Prestige Class: Iaijutsu Master

[ThE LoSt BoY]

WARNING: Iaijutsu Attack ONLY WORKS V. FLATFOOTED OR IMMOBILIZED OPPONENTS

Divine Katana Master

“Katana of Navos”

Naz Rak, LN->TN, CL 17 (War, Plant) / SB 3  / IM 20

Stats:  Base  [ Race+Mods ]
Str:       14           [ 21 ]
Dex:     14           [ 26 ]
Con:      8            [ 21 ]
Int:       10           [ 14 ]
Wis:     15           [ 19 ]
Cha:     14           [ 22 ]

Damage Stack (katana): d10 + 5 / 11 Max Str + 2 / 8 Max Int + 12 / 20 Max Cha EDM + 5 PA + 6d6 sneak = d10 + 24 / 44 Max Str, Int, Cha + 6d6 sneak

Iaijutsu focus stack: 43 + 3 (SF: I-Foc) + 10 (Epic I-Foc) + 6 / 12 Max Cha = 62 - 68
Iaijutsu attack focus check: 63 – 69 (min), 82 – 88 (max)
Iaijutsu attack  damage stacks: 10 (d6 + 6 / 12 Max Cha) – 11 (d6 + 6 / 12 Max Cha), 14 (d6 + 6 / 12 Max Cha) – 15 (d6 + 6 / 12 Max Cha) = 10d6 + 60 / 120 Max Cha – 11d6 + 66 / 132 Max Cha, 14d6 + 84 / 168 Max Cha – 15d6 + 90 / 180 Max Cha.

Iaijutsu sneak attack: d10 + 24 / 44 Max Str, Int, Cha + 6d6 sneak + (10d6 + 60 / 120 Max Cha (min) to 15d6 + 90 / 180 Max Cha) = d10 + (84 / 164 + 16d6 (min) to  + 114 / 224 + 21d6 max)

AC Stack: 10 (Base) + 20 Epic Mage Armor + 12 / 20 Max Cha EDS + 8 / 14 Max Dex (Dodge) + 2 / 8 Max Int Canny Defense + 8 (Tumble) + 5 Natural Armor + 4 Mantle of Egregious Might (Luck) = 69, 89

Attacks per round: Spirit Strike + Iaijutsu Attack + Echoes from Edge (after Iaijutsu Attack) + 8 att / round (including Iaijutsu Attack) + One Strike, Two Cuts + Haste + Two Wep Rend

Pro’s: V. high attack / round + high base damage (EDM, Insightful Strike, Str) / attack, Iaijutsu attack + Echoes of the Edge = double uber Iaijutsu + sneak damage, HiPS + 6d6 sneak attack, high SR race, Imp Evasion, medium-high AC, High BAB (CL buffs + Deadeye Sense), access to Creep Doom, no Smites, Discipline, Tumble as class skills, good skill points

Cons: Iaijutsu Attack ONLY WORKS ON WORKS V. FLATFOOTED OR IMMOBILIZED OPPONENTS, SB Insightful Strike did not recognize IM Katana Finesse, disarming dual katana’s is aggro, major MAD, low caster level, dangling Str, Con, Wis mods, mediocre saves, Iaijutsu Attacks don’t work on crit immune.

Strictly level 40 build. Save Skills, except as noted.

1 SB 1: Improved Initiative
2 SB 2
3 CL 1: PA, WF: Katana (domain bonus)
4 CL 2 Mod 1: Str [ 19 ]
5 CL 3
6 CL 4: Divine Might
7 SB 3: I-Foc + 10
8 IM 1: Mod 2: Str [ 20 ]
9 IM 2: Div Shield
10 IM 3
11 IM 4: TWF (bonus)
12 IM 5: Mod 3: Str [ 21], Ambi-Dex
13 IM 6
14 IM 7
15 IM 8: Imp TWF
16 IM 9: Mod 4: Cha [ 19 ], SF: I-Foc (bonus)
17 IM 10
18 CL 5: Gr TWF
19 CL 6
20 CL 7: Mod 5: Cha [ 20 ]
21 CL 8: +24 Conc, +24 Lore +24 S-Craft, Gr Wis I [ 16 ]
22 CL 9
23 CL10
24 CL 11: Mod 6: Cha [ 21 ], E-Div Might
25 CL 12
26 CL 13
27 CL 14: E-Div Shield
28 CL 15: Mod 7: Wis [ 17 ]
29 CL 16
30 IM 11: Gr Wis II [ 18 ]
31 IM 12
32 IM 13: Mod 8: Wis [ 19 ], Two Wep Rend (bonus)
33 IM 14: Prac-Caster (CL)
34 IM 15
35 IM 16: +28 I-Foc, Improved Iaijutsu Focus (bonus)
36 IM 17: Mod 9: Dex [ 25 ], Perf TWF
37 IM 18
38 IM 19: ESF: I-Foc (bonus)
39 CL 17: +11 Conc, +16 Lore, +16 S-Craft, Epic Spells
40 IM 20: Mod 10: Dex [ 26 ], +32 Disc, + 5 I-Foc, +40 Tumble

Conc: 35, Discipline: 32, I-Foc: 43, Lore: 40, S-Craft: 40, Tumble: 40

Note:
1) NWN Alignment Manager is here: http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=Hakpaks.Detail&id=7206
2) Added 16 Str to get the +8 Max Int Insightful Strike damage bonus

Enjoy.

[ThE LoSt BoY]

Sorry guys (xwarren, et. al), I was not logged in to search for the IM bug.
http://www.nwnprc.com/forum/viewthread.php?thread_id=648&highlight=iaijutsu&pid=3316-post_3316

It turns out that the Iaijutsu Attack is just a WotC GAG (funny and vomit) because . . . IT ONLY WORKS V. FLATFOOTED OR IMMOBILIZED OPPONENTS! Ha Ha Ha – BARF! Thanks for the laughs & chunks, WotC!

I thought they made a serious class there for a minute – what was I thinking?! Lots of honor attacking helpless foes, glad WotC made IM’s have lawful alignment!


There is a way to manage the failed WoTC mechanics in the build. If you put Unseen Wanderer (invisibility toggle), the primary weapon, Iaijutsu Attack (IA) in successive quickslots, you can mitigate the aggro. However, it is very clumsy and makes the build too frustrating to play through the failed IA mechanic.

1) Check to see if you are invisible (free sneak attacks) 1A) If not, click Unseen Wanderer 1B) If so, go to step 2.
2) Make sure you are UNARMED (hit Weapon toggle)
3) Hit the Iaijutsu Attack q-slot and click on your opp (wait a long time to resolve)
4) (after attack resolution) Toggle the weapon to unarm
5) Toggle Unseen Wanderer
6) Hit the Iaijutsu Attack q-slot ….

The base build is still typical, Epic Spells, Perf TWF dual wielding + EDM, EDS, but the expected massive damage mechanic is nothing but a mirage.

[Findus]

Sometimes I wonder if they are even trying or just releasing stuff to get money. Some prestige classes seem to give nothing and have next to no mechanic to fix it. I know its probably harder than it seems but really if this was my profession I would take it very seriously and atleast make classes released somewhat viable.

[ThE LoSt BoY]

Any DM with a brain would obviously house rule over that, but PRC is typically strict interpretation. Wasted opportunity (Wasters of the Coast?) IMO.

[half_evil_333]

I think you guys mix up the P&P RPG with the NWN mechanics a bit. Prestige Classes like the Iaijutsu Master aren't meant for video games nor for munshkin-style gaming but for ROLEplaying. They DO make sense in certain settings (in that case some "japan around 16. century"-style) and in certain plots, i.e. for certain campaigns. They do NOT, however, make sense when put into the normal core-setting or with the aim to get an overpowered munshkin char. Therefor it may be arguable if it makes sense to implement that class and skill into the PRC . And for the skill: when you read the text from the manual as posted in the bug section thread than you will understand that it DOES make sense that it only works against flat-footed opponents. It's just a dueling technique, not a battlefield-fighting technique (would be pretty risky to have your weapon sheathed to be able to attack, espacially when facing multiple enemies. Hard to parry when your weapon is sheathed . If you have seen the anime series "Rurouni Kenshin": I'm pretty sure that Kenshin used that technique only in duels, never when fighting multiple enemies )

[Findus]

So how do you end up getting your opponent flat-footed in a 1vs1 duel with a standard build? Infact isnt it easier to get your target flat-footed in a warzone which means its worse for duels which it was made for? Also iaijatsu is a lawful class which means what would seem to be the standard way of getting your target flat-footed 1vs1 (vanish in plain sight or something) seems to be on the other side of the alignment chart.

Like I said before not 100% sure of the mechanics here but this is what it seems to me.

[half_evil_333]

In P&P every combattant is considered flat-footed until he gets his (first) action (not sure if thats the same for nwn, although I spend endless hours playing it *blush*). Therefore the initial situation for both duelists is the same, creating a "high noon" situation. The duelist with the highest Iaijutsu skill roll gets the first attack then. So its not dishonourable because both are in exact the same situation . As I said, that skill is indeed absolutely useless for normal fighting in both P&P and NWN and requires special scripted events in custom modules I would think. Not 100% sure, but I think in P&P that skill is indeed only usable for those duels. Personally, as an P&P DM, I would say that that PC and skill is indeed quite specific and useless in nearly every campaign . That goes, however, for the whole rulebook it is taken from, "Oriental Adventures", I would say. As the name says, the rules presented there are made for a specific oriental setting, and in a straight samurai campaign that skill and class may make sense. The material that COULD be used in conjunction with all that other D&D stuff is taken and reworked in the Complete Series I think.
That said, I can of course absolutely see your point and would indeed not buy that specific rulebook for D&D 'cause I have no love for far eastern settings out of the occasional anime series . The only point I was trying to make is that there are indeed some PCs, that are quite useless for around 95% of the gamers but do somewhat add to the settings or are just for the fun of it. The best example I was confronted with as a DM is the PC "Evereskan Tomb Guardian" from the Faerûn Rulebook "Player's Guide to Faerûn". That PC does practicly nothing outside, well, Everaskan Tombs . That makes it unbelievable useless for every campaign outside of that particular elven city, and even for a campaign with that setting its probably only useful for npc's or just as a background for the pc's :|. But there are still other usable PC's in that sourcebook, and if not, than no one forces one to buy / use it .

[ThE LoSt BoY]

Zipped .bic