Dazzling Display or Clustered Shots on Ninja?

[KunoichiSong]

Sorry, but prepare for three paragraphs of background info.

I am currently playing an Unchained Web Walker Ninja with a 1-level dip into Unchained Far Strike Monk (for that tasty level 2 Quick Draw, Precise Shot, and 2nd attack). I am going for what I call the "Fisting Shurikens" build, where my plans were:

Level 3 or 5, get Weapon Focus on Unarmed Strike
Level 5, get Style Master Ninja Trick for Ascetic Style
Level 7, get Ascetic Form for my Feat and get Combat Trick Ninja Trick to get the Martial Focus: Monk Weapons Feat
Level 9, get Ascetic Strike Feat.

This way, I would be able to apply Weapon Focus and Unarmed Monk Damage to Shuriken, doing massive damage with every attack. At level 13 or So, I might retrain Ascetic Strike into a different feat for the sake of getting the Unarmed Combat Mastery Master Trick, which, unlike the Ascetic Strike feat, stacks with stuff like Monk Robes for even more damage.

Now, here's my issue. I am stuck between two mini-build paths now, while I'm getting the Ascetic line of feats. Here are the two option that I thought of:

IF I GET WEAPON FOCUS AT LEVEL 3, I could get Dazzling Display at level 5, followed by Shatter Defenses at level 11. wrote:

• BOON: This would allow me to not only get Sneak Attacks off easily.
  
• BOON: This would allow me to weaken a lot of our enemies at once... hopefully.

BUT

CURSE: What if the DM puts up a lot of Fear-Resistant/Immune enemies against us?

CURSE: Missing out on the other option.

CURSE: I am essentially wasting the first turn of combat to scream and punch the ground.

CURSE?: I am already going to get Invisible Blade at level 11, the same level that I would be getting Shatter Defenses.[/list]

OR

IF I GET WEAPON FOCUS AT LEVEL 5, I could get Point-Blank Strike at level 3, followed by Clustered Shot at level 11. wrote:

• BOON: Gets me past the enemies that have high damage resistance.
  
• BOON: My build results in me doing quite a bit of damage with my Shuriken, so this would really help.

BUT

CURSE: What if the DM doesn't put us up against a lot of stuff with strong damage resistances?

CURSE: Missing out on the other option.

CURSE: I am wasting a feat that I don't see being TOO useful on Point-Blank Shot.

CURSE?: I don't have that many attacks... Ninja get slow BAB progression, and I have 1 extra attack from my Flurry of Blows. That's about it.[/list]

Note: I can probably get the other one afterwards, but I'm wondering which I should get first, if I should get the other at all, and if there is a better option for this.

In case anyone wants to ask, I am planning to get the Fatal Finesse Ninja Trick at level 3 (yes it's 3rd Party, yes DM approved it) and Vanishing Trick at level 9 (I want Invisible Blade, especially since our only caster is our Unchained Summoner.)

[Bob Bob Bob]

Okay, so I can't be 100% sure this is the right answer (big info dump, only skimmed) but just based on the simple fact that you're throwing fistfuls of disposable weapons, Clustered Shots is the better choice.

Shatter Defenses is nice, Dazzling Display is not the way to do it though. Popular alternatives include Cornugon Smash (free intimidate with Power Attack), Enforcer (free intimidate with non-lethal melee bludgeoning damage, rounds shaken=damage dealt), and Gory Finish (attack action kills opponent, Dazzling Display as swift). Basically, any other way to generate shaken is nicer than blowing your full turn doing nothing to make an AoE shaken effect. One which uses the demoralize rules, so unless you're beating the DC by at least 5 it only lasts a round (and you'll never activate Shatter Defenses except on an AoO). You still need Dazzling Display for Shatter Defenses, you just don't use it.

Clustered Shots, on the other hand, is universally useful. The worst it can do is not give you any extra damage. As you get to higher levels, the chance of that goes way down. Especially since you're using a disposable weapon you're probably not enchanting them very high (maybe using Greater Magic Weapon) which means that most DR is going to stop you. Almost nothing has DR/piercing. Lots of things have DR/B or DR/S. DR/magic shouldn't be a problem (if you get Greater Magic Weapon), but the spell specifically does not grant the DR bypass of higher enhancement bonuses. So you'd have to bypass material DR with real <whatever> shuriken, and you'd basically never bypass alignment DR (at least, not without prep).

Honestly, in the end you'll want both (to some extent). As you get to higher levels, way more things can see through invisibility and you'll want another way to sneak attack. Obscuring Mist you can see through is both popular and thematic, Shatter Defenses is also solid (and combos nicely with Sap Master). At all levels you'll encounter DR though, from the humble skeleton at level 1 to every outsider and dragon ever. Seriously, CR 2s with DR 10/alignment. Who thought that was a good idea?

[Cuup]

What kind of campaign is this going to be? If it's going to be more urban, you're less likely to have enemies with high DR.