Gnome Alone
2014-10-18, 11:53 PM
Ahoy-hoy. I recently made a high mobility TWF Swordsage. I sent my brother an email about it, cuz he's one of the few people I know (who aren't you scholarly gentlefolk) who can tolerate nerding the fudge out talking about the specifics of D&D characters. He shares with me an interest in fast/roguish/skirmishy characters so it's not quite as unbearable as it sounds.
Anyway, I was gonna do a separate write-up to post here, but then I realized that my email letter did a pretty good job of explaining my reasoning. So I'm just posting it here as is. The only thing that's kinda weird is it explains a lot of stuff about Tome of Battle and certain feats, cuz otherwise it'd've been pretty gibberishy to him, but oh well. Guess you could use that to tell me if I've got anything wrong.
If anyone's got any ideas to improve this or where to go with it later (it stops at Level 12), feel free. But I mainly wanted to post a build I was not embarrassed about. Been a long hike up the opt-fu hill since my Fighter/Duskblade with Quick Draw and Power Critical. Btw this is my first Tome of Battle-heavy character, not counting a 4th level hobgoblin samurai Warblade I used as an NPC in an E6 campaign.
Without further much ado about nothing, here ya go:
In my heart of hearts, this is a Scottish goblin ninja air pirate, but we'll see.
Gloamingbell Glass
Small Female TN Air Goblin (-2 STR, +4 DEX, -2 CON) Speed 30 ft.
STR 10
DEX 20
CON 14 (12 at 1st level; +1 at 4th and 8th level)
INT 14
WIS 14
CHA 8
1. Swordsage - Shadow Blade (1)
{Child of Shadow [Stance], Shadow Blade Technique, Wind Stride, Moment of Perfect Mind, Sapphire Nightmare Blade, Wolf Fang Strike, Sudden Leap}
She gets the crucial Shadow Blade feat, which allows her to add her DEX mod to damage when wielding weapons from the Shadow Hand school. (In this case, a short sword.)
The stance grants 20% concealment, SBT means roll 2d20 instead of 1, WS is a +10 ft. speed boost, MoPM replaces WILL saves with a Concentration check, SNB uses a Concentration check to flat-foot an opponent before an attack, WFS allows an attack with two weapons after a move, SL uses a Jump check to move as a swift action.
2. Swashbuckler - Weapon Finesse (B)
Let's get BAB, a FORT save, and DEX to hit. Now she can actually hit things with that short sword.
3. Thug Fighter - Adaptive Style (3), Two Weapon Fighting (B)
Let's make that TWO short swords. Adaptive Style changes the swordsage's recovery mechanic from a full-round action to refresh a maneuver to a full-round action to refresh all maneuvers and switch them if needed.
4. Swordsage
{Hunter's Sense [Stance], Cloak of Deception, Emerald Razor}
The stance grants Scent, CoD is a boost that gives greater invisibility until the end of your turn, ER turns a melee attack into a touch attack. This is also the level that the Swordsage steals the Monk's WIS to AC feature just to piss him off. And she can still wear light armor, snork snork snork.
5. Swordsage
{Shadow Jaunt}
Teleports 50 ft. through shadows as a standard action.
This level does not get a whole lot, but it's the calm before the storm.
6. Swordsage - Travel Devotion (6)
{Assassin's Stance [Stance], Soaring Raptor Strike, Mountain Hammer <drop Shadow Blade Technique>}
The stance grants +2d6 Sneak Attack, SRS uses a Jump check with DC as target's AC to land on a larger opponent (hey, good thing I'm Small, aheh heh heh) with +4 to attack and +6d6 damage. MH deals 2d6 damage and automatically overcomes DR. (Basically I just want it so I can hack through walls. Suppose I'll have to do some kinda homage to the Avatar episode "Bitter Work" since my queen of air and darkness here is learning an Earthending move.) Travel Devotion lets you move as a swift action for one minute, once per day. It is good.
7. Thug Fighter - Improved Two Weapon Fighting (B)
Hilariously, this finally get an iterative attack (BAB +6/+1) at the same time as taking ITWF, so all of a sudden she's doing two extra attacks on a full attack, which she's getting more often because of Travel Devotion. It's also worth noting that with all this multiclassing into Mr. Fight-Fight classes, her FORT save is actually pretty good, which is one of the reasons I feel comfortable having 12 CON; her HP might be a little lower (though it'll be nice rolling those 3d10 she'll get in her stabbiteering career) but she'll have a good FORT save and high AC from her ridiculous DEX, plus WIS to AC thing, and being Small for good measure.
8. Cleric - Domains: Travel, Air (traded for Air Devotion)
It's, uh, a traditional philosophical perspective amongst air goblins. Our services are conducted with wands of Bull's Strength. Which we can use now. Air Devotion trades the Air Domain for a 50% concealment 1 min./day deal. Travel Domain will only ever grant Longstrider, but that is perfectly fine by my fair goblin lady who makes lots of Jump checks. The two turn attempts (only two, cuz we're such a charming snot) will only, only ever be used to power another use of Travel Devotion. Also, the two ability score increases into CON pay off at this point and now she's got a goodly chunk more HP.
9. Swordsage - Gloom Razor (9)
{Hand of Death, Ruby Nightmare Blade}
Gloom Razor gives three different options based on concealment and they're all complicated so if you wanna know, look it up. Yes, I know you don't wanna look it up. Yes, I know you didn't really wanna see this anyway. Thank you for reading this far if you've read this far.
HoD paralyzes for 1d3 rounds with a DC 14+WIS mod WILL save. RNB does that Concentration check thing and then does double damage.
10. Swordsage
{Death From Above}
DC 20 Jump check to leap through the air and strike downward for +4d6 as we pass by. Opponent is considered flat-footed.
11. Swordsage
{Pouncing Charge, Dancing Mongoose <drop Wolf Fang Strike>}
DM is a boost that gives an extra attack with each weapon wielded (at the highest attack bonus.) PC is a strike that allows a charging move and then a full-round attack action. You might see where this is going: boost (a swift action, btw) with Dancing Mongoose and then initiate Pouncing Charge to run up to someone and attack them six times. Time to pile on a bunch of weapon enhancements and kill everything that moves, has moved, might move, or has thought about moving.
12. Swordsage - Extra Turning (12)
{Step of the Dancing Moth [Stance], Shadow Stride}
Stance let's her walk 5 ft. above the ground at a speed of 20 ft. SS teleports 50 ft. through shadows as a move action. Extra Turning means Travel Devotion can be activated two more times a day, so basically I can just move wherever I want forever now.
Haven't planned it out any higher cuz I'm not sure what to take for the rest of the maneuvers and stances, and have no idea about the last two feats - funny considering how I went out of my way to cram in bonus ones early on. But the whole build so far is supposed to be reasonably viable the whole way through so we needed those featses then, preciousss.
Btw, am I wrong, or would this play a little bit like Belkar? Pint-sized TWFing blender descending from the sky 'n all.
--Ok, this is me again. Or, this is me writing just for the forum again. That was the end of the letter. Try to pay attention, geez. Just adding in an addendum that my inspiration for this in the first place was not so much Belkar as Mildmay the Fox from Sarah Monette's Doctrine of Labyrinths series. Planning on making Glass here be someone who used to be an assassin but feels bad about it. We now return to our regularly scheduled whatever it is we're doing.
Anyway, I was gonna do a separate write-up to post here, but then I realized that my email letter did a pretty good job of explaining my reasoning. So I'm just posting it here as is. The only thing that's kinda weird is it explains a lot of stuff about Tome of Battle and certain feats, cuz otherwise it'd've been pretty gibberishy to him, but oh well. Guess you could use that to tell me if I've got anything wrong.
If anyone's got any ideas to improve this or where to go with it later (it stops at Level 12), feel free. But I mainly wanted to post a build I was not embarrassed about. Been a long hike up the opt-fu hill since my Fighter/Duskblade with Quick Draw and Power Critical. Btw this is my first Tome of Battle-heavy character, not counting a 4th level hobgoblin samurai Warblade I used as an NPC in an E6 campaign.
Without further much ado about nothing, here ya go:
In my heart of hearts, this is a Scottish goblin ninja air pirate, but we'll see.
Gloamingbell Glass
Small Female TN Air Goblin (-2 STR, +4 DEX, -2 CON) Speed 30 ft.
STR 10
DEX 20
CON 14 (12 at 1st level; +1 at 4th and 8th level)
INT 14
WIS 14
CHA 8
1. Swordsage - Shadow Blade (1)
{Child of Shadow [Stance], Shadow Blade Technique, Wind Stride, Moment of Perfect Mind, Sapphire Nightmare Blade, Wolf Fang Strike, Sudden Leap}
She gets the crucial Shadow Blade feat, which allows her to add her DEX mod to damage when wielding weapons from the Shadow Hand school. (In this case, a short sword.)
The stance grants 20% concealment, SBT means roll 2d20 instead of 1, WS is a +10 ft. speed boost, MoPM replaces WILL saves with a Concentration check, SNB uses a Concentration check to flat-foot an opponent before an attack, WFS allows an attack with two weapons after a move, SL uses a Jump check to move as a swift action.
2. Swashbuckler - Weapon Finesse (B)
Let's get BAB, a FORT save, and DEX to hit. Now she can actually hit things with that short sword.
3. Thug Fighter - Adaptive Style (3), Two Weapon Fighting (B)
Let's make that TWO short swords. Adaptive Style changes the swordsage's recovery mechanic from a full-round action to refresh a maneuver to a full-round action to refresh all maneuvers and switch them if needed.
4. Swordsage
{Hunter's Sense [Stance], Cloak of Deception, Emerald Razor}
The stance grants Scent, CoD is a boost that gives greater invisibility until the end of your turn, ER turns a melee attack into a touch attack. This is also the level that the Swordsage steals the Monk's WIS to AC feature just to piss him off. And she can still wear light armor, snork snork snork.
5. Swordsage
{Shadow Jaunt}
Teleports 50 ft. through shadows as a standard action.
This level does not get a whole lot, but it's the calm before the storm.
6. Swordsage - Travel Devotion (6)
{Assassin's Stance [Stance], Soaring Raptor Strike, Mountain Hammer <drop Shadow Blade Technique>}
The stance grants +2d6 Sneak Attack, SRS uses a Jump check with DC as target's AC to land on a larger opponent (hey, good thing I'm Small, aheh heh heh) with +4 to attack and +6d6 damage. MH deals 2d6 damage and automatically overcomes DR. (Basically I just want it so I can hack through walls. Suppose I'll have to do some kinda homage to the Avatar episode "Bitter Work" since my queen of air and darkness here is learning an Earthending move.) Travel Devotion lets you move as a swift action for one minute, once per day. It is good.
7. Thug Fighter - Improved Two Weapon Fighting (B)
Hilariously, this finally get an iterative attack (BAB +6/+1) at the same time as taking ITWF, so all of a sudden she's doing two extra attacks on a full attack, which she's getting more often because of Travel Devotion. It's also worth noting that with all this multiclassing into Mr. Fight-Fight classes, her FORT save is actually pretty good, which is one of the reasons I feel comfortable having 12 CON; her HP might be a little lower (though it'll be nice rolling those 3d10 she'll get in her stabbiteering career) but she'll have a good FORT save and high AC from her ridiculous DEX, plus WIS to AC thing, and being Small for good measure.
8. Cleric - Domains: Travel, Air (traded for Air Devotion)
It's, uh, a traditional philosophical perspective amongst air goblins. Our services are conducted with wands of Bull's Strength. Which we can use now. Air Devotion trades the Air Domain for a 50% concealment 1 min./day deal. Travel Domain will only ever grant Longstrider, but that is perfectly fine by my fair goblin lady who makes lots of Jump checks. The two turn attempts (only two, cuz we're such a charming snot) will only, only ever be used to power another use of Travel Devotion. Also, the two ability score increases into CON pay off at this point and now she's got a goodly chunk more HP.
9. Swordsage - Gloom Razor (9)
{Hand of Death, Ruby Nightmare Blade}
Gloom Razor gives three different options based on concealment and they're all complicated so if you wanna know, look it up. Yes, I know you don't wanna look it up. Yes, I know you didn't really wanna see this anyway. Thank you for reading this far if you've read this far.
HoD paralyzes for 1d3 rounds with a DC 14+WIS mod WILL save. RNB does that Concentration check thing and then does double damage.
10. Swordsage
{Death From Above}
DC 20 Jump check to leap through the air and strike downward for +4d6 as we pass by. Opponent is considered flat-footed.
11. Swordsage
{Pouncing Charge, Dancing Mongoose <drop Wolf Fang Strike>}
DM is a boost that gives an extra attack with each weapon wielded (at the highest attack bonus.) PC is a strike that allows a charging move and then a full-round attack action. You might see where this is going: boost (a swift action, btw) with Dancing Mongoose and then initiate Pouncing Charge to run up to someone and attack them six times. Time to pile on a bunch of weapon enhancements and kill everything that moves, has moved, might move, or has thought about moving.
12. Swordsage - Extra Turning (12)
{Step of the Dancing Moth [Stance], Shadow Stride}
Stance let's her walk 5 ft. above the ground at a speed of 20 ft. SS teleports 50 ft. through shadows as a move action. Extra Turning means Travel Devotion can be activated two more times a day, so basically I can just move wherever I want forever now.
Haven't planned it out any higher cuz I'm not sure what to take for the rest of the maneuvers and stances, and have no idea about the last two feats - funny considering how I went out of my way to cram in bonus ones early on. But the whole build so far is supposed to be reasonably viable the whole way through so we needed those featses then, preciousss.
Btw, am I wrong, or would this play a little bit like Belkar? Pint-sized TWFing blender descending from the sky 'n all.
--Ok, this is me again. Or, this is me writing just for the forum again. That was the end of the letter. Try to pay attention, geez. Just adding in an addendum that my inspiration for this in the first place was not so much Belkar as Mildmay the Fox from Sarah Monette's Doctrine of Labyrinths series. Planning on making Glass here be someone who used to be an assassin but feels bad about it. We now return to our regularly scheduled whatever it is we're doing.