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Falling Out
2009-02-17, 06:15 PM
Hi forumers

I am trying to put together a character based on a concept - the Kroot from 40k. Particularly the mobile heavy weapons mounted on the back of animals that the shooter also rides. Basically looking to use an animal familiar/companion that is ride-able to carry a large weapon for the shooter. Ideally I would like something like a motile ballista...except that the penalties to ballista far out weight its slight damage increase by later levels.

I fear it is just not salvageable from a severe lack of oomph but would like some input.


My (weak) ideas so far

1) A Poison Dusk Lizardfolk (+1LA) equipped with a Harpoon and riding some sort of turtle (dire tortoise - wild cohort at lvl 16? - with DM approval?). Uses harpoon to control prey movement (ties rope to mount so it makes the Str check).
- needs class suggestions?

2) Taking Leadership and fluffing a Warforged Charger or some sort of golemn as a battle-tank....meaning a medium or small PC rides it into battle, blasting away from atop.

Eldariel
2009-02-18, 02:08 PM
Luckily, a weapon just for your idea exists: Enter the Great Crossbow. It is a Ballista, except it's a weapon wieldable through EWP for a Medium character and has nice 2d8 base damage.

If you can get a Large weapon (Strongarm Bracers from MiC work nicely), you'd get nice 3d8 base damage. That seems perfectly workable.

Person_Man
2009-02-18, 03:33 PM
Your best options for race are probably kobold, dragonborn (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20060105b&page=1), or raptorian (sorta avian elves).

For your build, I suggest the Ashworm Dragoon PrC from Sandstorm. In addition to a kick butt mount that you can burrow underground with (remember, if your enemy doesn't have line of effect, you can't be targeted), you also get Pounce, a couple of bonus feats, and the ability to make Ride checks to negate any attacks against your mount (normally you can only do this once per round. Since Ride is ridiculously easy to boost, this basically makes your mount immune to all non-area of effect attacks and auto-hit magic). You can probably get a better mount just by being a Paladin with Leadership, but I'm not sure what else you would use to approximate the Knarloc.

As far as the mounted heavy weapon thing, there are rules for ballista in Heroes of Battle, including a Ballista Proficiency feat. A light ballista deals 3d8 damage, 19-20 *2 crit, with a range increment of 100 feet. Unfortunately it takes 2 full round actions to reload (or 2 people one full round action to reload), but you can reduce this to one full round action with a magical enhancement (though a nice DM might let you enhance it a second time to auto-reload). There's also magical ammo that fires lightning bolts or exploding fire instead of normal ammo. You should check it out.

Falling Out
2009-02-19, 12:17 AM
Thanks

One thing I am toying with is the Targetter fighter variant.

Could someone explain this passage to me?

"Vital Aim – When shooting an opponent who is vulnerable to critical hits, the
Targetteer may use his/her Dexterity modifier as a damage bonus instead of
his/her Strength modifier. This ability can only be used if the Strength
modifier is positive –or– both modifiers are negative."

Is this a typo or missing something?

It implies that I get to add straight DEX bonus to damage....instead of STR when making ranged shots.....

STR normally is never added in. Does this mean to say "in the case of throwing weapons"? But that does not make sense in terms of the whole point - a Targetteer.

Would it be too powerful to let the feat add DEX to damage for this base-class specific feat?

Thanks

Keld Denar
2009-02-19, 03:21 AM
That is odd, because normally the only things that get +Str bonus to damage are thrown weapons, slings, and composite bows. I wonder if this feature would be capped by the maximum "pull" of a composite bow, or if it would do anything for a Targetter wielding a crossbow, which NEVER receives +Str to damage.

Odd.

From a balance PoV, gaining Dex to damage is hardly overpowered, even for a ranged character. ToB has the feat Shadow Blade, which gives +dex to damage ON TOP of +str to damage, so long as the wielder is in a Shadow Hand stance and using a Shadow Hand weapon. This, I assume, is similarly restricted to only apply to ranged weapons, and only against targets vulnerable to precision based damage. I'd say its balanced even by the most liberal reading of the feat, which is to allow +Dex to damage on all ranged weapons instead of +Str, even if the weapon wouldn't normally allow +Str.

Olo Demonsbane
2009-02-19, 11:56 AM
The feat Crossbow Sniper lets you add 1/2 your Dex bonus to damage with a crossbow.

Fortinbras
2009-02-19, 07:46 PM
Some friends and I disscused something like this recently. We came up with and armored carrige pulled by a construct, some good ones can be found in MMIV. We figured we could add a turret by cutting a whole in the top of the carrige (before adding armor). A small armored barel could be placed on top. A pipe could be stuck into the barrel. A wizard would then be able to shoot spells down the pipe and not had to worry about ranged attacks. We also talked about adding spikes (to make it hard to climb into), and a repeating crossbow shooting through a narrow window. Very dirivitive but sooo badass.

Falling Out
2009-02-19, 11:30 PM
Here are my thoughts:

Race - either kobold OR a draconic stoneheart halfling (up to DM)

Class Combo - Targetteer//twf ranger (non-spellcasting) with a dip into beastmaster when available to boost companion

Animal - a monitor lizard

Weapon - Harpoon
-> I can fluff that it is shot from some kind of mini-ballista (just use all the harpoon stats and abilities)
-> Thrown weapon with Vital Aim (targetteer) means DEX bonus added to damage as well as such things as brutal throw to boost damage. TWF ranger gives the option to get more harpoons 'thrown' per round (refluff to faster 'loading').
-> Lets him get lots of attacks all with descent damage output that 1/2's targets speed (thus mount can keep it at bay) and RE-TAKES damages inflicted to pull back out (potentially doubling damage again)


Targetteer doesn't need to be more than a dip for Vital Aim really...so work at the ranger/beastmaster with the feat to add +3 animal level conscideration to work up to this:

http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/warhammer40k/images/thumb/4/49/Crisis_knarloc_07.jpg/320px-Crisis_knarloc_07.jpg

Prometheus
2009-02-20, 09:54 AM
Harpoon throwing optimization thread (w/links) (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=92589). Exotic Weapon Master, Master Thrower, and Hulking Hurler are worth looking into as well. Of course, those are prestige classes that would take away from time that you could be pouring into your mount.

Alternatively, go with Rich Burlew's Bearer of the Ancestral Weapon (http://www.giantitp.com/articles/xJ1VzXrzTxbe9Z8rXIV.html) and just attribute the telepathic communication and mental scores to your mount rather than your weapon. By the end of it, you should have a pretty nasty weapon.