Making a Samurai: AC and Armor problem

[scarik]

The bathrobe samurai doesn't use a fullblade even if he calls it a no-dachi.

He uses a bastard sword in both hands, sometimes he uses it in one so he can grab mooks.

However D&D as built doesn't envision people not wearing armor so bathrobe samurai isn't well supported by the rules.

Now if you do what Star Wars Sage does and conflate Reflex with AC you can then easily be an unarmored front line fighter.

What the OP wants is just a bad build in 4e. If you want to be a samurai using 4e mechanics as they are and not horridly dead after your first fight you need to wear some armor.

Two-handed Weapon Talent wearing Scale (lamellar) or Tempest dual wielder in Hide.

Or maniac, Ki-shouting Battlerager with an Ono (reskinned to be a no-dachi)!

 

[ValhallaGH]

What the OP wants is just a bad build in 4e.

Or almost any other role playing game. The few exceptions I know of are a) super hero games, b) anime games.


I think the OP wants to be a Rogue that "two-hands" his "rapier". Light or no armor, an emphasis of speed over strength, and a whole lot of stopping power without much durability. This sums up 90~95% of anime "bathrobe" samurai, which is what the OP was asking to build.

Seriously: Human Rogue, Rapier, Leather or Hide armor (or even just Cloth). Fast moving, lightly armored, hard hitting, and the samurai thing is just RP.

Good luck.

 

[Gort]

Why would a fighter in scale necessarily have bad DEX? A number of powers and feats use a fighter's dex, so sword, spear, or flail using fighters will probably have at least competitive Dex.

You seem to be under the impression that dexterity adds to the AC of a character in heavy armour. It doesn't.

 

[Kordeth]

You seem to be under the impression that dexterity adds to the AC of a character in heavy armour. It doesn't.

No, but there are quite a few weapon feats (most any heavy/light blade feats, spear feats, and flail feats) and powers that do use Dex. See for example armor-piercing thrust, rain of blows, chains of sorrow, silverstep, fangs of steel, Blade Opportunist, Heavy Blade Opportunity, Spear Push, Sweeping Flail, etc.

 

[Tenniel]

If you are going to do a samurai you must first carefully stat up the katana. Bastard sword is a good start, but remember historically these blades were folded a million times, the most finely balanced weapon of all time and could slice through 10,000 ashigaru spear wielding conscripts in a single swing.

I suggest:

Katana 1H Superior 1d12 Heavy Blade or Light Blade High Crit Brutal-1 Versatile

and for the two handed version:

No-dachi 2H Superior 2d8 Heavy Blade High Crit Brutal-2

make them 1/2 the weight and 10 times the cost

Anyway, I'm back to eating Pocky and instant ramen while watching too much Highlander and anime.



but seriously:

Defining a katana (or other japanese sword) as a superior weapon means (most) every samurai should have Weap Prof:Bastard Sword (otherwise they'd be better off using a spear). If the samurai PC is a one off in the campaign then it probably is OK to be a bit more exotic. However, if saumurai were more commonplace, I would say katana=long sword and no-dachi=2hd sword. Maybe have a feat that allows the user to treat a long sword statted katana as a bastard sword statted weapon.

I would save the exotic full-blade to represent more exotic japanese arms like the (perhaps apochryphal, at least in terms of use) zanbato. Can't think off a exotic (i.e. superior) version for the katana (maybe the okatana?).

 

[Starbuck_II]

The bathrobe samurai doesn't use a fullblade even if he calls it a no-dachi.

He uses a bastard sword in both hands, sometimes he uses it in one so he can grab mooks.

However D&D as built doesn't envision people not wearing armor so bathrobe samurai isn't well supported by the rules.

Now if you do what Star Wars Sage does and conflate Reflex with AC you can then easily be an unarmored front line fighter.

Swordsage using a 2 handed weapon fits his bath-robe wearing Samurai in 3.5

Hey that reminds me: Can he use a Swordmage in 4th to build his bathrobe wearer?
They can use 2 handed swords (check), they wear light armor (check), but need to reflavor the magic stuff as ancestral spirits helping him or something.

Really Swordmage fits his guy.

Though, in general, only in Washu (not anime as that would be like saying movies instead of action movies; all anime isn't the same neither are movies) as that is where such a Samurai fight like that.

 

[nittanytbone]

A fighter can wear hide armor, but you must start with decent DEX and you must pump DEX at every opportunity or your AC will start to fall dangerously behind what it should be. This is likely at the expense of WIS. So, you'll find yourself with something like 16 STR, 16 DEX, and 13 or 14 WIS to start, and pumping STR and DEX every time.

Is pumping DEX optimal? Not really -- you only need 15 DEX to qualify for Heavy Blade Opportunity at Paragon. Will it sink your character? Probably not. You'll have a superior reflex defense instead of a better will defense. You'll have less potent OA (if a fighter). Some key skills such as Perception will suffer, but others (stealth, acrobatics) will benefit. You may be able to multiclass into a DEX-based class, perhaps Rogue or Ranger.

You might also try this concept as a Warlord (tactical would be ideal for INT-to-AC pumping goodness).

 

[ValhallaGH]

You might also try this concept as a Warlord (tactical would be ideal for INT-to-AC pumping goodness).

An excellent point. Great idea.

 

[ThirdWizard]

Hey that reminds me: Can he use a Swordmage in 4th to build his bathrobe wearer?
They can use 2 handed swords (check), they wear light armor (check), but need to reflavor the magic stuff as ancestral spirits helping him or something.

Ever seen Ruroni Kenshin?

 

[PhantomAOJ]

Well, Kenshin and Hiten Mitsurugi style are impossible in pretty much every version of DnD.

The closest you can get in 4th Ed (IMO) to match up would be:
an Assualt Swordmage wielding a Broadsword (AV), re-skinned as a katana w/the Quickdraw feat at level 1. The sword mage relies more on INT and has feat (Intelligent Blademaster) that allows you to use INT for Basic attacks as well. Also INT goes to AC instead of Dex, but you sacrifice Initative until level 2 where you take Improved Initiative.

Also Sword mages only get Cloth or leather Armor, so that fits the concept as well.

Base Stats (no Bonus):
STR = 12
DEX = 11
CON = 15
INT = 16
WIS = 11
CHA = 10

Then Add the human +2 to INT for a +4 to Attack w/most Sword Mage Attacks (and basic attacks if you take the Intelligent Blademaster Feat).

level 1 Feats = QuickDraw and Intelligent Blademaster OR QuickDraw and Improved Init.
Level 2 Feats = Intelligent Blademaster or Improved Init (Which ever is not selected at 1st).

Level 1 Powers (for the Hiten Mitsurigi Style Flavor):
@Will = Booming Blade, Lightning Lure, Sword Burst (though I like Greenflame Blade)
Encounter = Lightning Clash
Daily = Whirling Blade

Level 2 Utility: Eldritch Speed or Dimensional Warp

remember kenshin did not rely on Armor but defeating his enemies quickly, which DnD 4th doesn't have an easy way to do, but the sword mages is your best option.

Well that is my 2 cents on the Anime/kenshin style Samuri.