| Flames of Chaos |
I'm trying to put together a swashbuckler for Fists of the Ruby Pheonix when my group gets to it (starting lv11), and I'm having some problems wrapping my head around some feat interactions:
1. Flying Blade vs. just grabbing a bow:
I'm very happy they kept a way for Swashbucklers to be chucking weapons and not just look cool doing it, but I don't know if the Precise Strike plus throwing a dagger is better than just pulling out a bow and plinking for 1-2d6 or 1-2d8 damage. (Not sure if I'll have enough gold for a +1 striking ranged weapon on top of +1 armor and +1 striking melee weapon). Especially since bucklers seem a little crap even with feat investment, so I kinda want to go Dueling Parry/Dueling Dance.
2. How does "After You" interact with the initiative? Is it always on, or do I get to pick at the beginning of combat, assuming I've seen enough of the battle revealed at start to make strategic decisions? I see my char being one of the few melee folks in a party of ranged/castery folks, even if some of the others can melee. I'd like to have the option to benefit from holding init if I have to.
3. What's the "proper balance" of reaction options? I want very much to take Attack of Opportunity, but there are several other good options like Charmed Life that want my reactiopn. Is 2 the right number, or just 1? It feels like having more than 2 is just setting me up for decision paralysis when plotting out my move before I take it.
4. Does Goading Feint replace my ability to gain Panache when messing with opponents? The char is a Fencer Swash, and the Panache option that isn't Tumbling specifically calls out "Feinting" or "Creating diversions":
"You gain panache during an encounter whenever you successfully Feint or Create a Diversion against a foe."
Goading Feint says:
"Prerequisites trained in Deception
When you trick a foe, you can goad them into overextending their next attack. On a Feint, you can use the following success and critical success effects instead of any other effects you would gain when you Feint; if you do, other abilities that adjust the normal effects of your Feint no longer apply. You can choose whether to use the Goading Feint benefits or the normal benefits each time you Feint a given foe.
Critical Success The target takes a –2 circumstance penalty to all attack rolls against you before the end of its next turn.
Success The target takes a –2 circumstance penalty to its next attack roll against you before the end of its next turn."
Thanks in advance - still trying to wrap my head around this wonderful class!