Ghost-Faced Killer.

[Gharkash]

Is it (http://dndtools.eu/classes/ghost-faced-killer/) good, bad or mediocre? What would compliment it and make it work, and is there anything else in the same line out there (that is the instill-fear-ninja-style kinda line)?

If you happen to know Mark of the Ninja, the main thought behind this is to do what the protagonist could with the path of nightmares costume.

[kardar233]

Ghost-Faced Killer is one of my favourite classes ever. It's got a decent chassis with 4+Int skills from a pretty good skill list, full BAB, good Fort and a Sudden Strike progression, plus some crappy per-day SLAs that aren't really useful except at early levels. Its main draw is Frightful Attack, which I'll break down here:

Frightful Attack requires a flat-footed target. The class comes with a swift action Invisibility effect to help you trigger this, but there are better options that aren't limited to a small number of uses per day.

Frightful Attack is a single-target [Mind-Affecting] save-or-die that only works on enemies with HD less than your character level. Its save DC is based on your class level, which means if you're not going far into Ghost-Faced Killer you won't be able to rely on its kill ability. This isn't amazing (as most enemies will have more HD than you) but it's a nice bonus when it works, as it's not really the big draw of this ability.

Frightful Attack is also an AoE No Save Just Fear that panics or shakes enemies. I call it a No Save Just Fear because its save DC is based on power attack returns, which means that just by getting Leap Attack you can start racking up massive DCs that no one remotely level-appropriate should save. It also has the handy feature of having its HD cap based on your Charisma modifier, so if you can do some boosting you can affect fairly high-level opponents. This is the big fancy part of the class, as it synergizes well with standard melee tools like Leap Attack+Shock Trooper while enabling fear-stacking as well.

Of course, the Ghost-Faced Killer's specialization means it's pretty much dead levels against enemies that are immune to [Mind-Affecting], critical hits or have HD significantly larger than CR. This means that GFK is really only very good in an urban campaign where you're primarily dealing with human-ish opponents whose HD~CR.

If you're in a campaign favourable to it, though, it's quite nice. The obvious entry is through Sneak Attack Thug Fighter, but a Paladin of Tyranny entry works well too due to the Charisma focus. You'll likely want to dip Swordsage at 5th-level or so to get the Cloak of Deception and Sapphire Nightmare Blade maneuvers, both of which will enable your Sudden Strike and Frightful Attack. Later on, you might want to get Assassin's Stance.

GFK's best buddy for prestige classes is the Avenging Executioner from Complete Scoundrel. It carries over the Sudden Strike progression from GFK (and faster) while giving some very nice goodies. Intimidation as a move action is nice, and more fear effects on hit/kill are always handy, but the real lure is getting Sudden Strike damage against all feared opponents. Suddenly it's much easier to get your Frightful Attack off and suddenly you're off on a Fear rollercoaster.

Whew. Love GFK.

[Gharkash]

Avenging Executioner seems to mess really great with Ghost Faced Killer. The only thing that bothers me is the charisma based DCs on a heavy melee character.

How would you make a not that mad gfk avenging executioner, and what do you mean about power attack influencing the DC of frightful attack?

[kardar233]

Avenging Executioner seems to mess really great with Ghost Faced Killer. The only thing that bothers me is the charisma based DCs on a heavy melee character.

How would you make a not that mad gfk avenging executioner, and what do you mean about power attack influencing the DC of frightful attack?

It's not OGC, so I can't say the precise formula. Look in your copy of Complete Adventurer, and you'll see that one of the factors for the DC of the AoE effect of Frightful Attack is the damage bonus from Power Attack.

I'd enter through Sneak Attack Thug Fighter; that's the simplest way to go about it. Dip Swordsage at 5th level, then something else (Cleric if you're using fractional BAB, get Travel Devotion) at 6th level then into GFK. Go 3 levels, then into Avenging Executioner, then back into GFK.

Try: Sneak Attack Thug Fighter4/Swordsage1/Cleric1/Ghost-Faced Killer3/Avenging Executioner4/Ghost-Faced Killer +7. Important feats are Dreadful Wrath, Imperious Command, Leap Attack and Shock Trooper. Use the Cleric level to get Travel Devotion for added mobility.

[Urpriest]

The MAD isn't terrible. You only really need Str and Con, so you can afford some points in Cha, and most of your bonuses will be from ranks anyway.

[Gharkash]

Would it work with five swordsage levels and the full avenging? I like ToB too much to get only one level of swordsage:smallbiggrin:

[kardar233]

Would it work with five swordsage levels and the full avenging? I like ToB too much to get only one level of swordsage:smallbiggrin:

My only problem with Swordsage is that it slows down your entry to either PrC by another level. Otherwise, it's great, and you'll get Assassin's Stance, which is handy. The last level of Avenging Executioner is good and you should go for it, with the exception of the build I posted below as I think the GFK's capstone is cooler.