3.5 after long break help request: CHA based fencing swashbuckler archetype

[spiku]

Morning chaps,

I've been out of the game for a very, very long time and I was hoping I could get a quick and dirty idiot's guide to just slap a character together and get roleplaying again.

Would like to run a charisma based swashbuckling rapier wielding pirate type character (human) without having to touch into any spell casting classes. Now, I can recall there is a belt or slippers which let you put charisma to damage, but is there any base class that allows me to use cha modifier to hit? Failing that, an always on cha to damage and weapon finesse works fine.

Sorry to be so vague, just wanted to have an easy way of sliding into a game that's starting up this week, and you are well known to be the chaps to talk to!

Regards,


Spiku

[Roguenewb]

This is hard. The easiest way is to talk your DM into a CHA-powered variant of swashbuckler and play a daring outlaw (google it). If you can't do that, the best way really is Bard. Playing a bard with Snowflake Wardance and going into swiftblade (the classic Bardblade also dips a level of Warblade), is a nimble moving combatant who is highly charismatic, with CHA to attacks and damage and gets all the cool mind control/interaction spells and abilities.

[spiku]

As I stated my preference certainly is to avoid spell casting classes; though I'll take a peek at the thing you mentioned. To be honest I barely recall any of the alternate class options as I generally just played straight up rogues or things swiftblades

[The-Mage-King]

Alright! So you Want to Abuse The Charisma Stat?


Here's a build! (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11335643&postcount=5)


It assumes you have access to the following books: Unearthed Arcana, Tome of Battle, Tome of Magic, Dragon Compendium, Races of Destiny, the Complete X books, Champions of Ruin, and Oriental Adventures.


If you can't use some of those, no biggie. tweaks are simple.



Absolutely casting free, though it gets a little supernatural with the binder/Knight of the Sacred Seal levels.

[spiku]

Blimey, that's very precise, much obliged! Is there room for the actual thematics and skillpoints necessary for the fluff for acrobatics and swashbuckling fun?

[Urpriest]

Blimey, that's very precise, much obliged! Is there room for the actual thematics and skillpoints necessary for the fluff for acrobatics and swashbuckling fun?

Binder can give you the vestige Paimon, which is basically swashbuckling in vestige form. Iaijutsu focus also seems very swashbuckle-ish, and Battle Dancer lets you run around unarmored.

[The-Mage-King]

Yeah, there's a fair bit of wiggle room to make the build swashbuckler-y, especially if your DM would be willing to tweak, say, Iaijutsu Master's "Weapon Focus (Katana)" requirement to something more suitable for you, like a rapier.

Only skill ranks you strictly NEED are the Iaijutsu Focus ones and 5 ranks in one of Knowledge (the Planes) (Arcana) and (Religion), so Balance, Jump, Tumble, and Swim are easy to fill. Feats are similar- you only NEED Imp Init, Quick Draw, and the aforementioned Weapon Focus- Able Learner makes your skill points go further, and demoralization is always fun, but they aren't needed to qualify for classes. A good Int score will help- I'd say the most important things for it are: Climb, Jump, Iaijutsu Focus, Swim, Tumble. Most levels get 4+Int, so you're covered there. I'd recommend an Int of 14 at minimum, though. There are enough 2+Int levels that... Well.


As a human, you can grab the needed feats and Able Learner by level 6, and go onto Power Attack and other usefule feats. With two Flaws, you've got the basics at level 3, and a feat to spare.


If you want light armor instead of none, you can drop the Battle Dancer for more Crusader, or maybe a level in rogue or something. Or Cleric with the water domain and Travel Devotion, if you're willing to dip a caster for one level. Or of the actual Swashbuckler class.


For gear, go with the Slippers of Battle Dancing and a +1 Aptitude version of your real favored weapon, along with anything else you might want. That way the Weapon Focus isn't as much of a waste as it would be.

[eggs]

I like Scarlet Corsair as a base on a build like this.

With the usual fear effects (Dreadful Wrath, Imperious Command, maybe Never Outnumbered, Fearsome Armor) and some feinting feats (Surprising Riposte is frankly the only one that matters), you can get absolutely destroy enemies with Charisma-based fear effects as a move action, sneak attack hard (a wand bracer and various X-strike wands in the offhand can make) and fairly reliably (feinting isn't a primary attack mode, but it works well enough to fill in the times flanking/denying dex don't work).

Tacking Craven, Staggering Strike and a Sudden Stunning weapon in where they fit can make it a scary striker, bulk up the control element and exaggerate the charisma usage.

For bonus points, if you can fit a splash of Barbarian in, Intimidating Rage and Immediate Rage can give an immediate action off-switch to most encounters that lack fear immunity.

[Psyren]

Google "Dulcinea, Dancer's Daughter." BAMF swashbuckling, Cha-based (Binder) and nary a spell in sight.

[spiku]

Given the pirating, is this okay for neutral or chaotic good, rather than just lawful?

[Roguenewb]

Scarlet Corsair is pretty sweet, if you wanna to floor the people around you as you fight (refluff the intimidate as "wow he's awesome...."). But Binder can be pretty byzantine if you wanna tap into all the class offers. If you just wanna use Paimon as a class (which is something I guess), you can do that too.

Bardblades are pretty awesome though, and that doesn't use anu alternative class features.

[Draz74]

Given the pirating, is this okay for neutral or chaotic good, rather than just lawful?

Can do Paladin of Freedom for Chaotic Good, IIRC.

Are you open to Homebrew? There are some good options there; a bunch of people tried homebrewing Dashing Swordsman after the PrC was introduced in the Order of the Stick, but personally I'd recommend some of the homebrew Factotum variants that are based on stats other than Intelligence.

[Feralventas]

If PF is allowed.

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/bard/archetypes/paizo---bard-archetypes/dervish-dancer


Bard, full skill set as normal.
Spells if you need 'em, ignore 'em or burn 'em for Arcane Strike if you don't.
+1 to +5 from Inspire Courage.
+1 to +5 from Rain of Blows, as well as Haste effect.
You now have, at the end of the line, +25/+25/+20/+15 from BAB before weapon or ability modifiers, and can full-attack on the move.

Other than that, the stuff I'd suggest has been suggested.
Paimon via Binder.
Swashbuckler/Rogue mix with 3 levels delay to grab Battle Dancer1 and Paladin of Freedom 2, maybe a dip in bard for Snowflake Wardance.