If you're taking Swashbuckler Multiclass Archetype feats, this is porbably you go-to feat because it works equally well on literally any character that's not using a Shield or some other ability which grants a consistent Circumstance bonus to AC. Vigilant Senses: The best Perception progression in the game. Several Ancestries offer unique feat combinations which support various play styles and builds for the Swashbuckler which can produce some incredibly effective characters if you know what to look for. Seriously though, the Swashbuckler Archetype isn't really that bad. The Mouser attempts to further emphasize this by allows the Swashbuckler to better engage foes larger than the Swashbuckler. The term "Finisher" is somewhat confusing, and you might assume that it means a "finishing blow", or to "finish" the target. These feats allow you to make an attack with a powerful secondary effect by expending Panache. As with most Martials their power and flexibility is typically gained through their class feats. The Orc's Ancestry Feats don't offer much to the Swashbuckler, though there are a few gems. The rest of the Tengu's Ancestry Feats don't offer much for the Swashbuckler, but you can still find several interesting options which are just generally useful. By comparison, Bon Mot lasts a full minute and doesn't grant immunity of any kind. Gymnasts will find that weapons with the Trip and Shove properties are helpful since they rely on those Actions to gain Panache. Elf: The Elf can work, but it has some limitations. Tengu: Only two Ability Boosts, but you can make that work. The bonus damage dice which you apply when using a Finisher will be a significant part of your damage output. You can't jump farther than your Speed with Leap or Long Jump, so having Panache to benefit from Vivacious Speed is going to be crucial if you want to jump insane distances. Archetypes are a quick and easy way to specialize characters of a given class, adding fun and flavorful new abilities to already established adventurers. Look at the 'derring-do' feat. Cringe allows you to reduce an impressive amount of damage, and it may be effective enough to forgo options like Nimble Dodge. E.g. I can see some of the swashbuckler feats and oppertune Riposte being good but I still feel like it is missing something? The Human has several unique options beyond their Ability Boosts. Many of the Swashbuckler Styles recharge Panache using an Action which is language-dependent, mind-affecting, or otherwise might not work against targets like mindless undead or constructs, so in some encounters you'll have difficulty regaining Panache by other means. Second, Lethal Finisher has the Death trait, so when enemies are reduced to 0 hit points they die outright. However, keep in mind that Grapple, Shove, and Trip all have the Attack trait so they'll impose a Multiple Attack Penalty. Tumble Through is unglamorous, but important. Is the combat ability worth it? At 5th level, the energy resistance granted by the dragonblood shifter’s draconic aspect increases to 10. The Halfling's Ability Boots and Flaws are slightly worse for most swashbucklers (though you can use the Optional Flaw rules to bring them closer together), but there are still a lot of great Ancestry Feat options to choose from. The requirements are fine and you get some skills etc. 2. Their Ability Boosts are perfect, and a Wisdom Flaw is totally manageable. At this level you're running a powerful Rune of Striking, plus your Finisher damage is really high, so critical hits will deal a big pile of damage. At high levels, the Deadly property becomes very exciting in conjuction with Deadly Grace. Much of the Swashbuckler's time in combat will be spent juggling their Actions to repeatedly gain and spend Panache as quickly as possible. Swashbuckler Dedication Feat 2 Source Advanced Player's Guide pg. Agile is tempting since Pathfinder 2e's martial characters often depend on making numerous Strikes in a turn, which leads to a growing Multiple Attack Penalty. e.g. Or is best only on non-martials if story appropriate? Gnome Weapon Familiarity gets you acces to the Kukri, but with a Strength Flaw relying on Trip is hard to do. Daring Champion also introduces the Swashbuckler's fantastic Panache ability, and several Swashbuckler Deeds with which to use it. Rage Powers: The following rage powers complement the sea reaver archetype: bestial leaper, bestial swimmer, come and get me, hurling charge, raging leaper, raging swimmer, rolling dodge, and smasher. You get the added utility of being able to choose which weapon to use with any given Attack, but you also need to pour precious gold into a second weapon in a game where gold is as precious as feats. Acrobat. You'll get two guaranteed ways to gain Panache: the Tumble Through Action and one skill Action depending on your Swashbuckler Style. Still, if you need to, it’s here. Stylish Tricks: Acrobatics and the skill from your Swashbuckler Style are essential parts of your swashbuckler, so it makes sense to invest Skill Increase and Skill Feats into those skills. Panache is great for anyone who uses Demoralise, the movement is always welcome, Charmed Life is amazing on classes with few or no reactions, and You're Next is a fun option for Intimidation Charisma blasters who will likely kill multiple smaller enemies with AoE. This will protect from a lot of damage from area effects like fireballs and breath weapons. Swashbuckler: Like Arcanist, might be mechanically useful but may not be necessary as more than an Archetype. Bon Mot penalizes Perception and Will Saves, which is only significant if you can capitalize on enemies' low Will saves. Many rogue archetypes can be combined easily. Go for Braggart. Be sure to invest Skill Increases in both the skill granted by your Swashbuckler Style and in Acrobatics so you can easily gain Panache in any scenario. Ancestral Anthologies Vol. 1: Races of Nature Unleashed (PF2) December 2, 2020 Aegis of Empires 5: Race for Shataakh-Uulm (Pathfinder Second Edition) November 21, 2020 Legendary Planet Player's Guide (Pathfinder Second Edition) November 18, 2020 While any class can brag, boast, tumble about, swing from chandeliers, and generally show off, the Swashbuckler uniquely gains the ability to empower themselves by doing so, and unless you're ready to play that way you're going to struggle as a swashbuckler. That's all good. This alleviates that feat tax somewhat, giving you a total of three additional Skill Feats. Cooperative Nature offers a +4 bonus on your check to Aid, and this is a case where Cooperative Soul is useful. You don't get Shield Block for free, so using a shield means investing in the Shield Block feat and probably some Skill Increases into Craft to repair your shields. Down to it's ability to provide additional movement speed and utility/AC feats. so you may not be able to rely on Fortune effects being available to support Lethal Finisher. The swashbuckler is crazy good dip due to the strong low level feats, and can work esceedingly well in amplying what the other class is also great at. If you would like help with Pathfinder player options not covered here, please email me and I am happy to provide additional assistance.I will use the color coding scheme which has become common among Pathfinder build handbooks. You might use a Finisher as often as every turn. "Finishers" are the primary way in which you'll consume Panache. However, the Mouser gives up several great Swashbuckler Deeds for some very situational options. I'm wondering how to get panache easier. The damage bonus applies to all of your Strikes, so it's easy to rely on this is as a constant increase to damage so long as you have Panache. Either way, you rely on intimidation, wits, and combat prowess to take what you want from those you deem less deserving. Great Fortitude: Your only improvement to Fortitude saves, and you get it at level 3. Weapon and Armor Proficiency. Swashbuckler's Style: See "Subclasses - Swashbuckler's Style", below. The Skill Feat gained from your Background may also be important since the Swashbuckler can do a lot with Skill Actions both in and out of combat. Or does it make more sense to go fencer since I can always tumble through which is against reflex saves? Champion's Finesse makes this archetype a fantastic option for a one-level class dip for characters who want to use Weapon Finesse and Combat Expertise, but don't want to have enough intelligence for Combat Expertise. Cha: The majority of Swashbuckler Styles use a Charisma-based skill for their Panache mechanic. I'm thinking of making a swashbuckler. Exemplary Finisher: The benefits vary depending on your Swashbuckler Style. However, that would normally create a "feat tax" which would lock you into spending your regular Skill Increases and Skill Feats. Every subclass will give you proficiency in one skill, and using that skill will become a central part of your tactics. 153 The swashbuckler archetype is a great fit for martial characters who want to be a bit flashier or for Charisma-based spellcasters who want to add a bit of dramatic flair to their routine. Red: Bad, useless options, or options which are extremely situational. Precise Strike: The flat bonus is a small but still impactful amount of bonus damage. You might also choose to play your Party's Face since you'll likely get a Face skill from your Style, putting you on the path to success with little effort. Orc: Only two Ability Boosts, and one of them is in Strength. Light Armor Mastery: More AC is always great. Dwarf: The Ability Boosts/Flaws are workable, though you'll want to avoid Charisma-based builds so the Gymnast may be your best bet. Any tips? Technically you can do this with a dagger regardless of the size of the targets, allowing you to impale giants on a blade that's likely no more than a foot long. Swashbuckler Feats: See Swashbuckler feats, below. To be clear, I love the Swashbuckler class. Opportune Riposte: It only applies on Critical Failures, so you'll get the most use out of this when you have really high AC, when your attacker's attack bonus is poor (debuffs help), when your opponent is making numerous attacks with a Multiple Attack Penalty, or some combination of the three. Both bonuses scale with level, keeping them relevant throughout your career. However, Disarm suffers from the same Attack trait limitations that your other options do. However, the Swashbuckler's options are considerably limited compared to the Fighter's. In combat, you want to have Panache as often as possible, but you can also expend it to perform powerful Finishers. Source Pathfinder #152: Legacy of the Lost God pg. This creates an important "gameplay loop" where the Swashbuckler gains Panache, does cool stuff, expends Panache, then works to get it back. Eyes of the Storm (Ex) At 3rd level, whenever she has at least 1 panache point, a corsair can see three times as far as normal in non-magical fog. Buckler/Shield+Weapon is frustrating. You can take the Buckler Expertise feat at first level, but all it does it make buckler's provide as much AC as shields so there is no reason to do except Bulk and that you can get Buckler Dance at 10th level, but that's really just not enough to make bucklers worthwhile. With the new non-multiclass dedication archetypes though being able to gain access to class feats higher than level 10 seem a lot more appealing to me unless I want a more "rounded" character. Two-weapon fighting is a trap. Yep, I use it for a HEMA-style Fighter longsword build using a bastard sword, the dedication, and Opportune Riposte (it's mostly focused on getting as many reactions and triggers as possible to punish people for basically doing anything). I feel like access to some of the Swashbuckler Feats make the Archetype worth it. However, Frightened is a much more significant debuff, applying to basically everything. One for All could be really neat for a Bard/Swashbuckler to grant even more bonuses to your allies as well on top of your songs. You get everything that you need to succeed. Take this feat because you want to make Aid a viable combat option, and consider the Panache a very occasional additional benefit. If you add Deadly Grace and upgrade to Major Striking, the gap becomes 8d8+4d6, which is greater than the gap between a Success and a Critical Failure against Lethal Finisher, at which point Lethal Finisher is unjustifiable. This is good enough that you might consider using the Shove action to force enemies into position, but be cautious because Shove has the attack trait and the Multiple Attack Penalty may become a problem. I think the archetype is less about building into a set of swashbucker abilities, and more augmenting builds with similar playstyles already. Whereas many warriors brave battle encased in suits of armor and wielding large and powerful weapons, swashbucklers rely on speed, agility, and panache. Managing Panache is absolutely central to the class. Goblin: Perfect Ability Boosts, and a Wisdom Flaw is manageable. Skill Increases: Standard for everyone except the Rogue. Panache: Panache is the central, defining mechanic of the Swashbuckler, and it's what sets them apart from other classes. At any given point you're likely to beat that DC about 25% of the time unless you have poured an unusually large number of Ability Boosts into Charisma, and succeeding one out of four time is absolutely not good odds. Flying Blade allows you to fight at range, and that is the most obvious solution to the Kobold's hit point problem, but their Ancestry Feats may be enough to overcome the gap. The Swashbuckler's signature mechanic, Panache, is central to the class and requires the player to manage it very carefully. Human: Two flexible Ability Boosts means that you can build your Ability Scores however you like. Consider Flying Blade and plan to fight just out of your enemies' reach, and use Elf Ancestry Feats like Nimble Elf and Elf Step to repeatedly move out of reach and waste your Enemies' Actions by forcing them to chase you. Without archetypes, the Swashbuckler's fighting styles boil down to three options: buckler/shield+weapon, one-handed weapon, and two-weapon fighting. Consider weapons with the Agile trait to mitigate this penalty, and look for weapons with the Grapple, Shove, or Trip traits to gain an item bonus on the Athletics checks. Taking half damage on a failure means that a Failure and a Success on a Basic Save are functionally identical. Just a word on "niche protection" and Pathfinder (2E) -- I wouldn't worry much about it as it's way less important a concept. These options are generally all very good, but you still only get one Reaction (until you can get Inexhaustible Countermoves at level 20), so be careful not to invest too many feats into options which use your Reaction. Yes. I know I'm late to the party, but I've been considering a Fire Poi, if you take the Juggler archetype/feat you can juggle fire poi and be both dual wielding ... but this'll be my first Pathfinder game. A Constitution Flaw and 6 base hit points makes you exceptionally frail. In Pathfinder, rogues gained access to unique talents, in addition to their skills and feats, increasing the extent to which you can customize your character.The majority of these talents are related to skill use, allowing you to specialize your rogue’s out-of-combat functions as you see fit (though there are a few talents that have combat applications, as well). 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