Alright so while browsing the unofficial Srd I noticed the Learned Duelist
Now I have been wanting to build a powerful duelist character for awhile, one that is actually amazing with a single light blade.
Here is the link to the page in question.
Now I was thinking of a Magus VMC to take on the Arcana Deeds and get Precise Strike as a deed which would mean I am adding level to damage.
Now from what I can tell if you are wearing only light armor and wielding just the one weapon you gain a +4/+8 by level 17. That is not taking into account PA which adds -4/+8 So it negates the penalty of PA and adds a straight +16 to damage. Now if you add level that is +33 to damage not counting strength.
Using a higher crit weapon such as a Rapier would give you more damage output as you can pick up Keen or Critical Focus.
Now where it is muddling with my head is the Vital Strike talk. It says when you confirm a crit while using these three feats he deals maximum damage. So I count all dice roll as their highest possible before adding all the other things such as level to damage precision, str or dex, ect? Then I add Int or do I add Int for each of the damage dice rolled?
Does this make a good duelist? I mean know maxing out dice damage is sweet but, really it comes on line at level 9 which is lower-mid levels so a little late in the game.
I also considered just gestalting this fighter archetype with Swashbuckler (Rather then VMC) for the Weapon Finesse and free Critical Focus, maybe even Inspired Blade since Int to damage at level 9 is very nice and with a rapier I will be reaping a lot of Panache and critical hits to max out the damage dice.
I wonder.. could VMC be used with gestalt? Seems like it would be uber powerful.
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Just so you know, the archetype is actually called the Ustalavic Duelist.
For the Lepidstadt Thrust ability, the weapon dice damage is maximized. So if you were using a Rapier, Vital Strike would do 6 damage, Improved would do 12, and Greater would do 18. Then add your static bonuses, which are not modified.
Just so you know, the archetype is actually called the Ustalavic Duelist.
For the Lepidstadt Thrust ability, the weapon dice damage is maximized. So if you were using a Rapier, Vital Strike would do 6 damage, Improved would do 12, and Greater would do 18. Then add your static bonuses, which are not modified.
Ok maybe I am dense, thank you by the way for giving me the link to the Nethys page,. but rapier is a d6 weapon.. if I roll the damage dice twice.. thats 6+6 potentially 12 damage right? I am assuming the Vital Strike would do 6 damage was assuming rolling a 3 on both dice, so the average? Sorry just some people say the average of 6 and not just 6 so I wanted to be sure I didn't massively confuse myself on something.
But if the rapier did crit.. it would be 12 for VS right? 18 for IVS and 24 for GVS?
D'oh, you're right. it would be 12/18/24. Brain fog on the maths. If you were using an estoc, and had impact or lead blades on it, it could become significant.
I had completely forgotten about the estoc now. Can you only have Impact or Lead Blades, not both?
Virtual size, means not actual size changes, but meaning "Treated as if" in the wording right?
TY
So if I'm understanding the way these effects stack correctly:
Estoc with Lead Blades deals 2d6 damage.
Given the numbers the OP provided, base damage is 2d6+33+str
Greater Vital Strike makes that 8d6+33+str
A normal Greater Vital Strike crit would be 4d6(base weapon crit)+6d6(greater vital strike)+33+str+
And a Greater Vital Strike crit with the Archetype that all maximizes, to 93+str+int damage.
Actually with the FAQ ruling on stat stacking, wouldn't Int replace Strength? And if so isn't that a huge nerf since strength gets multiplied on a crit and the int does not?
No it ADDS Int to damage in addition to Str (Or Dex), otherwise it would say Int in place of Str.
So it would be 2d6(8d6)+33+Str+Int
Actually, I'm fairly certain you maximize the bonus dice from the vital strike as well, considering the Precise/Lepidstadt Thrust specifically calls them out and does not specify weapon dice. It simple states maximum damage.
Precise Thrust (Ex)
This ability replaces weapon training 2.
I agree it does, so it would be 48+33+Str+Int
No it ADDS Int to damage in addition to Str (Or Dex), otherwise it would say Int in place of Str.I am pretty sure there was a lot of hubbub a few months ago about an FAQ ruling that said +stat was a bonus type, and you can only add one +stat to any given thing. Some abilities get around it by saying "Add int bonus as an insight bonus" or whatnot, but in this case you are just adding int modifier, which would fall under that FAQ ruling.
That said I could be misremembering entirely, and don't even know how to navigate the FAQ if I wanted to go searching for it. I was just asking based on what I remember being talked about a while ago.
I agree it does, so it would be 48+33+Str+IntOkay so why is it only 48 and not 60? Vital Strike specifies on a crit that your extra weapon dice from vital strike are not multiplied, but the base weapon dice should still be multiplied. So you have 2d6(normal weapon dice) + 6d6(greater vital strike), on a crit the normal weapon dice get multiplied then added to greater vital strike (for 10d6 total), when then gets maximized, unless there's something I am missing.
Also interestingly the way the archetype reads, if you managed to get Sneak Attack or some other form of bonus damage, that should get maximized as well. Same for any +d6 weapon enhancements. After all it doesn't say that only some specific part of your damage is maximized, but your attack's damage is maximized. All of those other variable damage mods should be included if base weapon damage is.
You are right on the 60 not 48.
But no the bother about the Ability Bonus type is that people where trying to stack Wis twice to AC or something similar.
Str or Dex is not a bonus type, it is a default part of the equation for figuring out damage. They can be swapped out but the only time that ruling would come into effect was if you had an ability to change your Str for Int and then tried adding Int to damage as well. You could in theory if you had a way add Str, Dex, Con, Int, Wis, and Cha to something if you could manage to find appropriate ways to do so.