I Hopefully Will have a Game Coming Up Soon and would like to have a few Characters Built for it
Assuming That like Most the games I play in they start at level 5 or lower
and Have a point buy of 20
I Have been wanting to Play a Half-Elf Katana Wielder and have Chosen to Build a a Slayer Focusing on Stuff like Dazzling Display and shatter Defense
But I am unsure how to go about it.]
I'd like Advice on my Feats and Talents
Talents
2 Ranger Combat Style - Menacing
4
6
8
10
Feats
1
1(Half-Elf EWP ) Katana
2 Dazzling Display
3
5
7
9
10
Outside of Intimidation related Feats I'd like to grab some critical Feats if i can
You have a lot of free feats to play around with. What about Agile Maiden and Heavy Armor? So you can have lower DEX and higher CHA.
Violent display is a must for this sort of build. It requires you be associated with were-tigers in some way so build that into your background. If you take soulless gaze and one additional damnation feat, then successful intimidations will increase severity rather than duration.
As boring as it is, you'll probably fill in all those feats with simple bonuses to Intimidate.
Skill focus (Intimidate)
Intimidating Prowess (+STR to Intimidate)
Persuasive
Nosta1300 wrote: I Have been wanting to Play a Half-Elf Katana Wielder and have Chosen to Build a a Slayer Focusing on Stuff like Dazzling Display and shatter Defense I have to say I'm not sanguine about this combination.
Shatter Defenses makes opponents Flatfooted, and Slayers do Sneak Attack Damage, but Dazzling Display is a Full Round Action. There are a lot of ways deny your opponents their Dex Mods to AC, and Shatter Defenses is NOT my favorite.
The advantage Shatter Defenses has, though, is that it make opponents properly Flatfooted, not just denied Dex Mod to AC, and that makes it possible for you to use Sap Master, which doubles your Sneak Attack Damage Dice. The Prereq for that is Sap Adept, which gives you +1/SA die.
But Sap Master only works when you are inflicting Nonlethal Bludgeoning Damage on a Flatfooted Opponent, and you want to use a Katana.
Nosta1300 wrote: like to have a few Characters Built for it Okay, that makes me feel a little better. I can think of a good Katana-wielding character. I can think of a good Shatter Defenses Character, but I'm not so sure about putting all that into 1 character, but maybe that's not what you need.
For a Shatter Defenses Character, I'd recommend Unarmed Strikes or Natural Attacks as a Weapon. Unarmed Strikes would mean you could take Knockout Artist as well as Sap Adept and Sap Master, doubling your Sneak Attack Damage Dice and adding +2 Damage per SA Die. I'd recommend you take Cornudgeon Smash. Slayers don't get a lot of Sneak Attack Damage: only 1 every 3 levels or so. I'd have you dip in classes that give Sneak Attack Damage: Vivisectionist Alchemist, Snakebite Striker Brawler, Rogue or Ninja, Greensting Slayer Magus. I might have you take the Accomplished Sneak Attacker Feat.
When you are using Cornugean Smash, it takes 1 hit to make your opponent Shaken, a 2nd hit to make your opponent Flatfooted, than the hits after that giver you Sneak Attack Damage. A character like this needs lots of Attacks/round. Natural Attack Builds give you more Attacks in your Full Attack than any other. Flurry of Blows, Brawler's Flurry, or just 2 weapon fighting might do for you. Another way to go might be other kinds of Bonus Attacks or Attacks of Opportunity, like Panther/Snake Style as a Monk Master of Many Styles.
Nosta1300 wrote: Katana Katana says Crit-Fishing to me. How married are you to Slayer? I'm kind of thinking Hunter or Eldritch Guardian Fighter, or maybe Inquisitor. I'm thinking Teamwork Feats like Seize the Moment or Outflank that give Attacks of Opportunity when you score crits. Improved Crit and Crit Focus when your Crit Focus is high enough.
Scott Wilhelm wrote: Nosta1300 wrote: I Have been wanting to Play a Half-Elf Katana Wielder and have Chosen to Build a a Slayer Focusing on Stuff like Dazzling Display and shatter Defense I have to say I'm not sanguine about this combination.
Shatter Defenses makes opponents Flatfooted, and Slayers do Sneak Attack Damage, but Dazzling Display is a Full Round Action. There are a lot of ways deny your opponents their Dex Mods to AC, and Shatter Defenses is NOT my favorite.
Menacing combat style allows you to bypass the prereqs for shatter defenses by taking it as a style feat at level 6. Combine that with the "drop an enemy and intimidate 30' radius" types of feats and you've got yourself a intimimancer.
Ryan Freire wrote: Scott Wilhelm wrote: Nosta1300 wrote: I Have been wanting to Play a Half-Elf Katana Wielder and have Chosen to Build a a Slayer Focusing on Stuff like Dazzling Display and shatter Defense I have to say I'm not sanguine about this combination.
Shatter Defenses makes opponents Flatfooted, and Slayers do Sneak Attack Damage, but Dazzling Display is a Full Round Action. There are a lot of ways deny your opponents their Dex Mods to AC, and Shatter Defenses is NOT my favorite. Menacing combat style allows you to bypass the prereqs for shatter defenses by taking it as a style feat at level 6. Combine that with the "drop an enemy and intimidate 30' radius" types of feats and you've got yourself a intimimancer. That is pretty cool, and a good way to lots of Intimidating. My point is about Sneak Attack Damage. Using Shatter defenses to lock in your Sneak Attack Damage is a particular thing that I don't think goes very well with Katana.
By the way, Nosta1300, how married are you to Katana? Personally, for what a Katana does, I'd favor Estoc or Elven Curved Blade. Your character is a Half Elf. You can use any single weapon you want. There's the Alternate Racial Trait Ancestral Arms.
Scott Wilhelm wrote: Ryan Freire wrote: Scott Wilhelm wrote: Nosta1300 wrote: I Have been wanting to Play a Half-Elf Katana Wielder and have Chosen to Build a a Slayer Focusing on Stuff like Dazzling Display and shatter Defense I have to say I'm not sanguine about this combination.
Shatter Defenses makes opponents Flatfooted, and Slayers do Sneak Attack Damage, but Dazzling Display is a Full Round Action. There are a lot of ways deny your opponents their Dex Mods to AC, and Shatter Defenses is NOT my favorite. Menacing combat style allows you to bypass the prereqs for shatter defenses by taking it as a style feat at level 6. Combine that with the "drop an enemy and intimidate 30' radius" types of feats and you've got yourself a intimimancer. That is pretty cool, and a good way to lots of Intimidating. My point is about Sneak Attack Damage. Using Shatter defenses to lock in your Sneak Attack Damage is a particular thing that I don't think goes very well with Katana.
By the way, Nosta1300, how married are you to Katana? Personally, for what a Katana does, I'd favor Estoc or Elven Curved Blade. Your character is a Half Elf. You can use any single weapon you want. There's the Alternate Racial Trait Ancestral Arms. There's also a slayer advanced talent that makes scythes and sickles hit as if their damage was one size larger and gives you improved critical with them both. A 19-20 X4 crit greatsword is pretty badass, and scythe aesthetic meshes with the whole scary intimidation thing thematically.
Let's agree that of the dude wants a katana it's not that much of a change in power.
Assuming that half-elf is part of the concept and won't change, here's how those feats/talents might go. Note that half-elves can take human feats just fine.
1: weapon focus
Half-elf: EWP
Slayer talent 2: ranger combat style 1 (menacing): dazzling display
3: fearless curiousity
ST4: rogue talent (combat trick): power attack
5: intimidating confidence
ST6: RCS 2: shatter defences
7: disheartening display
ST8: rogue talent (slow reactions)
9: improved critical (if you don't have a keen weapon, maybe critical focus if you do.)
10: RCS 3: dreadful carnage
@ Scout Wilhelm's
Well I guess it dose not need to be a Slayer.
Inquisitor Sounds Fun
Can I get some help with feats and archetypes for it?
If I can offer something out of left field, it's still an Intimidation build but arguably lets you contribute more immediately to combat:
Half-Orc or Half-Elf with the EWP (Orc Double Axe)
Level 1: Orc Weapon Expertise (Thug; gives you 1 nonlethal damage with a weapon that has "Orc" in the name)
Level 2: Ranger Combat Style (Two Weapon Fighting)
Level 3: Enforcer (you do nonlethal damage, you get a free Intimidate check)
And then you can build from there. Obviously this build uses the Orc Double Axe, but you could build this as a two-hander using the Skull Ram for instance. I like the Double Axe since Studied Target gives you flat bonuses and so it benefits two-weapon fighting more than two-handed weapon fighting.
Half-Orc is better than Half-Elf because Half-Orcs get the +2 to Intimidate and they can get a saves bump with Sacred Tattoo, but if you're wedded to Half-Elf then you still can but it's not ideal.
avr wrote: Assuming that half-elf is part of the concept and won't change, here's how those feats/talents might go. Note that half-elves can take human feats just fine.
1: weapon focus
Half-elf: EWP
Slayer talent 2: ranger combat style 1 (menacing): dazzling display
3: fearless curiousity
ST4: rogue talent (combat trick): power attack
5: intimidating confidence
ST6: RCS 2: shatter defences
7: disheartening display
ST8: rogue talent (slow reactions)
9: improved critical (if you don't have a keen weapon, maybe critical focus if you do.)
10: RCS 3: dreadful carnage
I like those Feats
The human related ones I mean
What are some other good builds using them?
Fearless curiosity is just a partial fix for a poor will save. Apply to any class with a poor will save and a build with spare feats. Intimidating confidence (requires fearless c.) is a free intimidate check on a crit, apply to any build with a good crit range, especially if they're building for intimidate.
A swashbuckler can get improved critical at L5 which is useful for scoring crits. Or, a vexing daredevil mesmerist using TWF kukris might be trying to stack up save penalties. Thug rogues can do terrifying things with intimidate. Aberrant bloodragers can do terrifying things with crits. There's a monk build or two which can flurry with a katana.
Any of those could work, one way or another. I think my build above could too.
Don't forget Slayer's Killing Flourish.
I agree that Dazzling Display is overrated due to the Full Round action economy. I think it's mostly useful as a prereq for disheartening display. Isn't there something else that lets you ramp up the fear conditions?
My slayer wasn't quite so focused on intimidate, but Killing Flourish and Cornugon Smash worked pretty well.
Generally as a Slayer you can deal out enough raw damage that trading attacks out for Intimidate isn't useful.
My character actually took the Archery ranger style (many/rapid shot) so he'd be effective at distance, Power attack, intimidating prowess, Cornugon Smash & Killing Flourish. And Iron Will, cause will saves suck. :)
avr wrote: Fearless curiosity is just a partial fix for a poor will save. Apply to any class with a poor will save and a build with spare feats. Intimidating confidence (requires fearless c.) is a free intimidate check on a crit, apply to any build with a good crit range, especially if they're building for intimidate.
A swashbuckler can get improved critical at L5 which is useful for scoring crits. Or, a vexing daredevil mesmerist using TWF kukris might be trying to stack up save penalties. Thug rogues can do terrifying things with intimidate. Aberrant bloodragers can do terrifying things with crits. There's a monk build or two which can flurry with a katana.
Any of those could work, one way or another. I think my build above could too.
I'll look at 5hem all
But how would a magus Kensai magus
Based ah round the Frostbite spell
Something like
Magus Arcana
1
Feats
1 Weapon focus
2 Dazzling Display
3 fearless curiousity (Human / Half Human Cha 13)
4 Enforcer
5 Intimidating Confidence (Human / Half Human / Intimidate 5 ranks)
Traits
1 Memorable
2
avr wrote: Fearless curiosity is just a partial fix for a poor will save. Apply to any class with a poor will save and a build with spare feats. Intimidating confidence (requires fearless c.) is a free intimidate check on a crit, apply to any build with a good crit range, especially if they're building for intimidate. At first glance I liked Intimidating confidence, but it's got a relatively useless feat tax and isn't reliable.
Cornugon Smash has a much more useful feat tax (Power attack, which you're taking anyway) and is much more reliable. The only drawback is that you get it one level later (6 ranks of intimidate instead of 5.)
Maybe if you're going for a full crit-fishing build - two weapon kukris or some such?
avr wrote: Fearless curiosity is just a partial fix for a poor will save. Apply to any class with a poor will save and a build with spare feats. Intimidating confidence (requires fearless c.) is a free intimidate check on a crit, apply to any build with a good crit range, especially if they're building for intimidate.
A swashbuckler can get improved critical at L5 which is useful for scoring crits. Or, a vexing daredevil mesmerist using TWF kukris might be trying to stack up save penalties. Thug rogues can do terrifying things with intimidate. Aberrant bloodragers can do terrifying things with crits. There's a monk build or two which can flurry with a katana.
Any of those could work, one way or another. I think my build above could too.
Also can I get some info on that Katana monk.
And can it be down with the Unchained version of monk?
Nosta1300 wrote:
I'll look at 5hem all
But how would a magus Kensai magus
Based ah round the Frostbite spell
Something like
Magus Arcana
1
Feats
1 Weapon focus
2 Dazzling Display
3 fearless curiousity (Human / Half Human Cha 13)
4 Enforcer
5 Intimidating Confidence (Human / Half Human / Intimidate 5 ranks)
Traits
1 Memorable
2 Kensai isn't great at low levels for many reasons, but primarily that you lose spell slots as well as Spell Recall, and the slow scaling of Canny Defense means you're likely spending a lot of your spell slots on Mage Armor until you can get Pearls of Power. You can't get Weapon Focus at level 1 (it's your bonus feat if you choose Kensai).
If you go Frostbite Magus, Enforcer should be your first feat arguably so you can inflict shaken on your opponent, and then Rime Spell (with the trait Magical Lineage) so whenever you do cold damage the enemy is entangled (so now it's entangled, fatigued, and shaken if the intimidate check comes off). The trait Bruising Intellect is great for this build since it keys Intimidate off of Intelligence rather than Charisma, so you can dump it. This is assuming you go with a Strength build for your Magus (otherwise you need to choose Weapon Finesse as your first feat and delay these other feats for a while).
Isn't the point of being a slayer intimidate build to take advantage of those "you get to coup de grace people who cower" feats?
So basically what you need is.
1. Free or swift action intimidates
2. The skill unlock feat at level 5+
3. An intimidate booster
4. The slayer murder feats.
Ryan Freire wrote: Isn't the point of being a slayer intimidate build to take advantage of those "you get to coup de grace people who cower" feats?
So basically what you need is.
1. Free or swift action intimidates
2. The skill unlock feat at level 5+
3. An intimidate booster
4. The slayer murder feats.
Well more than likely any game I play in will start around level
4 or 5 and make it to level 9 9r 10
How would you go about such a build with in those levels?
Ryan Freire wrote: Isn't the point of being a slayer intimidate build to take advantage of those "you get to coup de grace people who cower" feats?
So basically what you need is.
1. Free or swift action intimidates
2. The skill unlock feat at level 5+
3. An intimidate booster
4. The slayer murder feats.
Dastardly Finish? (And Merciless Butchery, but that just makes it faster. And is the one that requires slayer levels.)
I'd say it's more useful for a Rogue intimidate build, since you can get Dastardly Finish much earlier. For a slayer it's 15th, which is late to come online.
The Skill Unlock feat is what I was forgetting about though. Need to put that on my list of feats to take. :)
With Intimidating Prowess, I'm not sure how much you really need the booster. Maybe by higher level.
thejeff wrote: Ryan Freire wrote: Isn't the point of being a slayer intimidate build to take advantage of those "you get to coup de grace people who cower" feats?
So basically what you need is.
1. Free or swift action intimidates
2. The skill unlock feat at level 5+
3. An intimidate booster
4. The slayer murder feats.
Dastardly Finish? (And Merciless Butchery, but that just makes it faster. And is the one that requires slayer levels.)
I'd say it's more useful for a Rogue intimidate build, since you can get Dastardly Finish much earlier. For a slayer it's 15th, which is late to come online.
The Skill Unlock feat is what I was forgetting about though. Need to put that on my list of feats to take. :)
With Intimidating Prowess, I'm not sure how much you really need the booster. Maybe by higher level. The skill unlock rewards exceeding DC by 10 and 20
Nosta1300 wrote: avr wrote: Fearless curiosity is just a partial fix for a poor will save. Apply to any class with a poor will save and a build with spare feats. Intimidating confidence (requires fearless c.) is a free intimidate check on a crit, apply to any build with a good crit range, especially if they're building for intimidate.
A swashbuckler can get improved critical at L5 which is useful for scoring crits. Or, a vexing daredevil mesmerist using TWF kukris might be trying to stack up save penalties. Thug rogues can do terrifying things with intimidate. Aberrant bloodragers can do terrifying things with crits. There's a monk build or two which can flurry with a katana.
Any of those could work, one way or another. I think my build above could too.
Also can I get some info on that Katana monk.
And can it be down with the Unchained version of monk? One version is taking the ascetic style and ascetic form feats, one uses a cleric (deity Inma or Shizuru) dip and the crusader's flurry feat. Either works with unchained monk.
Oh, and one advantage of intimidating confidence over cornugon smash is being able to intimidate more than one person. A lower level feat helps too. Cornugon smash is probably better in general but not so absolutely that it makes intimidating confidence useless.
@ AVR
But Don't you need Versatile Design for ascetic Style Feats to work with a katana ?
I would actually prefer to use that path and not have to dip in to cleric
|
