Post/Author/DateTime	Post
ZeroAvatar 10-08-06, 06:20 PM	Getting right to it: 32-point buy Race: Human Stats : Str 16 (10 base + 6 enhancement) Dex 34 (18 base + 6 enhancement + 5 inherent + 5 level) Con 16 (10 base + 6 enhancement) Int 14 (14 base) Wis 24 (14 base + 6 enhancement + 4 inherent) Cha 8 (8 base) Swordsage 2/Fighter 3/Warblade 1/Fighter 1/Psywar 1/Dervish 5/Psywar 1/Dervish 5/Swordsage 1 (I didn't group them together due to the timing of getting maneuvres) Feats: Level 1: Expeditious Dodge, 2-Weapon Fighting, [Discipline Focus: DW Weapon Focus] Level 3: Shadow Blade, (Improved Initiative) Level 4: (Combat Expertise) Level 6: Mobility Level 7: (Improved 2-Weapon Fighting) Level 8: (Improved Combat Expertise) Level 9: Ironheart Aura Level 11: [Spring Attack] Level 12: Stormguard Warrior Level 14: (Weapon Finesse) Level 15: Greater 2-Weapon Fighting Level 18: Psychic Renewal Notes: Wis to AC in light armour (lvl 2 Swordsage), Dex to hit and damage (Shadow Blade and Weapon Finesse), can expend psionic focus and a matching number of power points to recover a maneuver as a swift action, fast movement +15, 1000 cuts once a day, dervish dance +5 to hit and damage. Equipment: +5 mithral chain shirt, 2x +5 scimitar of speed, +4 ring of protection, +4 amulet of natural armour, tome of dex +5, tome of wis +4, +6 gloves of dex, +6 belt of str, +6 periapt of wis, +6 unslotted amulet of health HP: 5d8+14d10+1d12+60 (166 hp) AC (maximum: combat expertise, fighting defensively, manifesting force screen + defensive precognition):72 (10 base + 9 armour + 6 dex + 7 wis + 4 deflection + 4 natural + 2 exp. dodge + 18 expertise + 4 elaborate parry + 3 dervish bonus + 4 shield + 1 insight) - Most enemies will only hit on natural 20s. (If it's not, then it's a Heca. Or something.) AC (during combat):50 (10 base + 9 armour + 6 dex + 7 wis + 4 deflection + 4 natural + 2 exp. dodge + 3 dervish bonus + 4 shield + 1 insight) BAB: 18/13/8/3 Attack: +39 (18 BAB + 12 Dex + 5 enhancement + 5 dervish dance + 1 weapon focus -2 TWF) Full Attack: +39/+39/+34/+29/+24 and +39/+39/+34/+29 (N.B. I'm not sure on how two weapons of speed work, so I'm going to assume the twinkiest version and say they both give an attack each at highest bab) Maneuvers Known: Steel Wind (IH), Steely Strike (IH), Wolf Fang Strike (TC), Sudden Leap (TC), Dancing Mongoose (TC), Burning Blade (DW) Stances known: Child of Shadow (SH), Blood in the Water Two-turn attack action: using Dancing Mongoose each turn by regaining it with Psychic Renewal, Using Stormguard Warrior to boost 2nd turn damage, using 1000 cuts on the second turn, Dervish Dancing both turns, activating Burning Blade on second turn. Turn 1: Full attack: +39/+39/+39/+34/+29/+24 and +39/+39/+39/+34/+29 - touch. Likelyhood that an attack will hit a Balor-type monster: 95% Turn 2: 1000 cuts full attack: +39/+39/+39/+39/+39/+34/+34/+29/+29/+24/+24 and +39/+39/+39/+39/+39/+34/+34/+29/+29 Each attack: 1d6 + (1d6 + 11 (fire)) + 12 Dex + 5 enhancement + 5 Dervish Dance + 55 Stormguard = 80.5 + 14.5 fire Maximum damage: 1900 damage, of which 290 is fire. Furthermore, each hit will trigger a massive-damage save. Considering a possible 5% failure, if all hits connect statistically the target will die instantly due to the 20 attacks. I don't know of anything pre-level 20 that will not get reduced to a small pile of smoldering ashes after this. This is, however, my first try at proper optimising, so I might've made mistakes.
Prominence 10-08-06, 06:24 PM	Swordsage 2/Fighter 3/Warblade 1/Fighter 1/Psywar 1/Dervish 5/Psywar 1/Dervish 5/Swordsage 1 Swordsage 3 / Fighter 4 / Warblade 1 / Psywar 2 / Dervish 10 has XP penalties for multiclassing, granted it's at level 20.
ZeroAvatar 10-08-06, 06:28 PM	Swordsage 3 / Fighter 4 / Warblade 1 / Psywar 2 / Dervish 10 has XP penalties for multiclassing, granted it's at level 20. Well...yes. It will take multiclassing penalties at level 20. But it really doesn't matter then. I don't think people build these things with epic in consideration.
X-Codes 10-08-06, 06:31 PM	Shadow Blade doesn't work with Dervish Dance unless you use either Daggers or the Versatile Unarmed Strike feat. You can only use Psychic Renewal once because it requires you to expend your Psionic Focus and you can't regain it because you are Dervish Dancing, PLUS you only have 8 PP PLUS you can't use it the same turn you use Dancing Mongoose because they're both Swift Actions. Also, assuming the most powerful interpetation in the rules is liable to get you slapped with a DMG when you take it to the table. It's apparent to me that you didn't even read half the things you picked up in this build.
ZeroAvatar 10-08-06, 06:50 PM	Shadow Blade doesn't work with Dervish Dance unless you use either Daggers or the Versatile Unarmed Strike feat. You can only use Psychic Renewal once because it requires you to expend your Psionic Focus and you can't regain it because you are Dervish Dancing, PLUS you only have 8 PP PLUS you can't use it the same turn you use Dancing Mongoose because they're both Swift Actions. Also, assuming the most powerful interpetation in the rules is liable to get you slapped with a DMG when you take it to the table. Right, I didn't notice the Scimitars actually not working with Shadow Blade. This means that I can, I suppose, replace them with daggers. I don't think this actually affects anything other than it reduces each attack's average damage by 1. I can use Raging Mongoose on the first turn, since I need Burning Blade on the second one (probably sub-optimal), meaning that I don't need Psychic Renewal. Don't know what to replace it with. By Dancing Mongoose, I meant Raging Mongoose. I can actually use that one, as opposed to its counterpart. And as for dervish dancing - I don't actually have to dervish dance on the first turn. If double weapons of speed don't stack, then I lose an overall of four attacks: one on the first turn and three on the second turn. This reduces damage by In general, damage is reduced to 1d4 + (1d6 + 11 (fire)) + 12 Dex + 5 enhancement + 5 Dervish Dance + 50 Stormguard, leading to 1513 damage over two rounds. Is this correct?
xanadu 10-08-06, 06:51 PM	Dervish and swordsage are like oil and water; they dont mix well at all. Wis is a dump stat You lose BAB You want to full attack You want to use scimitars if twf Most of the better boosts and counters are Warblade; that has dervish potential.
X-Codes 10-08-06, 07:46 PM	Dervish and swordsage are like oil and water; they dont mix well at all. Wis is a dump stat You lose BAB You want to full attack You want to use scimitars if twf Most of the better boosts and counters are Warblade; that has dervish potential. Ehh, these aren't nessesarily true. Dervishes usually use one of the three mental stats for extra bonuses, which could be Int, Wis, or Cha. Int is the most common one, so Wis is usually a dump stat, but it doesn't have to be. You only lose 1 or 2 BAB, which is not bad for front liners (technically a Swordsage is a front-line character, and he only has +15 BAB at 20). He is full attacking, just using the Initiator levels for good boosts. You don't have to use scimitars. I know of dervishes that use Courtblades, Kamas, Bastard Swords, Great Scimitars, and more, with a few of them also using TWF. Also, Scimitar simply doesn't work with Shadow Blade, which makes Daggers better. Warblades don't get any boosts that are especially good. Iron Heart counters are useful to be sure, but otherwise everything Warblades have Swordsages also have (except White Raven, which Dervishes can't really use), and then Swordsages get Burning/Searing/Inferno Blade as well as Cloak of Deception; 4 really good boosts for TWFers.