No, you're humming One Winged Angel. Estuans interius / Ira vehementi / Estuans interius / Ira vehementi / Se-ve-ras!

Quote Originally Posted by Severas
Severas, Talon of the Cult of the Dragon
Human (Waterdeep) LE Fighter 6

Spoiler: Introduction
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A hooded figure stepped out of the mouth of the alley - clearly her route had been anticipated, which could mean only one of two possibilities. Hoping for the first, she shaped the Harpers' recognition-sign with her hands.
He shook his head and said "Guess again."
The second, then. Sweet Mystra, grant her time... Long training held her voice steady as she responded, "Ah. I hope the Cult of the Dragon pays you what you're worth, assassin." It was an offer if he cared to take it, but she very much doubted he would; she was already freeing her rapier from its sheath.
Two strangely-curved blades appeared almost instantly in his hands, and he bowed slightly. "If I may correct a misconception, I am no assassin. We are meeting openly, and Selune casts few shadows tonight; I would have called to you if you had not noticed me. Of course I will kill you, but I want to see how you defend yourself."
With her blade readied for the onslaught of the twin blades, her hidden hand shaped the Weave to imbue her with haste. Still reaching for those few moments more she needed, she asked the final question of a career spent searching for answers. "I do appreciate the courtesy, but...why?"
For the first time, his voice lifted beyond distant formality, and into a need she knew all too well. "To learn."


Spoiler: Ability Scores
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Ability Score Modifiers Final Score
Strength 16 - 16 (+3)
Dexterity 16 +1 (Level 4) 17 (+3)
Constitution 14 - 14 (+2)
Intelligence 14 - 14 (+2)
Wisdom 9 - 9 (-1)
Charisma 8 - 8 (-1)


Spoiler: Build
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Level Class Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Skills Feats Class Features
1st Fighter 1 +1 +2 +0 +0 Knowledge (arcana) +2, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +4, Knowledge (local) +4, Knowledge (nature) +4, Knowledge (religion) +4, Knowledge (the planes) +2 Exotic Weapon Proficiency (eagle's claw), Education (arcana, the planes) Two-Weapon Fighting
2nd Fighter 2 +2 +3 +0 +0 Collector of Stories, Knowledge (arcana) +3, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +4, Knowledge (local) +5, Knowledge (nature) +4, Knowledge (religion) +4, Knowledge (the planes) +3 - Combat Expertise
3rd Fighter 3 +3 +3 +1 +1 Knowledge (arcana) +4, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +5, Knowledge (local) +5, Knowledge (nature) +5, Knowledge (religion) +5, Knowledge (the planes) +4 Eagle's fury -
4th Fighter 4 +4 +4 +1 +1 Knowledge (arcana) +5, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +6, Knowledge (local) +6, Knowledge (nature) +6, Knowledge (religion) +6, Knowledge (the planes) +4 - Weapon Focus (eagle's claw)
5th Fighter 5 +5 +4 +1 +1 Knowledge (arcana) +5, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +7, Knowledge (local) +7, Knowledge (nature) +7, Knowledge (religion) +7, Knowledge (the planes) +5 - -
6th Fighter 6 +6 +5 +2 +2 Knowledge (arcana) +6, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +8, Knowledge (local) +8, Knowledge (nature) +7, Knowledge (religion) +8, Knowledge (the planes) +6 Knowledge Devotion Improved Two-Weapon Fighting

E6 Feats:
  1. Deadly Defense
  2. Skewer Foe
  3. Weapon Specialization (eagle's claw)
  4. Improved Critical (eagle's claw)
  5. Reckless Offense
  6. Combat Reflexes
  7. Double Hit
  8. Karmic Strike
  9. Riposte
  10. Two-Weapon Pounce


Spoiler: Level by Level Breakdown
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Spoiler: Level 1
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In general, the order of feats for Severas is pretty flexible (except for Education), but I always try to establish build identity as early as possible. Severas's concept can essentially be boiled down to 3 facets: He's a specialist with the eagle's claw weapon, he's a dual wielder, and he's a seriously smart fighter. So he starts with a feat for each of those. Education into Knowledge Devotion is a classic, but it gives him something to do with his skill points and a niche that's occasionally useful outside of combat.

Spoiler: Level 2
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Combat Expertise is a defining characteristic of the build. Not as a pre-req feat, but in and of itself - Severas will almost invariably be trading -2 to hit for +2 AC, for reasons that will become obvious later. Collector of Stories is here for the same reason it's in every Knowledge Devotion build; that bonus is just too big to ignore, especially considering how easy it is to get.

Spoiler: Level 3
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Eagle's Fury is the big reason to specialise in the eagle's claw, essentially giving Flurry of Blows without losing BAB.

Spoiler: Level 4
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Ah, Weapon Focus. It's often derided, but within E6, and on a build that's making a lot of attacks, the bonus is actually reasonably significant. And Severas is going to need every bit of to-hit bonus he can get.

Spoiler: Level 5
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This one's pretty much a dead level, unfortunately. Knowledge skills keep going up, and that's really all there is to it.

Spoiler: Level 6
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At last, Knowledge Devotion. Severas should always get +2-4 on attack and damage from this, unless the check is Knowledge (nature) and he rolls a 1. (Just one skill point short...gah.) Improved Two-Weapon Fighting is yet another attack, bringing him to 5 attacks on a full attack.

Spoiler: Deadly Defense
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This is the main reason why Severas uses Combat Expertise: +1d6 on all those attacks is pretty nice.

Spoiler: Skewer Foe
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Skewer Foe is perfect for a character making a bunch of attacks in a round, giving +1d6 on every hit after the first.

Spoiler: Weapon Specialization
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Just like Weapon Focus, this bonus is a lot more relevant in E6 and when making lots of attacks every round.

Spoiler: Improved Critical
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The eagle's claw has a nice 18-20 crit range, so this brings us to 15-20, and with 5 attacks per round that's going to pay off pretty often.

Spoiler: Reckless Offense
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This isn't always going to be a good trade, but Severas almost always trades -2 to hit for +2 to AC. This lets him cancel out that to-hit penalty while still benefiting from Deadly Defense.

Spoiler: Combat Reflexes
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Severas likes making lots of attacks per round, and all those bonuses apply to attacks of opportunity, too.

Spoiler: Double Hit
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And the same reasoning applies here. If your enemies are dumb enough, that's up to 6 attacks per round from attacks of opportunity.

Spoiler: Karmic Strike
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How about, instead of relying on enemies being dumb, we just hit them (twice) whenever they hit us?

Spoiler: Riposte
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One more feat that only works when using Combat Expertise. Karmic Strike only triggers an AoO if the enemy actually hits you, whereas Riposte triggers one when they attack you and miss. With both of them, it's like having Robilar's Gambit, except the enemies don't get bonuses to hit you.

Spoiler: Two-Weapon Pounce
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Severas really wants to be making full attacks, but when he has to move in order to hit an enemy, this is the next best thing.



Spoiler: Stats
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HP: 5d10+22 (49.5 hp)
AC: 10 + 4 (chain shirt) + 3 (Dex) + 2 (Combat Expertise) = 19 (15 if using Reckless Offense), touch 15, flat-footed 14
Full attack: 6 (BAB) + 3 (Str) + 1 (Weapon Focus) + 2 (Knowledge Devotion) - 2 (Two-Weapon Fighting) - 2 (Combat Expertise) - 2 (Eagle's Fury) = +6/+6/+6/+1/+1, up to +10/+10/+10/+5/+5 with Reckless Offense and a good Knowledge Devotion roll. The first attack that hits in a round does 1d6 (Eagle's claw) + 3 (Str) + 2 (Weapon Specialization) + 2 (Knowledge Devotion) + 1d6 (Deadly Defense) = 2d6 + 8 (or 2d6 + 10 with a good Knowledge Devotion roll), subsequent attacks deal 3d6 + 8 (Skewer Foe).
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +1


Spoiler: Sources
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  • Education: Player's Guide to Faerun
  • Eagle's claw, Eagle's Fury: Sandstorm
  • Collector of Stories, Deadly Defense: Complete Scoundrel
  • Knowledge Devotion: Complete Champion
  • Skewer Foe: Champions of Ruin
  • Double Hit: Miniatures Handbook
  • Karmic Strike: Complete Warrior
  • Riposte: Dragon Compendium
  • Two-Weapon Pounce: PHB II
  • Everything else: SRD content