pyrokineticist fire lash optimization

[Soranar]

So I really like the idea of the fire lash (sounds a lot like a funky lightsaber to me) and I've been toying around with ways to optimize it.

First off, of all the pyrokineticist variants I'm guessing the sonic version is the best: even with a reduced die having a weapon that ignores an object's hardness (and an elemental type that very few creatures have resistance to) seems like a good trade.

Second, since every feat that applies to a whip applies to a fire (in this case sonic) lash, you could dip exotic weapon master to gain uncanny blow (2x STR bonus to damage while using an exotic weapon 2 handed).

So, so far, I need the following:

-a class that gives whip proficiency (bard), to dip exotic weapon master, or taking the feat
-8 concentration by level 5 (again could be covered by dipping bard at level 5)
-a power point reserve (obtainable through a feat or race)

I was thinking of taking the following build:

1 Barbarian (for pounce)
2 Swashbuckler
3 Swashbuckler
4 Swashbuckler (insightful strike works with a whip)
5 Bard
6 Sonokineticist
7 Exotic Weapon master
8 - 18 Dragon Disciple? (raises STR by 8, INT by 2, seems like a good deal)
19-20 Warblade? (again, not sure)

Race: human (to avoid multiclassing penalties) + hidden talent feat to gain a PP reserve

Still, this build would sacrifice an awful lot of BAB to gain access to classes of dubious efficiency (dragon disciple) so I'm looking for other options. Just not use to making STR based builds so any input would be welcome.

[Dimers]

Don't have advice on your existing build -- I'm not great at optimizing, really -- but you should check out Sword & Fist, a 3.0 splat, for a whip-specific martial prestige class. Let you use it as a tool, deal area damage around you, some other neat stuff. AFB ATM, but IIRC mmm, alphabet soup! I'm away from my books at the moment, but if I recall correctly it also has full base attack progression.

[Hylas]

I toyed around with a pathfinder fire lash build. It used Soulknife with greater cleave and the toppling strike blade skill line, so you had the option of either tripping everyone or damaging everyone. There was also the single damage advantage of psychic strike and buffing your whip with magical properties. Worse comes to worse you switch from a whip to a 2 hander for non-fire damage.

IIRC you can't power attack with a touch attack. Keep that in mind when calculating damage.

[Soranar]

actually, in this specific case, you can power attack with a touch attack : any feat that applies to a whip applies to a fire lash

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

First of all, your assessment of how the Energy Lash works with EWM and with Whip-related feats is a bit off. Consider the following:

"A pyro can take Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization (if she otherwise meets the prerequisites) in conjunction with the fire lash, as well as any feats that apply to the use of a standard whip. The whip remains in existence as long as the pyrokineticist holds it."

1. Exotic Weapon Master's Uncanny Blow is not a feat, and will not apply to an Energy Lash. Its Close Quarters Ranged Combat ability would be useful, but the Energy Lash is not an exotic weapon, so nothing this class grants can benefit that weapon.
1a. Swashbuckler's Insightful Strike is not a feat, but its wording specifies that it can apply to any weapon that can be used with Weapon Finesse. Since the Energy Lash can be used with the same feats as can be applied to a standard whip, in this case it works, but this is the exception, not the rule.

2. Weapon Focus: Whip does not benefit the Energy Lash, you must take Weapon Focus: Energy Lash as a separate feat. It says that such feats can be taken with the Energy Lash as the specified weapon, not that such feats taken for a Whip apply to your Energy Lash.

3. Any feat, and only feats, that can be used with a standard whip can be used with the Energy Lash.

4. You do not apply any ability score bonuses to damage with the Energy Lash, with the exception of Insightful Strike. It is not a melee attack, so Strength does not get applied by default. A Whip is not a Shadow Hand weapon, so you can't even use Shadow Blade to add Dex to damage. There are no feats which add an ability score bonus to attacks made with a whip specifically nor with a ranged touch attack in general.

5. You cannot make charge attacks with the Energy Lash, as it is not a melee weapon and a charge is not a feat. Note that feats which specify when you charge that can be used with a standard whip do not enable you to charge with a non-melee weapon, because you must have been able to charge to use the feat in the first place. The same goes for Sunder attempts, Improved Sunder specifies when you strike a weapon or shield you gain bonuses, not that it enables you to do so, the Energy Lash cannot be used to make sunder attempts in the first place and this feat does not enable you to do that.

With those things in mind, I would recommend the following feats for such a character:

Point-Blank Shot: Its bonuses always apply to the Energy Lash.
Precise Shot: It's still a ranged attack, you probably need this to avoid an otherwise permanent -4 to hit.
Rapid Shot: Again, it's a ranged weapon, so this works with it.
Improved Rapid Shot: Get your extra attack at no penalty, though it costs you two feats.
Power Attack: It can be used (two-handed) with a standard whip, and you're making ranged touch attacks already so always do your whole BAB toward this. Note that extra damage is the same damage type as the weapon's base damage, Power Attacking with a sword adds slashing damage, Power Attacking with a Sonic Lash adds more sonic damage. You want a high BAB for this.
Melee Weapon Mastery: You can take Melee Weapon Mastery (Slashing) for a standard whip, so it will also apply to the Energy Lash despite the difference of damage type. You'll need Weapon Specialization twice for this to be worth taking, once for the Energy Lash and once for any slashing weapon, skip it if you're short on feats. If your DM will allow it, you should absolutely get Ranged Weapon Mastery instead since it also increases your range.
Slashing Flurry: Another extra attack when you full attack, but all your attacks for the round are at -5. If you have a high Dex bonus it's probably worth getting, but if your total bonus to hit with this would be less than +1 after Power Attacking for your full BAB, it's probably not worth trying a Flurry of Misses. This is probably the only reason you should take Weapon Focus/Specialization twice for Melee Weapon Mastery.
Woodland Archer: Again, strong feats that benefit ranged attacks in general are good for the Energy Lash.
Travel Devotion: You cannot Pounce with the Energy Lash, as Pounce is not a feat and you cannot charge with a ranged weapon. This lets you move and still full attack, which can also make Skirmish a useful choice for this build.
Knock-Down: This one works the same way Power Attack works, since it does not require you to take a special type of action with the weapon in order to use it. Note that you'll still get an extra attack from Improved Trip when using this.


Feats to avoid:

TWF: You also need Oversize TWF, and it's only better than two-handed Power Attacking if you have a lot of Sneak Attack and/or Skirmish, and even then you'll need the Xing Mongoose boosts to make it worthwhile which cuts into your bonus dice. Pretty much only on a gestalt character.
Martial Study (strikes): Martial maneuvers that must be used with a melee weapon cannot be used with the Energy Lash. Those maneuvers are not feats, and even a feat that just grants you a maneuver does not enable you to use that maneuver with any particular weapon, you just know the maneuver.
Knock Back: It looks like it would be a good idea, particularly with Dungeoncrasher, but keep in mind your Str should only be high enough to take Power Attack and it's otherwise a dump stat. A high Str score won't benefit this build, and adding a trick to make your character MAD is almost never a good idea. You also cannot AoO with the Energy Lash, so the control benefit of this feat is also lost. On top of that you would need to take a level adjustment for large size or powerful build to qualify, so not worth it.
Craven: You can Sneak Attack with the Energy Lash, and this will add your character level to your damage when doing so, but enabling Sneak Attack with the Energy Lash is going to be difficult. It's a ranged weapon which means you can never gain flanking with it, so you would need (Greater) Invisibility or other tricks and it's probably not worth the effort. In a specific build it could work, such as Hide in Plain Sight shenanigans, but otherwise don't even bother.


There are some additional shenanigans, such as taking Leadership for a Fiend of Possession cohort and having it possess your lash to add the Aptitude weapon property, in which case just look up the Lightning Maces cheese build.

I'd probably go Warblade and/or Fighter, to qualify for Weapon Specialization and eventually Weapon Supremacy. With Warblade you should limit your maneuvers to counters and boosts rather than strikes, there's a Warblade Archer build out there that can give you some pointers but you'll be extremely feat starved without Fighter.

Just pick up the occasional Warblade level when your initiator level would be high enough to take your next desired maneuver/stance, Swordsage could also be useful but it cuts into your BAB. If you still find yourself short on feats, grab Psychic Warrior 2 early on so you can skip Hidden Talent. I'd get enough Fighter levels for all three Zhentarim Soldier (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20060327a) substitution levels, and don't forget about Physical Prowess (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/cwc/20061013a) because free bonuses never hurt.

I wouldn't even bother with Swashbuckler unless your taking Thug (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#fighterVariantThug) with Sneak Attack (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#fighter) and pick up both Daring Outlaw and Daring Warrior, but that's a whole lot of feats that you probably won't be able to afford to spend. Swashbuckler costs you three levels for what ends up being an insignificant bonus to damage (compared to Power Attack), nothing else it grants is any better than what you would get from more Fighter levels.

You may be able use Warblade's Weapon Aptitude ability to get Melee Weapon Mastery (Slashing) without wasting feats on an extra Weapon Specialization. You can get Weapon Focus/Specialization with any slashing weapon, take Melee Weapon Mastery (Slashing), then switch your Weapon Focus/Specialization to the Energy Lash. Note that RAW you'll lose the benefit of Melee Weapon Mastery (Slashing) due to no longer meeting its prerequisites, but with a cooperative DM you may be able to retain its benefit toward just the Energy Lash since you still have Weapon Focus/Specialization with that. If not, then see if you can use Ranged Weapon Mastery specifying the energy type of your lash instead of one of the three melee damage types, which is just as much against the RAW but it's actually more beneficial since it would also increase the maximum range of your lash. If you can get both Melee Weapon Mastery and Ranged Weapon Mastery, then definitely do so because being different feats their benefits will stack, and you can still use Slashing Flurry.

[Soranar]

Alright, well the best build seems obvious now.

First, no need for STR, all I need is 13 for power attack (or a class that gives it to me for free).

The best way to optimize power attack is to go for Frenzied Berserker 10.

I don't need pounce either since I can't charge, so I better invest in some other means of movement.

Since ranged touch attacks are already DEX based to hit, I don't even need weapon finesse.

I don't need to invest in my will save since I don't rage (no need for STR)

A fighter thug 4/swashbuckler 3/ pyro 1/ Frenzied berserker 10 sounds like the way to go.

Ok, I got something.

[Soranar]

The Sith Lord

Race: Air Goblin (works well thematically, being sonic based and all)
Alignment: any chaotic

Alternate class features :

Drow fighter (oddly enough, doesn't need to be a drow) : lose heavy armor and tower shield proficiency to gain DEX to damage within 30 feat vs flatfooted opponents

Trade bonus feats for a rogue's sneak attack progression

1 Ninja (yes, a build that uses CA ninja!)
2 Fighter
3 Ninja
4 Ninja
5 Ninja
6 Sonokineticist
7+ Ninja

2 flaws

Feats:

1 hidden talent (dimension hop), point blank shot, rapid shot
3 power attack
6 enduring ki
9 martial study
12 martial stance (assassin's stance)
15 open
18 open

benefits: A ranged weapon that delivers touch attacks and is able to power attack is nothing to scoff at. Even with a range of 15 you can dimension hop to gain another 10 ft or take a 5 ft step. And rapid shot means you get just as many attacks as a normal ranged attacker, without bother with all the other useless ranged feats.