TWF Aldori dueling Swords [Pathfinder]

[Silverfang]

I know this probably sounds a little crazy, but how well do you think this character would work out? This is really up to interpretation, but the only way I could think of doing this is with a fighter (maybe some rogue levels). I don't exactly plan on using this character any time soon, but I had the idea, and if it seems playable, I might have to do this next time I'm in a group.:smallsmile:

[ThiagoMartell]

Well, the best thing about Aldori dueling swords is Aldori Swordlord, but both archetype and prestige class are very much about einhander types.

[katarl]

I need to be sold on Swordlords. I have Paths of Prestige, and play a Aldori Dueling Sword user, but it looks absolutely terrible to me, the bonuses are tiny, and often can be replicated with feats or magical enhancements.

As a TWF, being able to move and get a full attack is key, as is your feat chain. Fighter 8/Rogue (Swashbuckler) 6 would enable you to get Aldori Sword Mastery (from the Campaign Setting), which would grant an extra attack (per sword?) at a -2. Don't bother with Swordlord, slap the Agile enhancement on each sword to do Dex mod damage instead of Str. Aldori Dueling Mastery still gives you +2 Init, but the Shield bonus is negotiable with the DM, since you're neither einhanding, or using it in two. Taking Swashbuckler swaps out Trapfinding and Trap Sense for Acrobatics and the ability to take a combat feat as a rogue talent twice (which you can combine with a human favoured class bonus of 1/6th of a talent at that level).

Rather than Fighter/Rogue, have you considered the Bard variant Dervish Dancer? If you play an Aasimar using the Inspire Courage Battledance, you'd get a much higher attack/damage total (particularly with two weapons) than an equivalent fighter, and you'd have the ability to move and get a full attack, as well as all the skills and spells a bard gets. If you combined the TWF with the Thousand Blades bard spell or Haste bonus, you'd have many more attacks than an equivalent fighter. If you played Bard 12/Fighter 8 (Weapon Master?), you could get the Sword Mastery as well, and end up with 6 attacks with your main hand, and another 3-5 with the off hand (depending on how you rule extra attacks). With Shoanti War Paint, you'd have a +5 attack and damage on top of a +17 BAB, Greater Weapon Focus, +4 atk/dam/ac from Dance of a Hundred Cuts and could gain all those attacks on the move.

I'd throw in the Gloves of Dueling and Weapon Training (2 with Weapon Master) for a further +4 atk/damage too.

Either way, you don't need STR, just pump DEX, as Dueling Swords are finesseable, and agile weapons can use DEX for damage.

[ThiagoMartell]

Well, a Swordlord can get his sword to be Agile as well. That's 2x Dex to damage. The prestige class also progresses some Fighter features.

I'm also wondering how Dervish Dance applies to the dueling sword.

[katarl]

That's an awesome thought, but the two do not stack. If they did, it might be worth a 1 level dip. Which fighter abilities are you referring to? The abilities I see are 1/2 lvl to Intimidate (meh), 25-50% fortification (wasteful), +2 ac on a full attack (double meh), intimidate or suppress morale/insight/competence bonuses as a swift (okay) and some acrobatic abilities (triple meh). These bonuses are not worth 10 levels. Aside from the suppression, you can get better variants of these features in other classes.

Dervish Dancer relates to the weapon only in the sense that it allows you to move and attack, which is crucial to a TWF build, or risk wasting the 8+ attacks that differentiates the build from Two Handed or Einhanded characters. The huge buffs that the class offers are just an extra.