Help me build an NPC

[DM_aka_Dudemeister]

So last session in Jade Regent my players recruited a Tengu Sellsword. I described him as follows:

“Black raven feathers and long beak, wearing loose fitting clothing, at his side he carries a katana and wakizashi, a long sword and butterfly sword, on his back a nodachi. He wears a bandana around his head with a purple raven symbol, and strapped to his long bird legs are no less than 4 daggers.”

He was a fighter in a traditional (all-Tengu) adventuring party on his way to the Ruby Phoenix Tournament, but the party lost their sponsorship, and he’s the only one who wants to go on.

I want to go Fighter but what archetypes would most benefit a Tengu armed to the teeth with a bunch of cool exotic swords.

[Scott Wilhelm]

Is your Tengu going to fight the party?

My instinct for your Tengu NPC swordsman is to make him tactically interesting. Lots of swords have the Tripping Weapon Quality. Make Give him Greater Trip. Maybe give him some levels in Monk and also give him Vicious Stomp and Punishing Kick, using maybe a Temple Sword. Maybe his levels in Monk can be Master of Many Styles, taking Ascetic Style, Panther and Snake style.

Temple Sword is a Triping Weapon in the Monk Fighter Weapons Group.

Greater Trip give you an Attack of Opportunity whenever you Trip someone.

Vicious Stomp gives you an Unarmed Attack of Opportunity whenever someone Falls Prone. Falls Prone and getting Tripped are technically 2 different AoO triggers: they stack, so this character would get 2 Attacks of Opportunity.

With Ascetic Style, This Tengu can apply to a weapon in the Monk Fighter Weapon Group, in this case Temple Sword, Feats that would normally apply to Unarmed Strikes, such as Vicious Stomp. 1 level in MOMS Monk lets you combine 2 styles, how about Panther Style Feats, which give you bonus Unarmed Free Action Attacks whenever you Provoke Attacks of Opportunity by moving out of Threatened Squares.

Your party will think this guy would look pretty cool.

[avr]

A fighter can spread weapon specific feats around to others in the same group with one advanced weapon training (I forget the name), and with weapon sacrifice they have a motive to carry spares. What sort of level are we looking at here?

[zza ni]

make sure to pick quick draw for all them nifty blades he plan to use.

a nodachi work real well with power attack and shield brace feats as it's a pole-arm. rest of his weapons take one hand so can be used as well. so pick up shield focus(heavy shield) and shield brace for a minimum of +3 shield bonus while fighting with any of the above weapons, more if the shield magical.(at the very least get darkwood shield so no armor penalty since it also apply to attacks when using shield brace)

[DM_aka_Dudemeister]

Level 10, he's actually likely to fight alongside the Party during the Tournament.

[Daw]

Have you considered a weapon master monk? Giving him weapon crafting skills is also appropriate for the idiom.

[Scott Wilhelm]

This build idea was intended for an elf, but it work for a Tengu, too.

[avr]

You'll be wanting training in both weapon groups offered by the fighter (probably heavy blades L5, light blades L9) which means no archetype which messes with weapon training is an option. Lore warden, mutation warrior and an unarchetyped fighter are options depending on how you see him. An unarchetyped fighter would be easiest to run which may be most relevant to an NPC but I could definitely see lore warden as being appropriate to a sword master.

Taking advanced weapon training as a feat at levels 5 & 10 you can get those weapon training options I mentioned - weapon specialist and weapon sacrifice. For feats besides weapon focus/spec/greater WF he might want TWF/improved TWF, and a lore warden might pick up improved disarm perhaps and possibly swordplay style. He might want tengu racial feats as well. Power attack is standard on PF martial types and a non-lore warden might build feats on that.

Level 10 NPC wealth is only 12 750 gp so gloves of dueling while technically within that limit seem more than he should have in one item. The big six items seem more appropriate here.

[DM_aka_Dudemeister]

Thanks for your help. I put together the NPC HERE. I'm not too fussy if the math is off by 1 or 2 points.

I went with Fighter (in my games Fighters get Stamina and 4 skills per level).