Very simple question, can you use Weapon Finesse on a Katana within Pathfinder society rules?
Thank you for your time.
If you are willing to wield it one handed only, you can take a level dip into swashbuckler and take slashing grace, that's probably the only way.
If you're going that route, that means I can still pick up weapon focus and weapon finesse at level 1 (human), use the katana normally until I can get Slashing grace at level 3, at which point it would be legal to use as a finesse weapon? (this allows me to bypass the need for a Swashbuckler level dip).
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Not sure about that.
Swashbuckler's/Champion's Finesse applies the dex to attack on any one handed piercing weapons while regular Finesse works on light weapons and any weapon that says it works with Finesse, Katana isn't one of them.
Slashing Grace makes the weapon count as one handed piercing for any feat/class feature needing the weapon to be one handed piercing, which regular Finesse doesn't need it to be.
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Weapon Finesse will not allow you to finesse the Katana, since it is not a finessable weapon.
Slashing grace will give you dex to damage with the weapon. But you would need to take Swashbuckler to get the ability to get...
"Swashbuckler Finesse (Ex)
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."
The only PFS legal ways are:
1) swashbuckler/daring champion route with slashing grace.
2) go fighter with heavy blades weapon training and get advanced weapon training (Weapon Master's Handbook) and get Fighter's Finesse, so gotta make sure any archetype you pick doesn't lose weapon training:
Fighter's Finesse (Ex) The fighter gains the benefits of the Weapon Finesse feat with all melee weapons that belong to the associated fighter weapon group (even if they cannot normally be used with Weapon Finesse). The fighter must have the Weapon Finesse feat before choosing this option.
An easier way would be to use a wakizashi, it's like a finesable katana
An easier way would be to use a wakizashi, it's like a finesable katanaAnd then use Lead Blade on it :D
Please don't.
There are far far better ways to spend a round in combat that adding +1 damage to one of your weapons.|
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If you are willing to wield it one handed only, you can take a level dip into swashbuckler and take slashing grace, that's probably the only way.If you're going that route, that means I can still pick up weapon focus and weapon finesse at level 1 (human), use the katana normally until I can get Slashing grace at level 3, at which point it would be legal to use as a finesse weapon? (this allows me to bypass the need for a Swashbuckler level dip).
No - you can't bypass a dip into either Swashbuckler or Daring Champion: Cavalier. The Swash is a much better 1 level dip though, so go with that. (It's not much of a sacrifice, it's a stupidly good dip.)
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The katana is an exotic weapon, so you're going to need proficiency first. It also isn't light, so you cannot finesse it with the weapon finesse feat.
You could use slashing grace to use it, but you're spending so much for the novelty of being a katana wielding swashbuckler that you're going to be far less effective than other PC's at your level. An ineffective combat specialist is the worst kind of combat specialist.
The katana is best suited for 2 hand use and str focused characters, due to the extra damage you can milk from power attack and the extended crit range.
1500gp gets you Proficiency with the Katana.
It takes awhile before you can amass the Fame to purchase one.
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1500gp gets you Proficiency with the Katana.It takes awhile before you can amass the Fame to purchase one.
If you're not human you can probably get it by the time you get Slashing Grace at 3 anyway.
If you haven't decided on a class, then the swashbuckler or daring champion is the best option.
Tengu, humans, and half-elves can get you the proficiency at level 1, but you need both weapon focus and slashing grace to go full dex build from level 1. Which means you are more than likely stuck with a human build.
If the Katana is giving you proficiency woes, try Spear Dancing Spiral with a Nodachi. The Nodachi is a martial weapon and in the Polearms weapon group so it's valid for use with Spear Dancing Style (lets you treat it as a double weapon with its normal stats for one end and a club as the other end). Then Spear Dancing Spiral lets you Finesse with it. Go one step further and Spear Dancing Reach will let you grant Reach to the Nodachi when wielding it as a double weapon (despite the fact that it never had reach to begin with). Additionally, since Spear Dancing Spiral lets it count as a Quarterstaff for other feats/abilities, you could take Quarterstaff Master to wield it one-handed. It's also got a bigger damage dice to boot.
^I need to start listening to this guy more often.
You can treat is as a double weapon, but you don't even have to use the other end!!!!
Awesome.
Slashing grace I believe still won't work though, unless this feat let's you treat one end as a light specifically for prereqs. Worth FAQing imo.
Devs: Does Spear Dancing [feat] allow one to treat a weapon as finessible(spelling?) for the purpose of qualifying for feats that require such, as with Slashing Grace?