How's this for a low level Swashbuckler?

[VoodistMonk]

Human 20pt buy
11,17(15+2),14,10,12,14

Traits:
... Unswaying Love
... Dangerously Curious

Vanilla Swashbuckler
1. Panache
1. Deeds
... Derring-Do
... Dodging Panache
... Opportune Parry & Riposte
1. Swashbuckler Finesse
1(class): Weapon Finesse
1(human): Weapon Focus Glaive
1(level): Bladed Brush
2. Charmed Life 3/day
3. Deeds
... Kip-Up
... Menacing Swordplay
... Precise Strike
... Swashbuckler Initiative
3. Nimble +1
3(level): Combat Reflexes
4. Stat Bump: Dex +1 (18)
4(class): Slashing Grace
5. Swashbuckler Weapon Training +1/+1
5(class): Improved Critical
5(level): Iron Will

Plain and simple, I think... Might dip a level of Warpriest for the saves, skills, free Weapon Focus Glaive (retrain the other one to EWP Fauchard?), orisons, minor Luck Blessing... but sometimes there's a certain elegance to a single-class build.

Could probably take Extra Panache at 5, retrain it to Iron Will after getting a headband for Charisma... maybe. Could also take EWP Fauchard at 5, to go with Improved Critical. BUT, an @$$hole GM might say that Weapon Focus Glaive doesn't work with a Fauchard, therefor Bladed Brush doesn't work with a Fauchard, therefor Weapon Finesse and Slashing Grace don't work with a Fauchard... even though the description of the Fauchard begins with "Like a Glaive...", so I just didn't write it in there to avoid such lame arguments.

What do you think? Is she playable, or at least as playable as any other single-classed Swashbuckler?

[avr]

A glaive is a poor weapon for a swashbuckler because of the crit range of 20 (19-20 w/improved crit). Yes you can get panache back from kills but missing out on crit panache means that you may have to start playing more defensively once you reach 1 panache and can't really parry, or else kill-steal rampantly in game. The extra panache feat would help. Playable but be warned.

Glaives, guisarmes and fauchards (and glaive-guisarmes etc.) are similar enough that they should have the same stats, and there are no clear boundaries on which name refers to which weapon IRL. In PF they don't have the same stats, aren't interchangeable and you know it.

[Cavall]

Call me an a$#&@&% GM but no way I'd let weapon focus glaive count as weapon focus in anything but Glaive. They are all separate weapons

[Philippe Lam]

Seconded. One doesn't call a cat a mouse, and vice-versa.

Very flexible GMs vs by-the-book GMs, and everything in-between. Saying that those not allowing to equate fauchard to glaives are bad is very disingenuous.

[Wonderstell]

VoodistMonk wrote:

3. Deeds

... Kip-Up
... Menacing Swordplay
... Precise Strike
... Swashbuckler Initiative

I highly recommend the Hilt Hammer Deed of Renown to make Precise Strike more versatile.

Hilt Hammer wrote:

Precise strikes with a slender blade do little to hinder amorphous or incorporeal creatures; when encountering such threats, some swashbucklers abandon precision in favor of brutish strikes. At 3rd level, the swashbuckler can activate this deed before rolling the attack roll when making an attack that would benefit from precise strike. An attack altered this way deals only half the normal damage from precise strike, but this damage is not treated as precision damage. This deed alters (but does not replace) the precise strike deed and replaces one other 3rd-level deed.

[VoodistMonk]

Cavall wrote:

Call me an a!!!*+* GM but no way I'd let weapon focus glaive count as weapon focus in anything but Glaive. They are all separate weapons

Ok, cool story. Thanks for focusing on the one thing I said I didn't want to argue about. Would you allow Weapon Focus Glaive to be retrained to Weapon Focus Fauchard and still count as a prerequisite for Bladed Brush? Nevermind, I don't care. I don't want to argue about stupid BS.

Thanks for pointing me towards the Hilt Hammer Deed, Wonderstell.

[Cavall]

Of course not. You are retraining away from the feat that is a requirement to another feat, youd lose access. That's not stupid BS or an argument, that's core book rules.

And a full third of your original post talks about it so I don't see why we can't talk about it. Your singling me out of the 3 of the 4 people responded that say they wouldn't is a little odd too.

If youd like something more constructive to your build I agree with avr that taking a glaive for a vanilla build is not that great.

However, the arrow Champion would benefit well by this build instead. Using dodging panache you can step 5 feet back from an attack, stopping pounce builds. If the attack hits you anyways, you can retaliate by being 5 feet away and within reach of a glaive. On your turn make a 5 foot move away and start the process over again. You'd benefit from more attacks and increased use of the glaive. Since you don't gain panache on a crit it doesnt matter as much, but you also gain ranged versatility.

Other than that theres little to talk about the build the rest is standard or logically building from feat trees.

[VoodistMonk]

Let's just forget the Fauchard... it is nothing but margin notes anyways, a pipe-dream, a fallacy at that.

Arrow Champion is interesting, and works surprisingly well. More investigation into this is needed. Thank you for this suggestion.