Swashbuckler is Paizo's take on the classic duelist. There was the prestige class, duelist, but it's abilities pale in comparison to the swashbuckler's. Other people will probably recommend you go daring champion cavalier too, because its damage generally outdoes the swashbuckler's, but at that point it's a matter of thematic choice for you.
Memorize this: http://www.worldofmi.com/gamehelp/insults/mi1.php
Any class.
Daring Champion Cavalier (Order of the Cockatrice).
You still need Str 13 for Hurtful (which requires Power Attack), and Cornugon Smash (at level 6). Or you could use Enforcer and Blade of Mercy (which is a trait).
Thus you hit people, berate them, and hit them again.
I'm much more focused on defense than offense. I knew about the swashbuckler, I just hadn't played one. Is there any feats to really ramp up combat expertise or something?
Some, but it is actually easier to boost fighting defensively. The Crane Style feat can be pretty good for defensive warrior fighting with a free hand, even after Crane Wing got nerfed. Duelists eventually get a big further AC bonus when fighting defensively, but their damage output is somewhat low. The PrC is not so much low but it comes online later than, say, a core duelist.
Daring champion is a pretty good duelist base if you do not want spells. You can definitely do it with other classes, including fighter, but the DC has several good abilities that are thematic and work well with one another. I agree with Petty Alchemy on the order too - in general, several orders work for a daring champion, but the Cockatrice is best at being a dominant duelist and belittling your foes.
Other honorable mentions:
Arcane duelist bard
Magus (black blade or kensai)
Fighter (Lore Warden, Mobile, Swordlord, etc)
Inquisitor (judgement, bane and spells are a potent mix, and inquisitors are hard to beat when it comes trashtalking fools)
1. Are you starting from level 1?
2. What stats are you looking at for your ability scores?
3. Inspired Blade Swashbuckler 1/Kensai Magus the rest.
4. Do you have the Pathfinder Unchained book? If not get it.The Kensai Magus can get obscene AC & Initiative scores at later levels. It's a bit dicey until about level 3 though. Through Magus you can use Arcane Deed Arcanas to get Swashbuckler deeds. Stack your DEX & INT as much as possible, take a race that gets both as a bonus or a race that gets at least one of those as a bonus.
The Inspired Blade level is to get a bunch of extra panache points from your INT & CHA mods. Use a Rapier and get Fencing Grace right away. Get the Fortuitous enchant on your Rapier.
Check out the Crane Style of feats if you're wanting a Defensive build.
Generally just use your Spell Combat with True Strike to disarm your opponent or to trip him. Use True Strike & Pilfering Hand to disarm/steal from enemies at a distance. Make good use of Attacks of Opportunities and use the Arcane Mark cantrip to always be able to have multiple attacks in a round.
Get a set of Ceremonial Silk Armor or Haramaki. Keep up your skill ranks in Acrobatics to get bonuses on fighting defensively.
Buy potions of Mage Armor or use Spell Blending to get it as a known spell or take the Samsaran race to get it and other arcane spells added to your Magus list.
1. Yeah, starting at level 1.
2. I don't have stats yet, but we roll 2d4+10 so they should be pretty good.
3. Which of those do you think is better. I like the kensai, but it might be fun to play something else, I haven't played a swashbuckler yet.
4. Not yet, I won't have it until next weekend when I get paid again.
I believe one of the older builds was:
1-5 levels of Learned Duelist/Free Hand Fighter, grabbing Weapon Finesse, Dervish Dance, Dodge and Mobility.
1-2 levels of Master of Many Styles + Monk of the Iron Mountain
Then grabbing 1-10 Duelist levels after level 7.
It's a slow build but in essence you'll be:
1) Adding Dex to damage and to hit at level 3
2) Grabbing +4AC against everyone and +6AC vs one opponent for -2 to hit at level 3
3) Eventually grabbing damn decent AC and other defense through Duelist.
With the release of Unchained there is possibly another route to take for this build, though one that requires Free-Hand Fighter over L.Duelist for the additional Feat.
In essence the Combat Stamina system allows Kirin Style/Strike to add Int to damage for free while allowing you to double said Int to damage as a Swift Action upon a single attack. Master of Many Styles allows a character to have two Styles running at once while Combat Style Master allows you to begin combat in a style, thus removing the warm up-phase normally forced upon you by the Kirin Style Feat chain.
In essence the addition of the Combat Stamina system let's the above build add Int/Dex to both AC and Dmg, helping to mitigate the builds relatively MAD nature and slow damage build up in early levels.