Muska, Starknife Throwing Fighter

[Triskavanski]

Looking at the new weapon master's handbook I've decided to make a charkaram fighter using the new startoss style.

Human (Varsarian)
Weapon Master Fighter

1: Weapon Focus (Starknife) 1: Point Blank Shot 1: Precise Shot
2: Startoss Style
3: Startoss Comet
4: Startos Shower
5: Quick draw
6: Ricocet Toss
7: Perfect Style
8: Weapon Style Mastery
9: Unfolding Wind Strike



This is kinda what I'm looking at at the moment for feats and the like.

The end reseult is the ability to attack a number of targets in a 40 range of the primary target as a standard action. Other ideas is to go chakarum instead and get vital strike.

[Triskavanski]

Now I could possibly hold back on the second style, and pick up some of the weapon mastery abilities. Like the one that gives a weapon the damage of a war priest's chosen weapon. And/Or Pick up Vital strike to use with the startoss style, so the first target is hit with loads more dice of weapon damage, even if the others hit still would take only the non-vital strike damage.

[Florian]

Still pretty much uninpressive, if you ask me.

[Triskavanski]

How so? Can you explain why its unimpressive?

[Florian]

How so? Can you explain why its unimpressive?

As a primary combat role, it's simply lacking in raw damage and is even more lacking in aquiring riders or free action maneuvers.

I think most of the stuff would work better with a regular Desna-themed TWF fighter to have an option besides switching to Longbow.

[Triskavanski]

None of it would work with a bow and arrow or two weapon fighting. Startoss style only functions if you have one hand open. You get +6 to damage with the throwing weapons with the whole style.

[Sayt]

The thing is, you'd get as much damage from Deadly Aim at 8th level for one feat. Now, I don't know what else the feats actually do, as they're not on the SRD.


However, Perfect Style and Unfolding Wind Strike seem a little, well, not quite worth it. I'd drop them both for Deadly Aim and Rapid Shot. I'd pick up a Blinkback belt ASAP. If you're allowed third party material, I strongly recommend the Powerful Throw feat from Akashic Mysteries, and substituting Power Attack for Deadly Aim.

[Triskavanski]

They're feats in the new weapon Master's handbook. And as for what they do Xena (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMCuQ353Lv8) can show you. Well.. Maaaybe not that many times.

[Vhaidara]

Video is not helpful. That would be the fluff. According to fluff, fighter is actually good at fighting. We all know that's a lie, so show us mechanics.

[Triskavanski]

Its from the Weapon Master's Handbook, Basically, Standard action while in stance , make an ranged attack with a throwing weapon against the first target. If it hits, you do damage as normal, and then make another attack against another target within first range increment of thrown weapon, as if you were attacking from the square the first target was hit. If that hits, repeat, until you do a certain number of attacks based on your BAB (But each of them is at your full bab) and you can't hit the same target more than once with these attacks. You can use vital strike with this, but only does VS dmg against the first target.

Then Ricochet Toss comes in, and after the attacks are resolved the thrown weapon immediately comes back to you. Even if you missed.

[Florian]

@Triskavanski:

These "Chain Attack" things always look good in theorie and on paper, but will fail to deliver and disappoint you.

Unlike your typical archer, you need to keep hitting your targets for further ricochet attacks to happen. One miss stops the chain. Now, that doesn't bother the regular archer as he works his way though the iterative attacks and that's it. The levels we're talking about, simple stuff like Mirror Image and Displacement can be pretty common, layering on a second defense besides pure AC. On a funny note, even a simple Monk can block the whole chain with deflext/catch arrow.

That's why I said it looks like a nice gimmick to have when you're already having a high Dex character using starknives.

[Triskavanski]

I'll admit I hadn't thought of those ones just triggering the "Miss" condition. Perhaps if you've got a DM who doesn't put the players in a 'empty room', or players who think to capitalize on environmental hazards.

Like one of the pages of OOTS when V blasts a lich's mount. The Weapon Master does at least have some ability of unraveling those miss chance powers.

[Psyren]

Unfortunately, I'm not a subscriber (I have no space or use for the physical copies that come with that) and the PDF isn't available to non-subscribers for 9 more days, with the SRD likely being updated some time after even that. So without the text of these new abilities to read for myself I can't really offer any advice or critique to this build, at least for now.

[Triskavanski]

Once its released or at least closer I'll post the things that it has. But I've just noticed the counter feats for this build that allow a character to deflect arrows with a melee weapon you're equipped with.. Well its better and worse than deflect arrows. Cut from the Air uses up AoO, and you have to make an attack roll, but you can eventually get the ability to cut massive ranged weapons and ranged spells that require an atack roll