See if you can convince your GM to let you get a Blinkback Bandolier, or something. I’d just get a bayonet, though. Or a Rogue, for that matter. The Flying Blade is a fun archetype executed very well. : Before you cry out that this requires the “Grit class feature” and “Gunslinger level 11th,” Panache counts as Grit for the purposes of qualifying for Feats, and the Swashbuckler’s class features specifically call Signature Deed out a couple of times. ; Rapid Shot + TWF is a lot of attacks to add Precise Strike to if you can hit with those penalties. : You’ll be Demoralizing with Intimidate, and this lets you sicken anyone suffering from a fear effect when you hit them. Underfoot Assault could be good for a class dip into Mouser Swashbuckler, but you can live without the other Deeds, and the Deeds replaced are much better than what the Mouser gets. : These guys make decent Swashbucklers, surprisingly. However, I recommend it for others. : If you want to fully capitalize on all your Deeds, you need this. : This is worth a feat. If that's acceptable to you, the Inspired Blade can be a very interesting option. No matter what, you can counter near enough every melee attack, twice if you spend Panache for Opportune Parry. Instant kill, and all that. Extra opinions are always nice to have around. The Swashbuckler's archetypes seek to add interesting new fighting mechanics to the Swashbuckler's already considerable prowess. : If you plan to take Eldritch Heritage/Raging Blood, you need this. Destined is good if you already took Karmic Eldritch Heritage. Hero’s Fortune is cool, especially combined with Blood of Heroes. It’s an exceptionally fun class that you can use to pump up a character to seem larger than life. If you would like help with Pathfinder player options not covered here, please email me and I am happy to provide additional assistance. Spending 1 Panache to double it is just an added bonus. As a Swashbuckler, you don’t prize Strength nearly as highly as other combat-oriented classes, so +2 Charisma and +2 Dexterity for -2 Strength is pretty great for you. If he doesn’t, Agile will work, too. Deeds: The Picaroon's deeds do a bit to fix firearms for the Swashbuckler, but they eat Panache points too quickly to be useful. Charisma is also pretty important for a Swashbuckler. This isn’t good even for Total Defense-users. Pick Up Your Copy Now. 3. Clandestine Expertise (Ex): Situational, but the static skill bonuses for yourself are nice. I’m not sure what’s up with the wording; perhaps these were meant to be tied to a specific Deed at one point? Deed: Misfires are a problem for any firearm user, and Quick Clear significantly mitigates the issue. Flavour and specific games(say, if your base of operations is an underwater basket-weaving joint) only. : Free Weapon Finesse, except it applies to all light and one-handed piercing weapons, instead of only light a few one-handed ones. If your GM’s a nice fella, you’ll be dishing out damage per dagger like crazy assuming you can afford the proper enchantments. Before we get really started here, there is one feat that you are going to take, no matter your build(well, almost). : If this works with the Mouser’s Swift Action Dirty Trick Stagger, then it’s pretty nice for them. A Pepperbox Rifle is acceptable, but not ideal because of the higher misfire chance. Some of particular note to you are Irrepressible and, if you took Arcane Strike, Light-Bringer. : If your GM lets these work for you(your class feature is technically called Swashbuckler Weapon Training, not Weapon Training), and they should, get a pair and never look back. Roughly as useful. : Bonus to Dex is good, but there’s really not a whole lot else here for you. :(. I mean, divine grace is so much better than charmed life and saving throws is where every swashbuckler I've ever made got into trouble. It’s like Challenge but all the time, it’s great. Scales okay as you level. Replaced Features: Panache (altered), Deeds (Bleeding Wound), Swashbuckler Weapon Training, Swashbuckler Weapon Mastery. Good options include Opportune Parry and Riposte, Dizzying Defense, the Mouser’s Underfoot Assault or Quick Steal, the Flying Blade’s Disrupting Counter(which is the best use, I think), and the Picaroon’s Lightning Reload. I mean who cares about those last two Deeds? : When this works, it’s okay. You value AC over a piddling, circumstantial Disguise bonus and Divination effect negator. : Rarely worth a Feat, but required for a couple of Feats. The surrender portion is really just an extra option, but it doesn’t hurt. If your GM allows it and you like the idea of having a sidekick, take it. : 4000 gp for two uses of Stoneskin is steep, but it can vastly increase your survivability in fights against a lot of weak enemies. If that's acceptable to you, the Inspired Blade can be a very interesting option. You can also spend Panache to ignore range increment penalties. : This is pretty bad, and only even manages to eke out an orange rating because you can put Signature Deed on it. If you have Power Attack already and want to save action economy, take it. It’s quite Panache-intensive, however, because you have to use Subtle Throw to avoid Attacks of Opportunity. If you can coerce your GM into allowing you to refresh Panache through willful stupidity(which you should attempt), this gets a bit better, since you’ll probably be using these Skills for said stupidity. Also needed for a lot of daring action-y stuff if your GM allows you to regain Panache through it. Other than that, a bonus to Perception and some saves is always welcome. : You don’t normally hold a shield or anything in your other hand, so I guess it’s okay? Feats. +2 Dex, Con, and Charisma, +2 NA Bonus, immunity to Trip - it’s all amazing for a Swashbuckler. Unless you can convince your GM both to let you use it AND to find some way for it to not break(Adamantium Crystal Chakram? The Swashbuckler is a Striker and potentially a Face. Be sure that your AC is good and that you have enough hit points to survive combat in such close quarters. I support a limited subset of Pathfinder's rules content. Or pick Magus. This bonus increases to +2 at 11th level and to +3 at 20th level. : Okay, so I don’t suggest playing this in anything but an Evil campaign, but it’s not half bad. Perfect Throw (Ex): This is a cool option, but your attack bonus should be good enough to hit anything which you're fighting, and you should be able to bypass the DR of most enemies with a bit of forethought. +2 Initiative, even if it is only really a trait, is still better than +2 Disguise/Stealth. Skip Agile if the GM allows Slashing Grace to affect light weapons. Nothing stellar, but we’ll take it. The swashbuckler embodies the concepts of daring and panache. This is the best you can get, and you should almost always take it. Not bad, though 3 bonus is pretty steep for Greater. You want whatever critical threat range you can get. Rerolls are great, but Bluff still doesn't see a ton of use. Your Initiative is going to be great, so you can usually shut someone down from the very start of the fight by Frightening, Dazing, or Nauseating them within two rounds. Also contributes to Faceness. Which helps it quite a bit. Aim for at least a 16, before racial bonuses, here. Can You Defeat Jacob's Tower? : This is why piddling bonuses to Disguise are not very well-appreciated. Conquer the Ultimate Dungeon Crawl! Whatever you do, never take Dual Talent; it’s absolutely atrocious. Underfoot Assault (Ex): This is a fantastic way to force your target to attack you, which is one of the most important functions of a Defender. Not as nice as a bonus to initiative, but still nice. Still, if … Some grant static untyped Save bonuses. And remember, attack bonuses also help our defenses, thanks to Opportune Parry, and damage is always welcome. Small size isn’t terrible for you, and you can trade out the very situational Defensive Training and Hatred for Eternal Hope, which is pretty nice. : Without access to Advanced Firearms, this is a Picaroon’s best fallback. : Somewhat more situational than Corrosive/etc, but more damage. Float through walls! Slashing Grace Errata'd - Fencing Grace now worthwhile for Swashbucklers I've just noticed that Slashing Grace now specifies that you must have absolutely nothing in your other hand to use it. Note you can’t use this OR the buckler if you’re using Dervish Dance. Stopping a charge, extending your reach, ignoring difficult terrain, and getting Blind Fight are all really good effects to have on hand. I'm mid-capaign (level 5) in Skull and Shackles, and my character got their stupid heart ripped out... To the point, I need a new character and I'm thinking Swashbuckler. : This will probably be a +3 or so bonus eventually, so it’s okay. This doesn’t mean they’ll have the highest AC, but that’s just fine; they don’t. : You might be a dodgy little prick, but you’re still a frontline fighter, and you want HP just as much as any other frontline fighter. That said, if you can get your CMB high enough, Swift Action Steal when you hit somebody can be handy. : While there’s not a whole lot here for you, the Ability Score Bonuses and Acrobatics boost are up your alley. : This is actually not a good thing. Like humans. There’s probably some confounded combination that’s well worth it, however, so if anyone knows of one, tell me and I’ll try and put it in here. : You get to use Precise Strike with your daggers, and their range increases a bit. All right, the Str/Con bonus is only half useful for you, but some of the Bloodrager benefits are cool. : This is basically your best option for armor. You can get Agile on the suckers, too, to get back your Dex to damage; all you’ll really lose out on is a +1 enchantment. Also note that many colored items are also links to the Paizo SRD. : This is really good, and a great way to avoid attacks, especially if you really pump your Charisma/Panache. : For the Flying Blade, Musketeer, and maybe the Picaroon, this is ranged Power Attack. 1 Panache for +4 AC isn’t bad if you really need it. Go as low as 7 if you feel like Thogging it out. If you want a Dueling Sword for flavour, take Slashing Grace and still wear a buckler, and a Dueling dagger. With slashing grace, you don't need an agile enchantment. The duelist is what went into the chrysalis, but what emerged was the swashbuckler. : Higher damage than the Rifle, but shorter range and a higher misfire rate, along with heftier penalties for misfiring. : At first glance, this looks like early-entry worse Leadership. : Okay, these guys would be blue or some sort of quasi-real superblue if not for the fact that. You could trade Detect Undead for no light sensitivity if you wanted. : If you’re looking to make someone like you, use Diplomacy, not Intimidate. : A nice buff to AC for an acceptable tradeoff to Attack Rolls. The immediate action counterattack is icing on the cake. Fortitude save hurts. Derring-Do helps it. Useful if you don’t normally have it. : This is by no means a bad weapon, but you really do live and die by your crits, so consider well how much the crit multiplier is worth less crits overall. You don’t need AC that badly, either, especially as a ranged build. : If you’ve taken Dazzling and Gory/Violent, then this isn’t awful. Not a terrible choice, but consider Half-Elf first if you want Elfish flavour. Configure You can also get a bite, which counts a light piercing weapon, and doesn’t count as attacking with a weapon in your off-hand. : Hahahaha, no. : Same as always, but now ranged. All in all, not a bad deal. As a Picaroon or Flying Blade, you don’t need this because your weapons threaten 5 feet from you anyway. I wish the -4 penalty applied against you as well, but we can’t all have what we want. You get to keep the stone’s normal benefits, too! Amanoo’s Pathfinder Guide to Whips. The Favoured Class Bonus probably isn’t worth it, but you can also choose from the Human or Elf FCBs. : If you want to do this, grab Shatter Defenses. If your GM enjoys him some Sunder/Disarm, this is. Or your cape. : This is a terrible Feat and you’re only here because it’s a prerequisite for something not terrible. . Rend their souls! : A feat tax for ranged builds. And you’re GOING to be adding it to damage pretty quickly. Figure I should start here, since what Ability Scores you want and have influences your Race, Feat, Skill, Playstyle, and..pretty much all your options, really. And hey, its a free action so it doesn’t prevent you from using your myriad Swift/Immediate action Deeds. : Not the best scores, but they’ll do. But these next two Feats more than make up for that. The Favoured Class Bonus is kind of interesting, but it’s not good enough to make the race worth it overall. If you’re a Flying Blade, you want this, even if it renders a Deed moot. : You’re a Dex-based class and you have an ability that lets you give up an AoO to avoid an attack. It’s obvious that you’re supposed to be allowed to take this. : These are all 1-handed slashing weapons that deal 1d8 damage and have an 18-20 critical range. You want as many as you can get. Charging to the far side of your enemy is a great way to get into position for flanking. Still, every Class needs a guide, right? It’s still probably orange, though. : It’s a prerequisite for a lot of Feats, and +1 AC isn’t a terrible thing to have. Search for: New Releases. Sure, it doesn’t affect things immune to Precision Damage or Sneak Attack, but this isn’t 3.5 - that’s not a big issue. The former has the perfect bonuses for you, and they come at no penalty! Terrify your enemies! {{#set:Summary=A swashbuckler who is actually playable after level 3. }} Also, if you can’t get Slashing Grace, you’ll have to wait until at least level 3 to add your Dex to damage, and you don’t want a penalty if you can help it. 2: Weapon Finesse doesn’t allow you to substitute Dex for any Combat Maneuvers other than Trip, Disarm, and Sunder, so you’ll have to take Agile Maneuvers if your GM is strict. . The alchemist i... As guides for Pathfinder 2nd Edition get written, they will be stored here. This is your 3rd(1st if Human) level feat unless you’re using a Scimitar, in which case you can use Dervish Dance if you hate Weapon Focus and like dancing. The Mouser attempts to further emphasize this by allows the Swashbuckler to better engage foes larger than the Swashbuckler. Drop a point or two, because chances are nobody else will. If you expect to do this a lot for some reason, go ahead and invest. : If you’re a Flying Blade, Picaroon, or Musketeer, take it. : Free early-entry Improved Critical is very nice for you. FCB is same as the Human’s, so it’s pretty decent. Not so much for the Charisma bonus to AC; that’s nice, but more helpful early on. Useful if you have a lot of casters in your party, avoid if you don’t. But that’s not so bad - unlike the Duelist, Swordlord, or other myriad classes that attempt this style of play, the Swashbuckler doesn’t require a hefty amount of optimization or intricate knowledge of the traps inherent to Pathfinder to function at a base level. It seems the second half of this might apply even if you normally enter their square, not just when using the Deed; if this is so, considering this(and the archetype as a whole). The Threatening Defender trait helps. +5 to Bluff is not worth +5 or more to 7 saving throws a day. Bonus Feats: Feats which provide bonuses to skills are rarely taken, and for good reason. I’m not sure if you can swap between the benefits, or if they’re set in stone. : Hey, it’s basically a free Trait, take what you can get. The slight damage increase is not worth a feat in any way. : This is one of the best Rings out there. Basically you’re buying mini-Deeds here. : You want Div- or Rakshasa-spawn here. I suggest…. Still, doing that is very, very risky. Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Swashbucklers are proficient with simple and martial weapons, as well as light armor and bucklers. Why? : Unless you actually have some way to fly, don’t bother, but it’s worth noting that Derring-Do applies to this, and it’s Dex-based. For these few, the fight must be conducted with style and panache; with wit and charm; and more than a bit of luck to boot. 2 Panache for 1 physical stat Bleed, though, is pretty nice if the other guys have no healers. She fights with panache: a fluctuating measure of a swashbuckler’s ability to perform amazing actions in combat. : Your best choice for a Picaroon’s handcannon. : Okay, I don’t like giving up Opportune Parry, but this is decent.