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Best as I can tell, all three archetypes stack. I'm not simply trying to layer archetypes for the sake of doing so. It occurred to me that, together, they do a really good job of bringing to life the eponymous character from Emilio Salgari's novel "The Black Corsair."
This build depends in large part on our GM making Skill Unlocks available to everyone (because we rarely, if ever, have anyone willing to play a rogue in our group). If we don't get Skill Unlocks, then scratch off Focused Study, pick Combat Reflexes, Combat Expertise, and Improved Disarm earlier on, and take the Signature Skill (Intimidate) feat at 5th level, instead.
As this character is being designed for a pirate-centric campaign, I expect we'll be facing a lot of humanoid creatures with manufactured weapons. This informs archetype/deed/feat selection and prioritization.
Human
- Focused Study to replace the bonus feat
- Heart of the Sea to replace Skilled
TRAITS: Fencer, Signature Moves
1. Fencing Grace (character level feat), Skill Focus: Intimidate (focused study), Weapon Focus: rapier
Social panache functions as derring-do, but for (among other things) bluff and intimidate.
3. Combat Reflexes (character level feat); Hilt Hammer deed in exchange for Swashbuckler Initiative
Swagger starts adding a progressive bonus to Intimidate.
4. Combat Expertise (bonus feat)
5. Improved Disarm (character level feat)
7. Improved Called Shot (character level feat); Dodging Dance deed in exchange for swashbuckler's grace and targeted strike
Dodging Dance is situational, but nonetheless offers the opportunity to make more than a 5-foot step and get multiple attacks in. Skill Focus starts helping with the DC next level.
Improved Called Shot is not about getting in debilitating blows, but about confirming critical hits and forcing unreasonably high saving throw DCs (equal to AC hit) and thus causing significant effects (ability damage, disarming, fatigue, nauseated, prone, staggered, penalties to attack) in exchange for manageable attack penalties.
Incredible Aspirations increases the odds of Social Panache boosting Intimidate checks.
Swagger's additional benefit--a no-action Intimidate granted upon making a successful saving throw while using Charmed Life--requires GM charity... because this character has no Charmed Life to use.
8. Lunge (bonus feat), Skill Focus: Acrobatics (focused study)
9. Disarming Strike (character level feat)
11. Greater Called Shot (character level feat)
The added penalty is significant enough that I'm probably only going to use this on easy targets (arms, legs), and probably only after the opponent has been knocked prone.
12. Critical Focus (bonus feat)
13. Anatomical Savant (character level feat)
15. Cunning Killer (character level feat)
At 16th level, this provides a nice bonus to attack and damage against anything with an INT score of 10 or less. On its own, it's not much, but it negates most of the penalty for a second called shot.
16. Greater Disarm (bonus feat), Skill Focus: Sense Motive (focused study)
With all that in mind:
1. I don't think there are too many creatures that can't be demoralized, can't be disarmed, and/or are immune to critical hits, but I'm nonetheless worried about building around three very "high risk/high reward" concepts. SHOULD I worry? Am I worrying TOO much?
2. I'm not sure what feats to go with for 17th-20th level (and yes, we're probably going to take this to 20th level).
3. Besides the Crane Style chain of feats, is there anything that could bring my Fighting Defensively penalty below -2? I'd happily slap Signature Deed on Dizzying Defense if that were the case.
Thoughts?
Follow-up to this post:
I'm considering dropping the Noble Fencer archetype and instead investing in the Vengeful Heart and Vengeful Soul deeds of renown. The question isn't so much how much value I get from those deeds relative to Charmed Life or the Noble Fencer's Aristocratic Discipline, but whether being able to negate a critical hit 6/day (at 11th level) is worth more than having constant Evasion, Improved Uncanny Dodge, and immunity to disarm, steal, and sunder combat maneuvers.
Other changes to this build (feel free to skip to my final question at the very end):
4th level: Improved Called Shot (bonus combat feat, GM ruled these count as combat feats)
5th level: Martial Focus (to unlock Weapon Mastery feats)
7th level: Difficult Swings (to deny full attacks in conjunction with a 5-foot step)
Swagger's additional benefit--a no-action Intimidate granted upon making a successful saving throw while using Charmed Life--requires GM charity... because this character has no Charmed Life to use.
8th level: Greater Called Shot (bonus combat feat)
9th level: Critical Focus
11th level: Bleeding Critical
12th level: Critical Versatility (bonus combat feat; to be retrained to Seize Advantage at 16th level)
13th level: Penetrating Strike
15th level: Blinding Critical
16th level: Critical Mastery (bonus combat feat)
17th level: Greater Penetrating Strike
19th level: Signature Deed (Deadly Stab)
We haven't really moved forward with this campaign yet, but when we get going we aim for hitting 20th level. As such, late in the game the intent is to be averaging a critical hit every round, forcing separate saving throws for Called Shots (to stagger, nauseate, and/or inflict ability damage), blindness, and dead.
20th level: I'm struggling to find a good, Swashbuckler-appropriate feat for this level. I'm toying with the idea of just taking Cut from the Air at 12th level (which would effectively eliminate archers as a threat) and saving Seize Advantage for 20th level (at which point this admittedly situational feat that can deliver 12-54 points of damage on any given riposte).
Any thoughts?