Swashbuckler

Swashbucklers are melee combat specialized thieves. Please see Thief page for the basic thief information which will not be redundantly listed here.

Advantages:
 * +1 bonus to armor class at the start and +1 bonus every five levels (+9 AC bonus at level 40).
 * +1 bonus to-hit and damage every five levels (+8 to-hit and +8 damage at level 40).
 * May become specialized in all melee weapons a thief may use. This is an extra +1 to-hit and +2 damage (but does not gain extra 1/2 attack warrior Classes get for weapon specialization).
 * Can invest up to three points in two weapons style instead of one point (an extra +2 to-hit with main hand and +4 to-hit with off hand compared to other thieves).
 * Gains the ability to take Whirlwind Attack high level ability from the Fighter pool multiple times in place of Assassination once.

Disadvantage:
 * No Backstab multiplier for attacks when invisible. Still receives +4 to-hit bonus for attacking from hiding.
 * Important to realize their vast power appears near end of Shadows of Amn or very early in Throne of Bhaal.

Comparisons
In a departure from the norm, this page begins by explaining the reasons not to choose the Swashbuckler class kit, followed by the niche of this beloved class's benefits.

If high melee damage is the goal
Many new players fail to realize that it is possible to have multiple attacks per round (APR) and that warrior classes such as fighters get an extra .5 attack at levels 7 and 13. Further study of this wiki's Weapon proficiency page reveals warrior classes get an additional .5 attacks at 2 and 5 points of weapon proficiency. This means that a warrior with a weapon they have grand mastery in will get 4 attacks per round dual wielding compared to the Swashbucklers 2 attacks per round. With even a Strength of 22 from Girdle of Fire Giant Strength the bonus of +10 damage makes the the extra attacks per round far more important than the Swashbuckler's damage advantages. The THAC0 cap of 10 for thieves compared to warrior classes THAC0 of 0 will also slightly more than negate any to-hit bonuses the Swashbuckler gets.

If high Armor Class is the goal
The Swashbuckler may eventually wear any armor after taking the high level ability Use Any Item, but may only perform helpful thief functions like finding traps if wearing studded leather or lighter armor. While the -9 bonus to AC of the swashbuckler is a boon when also trying to wear equipment towards other effects, take 100% magic resistance for example, the Monk class can do this and with buffs hit the -24 AC cap as well. The monk also does more base damage (though limited in type) and can at least detect traps to keep squishier members of the party safe.

Reasons to still choose Swashbuckler
The best reason for a thief, is that they can open any lock guaranteed and pickpocket many valuable items (such as Twinkle and a second Ring of Gaxx) making them very useful to a party. The bonus XP from doing these, the incredibly powerful Detect Illusion skill, and the Lore skill which can identify all items in the game at higher levels are small but nice perks.

Arguably, some form of melee tank and trap protection for the party are both necessary and the Swashbuckler can complete both these roles. Thieves also level to 39 faster than any other class. This makes them ideal if wishing to actually reach the high levels in a single play-through and/or if enjoying larger party NPC interactions, back-stories, and associated quests (since XP is limited and split between all party members). If not wanting to waste time micromanaging hiding in shadows for sneak attacks, then the Swashbuckler is the perfect choice. Also, while Assassination may be chosen only once by other thieves, Whirlwind Attack may be chosen multiple times allowing superior bursts of melee damage even against targets (such as bosses and Barbarians) that are immune to back-stab. This also gives Swashbucklers the same maximum attacks per round (APR) of 10 that fighters can get up to when they Whirlwind Attack. It is worth noting that enemies caught in Time Stop trap will always be hit regardless of enemies' AC or the characters' THAC0.

Swashbuckler's may also gain very useful -5 to Death/Wand/Spell "Shorty" Saving Throws bonuses (helpful against boss abilities and area effects unhindered by magic resistance) based on Constitution (for Dwarfs and Halflings), where as monks are restricted to Humans. Unlike monks, swashbucklers also gain access to Greater Evasion, which allows for the best saving throws in the game against higher difficulty setting bosses.

The ability to deal comparable melee damage to that of any other class (with proper gear as explained below) without having to put more than 2 points into a weapon skill, allows for the most diverse offensive playing style of any martial class. Trap laying, the use of magical items/arrows, the ability to cast any spell from scrolls, and the ability to equip items normally class and alignment restricted (once Use Any Item is gained) further extends the range of possibilities beyond what any other single class can even come close to doing!

Powerful Items for Swashbucklers
Since lack of attacks per round (when not in Whirlwind) is the biggest issue for Swashbucklers' damage: At an AC of -24 very few enemies will hit you except when critical hitting (wear a helmet!). Even Red Dragons will need to rely on critical hits! Some bosses on Legacy of Bhaal difficulty setting may be able to overcome this with about half their attacks. 100% Magic Resistance (MR) can be also achieved simultaneously without the aid of temporary buffs.
 * Gauntlets of Extraordinary Specialization will add an extra .5 attacks per round to the main hand weapon used as well as ranged and thrown weapons. This will not give extra attacks during Whirlwind Attack but the damage and to-hit bonus will still apply.
 * Ninjatō of the Scarlet Brotherhood and Belm, and will get your melee attacks up to 4.5 (3.5 main hand and 1 off-hand) per round. This puts the hard hitting (remember the up to +8 to damage) swashbuckler near APR cap of 5 that all classes face when not under Haste (Improved Haste is found on many items) or Whirlwind Attack effects. 2 proficiency points into scimitars and 3 points into two-weapon style are very strongly recommended.
 * Tuigan Bow (the only bow with 3 attacks per round instead of two) will grant the best long range damage and allow vast utilities with various arrows like Arrow of Dispelling. Great for tactical pulling, sniping, kiting, and leading enemies into both metaphorical and literal traps. 1 proficiency point in short bow is recommended.
 * Cloak of the Stars will allow the best (though very brief) throwing damage due to all darts uniquely having a base attack rate of 3 attacks per round. This also means that against enemies with inherent immunity to all enchanted weapons or under effects similar to Protection from Magical Weapons, cheap normal darts will be the Swashbuckler's best damage (and quite a bit of it). 1 proficiency point may be spent on darts.
 * For the few bosses with very high weapon-enchantment weapon immunity (+4 required to overcome it), Flail of Ages +5, Carsomyr +6, Ravager +6 or other similarly powerful weapon with several Whirlwind Attack will finish off any boss. Use Any Item should be chosen at level 24 to enable equipping these weapons followed by Whirlwind Attack chosen at as many subsequent levels as desired. All 10 attacks of whirlwind will come from the main hand if only one weapon is equipped. This is usually ideal, but Crom Faeyr, Frostbrand, Purifier +5, Hindo's Doom +4 or other offhand may occasionally be preferable for their effects and will receive 2 of the 10 attacks as the off-hand weapon. The power of these many and varied weapon types with whirlwind and the swashbuckler's bonuses (without having to spending weapon specific proficiency points) allows the freedom to choose the right weapon(s) for the fights without the severe damage penalty a fighter outside of their limited 2 or 3 grand-mastery choices would feel. 1 proficiency point is recommended for 2-handed weapon style and/or single-weapon style to double the critical chance during whirlwind.
 * A shield such as Shield of the Lost, Shield of the Order, Darksteel Shield or other may be worn (after Use Any Item is chosen at level 24) while throwing darts or using Whirlwind Attack with single-handed weapons for extra defensive bonuses. However, a proficiency point in Sword and Shield style is not recommended.
 * The Army Scythe for use of bolts and Kundane for piercing melee (and use before level 24) are also worth noting the existence of as the other extra APR items. 1 and 2 proficiency points respectively may be spent towards the use of these weapons.
 * The -24 AC cap (-26 for warriors) will not be hard to hit (even easier during Greater Evasion or with generic whole-party buffs) for the Swashbuckler even is starting at 17 Dexterity as a dwarf. Warriors however will find it very difficult to get -26 AC without many constantly reapplied support buffs from bards and spell casters and a damage-limiting focus towards AC gear.
 * Many good armors such as White Dragon Scale allow continued use of thief skills.
 * If wanting 100% MR before end of Shadows of Amn: Human Flesh +5 ; Carsomyr +5; Ring of Gaxx; Kaligun's Amulet of Magic Resistance; and Tear of Bhaal (Good selected during Test of Selfishness).
 * Completing Black Pits 2 before Thrown of Bhaal (ToB) is recommended to pick up Cloak of Balduran, making 100% MR easy in ToB.
 * Holy Symbol of Lathander (highly recommended), Helm of Balduran (highly recommended), Wong Fei's Ioun Stone, Enkidu's Full Plate, Tzu-Zan's Bracers, Wondrous Gloves, Twinkle, Montolio's Cloak, and many more normally restricted items can be worn once Use Any Item is chosen at level 24 to allow vast defense and utility optimization combinations for any given situation that might arise.