Critical/SA stat damage?

[Serin]

So I'm working on a build for a character I've been playing a solo game. The idea for the build is an Inego Montoya type. I've got what class levels I plan to take on her and some fun tactics already, one of them that I plan to use is the Prayer Attack from the Red Mantis Assassin class.

A bit of background for the character: She is a noble who is the predominant supplier of wine and owns all the vineyards in this particular kingdom. She is a lesser noble and is generally viewed to be the weakest by her peers. She is also a vampire. Of course the rest of the aristocracy doesn't know that. :smallwink:

As such I would like her to have some degree of skill when it comes to single combat. Considering that she *is* a rather typical arrogant aristocrat and is dex-based, built predominantly of rogue levels, I want to add some extra umph to the Prayer attack. Anyone that fails the fort save from the CdG is obviously dead. As a vampire though there is a strong possibility that she will face either Pallies or Clerics or what not who may have good fort saves. I plan on taking the crippling strike talent to add 2 strength damage to sneak attacks but is there any other way to boost that?

Its using pathfinder, but 3.5 stuff is allowed if I can find the exact rules for it somewhere. Anything psionic is banned as the DM apparently dislikes them. All scared vows are also banned because she apparently thinks Vow of Poverty is overpowered.

Don't ask, I dont get it either. I tried to argue the last one but got no where, and I dont care to play psionics anyway.

Ive looked at critical feats but the best I've seen for my purposes would be blinding critical. That provokes another fort save which gives them another chance to fail and a big penalty if they do, but id rather avoid just stacking more fort saves. Disemboweling strike looked nice but for thematic reasons I use piercing weapons primarily so thats out. The idea is I want to make the CdG as ruinous as possible even if they fail the fort save.

Ideally I would like to just augment the strength damage from crippling strike. Either something that applies on crits or trade X SA dice for +2 str damage or something. Ive got up to 2 feats to spend on this without sacrificing anything else or trying to scam feats out of elder evils and such. (Already scammed 4 out of the taint rules) Gold is not an issue as...well shes a noble. Access to magic is fairly limited due to the setting though. It's here and its powerful it just might take me a while to track down someone that can do it.

Suggestions?

[Talya]

I don't know how flexible your DM is, but the later levels of Swashbuckler from CW (which you should never take...Swashbuckler is only 3 levels long) have some neat abilities for Strength and eventually Con damage on critical hits. See if you can swap around some class features, maybe?

[Serin]

That might work. I've already gotten her to throw out the entire sawtooth sabre portion of the RMA class because I wanted to use a rapier for thematic reasons. Of course it also helped that rapier is d6 and the sabre is d8 so I was kinda nerfing myself for flavor.

Id have to work out something worth trading out for it though. The only real features rogues have at that high level are talents. I could offer to trade trap sense for it but that would require a stupid DM not just a flexible one.

I imagine I could probably convince her to accept a homebrew feat that replicates such features and just grab crit focus as a pre req. Ive been trying to track down something a little more RAW though.

At least im luck enough to have a job where I can spend hours scouring through PDFs while "working" though :smallamused:

[Talya]

For the inigo montoya-style duelist, you probably DO want three levels of swashbuckler, too.

That the effect is based on critical hits is even better with a keen rapier...

[Humble Master]

Maybe take one level of Swordsage and get some Shadow Hand maneuvers. Some are pretty lethal and there are a couple tat drain Str, even one that drains Con.

[Der_DWSage]

There's always poisons for stat damage. They can get pricy, but as a lesser noble, surely you have the cash to cover it. And in Pathfinder, you can add additional doses of poison for an extra +2 to the save DC.

Don't worry about poisoning yourself either, seeing as how you're a Vampire and thus immune to puny mortal poisons.

[Serin]

I actually do want the swashbuckler levels but its probably not going to happen.

Currently I'm looking at Rogue 15/Red Mantis 3/ Paladin of Tyranny 2/ Battle dancer 1.

There's obviously much better ways to go about this idea from a class choice perspective...but as undead I've got to cover my *** from turns and spells like disintegrate. Battle dancer for the CHA to touch AC and Paladin for divine grace. Even found a +1 armor enchantment in Book of Erotic Fantasies that adds Cha to will. So Cha to will twice. With a minimum Cha mod of +10.

Also in something a bit more fitting of the 1001 things Im not allowed to do anymore thread....I'm not allowed to have more than 4 individual classes. My multiclassing shenanigans have made her cry. She's not as much of a powergamer as I am. But even with only 4 classes I can get up to *a lot* of shenanigans :P

The enfeebling enchant from BoED looks potentially useful. 1d6 +2 temporary strength damage. SR can kill that one though and it further restricts my weapon choice. :smallfrown:

[Chronos]

If you've got things that trigger on crits (and hence, presumably, ways to increase your crit range), and also have sneak attack and things that trigger on that, then the Telling Blow feat might be a good choice, since it makes every crit count as a sneak attack.

And in general, for anyone with sneak attack, Craven is always a good choice. No status afflictions from it, but a lot of just plain good old damage.

[Serin]

If you've got things that trigger on crits (and hence, presumably, ways to increase your crit range), and also have sneak attack and things that trigger on that, then the Telling Blow feat might be a good choice, since it makes every crit count as a sneak attack.

And in general, for anyone with sneak attack, Craven is always a good choice. No status afflictions from it, but a lot of just plain good old damage.

Telling Blow is not required for this use as CdG rules allow for SA without any feats. The prayer attack uses CdG.

I can't take craven as undead are immune to fear.