Daggers are AWESOME!

[Hypersmurf]

Can kukri be thrown?

Only badly.

-Hyp.

 

[Fifth Element]

Mine won't. Failed to mention it's human, here's the progression

That's the one I noticed, and yes human does the trick.

 

[Elemmakil]

A rediculous idea for a ranged bull rusher

My proposed build has two main components:

• Power Throw (CAdv): Power Attack with thrown weapons, even if they are light.
• Knockback (RoS): Whenever you hit with a weapon while power attacking you get a free bull rush. You need not move with the target or take any action. You have to actually get some bonus from power attack, but you do not have to use a melee weapon to do so!

So, I can be a goliath who throws daggers with PA, and use that to bull rush at a range. Talk about a weird concept.

If you want to add Dungeon Crasher, you can get an obscene damage bonus.

So, my build:

Really Mighty Dagger Thrower: (Core, Complete, Dungeon Scape, Races of Stone)
Race: Goliath
Fighter 8

Fighter 1: Power Attack, Improved Bull Rush Start out as a melee fighter.
Fighter 2: Knockback (RoS)
Fighter 3: Brutal Throw (CAdv)
Fighter 4: Dungeon Crasher (variant, DS)
Fighter 5: -
Fighter 6: Power Throw (CAdv), Quick Draw Switch to daggers.
Fighter 7: -
Fighter 8: Dungeon Crasher (variant, DS)

After this, you can go in several different directions. Grabbing a few levels of barbarian is a good idea, or you might even go rogue for added damage. In fact, TWF is somewhat tempting with this build, although you may want to avoid it because bonuses to attack are at a premium. Some ranged feats could work too, as could some of the high end PHII feats. If someone has suggestions of where to go next, post them.

There are at least two distinct tricks involving ranged bull rushes. You can repeatedly slam people into walls, using dungeon crasher, to get +8d6 damage per attack after only 8 levels, or you can knock people away from your friends. It may be a good idea to choose one of these to focus on later.

Speaking of that, this build's biggest weakness (as far as I see) is that it has limited options to add to attack rolls. If you wanted to ditch daggers (gasp!) in favor of something that counted as a projectile, you could try to get a friendly cleric to cast magic weapon, but beyond that getting any magic bonuses to attacks will be difficult, and will hurt mobility. You absolutely need to have a high bonus to attacks (or brilliant energy daggers), because you get a bonus on bull rush per point you power attack, and it would be nice to have a very high bull rush modifier, so that you can bull big creatures (like dragons). The Master Thrower's fifth-level option weak spot (CW) is very good, but it feels bad wasting 5 levels to get one good ability (if it's any consolation to myself, that's as good as +5 attack because I won't go for brilliant energy).

Also, notice that this build only took two ranged-specific feats, and hence can make an impressive melee fighter as well.

-Elemmakil

 

[MithrasRahl]

Rogues can trade one of their special abilities (Improved Evasion, Slippery Mind, etc) that they get at levels 10, 13, 16, and 19 for any feat. In the PHB

So even though it says Assassin's Stance is for Swordsages at lvl 3, you can get it with a rogue by subbing out improved evasion? I thought you still needed to follow prereqs

 

[blargney the second]

Elemmakil, that looks like a seriously fun build. Nicely done!

 

[Hypersmurf]

So even though it says Assassin's Stance is for Swordsages at lvl 3, you can get it with a rogue by subbing out improved evasion? I thought you still needed to follow prereqs

The prerequisites are one Shadow Hand maneuver (which he has, from a Martial Study feat at an earlier level), and an initiator level of 5 (which he has, since non-initiate classes have an initiator level equal to half their class level, and half of 10 is 5).

He does need to meet the prerequisites; however, he also has met the prerequisites.

-Hyp.

 

[MithrasRahl]

Sorry for all the questions, just that I know nothing about these and I think I'd like to try to make one.

I'm probably totally blind, but I don't see the prereq of an initiator level of 5 anywhere. All I see is under level it's Swordsage 3, and a prereq of one shadow hand maneuver

 

[Hypersmurf]

Sorry for all the questions, just that I know nothing about these and I think I'd like to try to make one.

I'm probably totally blind, but I don't see the prereq of an initiator level of 5 anywhere. All I see is under level it's Swordsage 3, and a prereq of one shadow hand maneuver

A 3rd level maneuver requires an initiator level of 5, as I understand it.

That's what the Martial Stance feat is for:
Benefit: When you gain this feat you can select any stance from a discipline in which you already know at least one manuever. You must meet the prerequisite of the stance. You martial adept level for using this manuever is equal to you levels in matial adept classes (if any) + 1/2 your levels in other classes.

-Hyp.

 

[MithrasRahl]

So if I take one level in Swordsage, I start knowing Shadowhand, do I start with a stance as well?

So then I could take assassin's stance at ecl, since i'd have a level in a martial adept class, then 8/2 for a total of 5?

EDIT: And what is the class/feat/ability that allows me to add my dex bonus to damage?

 

[Nifft]

Initiator Level for Maneuver Level: page 39, but it's identical to a Wizard's highest spell level or a Psion's highest power level, so you probably already know the progression.

Shadow Blade feat: page 32.

Cheers, -- N