RONIN: MUSHA SHUGYO
Introduction
The Japanese word ronin means "one who is tossed about, like waves in a sea" and is used to describe a masterless samurai. In brief, there were two things that truely mattered to a samurai: his honor and his master. A samurai's sole sole purpose was to defend and serve his master; one became a ronin under two circumstances. The first was when the samurai had shamed himself in the eyes of his master, but refused to commit seppuku, a ritual suicide meant to prove the samurai's unconditional and ultimate devotion to his master, effectively redeeming the warrior of whatever shame he had bestowed upon himself. History shows that most of these ronin were weak of spirit and most often became thieves and bandits, forsaking bushido (the way of the samurai) altogether. The second case of a samurai becoming a ronin involved the samurai's master simply being killed in one of the countless battles that took place. There were still many who committed seppuku, many who became outlaws, as well as many who simply enrolled themselves under a new master's flag. But there also were few who stayed true to bushido and chose to become musha shugyo (warrior pilgrims) to traverse the land, perfecting their bodies and minds alike, or yojimbo (bodyguards for hire).
Character Concept
The musha shugyo is a duelist who constantly seeks to improve and test his skills against other fighters in honorable duels and tournaments. Few can stand up to the duelist in one on one combat, in which he is a sight to behold: elegant, swift, painstakingly precise and very deadly. The musha shugyo lives by his swords, attaining perfect unity with them.
In Neverwinter Nights, this amounts to a high number of attacks (Improved Two Weapon Fighting), high criticals (15-20/x3 or more, Overwhelming Critical) with a chance to kill on hit (Devastating Critical), and very high Strength (high attack and damage bonuses). Because of game limitations (no possibility to wield a katana as a two-handed weapon), you will be using two katanas instead of the customary samurai longsword (katana) and shortsword (wakizashi), which make up the daisho (a samurai's soul).
The character's alignment is a choice for you to make based on personal preference, but since the concept is of a ronin who has stayed true to bushido, it should not be any evil. Read the descriptions carefully and decide which fits your character best. The alignment I found most fitting was Lawful Neutral (which yields an added bonus of being immune to Smite Good/Smite Evil), followed closely by Chaotic Good.
You will be raising Strength with every single extra attribute point that you recieve (every four levels), since the requirements for some feats (dexterity 15+, intelligence 13+) will have already been met at character creation.
Keep Discipline maxed out at all times. You will also need four ranks in Intimidate towards the goal of becoming a Weapon Master. Since it's a cross-class skill for a Fighter, you have two ways to go about it. If you decide Intimidate is a skill you want, take it at character creation and keep raising whenever you get the chance. If you decide you just need the pre-requisite ranks, use the points elsewhere at character creation, and raise Intimidate by two at level 2 and by one at levels 3 and 5. This will come at an expense of points in another skill, and you must decide which is least valuable of the ones you pick. I recommend not taking Intimidate past the necessary value and take the following skills as your main ones: Persuade (a samurai should excel in combat, but never seek it, always trying to find a peaceful solution, if at all possible), Lore, Spot (a samurai should be aware of his surroundings at all times; you might want to leave any points you would put into Spot until you level up as a Weapon Master, for whom it is a class skill) and Tumble (although partially nullified by Spring Attack, it helps early on and gives you a +4 natural AC bonus by the end).
Character Statistics And Feat Progression
RACE: Human
CLASS: Fighter
ALIGNMENT: Lawful Neutral
ATTRIBUTES: Str 16, Dex 15, Con 14, Wis 8, Int 14, Cha 8
SKILLS: Discipline 4, Lore 4, Persuade 2, Tumble 2, Spot 2
Level 1: (Fighter 1) Ambidexterity, Two Weapon Fighting, Weapon Proficiency (Exotic)
Level 2: (Fighter 2) Weapon Focus (Katana)
Level 3: (Fighter 3) Dodge
Level 4: (Fighter 4) Weapon Specialization (Katana)
Level 5: (Fighter 5) --
Level 6: (Fighter 6) Mobility, Spring Attack
Level 7: (Fighter 7) --
Level 8: (Fighter 8) Expertise
Level 9: (Fighter 9) Improved Two Weapon Fighting
Level 10: (Fighter 10) Whirlwind Attack
Level 11: (Weapon Master 1) --
Level 12: (Fighter 11) Improved Critical (Katana)
Level 13: (Weapon Master 2) --
Level 14: (Weapon Master 3) --
Level 15: (Weapon Master 4) Power Attack
Level 16: (Weapon Master 5) --
Level 17: (Weapon Master 6)
Level 18: (Weapon Master 7) Cleave
Level 19: (Weapon Master 8) --
Level 20: (Weapon Master 9) --
Level 21: (Fighter 12) Epic Weapon Focus (Katana), Epic Weapon Specialization (Katana)
Level 22: (Weapon Master 10) --
Level 23: (Weapon Master 11) --
Level 24: (Weapon Master 12) Great Cleave
Level 25: (Weapon Master 13) Epic Prowess
Level 26: (Weapon Master 14)
Level 27: (Weapon Master 15) Great Strength I
Level 28: (Weapon Master 16) Overwhelming Critical (Katana)
Level 29: (Weapon Master 17) --
Level 30: (Weapon Master 18) Great Strength II
Level 31: (Weapon Master 19) Devastating Critical (Katana)
Level 32: (Weapon Master 20)--
Level 33: (Weapon Master 21) Great Strength III
Level 34: (Weapon Master 22) Armor Skin
Level 35: (Weapon Master 23) --
Level 36: (Weapon Master 24) Great Strength IV
Level 37: (Weapon Master 25) Epic Toughness
Level 38: (Weapon Master 26) --
Level 39: (Weapon Master 27) Toughness
Level 40: (Weapon Master 28) Epic Toughness
Strategy: Ronin (Weapon Master)
Strategy: Ronin (Weapon Master)
Websites
Aremah Design - The Ghetto Times
Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark
Musha Shugyo - Yojimbo - Shinobi - Kunoichi - Mahotsukai
Aremah Design - The Ghetto Times
Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark
Musha Shugyo - Yojimbo - Shinobi - Kunoichi - Mahotsukai
RONIN: YOJIMBO
Introduction
The Japanese word ronin means "one who is tossed about, like waves in a sea" and is used to describe a masterless samurai. In brief, there were two things that truely mattered to a samurai: his honor and his master. A samurai's sole sole purpose was to defend and serve his master; one became a ronin under two circumstances. The first was when the samurai had shamed himself in the eyes of his master, but refused to commit seppuku, a ritual suicide meant to prove the samurai's unconditional and ultimate devotion to his master, effectively redeeming the warrior of whatever shame he had bestowed upon himself. History shows that most of these ronin were weak of spirit and most often became thieves and bandits, forsaking bushido (the way of the samurai) altogether. The second case of a samurai becoming a ronin involved the samurai's master simply being killed in one of the countless battles that took place. There were still many who committed seppuku, many who became outlaws, as well as many who simply enrolled themselves under a new master's flag. But there also were few who stayed true to bushido and chose to become musha shugyo (warrior pilgrims) to traverse the land, perfecting their bodies and minds alike, or yojimbo (bodyguards for hire).
Character Concept
The yojimbo, although a formidable opponent, is not as effective in one on one combat as the musha shugyo. He spends more time taking part in small skirmishes and is most effective when fighting groups of slightly lesser enemies. What he lacks in concentration ability, compared to the musha shugyo, he makes up for with pure instict. His attacks aren't as precise or as damaging as the duelist's, but he is better at fighting when surrounded, avoiding and dealing blows all around, as if having eyes in the back of his head.
In Neverwinter Nights, this amount to a high number of attacks (Improved Two Weapon Fighting), ability to swiftly attack any number of nearby opponents (Improved Cleave, Improved Whirlwind Attack) and high criticals (15-20/x3 or more, Overwhelming Critical). Because of game limitations (no possibility to wield a katana as a two-handed weapon), you will be using two katanas instead of the customary samurai longsword (katana) and shortsword (wakizashi), which make up the daisho (a samurai's soul).
The character's alignment is a choice for you to make based on personal preference, but since the concept is of a ronin who has stayed true to bushido, it should not be any evil. Read the descriptions carefully and decide which fits your character best. The alignment I found most fitting was Lawful Neutral (which yields an added bonus of being immune to Smite Good/Smite Evil), followed closely by Chaotic Good.
This character requires both a high Strength and high Dexterity, and as such you will be taking Dexterity for your extra attribute points at levels 4, 8, 20, 24 and 28, while raising Strength at levels 12, 16, 32, 36 and 40.
Keep Discipline maxed out at all times. You will also need four ranks in Intimidate towards the goal of becoming a Weapon Master. Since it's a cross-class skill for a Fighter, you have two ways to go about it. If you decide Intimidate is a skill you want, take it at character creation and keep raising whenever you get the chance. If you decide you just need the pre-requisite ranks, use the points elsewhere at character creation, and raise Intimidate by two at level 2 and by one at levels 3 and 5. This will come at an expense of points in another skill, and you must decide which is least valuable of the ones you pick. I recommend not taking Intimidate past the necessary value and take the following skills as your main ones: Persuade (a samurai should excel in combat, but never seek it, always trying to find a peaceful solution, if at all possible), Lore and Tumble (although partially nullified by Spring Attack, it helps early on and gives you a +4 natural AC bonus by the end).
Character Statistics and Feat Progression
RACE: Human
CLASS: Fighter
ALIGNMENT: Lawful Neutral
ATTRIBUTES: Str 16, Dex 16, Con 13, Wis 8, Int 13, Cha 8
SKILLS: Discipline 4, Lore 4, Persuade 2, Tumble 2
Level 1: (Fighter 1) Ambidexterity, Two Weapon Fighting, Weapon Proficiency (Exotic)
Level 2: (Fighter 2) Weapon Focus (Katana)
Level 3: (Fighter 3) Dodge
Level 4: (Fighter 4) Weapon Specialization (Katana)
Level 5: (Fighter 5) --
Level 6: (Fighter 6) Mobility, Spring Attack
Level 7: (Fighter 7) --
Level 8: (Fighter 8) Expertise
Level 9: (Fighter 9) Improved Two Weapon Fighting
Level 10: (Fighter 10) Whirlwind Attack
Level 11: (Weapon Master 1) --
Level 12: (Fighter 11) Improved Critical (Katana)
Level 13: (Weapon Master 2) --
Level 14: (Weapon Master 3) --
Level 15: (Weapon Master 4) Power Attack
Level 16: (Weapon Master 5) --
Level 17: (Weapon Master 6) --
Level 18: (Weapon Master 7) Cleave
Level 19: (Weapon Master 8) --
Level 20: (Weapon Master 9) --
Level 21: (Fighter 12) Epic Weapon Focus (Katana), Epic Weapon Specialization (Katana)
Level 22: (Weapon Master 10) --
Level 23: (Weapon Master 11) --
Level 24: (Weapon Master 12) Great Dexterity I
Level 25: (Weapon Master 13) Epic Prowess
Level 26: (Weapon Master 14) --
Level 27: (Weapon Master 15) Great Dexterity II
Level 28: (Weapon Master 16) Improved Whirlwind Attack
Level 29: (Weapon Master 17) --
Level 30: (Weapon Master 18) Great Cleave
Level 31: (Weapon Master 19) Armor Skin
Level 32: (Weapon Master 20) --
Level 33: (Weapon Master 21) Great Strength I
Level 34: (Weapon Master 22) Epic Toughness
Level 35: (Weapon Master 23) --
Level 36: (Weapon Master 24) Great Strength II
Level 37: (Weapon Master 25) Epic Toughness
Level 38: (Weapon Master 26) --
Level 39: (Weapon Master 27) Great Constitution I
Level 40: (Weapon Master 28) Overwhelming Critical (Katana)
Introduction
The Japanese word ronin means "one who is tossed about, like waves in a sea" and is used to describe a masterless samurai. In brief, there were two things that truely mattered to a samurai: his honor and his master. A samurai's sole sole purpose was to defend and serve his master; one became a ronin under two circumstances. The first was when the samurai had shamed himself in the eyes of his master, but refused to commit seppuku, a ritual suicide meant to prove the samurai's unconditional and ultimate devotion to his master, effectively redeeming the warrior of whatever shame he had bestowed upon himself. History shows that most of these ronin were weak of spirit and most often became thieves and bandits, forsaking bushido (the way of the samurai) altogether. The second case of a samurai becoming a ronin involved the samurai's master simply being killed in one of the countless battles that took place. There were still many who committed seppuku, many who became outlaws, as well as many who simply enrolled themselves under a new master's flag. But there also were few who stayed true to bushido and chose to become musha shugyo (warrior pilgrims) to traverse the land, perfecting their bodies and minds alike, or yojimbo (bodyguards for hire).
Character Concept
The yojimbo, although a formidable opponent, is not as effective in one on one combat as the musha shugyo. He spends more time taking part in small skirmishes and is most effective when fighting groups of slightly lesser enemies. What he lacks in concentration ability, compared to the musha shugyo, he makes up for with pure instict. His attacks aren't as precise or as damaging as the duelist's, but he is better at fighting when surrounded, avoiding and dealing blows all around, as if having eyes in the back of his head.
In Neverwinter Nights, this amount to a high number of attacks (Improved Two Weapon Fighting), ability to swiftly attack any number of nearby opponents (Improved Cleave, Improved Whirlwind Attack) and high criticals (15-20/x3 or more, Overwhelming Critical). Because of game limitations (no possibility to wield a katana as a two-handed weapon), you will be using two katanas instead of the customary samurai longsword (katana) and shortsword (wakizashi), which make up the daisho (a samurai's soul).
The character's alignment is a choice for you to make based on personal preference, but since the concept is of a ronin who has stayed true to bushido, it should not be any evil. Read the descriptions carefully and decide which fits your character best. The alignment I found most fitting was Lawful Neutral (which yields an added bonus of being immune to Smite Good/Smite Evil), followed closely by Chaotic Good.
This character requires both a high Strength and high Dexterity, and as such you will be taking Dexterity for your extra attribute points at levels 4, 8, 20, 24 and 28, while raising Strength at levels 12, 16, 32, 36 and 40.
Keep Discipline maxed out at all times. You will also need four ranks in Intimidate towards the goal of becoming a Weapon Master. Since it's a cross-class skill for a Fighter, you have two ways to go about it. If you decide Intimidate is a skill you want, take it at character creation and keep raising whenever you get the chance. If you decide you just need the pre-requisite ranks, use the points elsewhere at character creation, and raise Intimidate by two at level 2 and by one at levels 3 and 5. This will come at an expense of points in another skill, and you must decide which is least valuable of the ones you pick. I recommend not taking Intimidate past the necessary value and take the following skills as your main ones: Persuade (a samurai should excel in combat, but never seek it, always trying to find a peaceful solution, if at all possible), Lore and Tumble (although partially nullified by Spring Attack, it helps early on and gives you a +4 natural AC bonus by the end).
Character Statistics and Feat Progression
RACE: Human
CLASS: Fighter
ALIGNMENT: Lawful Neutral
ATTRIBUTES: Str 16, Dex 16, Con 13, Wis 8, Int 13, Cha 8
SKILLS: Discipline 4, Lore 4, Persuade 2, Tumble 2
Level 1: (Fighter 1) Ambidexterity, Two Weapon Fighting, Weapon Proficiency (Exotic)
Level 2: (Fighter 2) Weapon Focus (Katana)
Level 3: (Fighter 3) Dodge
Level 4: (Fighter 4) Weapon Specialization (Katana)
Level 5: (Fighter 5) --
Level 6: (Fighter 6) Mobility, Spring Attack
Level 7: (Fighter 7) --
Level 8: (Fighter 8) Expertise
Level 9: (Fighter 9) Improved Two Weapon Fighting
Level 10: (Fighter 10) Whirlwind Attack
Level 11: (Weapon Master 1) --
Level 12: (Fighter 11) Improved Critical (Katana)
Level 13: (Weapon Master 2) --
Level 14: (Weapon Master 3) --
Level 15: (Weapon Master 4) Power Attack
Level 16: (Weapon Master 5) --
Level 17: (Weapon Master 6) --
Level 18: (Weapon Master 7) Cleave
Level 19: (Weapon Master 8) --
Level 20: (Weapon Master 9) --
Level 21: (Fighter 12) Epic Weapon Focus (Katana), Epic Weapon Specialization (Katana)
Level 22: (Weapon Master 10) --
Level 23: (Weapon Master 11) --
Level 24: (Weapon Master 12) Great Dexterity I
Level 25: (Weapon Master 13) Epic Prowess
Level 26: (Weapon Master 14) --
Level 27: (Weapon Master 15) Great Dexterity II
Level 28: (Weapon Master 16) Improved Whirlwind Attack
Level 29: (Weapon Master 17) --
Level 30: (Weapon Master 18) Great Cleave
Level 31: (Weapon Master 19) Armor Skin
Level 32: (Weapon Master 20) --
Level 33: (Weapon Master 21) Great Strength I
Level 34: (Weapon Master 22) Epic Toughness
Level 35: (Weapon Master 23) --
Level 36: (Weapon Master 24) Great Strength II
Level 37: (Weapon Master 25) Epic Toughness
Level 38: (Weapon Master 26) --
Level 39: (Weapon Master 27) Great Constitution I
Level 40: (Weapon Master 28) Overwhelming Critical (Katana)
Websites
Aremah Design - The Ghetto Times
Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark
Musha Shugyo - Yojimbo - Shinobi - Kunoichi - Mahotsukai
Aremah Design - The Ghetto Times
Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark
Musha Shugyo - Yojimbo - Shinobi - Kunoichi - Mahotsukai
I'm not, apparently. Thanks for pointing this out; I'm re-working the build as we speak, so that will be dealt with.
Websites
Aremah Design - The Ghetto Times
Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark
Musha Shugyo - Yojimbo - Shinobi - Kunoichi - Mahotsukai
Aremah Design - The Ghetto Times
Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark
Musha Shugyo - Yojimbo - Shinobi - Kunoichi - Mahotsukai
Updated both builds fixing some mistakes. Also changed their form (to a universal one that future builds will follow as well) and separated them to be stand-alone (so that one doesn't need to read the first in order to be understand the concept behind the second).
Websites
Aremah Design - The Ghetto Times
Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark
Musha Shugyo - Yojimbo - Shinobi - Kunoichi - Mahotsukai
Aremah Design - The Ghetto Times
Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark
Musha Shugyo - Yojimbo - Shinobi - Kunoichi - Mahotsukai
I really like concept-driven builds, and your Ronins are quite imaginative ones!
I’d like to post an elaboration on those builds:
The one most important change to build a Samurai-inspired warrior in NwN is:
introduce 3 levels of Monk class. Here are the reasons:
Roleplaying:
- martial training background all Bushido followers have. The ability to fight unarmed - if disarmed in combat, taken by surprise, or in close quarters is something that every self –respecting Samurai (or former Samurai) would cultivate.
- higher than average wisdom (or at least 10) score, and Strong Mind feat represent the high mental discipline of this warrior
- the ability to wear monk robes represent the simple garments the Ronin would generally use, donning the heavier armors before battles
Powergaming:
- get free Cleave feat, add Power Attack later on
- better saves
- taking 3rd Monk level at level 7 or 12 will allow for a lower skillpoits cost of Tumble score up to 10 or 15, respectively
- evasion
- get wisdom bonus from AC, improving it with items
- use monk robes and items
- switch between high-damage per attack mode (katana*2), high (INSANE!) number of attacks mode (kama*2+flurry of blows) and stunning attack mode (unarmed)
- use stealth if you want
Another change I'd introduce is bringing Weaponmaster class to level 7 only, as fighters and epic fighters will get more feats.
stats:
str 16, dex 15, con 12, int 12 (has to be 13 by level 7), wis 12, cha 8 or
str 16, dex 15, con 12, int 14, wis 10, cha 8
Feats plan:
1. mnk 1 Dodge, Mobility (Cleave, Evasion, Flurry of blows - bonus)
2. mnk 2 (Deflect arrows)
3. ftr 1 Ambidextrity, Weapon proficiency - exotic
4. ftr 2 (Int+1=13) Two-weapon fighting
5. ftr 3
6. ftr 4 Weapon focus - katana, Weapon specialisation - katana
7. ftr 5
8. ftr 6 (Str+1=17) Spring attack
9. ftr 7 Expertise
10. ftr 8 Whirlwind attack
11. wm 1 (Ki damage)
12. mnk 3 (Str+1=18) Improved critical - katana (Strong mind)
13. wm 2
14. wm 3
15. wm 4 Improved two-weapon fighting
16. wm 5 (Str+1=19) (Increased multiplier)
17. wm 6
18. wm 7 Knockdown (Ki critical)
19. ftr 9
20. ftr 10 (Str+1=20) Improved knockdown
21. ftr 11 Epic weapon focus - katana
22. ftr 12 Epic weapon specialization - katana
23. ftr 13
24. ftr 14 (Str+1=21) Power attack, Great strength 1 (22)
25. ftr 15
26. ftr 16 Great cleave
27. ftr 17 Great strength 2 (23)
28. ftr 18 (Str+1=24) Overwhelming critical - katana, Great strength 3 (25)
29. ftr 19
30. ftr 20 Devastating critical - katana, (another feat of your choice)
after that, just get any feats you like. you can levle up monk levels, to get better movement speed, AC and saves (but then the Knockdown feats would be a waste - just get something else instead)
your thoughts?
[edit] fixed a mistake of taking Great strength as a fighter bonus feat at level 26.
I’d like to post an elaboration on those builds:
The one most important change to build a Samurai-inspired warrior in NwN is:
introduce 3 levels of Monk class. Here are the reasons:
Roleplaying:
- martial training background all Bushido followers have. The ability to fight unarmed - if disarmed in combat, taken by surprise, or in close quarters is something that every self –respecting Samurai (or former Samurai) would cultivate.
- higher than average wisdom (or at least 10) score, and Strong Mind feat represent the high mental discipline of this warrior
- the ability to wear monk robes represent the simple garments the Ronin would generally use, donning the heavier armors before battles
Powergaming:
- get free Cleave feat, add Power Attack later on
- better saves
- taking 3rd Monk level at level 7 or 12 will allow for a lower skillpoits cost of Tumble score up to 10 or 15, respectively
- evasion
- get wisdom bonus from AC, improving it with items
- use monk robes and items
- switch between high-damage per attack mode (katana*2), high (INSANE!) number of attacks mode (kama*2+flurry of blows) and stunning attack mode (unarmed)
- use stealth if you want
Another change I'd introduce is bringing Weaponmaster class to level 7 only, as fighters and epic fighters will get more feats.
stats:
str 16, dex 15, con 12, int 12 (has to be 13 by level 7), wis 12, cha 8 or
str 16, dex 15, con 12, int 14, wis 10, cha 8
Feats plan:
1. mnk 1 Dodge, Mobility (Cleave, Evasion, Flurry of blows - bonus)
2. mnk 2 (Deflect arrows)
3. ftr 1 Ambidextrity, Weapon proficiency - exotic
4. ftr 2 (Int+1=13) Two-weapon fighting
5. ftr 3
6. ftr 4 Weapon focus - katana, Weapon specialisation - katana
7. ftr 5
8. ftr 6 (Str+1=17) Spring attack
9. ftr 7 Expertise
10. ftr 8 Whirlwind attack
11. wm 1 (Ki damage)
12. mnk 3 (Str+1=18) Improved critical - katana (Strong mind)
13. wm 2
14. wm 3
15. wm 4 Improved two-weapon fighting
16. wm 5 (Str+1=19) (Increased multiplier)
17. wm 6
18. wm 7 Knockdown (Ki critical)
19. ftr 9
20. ftr 10 (Str+1=20) Improved knockdown
21. ftr 11 Epic weapon focus - katana
22. ftr 12 Epic weapon specialization - katana
23. ftr 13
24. ftr 14 (Str+1=21) Power attack, Great strength 1 (22)
25. ftr 15
26. ftr 16 Great cleave
27. ftr 17 Great strength 2 (23)
28. ftr 18 (Str+1=24) Overwhelming critical - katana, Great strength 3 (25)
29. ftr 19
30. ftr 20 Devastating critical - katana, (another feat of your choice)
after that, just get any feats you like. you can levle up monk levels, to get better movement speed, AC and saves (but then the Knockdown feats would be a waste - just get something else instead)
your thoughts?
[edit] fixed a mistake of taking Great strength as a fighter bonus feat at level 26.
The monk could be worked in, the martial training is of course something you're right about. However, I don't see a samurai using a weapon other than the katana (or bow or spear, but those were usually used when horseback riding and I didn't really have the specialisation feats to spare - maybe the last few leves, but it won't make a difference then) in combat, so the only reason to take 3 levels of monk would be the bonus feats and slightly better saves (if 3 levels only).
As for the discussion about the balance between Fighter and Weapon Master, it has been said many times before, but I'll say it again.
Example: if you go Ftr33/W7 (disregarding other classes for the moment), you get a few extra feats (don't remember the number). However, if you do it like I did (Ftr12/W28), you gain an overall bonus of +6 to attack, slightly lower Fortitude and considerably higher Reflex saves. Taking monk levels further reduces these attacks (but improves saves). My choice was this one, but anyone is free to make their own.
I have of course considered raising wisdom and will saves for the very reasons you mention, but they didn't give any big bonus (especially since you can make up for it with items - and this build is primarly single-player, after all), while the penalties in other areas were bigger (at least for me).
And then of course there's the matter of personal preference. I have never really liked Monks in D&D (even though I recognize their benefits and power - but that isn't everything). Also, a samurai has to be one with his sword (the most sacred of one's possessions), and I think more Weapon Master levels exemplify this better (he's not just another fighter, though I know this could be argued). Taking just seven WM levels just for the benefits slightly reeks of munchkinism as well
Anyhow, your build does have merit, but it does not fit my playing style (no need for stealth, why bother with switching weapons when dual katanas is all I'll ever need and all I should be allowed to use by concept, etc.).
By the way, at clvl 16 you took Great Strength as a Fighter bonus feat, and you can't do that because it's not on the list of those feats.
As for the discussion about the balance between Fighter and Weapon Master, it has been said many times before, but I'll say it again.
Example: if you go Ftr33/W7 (disregarding other classes for the moment), you get a few extra feats (don't remember the number). However, if you do it like I did (Ftr12/W28), you gain an overall bonus of +6 to attack, slightly lower Fortitude and considerably higher Reflex saves. Taking monk levels further reduces these attacks (but improves saves). My choice was this one, but anyone is free to make their own.
I have of course considered raising wisdom and will saves for the very reasons you mention, but they didn't give any big bonus (especially since you can make up for it with items - and this build is primarly single-player, after all), while the penalties in other areas were bigger (at least for me).
And then of course there's the matter of personal preference. I have never really liked Monks in D&D (even though I recognize their benefits and power - but that isn't everything). Also, a samurai has to be one with his sword (the most sacred of one's possessions), and I think more Weapon Master levels exemplify this better (he's not just another fighter, though I know this could be argued). Taking just seven WM levels just for the benefits slightly reeks of munchkinism as well
Anyhow, your build does have merit, but it does not fit my playing style (no need for stealth, why bother with switching weapons when dual katanas is all I'll ever need and all I should be allowed to use by concept, etc.).
By the way, at clvl 16 you took Great Strength as a Fighter bonus feat, and you can't do that because it's not on the list of those feats.
Websites
Aremah Design - The Ghetto Times
Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark
Musha Shugyo - Yojimbo - Shinobi - Kunoichi - Mahotsukai
Aremah Design - The Ghetto Times
Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark
Musha Shugyo - Yojimbo - Shinobi - Kunoichi - Mahotsukai
Yep, all those builds come up to your own choices and style of play. Cool of you to acknowledge the different pro and con sides of my build.
My impression of Samurais and Bushido in general is based on some literature, such as Clawell’s “Shogun” and Myamoto Mushashi’s “Book of five rings” I highly recommend as an insight to this, as well as considerable martial arts practice in a very traditional school of Karate-do – so monk levels in DnD Bushido-warriors are quite mandatory for me, I guess.
Solid point on the epic Weaponmaster levels as a better representation of a true Samurai, though. (And the Reflex saves remark does not hurt, either )
By the way, the +1 Str at Char lvl 16 is a natural ¼ levels ability increase, not a Great Strength feat.
My impression of Samurais and Bushido in general is based on some literature, such as Clawell’s “Shogun” and Myamoto Mushashi’s “Book of five rings” I highly recommend as an insight to this, as well as considerable martial arts practice in a very traditional school of Karate-do – so monk levels in DnD Bushido-warriors are quite mandatory for me, I guess.
Solid point on the epic Weaponmaster levels as a better representation of a true Samurai, though. (And the Reflex saves remark does not hurt, either
)By the way, the +1 Str at Char lvl 16 is a natural ¼ levels ability increase, not a Great Strength feat.
My mistake. I meant Fighter level 16, which is clevel 26 (bonus fighter feat; GStr is not one of those).
My impression of samurai stems first and foremost from Akira Kurosawa movies ("The Seven Samurai", "Yojimbo" and "Kagemusha" are amongst my top favorites of all time) and tons of hours spent surfing the net finding little tidbits of info. Other good movies were the "Shogun" movie with Richard Chamberlain, "Ghost Dog" and "The Last Samurai" - too "hollywood", but still less "hollywood" than I expected when I went to see it (but I've noticed that to fully appreciate it you have to know something about the times, otherwise some really cool accents seem like just boring moments). I've read parts of Hagakure off the net, but it's nearly impossible to get anything of substance (like Hagakure or Rashomon) where I live, for some reason
My impression of samurai stems first and foremost from Akira Kurosawa movies ("The Seven Samurai", "Yojimbo" and "Kagemusha" are amongst my top favorites of all time) and tons of hours spent surfing the net finding little tidbits of info. Other good movies were the "Shogun" movie with Richard Chamberlain, "Ghost Dog" and "The Last Samurai" - too "hollywood", but still less "hollywood" than I expected when I went to see it (but I've noticed that to fully appreciate it you have to know something about the times, otherwise some really cool accents seem like just boring moments). I've read parts of Hagakure off the net, but it's nearly impossible to get anything of substance (like Hagakure or Rashomon) where I live, for some reason
Websites
Aremah Design - The Ghetto Times
Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark
Musha Shugyo - Yojimbo - Shinobi - Kunoichi - Mahotsukai
Aremah Design - The Ghetto Times
Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark
Musha Shugyo - Yojimbo - Shinobi - Kunoichi - Mahotsukai