Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 dhurkan Sep 07, 2009 22:11:32	Hello, I need some help!  I just switched from 2nd ed. and going to play in a 3.5 campaign.  I had a hengeyokai (panther) kensai who used a katana mainhand and wakizashi off hand.  there isn't a class or race close to what I used to play.  HELP!!!!
#2 salla Sep 07, 2009 22:16:41	The Hengeyokai are in the Oriental Adventures supplement. Anybody who takes the two-weapon fighting feat can use a katana and wakizashi (aka bastard sword and short sword) at the same time.  Your best bet is probably a Warblade (Book of Nine Swords) using a lot of Tiger Claw maneuvers, since the PHB 'warrior' classes suck.
#3 turbowombat Sep 09, 2009 3:54:21	Oh come on, no love for the Feat Sack and Well At Least You Get a Free Horsey classes that I believe they called Fighter and Paladin? PHB lvl 20 thoroughbreads all the way!
#4 Mad_Jack Sep 10, 2009 21:46:36	Anybody who takes the right feats can fight with two weapons - like the other poster said, bastard sword and short sword. In fact, there's a Samurai class in the Complete Warrior book that's designed around dual-wielding  bastard and short swords. It's generally considered to be kind of a lame duck as a full 20-level class, but taking a couple of levels in it would certainly give you the right flavor for your character, as well as some of the necessary two-weapon feats. I'd suggest that your best bet would be to grab a couple levels in two or more classes in order to pick up the class features that would fit your character concept best. Two levels of fighter will give you two extra feats to work with as well. As for race, I don't think they updated the Oriental Adventures book for 3.5, but you have two options for playing a "panther hengeyokai" in 3.5 - there's a catfolk race in Races of The Wild, and then there's the Shifter in the Eberron Campaign Setting Player's Guide. The catfolk race is your basic anthropomorphic feline, while the shifter is a human with lycanthropic heritage who can take on more animalistic features. Of those two, the shifter is probably the better choice, as there are a ton of racial feats available to it in order to get more mileage out of it's racial abilities.
#5 Symar Sep 12, 2009 11:45:10	There was errata published to convert OA to 3.5. In regards to hengeyokai, though, I think the only change is they become a Humanoid (Shapechanger), since Shapechanger became a subtype, and as a result lose the Level-adjustment penalty.
#6 oxybe Sep 12, 2009 12:22:47	dunno much about OA, but your character's race sounds a bit close to a razorclaw shifter from Eberron. with the gm's concent your Human form would be more human while his shifting become more animal-like then a "normal" shifter. shifters, if you never heard of them, are lycantropic decendants. they look like feral humans with pronounced animal characteristics. while unable to go fully animal, you and your GM should be able to work something out. i would strongly suggest grabbing a few levels of rogue instead of ranger and reflavoring your sneak attack as an iaido-style strike since both rely on swift & precise cuts & strokes. rogues get lots of skills that a samurai type could use: diplomacy, sense motive, perform (weapon kata), intimidate, gather information. you could ask the GM to change Know (local) to Know (nobility) in the class skills to be more in line with the concept. you may want to take a level of fighter for armor & weapon training, as well as bonus feats. for weapons, use a longsword/shortsword main/off hand, reflavored as katana and wikipediazashi if you don't feel like burning the few feats you get hope this helps
#7 ace_of_time Sep 12, 2009 21:11:50	Wasn't there a TSR OA book first?  I can't remember?  Anyway OA has a 3.0 race with that name.  Page 168.  Since the monster is 3.0 it shouldn't be to hard to convert to 3.5.  If it doesn't have a LA on it you should just be able to pick a class.  There are also tons of options in 3.5 for TWF so you might want to look over all the option first before deciding to go with the same thing as you did't.