Welcome to Guidance, Private Sanctuary’s source for tips and techniques for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, written by Everyman Gamer Alexander Augunas. Today, we’re going to be looking at an Iconic Design for a Two-Weapon Warpriest.

Today’s build is cool because I’m only using Advanced Class Guide classes. Hooray!

Build Concept

So for this build, the idea is to optimize a Two-Weapon Fighting build for a wapriest. In order to make this build work, I’m actually going to be eschewing Strength and focusing entirely on a Dex-based character. For this to work, I’m going to need a level of swashbuckler.

• Swashbuckler: We only need this class for the Swashbuckler’s Finesse ability. You can choose to grab the daring champion archetype for cavaliers instead, but I find that swashbuckler 1 is more dip-able than cavalier 1.
• Warpriest: The bread and butter of the build. We’re going to be capitalizing on the Warpriest’s ability to improve its weapon damage die with specific weapons via sacred weapon.
• Champion of the Faith (Warpriest): I really like this warpriest archetype, and since it’s so Charisma-heavy I like the synergy that it has with my level of swashbuckler. By grabbing this archetype, I have both panache and smite benefiting from my Charisma, so ultimately my ability score priorities are going to be Dexterity, Charisma, and Wisdom (and maybe Constitution for hit points).

Let’s get looking at this build!

Early Levels (1–7)

• Classes: Swashbuckler 1 / Warpriest (Champion of the Faith) 6
• Feats: Exotic Weapon Proficiency: sawtooth sabre (1st), Weapon Focus: sawtooth sabre (Bonus), Two-Weapon Fighting (3rd), Slashing Grace (5th), Combat Reflexes (Bonus), Bodyguard (7th)
• Abilities: Blessings (Community, any other), Deeds, Detect Alignment, Fervor 2d6, Focus Weapon, Panache, Sacred Weapon, Smite 1/Day, Swashbuckler’s Finesse

By the end of the early levels, you have the heart of this build completed. Sawtooth Sabre is an EXCELLENT weapon to use as a swashbuckler for several reasons. First, it is a one-handed slashing weapon, so it qualifies to benefit from Slashing Grace, allowing me to use my Dexterity bonus in place of my Strength on damage rolls in addition to allowing me to treat the blade as a one-handed piercing weapon. Second, the sawtooth sabre has a special rule that it is considered a light weapon when wielded in the off-hand for the purposes of Two-Weapon Fighting. This is a very potent combination of abilities in a Dexterity-based build.

Now, you can see that in this build, I assume that you’re not worshiping a god that grants you the sawtooth sabre as a free proficiency. There’s only one god that does that in Pathfinder, and he’s Evil, so assuming you worship the Red Mantis isn’t very helpful for Pathfinder Society. That said, if you can get this weapon as your free proficiency, then pick something else as your first feat. Remember that the warpriest can pick ANY weapon as his focus weapon (aka free Weapon Focus feat) at 1st level; it doesn’t have to be his deity’s favored weapon.

Moving on from there, the build focuses around building up Two-Weapon Fighting and Slashing Grace for the Sawtooth Sabre, which it accomplishes by Level 5. Afterwards, I recommend picking up Combat Reflexes so you can get more opportune riptose and parries per round out of your panache. Likewise, the combination of grabbing Bodyguard and the warpriest’s community domain is TOO good to pass up! Basically, community allows you to spend a use of blessings to increase the benefit that one character gives with aid another to +4 for 1 minute. With Bodyguard, whenever an ally within your reach is attacked, you can expend an attack of opportunity to give it a +4 to its AC and if the enemy tries to attack you instead, you can try to parry the attack. Its al all-around solid combo for defending yourself and others. I don’t have any recommendations for your other blessing; community is simply the real winner of this build.

Mid Levels (8 –14)

• Classes: Swashbuckler 1 / Warpriest (Champion of the Faith) 13
• Feats: Exotic Weapon Proficiency: sawtooth sabre (1st), Weapon Focus: sawtooth sabre (Bonus), Two-Weapon Fighting (3rd), Slashing Grace (5th), Combat Reflexes (Bonus), Bodyguard (7th), Divine Protection (9th), Improved Two-Weapon Fighting (11th), Weapon Specialization: sawtooth sabre (Bonus),  Greater Weapon Focus: Sawtooth Sabre (Bonus), Improved Critical: Sawtooth Sabre (13th)
• Abilities: Blessings (Community, any other), Deeds, Detect Alignment, Fervor 4d6, Focus Weapon, Panache, Sacred Armor +3, Sacred Weapon, Smite 3/Day, Swashbuckler’s Finesse

The thing about this build is once it gets its thing, it doesn’t really have anything else that it really needs. You get better at two-weapon fighting, you get better at hitting, and eventually you start focusing on critically hitting. The sawtooth sabre may not be a rapier or a katana, but a 19-20 critical threat range is nothing to scoff at, and the Community blessing’s major ability doubles in potency when you critically hit (it allows you to give a +4 bonus on your allies’ melee attack rolls against your target instead of a +2). So by the end of this level, you also get a much-needed +4 bonus to confirm those delicious critical hits.

So now you can buff your allies’ AC, parry enemy attacks, and critically hit like a boss, all without casting any spells. Pretty cool, eh?

Endgame (15+)

• Classes: Swashbuckler 1 / Warpriest (Champion of the Faith) 13
• Feats: Exotic Weapon Proficiency: sawtooth sabre (1st), Weapon Focus: sawtooth sabre (Bonus), Two-Weapon Fighting (3rd), Slashing Grace (5th), Combat Reflexes (Bonus), Bodyguard (7th), Divine Protection (9th), Improved Two-Weapon Fighting (11th), Weapon Specialization: sawtooth sabre (Bonus),  Greater Weapon Focus: Sawtooth Sabre (Bonus), Improved Critical: Sawtooth Sabre (13th), Critical Focus (15th), Greater Weapon Specialization: Sawtooth Sabre (Bonus), Bleeding Critical (17th), Penetrating Strike (Bonus), Greater Two-Weapon Fighting (19th)
• Abilities: Blessings (Community, any other), Deeds, Detect Alignment, Fervor 6d6, Focus Weapon, Panache, Sacred Armor +3, Sacred Weapon, Smite 4/Day, Swashbuckler’s Finesse

This build wraps up with a few nice perks in the end-game. Greater Weapon Specialization and Critical Mastery (both normally fighter-only) thanks to the warpriest’s ability to use his level as his fighter level when selecting bonus feats, plus Greater Two-Weapon Fighting and Accursed Critical. This second critical feat is an odd one, and I can totally see swapping it out for something else (maybe Stunning Critical, which you qualify for). I thought it looked neat, so I chose it.

Mythic

This is a build that REALLY benefits from Mythic Two-Weapon Fighting, which allows the build to essentially “turn off” Two-Weapon Fighting penalties. You can also take Mythic Weapon Focus for an additional bonus to hit, but I recommend going champion and Dual Path-ing into hierophant for more spellcasting power. If your GM allows you to take Mythic Smite (a champion ability), then do it. For the love of all that is righteous, DO IT.

And that’s all I got for this week’s installment of Iconic Design. What did you think? Is this a build that you would use? I could definitely see it as a sort of “Paladin of the Red Mantis God” character, which is sort of horrifying. Leave me your answers, questions, and comments below, and look forward to another wacky build next week on Iconic Design!

Alexander “Alex” Augunas has been playing roleplaying games since 2007, which isn’t nearly as long as 90% of his colleagues. Alexander is an active freelancer for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and is best known as the author of the Pact Magic Unbound series by Radiance House. Alex is the owner of Everyman Gaming, LLC and is often stylized as the Everyman Gamer in honor of Guidance’s original home. Alex’s favorite color is blue, his favorite Pathfinder Race/Class combination is kitsune warpriest, and his favorite deity to smite people for is Inari Okami, although Justin has this geisha goddess that’s pretty rad too.

Edit 10/26/14: Reader Khelreddin pointed out that Champion of the Faith warpriests trade their 3rd-level bonus feat for detect alignment. Oops! The build has been updated to reflect this loss, and no longer takes Accursed Critical or Critical Mastery.