Where There's A Whip, There's A Way (Advice on Whip-Wielding Magi)

When it comes to exotic weapons, we so often overlook the humble whip. Given almost exclusively to bards, it has an impressive reach, but using it provokes attacks of opportunity if you're being threatened. Worse, it deals non-lethal damage, and can't hurt anything with a +1 armor bonus, or a +3 natural armor bonus. Given that it's just a bunch of leather strips bound into a cord, there really isn't much average characters can do with a whip.

A magus, on the other hand, can make the sound of a whip-crack into his enemies' personal nightmare.

How much could it hurt, they said. Watch this!

Also, if a magus isn't quite your bag, but you still want to use a whip, then might I suggest checking out my Tips For Building A Whip-Wielding Swashbuckler over on Vocal!

Building A Whip-Wielding Magus

For a magus, the weapon you're using is often a secondary concern; the real power in your strikes is going to come from your spellstrike, and other class features. And while a lot of people will just tell you to take a scorpion whip, we're actually not going to go that route (though you can, if you want to).

The first thing you're going to want to do is to take the kensai archetype for a magus. This isn't required (you can just go straight magus, if you wish), but it gives you proficiency in the whip at level 1, as well as free Weapon Focus in your whip. Both good things, since you're going to need your share of feats to make this concept really shine. In order to utilize all your class features, you'll want to go a traditional Strength-based magus, but it is possible to go a Dex-based route if you wish. If you go the Dex route, then for your first level feat you should probably invest in Weapon Finesse, since you'll need all the Dexterity you can manage when it comes to keeping your AC high. This one is optional, but not required. If you have a human bonus feat, consider Combat Expertise (Threatening Defender is a useful trait to have with this one) or Combat Reflexes (no your whip doesn't threaten at level one, but we'll get there, trust me. In the meantime, wear a spiked gauntlet, or a cestus, or something for people who get in your personal space).

At level 3, you choose your first Magus Arcana. Shield Arcana is great, but Wand Wielder is equally useful if you want to preserve your spells while still getting your licks in (especially if you stow the wand in your whip using the spell Weapon Wand). Alternatively, if you want to build yourself to trip, disarm, etc. with your whip, you might want to take Maneuver Mastery just to give yourself an edge.

At level 3 you also qualify for Whip Mastery as a feat. You no longer provoke attacks of opportunity with your whip, and you can deal lethal damage to any foe regardless of armor bonus. Now we're getting somewhere. So now your weapon of choice is lethal against any foe, you can wield it as you will, and you can deliver your spellstrike with 15 foot reach. Particularly useful for those who want to lash out with shocking grasp, deal their target a lot of damage, and then get the hell out without provoking attacks of opportunity.

At 5th level you gain your first bonus feat. If you went the Dex-based route, take Slashing Grace (though it should be noted that spell combat won't work with this feat, as it's the same as two-weapon fighting, so keep that in mind). For your normal feat, you might want to consider Combat Reflexes if you haven't taken it yet.

At 7th level you now qualify for feats as a 4th-level fighter. Improved Whip Mastery gives you 10-foot reach for the purposes of attacks of opportunity, though, so it should be something you invest in. Then at level 9 and 11 you should take Weapon Specialization (Whip), and Greater Weapon Focus (Whip). By level 13 you should have room for Greater Weapon Specialization (Whip) as well. Additional magus arcana that will help, including Arcane Accuracy, Arcane Edge, and Bane Blade (if you get that high).

But Whips Just Don't Deal A Lot of Damage...

A lot of people get turned off by the 1d3 of damage a whip deals, as well as the amount of time it takes to get lethal using these feats. Those are both fair points, however, it's important to remember your arcane pool, your dex modifier, and your spellstrike are what matters, here.

The whip's actual damage is just icing on the cake. The important thing is that you can deliver your spells from far enough away that your foes won't be in your face immediately, allowing you to maintain tactical distance. Between the bonus dice of damage your weapon abilities deal, the damage of your spells, and the sheer amount of hurt you can add using things like Arcane Edge or Bane Blade, that 1d3 is going to be insignificant.

Especially if you're hitting on touch attacks.

Bear with me here, because this is where things get a little sneaky. Because if you have an awesome whip that you've enchanted and kitted out to lay down a serious hurt, of course you're going to use that all the time. However, there are a lot of spells that create magical whips you can use. And these whips not only deal a slew of side effects, but they typically hit on your enemy's touch AC.

Which spells do I mean? Well, River Whip is a 2nd-level magus spell, and it creates a whip of water that hits on a touch attack. It also deals bonus damage to fire-based enemies, which is handy in a few distinct circumstances (and could you imagine a shocking grasp through a coil of water?). Rock Whip is a 2nd-level magus spell that creates a whip of crystal and stone that deals 1d8 bludgeoning damage, can pass through natural, unworked stone, and hits with enough force that you can make a free a bull rush attack that uses your caster level in place of your BAB, and your casting modifier instead of Strength. It doesn't work on outsiders of the earth subtype, but otherwise it's a handy weapon for slamming your enemies up and down the field. Whip of Spiders is not a magus spell (though you could get it with a wand or a magus arcana), and it turns a swarm of spiders into a whip that deals 1d6 points of damage, applies a spider's poison, and a swarm's distraction on the target, in addition to hitting on a touch attack. A bigger version of this spell (6th level) makes a Whip of Ants that deals 3d6 points of damage on a hit, plus poison and distraction, in addition to hitting on touch AC.

Then there's the chance that you get your hands on items like the Tracker's Whip (technological weapon that lets you entangle targets you hit) or the Whip of Life and Death (whip that absorbs positive or negative energy channels, and allows you to deal them as bonus damage against targets you strike). Or just your run-of-the-mill enchanted whips that pile on bonus damage from holy, flaming, frost, shocking, and so on, and so forth.

While it might take a bit of time to turn the humble whip into an instrument of death, remember that the investment is often well worth the wait.

That's all for this week's Crunch installment. Hopefully folks find something they like, and if you incorporate any of my advice into a character build I'd be happy to hear about it in the comments below. For more of my work head over to my Vocal archive (or if you just want more gaming stuff, go to my Gamers author page). You might also want to check out the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio, where I help out from time to time. To stay on top of all my releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. Lastly, if you want to help support my work, consider Buying The Literary Mercenary a Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page. A little donation goes a long way, and I appreciate any and all help you can give!

The Draugr's Bastard (An Unexpected Dhampir)

There's a story about what happened, that night on the Black Reef. Harmund Darkhair's ship fetched up against the rocks, but he wouldn't die. He survived the frigid storm, and ate the bodies of his dead men, trying to gather his strength. He wanted to see his wife one last time, and to tell her he loved her. Once winter had let go, she took a small boat out to the broken ship, searching for her husband. She found him there, and they had one, last night together. The next day, she left the ship alone... or nearly so.

Her son was born, and the lad was queer. He was strong, and fierce, just like his father had been. But his milk teeth were sharp enough to draw blood, and he was prone to rages. They say his eyes shone red in the darkness, and that the smell of death lingered on his skin. His strength grew, and he was stronger than most men by the time he was old enough to grow hair on his face. In time, he was driven from the town, and forced to live in the wild lands of the Broken Hills. Though there are beasts and bandits aplenty in those hills, none dare venture into them after darkness without a tithe to give. For if you move in the lands of the Draugr's Bastard, he will demand payment. And if you lack the gold, he will gladly take value in your blood.

The hills have teeth. Walk shy of them, if you would avoid being bitten.

An Unexpected Dhampir

When someone tells you they're playing a dhampir swashbuckler, you probably picture something like Alucard from Castlevania: Symphony of The Night. While that's one option, a lot of us get stuck imagining all vampires as Vlad Dracula, and all dhampir as being in the same vein... so to speak.

Not so with the draugr's bastard. We already have a different look, since he comes from strong, northern stock. So he's big through the shoulders, with thick, dark hair, and likely dresses for the weather in a fur cloak and heavy leathers. He is still pale, as one would expect with his heritage, but he's also fearsome and barbaric. A man from outside civilization, as surely as he is outside the normal cycle of life and death.

Then we get into his mechanics. Because while dhampir get bonuses to charisma and dexterity, it's important to remember that all sorts of things can be one-handed piercing weapons. Such as a bastard sword, if you take Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Bastard Sword), Weapon Focus (Bastard Sword), and Slashing Grace. When you have that combination, you can swing around that heavy blade faster, and with greater precision, than one might expect. And if you throw in feats like Power Attack, watching you fight is almost like watching a predator unleashed onto the battlefield.

Cold, and ruthless, as the snows he lives among.

 

While the legend of his birth might be true, or it might just be a wild tale that's gotten out of control, the man himself is clearly otherworldly. And whether he'll choose to stay in the northlands near folk who hate and fear him, or whether he'll seek out opportunities elsewhere, depends on the player behind the character. Of course, if he grows in skill and power, he could easily become more than a local legend to the hill folk. The people who leave him offerings, and who call on him when reavers threaten their lands, or when it looks like war will spill over into their holdings.

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That's all for this installment of Unusual Character Concepts. Hopefully this one gave you something to chew over, whether you're a player, or a game master.

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my alley cat noir novel Marked Territory, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my most recent collection of short stories The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

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How to Finesse a Katana in The Pathfinder RPG

When Ultimate Combat came out, it gave us a lot of new toys to play around with. Toys like the gunslinger, their attendant firearms, and even cannons. Things that DMs, by and large, put under lock and key, then made their players fill out a permission slip in triplicate for before they were allowed to use them in game. Almost as big of a problem as guns, though, were the Eastern weapons. And of all the Eastern weapons, few of them have caused as many East V. West debates as the katana.

Especially for fans who think it is, for some reason, underpowered in Pathfinder.

Now, I've give my opinion on this weapon as a fictional trope in "Zen and The Art of Lazy Writing" or "Why You Should Stop Giving White People Katanas", but there are some advantages to using the katana in Pathfinder. It has the deadly property, for one thing, but it also has an 18-20 crit range, which can make it a tasty acquisition for someone who likes the idea of a bastard sword that crits like a rapier.

However, there are some players out there who are frustrated they can't use the Weapon Finesse feat on a katana. They want to capture the graceful fighting style that was a necessity in using these blades without shattering them, and it can feel like the rules are getting in the way.

Well, here's a simple method for achieving your goals.

How To Finesse a Katana in The Pathfinder RPG

The first thing you need to do is realize that feats will not allow you to accomplish this task in Pathfinder. The Weapon Finesse feat only works with light weapons, and those specifically listed in the feat's description like the spiked chain, whip, and rapier. What you need is a class ability, and it is not a class ability given to the samurai, or the ninja.

What ho, my friends!

The key ability you need is Swashbuckler's Finesse, which you receive as a 1st-level swashbuckler. This allows you to finesse any light or one-handed piercing weapon sized for you, applying your Dexterity modifier to your attack rolls instead of your Strength modifier. And though it takes the Exotic Weapon Proficiency to wield in one hand, it can be done the same way you could wield a bastard sword in one hand.

A katana is, however, a slashing weapon.

No worries. All you need to do is take Weapon Focus for the katana (because if you're going through all the effort to finesse it, why wouldn't it be your main melee weapon?), and then take the feat Slashing Grace. This not only allows you to treat the katana as a piercing weapon for your class features (like Swashbuckler's Finesse), but it also allows you to apply your Dexterity modifier to your damage.

This does mean one of two things, though. Either you are going to play a multiclass character, by taking at least a single level in swashbuckler, or it means you need to see if you can do all the things you want to do with the swashbuckler class. Choose wisely, though, because both options have their strengths, and both options have their weaknesses.

That's all for this week's Crunch post. Hopefully some folks out there found it useful. If you'd like to help Improved Initiative keep delivering more content just like this, then stop on by The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to leave some bread in my jar. As little as $1 a month goes a long way, and it gets you some sweet swag, too! Lastly, if you haven't followed me on Facebook, Tumblr, or Twitter yet, well, why not start now?