Min Max a Bastard, er, Sword

[Kerrwyn]

Hi. I need some help setting up my character progression for my bastard-sword weilding character. I'm thinking I want to head for the Iaijutsu Master prestige class, but suggestions are welcome. This is what I have so far:

Stat scores: 16, 16, 17, 14, 13, 12
I'd really prefer to stay in fighter until I meet the Prereq's for the PrC.
1 Ftr1 Exotic Proficiency (B Sword), Weapon Focus (B Sword), Quick Draw
2 Ftr2 Power Attack
3 Ftr3 Cleave
4 Ftr4 Great Cleave
5 Ftr5
6 Ftr6 Improved Initiative, Combat Reflexes
7 Iaij1
8 Iaij2
9 Iaij3 Dodge
10 Iaij4
11 Iaij5
12 Iaij6 Expertise
13 Iaij7
14 Iaij8
15 Iaij9 Mobility
16 Iaij10
17 Ftr7
18 Ftr8 Expert Tactician, Spring Attack
19 Ftr9
20 Ftr10 Whirlwind Attack

I'd be willing to multi-class into Barbarian, Ranger or Rogue, and anything published by WoTC is fair game. The only limit is I want to use the Bastard Sword. Any help is much appreciated.

 

[Darklone]

Hmm. No WS (bastard sword)????

I'd drop Great Cleave for it.

Take Barbarian. Start with it and doublewield Bastard swords. Quickdraw is nice for that.

Battle starts: Charge with twohanded bastard swords into the enemies, drop some with Cleave and perhaps Great Cleave, next round quickdraw second bastard sword and whop.

Aim for a Sunblade

 

[hong]

You don't need the Exotic WP if you're going to use the bastard sword/katana two-handed. As, in fact, most samurai did; Musashi was a bit of an oddball. Wielding two-handed also lets you deal more damage with Power Attack in 3.5E, if you're going to be using that.

I'd go for Spring Attack ASAP, and drop Combat Reflexes and Great Cleave. CR is only really good if you're going to get lots of AoOs, which typically means using a reach weapon of some sort. GC is weak, compared to what else you could be using the slot for.

Ftr1 Dodge, Mobility, WFocus (bastard sword)
Ftr2 Power Attack
Ftr3 Quick-Draw
Ftr4 Spring Attack
Ftr5
Ftr6 Cleave, Improved Init
IM1
IM2
IM3 Expertise
IM4
IM5
IM6 WSpec (bastard sword)
IM7
IM8
IM9 Iron Will
IM10
Ftr7
Ftr8 Great Fort, Superior Expertise
Ftr9
Ftr10 Greater WFocus (bastard sword)

 

[LokiDR]

You are not optimizing at all for Ijutsu duals. Improved initive should be a priority as well as quickdraw, and any skill bonuses for Ijutsu focus. I believe there is an ancestor feat for it. The extra d6s you gain from this are worth it. Consider blooded and thug from FR for extra initative.

After that, if you are following the concept, it is dodge, mobility, and spring attack. It delays IM, but you will go first and you will be able to dish out the damage for the Ijutusu focus.

 

[bret]

Are you planning to have a shield?

Might want to consider a buckler for those instances where you've got to go on the defensive. Can switch back and forth between using the Bastard Sword 1H (getting benefits of the buckler) and 2H in the middle of a battle.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

I don't have OA so I can't recommend anything about Iajutsu master. However, I would advise against dual wielding bastard swords until you get a sunblade. Otherwise, you'll be taking -4 to hit with all your attacks. At that point, you'd be almost as well off taking a bastard sword and a shortsword and power attacking for 2--you'd be better off if you use 3.0 power attack instead of 3.5.

I would also highly recommend weapon specialization, imp weapon focus, and greater weapon specialization. The damage will really add up.

 

[Arc]

If you've got OA...

Take a level of samurai. That allows you to directly sacrifice magic items to your Ancestral Katana (aka a bastard sword). Effectively, you're cutting the cost of upgrades in half (because you don't have to sell weapons to get gold to upgrade).

To make that sword as good as possible:
+4 adamantine katana of brilliant energy with body feeder (Gives temporary HP equal to damage dealt on a successful critical). Have Initiative (+20000 gp, adds 2 to init), Agility (+18000 gp, adds 6 resistance bonus to reflex saves), Flying (+16200 gp, does what it says), Passage (+32400 gp, creates a plane shift portal for 1d4 minutes 1/day), Displacement (+100000 gp, 50% miss chance as per displacement) and Focus (+640 gp, adds +4 insight bonus to Iajiatsu skill).

You've got a wakazashi as well (samurai class) so:
+ 5 cold iron wakazashi of dancing and ghost touch.

Remember to store both of those in Scabbards of Keen Edges (keen edge on blade 3/day, each), wear Bracers of Blinding Strike (Magic of Faerun, gives benifits of Improved Initiative and allows an extra attack per round, as if a weapon of Speed. 102000 gp) and then get some protection:
+5 mithril chain shirt of ethrealness
+5 animated mithril shield of moderate fortification.

Now that samurai is two-handing the katana to ignore armor, having his wakazashi attack on it's own (and defeat nearly any combo of dr), has a shield floating around him, and has a max dex mod of 5 and no armor check penalty. How's that for min maxing a sword?

(If you really want to use a 'Bastard Sword', just have your ancestral katana be from the illegitimate son of a noble. Otherwise, go with the benifits of a katana)

 

[Zhnov]

Take Barbarian. Start with it and doublewield Bastard swords. Quickdraw is nice for that.

Battle starts: Charge with twohanded bastard swords into the enemies, drop some with Cleave and perhaps Great Cleave, next round quickdraw second bastard sword and whop.

Um... help. Is "Doublewield" a feat? Which ref? Swinging 2 claymores tastes like a turd since migrating an epic swordmage to 3E.

Enlighten the Lil' Scribbler, noble one.

~Pazafar

 

[Darklone]

doublewield is a bad slang word for TWF fighting. And no, Bastard swords aren't claymores. Claymores are greatswords.

As someone else pointed out, you're usually better off with using two short swords. But I still like the silly idea.

Hmm. You could play a minotaur or some other large race. Half-ogre?

 

[Zhnov]

doublewield is a bad slang word for TWF fighting. And no, Bastard swords aren't claymores. Claymores are greatswords.

Darklone, Cool, thanks. Probably my bad on the technical history on the claymore... thought it was the same as the bastard sword. I don't have my older weapon history books... thought the claymore was called the ziewander in Germany, hand-and-a-half sword?

As someone else pointed out, you're usually better off with using two short swords. But I still like the silly idea.
Hmm. You could play a minotaur or some other large race. Half-ogre?

Kerrwyn, pardon me for talking up my dude in your thread, but....

Folks, bastard swords are reeeeaaaal nice. Also, when you have a very powerful bastard sword in each hand (only +3, but pow-featured, and dealing x2 damage to flying creatures), you tend to develop a little bit of a bastard sword ego. Plus, fall back to a single blade for some special "projects".

Cutting my PC over to 3E (with a DM new to 3E) left much to be desired. He has worked the TWF and WF chains (including Epic WF). With all the feats I've dumped, he is finally at - 0 when using 2 medium weapons. Real bummer, but wholesome smackdown juice comes at a price, don't it?

Kerrwyn, is Improved Whirlwind Attack your next feat? What type of opponents do you often face in your campaign? Where/what do you see your warrior going/doing?

Regards,
OP