Looking for feedback on my Starknife Sentinel

[Renlar]

I'm looking for feedback on the character I have built for Hell's Rebels. This character will be starting at level 4, and along with the build I'd be happy to hear any ideas you have for magic items that I should be pursuing.

Our party has a dedicated Life Oracle healer, buff Bard, Swashbuckler, Warpriest, and a Wizard. I volunteered to be the party trap finder, while contributing to damage from range. I decided to go with a Starknife build because I thought it would be a lot of fun, and had a lot of utility in terms of switch-hitting.

Build Overview:

Getting everything I wanted for my Starknife build was tough. I knew the build was feat intensive, so I tried to get the essentials before going into the Sentinel prestige class.
Swashbuckler(Flying Blade) 1, Ex-Monk(Far Strike Monk) 2, Ranger(Freebooter,Trapper) 1, Fighter(Weapon Master 3), Sentinel 10

Flying Blade gets me access to Weapon Finesse and a few utility tricks. Monk gets me three essential feats, decent saves, and evasion. Trapper gets access to trapfinding, while Freebooter provides a small bump that I can use with my move actions. Weapon Master gets weapon training (needed for ricochet toss) and two more bonus feats. Sentinel rounds out the build with some sacred bonuses that help offset the multi-classing as well a lot of nice utility from Desna.

Feat Progression:

Level 1(Swashbuckler): Weapon Finesse*, Weapon Focus, Starry Grace
Level 2(Monk): Point-blank Shot*, Quick Draw*
Level 3(Monk): Precise Shot*, Startoss Style (Starknife)*
Level 4(Ranger): ---
Level 5(Fighter): Deific Obedience, Startoss Comet*
Level 6(Fighter): Startoss Shower
Level 7(Fighter): Ricochet Toss
Level 8(Sentinel): ---
Level 9(Sentinel): Advanced Weapon Training (Warrior Spirit), Weapon Specialization*
Level 10(Sentinel): ---
Level 11(Sentinel): Rapid Shot
Level 12(Sentinel): ---
Level 13(Sentinel): Deadly Aim
Level 14(Sentinel): Greater Weapon Focus*
Level 15(Sentinel): Greater Weapon Specialization
Level 16(Sentinel): ---
Level 17(Sentinel): Improved Critical

Build (Level 4):

Leandros "Lea" Rinzler
Male human (Varisian) monk (far strike) 2/ranger (freebooter, trapper) 1/swashbuckler (flying blade) 1
CG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +5; Senses Perception +11
Aura freebooter's bane (1 ft.)
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Defense
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AC 18, touch 13, flat-footed 15 (+4 armor, +3 Dex, +1 shield)
hp 34 (4 HD; 2d8+2d10+8)
Fort +7, Ref +12, Will +5
Defensive Abilities evasion
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)
Melee starknife, cold iron +9 (1d4+7/×3)
Ranged starknife, cold iron +9 (1d4+7/×3) or
...composite shortbow +8 (1d6+1/×3)
Special Attacks deeds (derring-do, opportune parry and riposte), panache (1)
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Statistics
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Str 13, Dex 20, Con 14, Int 7, Wis 15, Cha 7
Base Atk +3; CMB +4; CMD 19
Feats Alertness, Improved Unarmed Strike, Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Quick Draw, Starry Grace, Startoss Style, Weapon Focus (starknife)
Traits historian of the rebellion, kobold's neighbor
Skills Acrobatics +8 (+4 to jump), Climb +2, Disable Device +13, Knowledge (history) +2, Knowledge (nobility) +2, Knowledge (religion) +3, Linguistics -1, Perception +11 (+13 to discover traps), Perform (dance) +2, Sense Motive +4, Sleight of Hand +9, Stealth +8
Languages Common, Sphinx, Varisian
SQ swashbuckler finesse, track +1, trapfinding +1, wild empathy -1
Other Gear chain shirt, buckler, composite shortbow (+1 Str), starknife, starknife, starknife, starknife, cold iron, starknife, silver, cloak of elvenkind, figurine (silver raven), belt pouch, earplugs[APG], flint and steel, masterwork backpack[APG], masterwork thieves' tools, silk rope (100 ft.), 261 gp, 9 sp, 5 cp
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Special Abilities
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Deeds
Evasion (Ex) If succeed on Reflex save for half dam, take none instead.
Freebooter's Bane +1 (Ex) +1 to hit & damage vs. chosen target.
Improved Unarmed Strike Unarmed strikes don't cause attacks of opportunity, and can be lethal.
Panache (Ex) Gain a pool of points that are spent to fuel deeds, regained on light/piercing crit/killing blow.
Point-Blank Shot +1 to attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons at up to 30 feet.
Precise Shot You don't get -4 to hit when shooting or throwing into melee.
Quick Draw Draw weapon as a free action (or move if hidden weapon). Throw at full rate of attacks.
Starry Grace Use Dexterity on starknife damage rolls
Startoss Style +2 (Starknife) Gain bonus dmg to thrown weapons.
Swashbuckler Finesse 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
Track +1 Add the listed bonus to survival checks made to track.
Trapfinding +1 Gain a bonus to find or disable traps, including magical ones.
Wild Empathy -1 (Ex) Improve the attitude of an animal, as if using Diplomacy.

Items:

The only thing I know I need to get my hands on is a pair of Gloves of Dueling. I really love playing a Magus, and I think Advanced Weapon Training (Warrior Spirit) will scratch that itch for me. Other than that, Adamantine Starknife, Belt of Incredible DEX, Cloak of Resist, and the knight-Inheritor's ring are all on my list.

If you have gotten this far, thanks for reading. Any comments and/or feedback would be greatly appreciated.

[Drahliana Moonrunner]

With a name like that, I was sure you were talking about a Vigilante. :)

A bright star shines in the shadowed streets of Kintargo No one knows the identity of this would be savior, but felons whisper in the dark the name of... The Starnife Sentinel!

[Renlar]

Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:

With a name like that, I was sure you were talking about a Vigilante. :)

A bright star shines in the shadowed streets of Kintargo No one knows the identity of this would be savior, but felons whisper in the dark the name of... The Starnife Sentinel!

Haha, sadly no. My group isn't too fond of the Vigilante, as we feel it is a bit too strong.

[Drahliana Moonrunner]

Renlar wrote:

Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:

With a name like that, I was sure you were talking about a Vigilante. :)

A bright star shines in the shadowed streets of Kintargo No one knows the identity of this would be savior, but felons whisper in the dark the name of... The Starnife Sentinel!

Haha, sadly no. My group isn't too fond of the Vigilante, as we feel it is a bit too strong.

Really? the charopers on this venue seem to feel the opposite.

[Renlar]

Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:

Renlar wrote:

Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:

With a name like that, I was sure you were talking about a Vigilante. :)

A bright star shines in the shadowed streets of Kintargo No one knows the identity of this would be savior, but felons whisper in the dark the name of... The Starnife Sentinel!

Haha, sadly no. My group isn't too fond of the Vigilante, as we feel it is a bit too strong.

Really? the charopers on this venue seem to feel the opposite.

Yea, sentiment revolves feat economy in relation to martial characters all while having access to strong social skills and an impressive class skill list.

Using a similar Starknife build as an example, Lethal Grace replaces Weapon Finesse and Starry Grace combined. Signature Weapon replaces Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization. Returning Weapon isn't quite Ricochet Shot, but it skips the Weapon Training requirement and it can be abused at 14 with crystal chakrams. You get all of that in addition to access to social talents.

I'm not saying it is broken, but at our tables they have tended to play too many roles. My friends are big fans of bards, so we tend to have one person step up as the social character. For us, the Vigilante just does too much and tends to be the center of attention.

[Declindgrunt]

i dont remember where I saw it but i think there is a feat where if you crit with a star knife you can give that crit chance to someone else might be an interesting idea

[Renlar]

Declindgrunt wrote:

i dont remember where I saw it but i think there is a feat where if you crit with a star knife you can give that crit chance to someone else might be an interesting idea

I think you are thinking of a feat called Butterfly Sting*? It allows you to pass on a critical threat but has Combat Expertise as a prerequisite. The starknife has a decent crit range, but I think Butterfly Sting fits better in a party with a greataxe wielding barbarian.

[Declindgrunt]

true and i forgot about the combat expertise prereq, my group plays with a modified feat system that helps with alot of the clutter

[Firebug]

Renlar wrote:

The starknife has a decent crit range, but I think Butterfly Sting fits better in a party with a greataxe wielding barbarian.

Actually, the starknife has the worst crit range. Just 20.

I like 3 Flying Blade personally for Disrupting Counter, 5' increased range on your throw, precise strike for +3 damage w/in 60 ft, and +1 dodge to AC. 4 Flying blade will get you a bonus feat as well, that you count as fighter levels for. 5 will give you improved crit and +1 hit/damage and another 5' range increment (20' for dagger at this point). You can get around not having weapon training by taking Martial Focus as a feat.

For the price of a +1 chain shirt (and MW buckler), you can buy ~100 hours of mage armor via 2 wands. Since you now get your wisdom modifier (+2) to AC and CMD your touch AC is higher and you have the same overall AC. You gain back evasion that you lost because you were wearing armor or using a shield as a monk. You also can't flurry of thrown weapons if you wear armor. You have a wizard in the party. Have him use the wand on you anytime your Spidey sense tingles. If its more of an issue, purchase the spell storing ioun stone (cracked vibrant purple prism)for 2k and have the wizard cast shield(+4 AC) into it once in a while.

With Sleight of hand, leaving the backpack in the cloak room, and some fine (non-adventurer) clothes you can look completely ordinary and still be as lethal as if you were dungeon crawling. Move action draw concealed dagger, standard action startoss.

Regardlesss, a Chain Shirt does not reduce your move speed as it is light armor.

You have Deific Obedience listed but I didn't see what you had for Deity. While starknife is cool thematically, daggers are likely the better option. Shorter range, but 19-20/x2 crit instead of 20/x3. However, your maximum panache is only 1 anyway because your charisma is below 14. Also, Deific Obedience Pharasma will give you +2 to hit with daggers. The sentinel booms for Desna (if that is who you were going with) do seem better however.

You will lose Starry Grace if you switch to dagger. However, it is 1 less feat required so it bumps up your Startoss feats a little earlier. Instead of +5 dex to damage, you have +1 str, and you can have Startoss Comet at 3 (though you will need to use retraining rules from ultimate combat to make the prereqs fit correctly, 5 days of training and 150 gp). You will have 2 attacks at level 4 either with flurry or startoss ricocheting, just at 1d4+5 instead of 1d4+7.

I'd also recommend a whetstone. 2 copper, reusable. 15 minutes of work, non-magical bladed weapon has +1 damage on its next damage roll. Adventurer's Armory. May also give a circumstance bonus to intimidate for roleplaying.

Once you have Ricochet Toss:
+1 Agile Dagger ~8k gp, now you don't even need Starry Grace.
Or +1 Fortuitous Dagger ~8k gp w/3 levels Flying Blade. Now something attacks you in melee you potentially hit it twice. May also consider using Monk to pick up combat reflexes if you plan on being in melee all the time. My Flying Blade startosses right into the enemy's face, hits them twice for even thinking about attacking me due to fortuitous weapon and disrupting counter, finishes the attack with startoss and hit his friends too for good measure. Or flurries against someone else with combat reflexes and proceed to disrupting counter each attack until they run out of combat reflexes, I run out of panache, or one or both of us are dead.
Swordmaster's Flair(blue) 2500gp, 1/day swift action 1 panache, increase (melee) reach by 5' for 1 minute with 1h piercing weapons. Good for monsters with reach.
Plumes of Panache, 1k + 10 gp non-magical hat. 1/day can spend it instead of your actual pool. Consider multiple hats, and hatboxes. because they are nice hats after all.
Spring-loaded Wrist Sheathes for wands if you, oh no UMD.
Grab a couple of Kunai(2gp), B or P so you can finesse them (they don't stop being a 1h piercing weapon just because you use them to do bludgeoning). Alchemical silver(+20gp) but since you are going to use them for bludgeoning damage they won't be taking the -1 damage from the silver. Can double has a crowbar or a piton.
Dagger would count as P or S so now you can deal with all damage types and you have cold iron/silver covered. Eventually Adamantine Dagger for your enchanted one.
Oils of Bless Weapon (50gp) to deal with incorporeal undead.
Alchemist Fire(20gp) or Acid(10gp) to deal with low level swarms. Bonus, Far Strike Monk can likely flurry alchemist fire/acid as long as you have drawn both already (can't be quickdrawn without GM fiat or 2 levels of underground chemist rogue)
Carry a Potion (or two) of Mage Armor(in an iron vial) for when you get ambushed and you make your perception check to act in the surprise round and don't have mage armor up and they are out of startoss range. You can drop it as a free action when your turn actually starts if you don't feel like you'll need the AC, but Monk/Swashbuckler/Startoss don't care if you keep carrying it in your offhand because its not a weapon/shield, only starry grace would because it needs the hand unoccupied. Or better yet, get the Cheliax Trait to drink it as a move action.

[Majuba]

I was just making a thrower myself using Guided Hand, and was strongly tempted to use starknives/Desna. Ended up going with daggers/Pharasma, but perhaps that could help you? Cleric/U-Rogue instead of Swash/Monk/Ranger?

[Thunder_TBT]

I would Go Ranger 2 instead of Swash with the combat style Faithful (Desna) Which would let you get Weapon Finesse

[Renlar]

Thanks for the responses guys, so much to cover here!

Firebug wrote:

Actually, the starknife has the worst crit range. Just 20.

You are correct. I don't know what I was thinking of.

Firebug wrote:

I like 3 Flying Blade ...

I'll take a look and mess around with some build. I only have 7 levels to play with before going into Sentinel, and feat selection is really tight. Losing out on the bonus feats and then being forced to take Martial Focus might be too much for this character.

Firebug wrote:

For the price of a +1 chain shirt (and MW buckler), you can buy ~100 hours of mage armor via 2 wands...

Mage armor might be good for early levels (especially if I can get the Wizard to burn a slot on it) before I have access to things like Deathless or Fortification.

Firebug wrote:

You gain back evasion that you lost because you were wearing armor or using a shield as a monk.

Evasion is still valid with light armor. Only the AC bonus, fast movement, and Flurry of Blows abilities are disabled while wearing any kind of armor.

Firebug wrote:

You have Deific Obedience listed but I didn't see what you had for Deity...

I had planned for Desna.

Firebug wrote:

You will lose Starry Grace if you switch to dagger...

I need to look at the progression for that train of thought. I know I can make up for the damage with the Agile enchant

Firebug wrote:

I'd also recommend a whetstone...

Added the whetstone, and a couple of acid flasks (hadn't finished up purchasing yet). I'll keep the others on my list. Lot's to think about here. Thanks again!

Majuba wrote:

I was just making a thrower myself using Guided Hand, and was strongly tempted to use starknives/Desna. Ended up going with daggers/Pharasma, but perhaps that could help you? Cleric/U-Rogue instead of Swash/Monk/Ranger?

I will admit that this is not something I had thought about. It is a little light in the BAB department, but I'll mess around with it and take a look at some builds.

Thunder_TBT wrote:

I would Go Ranger 2 instead of Swash with the combat style Faithful (Desna) Which would let you get Weapon Finesse

Not sure what I would gain from that. I would gain +1 Fort -1 Ref and lose access to Parry, Subtle Throw, and Derring-Do.