Please help me, PHB / DMG only !

[Particle_Man]

If you want to go fighter all the way, as a human you have 8 feats:

Weap. Finesse, Weap. focus, Weap. Specialization
Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack (I mean you are lightly armored, so might as well use the feat that requires you to avoid heavy armor),
Combat Expertise, Improved Trip.

(That is how I would start -- as you increase levels, you could go Improved Disarm, Improved Feint, G. Weap. Focus, G. Weap. Spec., Improved Crit, Improved Disarm, Combat Reflexes, Whirlwind Attack, Power Attack, Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, and you are done).

Personally, I like Spring Attack.

The weapon of choice would be Rapier, I imagine, unless you want to go Spiked Chain (depends how tied you are to SWORD monk, but Spiked Chain has a lot of advantages for a lightly armored dude).

32 point buy? S: 14 D: 16 Co:16 I: 14 W: 8 Ch: 8. Improve Dex as much as possible when you get stat gains.

Obvious material goods: Mithral Chain shirt, and then later that Celestial Armor (you get a fly out of it to do that Wuxia voodoo you do so well).

 

[Tatsukun]

Hmm, low Wis / Cha doesn't really sound like this guy (I know that build will live longer, but I've resigned myself to the fact that this guy may not live long). Also, we can't have Mithral, so a normal Chain shirt?

Is Celestial armor in the DMG?

Thanks for another good build to look at. You guys are really helpful

-Tatsu

 

[Particle_Man]

Celestial armor is in the DMG, but might be too pricy for you at lvl 6. If you have no mithral, then I suggest going down to masterwork studded leather and masterwork buckler so you have an armor check penalty of 0, and can do some stuff (with 14 int, you have enough skills to take some of the cooler dex based feats, even if cross-class and not maxed out). I would suggest bringing the 2 16s down to 14s, thus freeing up 8 points for wis and cha boosting.

 

[Nifft]

Mithral Chain Shirt is in the DMG, as is Celestial Armor -- however, Celestial Armor is made of Mithral. (This no Mithral thing is going to be really hard on you light fighter types.)

Okay, here's my revised build: Rogue3/Fighter3 Rapier guy (13kgp of stuff), next level +1 Ftr, and after that Duelist for 10 levels. Level-by-level it looks like...

Str 14, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 12

1 - Rog1 - Dodge, Mobility - Skills: (you get to max out 11) Balance, Bluff, Jump, Tumble, Sense Motive, Spot, Listen, Move Silently, Hide, Sleight of Hand and Use Magic Device
2 - Ftr 1 - Weapon Finesse - Skills: Jump +1, Ride +3, Intimidate +1
3 - Rog2 - Evasion! - Weapon Focus (Rapier) - Skills: Tumble +2, Bluff +2, Balance +1, Sense Motive +2, Spot +2, Listen +2
4 - Ftr2, +1 Dex - Combat Expertise - Skills: Intimidate +5 (or maybe ride?)
5 - Ftr3 - Spring Attack
6 - Rog3 - Skills: Perform (Dance) +3 -- you need Perform (any) 3 for Duelist, and Perform (Dance) 5 for Shadowdancer, which may also suit your PC. Max out Use Magic Device at this stage.
...
7 - Ftr4 - Weapon Specialization (Rapier)
8 - Duel1, Dex +1 - most ranks in Bluff, Sense Motive
9 - Duel2, Improved Feint


Okay, now for your stuff. You'll want a +1 Chain Shirt (AC 5, ACP -1, Max Dex +4, 1,250 gp). You'll also want a +1 Cold Iron Rapier (4,320 gp). A Ring of Protection +1 (2,000 gp) isn't a total waste, unless you have a friendly Cleric who's willing to cast Protection from Evil / Shield of Faith / Magic Circle vs. Evil on you before combat.

Why have you been beefing up your Use Magic Device skill? Wands. You want a Wand of Shield (+4 AC, 1 min., 750 gp) and maybe a Wand of Shield of Faith (+2 AC, 1 min., 750 gp). Other really good wands get expensive quickly:
- Cure Light Wounds (1d8+1, 750 gp)
- Longstrider (+10 ft. move, 1 hour, 750 gp)
- Blur (20% miss chance, 3 min., 4,500 gp)
- Cat's Grace (+4 Dex, 3 min., 4,500 gp)
- Mirror Image (1d4+1 images, 3 min., 4,500 gp)
- Silence (3 min., 4,500 gp)
Note that activating a Wand is a DC 20 Use Magic Device check. The check does not increase with Wand level, so at high level, you can buy yourself a Wand of Stoneskin and use it as easily as your first Wand of Shield. Consider paying your party's Wizard and/or Cleric to make you Wands. They'll be happy that they spend fewer spells per day buffing and healing you.

When you start taking Duelist levels, you'll want a Wand of Mage Armor, or some Bracers of Armor, and a Monk's Belt (13,000 gp), because Duelists don't wear armor.

Summary:
Must-Have Items: +1 Chain Shirt (1,250 gp), +1 Cold Iron Rapier (4,320 gp) = 5,570 gp -> you have 7,340 gp left.
- Wand of Shield, Cure Light Wounds and Longstrider (750 gp each) -> 5,180 gp left.

Things to Seriously Consider:
- Wand of True Strike (750 gp) and the Power Attack feat
- Cloak of Resistance +1 (1,000 gp)
- +1 Mighty (+2 Str) Composite Longbow (2,600 gp)
- Quiver of Ehlonna (1,800 gp) or Heward's Handy Haversack (2,000 gp)
- Dust of Tracelessness (250 gp, good when running away)
- Hat of Disguise (1,800 gp) -- make that Bluff skill work for you

-- N

 

[MerakSpielman]

Particle Man, your feat list has Improved Disarm twice.

If you're going for a finesse fighter, you don't really need your strength bonus as much. Sure, it adds to damage, but I think this character might focus more on crits to get extra damage in the long run.

 

[Particle_Man]

Celestial Armor is not made of mithral, but of "silver or gold". Since your Dm has not banned silver or gold pieces, he should allow silver or gold armor. But it costs 22 400 gp (well, it *is* made of silver or gold, after all). So that is more of a "later" thing than a "6th level" thing.

re: feats with Improved Disarm listed twice. Oops! . Ummmm....put in some other feat later, like, aw heck, Run. Might as well get the most of the 30' movement rate you get if you are not going for medium or heavy armor.

Spoiler

I mean, if that young female sword master in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon had Run, our hero would have lived, right?

 

[MerakSpielman]

Yeah, and with Spring Attack it couldn't hurt to max out your movement rate with Boots of Speed.

Hmmm... perhaps a monk level or two isn't such a bad idea....

 

[Tatsukun]

It doesn't seem like Improved Disarm is the way to go here. A rapier is a one handed weapon, and this guy sin't that strong. It seems like he going to BE disarmed more often than not.

What else could we put there. Maybe somethign like improved Init?

Hmm, I'm really liking what Nifft wrote. Thanks!

-T

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

I'd go for a Human Rogue 4:Fighter 2 - that way you can get the benefits of uncanny dodge - never being caught flat footed is a nice ability for an unarmed fighter. You'll also have a bucket 'o skills. Stats might go: Str 14, Dex 15(+1), Con 14, Wis 10, Int 16, Chr 8

Head towards the duelist Prc. Take that at Rogue 4:Fighter 4...

As far as feats go - Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack, Weapon Finesse, 2 weapon fighting, Improved Unarmed Combat.

You can use a rapier in your main hand and fist strikes with your free hand. It's a bit 'suboptimal', but perhaps not as bad as it sounds...

The Improved Unarmed strike in 3.5 lets you do lethal or non lethal damage and can add sneak attack (nerve points). Sounds like funky martial arts fu to me.

Go for light chain armour and Gloves of Dex - if you can afford them.

You really don't wanna be fighting the undead or constructs, but what can you do?

 

[Particle_Man]

It doesn't seem like Improved Disarm is the way to go here. A rapier is a one handed weapon, and this guy sin't that strong. It seems like he going to BE disarmed more often than not.

-T

But if his Dex goes up and he has Weapon Finesse, then can't he use Dex for his Disarm attempts?