Editing Swashbuckler (section)

==Pathfinder==
===1st Edition===
[[File:PZO Flying Blade.jpg|right|200px]]
In Pathfinder, this class is basically a [[Gunslinger]] except he uses one-handed stabby weapons (especially rapiers) instead of firearms. He's a squishy fighter who has some MAD with Charisma (for panache points, the class's equivalent of gunslinger grit) and Dexterity and only gets light armor without spending feats. Worst of all, a [[Cavalier]] gets an archetype in the same book Swashbuckler was introduced in that gets all of a Swashbuckler's GOOD abilities and can do better, while [[Magus]] can cherry pick some of the better ones. Swashbuckler is perhaps the weakest martial PC class in Pathfinder: Even with feat investment its damage can't really compete with a great sword wielding [[Warrior]] (the NPC class) whose only feat is power attack, while its AC takes too long to surpass heavy armor, and doesn't even get the wealth of quality archetypes the pre-Unchained [[Monk]] got. They can still throw out or block a lot of damage around with their panache/grit points, and they regenerate them fairly quickly and easily, but lots of other martial classes can do the same, and without the frills. Aside from being able to add their charisma modifier to a save a few times a day, they have no protection against spells. Even their official description can't really say they shine that much, saying they need to steal killing blows!

====Tier====
Some people believe Swashbucklers are [[Tier System|Tier 5]] (and some believe the Pathfinder version could fall into tier 6). According to these people, they are also both there for the same reason: They focus on poor fighting styles without really doing anything to make them not suck, gain no meaningful class features after the first few levels, don't have enough skill points to be useful in that role, and have poor saving throws. They are useful exclusively as a dip, if that, only. If you want to play a movement based swashbuckling hero, play something from the [[Book of Nine Swords]]/Path of War, or at least Swift Hunter based [[Ranger]]/[[Scout]] or an Unchained [[Rogue]] with a [[Slayer]] dip.

Other Pathfinder 1.0 players are of the opinion the Swashbuckler is one of, if not the best, martial class in the game.  With their parry and riposte abilities, they become nearly un-hittable in melee.  Even swinging at them could end up in the deaths of most combatants as they can "riposte" to get a counter-attack as an immediate action.  When using the Charmed Life ability, they can effectively shrug off most spells that have saving throws.  They get improved critical for free at 5th level therefore, with a high-crit range weapon like a rapier, they are scoring critical hits often which refuels their pool of panache to keep doing their tricks that avoid taking hits.  They can pump up their dexterity which ups their to-hit bonus, damage, and AC all at the same time.  With the right build and feats, they can easily chew through foes faster than Inigo Montoya going through the guards of the man who killed his father.

{{Pathfinder-Classes}}

===Pathfinder 2e===
[[File:Swashbuckler PF 2e.png|thumb|left|200px|Jirelle, Pathfinder's iconic Swashbuckler]]
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Revamped to be the Hybrid Fighter Bard Rogue with all the entertainment bravado. It's basically the class that rewards you for spending your actions on the fun things that normally won't have any effect on the battle (cartwheels, back flips, taunts) but activates a special state of Panache that you can then expend for a finishing blow rather than last edition's points. While this generally forces you to focus on your chosen skills for skill feats, you do get a few levels where you get an extra skill feat on those particular skills. Generally, they have to work harder than the [[Rogue]] or [[Investigator]] to set up but deal more damage when they do so. Also, while their archetypes allow for a variety of means to power their abilities, they all mean you'll suffer from MAD to some degree. Despite these downsides, many people consider the Swashbuckler to be [[Awesome|awesome]], since their abilities allow them to be highly mobile, and the sheer amount of great feats allow them to pull off a ton of awesome finishers.

*'''Battledancer:''' The most bard-like of the lot, granting you training in Performance and the Battle Performance skill feat so you can distract people with your dancing, triggering Panache.
*'''Braggart:''' The bully of the lot, granting you training in Intimidation and triggering Panache whenever you scare the enemy. Your particular finisher rider allows you to scare them again, negating the typical immunity after scaring them once.
*'''Fencer:''' The trickster of the lot, granting you training in Deception and triggering Panache whenever you distract or fake out an enemy. 
*'''Gymnast:''' The most direct attacker of the lot, granting training in Athletics and lets you trigger Panache upon using the various combat maneuvers tied to it. Your finisher even adds extra damage if you grab or trip the foe.
*'''Wit:''' The most face-like of the lot, granting you training in Diplomacy and the Bon Mot skill feat so you can trigger Panache as you insult the foe. 

{{Pathfinder-2nd-Edition-Classes}}
{{Pathfinder-2nd-Edition-Archetypes}}