Build for A Young Duelist?

[Palanan]

My current Pathfinder group will be taking a break from our long-running Runelords campaign, and switching to a "red shirts" campaign with first-level characters. I'd like to play a brash young duelist who lives by his wits and his sword, and I'd like a character who's actually effective at low levels.

I'm still fairly new to Pathfinder and not sure what classes or builds to consider. The swashbuckler seems thematic enough, but I'm not feeling much love for the warmed-over grit panache mechanic. I'd also like to do this without recourse to magic, so I'm not sure which way to turn. My DM allows nearly all official Paizo sources and is amenable to special requests, so I'm open to all sorts of suggestions.

[Eox]

Well, even if you're not too fond of the Panache mechanic the Inspired Blade archetype lets you nab dex to damage right out of the gate with only one feat slot thanks to Fencing Grace. You'd be effective from level 1.

The only other way to do this off the top of my head is playing a human fighter and pumping all three feats into Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus and Fencing Grace. If your DM is open to special requests why not ask to play a Path of War class?

[Seerow]

Try as a special request to get Path of War approved.


From there, I'd go Fighter, Rogue, or Swashbuckler (your choice. I'd probably start with 1-3 levels of swashbuckler then go elsewhere) with feats invested into Martial Training to pick up Scarlet Throne maneuvers/stances. (Alternatively you could go with any of the initiating classes). 1st level stance includes Scarlet Einhander which gives +2 AC and 1d6 damage while einhanding; and the Scarlet Throne Style in the PoW:E playtest will let you treat your one handed weapon as two-handed for stuff like power attack.

Edit: Forgot Martial Training won't come online until 3rd level. So if you're wanting to be ready to go at level 1, you probably want to use one of the initiator classes.

[Extra Anchovies]

If you're coming from 3.5 and are familiar with Tome of Battle, consider maybe a Warlord, a third-party initiator class from the very well-regarded Dreamscarred Press. I suggest this because the Scarlet Throne discipline is all about dueling and such.

[MyrPsychologist]

Maybe try the unchained rogue? I feel like that would be a pretty user friendly duelist without a ton of feat taxes.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Eox
Well, even if you're not too fond of the Panache mechanic the Inspired Blade archetype lets you nab dex to damage right out of the gate with only one feat slot thanks to Fencing Grace. You'd be effective from level 1.

I hadn't known about that archetype, and that sounds interesting, thanks.

Originally Posted by Seerow
Try as a special request to get Path of War approved.

Thanks, but for various reasons that approach won't work here.

Originally Posted by MyrPsychologist
Maybe try the unchained rogue? I feel like that would be a pretty user friendly duelist without a ton of feat taxes.

This also sounds very interesting, haven't seen it yet. Is it available as a playtest version?

[Bhaakon]

This also sounds very interesting, haven't seen it yet. Is it available as a playtest version?

I'm afraid not. You'll have to purchase the book/PDF or wait a few weeks for it to be posted to the SRD.

[Palanan]

Okay, thanks.

Looks like the Inspired Blade archetype isn't really all that inspiring, but Fencing Grace sounds like a must-have. Say a human swashbuckler, starting with Weapon Focus and Fencing Grace; what would be a good feat to pick up at third level?

Also, in 3.5 I really liked the Education + Knowledge Devotion combo. Is there anything like that in Pathfinder?