Swordsage sample build

[brehobit]

OK,
I've been working on a swordsage build just for fun. He is below. Sorry the write-up is a mess....

General take-away:
Has AC 20 AND 100% concelment.
Does 2d4+10 damage + special bonuses for the first 3 rounds of combat with a spiked chain.
Does 2d4+7 damage thereafter
Can dim. door 50' every other round outside of combat.
Can have a swift greater inviso for 1 round per fight.
Attack bonus is +6.

This guy is _really_ hard to hit (with the AC and 50% miss chance) AND hits almost as hard as you can at 4th level (The raging STR 20 half orc hits for 2d6+11 with a +1 greatsword). Hitpoints and attack bonus are weak compared to the raging barb.


Level 4 human swordsage

STR 14
INT 10
WIS 15
DEX 16
CON 14
CHR 10

hps 23

Feats:
EWP: Spiked Chain
Shadow Blade
Blade Meditation (Shadow Hand)

Equipment:
+1 Chain shirt
+1 Spiked Chain

Stances: (*=default stance)
Child of Shadow*
Island of Blades

Maneuvers: (*=readied)
1Shadow Blade technique-*
1Clinging Shadow Strike-*
2Shadow Jaunt*
2Drain Vitality-*
2Cloak of Deception*
1Burning Blade
1Counter Charge
1Blistering Fluourish
1Wind Stride

AC=20 (+5 armor, +3 dex, +2 wis) AND 100% concelment at all times.

2d4+10 damage (+1 magic, +3 STR, +3 Shadowblade, +2 Wis, +1 blade on his first 3 attacks (one per round) and drops down to 2d4+7 later. These attacks all have bonus effects if they hit:

4 point STR drain, DC 14 save for 2
roll 2d20, take the highest on the attack (plus maybe d6 damage)
+1d6 damage (maybe give target 20% miss chance on his attacks for 1 round).

 

[kaomera]

Noted a few possible errors:
* You need a +4 BAB for the Blade Meditation feat, so you shouldn't be able to take it as a pure Swordsage until level 6.
* Shadow Blade replaces your STR bonus with DEX bonus for damage, they don't stack as per Table 2-1 New Feats on p30 Bo9S. However, the actual text of the feat doesn't mention this, so you may very well be good there.
* I believe that Child of Shadows only provides normal concealment.

(This book needs some errata something fierce, IMHO.)

Otherwise it's a nice build. Shadow Hand is pretty tasty, and one of the real reasons to take Swordsage over Warblade. Of course, it helps to have good stats (I'm stuck dealing with 25pt builds, and I find that makes it hard to get the most out of the class).

 

[RigaMortus2]

You might also want to go for Crinti Shadow Marauder (FR Shining South IIRC) as soon as possible. Whenever you "move instantly" next to something (such as with Shadow Jaunt and the like) you get to make a full attack. So you can use your Standard, Move and Swift "shadow jaunt" abilities and make 3 full attacks.

Note: Teflamar Shadowlord from FR Unapproachable East would work as well because they get the same Shadow Pounce ability, but that class has a few more prereqs so it is harder to get into...

 

[brehobit]

Noted a few possible errors:
* You need a +4 BAB for the Blade Meditation feat, so you shouldn't be able to take it as a pure Swordsage until level 6.
* Shadow Blade replaces your STR bonus with DEX bonus for damage, they don't stack as per Table 2-1 New Feats on p30 Bo9S. However, the actual text of the feat doesn't mention this, so you may very well be good there.
* I believe that Child of Shadows only provides normal concealment.

(This book needs some errata something fierce, IMHO.)

Otherwise it's a nice build. Shadow Hand is pretty tasty, and one of the real reasons to take Swordsage over Warblade. Of course, it helps to have good stats (I'm stuck dealing with 25pt builds, and I find that makes it hard to get the most out of the class).

Thanks for the correction on the blade meditation feat, I'd not noticed.

On the "normal concealment" it seems to provide 100% other than:
People know what square you are in AND you can't use it as a basis for the hide skill.
So I think there is a 50% miss chance and targeted spells can't be cast on you! I'm happy to be wrong here...

Mark

 

[gabrion]

Thanks for the correction on the blade meditation feat, I'd not noticed.

Since you're not using your STR for damage either, maybe weapon finesse would be a good replacement and you could reallocate some of the points you spent on STR.

 

[brehobit]

Since you're not using your STR for damage either, maybe weapon finesse would be a good replacement and you could reallocate some of the points you spent on STR.

Actually, it looks like STR does add to the dex modifier for damage. I suspect that will be fixed in an errata, but for now, text overrides table.

(And oddly the swordsage in our party wants the "table" version. 6 STR halfing you see....)

Mark

 

[gabrion]

Actually, it looks like STR does add to the dex modifier for damage. I suspect that will be fixed in an errata, but for now, text overrides table.

(And oddly the swordsage in our party wants the "table" version. 6 STR halfing you see....)

Mark

Not true. Text only overrides table when there is a contradiction. In this case, no such contradiction exists, since the text states that you add DEX to damage, while the table adds that the DEX damage replaces STR damage.

 

[Sithobi1]

Actually, Child of Shadow in no way states that you gain total concealment, just concealment. The reason you cannot hide in plain sight is because you normally can hide when you have concealment, as long as you break LoS at some point.

 

[starwed]

You might want to consider the feat which lets you swap out maneuvers as a full round action; it also lets you ready any you already have, so its pretty good for a swordsage.

You might also want to go for Crinti Shadow Marauder (FR Shining South IIRC) as soon as possible. Whenever you "move instantly" next to something (such as with Shadow Jaunt and the like) you get to make a full attack. So you can use your Standard, Move and Swift "shadow jaunt" abilities and make 3 full attacks.

No offense, but it's obvious that this would piss off the DM and have him nerf one or more of the abilities. It is a cool idea in abstract, but not so much for a playable character.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

I'm playing a Swordsage in our evil campaign.

Note that there are two house rules at play: Weapon Finesse is not a feat (everyone can do it), and the Elven Courtblade is added to the Shadow Blade Weapons. So without these house rules, change Exotic Weapon Prof with Weapon Finesse and use a Short Sword (not that it changes that much, it's mostly for style).

Kye'Rexavynn (usually known as Kye), Drow Swordsage 10.

He's a Shadow Warrior (who calls himself "sword sage"?) and a member of the Brotherhood of the Nightblade, using the twin Techniques Shadow of the Night Below (Shadow Hand) and Flame of the Night Above (Desert Wind).

Str 10, Dex 22 (18), Con 14 (12), Int 14, Wis 20 (16), Cha 14

HP 73 (10 HD), AC 28, T 22, FF 22

Init +13

Fort +8, Ref +16, Will +15 (+2 Defensive Stance [Shadow Hand], +2 Enchantments, +2 Will/Spells, Evasion)

Attacks: Melee +16/11 (1d10+8, 18-20), or Shadow Strike +16/+13 (1d10+15, 18-20) + Shadow Strike Effect, Adamantine +1 Shadow Hand Elven Courtblade of Deadly Precision, usually SA +4d6

Balance +7, Climb +11, Diplomacy +4, Hide +18, Jump +13, Knowledge (History) +9, Listen +20, Move Silently +16, Sense Motive +17, Spot +13, Tumble +19

Exotic Weapon Prof (Elven Court Blade), Daylight Adaptation, Improved Initiative, Shadow Blade

Quick to Act +3, Discipline Focus: Weapon Focus, Insightful Strike, Defensive Strike (all Shadow Hand), AC Bonus, Sense Magic, Evasion.

Stances: Island of Blade, Flame's Blessing, Assassin's Stance*, Step of the Dancing Moth
Meneuvers: Hand of Death, Shadow Stride*, Shadow Jaunt, Fan The Flames, Burning Blade, Distracting Ember, Clinging Shadow Strike*, Cloak of Deception*, Drain Vitality, Shadow Garrote*, Strength Draining Strike, Obscuring Shadow Veil*, Searing Blade*, Bloodletting Strike*, Dragon's Flame*

Major Equipment: Hat of Disguise, Periapt of Wis +4, Mithral Shirt +2, Bracers of Con +2, Ring of Protection +1, Cloak of Resistance +3, Glove of Storing, Boots of dexterity +4, Heward's Handy Haversack, Adamantine +1 Shadow Hand Elven Courtblade of Deadly Precision.