the need for EWP.
Nothing to add except Have you considered the Daring Champion archetype of the Cavalier? Except same abilities as the Swashbuckler (well the ones you are looking for at any rate), better HD and challenge damage.
prototype00
I actually overlooked the piercing part, and did make a mistake, though thank you for the defense Pendagast. I always remember the light or one-handed part, but forget the slashing because literally every swashbuckler I've seen in action had slashing grace, to he point where it's been ubiquitous. The only part I tend to remember is the whole dex-to-damage thing.
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I actually overlooked the piercing part, and did make a mistake, though thank you for the defense Pendagast. I always remember the light or one-handed part, but forget the slashing because literally every swashbuckler I've seen in action had slashing grace, to he point where it's been ubiquitous. The only part I tend to remember is the whole dex-to-damage thing.
No Fencing Grace? Huh. Weird.
Yeah, I get the names between Martial Versatility and Martial Flexibility mixed up - I meant Versatility, the feat that lets you apply a Combat Feat specific to a single weapon instead to all weapons within its group (in this case Heavy Blades)
A level 4 Swashbuckler can grab Versatility as a Bonus Combat Feat because a Half-Elf can count as a Human.
I like the idea of the Bastard Sword plus the Katana because it's extra base damage vs extra crit range; it's also an extra proficiency. There's only a loss in 1 BAB total, a gain of 1 spell, a Blessing (Holy Strike maybe), and without the loss of any loss of feat slots.