Swashbuckling Sublime Way?

[Talya]

Nothing's standing out at me...if a pirate or ocean-going campaign wanted to use a martial adept character out of Bo9S, what would you take? What schools lend themselves to that style best, do you think?

[Felan]

I'd be thinking about tiger claw - two weapon wielding swashbuckler leaping across to the enemy ship, jumping down from the rigging etc. White raven might be good for rallying the crew captain style.

Of course, using some setting sun throws to fling people over the side of the ship would be a bit entertaining...

[Fax Celestis]

The Ocean Soul Discipline might be worth it (not to toot my own horn or anything).

[Fourth Tempter]

Nothing's standing out at me...if a pirate or ocean-going campaign wanted to use a martial adept character out of Bo9S, what would you take? What schools lend themselves to that style best, do you think?

A Swordsage has the makings of a very good pirate. You could also multiclass between Swordsage and Warblade (13 of one, 6 of the other by 20), or simply take three levels of Swashbuckler and one of something else (I suggest Psychic Warrior, but I am biased in that regard--psionic focus and Diamond Mind go very well together) and enter Warblade.

Simply saying "pirate" does not tell us much, but Tiger Claw would be a good fit. A Swordsage would want at least some Shadow Hand for the Shadow Blade feat (combined with Weapon Finesse), as agility over brute force is a staple of swashbucklery.

[Catch]

The Ocean Soul Discipline might be worth it (not to toot my own horn or anything).

Fax: If you need it, he's made it.

[Fax Celestis]

Fax: If you need it, he's made it.

Sigg'd woot.

[Merlin the Tuna]

A lot of the disciplines work well for a swashbuckling character. Diamond Mind (especially the Insightful Strikes) works lovely for duelist-types, and Iron Heart works as well for the pirate who loves getting himself surrounded. Setting Sun works well for either the zen master or the haughty trickster, matching the enemy's movements and tripping him up when he least expects it -- it's a very movement-oriented school, which is exactly what some characters look for. Stone Dragon, if you waive the "must be on the ground" condition, also has some nice strikes - you can get solid damage out of them even with a weak weapon, and unlike Shadow Hand, its ability damaging effects don't allow saves. It's counterintuitive, but you can use the same flavor for a lot of the Diamond Mind and Stone Dragon strikes. And to round things up, Tiger Claw is great for the bloodthirsty madman pirate.

I wouldn't say any of the disciplines are ineffective for a pirate -- even Desert Wind has a couple that work. You need to be a lot more specific than "pirate" if you want to talk styles.

[Darrin]

Nothing's standing out at me...if a pirate or ocean-going campaign wanted to use a martial adept character out of Bo9S, what would you take? What schools lend themselves to that style best, do you think?

Swashbuckler+Warblade dovetails nicely. Swash 3/Warblade 9 + Clarion Commander gives you 10 free rounds of double-Int bonus damage on flanked targets. Dip into Swordsage or Dervish for some TWF+Shadow Blade, add your Dex bonus to damage, and pick up a couple levels of Bloodclaw Master to get rid of TWF penalties.

[The_Snark]

A Desert Wind swordsage could be a terrifying pirate, really. Some of those flying maneuvers are great for swooping over to the enemy ship, and many of the rest are good for setting their sails/hull/crew on fire. I've always seen Desert Wind as rather appropriate to an Arabian-like character, as in hailing from a nomadic desert culture. It's not for every pirate, but the one time you see one it'll stand out.

Diamond Mind and Iron Heart are good for a consumnate swordsman, Tiger Claw is good for your maddened berserk boarders (and bonuses to Jump are good for leaping onto the enemy's deck!), White Raven is nice for a pirate captain.

[JaronK]

I'd go with Swashbuckler 3/Warblade X. That should get the job done nicely. Take White Raven for leading your crew and Tiger Claw for bouncing around the ship like a crazy maniac, and go nuts.

JaronK

[TheOOB]

I'd say a swordsage focused on setting sun and desert wind would be really good. The movement offered by desert wind is really useful at see, and the area fire damage is really effective agienst sails and low level ship crews. Setting sun is awesome because you can toss your opponents around, and shove them overboard.

[Fax Celestis]

Okay, Ocean Soul Discipline is completed and ready for critiquing now.

This thread spurred me to finish it, btw.

[Edo]

Nothing's standing out at me...if a pirate or ocean-going campaign wanted to use a martial adept character out of Bo9S, what would you take? What schools lend themselves to that style best, do you think?

Currently, I'm playing a warblade.

Favored weapons? Naginata and razored armor. (Ex-navy from the obligatory pseudo-Japanese nation. Note the "ex." There are reasons she doesn't use a sword.)

Favored battle strategy? Put on armor, jump overboard, swim three miles out to the enemy ship, board it and commence decapitations. (Alternately bull rushing people overboard, with the understanding that no competent sailor or marine ever bothers learning to swim.)

Iron Heart and White Raven all the way, with traces of Stone Dragon and Tiger Claw in there. It's very offbeat, but it looks like it'll fit in decently welll.