Character Growth: House of Flying Blades

So something a little different from my previous Character Growth posts this is more along the lines of a Character Build, so for now let me espouse on the building of a character built to make the most of Attacks of Opportunity.

The Whirlwind of Steel

So there are 4 things we need to take advantage of for this character build

1: Combat Reflexes, this feat allows you to make as many AoO as your DEX+1, compared to the single AoO that every character gets.

2: Weapon Finesse, Unless you want to MAD both your STR and DEX, Weapon Finesse will give you your DEX to your attack rolls instead of your STR, and synchronises well with Combat Reflexes.

2b: While it's not rules legal to give a Flying Blade Weapon Finesse, but the weapon came out in a later book than Weapon Finesse, so an understanding DM will most likely let you have this, if not, you gotta get MAD.

3: Heirloom Weapon, this trait gives you a +1 Trait bonus on AoO with a Heirloom weapon passed down by your family members EDIT: This trait cannot be taken with the "Flying Blade" weapon, as it's an exotic weapon, my mistake.

4: Flying Blade, this Exotic Weapon deals 1d12 damage, has a Crit Zone of 20(x3), and takes a -2 on regular attacks, in exchange for a +2 on AoO, alongside reach. (Found in Ultimate Combat, Paizo)

4b: While the flat rules for Reach say a Reach weapon can't be used to attack an adjacent foe, the Flying Blade is attached to a flexible chain for spinning it around, you could reasonably ask your DM to allow you to attack adjacent foes with a minor penalty.

So just to start we need a character with High DEX, STR, and at least 13 INT, and 3 feats, or Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Flying Blade) and 2 feats, making the best fit either a Fighter (Any Race), a Scout Rogue Archetype (Human/Tengu), or a Kensai Magus Archetype (Human/Tengu).

Once these starting points have been met, there are another 3 things you need to achieve

5: Get Dodge and Mobility, a somewhat aggravating feat tax for several necessary feats that will help this build take off, but the +1 Dodge to AC, and the +4 vs AoO will be useful, even if it's not outstanding.

6: Get Combat Patrol, this allows you to increase the range at which enemies provoke AoO from you at the cost of movement, meaning your next step is to.

7: Boost your movement speed, any way you can, if you're a Fighter, grab Fleet a couple of times with your plethora of bonus feats, if you're a Rogue grab a wand of Haste or expeditious retreat, if you're a Magus, learn Haste, and regardless of class, grab one of the following Boots of Striding and Springing, Feather Step Slippers, Boots of Speed, or Boots of the Raptor (3rd Party)

So at this point this build is starting to come together, as a Fighter you'll be getting these feats earlier, so you should have an easier time spotting and shoring up any weak points that reveal themselves, before the final few touches.

8: Spring Attack & Combat Expertise, another 2 tax feats, Spring Attack is useful as a feat that helps with mobility in situations where enemies aren't provoking AoO from your Combat Patrol, Combat Expertise however is a TAX, pure and simple.

9: Whirlwind Attack: the point of the 2 feats above, and most likely the last feat you'll get in this build unless you're playing a Fighter, this feat allows you to attack everything in range of your weapon as a Full Round Action, with a reach weapon that comes out to 16 squares of attack, meaning that your enemies can't simply just gang up on you to shut down your Combat Patrol without some punishment coming down on them.

10:Weapon Enhancements, Keen, Heart-seeking, Element of Choice, +1 at minimum, I would advise against getting any ability that activates on a crit as the crit range for this weapon is as small as possible.

11: If you have any spare feats at this point they'd be best spent on stuff that just boosts your to hit chance, Weapon Focus (Flying Blade), Greater Weapon Focus (Fighter or Kensai), Disruptive and Spellbreaker are good choices if you find yourself going up against Casters (Fighter or Kensai), teleport tactician may be a useful choice, if somewhat niche.

So by endgame, you should be able to, at least, make Attacks of Opportunity against opponents across the map, attack any foe who decides that keeping you from moving would be a good idea, and present a serious problem to spellcasters regardless of the distance they stay away from you.

As for everything else, Weapon Groups, Rogue Talents, or Magus Arcana, that's entirely up to you, but as always, have fun, and go out swinging.