Dervish Dancer Bard Archetype

[Reprimand]

So I was looking at my copy of ultimate combat and I know bards aren't great at melee combat but is there a way to make this work with twf and kukris?

because the soul breaker enchantment from ultimate psionics and this would just be funny as all get out.

something like a fort save vs a permanent negative level everytime I get a crit.

Plus I like mobile skirmishers so any ideas for making this work?

[Vhaidara]

Is there a reason you want to use Bard? I personally recommend Stalker from Path of War for this (you seem okay with DSP since you're using UPsi).
Keen Kukris have a 15-20 crit range. You grab the Critical Edge Stalker Art for 14-20, then Deadly Pairing if you have a teammate. Deadly Pairing requires a Steel Serpent stance and Deadly Strike. It makes it so that if you are flanking with someone else who has Deadly Pairing, your crit range increases by 1 (13-20). If you are in a Steel Serpent stance, then it increases by another 1 (12-20).

[elonin]

Are you talking about the feat or the archetype? For the feat it's not a bad x/y feat if you are a one hand melee who would use weapon finesse. For the Bard, Pathfinder might have changed the class enough to make it work. My main concern is for a class that isn't a primary melee type you aren't buffing your part.

[Reprimand]

Is there a reason you want to use Bard? I personally recommend Stalker from Path of War for this (you seem okay with DSP since you're using UPsi).
Keen Kukris have a 15-20 crit range. You grab the Critical Edge Stalker Art for 14-20, then Deadly Pairing if you have a teammate. Deadly Pairing requires a Steel Serpent stance and Deadly Strike. It makes it so that if you are flanking with someone else who has Deadly Pairing, your crit range increases by 1 (13-20). If you are in a Steel Serpent stance, then it increases by another 1 (12-20).

it stacks with improved crit? Wow. how does all this work or is there a way to build around this?

I also was going to go with bard because of the coveted full attack on a charge thing.

But this looks even better!

[Vhaidara]

Um...I just explained how you build around this. The problem is, in order to get the last two points, you either need another Stalker in your party or you need to pick up Leadership for a flanking buddy. But you just play a Stalker with a focus on Steel Serpent, grab the TWF chain (extra feats via Stalker Arts can help with this) Add on some Thrashing Dragon maneuvers (like Leaping Dragon for swift action movement)

Actually, you can do this with only 2 levels in Stalker.

Here's an example of a Tiefling Stalker (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=79637) going for a build like this. Sadly, none of my allies are Stalkers, so no grabbing 12-20 crit range.

[deuxhero]

You could dip 3 levels of inquisitor. edit: You can actually increase it even further with a Ring of Tactical Precision (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/rings/ring-of-tactical-precision)

If you want a LOT of criticals though, at level 12 or higher your best bet is actually a natural attack based Barbarian (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/barbarian/rage-powers/paizo---rage-powers/boar-s-charge) with a Beaststrike Club (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/magic-weapons/specific-magic-weapons/beaststrike-club) (gets multiple attacks as a manufactured weapon, but counts as a gore for triggering effects) and an actual gore attack (racial, rage power or Helm of the Mammoth Lord), with pounce (preferablly from Primal FUry) and maybe pair it with free movement boosts to get back in charge range quickly.

[grarrrg]

Are you talking about the feat or the archetype?

Hooray for Paizo naming everything the same/similar!
There is the Dervish Dance (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat-feats/dervish-dance-combat) feat, which lets you use DEX with ONE Scimitar
Dawnflower Dervish (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/bard/archetypes/paizo---bard-archetypes/dawnflower-dervish) archetype, which grants the Dervish Dance feat.
And then there is ANOTHER archetype called the Dervish Dancer (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/bard/archetypes/paizo---bard-archetypes/dervish-dancer), which is completely unrelated to the other two, except for the name.

Given that he asked about TWF Kukris, I'm going to have to assume he means the last option.

The Pounce-like Dance of Fury is tricky, as you MUST keep moving, and gaining little to protect you from AoO's. Mobility (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat-feats/mobility-combat---final)-like effects would be handy here, along with any way to get a Miss-Chance on yourself.
You do get a +1/2 level bonus to Perform (Dance) which can be used in place of Acrobatics. You are going to want to boost this, as it gives you another layer of AoO defense.

[Reprimand]

Um...I just explained how you build around this. The problem is, in order to get the last two points, you either need another Stalker in your party or you need to pick up Leadership for a flanking buddy. But you just play a Stalker with a focus on Steel Serpent, grab the TWF chain (extra feats via Stalker Arts can help with this) Add on some Thrashing Dragon maneuvers (like Leaping Dragon for swift action movement)

Actually, you can do this with only 2 levels in Stalker.

Here's an example of a Tiefling Stalker (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=79637) going for a build like this. Sadly, none of my allies are Stalkers, so no grabbing 12-20 crit range.

The example helps me see it better sorry for being obtuse I know you explained it I just needed an idea of what it looked like this is very helpful! Thank you!

[Reprimand]

You could dip 3 levels of inquisitor. edit: You can actually increase it even further with a Ring of Tactical Precision (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/rings/ring-of-tactical-precision)

Which teamwork feat increases crit range? I can't find anything like that other than seize the moment and that just lets me make extra attacks.

[deuxhero]

Deadly Pairing. You quoted a post mentioning it.

[Vhaidara]

Deadly Pairing. You quoted a post mentioning it.

:smalleek:

I missed that Deadly Pairing was a teamwork feat.

[grarrrg]

then Deadly Pairing if you have a teammate. Deadly Pairing requires a Steel Serpent stance and Deadly Strike. It makes it so that if you are flanking with someone else who has Deadly Pairing, your crit range increases by 1 (13-20). If you are in a Steel Serpent stance, then it increases by another 1 (12-20).

Deadly Pairing would only give a 1 point increase (decrease?).
You and your ally must be flanking the same creature and one of you must be in a Steel Serpent stance. So you must do both to have the bonus.

[Vhaidara]

Whenever you and another ally that possesses this feat flank a creature, both you and that ally increase the critical threat range of your weapons by 1 (so a weapon with a 19-20 threat range would increase to 18-20). This increases by an additional 1 if you or your ally are in a stance from the Steel Serpent discipline.

Emphasis mine.

[grarrrg]

Emphasis mine.

In that case the pfsrd is filled with LIES (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/path-of-war/feats#TOC-Deadly-Pairing-Teamwork-)! LIES I TELL YOU!

[Vhaidara]

Well, it is possible that it might have been changed. My PDF contains a few other things that Elric has confirmed were changed.

[Peat]

Hooray for Paizo naming everything the same/similar!
There is the Dervish Dance (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat-feats/dervish-dance-combat) feat, which lets you use DEX with ONE Scimitar
Dawnflower Dervish (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/bard/archetypes/paizo---bard-archetypes/dawnflower-dervish) archetype, which grants the Dervish Dance feat.
And then there is ANOTHER archetype called the Dervish Dancer (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/bard/archetypes/paizo---bard-archetypes/dervish-dancer), which is completely unrelated to the other two, except for the name.

Given that he asked about TWF Kukris, I'm going to have to assume he means the last option.

The Pounce-like Dance of Fury is tricky, as you MUST keep moving, and gaining little to protect you from AoO's. Mobility (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat-feats/mobility-combat---final)-like effects would be handy here, along with any way to get a Miss-Chance on yourself.
You do get a +1/2 level bonus to Perform (Dance) which can be used in place of Acrobatics. You are going to want to boost this, as it gives you another layer of AoO defense.

Panther Style?

There's some fairly heavy requisites for that feat chain - although a high WIS and Improved Unarmed Strike can be somewhat got around by spending hard cash - but it would give an extra bit of protection/allow him to lay out more criticals. Fitting Panther and TWF onto a Bard might be a little difficult simply in terms of all those feats mind.