Samurai good class to start with?

[WarlockBeast]

My group have started new chars, others got overwhelmed and eaten by zombies, and mind flayers, and two black elder dragons, if you were wondering (you probably were'nt. All my last charecters have been a rangers or fighters. I really like samurai in real life, other games, but is it a good choice to start with, if im used to playing a ranger? I do have Complete Warrior, so i know the stats, and everything. Should i make a new charecter or stay with it.We are now level two so i would like to know soon so i can change if need be and not be a super let done to the group cause of charecter level.

[Gorbash]

My advice is make a Samurai, perform sepukku and then make another character. Preferably, not a Samurai.

[Dhavaer]

If you want a Samurai, use the Oriental Adventures version. Much more useful.

[cupkeyk]

Get one level of samurai MAX, get a diamond mind counter using martial study, go fighter into kensai exotic weapon master.

[Craig1f]

Samurai is largely considered one of the worst classes in the game. You should take the Order of the Stick approach, and simply make a melee character using a different class, but then give him a Samurai feel. IE, bastard sword proficiency, splint mail (talk to your DM about making this armor not suck as much), etc.

You could take a level of barbarian, but instead of calling it rage, call it "battle focus" or something. Or you could go straight Fighter, or something out of Tome of Battle.

Just RP him as Samurai without taking levels in the class, like Miko did in OotS.

Edit: A one level dip into Samurai might be worth it, so you can get Bastard Sword proficiency without wasting a feat.

[Emperor Tippy]

The first commandment of D&D is "Thou shalt not ever take any CW Samurai levels".

[WarlockBeast]

Well the samurais special abilities and feats seem good to me, my dm let him have a Master work +1 Daisho set to start out if that changes anything. I don't see how it looks bad at all, giving enemys morale drops before a battle begins. I don't really like any classes out of the PhB except ranger and i'm gettin kinda bored just shooting people with bows, and stabbing with daggers, fighter does'nt appeal to me, i like a specialized super warrior like samurai or exotic weapon masters, but i don't feel like becomign one of them, not your average buff, yet bland soldier. If thier is any other class like this (preferably some kind of Asian elite dude, knight does sound cool too, if you would recamend it.) And it really should have powerful start out gear and abilities now that everyones nearing level 3.

Though the level 12+ class abilities sound kinda lame.

My DM will let me make one powerful class special to get at level 10. that i got from a game kinda like this only you actually act it out with hard foam swords, not those cheap floppy ones you buy at Toy'r'Us. My charecter in that camp is a samurai as well so I decided to take one of his abilities. It would very well improve the appeal and strength of a samurai, without hopefully over powering. Zen Slash (samurai only,charecters with 10 levels of samurai are only ones who can get it): Like Iaijutsu from CW samurai, only useable 1 time a day, Quick draws the blade, (only useable while blade is still sheathed) (taking a full round action to re-sheeth during battle, allowing attack of oppurtunity) Impowering the blade with zen, making, some one's Armor bonus, damage reduction, and any magical buff AC increase void for the slash. Adding not only the Katana's(bastard sword's) normal +1+ and damage roll (Ex: 1d10) but adding 2d6 (adding 1d6 every 4 levels+) to the final damage. The Wakizashi cannot be drawn or be in one hand during the attack (must be sheathed).The samurai then loses 1d10 HP after the attack, and loses any other attacks he could make during the round, such as having a extra attack after a melee attack, and it may only be used as the samurai's first attack in a round, it also ends his turn. If the initial target is not killed in the slash,the zen power, goes through the target and goes 15 feet back from the initial target's square (assuming you are using a battle grid)-- and deeling 1d6 damage, all types of AC bonuses count in an aftermath's target, unlike the initial target. if the slash does not kill initial target, initial target takes an extra 1d6 of damage, if this kills it, the aftermath does not happen.


If you think this would balance out the samurai's many weaknesses say so. Also if you think it overpower's a level 10 then tell me what level it should be given to the samurai. If i choose to submit this to wizards, they may add it to edition 4 samurai (even though the chances are 1 in somehwere around 100).

[Counterspin]

Why do people ask for advice when they don't want it?

[CASTLEMIKE]

Consider playing a Warblade with a 1 - 3 level dip in Factotum for Iajutsu Focus plus all the great things the PC can do with Inspiration Points, have him carry a Katanna and say the PC is a Samauri.

[Tokiko Mima]

Hmmm... how best to put this?

If what Samurai means to you is a man who wields a katana and a wakizashi together in both hands, is forced to obey his boss, and stares down foes rather ineffectually while fighting the same way, then the Samurai might work for you. The D&D Samurai is not what people usually think of samurai as, that is, a master of the katana. It's a class that gets two weapon fighting(daisho only) and a special very limited intimidate.

If you're looking for a class that fights more in a wuxia style, I highly recommend both Swordsage and/or Warblade from Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords. The Diamond Mind discipline line even features a katana as a weapon. They are both extremely powerful, useful, fun and well balanced classes that will never make you feel ineffective as a swordsman. Unlike *shiver* Samurai and Soulknife.

[Telonius]

Here's the reason it's a terrible class.

As a Fighter, you get 11 bonus Feats by 20th level. You can choose any 11 from the Fighter feats.

As a Samurai, you get 5 bonus feats by 20th level, plus some random not-very-useful things like Staredown, Kiai Smite, and Frightful Presence. You don't get to pick which feats; and they're generally not very powerful feats. More importantly: they are all feats that you could take as Fighter Bonus feats. In some cases, the Fighter Feat version will be more powerful (i.e. take Quick Draw; it will be useful for all weapons, not just daisho).

Otherwise, Fighter and Samurai are practically identical, with a couple of random skills that are/aren't on either one's list.

Now ask yourself: Are Improved Mass Staredown, Kiai Smite, and Frightful presence worth six feats? That's what you're giving up to get them.

[Swooper]

The bad thing about the 'giving enemies morale penalties before the battle' is that you can't. Unless they have less hit dice than you have levels, which may happen on some of the really low levels but once you reach a certain point, monsters start having double their CR in hit dice, and then there's nothing you can do to them except hit them with your crappy swords (which the class, by the way, kind of forces you to use). Really, just about any class in D&D is better. As someone said, you can play a fighter and act like you're a samurai, select appropriate feats, go into the Master Samurai PrC (no, wait, they never updated that to 3.5 did they?) or something. The samurai class in Complete Warrior is really horrible.

[kamikasei]

What are the books you have access to? Are there any houserules in effect that would affect a build?

It shouldn't be hard to build a better samurai than the CW Samurai, once we've got that information.

And to be fair, the first commandment is "thou shalt not give up caster levels".

[Emperor Tippy]

True. I should have said:

"Thou shalt not give up caster levels, but if you do then under no circumstance should said caster levels be replaced with CW Samurai levels"

[marjan]

As a Fighter, you get 10 bonus Feats by 20th level. You can choose any 10 from the Fighter feats.

Just to be picky: 11 bonus feats.

On the rest of it I agree with you.

[Telonius]

Ack, my correction was Ninja'd. Or samurai'd, as the case may be.

[marjan]

...knight does sound cool too, if you would recamend it...

Knight, unlike CW Samurai, is pretty damn good class. Better go with it.

[marjan]

...Or samurai'd, as the case may be.

Come on, it can't be that bad.

[Kojiro Kakita]

Hey, best option is to go Tome of Battle: Warblade and specialize in Diamond Mind and Iron Heart. After all many of their attacks seem Samurai esque in their descriptions.

[WarlockBeast]

My only books i have access too are CW PhB DMG MM2-5 (don't have 1, silly me). and PhB2.

And the edit i made for my above posts edit is onlyhouserule i get. next month i will able to buy another book or two, wich i most liekly will.

[Tokiko Mima]

"Thou shalt not give up caster levels, but if you do then under no circumstance should said caster levels be replaced with CW Samurai levels"

QFT!

WarlockBeast, we *really* are not kidding. Fighter is not the best class in the game by far, but anything a CW Samurai can do, a simple fighter can do in a vastly superior way.

[Zenos]

I LOL'ed at the title.

[WarlockBeast]

Okay ill check back once evryone reads the edit, but i'll take your advice and look the knight, and Hexblade or Swashbuckler if you would recamend either. The way you put it, CW samurai sounds more it should be reserved for some sort of important, not all powerful though NPC.

[Felius]

Get tome of battle and create an war blade. Or get oriental adventures and use the samurai there.
If you're going to play a CW samurai, you're better of becoming a warrior.

The way you put it, CW samurai sounds more it should be reserved for some sort of important, not all powerful though NPC.

No, CW samurai should be reserved for no existance. Let be not this class in the game. If we all try very hard to forget it, it might be erased of existence.

[Talya]

The way you put it, CW samurai sounds more it should be reserved for some sort of important, not all powerful though NPC.

Yes. It is slightly better than the NPC class "Warrior."

[Telonius]

If I'm reading that right, it'll give 7d6 at level 20. That's about an extra 24 points of damage once a day. Not too bad, but still not worth six feats.

[Reel On, Love]

The Complete Warrior Samurai is the worst class Wizards ever printed... and in a game with base classes like the Monk, the Soulknife, and the Healer, that makes it pretty special.

"Special" in the sense that it rides the short bus and licks the windows.

[WarlockBeast]

The Samurai is now starting to sound like an over restricted, unholy, duel weapon wielder, with poor will and reflexes, wich are NOT at all samurai sounding, un-spellcasting. over restricted meaning is not allowed to steal, no matter what it is, no matter who from, evil or otherwise, unless said person is dead, not allowed to go into combat without oppenent knowing of his presence and such.


So yeah i will switch. BTW can anyone point out afew of the samurai's differences with the one from oriental adventures?

[marjan]

BTW can anyone point out afew of the samurai's differences with the one from oriental adventures?

OA Samurai gets bonus feats he can choose and has good will save. That's all I can think of right now.

[Tengu]

The Oriental Adventures samurai is basically a fighter with a good Will save, 4 skill points per level, less feats, different feat and skill choices and the ability to upgrade his weapon by sacrificing experience and money. It's a decent class.