Help on a Kensai build

[Urbanmech]

If you aren't set on Human for a race, Gold Dwarf Paladin 8/Kensai 6.
Str 16 (18 with level bumps), Dex 13 (11 with racial mod) Con 14 (16 with racial mod), Int 15, Wis 12, Cha 17 (18 with level bumps). Weapon Focus Dwarven War Axe, Combat Expertise, Power Attack, Cleave, and either Divine Might or Vigor or Shield to round out your choices.

Since Paladin has Concentration as a class skill you can do the Power Surge regularly to boost your Str up to 26. Paladin spellcasting gives you access to curing wands and scrolls. Also don't forget Lay on Hands for 32 hp of healing a day. You also have access to a summoned mount if you need extra mobility or to get from place to place in style. Plus Kensai is one of the few PrC's that a Paladin can take and still go back to taking Paladin levels.

 

[Victim]

I strongly reccomend a two handed weapon. As mentioned above, animated shields largely obsolete the sword and board style. But one big reason is special for the Kensai. That huge strength boost works especially well with 2 handed weapons. Also, if you don't go the animated shield route, then your signature weapon ability has you covered - there's no extra expense from a shield or off hand weapon.

Given the rarity of stat boost items, Divine feats will probably be far less effective than usual because they rely heavily on CHA (both in effect and uses/day).

If you don't want to go cleric, I reccomend the Earth Gensai. The bonus to STR and CON affects the bread and butter abilities of a melee character. The good will save in Kensai will offset the wisdom penalty. Even a Earth Gensai Cleric could work, although you'd be restricted in your diety selection. Non loser dieties with Earth domain include Gond, Moradin, and Dumathoin. Dumathoin gives you the strong Metal domain as well - the domain power is like War, but only for hammers.

I agree that saves can never be too high.* If you can buy/get items made, always think about pumping your cloak of resistance. Also, a pale green ioun stone (or similar effect) is strong as well. You get attacks and saves in one go.

CHA can actually be fairly low; the Kensai gets a bonus to most interaction skills.

*: Note, saves can actually be too high if the DM gets upset because you resist everything he throws at you. Then he might start gunning for you with stuff you can't resist.

 

[uzagi_akimbo]

I strongly reccomend a two handed weapon. As mentioned above, animated shields largely obsolete the sword and board style. But one big reason is special for the Kensai. That huge strength boost works especially well with 2 handed weapons. Also, if you don't go the animated shield route, then your signature weapon ability has you covered - there's no extra expense from a shield or off hand weapon.

Asked the GM yesterday night - animated shield is a big "No Way!" item. And I fear I am going to need the extra AC from the board - am going to be the tank/meat shield. With a two-handed weapon I might have to consider Improved Combat Expertise

Divine Vigour should work fine, even with comparably low CHA, since CHA only affects the duration there (1 min/+1 bonus). The extra HP and Speed are only affected by char level, luckily enough

I agree that saves can never be too high.* If you can buy/get items made, always think about pumping your cloak of resistance. Also, a pale green ioun stone (or similar effect) is strong as well. You get attacks and saves in one go.

*: Note, saves can actually be too high if the DM gets upset because you resist everything he throws at you. Then he might start gunning for you with stuff you can't resist.

Hehe, now THAT happens rather too regularly in my normal campaign - seeing that my cleric has saves close to 20 (well, except for Reflex, go figure), I hardly ever get struck twice with stuff allowing saves by the more intelligent opposition (aka the casters ), and the next thing coming my way will be something nasty from the "touch attack" angle, usually an "Enervation" etc etc..... Thanks the powers that be for "Death Ward" and Deflection items, not to mention a Cloak of Displacement. But as long as you roll, there is always the chance of a "1" coming up (usually occurs with something like a confusion spell ), and then again few NPCs are dumb enough to go for a cleric with a Will-save spell in the first place.

 

[uzagi_akimbo]

Plus Kensai is one of the few PrC's that a Paladin can take and still go back to taking Paladin levels.

Ahh, found the very well hidden multiclass note on Kensai - but WTF is it doing at the very end of the power descriptions ? Thanks a bunch.

Still, finding it hard to go the Paladin route (Simply for roleplaying reasons - it's hard enough to fulfill one "oath of service" to the hilt, doubly hard with a paladin's code of conduct riding on your back. Now that wouldbe one repressed and frustrated personality, I guess.... probably compensates for his frustration by smashing things to dust ), simply due to the the lack of feats, but maybe a Fighter/Paladin would resolve that.

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

Weapon spec does seem quite fitting!

I think bastard sword and buckler gives you the best of both worlds - you only take a -1 to hit using it 2 handed, even if you do lose the shield AC... I also think it looks cool Or quickdraw and a shield?

From the game I've been playing, there are 2 very good defensive options:

First is to ask for an item of blur or displacement. Those miss chances are really useful and work on most creatures... even keep away some of the nastier spells. Better than high AC in many cases.

The path I went for is spring attack... there are a lot of creatures you don't want to let get a full round attack on you. Spring in for a single large power attack, then back off a short distance. Very good at keeping things busy, whilst the other party members can nuke 'em. Speed boosts sit nicely with this - IIRC, Travel domain gives you longstrider at 1st level?

 

[Darklone]

Hmm, did you think about the Goliath as race?

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

Still, finding it hard to go the Paladin route (Simply for roleplaying reasons - it's hard enough to fulfill one "oath of service" to the hilt, doubly hard with a paladin's code of conduct riding on your back. Now that wouldbe one repressed and frustrated personality, I guess.... probably compensates for his frustration by smashing things to dust ), simply due to the the lack of feats, but maybe a Fighter/Paladin would resolve that.

Could you not combine the 2 codes? You're at the level where it might fit if your sworn lord was either your deity or one of their powerful servants... A kind of super loyal paladin?


Edit: A quick race thought - not sure if Half Giant has been published outside the Psionics book, but that could be a good +1 LA race. Powerful build would smash things good.

 

[uzagi_akimbo]

Hmm, did you think about the Goliath as race?

Yes, for a second, hehe. But they have immediately become a " No Way" race around here the second the GM took a good look at them - applies to that campaign and my own, too. And yes, they would have been a wonderful choice, if they were slightly more balanced.

 

[uzagi_akimbo]

Could you not combine the 2 codes? You're at the level where it might fit if your sworn lord was either your deity or one of their powerful servants... A kind of super loyal paladin?

Edit: A quick race thought - not sure if Half Giant has been published outside the Psionics book, but that could be a good +1 LA race. Powerful build would smash things good.

Could combine codes, but me thinks a Kensai's oath of service should be to a mortal institution or person, not an ideal or religion. Like a samurai's pledge of loyalty. Just my take, but I simply feel cornered too much by serving two differing codes of conduct - in the end, one will get broken (maybe even have to, to preserve the other ), which is no good.

Half Giants ? Nope, nothing from XPH permissible, that includes the races . And as I found out yesterday, the Savage Species is off-limits too, as is the half-ogre.

Currently am very close to build either a gold-dwarf (in the service of something undefined ) or human servant of Kelemvor Kensai. Gonna see which inspires be to a more interesting Background story. Of course with the dwarf i could take some of those nice dwarven feats from "Races of Stone". Gotta pick "Blindfight", too, cause one of the other players clued me in, that the GM is very fond of fights in utter darkness etc atm.