Swordsage adaptation and variants

[pilvento]

So i got this friend who said that since the book encourages players to adapt the class using the unarmed swordsage as an example he asks me about exchanging the armor proficiency for sneak attack or skirmish progresion.

What do u think about that?

And i also got an adicional question miself in the case of the unarmed variant.
Swordsage loses armor prof but he keeps the same ac bonus feature so if i get a lvl of fighter for example i instantly get the prof and the light armored ac bomus, is this ok? it sounds retarded but its RAW...

[Greenish]

Light armour proficiency isn't even worth the feat that it is, given that getting light armour's ACP to 0 is trivial. It's not an even trade for SA, Skirmish or even the unarmed progression.

You got the swordsage/fighter right, except that the status of "Adaption" sections as RAW is somewhat questionable.

[Keld Denar]

Armor proficienty for something like full SA or Skirmish progression might be a bit much, especially since you can gain that proficiency back with a dip in just about any martial class, or even just about ANY class.

And you are correct. Note that the intent of the Unarmed SS was PROBABLY that the AC bonus only works while unarmored, but they did a pretty crappy job of conveying this. If you simply rule it that way, then it doesn't matter what armor proficiencies the character gains, he loses his AC bonus while unarmored.

[pilvento]

Yes, and now the player wants darning outlaw to count for the sneak attack swordsage. god what have i done...

[Greenish]

Yes, and now the player wants darning outlaw to count for the sneak attack swordsage. god what have i done...Darning Outlaw is the feat that stacks your Knitter levels with your rogue levels for the purposes of Mend Garments and Sneak Attack, right?

[Fouredged Sword]

I am AFB right now, so check my work, but here are my thoughs.

Technicaly you can get a prereqs paradox going. you don't need rogue levels to get dareing outlaw, just sneak attack.

You can get enough sneak attack from assasins stance to qualift for dareing outlaw. Once you qualify for dareing outlaw, three swashbuckler levels will grant you the needed 2d6 sneak attack preventing you from loseing dareing outlaw when you shace stances.

The feat supplies it's own prereqs, so qualifying for it can be done even temporarily.

In therory you could even get magic items granting enough sneak attack and qualify on straight swashbuckler.

Now your swordsage levels don't add to the sneak attack, but swashbuckler levels add sneak attack without needed to dip rogue.

[Arundel]

The title of this thread got my blood boiling. When I realized you were talking about the acceptable form of swordsage variant it cooled. Still though, make sure you clear everything with a DM first. One sentence in the thought exercise section does not make a real class.

The unarmed version seems acceptably not broken, unlike its abomination of a co-worker, the arcane swordsage.