Dancing Tripper (3.5 Build)

[Cranthis]

Important: This build relies on a homebrew item, and a homebrew ACF (Alternate Class Feature) for fighters. The item is simply a Spiked Chain that does slashing damage. We'll call it a Slasher Chain. And the ACF replaces Ride and Handle Animal with Tumble and Perform Dance. We'll call the ACF Dance Fighter.

Race: Humans (do everything well)
Classes: Dance Fighter 5/ Dervish 5 (Complete Warrior)
Ability Scores (32 point buy + items+ level ups)
Str: 17 (15, +2 item)
Dex: 20 (16, +2 Level ups, +2 item)
Con: 13
Int: 13
Wis: 10
Cha: 10

Feats:
1: Combat Expertise
Human: Improved Trip
Flaw1: Dodge
Flaw2: Mobility
Fighter 1: Exotic Weapon Profiency: Slasher Chain
Fighter 2: Weapon Finesse
3: Weapon Focus: Slasher Chain
Fighter 4: Knockdown (Sword and fist)
6: Combat Reflexes
Dervish 3 (My level 8): Spring Attack
9: Curling Wave Strike (Stormwrack)

The chain itself: Living Chain (MIC) altered to be slashing chain with Sweeping (MIC) (+2 to trip attempts).
Additional help with trips: Helm of Battle (MIC)

During combat, this character should be constantly using Combat Expertise, as they will be in constant motion (although the ability to take 10 on tumble checks even in combat means this shouldn't be a problem with attacks of opportunities). Almost constantly hitting touch armor class for trips means the already small -5 is practically nothing to us here, it just helps us not take hits on other people's turns. Most of the combat will be full attacks with movement (Thanks Dervish!). Attack, do at least 10 damage, trip, take your free attack from improved trip, or use curling wave strike to trip another person!

The main thing here is, can anyone help me improve on this? I'm fairly happy with this, but if I can make it better, why not? The only limitations are no Tome of Battle, at least not this time around.

[Azoth]

Jotunbrud (sp?) Region feat from PGtF get's you treated as a size bigger for Trips, so +4 bonus there for no LA.

Bar2 for fast movement (don't need pounce as dervish), Wolf Totem gets you Imp Trip without needing 13 Int (giving more points to spend on boosting Con).

Swashbuckler 1 get's you weapon finess for free.

Also, there is a web enhancement that let's you trade ride for tumble already. I also thought everybody got perform as a class skill...



So something like Barb2/ftr2/swash 1/Dervish5

(flaw) jotunbrud
(flaw)expedious dodge
(human) mobility
(1st) ewp slasher chain
(brb2) imp trip
(3rd) combat reflexes
(ftr1) wf slasher chain
(ftr2) knockdown
(swash1) weapon finess
(6) curling wave strike
(9) stand still

If your DM won't take trading away a different skill or the same skill for that matter you can just cross class perform dance until Dervish before maxing it. since it only takes 3 ranks to enter. Also either normal rage or whirling frenzy work great in this build and give you something else you can use when not dancing, since dances are limited early on.

*edit* Also, since you got 2 flaws I will recomend the traits Quick and Agressive if you can take them.

The goal of a Dervish is to NEVER be on the recieving end of a full attack. Always end your turn atleast 10 feat from medium enemies. Even if you eat a charge it will usually be only one hit.

To accomplish this we need to get your speed high up. human =30ft +10 (barbarian fast movement) +10 (quick trait) +10 (dervish4)=60ft of movement. By lvl10 you should be able to autosuceed tumble at full speed so there is no reason not to be far enough away to make someone waste a move action to chase you down.

Maybe see if jotunbrud or a permanent enlarge person will qualify you for Large and in Charge from draconomicon. That way you can lockdown anyone that get's inside your reach from moving after your buddies.

To get more AoO's there are the Bracers of Opportunity from the MiC. Cheap sources of movement without costing a move action are good to look into as well for when you can't dance. Chronocharm of the Horizon Walker (500gp) and Anklets of Translocation (1k) come to mind since they are swift action movements.

[Rizban]

Just so you're aware, there is an official web enhancement for Cityscape which lets any class with Ride as a class skill switch it for Tumble.
There is also a Fighter ACF in the Champions of Valor web enhancement called Darksong Knight. It grants you Perform (dance) as a class skill and allows you to use the skill to Feint in combat.

I could give you a lot of advice on playing a Dervish, but really, the Dervish Handbook (http://community.wizards.com/forum/previous-editions-character-optimization/threads/1057856) is the best place to start.

Edit: One thing I don't see in a cursory glance of the handbook is one of my preferred entries. I like going with a paladin, taking the paladin variant that switches one of its class features for Inspire Courage. If you can use that to qualify for Snowflake Wardance (Frostburn) with a Cha focused build, it's really nice. Dual wielding scimitars, adding your Cha to every attack roll, and singing while dancing across the battlefield is fun. Play as a bit of a diva, and you can even smite enemies who mess with your groove.

[Vaz]

The Drow Scorpion Chain from Secrets of Xen'drik is a Slashing Spiked Chain, while the Cityscape Web Enhancement; http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a; allows Ride to be Swapped for tumble. Lastly, DMG2 has the option for the Apprentice feat, which allows Perform to be a class skill.

However, you do not need it as a class skill; you enter at ECL6, meaning that you need 3 ranks in perform by ECL5. Non-class skills are (HD+3)/2 for maximum; so at 5HD, that is 4. You can enter without making Perform a class skill.

[Cranthis]

First of all, all good advice so far. Secondly, I'm going to keep my little homebrew things here. Third, I like being able to have so many ranks in Perform Dance. It makes the dervish dance run longer. The more full attacks the better, and the ability to move as much as I want during? Worth it. Also, this way I don't need to waste a feat on apprentice. While I would love to take levels in Swashbuckler, barbarian, and fighter, I'm trying to keep the number of classes lower, as my dm is very frowny frowny about the strength of most of my characters. However, I will be taking this all into consideration as we get closer to the start of the campaign.

[Melcar]

Get Strongarm Bracers MiC and Steadfast Boots MiC. The Bracers gives +2 to all str based checks and the boots make you ready set against charge with any weapon... all the time. Combine with knockdown, BOOM nobody gets close to you!!!