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Enochi
2009-05-19, 06:45 PM
Hello everyone I need a bit of help with figuring out a new character to run for a ECL 4 campagain with low items. Starting out with 3k gold of items. Can never buy items in the world its just what we find. Stats are 18,17,16,15,14,13 where ever we want. Race is Shifter. I was thinking VoP due to scarcity of items. Dragon mag 310 is legal and if I can find a copy of another whatever is in that one is legal to. Psionics are not legal. Party is currently Ranger lvl 4, Dragon Shaman 3, and Druid 4. I was playing a Goliath Barbarian who got jumped by 20 goblins. The knocked him out and our ninja at the time decided he wanted to be a Assasin so he tried to sneakly kill me and let everyone think the goblins did it. Got spoted by the Ranger killing me and summarily killed. I dont really mind the dieing much while the barb was nice....the ninja players is in my campagain on Saturdays :). Anyway back on track. We are allow up to 2 flaws.

I was thinking either Monk1/Forsaker3/Barb1/Fistofforest1/Warshaper4/Fistofforest2/forsaker7/something1 with vop for a rather insane AC and with nartual attack enhancing feats 6d6 unarmed damage. Gives me Wis, Conx2, and Dex to AC with 38 extra ability points and spell resistance. 2 flaws to get Great fort, Lightning reflexes and O hole from Complete Scoundrel to get Iron will, UA variant monk to get Power Attack at 1st level, and Sacred vow as first level feat then VoP at 3rd level feat.

The other one I was thinking of was a Monk 2/Swordsage2/Shadowsun Ninja 10/Bloodclaw master 3/Swordsage2 with flurry, Two weapon feats, snap kick, Shifter bite equals 10 attacks a turn. Also using VOP.

I welcome any other builds too. I just ask you to shy away from item needed builds. I you want some more guildlines I prefer Warshaper so I have some needed healing, and Melee characters but Ill play anything that looks good.

Gnorman
2009-05-19, 09:32 PM
Sounds like you need some arcane/skillmonkey might.

Might I suggest a Beguiler? With those stats (admittedly, the Shifter is subprime for it, but hey whatever right) you can do excellently in both areas.

Flickerdart
2009-05-19, 09:35 PM
Might I suggest an Artificer? Making your own items will certainly help out in such a campaign.

Enochi
2009-05-19, 10:00 PM
Making items would be nice but unfortunately cant be done as our base lacks materials and a forge. And all other citys are hostile. Basicly in our campagin the world has been run over by goblins and Orc who rule everthing... oddly enough the leader of the goblin was a pc in a game that I played a ranger in....that ranger was killed by the pc goblin so he could get in the assasin class.

Lycanthromancer
2009-05-19, 10:10 PM
You might try a totemist. It'd go well with shifter.

Alternately, something from ToB.

I'd suggest psychic warrior, but psionics is out.

What about factotum/chameleon?

Enochi
2009-05-19, 10:22 PM
What book are they from?

Facto and Cham I mean.

Nvm digging out Dungeonscape.

Lycanthromancer
2009-05-19, 10:43 PM
If you can swing shifters as human for the purposes of PrCs (since, y'know, they're of human descent), the chameleon PrC (which is from from Races of Destiny) is pretty awesome.

Assuming the racial prereqs are causing problems, anyway.

Also, don't forget the web enhancement for Dungeonscape; it has Font of Inspiration, which is the ultimate feat for factotums.

Enochi
2009-05-19, 11:02 PM
Any chance of a link to that?

Leon
2009-05-19, 11:47 PM
Cleric with Plant or Animal Domains (for Knowledge nature) till level 8 and then Moonspeaker the rest of the way (Moonspeaker is in Races of Eberron)

Lycanthromancer
2009-05-19, 11:58 PM
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/frcc/20070606

Biffoniacus_Furiou
2009-05-20, 12:17 AM
Take the feat Item Familiar (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/magic/itemFamiliars.htm), you get a 10% xp bonus, unnamed bonuses to your skills if you invest in it, and can upgrade it yourself:

"An item familiar can be improved as other magic items can be. By spending gold pieces (and time and experience points, assuming the character is the one doing the work), a character can add new abilities to his item familiar. The character can accomplish this even without having the requisite item creation feats. This type of improvement has nothing to do with the master’s character level, though it may affect the item’s eventual Ego score."

According to that, you can upgrade it to any item in the game regardless of its normal prerequisites, just for spending the gold (not rare materials, forge, or whatever other BS reasons he'd have for limiting item creation). Even then, you only spend 1/2 the base price in gold, 1/25th the base price in XP, and 1 day per 1000 gp of base price rounded up.

Barring that, get the feat Ancestral Relic from BoED, and max out any Craft skill, probably painting or sculpting. Spend about 2700 gp on base materials, craft 8100 gp worth of finished goods (always take 10 and never fail a check), then sacrifice the full value into your relic. That's higher than the maximum value of any properties it can have, but there's no limit to how much value it can store. That way you can always upgrade it to its full potential until you hit level 7, and by then you can probably have sacrificed other valuables into it. Going through a dungeon and find a marble statue that's too big to haul away? Come back after the place is cleared, Consecrate or Hallow it, and sit there for a few days sacrificing it to your relic! You can sacrifice an entire castle to your relic, given enough time, as long as the location is Consecrated or Hallowed.

I'd probably start out Unarmed Swordsage 2/ Battle Sorcerer (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#sorcererVariantBattleS orcerer) 2 (UA), you'll still have light armor proficiency from Battle Sorcerer and you'll still get your Swordsage AC bonus in light armor. With flaws take Versatile Spellcaster (RotD), Fire Bloodline or Fey Bloodline (http://crystalkeep.com/d20/rules/DnD3.5Index-Feats.pdf) (page 112 and 114, from Dragon 311), Ascetic Mage (CV), and Item Familiar. The only real drawback to that is that you'll have to take Sorcerer at 1st level rather than Swordsage, so your skills won't be great.

Taking a bloodline will add the listed spells to your spells known, and Versatile Spellcaster allows you to spend two of your highest level spells/day to cast any spell you know that's one level higher. At Sorcerer 1 with those two feats you're able to cast 2nd level spells. If it gets brought up that you don't get IUS until Swordsage 1, say you gained your second flaw at your second character level and spent it on Ascetic Mage, put it into your background to allow for that. Take Jade Phoenix Mage asap, and work on the feats required for a two or four level dip into Arcane Duelist (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20030224a), then go back to JPM and maybe pick up Abjurant Champion. You'll get your Cha bonus to AC in light armor from the start, be able to cast spells in light armor unhindered, and get your Cha bonus to AC a second time via Arcane Duelist.

Your Item Familiar should be a +1 weapon (gauntlet?) with the Sudden Stunning property from DMG2, which you can create yourself for half price. If you start out with minimum XP for 4th level you'll have 6,000, with the +10% for Item Familiar it goes to 6,600. The item familiar itself has a base price of 4,000 gp plus the masterwork weapon, but you can craft it yourself, paying only 2000 gp, 160 xp, and spending four days 'in meditation' so you'll still be 4th level and have 1,000 gp to spend on your armor and to get the masterwork weapon base item, plus other gear. Maybe make it a one-handed weapon that you can wield two-handed for 1.5x Str to damage, and consider how two-handed Power Attack interacts with Arcane Duelist's Dexterous Attack ability at level 3.

I'd probably make it either Swordsage 2/ Battle Sorcerer 4/ Jade Phoenix Mage 3/ Arcane Duelist 4/ JPM 2/ Abjurant Champion 5 with Dodge, Mobility, Power Attack, and Combat Casting at 6-15, or Swordsage 2/ Battle Sorcerer 4/ Jade Phoenix Mage 3/ Arcane Duelist 2/ JPM 1/ Abjurant Champion 5/ JPM 3 with Dodge, Mobility, Combat Casting, and maybe Elusive Target at 6-15. Go Str 17 (18 for the +1 at 4th), Dex 16, Con 15, Int 14, Wis 13, Cha 18.

Justin B.
2009-05-20, 12:56 AM
May I suggest SUperior Unarmed Strike if you intend on doing much unarmed stuff, attacking as a monk of four levels higher may help your damage scale a little better.

Enochi
2009-05-20, 09:13 PM
Got bored and decided to homebrew. Thoughts on it? also it still needs a name.

Hit die D10
BAB: Fighter
Good saves: Reflex
Armor: None
Weapon: Simple, Martial, and Exotic Weapon: Katana

Skills: 4+Int
Balance, Concentration, Craft, Hide, Iaijustu, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (Local), Knowledge (History), Knowledge (Nobility), Martial Lore, Move Silently, Spot, Swim, Tumble.

Maneuver's gained warblade and Recovered as warblade

Alignment: Any non-chaotic

Diamond Mind
Tiger Claw
Desert Wind
Iron Heat
Shadow Hand? Is this too much? Does it fit?

1:
One Cut: Homebrew may only make a single attack no matter how high his BAB is. If homebrew attacks with 2 weapons he takes a -10 on both attacks. Maneveurs and Feats can grant more attacks.

Home brew may draw and sheath his weapon as a free action but only if the weapon is 1 handed and if the 2nd hand is free.

2: Singular Duelist Against a single opponent declared at the end of your turn you may replace your AC with an Iaijustu check. If unable to move this may no be activated.

3: Fast Movement +10

4: Lightning draw: Whenever homebrew draws his weapon and attacks He may attempt an Iaijutsu check against his oppenent's AC if he beats his opponent's AC that opponent is considered flat footed for that attack.

Sudden Strike +1d6

5: Master of the Draw +1: Homebrew gets +1 to his Iaijustu checks

8: Sudden Strike +2d6

9: Fast Movement +20

10: Savage Draw: When hombrew draws his weapons and attacks he may choose to deal his precision damage as untyped for 1/2 damage

Master of the Draw +2: Homebrew gets +2 to his Iaijustu checks

12: Sudden Strike +3d6

14: Blade of Magic's Bane: As an Immediate action a homebrew may expend a readied Maneuver to counter a Spell cast of the same level. (This applies to the base level of the spell not after feats and class abilites.)

15: Master of the Draw +3: Homebrew gets +3 to his Iaijustu checks

Fast Movement +30

16: Sudden Strike +4d6

20: Master of the Draw +4: Homebrew gets +4 to his Iaijustu checks

Sudden Strike +5d6

Can cut even the air: When homebrew drawis a one handed weapon attacks he make treat the weapon as projectile weapon with a range of 5ft (Meaning he can strike at 10ft at -2 15 -4 up to 50ft at -20) This does not threaten additional squares

what do you think too powerful? too weak? Please give me opinions and suggestions. Also need help with a name.