I just bought the Advanced Class Guide and would like to create an Elf Swashbuckler who uses an Elven Curve Blade as his main weapon. I haven't read through all of the details of the class yet, but I noticed the 2 methods of regaining panache both focus on using a light or 1-handed melee piercing weapon ... which the Elven Curve Blade is not.
Is there a feat or any other way to regain panache that doesn't involve using a light or 1-handed melee piercing weapon?
I hope so ... I don't want to use a rapier ... tired of characters whose main weapon only deals a base of 1d6 damage.
There are the optional rules which includes "Dares". They replace your bonus feat and activate when you run out of panache. There are four, but your GM can justify any "gutsy" maneuver as one.
Vigilant Shooter: You gain Evasion. If you already have it you get to roll reflex rolls twice and choose one. When you succeed at two Reflex saves, you regain one panache point.
Frantically Nimble: You get a +2 dodge bonus to AC. If three consecutive attacks miss you, you regain a point.
Out for Blood: Any light or one handed piercing weapons get their critical modifier boosted by one. (Note, Slashing grace lets your Elven Curve Blade count as one.) Instead of 19-20, it's 18-20 for example. It technically isn't written in, but I guess it's done when you score a Crit.
Run Like Hell: Your speed gets boosted by 10 ft and you keep DEX to AC while running. When you are 100 ft away from the enemy you regain a point.
The Slashing Grace feat lets you count the Elven Curve blade as a light or one handed piercing weapon for the purposes of the class features. Unfortunately, you have to have one hand free. :(
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Slashing Grace doesn't work with the Curve Blade at all, since it still requires the weapon to be light or one-handed (just not piercing).
If it's more about having a big sword than the specific weapon, you could grab EWP with the Bastard Sword or Katana and use Slashing Grace with either. It would work better with a half-elf than an elf since you can trade Skill Focus for a free EWP.
You are aware of the Swashbuckler's 3rd level deed precise strike, yes?
Precise Strike (Ex): At 3rd level, while she has at least 1 panache point, a swashbuckler gains the ability to strike precisely with a light or one-handed piercing melee weapon (though not natural weapon attacks), adding her swashbuckler level to the damage dealt. To use this deed, a swashbuckler cannot attack with a weapon in her other hand or use a shield other than a buckler.
So that 1d6 you're trying desperately to avoid? By the level you get this deed it will be outdamaging the Elven Curve Blade on average, and the difference is only going to get worse going forward.
Yes, keep in mind that weapon damage dice eventually make up just a small portion of overall damage for any class, and the average difference between a d6 Rapier and a d10 Elven Curve Blade is only 2 damage.
If you're set on using the Elven Curve Blade, sadly the Swashbuckler class is not the one to do it. If you're set on using an ECB with Weapon Finesse, the best classes to do it are Unchained Rogue (Dex-to-Damage with the 1.5x bonus for two-handers) or Fighter (Trained Grace can make up the damage difference as long as you still have a fair Strength score).
There are plenty of ways to create a character that finesses an ECB to great effect, but not with Swashbuckler stuff. The only way to use a big weapon with Panache features would be through levels of Kata Master Monk and Crusader's Flurry, where Crusader's Flurry turns a favored weapon into a Monk weapon and then Kata Master exploits it.
Overall, the ECB has the benefit of both a larger damage roll and two-handed Power Attack, which just by themselves are worth an average of +5 damage at 8 BAB. There are ways to get a Swashbuckler 'feel' to combat, like using Elven Battle Torrent (Elven Battle Style 3), if that helps.
If you want a different Swashbuckler-themed combat style, you could always do something like wielding two katanas with a multiclass Swashbuckler/Whatever, using Swashbuckler's Finesse and Slashing Grace for Panache but otherwise using another class.
If you want a different Swashbuckler-themed combat style, you could always do something like wielding two katanas with a multiclass Swashbuckler/Whatever, using Swashbuckler's Finesse and Slashing Grace for Panache but otherwise using another class.Slashing Grace no longer works with Two-Weapon Fighting unfortunately.
It's funny that I knew that as far as dex-to-damage goes, but forgot that it won't even let you gain Panache from it anymore... which was the original purpose of the feat. Ugh.
