Swashbucklerly Classes

[BobVosh]

I want to throw some pirate types are my players, but don't really want them to all be the same class. So what are some good classes for this?

Level 16 party, and they are going to be a pirate gang of mindflayers...don't ask.

[Ravens_cry]

I want to throw some pirate types are my players, but don't really want them to all be the same class. So what are some good classes for this?

Level 16 party, and they are going to be a pirate gang of mindflayers...don't ask.

You have been watching Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest FAR too much.
Rogue is fairly swashy, sneak attack emulates well the Flynn-ing style of combat. Swashbuckler from Complete Warrior is, duh, another, and a certain feat makes them stack for sneak attack. The Duellist prestige class in the DMG might actually worth it, thanks to the mind flayers massive intelligence bonus.

[Emmerask]

Outiside the swashbuckler and the dread pirate prc I don´t know any that would perfectly fit a pirate/sea /swashbuckler adventure.

How about refluffing some of the classes to fit your needs?
ie give the fighter knowledge nautics and call him deckhand for example (a bit more would be needed just you so you get what I mean)

[Kaiyanwang]

What's Mind Flayer LA? Are prestige classes allowed?

In Stormwrack there is a PrC, Scarlet Corsair, that has feint as a free action and SA IIRC , maybe could be useful even if I don't remember other things he does (maybe fear effects?).

[Runestar]

I assume the OP means he would like to create mindflayer npcs with a pirate theme capable of challenging a lv16 party.

Mindflayers are cr8, so that gives us ~6-7 class lvs to play around with (4 of them would be ~EL18), unless you call in the non-associated class rule (are rogues treated as non-associated for them?). So a mindflayer rogue9 would be cr13.

Warblade isn't too bad, for its int synergy, but its effectiveness also depends on whether you count racial HD towards improving initiator lv.

Make sure you take improved multiattack. This way, you can hit more often with your tentacles and deal SA with all of them...

[BobVosh]

I assume the OP means he would like to create mindflayer npcs with a pirate theme capable of challenging a lv16 party.

Yes, exactly. Sorry if I wasn't clear.

Mindflayers are cr8, so that gives us ~6-7 class lvs to play around with (4 of them would be ~EL18), unless you call in the non-associated class rule (are rogues treated as non-associated for them?). So a mindflayer rogue9 would be cr13.

Actually its pathfinder with 3.5 books mostly open (I haven't actually disallowed anything, but I maintain that option). So the CR is 7 (drop 1 from nonconverted monsters) and class level adds X-1 to CR. So 7 + 5 levels of fighter or whatever is a CR 11. So I have 8-9 levels to play with, and I believe HD counts for initiator level.

Warblade isn't too bad, for its int synergy, but its effectiveness also depends on whether you count racial HD towards improving initiator lv.

Make sure you take improved multiattack. This way, you can hit more often with your tentacles and deal SA with all of them...

Seems fun.

(Not near books at the moment) I thought scarlet corsair made it a move action to feint.

I had considered daring outlaw rogue/swash as it never ends poorly. Along with scout + dervish.

Duelist is interesting, but doesn't it suffer from multiple weapons? Or are the natural attacks of a mindflayer immune to this? It specifies a weapon in the other hand. Neat.

[Kaiyanwang]

(Not near books at the moment) I thought scarlet corsair made it a move action to feint.

This should not be an improvement over improved feint. IIRC, it allows a feint as a free, every 2d4 (d4?) rounds.

Away from books too

[Irreverent Fool]

I recommend a look at the Complete Scoundrel. Any class can be a 'pirate-y' class, especially if you draw your inspiration from novels and movies. Pirate crews in literature and film have myriad backgrounds and skills. The key to making characters 'swashbucklerly' is all in the presentation.

(In the case of spellcasters, it's also in spell selection.)

This should not be an improvement over improved feint. IIRC, it allows a feint as a free, every 2d4 (d4?) rounds.

Away from books too

Scarlet Corsair gets Improved Feint as a bonus feat at 1st level. At 3rd they get Corsair's feint which is a free action every 2d4 rounds and at 7th this decreases to 1d4 rounds.

I only know because I happened to be looking at the Sea Captain I never got to play.

Warblade isn't too bad, for its int synergy, but its effectiveness also depends on whether you count racial HD towards improving initiator lv.

By RAW, an unclassed Mindflayer would have an IL equal to 1/2 its hit dice. Oddly, as soon as said Mindflayer gained a level in a martial adept class, its IL would be equal to its martial adept level. As the DM, it's up to you. I think RAI is that RHD count as normal non-initiator class levels.

obnoxious
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