Swashbuckler Optimization Help

[Batman45505]

So my wife loves the class and wants to optimize. I want to help her but have never dealt with the class. She is playing a 3rd level swashbuckler storm child elf and her abilities after racial adjustments are
Str 16
Dex. 20
Con. 16
Int. 18
Wis. 13
Cha. 17
(scores are 24d6 reroll 1s drop lowest 6)
She was allowed a +2 la race or 2 free feats, she chose feats.
Feats
Level 2
Flaws 2
Ch. Concept 1
Bonus for +2 la. 2
Total Feats with above totaled: 7

Allowed to use any d20 resource for feats including ultimate book of feats.

She gets 300 starting gold
Free weapon and armor. MW weapon upgrade for 100g.

Any help greatly appreciated and a brief explanation as to why certain classes or feats are used.

Only thing is no caster classes.

Thank you all for any help

[SirNibbles]

Swashbucklers should almost always run Daring Outlaw (Complete Scoundrel, page 76) to get Sneak Attack damage progression on a Swashbuckler chassis.

The simplest way in is with Rogue 3. The fastest is with Rogue 1/Sneak Attack Fighter 1, or any two classes that give +1d6 Sneak Attack at first level.

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There are a bunch of guides online; just search for 'swashbuckler handbook 3.5' and you'll get a good idea of which way to go.

[Kayblis]

I strongly suggest you get the Daring Outlaw feat at some point, which allows you to stack levels of Rogue and Swashbuckler for sneak attack dice and Swashbuckler bonuses. This makes 3 levels of Rogue(or 1 level and a way to get more sneak attack dice, like 1 level of Sneak Attack Fighter) give you a full class progression of sneak attack dice. This isn't much at low levels, but if you can spare two levels somewhere it's very cheap for a main class feature. Combine with flanking and ways to make the enemy flat-footed, and you give yourself a huge boost in damage.

Kinda going on the idea above, you have enough feats to make TWF workable with other tactics.

Edit: Ninja'd on all ideas at once, wow...

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Is she already playing this character, or still building it? What's your starting wealth? What does she want this character to do? Just stab stuff intelligently, or do pirate stuff?

In any case I'd get Two-Weapon Fighting with Improved Weapon Familiarity (CW) to treat all weapons with Elven in the name as martial weapons, including the Elven Lightblade (light, 1d6, 18-20/x2) and Elven Thinblade (one-handed, 1d8, 18-20/x2) in Races of the Wild. Get one of each of those made from Kaorti Resin (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031014a) to make them both 18-20/x4, they still have Elven in the name so she still treats them as martial weapons. Those should both be at least +1 weapons starting out so she won't need to have a Kaorti maintain them. If that's not possible then put Unguent of Timelessness (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#unguentofTimelessness) on each (the resin is excreted from a living creature, so it should work) and have them upgraded to +1 weapons asap.

Be sure to include Wilderness Rogue (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#rogueVariantWilderness Rogue) 4 to get Daring Outlaw and Craven. The wilderness variant is for Handle Animal because she'll want Wild Cohort (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a) to get a flanking buddy. It should be a Magebred (ECS) Warbeast (MM2) Riding Dog with the trip ability. ECS says Rangers and Druids can't get Magebred versions of animals as animal companions, but she won't be taking levels in either of those classes so that won't apply. Warbeast can be added to it with some time and some Handle Animal checks, just say she already did that. You'll also want the Death's Ruin alternate class feature in Complete Champion to be able to get some of your sneak attack damage against undead opponents.


She may want to include two levels of Swordsage (ToB) along with either Kung Fu Genius or Carmendine Monk, either of which will allow her to add her Int bonus to AC instead of Wis. This works even when wearing light armor, and there are some excellent maneuvers and stances she can get, particularly Island of Blades. This could even have a bit of a ninja pirate feel if she's into that.

Don't bother getting Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, just wear Gloves of the Balanced Hand (MIC) and get an enhancement bonus to Dex added to them later on (MIC p234).

For even better stabbing dip one level of Spellthief (possibly even replace Wilderness Rogue 4 with Wilderness Rogue 1/ Spellthief 1), which allows you to use wands of any sorcerer/wizard spells from the schools of abjuration, divination, enchantment, illusion, and transmutation. Put a wand chamber (Dungeonscape) in each of your weapons, and put a Wand of Wraithstrike in one of those. Per the Rules Compendium any spell trigger or spell completion item (wand, staff, scroll) takes the same action to activate as the spell being used, so that Wand of Wraithstrike is a swift action to activate. You can also include a Wand of Golem Strike in the other one to be able to sneak attack constructs when needed, otherwise a Wand of Swift Fly is amazing.


For pirate stuff, there's Scarlet Corsair (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20050805b) which has an amazing ability at 5th level. Get the Fearsome property on your armor, from Drow of the Underdark (it was printed more recently than MIC so that's the most current version of that property), along with the feat Imperious Command from that same book. As a move-action you can intimidate every opponent within 30 feet, and any opponents affected will cower for a number of rounds equal to your Cha bonus (or cower for one round, then be shaken for a number of rounds equal to your Cha bonus, depending on DM interpretation). Per the Rules Compendium, when you escalate a fear condition (Shaken > Frightened > Panicked) the escalated effect lasts until every affect that contributed to it expires. So you can intimidate everything in 30 ft. for at least as long as your Cha bonus, then before that expires intimidate them all again and they become frightened until the second one expires. Do it again before that one ends and they're all panicked until that third one expires. So you can intimidate and make an attack or martial strike (or intimidate twice), then spend a few rounds full attacking, then intimidate again.

[tiercel]

Daring Outlaw is indeed sweet for actual Swashbuckler-class builds, though it should be noted that the feat itself probably won’t come online until 6th level due to requiring both 2d6 SA and Grace +1 (unless the DM is willing to bend those requirements, at which point you probably would like the Swashbuckler Arcane Stunt ACF [PHB II] for Grace).

I’m assuming that “no caster classes” includes “no Swordsage” in this context, though as others have noted it is an awfully nice add-on of abilities and DIY sneak-attack enabling, much less Shadow Blade feat to add Dex to damage on top of Int and Str (which with those stats, yes please).

I’m also assuming that “loves the class” means the build should be significantly Swashbuckler and not just a swashbuckling combination of other classes (so Daring Outlaw, with ~4 levels of Rogue and the rest Swashbuckler, is presumably fine — assuming multiclass XP penalties are not being enforced).

The exact order of Rogue and Swashbuckler levels leading up to Daring Outlaw may depend a little on whether Able Learner (RoD) can be houseruled for an elf character (which would make all those skill points easier to play with).

Which leaves you with six feats to spend at 1st level (!) and one more at 3rd level, which is tough since there are a lot you might like that only come online at later levels. (Unless you houserule “banking” of feats....)

TWF is the most obvious, but if going for Improved Weapon Familiarity and the elven super-rapier, since at that point you’d be relying less on weapon drops by enemies, taking Ancestral Relic (BoED) at 3rd level would allow DIY weapon improvements.

Combat Panache (PHB II) is really almost too appropriate thematically for this character, but Daring Outlaw is already sitting in the 6th level feat slot, and Staggering Strike (CA) is a very, very nice 9th level choice for a SA build. (See also Elusive Target (CW) as competition for the 9th level feat, assuming you don’t mind using 1st level feats on Dodge-or-one-of-its-replacements and Mobility.)

If “too many” 1st level feats, how about Incarnum? It’s more magic widgets than spellcasting and Shape Soulmeld opens a lot of options (Blink Shirt is notable, among others) and there’s Cobalt Strike for a slight extra boost to SA (though without additional essentia, it’s modest). Nothing is stopping you from grabbing more than one Shape Soulmeld (they don’t interfere with magic items if not bound to a chakra) or more than one “You gain 1 point of essentia” feat.

There’s also Touchstone (Sandstorm), which lets you bypass the skill requirement if you don’t mind dropping most of the starting cash.

A completely random suggestion: Delay Potion (CM). Potions are famously underpowered but being able to activate a low level spell as a swift action makes having some around more attractive. Nice for a swashbuckling Daring Outlaw’s bag of tricks.

As for the Rogue levels, you’ll probably want to load up on ACFs (most notably, Penetrating Strike (Dung) to keep SA more workable for a broader range of foes, but also possibly replacing Trapfinding).

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Lots of good recommendations. I'll throw in that another way to get the 2d6 Sneak Attack for Daring Outlaw is Assassin's Stance. You could get it through feats (Martial Study (any Shadow Hand maneuver) and then Martial Stance (Assassin's Stance)) though this wouldn't come online for quite a while... though even if you do dip rogue for a more traditional SA +2d6 never hurt anyone. Or you could sink some levels into Swordsage to get your initiator level up to 5 more quickly while also obviating the need to spend feats on it.