Talbot
2009-11-02, 06:44 AM
So until about a month ago I hadn't played 3.5 in years as I was super rusty (also, I didn't really play 3.5 nearly as much as I played free-forms/homebrews/variants even then), and I built a Dwarven Soulknife. Currently Level 5. I know it's not optimal, but bear with me.
So, currently, I have Rapid Metabolism and Point Blank Shot as my feats, and no levels in other classes. I originally planned to go Soul Knife 7/Fighter 4/Ilumine Soul 5/ Soulbow 4, but the DM has since told me if I go into that many classes he's gonna slam me with an Exp penalty. I'm not really interested in classes besides those four for this particular character (I'm big on character consistency). Anyways, here's what I was, and am, thinking:
Worth noting is that the campaign has several major villains, but the main one is a necromancer, as is one of the other biggies. Hence the Ilumine character. Also, our party is currently four melee types, no casters/healers/ranged attackers.
Current Feats: Rapid Metabolism and Point Blank Shot (DM may let me retrain since he didn't tell me until I'd planned out my 4-class path that I shouldn't use that many classes).
Planned Advancement:
Retrain: Rapid Metabolism into Combat Expertise (DM said this was fine)
6-Soul Knife (Class: Mind Blade Enhancement, Speed of Thought Feat: Reshape Soulblade: Dwarven Warpike)
7- Fighter (Combat Reflexes)
8- Ilumine Soul (Class: Positive Energy, +1d8 Psychic Strike)
9- Ilumine Soul (Feat: Practiced Soulblade (+1 Enhancement, + 1 Mind Blade), Class: Death Ward, Positive Energy Ray)
10- Fighter (Feat: Cleave)
11- Soul Bow (Feat: Precise Shot, Class: Mind Arrow)
12- Fighter (Feat: Improved Trip)
13- Soul Bow (Class: Enhancement: Lucky)
14- Fighter (Feat: Power Attack)
15- Ilumine Soul (Feat: Mind Cleave, Class: Undead Bane)
16- Soul Bow (+1 Arrow/Blade, Feat: Manyshot)
17- Ilumine Soul (Class: Positive Energy Healing, +1d8 Psych Strike Feat: Great Cleave)
18- Soul Bow (Feat: Close Combat Shot)
19- Ilumine Soul (Positve Energy Flare)
20- Soulknife (+1d8 Psychic Strike)
With that build, I end up with a +5 Mindblade, decent BAB, and auto undead bane on every attack. From range, I pelt baddies with lucky +5 undead bane arrows. Whenever someone tries to close on me, use combat rhttp://www.giantitp.com/forums/images/editor/separator.gifeflexes + the reach of warpike to either attack or trip; with improved trip, I'm much more likely to succeed, and upshot of the mindblade is that if they grab it there's no real downside to me dropping the weapon as I can re-manifest it as a free action. With Improved Trip, if I succeed on tripping them I get to take a whack at them anyways, and when you factor in Pyschic Strike + Mind Cleave + Greater Cleave + High Dex Combat Reflexes + 3 enhancements (say, Keen, Bane, and whatever else I want that day), and all of a sudden I become very hard to get anywhere near in close combat, particularly when I'm fighting Undead. And I can explode once per day to deal 10d6 to all nearby undead.
Now, though, I'm considering these two alternatives:
Soulblade/Fighter/Soulbow:
Retrain: Rapid Metabolism into Combat Expertise
6-Soul Knife (Class: Mind Blade Enhancement, Speed of Thought Feat: Reshape Soulblade: Dwarven Warpike)
7- Fighter (Feat: Combat Reflexes)
8- Fighter (Feat: Improved Trip)
9- Soulbow (Feat: Mind Cleave, Precise Shot)
10- Fighter
11- Fighter (Feat: Manyshot)
12- Soulbow (Feat: Power Attack)
13- Soulbow (Feat: Rapidshot)
14- Soulbow
15- Soulbow (Feat: Greater Manyshot, Practiced Mindblade)
16- Soulbow
17- Soulbow (Feat: Ranged Sunder)
18- Soulbow (Feat: Great Cleave)
19- Soulbow
20- Soulbow (Improved Toughness)
This build, then, works best at range, using a +4 lucky Undeadbane Keen Mind Arrow, and then relying on the trip abilities and such to keep foes from closing. Once they do close, it just switches back to the arrows, since at Soulbow 5 they get close combat shot. Downside is missing out on the healing from Ilumine Soul, and significantly reduced melee/psychic strike damage.
Or
Soulknife/Fighter/Ilumine Soul
Retrain: Rapid Metabolism into Combat Expertise, Point Blank Shot into Combat Reflexes
6-Soul Knife (Class: Mind Blade Enhancement, Speed of Thought Feat: Reshape Soulblade: Dwarven Warpike)
7- Fighter (Feat: Improved Trip)
8- Fighter (Feat: Cleave)
9- Ilumine Soul (Feat: Practiced Mindblade)
10- Soul Knife
11- Soul Knife
12- Soul Knife (Feat: Mind Cleave)
13- Fighter
14- Fighter (Feat: Power Attack)
15- Ilumine Soul (Feat: Improved Toughness)
16- Ilumine Soul
17- Soul Knife
18- Ilumine Soul (Psionic Body)
19- Ilumine Soul
20- Soul Knife
In this case I completely forego the range, but end up with a +5 Undeadbane with 4 other enhancements Mindblade Warpike, and a good deal of bonus HP(and a nifty healing power), as well as 5d8 Positive Energy Psychic Strike that recharge on a kill...and since any undead I hit is going to take 4d6 + 5d8 +7 + Str with loads of opportunity attacks thanks to my reach/combat reflexes/improved trip.
So... which way do you guys think I should go? Any suggestions for how to improve any of the builds?
So, currently, I have Rapid Metabolism and Point Blank Shot as my feats, and no levels in other classes. I originally planned to go Soul Knife 7/Fighter 4/Ilumine Soul 5/ Soulbow 4, but the DM has since told me if I go into that many classes he's gonna slam me with an Exp penalty. I'm not really interested in classes besides those four for this particular character (I'm big on character consistency). Anyways, here's what I was, and am, thinking:
Worth noting is that the campaign has several major villains, but the main one is a necromancer, as is one of the other biggies. Hence the Ilumine character. Also, our party is currently four melee types, no casters/healers/ranged attackers.
Current Feats: Rapid Metabolism and Point Blank Shot (DM may let me retrain since he didn't tell me until I'd planned out my 4-class path that I shouldn't use that many classes).
Planned Advancement:
Retrain: Rapid Metabolism into Combat Expertise (DM said this was fine)
6-Soul Knife (Class: Mind Blade Enhancement, Speed of Thought Feat: Reshape Soulblade: Dwarven Warpike)
7- Fighter (Combat Reflexes)
8- Ilumine Soul (Class: Positive Energy, +1d8 Psychic Strike)
9- Ilumine Soul (Feat: Practiced Soulblade (+1 Enhancement, + 1 Mind Blade), Class: Death Ward, Positive Energy Ray)
10- Fighter (Feat: Cleave)
11- Soul Bow (Feat: Precise Shot, Class: Mind Arrow)
12- Fighter (Feat: Improved Trip)
13- Soul Bow (Class: Enhancement: Lucky)
14- Fighter (Feat: Power Attack)
15- Ilumine Soul (Feat: Mind Cleave, Class: Undead Bane)
16- Soul Bow (+1 Arrow/Blade, Feat: Manyshot)
17- Ilumine Soul (Class: Positive Energy Healing, +1d8 Psych Strike Feat: Great Cleave)
18- Soul Bow (Feat: Close Combat Shot)
19- Ilumine Soul (Positve Energy Flare)
20- Soulknife (+1d8 Psychic Strike)
With that build, I end up with a +5 Mindblade, decent BAB, and auto undead bane on every attack. From range, I pelt baddies with lucky +5 undead bane arrows. Whenever someone tries to close on me, use combat rhttp://www.giantitp.com/forums/images/editor/separator.gifeflexes + the reach of warpike to either attack or trip; with improved trip, I'm much more likely to succeed, and upshot of the mindblade is that if they grab it there's no real downside to me dropping the weapon as I can re-manifest it as a free action. With Improved Trip, if I succeed on tripping them I get to take a whack at them anyways, and when you factor in Pyschic Strike + Mind Cleave + Greater Cleave + High Dex Combat Reflexes + 3 enhancements (say, Keen, Bane, and whatever else I want that day), and all of a sudden I become very hard to get anywhere near in close combat, particularly when I'm fighting Undead. And I can explode once per day to deal 10d6 to all nearby undead.
Now, though, I'm considering these two alternatives:
Soulblade/Fighter/Soulbow:
Retrain: Rapid Metabolism into Combat Expertise
6-Soul Knife (Class: Mind Blade Enhancement, Speed of Thought Feat: Reshape Soulblade: Dwarven Warpike)
7- Fighter (Feat: Combat Reflexes)
8- Fighter (Feat: Improved Trip)
9- Soulbow (Feat: Mind Cleave, Precise Shot)
10- Fighter
11- Fighter (Feat: Manyshot)
12- Soulbow (Feat: Power Attack)
13- Soulbow (Feat: Rapidshot)
14- Soulbow
15- Soulbow (Feat: Greater Manyshot, Practiced Mindblade)
16- Soulbow
17- Soulbow (Feat: Ranged Sunder)
18- Soulbow (Feat: Great Cleave)
19- Soulbow
20- Soulbow (Improved Toughness)
This build, then, works best at range, using a +4 lucky Undeadbane Keen Mind Arrow, and then relying on the trip abilities and such to keep foes from closing. Once they do close, it just switches back to the arrows, since at Soulbow 5 they get close combat shot. Downside is missing out on the healing from Ilumine Soul, and significantly reduced melee/psychic strike damage.
Or
Soulknife/Fighter/Ilumine Soul
Retrain: Rapid Metabolism into Combat Expertise, Point Blank Shot into Combat Reflexes
6-Soul Knife (Class: Mind Blade Enhancement, Speed of Thought Feat: Reshape Soulblade: Dwarven Warpike)
7- Fighter (Feat: Improved Trip)
8- Fighter (Feat: Cleave)
9- Ilumine Soul (Feat: Practiced Mindblade)
10- Soul Knife
11- Soul Knife
12- Soul Knife (Feat: Mind Cleave)
13- Fighter
14- Fighter (Feat: Power Attack)
15- Ilumine Soul (Feat: Improved Toughness)
16- Ilumine Soul
17- Soul Knife
18- Ilumine Soul (Psionic Body)
19- Ilumine Soul
20- Soul Knife
In this case I completely forego the range, but end up with a +5 Undeadbane with 4 other enhancements Mindblade Warpike, and a good deal of bonus HP(and a nifty healing power), as well as 5d8 Positive Energy Psychic Strike that recharge on a kill...and since any undead I hit is going to take 4d6 + 5d8 +7 + Str with loads of opportunity attacks thanks to my reach/combat reflexes/improved trip.
So... which way do you guys think I should go? Any suggestions for how to improve any of the builds?