Advice: Swordsage build 3.5 all but 3rd party.

[Rerednaw]

Trying my hand at getting a decent build. Figure focus on Diamond Mind (strikes, counter) and Shadow Hand (dex to damage, conceal, mobility) Maybe splash with other disciplines if there is room. Dex-based. But not TWF seemes to me too many feats, even with flaws. Plus the DM like to use waves of dispersed enemies so unless I have Pounce every round not going to get consistent full attack actions.

9th level. Standard wealth, but no more items (little or no treasure in the campaign) after start.

All 3.5 including dragon/dungeon.

I'm thinking race-wise either human, azurin, or strongheart halfling for the bonus feat.
Flaws allowed. (2).

Party not big on teamwork so not going to have a consistent melee buddy.

I actually like the fluff of Desert Wind, but the last character I introduced for a newbie friend that was fire based...well the next session we are in a volcano vs. fire immune waves of foes (fortunately she had cold as a backup)...so okay to splash other disciplines but avoid all in. :)

Subject to change and feedback :)

Thanks!

[Soranar]

Well, here's my take on it, it's not completely dex based

Race human

Stats 32 pts
Str 15 (gets every increase)
Dex 14
Con 14
Int 14
Wis 14
Cha 8 dump

Exotic weapon prof ( spiked chain)
Combat reflexes
Shadow blade

You get dex and str to damage
You threaten 10ft and 5ft
A belt of magnificence (+6 to all stats) is a good idea

[Particle_Man]

One option: If you put a lot of feats into it, you can go into Mo9 after 9 levels of SS.

You need a tiny amount of splashing, but it is not too bad (and you can shove stuff into the "maneuvers known but not readied" ghetto).

Adaptive Style is necessary for a SS anyhow, Blindfight is nice if you get the hearing the air stance.

So with flaws you get a bonus feat or two? Maybe you can go SS 7/Mo9 2.

But even as a straight SS you need adaptive style as a feat, and extra readied maneuver is nice too.

Even if you don't use much desert wind, burning ember is nice for a free flank, especially if you have assassin's stance and no meelee friends. Plus you could go for the desert wind stance flame's blessing if you fight fiery foes.

With diamond mind for strikes and saves, you might consider: Skill focus (Concentration) as a feat.

So stances: flame's blessing, child of shadow (or possibly step of the wind if your DM loves difficult terrain), assassin's stance, hearing the air.

maneuvers (standard 7 plus a few that work well with assassin's stance): shadow stride, ruby nightmare blade, obscuring shadow veil, insightful strike, mind over body, cloak of deception, emerald razor, (sapphire nightmare blade, distracting ember).

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

See if you can use one level of the Wildshape Ranger variant (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#ranger) from UA which gets Fast Movement as a Barbarian at 1st level, and trade that Barbarian Fast Movement for the Lion spirit totem alternate class feature in Complete Champion to get pounce. That will make TWF a viable option, you can even start with Gloves of the Balanced Hand in MIC for 8,000 gp to get Improved TWF if you already have TWF.

Since it's a low-wealth/items campaign, consider taking Ancestral Relic in BoED, which only requires a good alignment, not an exalted status. That allows you to sacrifice valuables (weapons/armor from slain opponents, adamantine doors, that big statue or fountain that's impossible to move, the evil baron's entire castle, etc.) to upgrade your chosen item with whatever magical properties you want. You can even completely replace its current magical properties with completely different ones up to the same value whenever you modify it.

Take a single level of Samurai from Oriental Adventures to start with two masterwork weapons appropriate to your clan/setting for free (preferably two wakizashis/shortswords). You can sacrifice valuables to upgrade those almost exactly the same way as Ancestral Relic works.

Consider picking up Item Familiar (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/magic/itemFamiliars.htm) as well, which can give you an absurd bonus to skill checks and allows you to upgrade the item as though you possessed all the required feats. Make it start as a Ring of Sustenance or similar, and always wear a glove or gauntlet over it so opponents will never have line of sight or line of effect to it and nobody can slight of hand it. You can add a deflection bonus to AC to an existing magical ring for the same price as a Ring of Protection of the same bonus (MIC p234). You can add an additional magical ring property to it as well, but the Ring of Sustenance effect's price would increase by 50% by doing so. For example, if you have someone in the party or can hire an NPC spellcaster to cast Invisibility every day for 20 days, you can make it a Ring of Invisibility and it can use its own action to trigger its invisibility on you every round after you've finished attacking.

Take Wild Cohort (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a) so you consistently have someone to flank with. You can start out with a Fleshraker dinosaur with 6th level benefits, and even use it as a mount if you're small size. You can use Island of Blades to give yourself and your wild cohort flanking benefits while you're riding it.

So, I would go with a Strongheart Water Halfling (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/elementalRacialVariants.htm#racesOfWater), Swordsage 1/ OA Samurai 1/ Wildshape Ranger 1/ Swordsage 6+ with two flaws, replacing fast movement with pounce. Feats should be TWF, Shadow Blade, Adaptive Style, Weapon Finesse, Item Familiar, Ancestral Relic, and Wild Cohort. I would seriously consider dipping a single level of Warblade at 9th level to get Bolstering Voice, Battle Leader's Charge, Wall of Blades, and Iron Heart Surge.

For your flaws, I'd pick two from the following:
Love of Nature (Dragon 324, must make a DC 12 Will save when making an attack against an animal, plant, or vermin, fail and you lose that attack)
No Time For Book Learning (Dragon 324, you're illiterate and can never learn to read, -2 on all knowledge checks except nature)
Pride of Arms (Dragon 324, -4 on attack rolls made with anything that's not a martial weapon)

Starting items should include mithril breastplate or similar (Ancestral Relic candidate), Gloves of the Balanced Hand in MIC, Ring of Sustenance which is your item familiar, your two daisho weapons which you should have made +1, probably a Handy Haversack, a Healing Belt and Anklet of Translocation which everyone should have, and as many of the Necessary Magic Items (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?187851-3-5-Lists-of-Necessary-Magic-Items) as you can get (Third Eye Clarity, Scout's Headband, Feathered Wings graft, etc.). Put a Healing Belt on your wild cohort as there's nothing preventing it from being able to wear or activate items, and give it masterwork studded leather barding which has no penalty for nonproficiency.