Good Two-Level Dip for my Swordsage (Going into Pyrokineticist)

[Lycanthromancer]

Generally I have a good idea of how I want to build my characters, but not quite this time.

I want a sneaky assassin-type who is Neutral or Good, but revels in playing with fire (not maliciously; he's just utterly fascinated with it). He's a scout and a general troubleshooter, and he's going to focus on Shadow Hand and Desert Wind (the better to segue into pyro). He's playing with a Small warforged druid 5 and his baby T-Rex animal companion with the living construct template applied, a warforged artificer 5, and a warforged bard 3/crusader 1/warblade 1.

He's going to be a Small-template (-2 Str, +2 Dex, 20' speed, Small sized) warforged something 2/swordsage 3, heading into pyrokineticist 4.

I'd go factotum 3/swordsage 2, but Font of Inspiration isn't allowed, and the DM doesn't like factotums anyway (he argues until he's blue in the face that they're tier 1...which is, of course, patently ridiculous).

Anyway, the books allowed:

Anything Eberron
Core
The Completes
PHB II
ToB
And select things from other books, on a case-by-case basis.

The stats I rolled are 17, 16, 15, 14, 14, 12 before stat adjustments, and an extra +3, +2, and +1 added however I want (though only Con and Dex can go above 18, and Str can't go above 16).

I was considering Adaptive Style (of course), Craven once I get my sneak attack stance, Shadow Blade and Weapon Finesse (due to having a nice Dex), and Psiforged (since he gets a bonus warforged feat). Obviously I can't take them all by level 5, save maybe for fighter 2/psywar 2/swordsage 1, and even then Craven will be left dangling until I get some 3rd level stances...

Someone else suggested incarnum 3/something X/swordsage 1, for the Incarnate Weapon ability (a +3 weapon is nice), but it won't scale much higher than that, and access to greater magic weapon is just around the corner in any case.

So, ideas?

[PId6]

Warblade 2 is always nice for the maneuvers (Swordsage 2/Warblade 2/Swordsage +1). Rogue 3 gets you +2d6 Sneak Attack, Trapfinding or Poison Use, Evasion, and Penetrating Strike (which goes nice with Craven). Barbarian 1/Something 1 is an option, since Whirling Frenzy and Pounce are always nice (or +4 Hide/Move Silently in place of Pounce). Fighter or Warblade both work as that 1, as does Cleric for good domains/domain feats. Swashbuckler 3 isn't bad for the free feat and Insightful Strike.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

One thing to keep in mind with Pyrokineticist is that any extra damage you get with your Fire Lash is also fire damage. Sneak Attack is +d6's of fire damage, Point Blank Shot adds +1 fire damage as well as +1 to hit, and Power Attack adds additional fire damage since that feat can be used with a standard whip. Two-handed Power Attacking with the touch attacks of a Fire Lash is a pretty standard method of dealing damage via Pyrokineticist. With that in mind, you should consider going with a build that sacrifices the least amount of BAB. Also remember that you need to be a psionic character to take Pyrokineticist, so you'll need to use either a psionic race/template, a psionic base class, or take a feat like Wild Talent, Hidden Talent (XPH p67), or Warped Mind (LoM).

Considering how many creatures are outright immune to fire, you may want to consider one of the pyrokineticist variants (http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20040625e). A Sonokineticist will rarely find an immune opponent, and the lower damage dice is negligible considering how much damage you'd get from Power Attacking.

[erikun]

I want a sneaky assassin-type who is Neutral or Good, but revels in playing with fire (not maliciously; he's just utterly fascinated with it). He's a scout and a general troubleshooter, and he's going to focus on Shadow Hand and Desert Wind (the better to segue into pyro).
Scout, perhaps? It sounds like you'll be moving around quite a bit, and the extra skills/abilities from Scout 2 can come in handy.

I suppose Rogue 1/Sneak Attack variant Fighter 1 if you want to maximize your SA dice. If you're playing around with psionics anyways, Psychic Rogue 2 or Lurk 2 are options.

[Lycanthromancer]

I'm considering martial rogue 2, for the trapfinding, evasion, lulz skills and the bonus feats, though the only fighter feat I can think of at the moment that I want to take is Weapon Finesse.

Psychic martial rogue?

[erikun]

Improved Initiative and Combat Expertise (for Improved Trip with the whip) come to mind as fighter feats that don't require the +1 BAB.

I'm not sure if you wanted to involve psionics with the maneuvers, although you'll need a PP pool anyways to enter Pyrokineticist. (unless your DM waives that requirement) There's always a 1 PP power that can come in handy in some situation. I doubt your DM would care for a Rogue/Psychic Rogue, though. :smalltongue:

[Lycanthromancer]

Improved Initiative and Combat Expertise (for Improved Trip with the whip) come to mind as fighter feats that don't require the +1 BAB.

I'm not sure if you wanted to involve psionics with the maneuvers, although you'll need a PP pool anyways to enter Pyrokineticist. (unless your DM waives that requirement) There's always a 1 PP power that can come in handy in some situation. I doubt your DM would care for a Rogue/Psychic Rogue, though. :smalltongue:If they're both considered alternative class features (see "alternative psionic class" in the title), then I could go both.

Mostly I was wanting to use maneuvers, since there aren't that many psychic feats I'll want with him. All the good ones have maneuvers similar enough that they're not really worth taking. And that's saying something, since I love psionics and its feats.

[edit] I guess there's always Combat Reflexes, Evasive Reflexes, and UMD a sparring dummy of the master for numerous 10' steps per round.

[erikun]

Force Screen, Synesthete, My Light, Float, Conceal Thoughts, and Call Weaponry (flaming throwing shuriken!) can all be handy in the right situations. You probably won't be using your powers much anyways, with only a few PP.

[Zovc]

You could Consider Psywar 1 or 2 could be useful to you.

Psywar 1 gets you a bonus feat and the power points you need--you might be able to find some swift-action powers to use your granted points on.

Psywar 2 gets you another bonus feat, +1 BAB, and another power known.

(I don't know if Psywar's bonus feats help you all that much, but I'm just sayin'.)

If you do Psywar 1, Psywar 2 is probably better than Fighter 1 at that point.

I'm not sure what else to suggest.

[Lycanthromancer]

The DM doesn't like factotums, but I think I'll go factotum 3/swordsage 2 anyway. I was gonna go martial rogue 1/factotum 3/swordsage 1, but I realized that my BAB would be in the toilet. F3/SS2 isn't quite as bad, and gets better (and more) maneuvers to boot.

[The Dark Fiddler]

...but I realized that my BAB would be in the toilet.

If you're making touch attacks with the whip you get from Pyrokineticist, your BAB won't be as much of an issue.

[Draz74]

Yeah, Factotum is great even without FoI. But your DM is very imaginative if he thinks 3 levels of it can break the game. :smalltongue:

[ashmanonar]

He's a scout and a general troubleshooter,

When there's trouble, he shoots it?

[RagnaroksChosen]

With pyromancer i find
scout/swordsage works best if you can get the pp requirement and what not.


Especialy when you get fire bolt. supper sweet to move do 9d6 fire dmg + 2d6 skirmish + 2d6 SA.

Though thats me personaly.

[Lycanthromancer]

When there's trouble, he shoots it?With fire.

[Flickerdart]

If you're making touch attacks with the whip you get from Pyrokineticist, your BAB won't be as much of an issue.
Having extra iteratives is always nice, though.

[Lycanthromancer]

Personally? I like having the Str + Dex + Int to damage, Int + Dex to initiative, Int + Str or Int + Str to skills, Int + Wis + Dex to AC, and (with Weapon Finesse and Shadow Blade) Int + Dex to hit and Int + Dex +Str to melee damage.

:smallbiggrin:

Although the DM says Shadow Blade replaces Str with Dex. If so, I'm going Combat Reflexes + Evasive Reflexes, and grabbing a sparring dummy of the master ASAP.