Hi all,
after several years of story- and character-background-based roleplay gaming, I will start playing an optimized (one could say: power gaming) character.
Since I am not too well used to the pathfinder system, I would appreciate if you could support my optimization.
The character is a catfolk ninja, using 4 natural attacks (2 claws + bite + hair (white hair witch))*, but to be efficient he needs to deal sneak damage.
Since sneak damage is dealt when the DEX bonus to AC is denied, I tried to find situation in which this actually happens and found several:
1) Foe is flat footed
2) Ninja is invisible
3) Foe has condition blinded
4) Foe has condition stunned
5) Foe is grappled
6) Foe is flanked
Questions:
- Are there any other conditions or ways to make a foe lose his DEX bonus on AC?
- Which ways do you know to reach these conditions? I know for instance that flash powder is a great way to make foes blinded.
I am looking forward to your advice. Thanks in advance
ruebly
*my GM agreed on that concept so there is no need for further discussions on that.
Grappling does not deny DEX. It imposes a -4 penalty. Pinning does remove DEX. And just to nitpick, flanking does not deny DEX either, but it grants sneak attacks.
There's also feinting to the list of ways to deny DEX too.
Anyway, what you are usually looking for is the most reliable way to do it.
For a Ninja, it is probably picking up the Conceal Scent feat and going for the Vanishing Trick + Invisible Blade tricks.
For the first 10 levels or so, this should work handily in combination with proper flanking and positioning.
I would spend most of my other feats as a catfolk to pick up Claw Pounce as you really want the ability to reposition while attacking several times, but after that is done, I would perhaps pick an alternate method besides invisibility... flash powder is neat, but it does nothing vs. undead and constructs, for example... but you can easily rely on invisibility, if you already have it, against them.
When flanked the enemy does not lose his DEX bonus. Sneak attack says it works while flanking someone.
There are only 3 ways to achieve this regularly: being (improved) invisible or actually flanking with a partner, and feinting. Everything else may or may not work (and even get you AOed).
Using Improved Feint can get you your bonus on your next attack after the check, if you are face-to-face and alone. Greater Feint makes him lose his DEX bonus until your next turn. The prerequisites aren't that terrible: INT 13, BAB +6, combat expertise and improved feint. And of course you must have the Bluff skill, at least to some extent (not everyone has sense motive).
Press to the Wall is a feat which lets you flank with inanimate objects (conditionally).
Shatter Defenses lets you render foes flat-footed with intimidate. Bludgeoner+Enforcer lets you do so with a successful bite attack.
Dirty Trick can also facilitate sneak attack by blinding, and has a few options for use against creatures immune to sneak attack, like sickening or entangling.
Canny Tumble is what a rogue in my game is using to deny dex bonuses. All you have to do is move through a threatened square using a tumble without drawing an AoO.
Crossing a narrow surface or uneven ground can make you flat-footed. This includes the Grease spell.
The Prescient Attack Magus Arcana works. You can even get it by way of Variant Multi-Classing (Magus) at level 7!