How is this for a basic Greatsword build?

[VoodistMonk]

Straight-forward Greatsword build... just a good old big dumb fighter. No shenanigans other than Gorum's Swordmanship/Vital Strike/Scout's Charge... which is just something that can be used when the opportunity presents itself, the build works fine even without charging. If I wanted shenanigans, I would have worked in Rhino Charge to ready a charge as a standard action (but I didn't).

I have this broken up 2 attacks, 3 attacks, 4 attacks... making for easy NPC builds, if one was inclined to use this build for an NPC. I did build this to work even with NPC stats and gear. No race has been selected, although the Half-Orc/Fate's Favored/Sacred Tattooes/Shaman's Apprentice BS makes a lot of sense here. Could even pick up a bite attack or Scent if you wanted to go this route.

At level 7 we have Weapon Training and 2D6 Sneak Attack delivered on a charge. Warrior Spirit AWT and Bleeding Attack to deal with DR. Furious Focus removes the Power Attack penalty for our charge. Have Cut From the Air for missile defense, and Trapfinding/Trapspotter/Trap Sense just in case. Not bad for a big, dumb fighter finding and disarming magical traps.

At level 12 we can use Vital Strike on a charge (w/2D6 Sneak Attack and Bleeding Attack). We can fight in the dark and can cut down spells with Smash From the Air. And every killing blow is a Coup De Grace with Deadly Finish. Killing blows made more abundant with Weapon Master stuffs like Reliable Strike.

At 17, the focus has shifted to fighting magic... picking up Disruptive/Spellbreaker/Teleport Tactician, building off of Cut/Smash From the Air and Blind Fight from earlier. Deific Obedience adds some utility to round it out at the end. Deadly Critical is fun, and goes right along with Deadly Finish from earlier.

Weapon Master Fighter
1(class): Power Attack
1(level): Furious Focus

2. Weapon Guard +1
2(class): Combat Reflexes

3. Weapon Training 1
3(level): Advanced Weapon Training
... Warrior Spirit

Scout Rogue
4. Sneak Attack 1D6
4. Trapfinding

5. Evasion
5. Rogue Talent
... Trapspotter
5(level): Iron Will

6. Sneak Attack 2D6
6. Trap Sense +1

7. Rogue Talent
... Bleeding Attack
7. Scout's Charge
7(level): Cut From the Air

At 7:
Fighter-3/Rogue-4
BAB +6
Base Saves +4/+5/+4 (w/ Iron Will)

Weapon Master Fighter
8(class): Gorum's Swordmanship

9. Reliable Strike1/day
9(level): Vital Strike

10. Weapon Guard +2
10(class): Smash From the Air

11. Weapon Training 2
11(level): Blind Fight

12(class): Deadly Finish

At 12:
Fighter-8/Rogue-4
BAB +11
Base saves +7/+6/+5 (w/ Iron Will)

13. Mirror Move
13(level): Disruptive

14. Weapon Guard +3
14. Reliable Strike 2/day
14(class): Spellbreaker

15. Weapon Training 3
15(level): Teleport Tactician

16(class): Gorum's Advanced Swordmanship

17. Deadly Critical 1/day
17(level): Deific Obedience

At 17:
Fighter-13/Rogue-4
BAB +16
Base Saves +9/+8/+7 (w/ Iron Will)

Deific Obedience (Gorum):
Exalted
1: Battler (Sp) magic stone 3/day, spiritual weapon 2/day, or deadly juggernaut 1/day
2: Mass Strength Surge (Su) When using the strength surge granted power from the Strength domain, you can target allies within 30 feet of you instead of having to touch a single target. You can target a maximum number of allies equal to 1 + 1 for every 4 Hit Dice you possess (maximum 6). If you don’t have access to the Strength domain, you instead gain the ability to use the strength surge granted power a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Wisdom modifier, as listed in the strength surge description. However, you can touch only a single target when using this granted power.
3: Gorum's Shout (Sp) Once per day, you can use word of chaos as a spell-like ability. In order to use this ability, you must shout a battle cry at top volume, ending your shout in praise to Gorum.

[rorek55]

I mean, I feel like 4 levels of rogue is a waste. With the build on the whole.

If you were going to go 3 or more levels of rogue, go for an elven curved blade and use dexterity over strength. The unrogue ability gives rogues 1 1/2 str for two handed finesse weapons.

Your will save is on the low end as well. I would look into getting more advanced weapon training options.

Couple of ideas-
Fighters finesse (I think?) If you use dex to hit and str for damage, double your weapon training bonus on damage rolls

The bravery booster that makes bravery effect all will saves.

Spell cut. To help out vs saves.

[Scott Wilhelm]

The big thing about Gorum's Swordmanship is that you get to use Vital Strike Feats on a charge. It would be nice to see more charging stuff. I see that you are taking levels in Scout, and Scouts do Sneak Attack Damage on a Charge: good stuff. But how about some Overrun and/or Bull Rush Feats, maybe Wheeling Charge, Charge Through, something like that?

My baseline advice is to dip a level in Ranger and use a Wand of Lead Blades to change the base damage of your Greatsword from 2d6 to 3d6, and to consider dipping a level in Living Monolith so you can Enlarge Person as a Swift Action, and your Greastword has a base Damage of 4d6, and that will really help boost your Vital Strike Damage. Increasing that base damage will double, triple, and quadruple along with your Vital Strike Feats, but Sneak Attack Damage will not multiply like that.

If you take Greater Overrun and Charge Through, you get an Attack of Opportunity when you Overrun somebody, and you get to keep charging into someone else and do your Vital Strike Damage with your Greatsword.

There's that Bullette Charge Style Feat Tree which lets you Overrun Multiple opponents, doing extra damage each time, and you still get those Attacks of Opportunity from Greater Overrun.

If you take Spirited Charge, you will do double damage, and that will stack with your Vital Strike Feats. That means mounted combat, though, and you might not be willing to go there. But you might work something with a Mount that had like Powerful Charge, and maybe like Minotaur Charge, Greater Bull Rush, and you could both take Paired Opportunist? Say be a Mammoth Rider and ride an Arsinotherium? Some levels in Hunter will let you share Feats, or just dip a level in Cavalier? I'm not exactly sure how to work it out, but I see lots of high Damage. Attacks.

[VoodistMonk]

The 4 levels of Rogue adds a plethora of skills, helps a ton with Reflex saves, adds Evasion on top of that, trap stuffs is hugely situational but d@mn nice to have (and quite unexpected) as a big dumb fighter, and Scout's Charge/Bleeding Attack actually does more at level 7 than just Vital Strike and Gorum's Swordmanship. 4D6 < 2D6 + 2D6 + 2 Bleed. And the ability to deliver that 2D6 + 2 Bleed whilst flanking is something Gorum's Swordmanship will never give you alone. With Warrior Spirit adding Keen to an already +1 Greatsword, and some Bleed on charge or flanking... quite confident the levels of Rogue are not completely wasted.

As for Ranger/Living Monolith... I thought about it, but chose to keep this simple. The Rogue levels are to make it playable, overall. Chasing silly things like Bull Rush/Overrun, adding styles, learning abstract languages to dip Living Monolith just to grow in size... that's all way more complex than I really want this to be.

This could be just some random chic with a Greatsword, and that's the beauty of it. I do appreciate a diverse multiclass build, Scott. I do. I tried to keep this one simple, basically just a Weapon Master Fighter, with enough Rogue to be playable (skills, Evasion, trap stuffs). I wanted to keep it so simple an NPC could do it...

[VoodistMonk]

Scott, I do have a Divine Tracker Ranger VMC Cleric build that could easily be adapted for the Greatsword and Gorum's Deific Obedience... and Living Monolith. Ranger provides plenty of skills, and you get Warpriest Blessings with Domain Powers on top of it? Oh my... if you choose the Strength Domain, you can really play on Gorum's Deific Obedience.

I think I got this about right:
Divine Tracker Ranger/
VMC Cleric

1. Favored Enemy
...
1. Track
1. Favored Weapon
...
1(VMC): Domain
...
1(level):

2(class):

3. Favored Terrain
...
3(class): Endurance
3(VMC): Domain Power
...

4. Blessings
...
...
4. Spells/Spontaneous Casting

5. 2nd Favored Enemy
...
5(level): Iron Will

Living Monolith
6. Soul Stone

Divine Tracker Ranger
7(class):
7(VMC): Channel Energy 1D6

8. Woodland Stride

9. Swift Tracker
9. 2nd Favored Terrain
...
9(level):

10. Evasion

11. 3rd Favored Enemy
...
11(VMC): Improved Channel 4D6
11(class):

12. Quarry

13. Camouflage
13(level): Deific Obedience

14. Major Blessings
...
...
14. 3rd Favored Terrain
...

15(class):
15(VMC): Domain Power
...

16. 4th Favored Enemy
...

17. Improved Evasion
17(level): Quicken Blessing

18. Hide in Plain Sight

19. 4th Favored Terrain
...
19(VMC): Greater Channel 9D6
19(class):

20. Improved Quarry

[avr]

Evasion as a rogue is fine, but it's less useful on a rogue/fighter - it requires light or no armor. That said a rogue/fighter is an easy concept to work with and has a bit of synergy. Being a Gorumite nutcase is a bit harder to work with and less generic as a concept, but it's still doable - just not basic IMO.

[*Khan*]

Other vital strike options:
Weapon trick - cleaving Smash: Vital strike on cleaves
Vital Punishment (Vigilante level 6) Vital strike on AOO

[*Khan*]

*Khan* wrote:

Other vital strike options:

Weapon trick - cleaving Smash: Vital strike on cleaves
Vital Punishment (Vigilante level 6) Vital strike on AOO

Ups... Forget about the vigilante, Greatsword Battler already add vital strike on the first AOO in the round.

[Ryze Kuja]

If you're going to go Scout Rogue 4, I'd recommend going 6, or possibly even 12, levels of Slayer instead of Fighter. Not only will you have a much better Reflex save so you can make better use of Rogue's Evasion, but you'll also progress your SnA die; and as an added bonus, your skills aren't in the trash like they would be with that many fighter levels. I know it sucks losing weapon training, but you'll have Studied Target bonus as swift if you go Slayer7+ to make up for it. That also frees you up to dip 1 level in Siegebreaker Fighter for Overrun shenanigans and free damage when you Overrun if you want. You have to take at least 1 level of Fighter or Barb for Gorum's Swordmanship anyway.

If you go Half Orc Slayer, you can use Human FCB 1/6 for additional Slayer Talents. Also, with Half Orc, Intimidate builds become pretty attractive. Cornugon Smash, Cruel Weapon Enchant, and Shatter Defenses + Cleaving Smash could cause Cleaving Vital Strike + SnA damage.