Swift Ambusher

[FocusWolf413]

I'm thinking of a new character to play if my Cutthroat Soulknife dies. I've decided on a Swift Ambusher (or maaaybe a Stalker, but that's for another thread). How does this build look?

Whisper Gnome
Unchained Rogue 3 Swordsage 1 Scout 3 Unchained Rogue 4-x

I'd put my Finesse Training into daggers, be in the Island of Blades stance, and use desert wind dodge and the mobility enchanment go get spring attack. Swift ambush is going to be my main m
I'll probably pick up craven and staggering strike, along with the standard rogue feats.

[Zaq]

Without invisibility or easy HiPS, it's very difficult to get both Skirmish and Sneak Attack on a single attack. If you have lots of melee allies, Island of Blades (as you mentioned) does make things a little easier, but it's still not trivial to move 10 ft AND be flanking someone, especially if you're trying to focus fire on a high-priority target (and not just shank some random enemy). If you're trying to use Improved Skirmish, it's going to be basically impossible to pull off attacking the same target two rounds in a row, unless it's very accommodating and moves just the right distance away from you (but before your flanking buddy goes again, so they can get back in position).

Swift Ambusher LOOKS like you're going to just be throwing around a massive pile of dice every turn. And I'm not saying it will never work—occasionally, things will line up perfectly, and you'll get to plunk a bunch of d6s down on the table at once. And you'll probably be able to get Sneak Attack or Skirmish on most rounds, so that's a consolation prize. But it's not likely that you're going to get your massive pile of dice every round. You might be better off investing in ways of getting multiple attacks after moving, so you're going to get multiple instances of SA and/or Skirmish when they do work.

[FocusWolf413]

Advice and criticism.

I agree that it will be pretty difficult to get both, however if I pick up the Cloak of Deception maneuver, I can get both skirmish and SA pretty easily. Maybe I should pick up pounce via Barbarian. That would definitely help my damage output.

[BowStreetRunner]

Dark Creature template (ToM 158-161) gives a movement bonus, HiPS, and a decent bonus to Hide and Move Silently. All-in-all, it's the sort of template that would really benefit a Swift Ambusher.

[Rebel7284]

Dark Creature template (ToM 158-161) gives a movement bonus, HiPS, and a decent bonus to Hide and Move Silently. All-in-all, it's the sort of template that would really benefit a Swift Ambusher.

And best of all, you can get this template on a magic item without having to take the LA! As I recall, the "All day" version of Collar of Umbral Metamorphosis is around 22K.

Also, I feel a cleric dip with travel devotion is a better idea than barbarian. You don't have quite as many uses for your swift actions as a caster (swordsage helps a bit though), and move actions >> charging in this case. Also, having access to level 1 cleric spells can be very useful.

Note that you want to wait until character level 5 to take that swordsage level. Taking it at 5 gives you total initiator level 3 which lets you pick second level maneuvers. Several of those are amazing for you in particular Shadow Jaunt and Cloak of Deception.

[torrasque666]

And best of all, you can get this template on a magic item without having to take the LA! As I recall, the "All day" version of Collar of Umbral Metamorphosis is around 22K. Sorry, what? No where in it does it say you get to nix the LA. It says it bestows the Dark Creature Template, with all that entails. Unless it says it doesn't give LA, it gives the LA. Yeah, sure you can just take it off when it comes time to level, but that doesn't change the dairy content of the item.

[lsfreak]

Note that the version of HiPS given by the Dark template is the worst one available - you can hide while being observed, but you still need concealment and it just doesn't function in daylight or daylight. Compare that to the shadowdancer version that lets you hide whenever there's a shadow within 10 feet besides your own.

One option if you're going barbarian for pounce, depending on how you're combining 3.5 and PF sources, is to grab a second level using the UA/SRD Wolf Totem to grab Improved Trip without prereqs, and get Knockdown (powered by your extra dice).