Swift Melee Scout! (Ambusher/Hunter) Need Help

[Valluman]

Hello, community. I am working on starting a campaign in my group, and I've made an anti-party. I am stuck on a friendly NPC though who is supposed to be a Scout and a, primarily, melee fighter. I've been looking at Swift Ambusher, and yes I have been looking at this guide (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=14798669). I am still hooked up on just how to build one though, since I have several options open to me. I am wondering if I could garner some suggestions from the crowd.

[A.A.King]

It's a bit vague what you want (for me atleast). It seems like the only thing you know for sure is that you want the Scout Class and be in Melee combat. However the Swift Ambushers usually are focused on taking as few Scout levels as possible (my personal favorite being the Halfling Monk version (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=295205) which prides itself in having 0 scout levels). So I'm wondering what is it EXACTLY that you want?
1) A Melee Warrior who is good at scouting
2) A Scout who is good at melee combat
3) A Swift Ambusher

If it's 1) you don't need the scout class, they are build for it but they don't have dips on the job. If it's 2) you want then you might want to stay away from Swift Ambusher because frankly it doesn't revolve around scout levels at all.
And if you just want a Swift Ambusher then I suggest Halfling Monk 5 / Rogue 13 / Unarmed Swordsage 2 because Monks have the best way of triggering Skirmish: The 10-Foot step learned from training with the Sparring Dummy of the Master. The second best way is dipping Barbarian 1 for Spirit Lion Totem and if you're doing scouting missions and trying to ambush people that being prone to fits of anger might not make you the best man for the jon

So, best thing might be if you tell a bit more about the character. What exactly do you want and want is not negotiable?

[Valluman]

I did leave it quite vague; I apologize for that. The two types I would find acceptable are the Swift Ambusher, the type to hit and run and take advantage of weak targets, or the Swift Hunter, the type to hunt a target down and capture or kill it, though Ranger has always been a puzzle for me. I know these aren't primarily scouts, but they both retain the general feel of the class. I should probably rename the thread to be a bit less misleading... And then I renamed the thread.

[ericp65]

The Swift Hunter class is a mighty attractive (to me, at least) option for a character who's into scouting and skirmishing. You get plenty of Ranger goodness, plus an improved spellcasting ability. A few levels or so might help to take you where you want to go, so I encourage giving it some more thought in the mix.

[A.A.King]

Well if you want "hit and run" tactics you probably will have to go for Spring Attack. In general not considered a good thing but because it's an NPC you can get away with certain things PCs can't (like focussing a lot on 1 strategy)

You might want to try something like to start with (I'm guessing the guy won't be level 20)

Human: Barbarian 1 / Scout 4 / Rogue 10

Feats:
1 Expeditious Dodge
H Mobility Weapon Finesse
3 Improved Initiative Mobility
5 Spring Attack (Scout Bonus Feat)
6 Swift Ambusher
9 Improved Skirmish
12 Staggering Strike
15 Craven

I know I suggested against a Barbarian Dip because it might not feel right but this way you get Spring Attack at level 5 and you're also able to do 2 things: Either Spring Attack them so you can move away again or, if you think that one hit might kill them, charge them for a full attack. Just make sure that at the end of your turn you have moved atleast 40 Feet (easy enough as you get +10 Movement from Scout) to trigger Expeditious Dodge and make sure that you move 20 feet before attacking so that you trigger Improved Skirmish.

EDIT: I can't believe I forgot to add Weapon Finesse.

[Valluman]

I like the build you presented, and using ACFs such as Crafty Hunter as a replacement for rage (to gain a favored enemy) and Spirit Lion Totem in place of fast movement could complement a melee ambusher (depending on the favored enemy too).

I am wondering if you have a suggestion for a swift hunter as well?

EDIT: I also noticed you didn't list Travel Devotion as a requirement in there either. Any reason why? Most Swift X guides I see all but require that feat in place of others like Spring Attack.

[Valluman]

And then one of my PCs changed his class (which he can do since we haven't started yet), thus allowing me to make this a ranged character. :smallmad: I swear, I should premake characters and let the PCs pick from the pool.

[A.A.King]

I didn't listen Travel Devotion because it's an Once a Day thing unless you dip (cloistered) cleric or something else that gives you Turn/Rebuke undead uses. Spring Attack's problem is that it requires a lot of feats for something medicore, but it works just fine on a NPC. I don't have a build suggestion for a Swift Hunter, the Swift Hunter guide is very good and should help you with that

[lsfreak]

I didn't listen Travel Devotion because it's an Once a Day thing unless you dip (cloistered) cleric or something else that gives you Turn/Rebuke undead uses. Spring Attack's problem is that it requires a lot of feats for something medicore, but it works just fine on a NPC. I don't have a build suggestion for a Swift Hunter, the Swift Hunter guide is very good and should help you with that

That's once a day, but each time you use it it gives you 10 rounds worth of swift-action movement. If the DM doesn't mind tuning things for a specific encounter, rather than making sure it would be completely playable as a PC, it could work without a dip.

[Vaz]

It's an NPC targeting the party, it doesn't need to use it more than once, really.

[ericp65]

And then one of my PCs changed his class (which he can do since we haven't started yet), thus allowing me to make this a ranged character. :smallmad: I swear, I should premake characters and let the PCs pick from the pool.

Yes, and I encourage writing up a short stack of characters (or more, as the spirit moves you), and keeping 'em at the ready to fill just about any vacant role in a given party. Besides, writing up a character with a detailed backstory is sometimes great fun in itself :smallsmile:

Edit: Oh, you mean as a DM, and present the choices to the players? Hmmm...I've never done that, myself. Nearest I've experienced has been a DM saying "Write up a [insert class here] of x level for the next adventure."