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Squider
2009-02-09, 09:17 PM
I'm playing a roguish type character, currently level 5. I can't hit anything. I use Natural attacks, (claw/claw/bite) I've got multi attack. Any easy ways to boost my attack bonus?

Flickerdart
2009-02-09, 09:22 PM
I'm playing a roguish type character, currently level 5. I can't hit anything. I use Natural attacks, (claw/claw/bite) I've got multi attack. Any easy ways to boost my attack bonus?
That's not really the right way to go about that. What you want is not a higher AB, but making your enemies easier to hit. Which means you need a way of getting touch attacks, and ways of dropping their AC and making them flat-footed, for which blinding works wonders.

What race are you to have that? What are your stats, current AB, cash?

Squider
2009-02-09, 09:30 PM
I'm a dragon. From the dragon magazine that published dragons a 20 level class. I've only got the first level, and can't take any more (the dragon blood has been diluted down the family tree for a while.) So i've got a bite/claw/claw/wing/wing. I've got +6 to hit with the bites and claws and +4 to hit with the wings. I've got about 2000 cash, at the moment.

Flickerdart
2009-02-09, 09:36 PM
Well, at AB 6, you'd be hitting average 16 AC, when enemies have around 20, tough their Touch AC is in the low teens, a number you'll easily hit. What you need to do, now, is get a Touch attack...

If you can rebuild, take Wild Talent and get into the Pyrokineticist PrC for the fire whip (change type to flavour for the dragon, there's a guideline somewhere) that's a touch attack with reach on 1st level. That's the easiest way, I think.

RTGoodman
2009-02-09, 09:37 PM
Wait, so are you a Dragon 1/LA +4, a Dragon 1/Some Other Class 4, or what? And what are your ability scores?

Without knowing that, the first thing I can suggest right off is an amulet of mighty fists (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#amuletofMightyFists) once you get the money (or that other amulet thing in Savage Species that lets you enchant your natural weapons like a magic weapon). If you've got a higher Dex than Strength, Weapon Finesse is the obvious strategy. Either way, start using flanking, buffs from allied spellcasters, and attacking from hiding, along with finding other ways to impose status effects, most of which will make your attacks more accurate.

Draz74
2009-02-09, 09:38 PM
Have a party Druid/Psychic Warrior cast Greater Magic Fang/Metaphysical Claw on you? :smallconfused:

sonofzeal
2009-02-09, 09:52 PM
Ways to get Touch Attacks off the top of my head.....

1) Wraithstrike (Sor/Wiz, swift action, get attacks as touch attacks for 1 round - and now that wands have been ruled to take the time of the original spell, this is a viable use for UMD; just remember to free-action-drop the wand to free up the claw)

2) Martial Study: Emerald Razor (get a melee attack as a touch attack once per encounter. Not that great, but can be useful)

3) Impaling Weapon (melee attack as touch attack, 3/day, +1 enhancement)

Squider
2009-02-09, 09:58 PM
I had already intended to take pyro. So i've got one level of psionic rogue just the sneak attack and for the power point (i've got enough INT for one bonus point). I'll look into Wands of wraith strike, where was it ruled wands take as long as the base spell to cast?

RTGoodman
2009-02-09, 10:32 PM
where was it ruled wands take as long as the base spell to cast?

Magic Item Compendium, in the section on Magic Items.

Alcopop
2009-02-10, 07:25 AM
I'm a dragon. From the dragon magazine that published dragons a 20 level class.

Anyway you could link this for me? or at least point me at the right dragon mag issue? I'd love to have a look at these rules!

ericgrau
2009-02-10, 12:16 PM
With 2000gp you can't do much. I'm betting your dragon stuff gives you a strength bonus, so hopefully you made strength a big stat and didn't do dex + weapon finesse. For 4k there's gauntlets of ogre power or gloves of dexterity, but then I wonder how your claw attacks keep working. You could ditch the claw attacks altogether and grab a masterwork weapon.

Spells: If your party has a druid you could ask him for a magic fang spell. Invisibility also helps (see below).

For feats there's weapon focus, which could be applied to bite, claw or a weapon.

Check out the combat modifiers section of your Player's Handbook. Catching opponents flat-footed, such as before their first action in round 1, denies them their dex bonus to AC. Flanking adds +2 AB. Invisibility adds +2. Being on higher ground adds +1. Charging adds +2. A grappled opponent is denied his dex bonus to AC. A paralyzed (from a spell) or pinned (from a friendly grappler) opponent has an effective dex score of 0 and another -4 (net penalty = -9 + dex bonus). Tripping your opponent drops his AC by 4. Stunning him (via the stunning fist feat or a spell) drops his AC by 2 and denies him his dex bonus.

As for splatbook tricks to easily/cheaply ignore his armor altogether and often nigh-auto-hit, beware the dark side. Powerful it is, yes. But destroy your game it will :P. Ok, you can try it if it flies with your DM, but don't say I didn't warn you.

Draz74
2009-02-10, 12:49 PM
Magic Item Compendium, in the section on Magic Items.

Nope, MIC says nothing explicitly about this on p. 220. It does hint at it, by not stating that (spell trigger) activations are always standard actions; it leaves them as an [Action Type](spell trigger) format.

But it was actually Rules Compendium, IIRC, that explicitly declared this change to the rules.

Fax Celestis
2009-02-10, 12:56 PM
Nope, MIC says nothing explicitly about this on p. 220. It does hint at it, by not stating that (spell trigger) activations are always standard actions; it leaves them as an [Action Type](spell trigger) format.

But it was actually Rules Compendium, IIRC, that explicitly declared this change to the rules.

...and that RC ruling was originally taken from either the FAQ or from Sage Rulings, though I can't recall which.

Person_Man
2009-02-10, 02:09 PM
1) Pick one stat (usually Str or Dex, but its also possible to pull off with Int, Wis, or Cha for certain builds). This stat should be maxed out. Put all of your stat bonuses from level into this one stat. Buy the best stat enhancing item that you can afford for that one stat. Buy the best permanent stat improving item you can for that one stat. Find spells that boost that stat. If you're not boosting Str and don't care about reach, you can also decrease your Size.

2) Learn how to get miscellaneous combat modifiers (www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/combatModifiers.htm). There are a lot of them, and they stack. Flanking, higher ground, Prone, Fear effects, etc.

3) Deny your enemy his Dex bonus:
1) Win Initiative: A Flat Footed enemy loses their Dex bonus until they act.

2) Armor Lock: 1st level spell from Complete Scoundrel that works on enemies wearing armor. Buy a wand.

3) Greater Invisibility: Once your party hits level 7ish, there's really no reason someone in your group shouldn't cast this on you at the start of every combat.

4) Ring of Blinking: If you're party members are jerks and refuse to cast Greater Invisibility on you, use this item instead. Pick up the Pierce Magical Concealment feat (Complete Arcane) to ignore your 20% miss chance.

5) Skill Tricks: Again, check out the Complete Scoundrel. Skill Tricks can be very useful.

6) Fear: If your enemy is Cowering, he loses his Dex bonus. There are a large variety of ways to get and use Fear effects, and a variety of ways to corner or immobilize him.

7) Stun: If your enemy is stunned, he loses his Dex bonus. Work with the Monk in your party, or ask the caster to use spells with this effect.

8) Blind: If your enemy is blind, he loses his Dex bonus. There are spells and alchemical items that do this.

9) Helpless: There are a variety of spells and a few effects that render your foe paralyzed or otherwise helpless.

10) Hide in Plain Site: There are many ways to get this. My favorite is a dip into Warlock let's you Hide in Plain Site every round as a Swift action. This means that any enemy who fails their Spot check is denied their Dex bonus against your next attack. Not efficient if you want to make full attacks, but helpful nonetheless.

11) Grappling: An opponent who is grappled loses their Dex bonus to everyone except the grappler, another way to tag team with your party members.

12) Net, Razor Net, Lasso: Each of these is a touch attack that imposes a -4 penalty on Dex. Penalties from different sources stack. Enemies with 0 Dex count as being paralyzed. I wouldn't even bother with taking the Exotic Weapon feats, because touch attacks are easy, so the -4 penalty to hit is palatable. Though I would invest in Spell Storing weapons, and find spells that deal Dex damage/penalties.

13) Feint: This is a retarded waste of an action in most cases. But it works well at low levels if you're not using TWF, and if you're an Invisible Blade with the Surprising Riposte feat (Drow of the Underdark), it works for a full attack.

14) Tome of Battle Maneuvers: There are several. I just can't remember them off the top of my head.

4) Get touch attacks: Flame Blade, Deep Impact, Fell Shot, Pyrokineticist, (SRD), Fire Dagger, Spectral Weapon, Wraithstrike (all Spell Compendium), Master Thrower (Comp Warrior), several others I can't think of.

It's important to note that you should only use #1 and #2 on a regular basis. #3 and #4 should only be used when fighting truly difficult enemies. If you use them all the time, then your DM will just raise the other defenses of your enemies all the time in order to make combat challen

RTGoodman
2009-02-10, 02:17 PM
Nope, MIC says nothing explicitly about this on p. 220. It does hint at it, by not stating that (spell trigger) activations are always standard actions; it leaves them as an [Action Type](spell trigger) format.

But it was actually Rules Compendium, IIRC, that explicitly declared this change to the rules.

Ah, that's what I meant. I KNEW it was Rules Compendium, but I guess I just accidentally typed "Magic Item" since that's what we were talking.

It is, in fact, the Rules Compendium, in the section on Magic Items. Command word, mental activation, spell completion, and spell trigger magic items ALL say they require the same amount of time to use as the spell they duplicate, unless the item specifically states otherwise.