[3.5e] Requesting help with the new character (again)

[Kuu Lightwing]

...but Kuu, you just built a Psion a few weeks ago? Yes. Yes I did, and I actually quite liked Agatha. She really helped to solve the encounter and rescue a girl with few tactical Dimension Doors (getting most of the party out of Evard's Black Tentacles was pretty cool!). However, our group decided that we are not ready for levels 7+, and I actually supported that, since some people were getting really nervous and did not enjoy the game.

So, we decided to start from level 4. Setting is a bit different now, and it's actually a northern region, so we expect it to be cold. Sometimes really cold. It's somewhat Skyrim-inspired, so there's the "Great Empire", some native nations, some tribes, and stuff like that.

So, I'm actually not quite sure what to play. Even though I supported the idea to go back to lower levels I found out that I don't have any good character ideas or concepts. At first I thought about making a Psychic Warrior who focuses on claw and bite attacks, but I think I'll take a break from psionics.

Currently my concept - the one I would most likely to play - is Corvo Attano or Emily Kaldwin from Dishonored. Mechanically I think the best bet would be a Swordsage. In fact, that idea came to me because of Shadow Hand discipline - the Shadow Jaunt line and other suprenatural maneuvers which have kinda the same vibe as powers granted by the Outsider from Dishonored.

So, how do I build such a character? Do I have to go TWF? I never actually played Swordsage, so I'm not sure how to approach it... Do I have to go Weapon Finesse and Shadow Blade? But it only applies if I'm in Shadow Hand stance, but there are some other good stances, right?

I think about focusing on Shadow Hand, Setting Sun and Diamond Mind, and get my Dicipline Focus abilities as following: Weapon Focus (Shadow Hand) - to get Focus with the weapons I'm going to use - dagger and shortsword, Insightful Strikes (Diamond Mind) - since probably most damaging strikes would come from this discipline. Desert Wind also quite tempting, because in our cold setting monsters are less likely to have Fire resistance, but I guess it doesn't fit the theme that well. Tiger Claw I'm considering, but I'm afraid I won't be having enough skills to boost my Jump check high enough and I'm not sure if fluff (animal growling - that kind of stuff) fits it.

Race: Human.
32 Point Buy, for now I assigned it as following:

STR: 10
DEX: 16
CON: 14
INT: 12
WIZ: 16
CHA: 8

Probably fits Corvo more than Emily, but I guess low CHA doesn't mean that character is looking bad. Still Emily probably would have high CHA score. But, she would be more of an inspiration for the character rather than making a character her copy. I can drop WIZ to 15 and boost CHA to 10 and since we're 4th level, I can boost WIZ to 16 straight away.

Feats: Adaptive Style (Human), Shadow Blade (Level 1), Weapon Finesse (Level 3)

Maneuvers:

Level 1:
- Sapphire Nightmare Blade
- Moment of Perfect Mind
- Shadow Blade Technique
- Counter Charge (thinking about swapping it for Burning Blade)
- Mighty Throw

Level 2:
- Cloak of Deception
- Shadow Jaunt
- Emerald Razor (Maybe Mountain Hammer instead?)

Stances:
- Child of Shadows (Shadow Hand)
- Step of the Wind (Setting Sun)

Discipline Focus:
- Shadow Hand (Weapon Focus)
- Diamond Mind (Insightful Strikes)

I'm not quite happy with this one, though. It means she would use a one-handed weapon and nothing in other hand, which I guess is sub-optimal, but it fits the theme of the character. TWF I really don't want to get into because of the heavy feat requirements. I already used all my feats to get Dex-to-attack, Dex-to-damage and good maneuver recovery mechanic and I'm not sure if I can afford to go TWF with this.

Thoughs? Suggestions?

[ExLibrisMortis]

Your build is fine, that's just how much it takes. It's the curse of dex-dependancy: it eats up feats like nobody's business - I think Pathfinder is slightly better about it, with specific class features helping out.

You might like to use a different race, something +dex and/or +wis. There aren't a lot of options, and most come down to planetouched: the Khepri and the Zenythri both have dex and wis, but neither has officially been published as lesser planetouched, so they have LA+1 until you adjust them.

[Sian]

best of both worlds would be to pick Strongheart Halfing (Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting) ... Vanilla Halfling, except instead of +1 on all Saves they get a Bonus feat

[Kuu Lightwing]

Well, I think something that's not human wouldn't work well with the character concept. And we're probably won't use races from other campaign settings (I thought about making a Warforged initiator inspired by Genji from Overwatch, but we don't have any Warforged here)

Sooo, any advice on maneuvers/disciplines? Would dropping Tiger Claw and not using TWF hurt me a lot? I might have slight problem with not having enough damaging maneuvers...

[Troacctid]

Strength-based swordsages are totally viable. Imagine a multiclass barbarian/rogue. That's basically you.

You rely less on two-weapon fighting for your damage and use big single strikes instead. You'll probably take more Stone Dragon and less Tiger Claw—you can do TWF with armor spikes, but it definitely drops in value. Power Attack is also a thing—works great with Emerald Razor.

[Manyasone]

If your DM allows DSP material play a Stalker with focus on Veiled Moon and scarlet throne (available in expanded via a stalker art) maybe even some cursed razor. Try for an Umbral Blade PrC. It really fits Corvo and the Outsider best I think, thematically

[weckar]

If your DM allows DSP material play a Stalker with focus on Veiled Moon and scarlet throne (available in expanded via a stalker art) maybe even some cursed razor. Try for an Umbral Blade PrC. It really fits Corvo and the Outsider best I think, thematically

Isn't that Pathfinder material anyway?

[Manyasone]

Isn't that Pathfinder material anyway?

Yes, but Dreamscarred Press is not Paizo. Some DM's won't allow it

[weckar]

Yes, but Dreamscarred Press is not Paizo. Some DM's won't allow itPoint being that the OP describes a 3.5 game, not a Pathfinder game; not the fact that i's 3rd party.

[Manyasone]

Point being that the OP describes a 3.5 game, not a Pathfinder game; not the fact that i's 3rd party.
In this you are correct, so the OP needs to clarify if they are backporting or not...I've seen it happening, but I don't really get that

[Sian]

I'd go from the expectation that backporting aren't allowed unless explicitly stated otherwise

[Kuu Lightwing]

Yea, it's a 3.5 game. Sorry, didn't specify. But I thought Pathfinder doesn't have Swordsages so I thought it would be clear enough ;) And we don't backport PF material.

As for STR based, I feel like it won't fit the character concept that well. And I would enjoy DEX to AC, Hide, Move Silently and other stuff.

Anyhoo, I'll consider TWF variant with Tiger Claw and less focus on Shadow Hand. Maybe not completely TWF-dependent, but using it fairly often. Thus I replace Shadow Blade with TWF feat (I guess the rest of TWF feats is a waste of time for a swordsage anyways).

The maneuvers would look something like this:

Level 1:
- Wolf Fang Strike (TC)
- Moment of Perfect Mind (DM)
- Sudden Leap (TC)
- Burning Blade (DW)
- Mighty Throw (SS)

Level 2:
- Burning Brand (DW)
- Shadow Jaunt (SH)
- Claw at the Moon (TC)

Stances:
- Child of Shadows (SH)
- Step of the Wind (SS)

Discipline Focus:
- Shadow Hand (Weapon Focus)
- Tiger Claw (Insightful Strikes)


Flashing Sun I think is not worth it, because it would mean something like -4/-4/-2 to my attacks and unlike Wolf Fang Strike it requires a full attack. Basically, I mostly use Tiger Claw for strikes, Desert Wind for boosts, Shadow Hand and Setting Sun for utility. I plan on getting some more maneuvers from Diamond Mind later, probably Insightful Strike and the fort save replacer.

Soo, does it look good?

[Extra Anchovies]

Setting is a bit different now, and it's actually a northern region, so we expect it to be cold. Sometimes really cold. It's somewhat Skyrim-inspired, so there's the "Great Empire", some native nations, some tribes, and stuff like that.

Do you know, beyond this, where your characters will be at the start of the game and what they will be doing there? I always find it best to start with those facts in mind, figure out a character concept that has a reason to be in the circumstances where the game begins and that fits with a build you want to try, and work from there.

[Kuu Lightwing]

There are a bit more info and details on the setting, but we don't know yet what are we going to do and why. We are going to start in the imperial city (the capital I think) and our party so far mostly consists of imperials - a Wizard who got expelled from the academy because of some accident that lead to death of a person, a warmage (don't know anything about her), and my character. But there would be a guy from one of the tribes (I hope from the one that was supported by the Empire, so we won't have conflicts IN the party) and a bard gnome. Probably we would be a group of imperial agents or something like that.

My character probably would be an ex-noble who at some point lost everything she had, probably as a result of some political intrigue or something and had to run and hide. It is work in progress of course, but that's where I would probably start with her.

[Extra Anchovies]

There are a bit more info and details on the setting, but we don't know yet what are we going to do and why.

Why? Why do GMs do this to their players? It's this sort of thing that gets parties with no reason to care about each other or about the narrative presented by the GM :smallannoyed:


My character probably would be an ex-noble who at some point lost everything she had, probably as a result of some political intrigue or something and had to run and hide. It is work in progress of course, but that's where I would probably start with her.

That's a starting point, yeah. If you want a swordsage, consider tying that into the backstory - perhaps the practice of the Sublime Way (or at least its more supernatural elements, e.g. Shadow Hand) is taboo among the nobility? Not necessarily illegal, but heavily frowned upon to the point that your character's involvement in those martial arts would be enough for her to lose friends, supporters, patrons, etc if it became public knowledge. Some of the other nobles could be sympathetic but unwilling to break cultural norms ("I wish I could help you, but what would my family think if they saw me with you?"), and your character's goal (at least for now) could be to regain her status and show the nobility that learning to manipulate ki is not a mark of dishonor. How's that?

[rrwoods]

I just want to point out that Clinging Shadow Strike is actually a decent maneuver for 1st-level. The short description for some reason leaves off the fact that you get +1d6 damage every time you hit with it, which led me not to select it on my swordsage character. Easy to overlook.

Starting at 4th-level it might not be as desirable anyway, but I figure because it's easy to miss it's worth pointing out.

[Demidos]

I watched a couple of the trailers to see what sort of things you had in mind. I wasn't clear if you were committed to Swordsage. I totally support swordsage, but since I am not familiar enough with the TOB to help with particulars, I'll offer some other options.


Duskblade - fights one handed, spellcaster, on par with swordsage
Warlock -- Maybe the best fit, with refluffed Eldritch Claws can fight onehanded and possesses relevant shadow/assassin related abilities, many of which are visually already similar to those shown in the trailers.
Sorcadin -- A mix of paladin and sorcerer, so fights or casts. Really starts shining around 4th/5th.
Binder -- Can be a bit tricky to make useful enough at mid/low levels (between 4-7), unfortunately.

[Kuu Lightwing]

Why? Why do GMs do this to their players? It's this sort of thing that gets parties with no reason to care about each other or about the narrative presented by the GM :smallannoyed:

Setting is still a work in progress too. DM is currently on a vacation and he writes stuff when he has spare time.


That's a starting point, yeah. If you want a swordsage, consider tying that into the backstory - perhaps the practice of the Sublime Way (or at least its more supernatural elements, e.g. Shadow Hand) is taboo among the nobility? Not necessarily illegal, but heavily frowned upon to the point that your character's involvement in those martial arts would be enough for her to lose friends, supporters, patrons, etc if it became public knowledge. Some of the other nobles could be sympathetic but unwilling to break cultural norms ("I wish I could help you, but what would my family think if they saw me with you?"), and your character's goal (at least for now) could be to regain her status and show the nobility that learning to manipulate ki is not a mark of dishonor. How's that?

That sounds like something... Although Sublime Way is not well-known in this setting, so I would probably go with some monastery or temple who taught her after she's got disowned/her family got destroyed (not too likely for a noble family, though). Maybe she had a talent tied to Shadow Hand for example... and as a noble she didn't learn to do anything to earn money and thus lived by stealing food or something, using her talent (Child of the Shadow stance works perfectly actually), and got noticed by a master from a temple and he offered her to teach the Sublime Way or something along these lines...

[Kuu Lightwing]

I watched a couple of the trailers to see what sort of things you had in mind. I wasn't clear if you were committed to Swordsage. I totally support swordsage, but since I am not familiar enough with the TOB to help with particulars, I'll offer some other options.


Duskblade - fights one handed, spellcaster, on par with swordsage
Warlock -- Maybe the best fit, with refluffed Eldritch Claws can fight onehanded and possesses relevant shadow/assassin related abilities, many of which are visually already similar to those shown in the trailers.
Sorcadin -- A mix of paladin and sorcerer, so fights or casts. Really starts shining around 4th/5th.
Binder -- Can be a bit tricky to make useful enough at mid/low levels (between 4-7), unfortunately.


Thanks! I think I'm going to make her a Swordsage, though. Not only it fits pretty well, but also I wanted to try a Swordsage for some time already.
BTW, I had a Duskblade character - she was based on this girl (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt9vl8iAN5Q), and I liked how it worked in the end.

[Kuu Lightwing]

Guys? Any opinion on the second build? Maybe some advice? Which one looks better?

[LastOblivion]

To begin with, always take Cloak of Deception. Its a maneuver with great amount of uses that won't see start aging till you start fighting enemies with true sight.

2nd, Rabid Wolf Strikes always trumps Claw at the Moon in my book. The only times I would take Claw at the moon over Rabid Wolf Strike is on a crit-fisher.

3rd, Burning Brand has its uses, everyone loves reach. But if your not built to capitalize on your reach you will find yourself rarely using it. If this was a spell, it would be the kind the wizard does not prepare but instead keeps a scroll of it around for the day he needs it.

4th, Unless your DM loves making fancy death trap battle maps with a solid amount of difficult terrain (like i do), then there isn't a lot of use for step of the wind. Trade it out for Island of Blades or Flame's Blessings. Don't forget that stances count as maneuvers for prerequisites of other feats and maneuvers, so taking a stance you might not use to unlock some maneuvers is an option.

5th, the Mountain hammer tree is always worth considering. Never underestimate the damage DR soaks up, not to mention its abundant and your DM has to tell you when they have it ("your blade can't seem to piece the monster's hide.") In addition Mountain Hammer also break objects. Doors and chains are tough to break with damage, and if you only have a round or two to do it, mountain hammer can save your life.

In conclusion:

My recommendations:

Level 2:
- Cloak of Deception (SH)
- Shadow Jaunt (SH)
- Mountain Hammer (SD)

Stances:
- Child of Shadows (SH)
- Flame's Blessings (DW)

[Kuu Lightwing]

Well, I take Step of the Wind because our campaign might to feature a lot of snow and stuff like that and also to fulfill some prerequisites for Setting Sun, because I haven't find quite a lot of stuff that I would want to take until later where maneuvers already require 2+ other maneuvers as prerequisites. Burning Brand I took basically for the same reason - next maneuver from "Burning Blade" line requires 2 DW maneuvers, and I want to replace Burning Blade with it.

Rabid Wolf Strike - I just don't want AC penalty. I won't be killing anybody with one hit, so, -4 AC would be relevant. Claw at the Moon is just safer. And yes, prerequisites again.

Mountain Hammer is great, but I'm not quite sure if I have enough room for it. Basically it's the only maneuver from Stone Dragon that is worth considering taking, because all the others from the same line require more investment in Stone Dragon, and most of the SD maneuvers are not that great. Well, there's Mountain Tombstone Strike, but I bet that having no prerequisites is just a mistake.

[Darrin]

Level 1:
- Wolf Fang Strike (TC)
- Moment of Perfect Mind (DM)
- Sudden Leap (TC)
- Burning Blade (DW)
- Mighty Throw (SS)


I like grabbing Sudden Leap even if I'm not TWFing (although I have no idea why I would *not* be TWFing). Taking Wolf Fang Strike is kinda required. However, even if you're using just one weapon, you can still have a second weapon available by adding armor spikes or a gauntlet.

I'm not a big fan of the Mighty Throw line, though. If I'm TWFing, then I'll probably have another boost/counter there, such as Distracting Ember or Counter Charge.



Level 2:
- Burning Brand (DW)
- Shadow Jaunt (SH)
- Claw at the Moon (TC)


I'd take Mountain Hammer instead of Claw at the Moon. They are both standard action strikes that do +2d6 damage, but Mountain Hammer doesn't require a jump check, and ignoring DR/hardness is just too darned useful.

Kinda missing Cloak of Deception... also too darned useful.



Stances:
- Child of Shadows (SH)
- Step of the Wind (SS)


If there are any rogues in the party, I'd swap Child of Shadows for Island of Blades. Actually, I'd probably do that even if there weren't rogues in the party. +2 flanking bonus just for standing next to an ally? Yes have some!



Soo, does it look good?

Looks good.

[Kuu Lightwing]

Thanks for the advice, guys. Sorry for being so slow to respond.

Taking that into account I'm now considering two variants:

1) Single attacks. Focus on Shadow Hand and Diamond mind. This one feels more fitting the original character concept and that's why I'm more inclined to use this one. Heavy usage of Shadow Hand stances to get DEX-to-damage with my shortsword or dagger. (Overall it's WIZ to damage when using Diamond Mind maneuvers + DEX to damage for Shadow Blade which grants +6 to damage total)

Level 1
Mighty Throw (SS)
Moment of Perfect Mind (DM)
Shadow Blade Technique (SH)
Sapphire Nightmare Blade (DM)
Burning Blade (DW)

Level 2
Mointain Hammer (SD)
Cloak of Deception (SH)
Shadow Jaunt (SH)

Stances:
Child of Shadow (SH)
Island of Blades (SH)

Feats:
Adaptive Style (lvl 1)
Shadow Blade (Human)
Weapon Finesse (lvl 3)

If I go this route I'll grab

2) TWF and Tiger Claw. This might be a bit more powerful, because of extra attacks used with Burning Blade, but TWF imposes a to-hit penalty, even if I use the maneuvers (Wolf Fang Strike). Provided I don't have that high of a DEX score (16), I might miss a lot, so it might end up being pretty bad. And the tastiest maneuvers from TC are the Mongoose strikes, which don't come into play until later - and I'm not sure if we would even get there with these characters. I also don't have enough feats to get DEX to damage, because I kinda need that TWF feat.

It also doesn't fit the original character concept as well as previous build - that was relying on evasion and supernatural aspects of Shadow Hand, while this is more about attacking with fiery rage of some animal :)

Level 1
Burning Blade (DW)
Mighty Throw (SS)
Moment of Perfect Mind (DM)
Wolf Fang Strike (TC)
Sudden Leap (TC)

Level 2:
Mointain Hammer (SD)
Cloak of Deception (SH)
Shadow Jaunt (SH)

Stances:
Step of the Wind (SS)
Child of Shadow (SH)

Feats:
Adaptive Style (lvl 1)
Two-Weapon Fighting (Human)
Weapon Finesse (lvl 3)

So, can I get away with the first variant, or it would be better to use the second one even if it doesn't fit the concept that well?

Or maybe I just use the first build, but replace, say, Shadow Hand Technique with Wolf Fang Strike, and use TWF occasionaly, as an option? For example, I can draw my second weapon and swap my readied maneuvers with Adaptive Style so I can do WFS + Burning Blade combo sometimes?

Next, equipment.

Now, that actually is a problem. I have 5,500gp to get my starting equipment. I need I guess two masterwork weapons for both builds - a dagger and a shortsword. That's 612gp already. I probably also want a crossbow, just in case I need it. Could also help when I get Assassin's Stance. So, that's extra 338 gp (+ 30 bolts). So, that's about 950 gp for weapons. Good.

Now things are getting a bit tricky. I need armor. I would go with a mithral chain shirt(STR 10 hurts a little) But, we are going to adventure in cold regions, so I can't use metal armor. And that's where it goes haywire... There's Blue Ice variant but it comes with penalties, because humans are not resistant to cold unfortunately. So, I don't really know what to do with armor. Mundane Crystal might be available, but chain shirt weights 25 lb, which is way over half my light load capacity.

I probably also need an Endure Elements amulet to not freeze to death if we get to the cold regions. Also it's pretty likely that the temple where she studied Sublime Way was located in a cold region, so it would be roleplaying as well. DM established that the amulet costs 1000gp.

Next, Handy Haversack is really handy (ha!) for a character with 10 STR, almost required. So, that's extra 2000. That's ~4K, leaving 1,500 for armor and extra stuff like a horse and whatnot. So, any options I'm missing?

[Darrin]

For example, I can draw my second weapon and swap my readied maneuvers with Adaptive Style so I can do WFS + Burning Blade combo sometimes?


If you have at least BAB +1 and TWF, you can draw two light or one-handed weapons as a move action.

You can draw them as free actions if you get a pair of Least Crystals of Return (300 GP each, MIC).



I need I guess two masterwork weapons for both builds - a dagger and a shortsword.


Any particular reason you can't use two shortswords? They are both light shadow hand weapons.



Now things are getting a bit tricky. I need armor. I would go with a mithral chain shirt(STR 10 hurts a little) But, we are going to adventure in cold regions, so I can't use metal armor.


Darkleaf is cheaper than mithral (+750 GP and +150 GP for Masterwork) and non-metallic. You can find it in A&EG or in the Eberron Campaign Setting. Unfortunately, weight is the same as a typical chain shirt. There's also Sentira in Secrets of Sarlona, which is shaped out of a substance similar to coral or shell. Same price and properties as mithral (including half weight), but non-metallic.



I probably also need an Endure Elements amulet to not freeze to death if we get to the cold regions. Also it's pretty likely that the temple where she studied Sublime Way was located in a cold region, so it would be roleplaying as well. DM established that the amulet costs 1000gp.


A Least Crystal of Adaptation (500 GP, MIC) can be added to your armor for half the cost. Same endure elements effect.

If you want to spend that 500 GP on something else for your armor, then consider the Durable property (+500 GP, Dungeonscape): armor is immune to damage from rusting, acid, green slime, and oozes.

If you're willing to spend a little more, then get a Travel Cloak (1200 GP, Magic of Faerun): not only do you get the endure elements effect, you get free rations, water, or sugared hot tea every day. It also turns into a one-person tent.



So, any options I'm missing?

Chronocharm of the Horizon Walker (500 GP, MIC). Swift action movement 1/day.

Brute Gauntlets (500 GP, MIC). TWF needs all the bonus damage it can get. If you've already got a bard or cleric in the party buffing you with morale bonuses, skip it.

Troll Gut Rope (500 GP, MIC). I love this item. Perfect for tying up temporary prisoners, too (rope dissolves after 12 hours).

Armband of Elusive Action (800 GP, MIC). Your 1/day "I Want To Do Something Dangerous and/or Stupid Card". Not strictly necessary, but a good "starter item" if you've got the cash available.

Shapesand (100 GP, Sandstorm). An unlimited number of mundane items/tools just a Wisdom check away.

Chaos Flasks (100 GP, Planar Handbook). This is a good "the DM did something stupid, and I have to figure out how to avoid a TPK" item, but hopefully you'll only ever use it as a last resort: megapede poison, flux slime, diamond dust, fissile plutonium, etc.

Masterwork Potion Belt (60 GP, FRCS). Free action to draw a potion, ask the DM if it also works with alchemical/splash weapons.

Eggshell Dust Grenade (10 GP, Oriental Handbook). Much more useful when Assassin's Stance comes online (blinded = invisible attackers). But be careful with this one, overuse it and it'll get banned.

[Kuu Lightwing]

If you have at least BAB +1 and TWF, you can draw two light or one-handed weapons as a move action.

You can draw them as free actions if you get a pair of Least Crystals of Return (300 GP each, MIC).

Well, I'm more inclined to use the non-TWF build I listed in the previous post, but with an option to use WFS + BB sometimes, but most of the time use my Shadow Hand and Diamond Mind toys. It basically costs me one first level maneuver known.


Any particular reason you can't use two shortswords? They are both light shadow hand weapons.

Well, it's mostly for style. :)
And also, dagger does slashing/piercing damage, while shortsword for some reason only piercing.


Darkleaf is cheaper than mithral (+750 GP and +150 GP for Masterwork) and non-metallic. You can find it in A&EG or in the Eberron Campaign Setting. Unfortunately, weight is the same as a typical chain shirt. There's also Sentira in Secrets of Sarlona, which is shaped out of a substance similar to coral or shell. Same price and properties as mithral (including half weight), but non-metallic.

A Least Crystal of Adaptation (500 GP, MIC) can be added to your armor for half the cost. Same endure elements effect.

If you want to spend that 500 GP on something else for your armor, then consider the Durable property (+500 GP, Dungeonscape): armor is immune to damage from rusting, acid, green slime, and oozes.

Thanks, I'll consider those options! Sentira feels a bit too exotic and Eberron-specific, so that's probably a no-go. It seems like best bet to me still would be Blue Ice + Crystal of Adaptation, because of weight reduction. I might try to convince my DM that Endure Elements removes the penalty from Blue Ice (Well, according to fluff, it probably should, but that's fluff)



If you're willing to spend a little more, then get a Travel Cloak (1200 GP, Magic of Faerun): not only do you get the endure elements effect, you get free rations, water, or sugared hot tea every day. It also turns into a one-person tent.

This is actually a cool thing! Thanks! I'll seriously consider buying this, because it fits a character like this so well. It's 3.0, though, but DM is okay with that.



Chronocharm of the Horizon Walker (500 GP, MIC). Swift action movement 1/day.

Brute Gauntlets (500 GP, MIC). TWF needs all the bonus damage it can get. If you've already got a bard or cleric in the party buffing you with morale bonuses, skip it.

Troll Gut Rope (500 GP, MIC). I love this item. Perfect for tying up temporary prisoners, too (rope dissolves after 12 hours).

Armband of Elusive Action (800 GP, MIC). Your 1/day "I Want To Do Something Dangerous and/or Stupid Card". Not strictly necessary, but a good "starter item" if you've got the cash available.

Shapesand (100 GP, Sandstorm). An unlimited number of mundane items/tools just a Wisdom check away.

Chaos Flasks (100 GP, Planar Handbook). This is a good "the DM did something stupid, and I have to figure out how to avoid a TPK" item, but hopefully you'll only ever use it as a last resort: megapede poison, flux slime, diamond dust, fissile plutonium, etc.

Masterwork Potion Belt (60 GP, FRCS). Free action to draw a potion, ask the DM if it also works with alchemical/splash weapons.

Eggshell Dust Grenade (10 GP, Oriental Handbook). Much more useful when Assassin's Stance comes online (blinded = invisible attackers). But be careful with this one, overuse it and it'll get banned.

Thanks, I'll consider using some of these. Eggshell grenades not only seem to be really good, but it's also fits the theme of the character really well. Shapesand as well, since as I understand it's a Limbo sand and it wouldn't be out of place when used by Shadow Hand master. Although, a jug of it is pretty heavy(And also, how much volume is jug?)

I also forgot Boots of Agile Leaping, if only for "Swift to stand up" thingy, since my DM is a fond of wolves and other trippers.

[Kuu Lightwing]

And I just found out that I should have 9 manevuers known, not 8. So, current plan is the following:

Maneuvers
Level 1:
Mighty Throw
Moment of Perfect Mind
Sapphire Nightmare Blade
Wolf Fang Strike
Sudden Leap
Burning Blade

Level 2:
Mointain Hammer
Cloak of Deception
Shadow Jaunt

Stances:
Child of Shadow
Island of Blades

Feats:
Adaptive Style (lvl 1)
Shadow Blade (Human)
Weapon Finesse (lvl 3)

TWF only occasionaly with Wolf Fang Strike and Burning blade, so no feat.

Discipline focus goes to Shadow Hand (for Weapon Focus) and Diamond Mind (for Insightful Strikes)

[Darrin]

Maneuvers
Level 1:
Mighty Throw
Moment of Perfect Mind
Sapphire Nightmare Blade
Wolf Fang Strike
Sudden Leap
Burning Blade


If you're looking for a standard action strike, I prefer Shadow Blade Technique, because it doubles your chance to crit. But it's one of those "six one way, half dozen the other" kinda things.

Consider adding a dwarven buckler axe (20 GP, Complete Warrior, Races of Stone) for +1 AC. You don't have to be proficient with it to use it for the shield bonus, and unlike other bucklers there's no -1 attack penalty for using it.

[Kuu Lightwing]

I could grab SBT but, I guess I'll try this setup. I'm getting WIZ-to attack bonus with DM strikes, and Sapphire Nightmare Blade would also trigger Sneak Attack with Assassin's stance later, so that thing should work relatively well. Wolf Fang Strike wouldn't hurt, if I find that I don't use much, I'll retrain it for something else, maybe for something like Death from Above, and since I'm taking a TC maneuver, I guess why not take Sudden Leap as well? Mighty Throw I just want to try out, and it seems pretty cool as well.

As for buckler axe I would prefer to not use a buckler at all, just because roleplay and personal preference :)

[rrwoods]

Clinging. Shadow. Strike.

It's extra damage every time, no questions asked, which is really really important for a low level swordsage. Trust me, I'm speaking from the experience of playing a low level swordsage and wishing I'd had more bonus damage on my strikes.

Also, if you're choosing Diamond Mind as your insightful strikes discipline, take Emerald Razor as well.

EDIT: Also, one of the benefits of your off-hand weapon being a dagger is that it's a ranged weapon in a pinch. Ditch the crossbow and pick up more daggers. They're cheap.

[Kuu Lightwing]

Hmm. I would need to drop Tiger Claw to incorporate it into the build, though. I might try, though.

As for Emerald Razor - I would like to get it, but the question is what to drop. It's either Mountain Hammer or Cloak of Deception, both of which are really good.

Throwing daggers is a good idea, but range increment of 10 makes me want a longer ranged option, too.