| Philetus |
So, I'd like to throw out a potential build for a Skulls and Shackles campaign and, to make life as difficult as possible, I've decided to take a run at a halfling mouser (swashbuckler archetype). Because, (A.) it's thematic, and (B.) I've been trying for a few years to really find a place halflings work, and this seems to be as good as any.
In looking at the class, and building it out to about 15th level, I began to see that everything after Hamstring at Level 7 was seriously diminishing returns. You get non-multiplying precision damage, a few free feats and ... nothing else really special. So, I'm looking at Mouser 7/Fighter (Weapon Master or Freehand Fighter) 8. Considering that he's never going to do great damage, no matter how he's spec'ed, I am tinkering with Golarian's smallest melee battlefield controler. With Nimble, buckler, high DEX and Combat Expertise, it should be possible for him to keep his AC up with 20 plus twice level.
We're doing a bit of an overpowered stat roll that left me (after racial mods) with 18s in DEX and CHA, so I left off Extra Panache (which had initially been my first feat). I think four at the start should be enough. So, here goes:
1st: Step Up. I haven't found it in print, but the PFSRD states that anything *within* 5 feet is considered adjacent, which means an halfling who is underfoot is adjacent while in the same square. Step Up should allow you to shift with your foe and stay underfoot, without blowing another panache.
3rd: Combat Expertise. Threatening Defender trait also drops the to-hit penalty by 1.
4th (bonus): Agile Maneuvers. DEX instead of STR on CMB. Really pops on Hamstring.
5th: Outflank *or* Combat Reflexes. Outflank is nice, if everybody else buys in. Otherwise, it's a wasted feat. When it pops, it pops a lot.
7th: Improved Disarm. Intentionally not going with Improved Dirty Trick here, since Hamstring does not draw AoOs, and adds a lot of flexibility to the build.
Fighter from here down.
7/1 (bonus): Improved Dirty Trick.
7/2: Critical Focus. Required for Critical feats.
7/2 (bonus): Greater Dirty Trick. Hamstring now becomes 1d4 rounds, plus 1 round for each 5 points by which you beat CMD.
7/4: Signature Deed: Underfoot Assault. Now panache-free.
7/4 (bonus): Bleeding Critical. 2d6 stacking bleed damage.
7/6: Combat Reflexes, if not taken at 5. Otherwise, lunge.
7/6 (bonus): Stand Still. Keep a foe from moving away from you, if you're underfoot.
7/8: Blinding Critical. Even at 15th level, this is just brutal for a high-crit range weapon, because a Fort save to reduce to Dazed for 1d4 rounds. So, they are blinded, or just can't do anything for 1d4 rounds.
7/8 (bonus): Critical Mastery. Swashbuckler levels are considered fighter levels, so he adds bleeding and blinding together.
I would normally find room for Iron Will/Improved IW on any melee build, but he'll have four uses of Charmed Life before he switches classes. WF, WS, GWS are nice, and unlike precision, the damage stacks on criticals, but I felt the disarm/greater dirty trick direction was a lot more bang for the buck, over three feats for +4 damage. If Outflank at L5, then Stand Still doesn't come online until 13. Is it worth trying to move it higher, considering I'd need Combat Reflexes first?
The other big question I'm considering is which fighter archetype to switch to. Weapon Master will allow two bumps to weapon training (10th and 14th) and the chance to reroll once per day. Free-hand gives +2 to AC by 13th level, but only one bump to weapon training. Both give the same bonus to disarm (ignoring feinting and sundering). Or, is there another fighter type I should be considering?