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Raenir Salazar
2009-01-31, 01:05 AM
While I am trying to figure out how in NWN2 to make the most compatable build to emulate a Anime inspired Kenshin esque Samurai/Kensai/Swordsaint what are the current D&D possibilities to make something closest to resemble playing a character that resembles either Toshiro Hitsugaya (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C5%8Dshir%C5%8D_Hitsugaya) or Kenshin.

So far in NWN2 I'm going to try for FTR/BAR/WM for the Angry-Flip Out Effect Samurai, but I am curious on the suggestions on something more Toshiro like using the 3.5 books.

-Ability to use at will using your sword Element based attacks. (minimum baseline)

-Something akin to "Shikai" and/or "Bankai" states.

-Robe/Cloth armor (probly monk levels at this point).

Deth Muncher
2009-01-31, 01:41 AM
Check out the book Oriental Adventures. It's 3.0, but there was an update to 3.5 which I can dig up on my computer if you can't find it.

Point being, there are a few things in there you might like. First off, the Samurai class. Don't go for the update one, es que horrible. Second, there's a class like "Elemental Master" or somesuch, which lets you apply elemental jank to your preferred bladed weapon of choice.

As to powering up your sword to shikai and bankai, you can't EXACTLY do that, per se, but as the Samurai progresses in class levels, by spending some GP and meditation time, they make thier sword better - praying to their ancestors and the such.

Tsotha-lanti
2009-01-31, 01:41 AM
-Ability to use at will using your sword Element based attacks. (minimum baseline)

I can't make head or tails of this sentence, and have no clue about the shows you are referencing, but I think I can confidently say you want a Swordsage from Tome of Battle. Happily enough, they are also far more effective than fighters, barbarians, and the like.

The Glyphstone
2009-01-31, 01:46 AM
Check out the book Oriental Adventures. It's 3.0, but there was an update to 3.5 which I can dig up on my computer if you can't find it.

Point being, there are a few things in there you might like. First off, the Samurai class. Don't go for the update one, es que horrible. Second, there's a class like "Elemental Master" or somesuch, which lets you apply elemental jank to your preferred bladed weapon of choice.

As to powering up your sword to shikai and bankai, you can't EXACTLY do that, per se, but as the Samurai progresses in class levels, by spending some GP and meditation time, they make thier sword better - praying to their ancestors and the such.

Didn't he specify NWN2, as in the computer game? That doesn't have books or sources beyond its game code, and the umptillion mods and homemade addons.

So for the OP, the best strategy might first be to search the various NWN2 fansites and see if someone has made an Oriental Adventures mod for the game that includes a Samurai class. Failing that, look for one that has the Kensai PrC from Complete Warrior, it seems to best capture the spirit of the old-school 3.0 Samurai.

AslanCross
2009-01-31, 01:46 AM
Unfortunately, the best way to represent anime-style melee fighters in D&D is not available in NWN2. That is, Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords. That already has disciplines with various styles, stances, and maneuvers, which are techniques you could execute to enhance your melee attacks. Elder Mountain Hammer, for example, allows you to make a melee attack that deals an additional 6d6 damage and ignores damage reduction and hardness. Time Stands Still, the ultimate maneuver of the Diamond Mind school, allows you to make two full attacks in one turn, so you could say it's like Kenshin's Kuzuryusen or Cloud's Omnislash.
But yeah, to my knowledge they never put that into NWN2.

Using NWN2-only options, the best I think is take levels in Fighter (always take an even number of Fighter levels, since every odd level is a dead level), then go with Weapon Master (Ki Critical is awesome).

The problem with NWN2 is that bastard swords/katanas are exotic weapons, so you have to burn a feat just to use them at all (unless they corrected this in a patch that I didn't get).

Dacia Brabant
2009-01-31, 01:50 AM
Seconded on Swordsage, and load up on maneuvers/stances from the Diamond Mind discipline, it uses a katana as one of its favored weapons, it has high speed, high concentration/precision attacks and counters that seem to fit the basic idea behind Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu fairly well. And it's just a great all-around class.

I have no idea about how to build one in NWN2 though, sorry.

Deth Muncher
2009-01-31, 10:27 AM
Didn't he specify NWN2, as in the computer game? That doesn't have books or sources beyond its game code, and the umptillion mods and homemade addons.

So for the OP, the best strategy might first be to search the various NWN2 fansites and see if someone has made an Oriental Adventures mod for the game that includes a Samurai class. Failing that, look for one that has the Kensai PrC from Complete Warrior, it seems to best capture the spirit of the old-school 3.0 Samurai.

Ah, missed that little tidbit. Although I thought people had made Neverwinter Nights settings for D&D?

Eldariel
2009-01-31, 10:34 AM
You can find ToB classes for NWN2. That should be what you're looking for.

Raenir Salazar
2009-01-31, 11:00 AM
I tried to specify I was looking for two separate builds, a Anime styled Samurai for NWN2 and one for PnP.

AslanCross
2009-01-31, 06:49 PM
For PnP, going for Swordsage from Tome of Battle is definitely the way to go. You might have to ask your DM about it, though, because not everyone likes the supplement and I've seen it make campaigns a lot easier to beat unless the DM uses it for his villains as well.

I'm not really familiar with Bleach, so I can't comment much on Hitsugaya, but if you're looking for elemental attacks, the only Tome of Battle school that uses anything elemental is Desert Wind (which focuses on Fire). I'm sure you could ask a DM (if he allows ToB) to allow you to switch it for whatever element you need.

Thurbane
2009-01-31, 06:59 PM
Second, there's a class like "Elemental Master" or somesuch, which lets you apply elemental jank to your preferred bladed weapon of choice.
I think you mean Elemental Warrior (Planar Handbook, p.65), who gets the Elemental Weapon ability at 3rd level. There's also Dragon Samurai (Miniatures Handbook, p.18) that gets a similar ability at 4th level.

Talya
2009-01-31, 07:31 PM
Ah, missed that little tidbit. Although I thought people had made Neverwinter Nights settings for D&D?

...

It's called The Forgotten Realms.