I was going over the list of my characters and I realized that I never finish rebuilding my very first character. She's a gnome bard using the Archaeologist archetype and a starting level of Inspired Blade Swashbuckler.
I want her to focus on tripping and disarming with a whip while in combat and be a skill monkey outside of combat. The Swash level is to give her a way to fight in direct melee when she has to, but it won't be her main role.
Since she'll have Weapon Finesse from Swashbuckler, I won't need Agile Maneuvers since Weapon Finesse lets you use your dex when using a weapon to trip and disarm. The Greater Trip and Disarm feats won't be needed either since I'll be doing the maneuvers using reach. And I don't need make the whip lethal since damage isn't the priority.
For stats, the best I can do with a 20 point spread is 10 Str, 14 Dex, 14 Con, 14 Int, 13 Wis, 15 Cha.
I'm using the alternate racial traits Magical Linguist, Master Tinker, and Academician. For regular traits, I'm thinking Fate's Favored and Nimble Fingers Keen Mind.
The first level feat is going to be Fencing Grace. I'm thinking Combat Expertise at level 3. At level 5, I'll be bard level 4 and get a rogue talent from the archetype. Using Combat Trick will get me Improved Disarm and the regular feat nets Improved Trip.
But I have no idea where to go from there. Anyone have any ideas?
Archaeologists don't get a lot of rounds of their luck, and it's not the same as the luck pool which stacks with panache - that's from the sleuth investigator. Consider getting lingering performance.
Whips can use an infinite number of feats. Serpent lash might suit you for example, and/or the whip mastery feat chain, and if you take the latter then greater trip becomes useful. If on the other hand you really like reach but don't care about dealing out AoOs then lunge is a feat to look at.
From 7th level encouraging spell could be useful - it improves the bonus of heroism, which you should have active more often than not by that time.
Lingering Performance is a good choice. As is Serpent Lash. I'll look at the whip mastery feats.
I'm considering taking Dirty Fighting instead of Combat Expertise. It's a lot easier to understand and it gives a bonus to the maneuver rolls when flanking.
For rogue talents, instead of Combat Trick at level 5, I'm going with Unbalancing Trick. It gives Improved Trip as a bonus feat and I can save Combat Trick for a different feat at level 9. I can take an Advanced Talent at level 13, which will be bard level 12, and one of them is simply called Feat. It basically lets me take any feat as long as I qualify for it. So it sounds pretty handy.
I get a final talent at level 17. Guileful Polyglot is great for the flavor of this character, getting 4 new languages. But I think the one that gives Improved Evasion might be better for surviving. And I can get languages just by putting ranks in Linguistics. And bards get 6+Int skills so I have some to spare.
Ok, I've gone through the feats and I have a few that I like.
So the starting line-up is Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus Rapier, and Fencing Grace at level one with the IBS dip. Dirty Fighting at level 3, and both Improved Disarm and Improved Trip at level 5, using the Unbalancing Trick rogue talent. And Serpent Lash is a given so I'm going to put it at level 7.
As for the rest:
Greater Serpent Lash will give me more room to use my maneuvers since they don't have to be adjacent anymore.
Extra Performance gives me 6 more rounds of Archaeologist's Luck. And Lingering Performance lets it act as even more rounds.
I'm not going to take Greater Trip but I might take Greater Disarm since it makes the weapon land 15 feet away from the wielder.
Improved Whip Mastery lets me threaten at 10 feat and I can use my whip to grab tiny objects and swing around as if on a short rope. That last part would be great for flavor, but I don't really need it mechanically since I'm not focused on doing damage. If I don't take it, I won't need regular Whip Mastery either. If I'm in a situation where I have to do direct damage, I have the rapier. That is what it's for.
Disarming Strike and Tripping Strike allow me to disarm and trip respectively after confirming a critical hit along with the attack's normal damage. So those would be pretty handy for if I have to be right up in melee with my rapier. They both require BAB 9 though which I won't have until level 12.
Scholar is good for being a skill monkey, acting as a slightly weaker Skill Focus but with 2 knowledge skills. Persuasive does the same with Diplomacy and Intimidate. Alertness for Perception and Sense Motive.
And finally, Titan's Tangle lets me trip foes that are 2 size larger than I am with my whip. Which is handy for a gnome. And if I have Greater Weapon Focus, then it lets me trip up to 3 sizes larger. It does require Weapon Focus Whip and a feat called Tangled Limbs. Which is situational and I will not be taking if I don't go with Titan's Tangle.
Greater WF requires 8 levels of fighter or similar; you won't have it ever.
If you're looking at skill bonus feats (tho' I'm not sure how you'll find the space to fit them in) consider dilettante to apply a bonus to more skills per feat, if with limits. OTOH if you do get a skill focus then that opens up the option of getting eldritch heritage.
Get extra or lingering performance, both is probably more feats than you want to spend on such a thing.
Oh right, I'd have to multiclass more than just a Swash dip.
I definitely don't have room for more than one skill feat. I'll take another look at Dilettante.
True. Lingering Performance is probably better. Basically triples my uses of luck.
Ok, I think I've got it.
1: Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus, Fencing Grace
3: Dirty Fighting
5: Improved Disarm
5: Rogue Talent: Unbalancing Trick: Improved Trip
7: Lingering Performance
9: Serpent Lash
9: Rogue Talent: Combat Trick: Greater Disarm
11: Greater Serpent Lash
13: Tripping Strike
13: Rogue Talent: Feat: Weapon Focus Whip
15: Scholar
17: Tangled Limbs
17: Rogue Talent: Improved Evasion
19: Titan's Tangle
I could remove Scholar and push Tangled Limbs and Titan's Tangle up a bit, but that's the only thing I can think to change. Greater Disarm is useful since it makes the weapon end up further away from the target rather than just at their feet.
Improved Whip Mastery is great for the theme, but Titan's Tangle is just better mechanically for this. Just like how the rogue talent that gives more languages is great for the theme, but Improved Evasion will help keep her alive.
Greater Trip is kinda pointless as the plan is to use the whip to do the maneuvers. She won't get the AoO from using that feat. Greater Disarm is more useful, hence why it's at level 9.