Swashbuckling Swordsage

[Fortinbras]

I'm trying to make a swashbucking, cha/dex based gentelmenly swordsage.
Since the DM did some very bizare things with elves, and nixed gnomes and halflings I'm making a dwarf. In this game Dwarves don't a cha penaly and get a +2 str bonus. Stats now are Str 18, Dex 16, Con 17, Int 14, Wis 14, and Cha 14.

[Learnedguy]

Swashbuckling Swordsages should probably look to the Diamond Mind and Setting Sun disciplines. Possibly Tiger's Claw as well.

But that's not half as important as remembering to comb back your hair and putting ribbons in your beard. Don't you dare call yourself a swashbuckling dwarf unless you do that!!

Scoring with some ladies of the other, fairer, races might also be a worthwhile occupation by such a magnificent persona

[Draz74]

... and I assume you're asking for build advice?

Diamond Mind is the discipline for swashbuckler types. Almost everything in it works nicely. A little Setting Sun, too; particularly Baffling Defense and the excellent Shifting Defense stance (plus Combat Reflexes).

Maximize Intimidate and re-flavor it as witty, insulting banter. That way you'll be getting some use out of your Charisma, like a swashbuckler should. Since it's not really worth taking a standard action to demoralize just one foe, make sure to take the Never Outnumbered skill trick from CScoundrel. If you have a decent Bluff skill somehow, other swashbuckly skill tricks that let you use CHA in combat are Group Fake-Out and Timely Misdirection. Intimidate is also nice for Duels of Wills at the beginning of a battle, though you might take Unnerving Calm and make that void since you'll have a great Concentration check.

Feat-wise, Adaptive Style is of course a high priority.

[kjones]

So, dwarves now have +2 Con, +2 Str? Wha?

[Person_Man]

With mediocre Wis and Cha, your stats really don't lend themselves to being a Swordsage (who needs/wants high Wis for AC and maneuver Save DCs) or social Skills (which needs/wants high Cha and Sense Motive/Diplomacy/Bluff as class Skills).

Are you intent on your race/class choice, or just the general concept?

[Olo Demonsbane]

Could you switch your Dexterity and Wisdom?

And if Dwarves get +2 Str/Con, why do all fighter types not play dwarves? What are the other races like?

[Fortinbras]

DM restructured or nixed all the base races. Since when is a 14 low? I already made him but he is first level so I'm looking for progression advice.

[Chronos]

Scoring with some ladies of the other, fairer, races might also be a worthwhile occupation by such a magnificent persona

But of course.

[Fortinbras]

I love it, I love it.

[Darth Stabber]

Just reminds me of my dwarven evangelist character (Divine Bard), Through persistence I managed to convert Elves to Moradin worship. Much fun to be had by all.

[Person_Man]

DM restructured or nixed all the base races. Since when is a 14 low? I already made him but he is first level so I'm looking for progression advice.

From an optimization point of view, your highest statistic should be your class's primary statistic. Each additional 2 points in this ability gives a roughly 3-5% increase in the probability that your manuevers will succeed. If your Wisdom is mediocre, then you have a mediocre chance of success in combat.

Another way to put it is that you have roughly 5 rounds in each combat, and roughly 4 combats per game session. (This is what the DMG suggests anyway, it varies widely). So you have 20 rounds. As a Swordsage, you should be using a maneuver every single round. With a Wis of 14, you might be successful in 10 of those rounds. With a Wis of 18, you might be successful in 12 rounds. If you put your points from levels and an ability boosting magic item and get a Wis of 22, then you might be successful in 14 rounds. And so on. This is why SAD classes can be so much more effective then MAD classes, because they can put most of their resources into improving a single attribute.

So the next time you make a Swordsage, remember that Wis > Dex > Con > Str > Int > Cha. Take Weapon Finesse if your Str is more then 4 points different then your Str. If you don't care about attacks of opportunity, then Wis > Str > Con > Dex > Int > Cha works too.

Anywho, for feats I suggest you look at Two-Weapon Fighting, Adaptive Style, Staggering Strike, and Gloom Razor when you qualify. For manuevers/stances consider Assasin's Stance, Wolf Fang Strike, Sudden Leap,Child of Shadows, Counter Charge. If you play with at lease one other melee based party member, then take a look at all the Setting Sun manuevers that let you throw people around (potentially provoking AoO from your allies).