RTGoodman
2008-05-22, 12:51 PM
I just got off the phone with a member of my gaming group (whom I haven't played with since I returned from college a couple of weeks ago), and along with me DMing the 4E Keep on the Shadowfell adventure, the group wants to keep playing my friends current 3.5 campaign. One player left because of personal reasons, leaving the 2nd level party with a Barbarian, a Cleric, a Sorcerer, and a Ranger. I didn't have a character in mind, but since the Rogue left, they're without a trapfinder/skillmonkey.
I'd like to play an Unarmed Swordsage (since the only martial adept I've played was a Crusader), but Trapfinding and Search/Disable Device/Open Lock are going to be necessary. So, I've been trying to figure out some ways to play a Swordsage a still get those. Which do you, the Playground, think is the best method?
Rogue 2/Swordsage X: Two levels of Rogue gains good skill points, trapfinding, SA +1d6, and evasion, plus sets me up with +1 IL. However, there doesn't seem to be much synergy, and I'd really like to focus on maneuvers than Rogue stuff.
Feat Rogue 2/Swordsage X: Gives me a feat instead of SA, but I still get the rest of the stuff I'm looking for. Not sure if it's worth it, either, though. I guess I could use the feat for Able Learner though.
Beguiler X/Swordsage X: Don't know the levels, but I'd gain the skills plus some cool spells. It could fit will with the flavor, but I'm unsure of how good it would be, and adding a spellcasting class just to get Trapfinding and skills seems a little stupid.
Swordsage 20: This would involve convincing my DM to let me get Trapfinding and the necessary skills as class skills by giving some other stuff up. Any ideas as to what to lose? I know I could drop Sense Magic and maybe delay Quick to Act (so +1 at 5th, +2 at 10th, etc.), but I don't know if it's balanced or not.
Ninja (CAd) X/Swordsage X:This could work and seems like one of the better ideas, but I seem to recall the ninja class getting a lot of flak for some reason.
If there are better ideas than these, I'd love to hear those, too. I have access to Core/SRD, PHBII, all the Completes, all the Races, ToB, ToM, Dragon Magic, Dungeonscape, Frostburn, the Fiendish Codices, BoED, MIC, some Dragonlance 3.5 stuff, and maybe a couple of others. Stats will probably be rolled using 4d6 drop lowest re-roll 1s, so I can probably get at least two reasonably high ability scores, and probably nothing under 10.
Also, a question: when the Unarmed variant for Swordsage says it gains the Monk's "unarmed damage progression," that just means the damage, right? He doesn't automatically gain Improved Unarmed Strike? Or does he? Because that makes Shadow Sun Ninja look like a much more attractive option...
Also, now that I think about it, if there's a feat somewhere that just gives me trapfinding and the necessary skills, that'd be great. The DM said I could use "any book," but I doubt he'd accept any homebrew stuff.
I'd like to play an Unarmed Swordsage (since the only martial adept I've played was a Crusader), but Trapfinding and Search/Disable Device/Open Lock are going to be necessary. So, I've been trying to figure out some ways to play a Swordsage a still get those. Which do you, the Playground, think is the best method?
Rogue 2/Swordsage X: Two levels of Rogue gains good skill points, trapfinding, SA +1d6, and evasion, plus sets me up with +1 IL. However, there doesn't seem to be much synergy, and I'd really like to focus on maneuvers than Rogue stuff.
Feat Rogue 2/Swordsage X: Gives me a feat instead of SA, but I still get the rest of the stuff I'm looking for. Not sure if it's worth it, either, though. I guess I could use the feat for Able Learner though.
Beguiler X/Swordsage X: Don't know the levels, but I'd gain the skills plus some cool spells. It could fit will with the flavor, but I'm unsure of how good it would be, and adding a spellcasting class just to get Trapfinding and skills seems a little stupid.
Swordsage 20: This would involve convincing my DM to let me get Trapfinding and the necessary skills as class skills by giving some other stuff up. Any ideas as to what to lose? I know I could drop Sense Magic and maybe delay Quick to Act (so +1 at 5th, +2 at 10th, etc.), but I don't know if it's balanced or not.
Ninja (CAd) X/Swordsage X:This could work and seems like one of the better ideas, but I seem to recall the ninja class getting a lot of flak for some reason.
If there are better ideas than these, I'd love to hear those, too. I have access to Core/SRD, PHBII, all the Completes, all the Races, ToB, ToM, Dragon Magic, Dungeonscape, Frostburn, the Fiendish Codices, BoED, MIC, some Dragonlance 3.5 stuff, and maybe a couple of others. Stats will probably be rolled using 4d6 drop lowest re-roll 1s, so I can probably get at least two reasonably high ability scores, and probably nothing under 10.
Also, a question: when the Unarmed variant for Swordsage says it gains the Monk's "unarmed damage progression," that just means the damage, right? He doesn't automatically gain Improved Unarmed Strike? Or does he? Because that makes Shadow Sun Ninja look like a much more attractive option...
Also, now that I think about it, if there's a feat somewhere that just gives me trapfinding and the necessary skills, that'd be great. The DM said I could use "any book," but I doubt he'd accept any homebrew stuff.