Opinions Please...

[sylvyr]

OKay, I've designed a char, and have two versions of him. I've reached the impas of not being able to decide which I want: I figured some opinions might help.

No items, just stats.

Here's the first one

Rgr 1/ Ftr 10 / Iaj 9

STR: 22
DEX: 20
CON: 14
INT: 16
WIS: 12
CHA: 14

Initiative: +11

Feats: Imp. Initiative, Ambidex, TWF, Track, Exotic Weapon Prof (Katana) Weapon Focus, Dodge, Weapon Spec., Quick Draw, I. Crit., ITWF, Power Crit., GTWF: There are four more feets that I haven't chosen yet suggestions?.


And the second one

Rgr 1 / Ftr 10 / Kensei 9

STR: 22
DEX: 20
CON: 14
INT: 16
WIS: 12
CHA: 14

Initiative: +5

Feats: EWP (Katana), Ambidex, TWF, Track, Dodge, Weapon Focus, Mobility, Com. Reflexes, Expertise, Spring Attack, Whirlwind A., ITWF, Imp. Crit., Power Crit., GTWF, Weapon Spec.

My char doesn't wear armor so I'm not worried about that. The primary difference is offensive or defensive. Seeing as how the Iaj Master will have a much higher AC and react faster, while the Kensei will be able to inflict more damage. And ya, I know dual wielding isn't the solution, but I'm not too into min/maxing, it's all about style anyway.. hehe...

 

[FANGO]

If you really want to go nutso with an iajutsu master, you can do a lot better than you've done here...

First of all, they get free weapon finesse. Don't go with high str, go with high dex. This way, you get initiative, AC, attack, skill bonuses, etc. etc., and all you lose is a little damage. This is fine, however, because if you max iaijutsu focus and maybe even get some skill focus and a circlet of persuasion or somesuch (also, make chr way higher than you have it...chr is HUGE for iaijutsu masters), then you can be doing 9d6 on almost all of your attacks. If your DM doesn't like sheathing as a free action, just get several +1 sure striking katanas and drop them once you're done pulling them out, thus getting your isiajutsu damage on each hit. Also get the feat "flick of the wrist" from song and silence, it lets you pull a weapon and catch the opponent flat-footed, thus triggering your iaijutsu focus so you can do your 9d6 damage again. Another feat you might like is "quicker than the eye", which lets you make a bluff check opposed by an opponent's spot check in order to convert a move-equivalent into a standard action (with your high chr you'll be able to pull this off rather easily). Also, don't forget that iaijutsu masters get chr bonus to EVERY DIE from iaijutsu focus, so you can easily end up doing 100+ damage on a strike where you catch your opponent flat footed. Definitely get +chr and +dex items, with high dex and such you'll pretty much never miss, especially if you catch someone flat footed. If you get "chink in the armor" from song and silence, too, you can cut through a lot of armor, making dragons insanely easy to hit (hint: use full power attack for this). Also, being hasted would be nice, maybe get armor (or, if your dm allows it, 'clothing' (armor that doesn't have it's own armor bonus)) of speed from DotF, gives a permanent haste for a +3 bonus on armor (yeah, it's overpowered, but I'm just telling you the best way to munchkin this ;-)). You can also get the "Arm of Nyr" from the same book (even two, possibly), which give +2 to str and dex (stackable with everything) and +2 deflection to AC for only 12k gold each. Umm, I think there's probly more, but this should be a nice start. Only problem with iaijutsu focus is that you don't get the extra dice multiplied on a critical, but that's okay because you'll kill them in one hit anyway ;-) (and if you get high dex and chr, then you'll have initiative of around 20 or so, so there's no way you're not going first, and if you can get surprise on someone or if you're standing next to them at the beginning of a surprise round, you can get about 7 attacks in before they even have a chance to blink (one during surprise round (maybe two, haven't read the 'one slice, two cuts' or whatever ability well enough), two for your standard action in the first round, two for the move-equivalent that you change into a standard action, and two more for your extra partial action from the haste...and don't forget great cleave, either ;-)).

Iaijutsu master offers HUGE opportunities for cheesiness. I you go with what I've said here, you can make a character who dominates the heck out of everything. Only thing I would do is get 3 rogue levels or maybe a monk level or something rather than all those fighter levels, or maybe look through the prcs in chapter 10 of OA and find one of those that looks good, or some of the other prcs there, because with a little work you can get int, wis and dex to ac, and even chr if you try a little harder. And if you do this, you'll want to have rogue or barbarian levels or something (a prc that adds uncanny dodge would work well, too), so that you don't lose all your AC when surprised.

Even if you don't want to be too cheesy, I would still suggest the feats and such that I've mentioned, they're very nice for iaijutsu masters, for flavor and power purposes.

 

[sylvyr]

FANGO????

Um isn't flick of the wrist supposed to be for light weapons only? I mean it would stand to reason that an Iajutsu master could get that since he gets Weapon finesse with his katana, but hows that supposed to work. You have some pretty cool ideas, tell me more... *gins evily thinking of destroying DMs monsters...*


---Sylvyr

 

[sylvyr]

Shameless Bump...

BUMP

 

[SpikeyFreak]

There are four more feets that I haven't chosen yet suggestions?.

How about you take two-weapon fighting, ambidexterity, and 2 other feats, drop the ranger class, and go all the way to level 10 as Iaj?

**this is not meant to be inflammatory**

Taking that one level of ranger just seems a little munchkinyish (did I just make a word?) when you have feats left over that you don't know what to do with. Do the ranger levels really fit the character concept?

That's just my (prolly somewhat "old-fashioned") opinion though, feel free to do as you like with your character.

--Olt Timer Spikey

 

[sylvyr]

Possibly

The reason he has them is part munchkinism, part story. Granted, there are feats extra, but not enough to get anywhere near the combat feats I want. But also, the char started out as a ranger in an army, then moved to fighter. He had a ranger level and fighter levels before the OA came out. However, there is still part munchkinism in there.

---Sylvyr

 

[sylvyr]

Heay guys...

Does everyone read, and hire one guy to reply for 'em?


---Sylvyr

 

[FANGO]

Oh, I forgot the crucial part of that combo....

For flick of the wrist, just get a single sun blade. Sun blades can be used by people who are proficient in bastard sword or in short sword, and works as a light weapon regardless. Since katana is the same thing as a bastard sword, only the most evil DMs won't allow this.

Also...I forgot about expert tactitian feat...that helps a bunch, too.

 

[hong]

Re: Heay guys...

Does everyone read, and hire one guy to reply for 'em?

Fango said most of it all, really.

 

[Mordekai]

Flat-footed, not Denied Dex Bonus

The damage bonus from Iajutsu Focus applies only when the opponent is flat-footed. That is a specific condition that only applies at the beginning of combats. The bonus damage does not occur every time the opponent is denied their Dexterity bonus to Armor Class. (I'm pretty sure about that, anyway.)

My reasoning falls back to the fact that Uncanny Dodge and Combat Reflexes each negate part of the penalty for being flat-footed without actually removing the condition itself. Kind of like a medicine that treats a symptom, not the disease. On the up side (if this is true), you could still get the damage bonus to characters with the Uncanny Dodge ability.

Just a cautionary note. Hope it helps.