I just finished reading Three-Bladed Doom by Robert E Howard (great story, not a Conan or fantasy story, it's set in post-WWI Afghanistan), and at one point the main character (El Borak, an American expatriate who has "gone native" and is known throughout the Middle East for his fighting prowess) picks up and uses a Khyber knife, a three-foot-long, single-edged blade with an offset handle. Similar to a short sword, I guess, but it is characterized as particularly deadly in close quarters, where the scimitars, tulwars, and rifles wielded by his enemies are a hindrance, and El Borak is able to use the knife with devastating effect.
So, are there any weapons, classes, or prestige classes that might allow me to play a character like that? Lightly armored (if at all), with bonuses in close quarters, possibly at its best when against more than one enemy with larger/longer (reach?) weapons. As far as the weapons, is there anything out there that is similar to a short sword or a long dagger, possibly with increased threat range or multiplier? I'm not looking to do massive damage all the time, but to be able to be deadly under the right circumstances.
So, are there any weapons, classes, or prestige classes that might allow me to play a character like that? Lightly armored (if at all), with bonuses in close quarters, possibly at its best when against more than one enemy with larger/longer (reach?) weapons. As far as the weapons, is there anything out there that is similar to a short sword or a long dagger, possibly with increased threat range or multiplier? I'm not looking to do massive damage all the time, but to be able to be deadly under the right circumstances.