I have constructed a character for a friend of mine who is playing in my game. It's based off of Inuyasha.
So far, I've made a Fighter with the two handed weapon archetype, using a two handed sword. I replaced the spell per day with having 2 claw attacks, and the skill pumps with the ability to charge for an extra 10 ft(Fiendish Sprinter). Specifically, I made him a Onispawn Tiefling. I cheated a little and let him take as his first level feats both Armor of the Pit and Scent. As for traits, I gave him Indomitable Faith (+1 Will) and (couldn't find a trait to give him this skill so I made one up) Acrobatics.
For armor, I figured he could wear a breastplate under his kimono. I thought an adamantine version would prove effective since the character takes a lot of damage in the anime.
For a weapon, I figured an adamantine 2 handed sword would be appropriate.
Any advice would be welcome in the build from here on in. I thought Vital Strike might at least somewhat simulate Tetusaiga's powers, but I'm at a loss as to what else might work. Endurance, Diehard, and Wicked Valor seem to work well. Iron Will might work well, as the character is legendarily stubborn.
What weapon enchantments would work for his sword? Also, what feats besides the ones I mentioned might work?
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Frankly Inuyasha would be a good barbarian in my opinion. He is always angry and raging, on top of it the rage powers would give him abilities like scent to represent his supernatural senses or even some rage powers with fast healing. Unless of course someone is playing a Skald in your party and granting the rage powers to his character.
But anyway as far as enchantment goes on the weapon: Demon Bane or Oni Bane are obvious ones, if it is somewhat an inuyasha like character.
Well, Barbarian is interesting as an option, and yes Inuyasha is always angry for one reason or another, but I never thought of him as raging at his enemies. He doesn't exactly froth at the mouth when he fights, you know?
Even so, I shall run Barbarian by the player and see what he thinks.
Evil outsider bane is a good idea. Would Holy work well, or is that inappropriate?
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Inappropriate mostly because if we go by the tessaiga in the show. It's not a holy weapon but it is one which absorbs demonic energy and hurts them badly, mostly I chose demon or oni bane instead of holy. Tessaiga later on in the series is actually used to break holy barriers/protections.
But well of course, at the end of the day, you can do whatever is more convenient for your game.
What Barbarian rage powers would you suggest? So far, Barbarian seems less customizable than Fighter.
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Well you already have claws but technically, you could get claws with the beast totem line of rage powers, mostly going down the beast totem line for a reference to the dog heritage and at the end you do get pounce , reflecting inu yasha charging in and flurry of attacks.
Flesh wound to reduce the damage of an attack by half.
Strength surge is one worth looking into and could reflect easily his strength surges, to break stuff or lift stuffs.
Strength surge + Spell sunder = destroy magical defenses with your sword swings.
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As for feat while not perfect:
Power attack of course, the Lunge feat adds more range to your melee attacks, Raging vitality to keep raging while knocked out. Beside that, he can customize as he sees fit.
Prestige classes worth considering: Chevalier, its paladin-lite basically and he will be able to get Smite Evil.
-----------Other suggestion multiclassing with fighter (Weapon Master is of course very approriate) if he wants to take a lot of level of fighters, if not, he can just grab Unbreakable for 1 level dip to get die hard and endurance feats on the first level of fighter.
Beast Totem? There wasn't much listed in the APG.
Never heard of Flesh Wound. Where did you get that and Pounce?
What books are you using? I have Ultimate Equipment, Ultimate Combat & Ultimate Magic, APG, the core book, Bestiaries 1-4, ARG. I also have all the racial booklets.
Originally, we were going to go for a human with the half fiend template minus the spells, but determined that the 2 level penalty was a bit much.
Are you talking about a Cavalier? That's a full class, not a prestige class.
The reason why I had suggested Fighter in the first place for Inuyasha is that the critical hit feats have all these special effects for when the PC nails one. I thought that might simulate the special sword types that Tetusaiga attains.
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Beast totem is a rage power from the APG. The greater beast totem is from higher level of barbarian, which will gives the barbarian pounce.
Flesh wound a rage power as well from the APG too.
Chevalier is a prestige class from pathfinder 14: children of the void.
i would have taken the catfulk and twik them to work on dog folk.
a catfolk level 2 ranger who took the claw alt racial trait, took for 1st level feat the catfolk exampler(claw) and took for the 2nd ranger level the natural weapon fighting style ->for improved natural attack(calw) will deal 1d8 calw damage + full str (primery attacks) .as dengerius as a sword. then you can get the scent ether frmo other racial trait change or from ranger spells. you also get the tracking ability up and nice.
Catfolk would need extensive alterations to prove useful. Inuyasha has a very high Strength, decently high Constitution (takes a LOT of abuse) and Dexterity (doesn't wear much armor and leaps about a lot).
I seriously doubt Inuyasha is a Ranger. He doesn't get any spells, for starters, and he isn't the woodsy sort.
Scent can be taken as a feat, btw.
Unfortunately, that pounce power has to wait until 10th level. Same goes for Beast Totem greater. Still, the claws and the like sound interesting. Problem is, most of the appropriate rage powers like Raging Leaper, the Beast Totem (claws) and the like seem useless in the upper levels, and they cost quite a few Barbarian rage powers/levels invested.
The nice thing about the Fighter feats is that they all stack well, for the most part (Vital Strike doesn't work well with multiple attacks gained at later levels).
Still, I will definitely present Barbarian to the player and ask him if he wants to switch.
I don't have that supplement, this pathfinder 14. After looking at it online, I would definitely say Inuyasha's charges are definitely not controlled, nor does he even have ONE rank of Diplomacy, and he's definitely not immune to poison. I have seasons 1-7, the Final Act, and all 4 movies of the series, and I haven't seen much that would recommend chevalier as a part of the character.
Okay, he switched to Barbarian. I am trying to figure out appropriate armor choices right now. Does anybody know if adamantine armor's DR stacks with Invulnerable Rager's DR?
What rage powers do you guys suggest? So far, I've got Lesser Beast Totem for 2nd, Raging Leaper for 4th, and Beast Totem for 6th. 10th level has Greater Beast Totem.
Inuyasha would be a Half-Fiend, a tiefling with claws, or (more realistically) something a bit more... custom.
Class-wise, I'd say he's Titan Mauler with levels in Brawler.
Tessaiga is a Weapon of Legacy from back in 3.5, probably a Large +1 Katana.
Well, I made up a character that was totally true to the character, but it had 3 downsides: 2 level penalty, loss of the boosted attributes during nights of the new moon, and Insanity as per the spell in combat until he buys an adamantine greatsword. The player didn't go for it.
So, he took a Tiefling (onispawn) as his race instead.
Tetusaiga is definitely a two handed sword, at least in Inuyasha's hands, and given the size of it, I would call it a Large (ogre sized) weapon.
What's a Titan Mauler?
Alternatively, Tessaiga is a +1 Large Nodachi and Inuyasha has Monkey Grip.
Well, I made up a character that was totally true to the character, but it had 3 downsides: 2 level penalty, loss of the boosted attributes during nights of the new moon, and Insanity as per the spell in combat until he buys an adamantine greatsword. The player didn't go for it.
So, he took a Tiefling (onispawn) as his race instead.
Tetusaiga is definitely a two handed sword, at least in Inuyasha's hands, and given the size of it, I would call it a Large (ogre sized) weapon.
What's a Titan Mauler?
A Large Katana is basically the counterpart to the Large Bastard Sword - meaning, if you're proficient with it, it's a two-handed weapon by default.
As a Titan Mauler, you can wield Tessaiga without penalty.
I exchanged his darkness spell per day for over sized arms, which will let him wield a Large Greatsword (3d6 damage). No need for a fancy class.
And the player selected Barbarian as his class already. I thought that Inuyasha was more of a Fighter, but it's his choice.
PS a Nodachi is essentially a greatsword anyway.
Kinda yes and kinda no.
A Nodachi is base 1d10, vs 2d6 from a Greatsword, but the total damage throughout the player's career will be vastly superior because of the Nodachi's crit range.
You're better off giving him Tessaiga as a Large Nodachi which, as he grows, gains Impact and Keen, as well.
That'd up the damage from 2d8 to 3d8 damage and a 15-20 crit range.
And, again, the way that Tessaiga levels up throughout the series, the most accurate way to represent it is to use the Weapons of Legacy rules from 3.5 as a basis, with Tessaiga starting off as a +1 Intelligent Large Nodachi, with the Intelligence being Empathic.
Honestly, just use the rules for how an item should level (with some obvious ad-hoc replacement of things, like replacing a spell of a certain level with a spell of the same level, etc.) and through out the requirement of needing both Feats and the HP, Stats, and Spell payments.
The sword can then grant with Wind Scar ability, which is Whirlwind that should start off as 1/day, though even that ability would up the cost by 48,000gp.
Actually recreating the Tessaiga would probably bring the sword to darn near 300,000gp when all is said and done, which is the up-most cap for magic items, really (at least going by 3.5's Magic Item Compendium; in Pathfinder it seems closer to 200,000gp, but a 300,000gp cap allows for crazy items like Mjollnir to be stat'ed out as well).
Before I recommend a nodachi over a greatsword to my player, I would have to see your math on the subject to back up your claim.
Side note: Historically, Japanese swords have always been inferior to Western swords simply because of the quality of the metal itself. Japan isn't known for its metal deposits, to put it mildly.
I don't have any of the Weapons of Legacy, nor do I have a source to work with. So, that's out as an option.
I honestly don't like Barbarians compared to Fighters, because Barbs have too short of a time they can rage, and they tend to be marshmallows with lots of hp and crappy AC. They suck up a lot of healing as a result. I like the Barb skills, just not the rage mechanic.
That's nice, but it doesn't account for base damage. The average of d10 is 5.5, while the average of 2d6 is 7. Those crits would have to be something REALLY impressive to overcome that discrepancy.
That's nice, but it doesn't account for base damage. The average of d10 is 5.5, while the average of 2d6 is 7. Those crits would have to be something REALLY impressive to overcome that discrepancy.
Pardon my really fast math, if you can expect to get the damage bonus up to +20, you're looking at 25.5 for the nodachi and 27 for the greatsword right? Now consider the effect of keen on these two weapons. Nodachi has a 30% chance to crit (upping dps by 7.65) and the Greatsword has a 20% chance to crit (upping dps by 5.4) giving you a total of 33.15 for the nodachi, and 32.4 for the greatsword.
At level 20, you're getting WAAAAY more than +20 to damage. I mean, if you've got +6 strength mod while raging and power attack, you'll have at least +12 at level 1.
Those are painfully close numbers. That's less than a point of damage difference, and that's assuming that the player actually hits and confirms.
Personally, I would rather have the higher base damage since it's more reliable than depending upon a confirmed critical hit, but it's all down to flavor (personal preference).
What if the Wind Scar was represented by Great Cleave and Vital Strike? Essentially it's the same function. Vital Strike kicks off a death, then Great Cleave ensures that other opponents take a hit.
Basically, I'm trying to figure out how to represent the sword's attacks, and thought that a combination of enchantments and feats might pull it off. Not sure how to get the Wind Scar/Adamant Barrage etc to work at a range.
Those are painfully close numbers. That's less than a point of damage difference, and that's assuming that the player actually hits and confirms.
Personally, I would rather have the higher base damage since it's more reliable than depending upon a confirmed critical hit, but it's all down to flavor (personal preference).
Proof that nodachi is superior
At level 20, it's going to add up. On the table there, treat the nodachi as the elven curve blade (statistically the same, except that the nodachi also has brace) and you'll see the level 12 fighter get 7 extra damage. Imagine that damage as a level 20 barbarian charging with pounce. I mean, if you're talking flavor, I prefer weapons with higher crit rates, because it they trigger critical feats and effects more often and ends up being more exciting to play because you'll see flashier numbers more. When your reliable damage is 1.5 extra on an average hit, it's really not that impressive.
I mean, if you really want to use greatsword you can. You asked for numbers and proof and it's here. Do with it what you will.
Also, once you get Impact on both weapons, the damage starts going WAY in favor of the Bastard Sword/Curve Blade/Nodachi
A Huge Greatsword deals 4d6 damage, which has an average of 14 damage and a max of 24; a Huge Nodachi deals 3d8 damage, which has an average of 13.5 damage and a... max of 24. Once you calculate in the high Crit chance, that starts multiplying out the wazoo and the Nodachi leaves the Greatsword in the dust.
I thought that a Greatsword sized up one did 3d6 damage, not 4d6.
I dunno, what I saw on Nerfplz 's link didn't show me anything about the nodachi. It DID have a few numbers on a greatsword though, and they were pretty far up there.
PLEASE look up the Nodachi:
Nodachi | Cost 60 gp |Small 1d8 | Med 1d10 | Crit 18–20/×2 | Range — | Wt. 8 lbs. | Type S or P | Special brace
Elven Curve Blade | Cost 80 gp | Small 1d8 | Med 1d10 | Crit 18–20/×2 | Range — | Wt. 7 lbs. | Type S | Special finesse
It is functionally identical to the Elven Curve Blade (1d10, 18-20/x2) except for flavor, damage type (the Nodachi is also Piercing) and the Nodachi has Brace as a weapon quality.
Every calculation that counts for the Elven Curveblade also counts for the Nodachi, and that's what NerfPlz showed.
Also, remember that it's going to be Large:
Large +1 Greatsword is 3d6
Large +1 Impact Greatsword is 4d6
Large +1 Nodachi is 2d8
Large +1 Impact Nodachi is 3d8
A Large Impact weapon deals damage as a Huge weapon.
A Large Impact Nodachi does an average of .5 damage per hit less damage without criticals factored in; WITH criticals factored in it deals significantly higher than the Greatsword because a 15-20 Crit Range means that 3 in 10 attacks are going to be doing 6d8 damage (as opposed to the 2 in 10 of the Greatsword doing 8d6).
They also do, at max rolls, the exact same damage: 24 damage = 4d6 = 3d8. At Huge damage classification (which is what a Large Impact weapon would deal), the gulf in damage between the Elven Curve Blade/Nodachi and the Greatsword is further than at any other point.
From that thread, and remember that the Nodachi is identical to the Elven Curve Blade:
Charging Attack:
44.46 - Great Sword
46.3125 - Elven Curve Blade
Move & Cleave/Regular Attack:
44.46 - Great Sword
46.3125 - Elven Curve Blade
Move & Vital Strike:
56.7625 - Elven Curve Blade
57.76 - Great Sword
Full Attack DPR:
92.04 - Great Sword
97.125 - Elven Curve Blade
Hasted Full Attack DPR:
139.23 - Great Sword
146.438 - Elven Curve Blade
The only time the Greatsword actually out-damages the ECB is when you Move & Vital Strike, which isn't really even a very strong strategy.
Out of 100 successful attacks:
Large Impact Greatsword: (14 x 80) + (28 x 20) = 1680dmg
Large Impact Nodachi: (13.5 x 70) + (27 x 30) = 1755dmg
So, in actuality, you're doing, on average, .75 more damage per hit with a Nodachi than you are with a Greatsword
I will suggest it to the player. However, there is one teeny problem.
He won't be able to find something like that easily, since he'd have to find the equivalent of a Japanese swordsmith in Sandpoint, Varisia. I kinda doubt that's going to happen (will be running Rise of the Runelords with this PC).
Still, it's something to shoot for, if he's going to get it made from adamantium like I think he's gonna.
Just have him take the Heriloom Weapon trait.
That is EXACTLY what Inuyasha has anyway - an heirloom left from his father.
Where does one find that trait? I've never seen it before.
No wonder why I've never seen it before. It's from the Adventurer's Armory. It also requires the PC to pay full price for the weapon, and it isn't masterwork.
The player doesn't really have the money to spend on what is obviously an enchanted weapon. Wish he did, as it would make more sense. Then again, Inuyasha didn't start out with his favored weapon, all he had was his claws.
i gotta ask, is anyone else confused when it comes to a 'dog' having a claw attack?
I made Inuyasha once in the form of a tiefling bloodrager. It worked out fairly well in the long run.
