So, recently I learned about the Tyrant's Grasp adventure path, and the group I usually play with has gotten kind of excited about playing it, especially as we're currently making our way through Carrion Crown. Since I'm the sort of person who insists on making a billion different character concepts and then forcing myself to choose just one, I of course started thinking up character ideas for such a campaign.
This brings me to the thread title. One of my ideas is a Brawling Blademaster, as I really like the concept, but I'm trying to work out what sort of build would work best for it. Should I pick a style feat, or not? How much focus should I put on my unarmed strike versus using a sword? What kind of sword (or other one-handed weapon) should I use? Honestly the only thing I'm positive I want to do is make it a Human. Because I'm boring like that.
Anyway, if people could send me some suggestions, I'd appreciate it.
You ignore the dex requirements of TWF feats, so I would turn towards to the fighting styles of rangers and slayers. As such, a strength build is preferred. Your offhand weapon is an unarmed strike, so you don't have to worry about any problems with drawing or sheathing weapons. So you can very easily go with a style that mixes TWF for full attacks and 2 handed attacks for charges/moves/etc. I would just grab a katana, since it is a high crit chance weapon that you can 2 hand. Also, you are a samurai.
Now, for investment into unarmed strikes... since you are going for a mixed style, I would not get a full amulet of mgihty fists. It is too expensive and takes up the same slot as an amulet of natural armor, but it would only be 1/2 of your TWF attacks. Bodywraps of mighty strikes would be preferred since it uses a less important magic item slot. It has limited uses per round, but you are not focusing on unarmed strikes- it will cover all of your offhand attacks.
Style feats are up to you, but you are required to keep your off hand open when you TWF due to the rules of the archetype. So that sets you up for crane style- you also tend to TWF when you are right next to an enemy that could full attack you back.
If allowed, a pair of Handwraps are a pretty good option – you can enchant them at the same cost as any other magical weapon.
As for Style Feats... it's gotta be Crane Style. You can combine it with Order of the Eastern Star for really stupid defences.
The cool thing about it is that you only need a free hand! That way, you get a mechanical bonus from being a unarmed + weapon TWFer.
This is a sample build:
LV1. (Psychic Sensitivity), (Improved Unarmed Strike), Dodge, Iron Will
LV3. (Two-Weapon Fighting), Crane Style
LV5. Crane Wing
LV6. Improved Two-Weapon Fighting
LV7. Chain Challenge
LV9. Crane Riposte
if you are going with crane style(and why not it's great!). i would advice to get at some point the deflect arrow feat. since nothing says :'i'm of a higher class' then swatting away both melee AND ranged attacks ;)
side note, the Shielded Gauntlet style feats (need weapon focus with Spiked\Shielded Gauntlet. and prof with shields)would net you increase in damage of the Shielded\Spiked Gauntlet as warpriest sacred weapon (-4 to your level), +1 max aoo per round that can be used for attack\steal\disarm with no aoo back) and a shield bonus = 1+ the weapon enchantment bonus of said off hand Shielded\Spiked Gauntlet (which is always great when two weapon fighting).
you can even have this AND crane style active at once if you also have Weapon Style Mastery feat(but this would take a LOT of feats to set up)
Thanks for the responses everyone. It looks like I'm gonna be building my Brawling Blademaster with Crane Style, which is honestly a style I didn't consider until now. Here's to hoping that when the campaign happens, the build works well!
would net you increase in damage of the Shielded\Spiked Gauntlet as warpriest sacred weapon (-4 to your level)
Brawling Blademaster already does unarmed damage as a monk, which improves faster than a Warpriest's Sacred weapon damage already.
Like the reason not to have a BB just be a "I twf with fists" character is that Harmonious Flow requires one of your twf attacks to be with a manufactured weapon.
I personally like the idea of a 1 level dip in Brawler (constructed pugilist). Now you can enchant your off hand unarmed strike
Handwraps do the same thing without the dip; they are in the same book as the Brawling Blademaster.
I suspect one of the main reasons handwraps exist in the first place is the brawling blademaster, since the game math assumes that you are getting enhancement bonuses to accuracy, and upgrading the weapons for a twf character is expensive as it is without having to pay double price for the amulet for a "weapon and unarmed" character.