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Tavar
2009-11-21, 02:18 AM
Okay, I'm looking for any really interesting builds for a level 20 game. The only requirements are no infinite loops, and while I have a couple ideas, none of them really inspire me. The build doesn't have to be practical at level 1-19, only level 20.

Oh, and it's 26 point buy, if that matters.

infinitypanda
2009-11-21, 02:25 AM
Go for a shield slam build. I can't find the actual build right now, but it culminates in you charging, shield slamming everyone near you, knocking them down, knocking them back, and doing massive damage. Sounded fun.

Tavar
2009-11-21, 02:26 AM
Hmmm...does sound fun. If I can find the build, I might even do it.

Lycanthromancer
2009-11-21, 02:29 AM
Low point-buys require you to go either high-template, or SAD classes.

I suggest going ethergaunt 20. Then starting into factotum 11 (with Practiced Manifester), then more wizard.

What about factotum 11/bard 1/sublime chord 9?

Factotum 8/totemist 10/warblade 2?

Factotum 11/warmind 9?

Dragonwrought kobold (web enhancement) psychic warrior 10/illithid slayer 10, with expansion, compression Jotunbrud (find a way to get the [human] subtype), and the Touchstone feat from Sandstorm? Maybe add in Stoneblessed (goliath) some levels of barbarian for Mountain Rage? See how many size categories above Colossal you can get, while still counting as Diminutive. Use Dragonwrought to qualify for epic feats pre-epic.

Wizard 10/bard 1/sublime chord 1/ultimate magus 8?

Psion 10/metamind 10, then take another 5 levels in psion (while abusing your infinite pp using CPsi) then take a level in wilder, then go anarchic initiate to continue increasing your MLs on both sides using wild surge, then once you've finished off the PrC, find a dual-manifesting PrC and go from there.

Commoner 1/dread necromancer 19, with Infested with Chickens and spells such as Fell-Drain/Fell-Animate consumptive field, with that feat that makes the undead you animate explode when killed? Make a thrower build.

Really, you'll want to be a caster class. Almost nothing else is worth it in epic.

Tavar
2009-11-21, 02:33 AM
Those do look interesting. Let's put a little perspective: we have at the moment a god good arcanist, a cleric/psion/psionic theruge, and possibly a ranged combat build as well, so I thought I'd be the frontline combatant of some sort, though my only real limitation is that I want to go into battle and tear stuff up. Druid, Cleric, ToB, MoI, hell, if it works, Truenamer.

We're probably not going to get to Epic, at least not initially. From what the Dm seems to be saying, we'd be doing a series of one-shots.

Tackyhillbillu
2009-11-21, 02:46 AM
Warblade 20. You know you want to.

Tavar
2009-11-21, 02:48 AM
Warblade 20. You know you want to.

Well, yeah. Actually, my initial ideas are all ToB oriented. Like, finally using the Master of the Nine, or the eternal Blade. But I realized, now would also be the perfect time to play those impractical builds. You know, the ones that don't hit their stride till later levels. Hence, this thread. Still, it's not like I won't have a backup option.

Tanaric
2009-11-21, 02:51 AM
Wizard 20? Druid 20? Cleric 20?

Just getting those out of the way for everyone.

Tavar
2009-11-21, 02:53 AM
Yes, I realize that doing 20 levels of Class x is possible, but I want to try and do something different. Something Unusual. Possibly with fun and not often used PrC's.

Mongoose87
2009-11-21, 03:00 AM
Warblade 20. You know you want to.

Dual Stance. *drool*

Grumman
2009-11-21, 03:01 AM
How about a Thri-Kreen build with Warblade / Cavestalker 4 / Telflammar Shadowlord 4? Pick up the Shadow jump maneuvers, MWF feats and Oversized TWF, then teleport around, gibbing everything with multiple quad-wielded spiked chain full attacks?

Tanaric
2009-11-21, 03:11 AM
It's like Christmas come early, only your present is sixty feet of death-on-a-chain instead of a pair of socks.

Tavar
2009-11-21, 03:14 AM
Sound like fun, but I recognize neither the cavestalker or the Telflammar Shadowlord. Let's give a bit more structure: I essentially have all non-stetting 3.5 books, excluding It's cold outside, it's warm outside, cityscape, and races of destiny. I think that covers it.

Grumman
2009-11-21, 03:15 AM
On second thought: make one of them a Mouthpick (Lords of Madness) spiked chain and you can quintuple-wield them.

ETA: Cavestalker is from Drow of the Underdark and Telflammar Shadowlord is from the Faerun book Unapproachable East.

Tackyhillbillu
2009-11-21, 03:29 AM
You could make your DM throw something at you by going Druid, and then Planar Shepherd.

thubby
2009-11-21, 03:39 AM
simple charge build with the multi-spring-attack-feat-thing from PHB2? the only thing scarier than a melee character who can ram a hole in a dragon is one that can ram holes in 3. and it works with just about any front line class, you should check to see how that works with psionic lion's charge :smallamused:

Tavar
2009-11-21, 03:45 AM
unfortunately, due to the wording on Spring attack and charge, the two cannot be used together. Nice try, though.

Raging Gene Ray
2009-11-21, 03:45 AM
You might make a shifter character and take a few levels in the Warshaper PrC from Complete Warrior.
Immunity to Critical hits and Sneak attacks at first level, plus the ability to grow any natural weapon you want. Then at second level, your CON and STR go up by 2. That's not a +2 bonus...they just, ya know, go up by 2.

Wings of Peace
2009-11-21, 03:49 AM
You'll get gibbed pretty fast by your DM but mixing Wiz X/ Ardent 1 (Complete Psionics)/ Subverted Psion 1(Heroes of Horror Web Enhancement)/Tainted Scholar 2 will make you a beast no matter what you do so long as you wrack up the taint.

weenie
2009-11-21, 06:08 AM
Wiz 11/Swiftblade 9 is kinda fun. Two standard actions per round, 14 BaB, Great miss chances almost always active, or always if you persisten a haste at the start of each day(it can't be dispelled), great mobility and 9th level spells. What's not to like?

Roc Ness
2009-11-21, 06:22 AM
Wiz 11/Swiftblade 9 is kinda fun. Two standard actions per round, 14 BaB, Great miss chances almost always active, or always if you persisten a haste at the start of each day(it can't be dispelled), great mobility and 9th level spells. What's not to like?

Hmmm... I was thinking about making a Sorc (or Wizard) 6/Abj Champ 5/ Swiftblade 9. Add persistent better AC and HD and BaB to when miss chance fails.

mostlyharmful
2009-11-21, 06:26 AM
That does mean you miss out on a very nice capstone (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/prc/20070327), cheap timestops are nothing to sneeze at.

If you want combat wreckage at high level you'll be wanting to Gish for the extra bang for your buck, Cloistered Cleric with War domain and a four figure buff list, DMM cheese and Dweomercheater optional to scale with the rest of the party.

Fishy
2009-11-21, 07:13 AM
Look for PrC's with ludicrous prerequisites or powerful capstones.

I like Half Elf Bard 8/Arcane Archer 2/Sublime Chord 2/Whatever 8.

You don't care about AA's painful prerequisites because you're not playing at low levels, you don't care about being forced to be a half-elf because the Bard substitution levels are pretty nice, and you don't care about the lost caster levels because of you're a Sublime Chord and you get 9th level spells anyway.

In exchange for a bunch of drawbacks you don't care about, you get to shoot people in the face with Antimagic Field and Greater Fireburst from behind a Dispelling Screen.

Lycanthromancer
2009-11-21, 08:20 AM
You could try egoist 10/illithid slayer 10, using a pimped-out psicrystal, psionic lion's charge, metamorphosis, and fission to hit your enemies with 4 combat monsters at once. Make it a mounted charging build. Maybe go d'vati for even more bodies hitting the field (one d'vati fission riding another? I'm not 100% on how d'vati works; anybody got a reasonable description?). Psicrystal Affinity, Linked Power, Mounted Combat, Spirited Charge, Ride by Attack, Two-Weapon Fighting, Power Attack, Shock Trooper, Combat Reflexes, Robilar's Gambit. You probably won't get all of these on one build, but pick and choose the ones you want.

Dual-wield suppression, collision, manyfanged lances (one of which has speed, then get a dancing lance, and an animated bashing heavy shield). Find a high-Str race with 4 or more arms (or get some grafts) and two-hand them. Combine Spirited Charge, Ride-by Attack, Power Attack, Shock Trooper, and TWF for incredible amounts of damage on a charge. Ride a 12-headed psihydracrystal (it can fly, has extra natural armor, and retains all of its other psicrystal granted abilities as well).

Dump Str and Dex, except for feat prereqs. With metamorphosis, you'll never have to worry about utility, either. Combine with vigor, share pain, expansion, temporal acceleration, psionic telekinetic sphere, psionic iron body, oak body, shadow body, timeless body, that power from CPsi that summons a cerebrilith, and fusion for tons of fun even when you're not mounted.

Most battles, all you need is a Quickened metamorphosis, (see if Metamagic rods work with powers), then fission Linked with another fun buff (like expansion, shared with your psicrystal). For big battles where you want to seriously hurt something but don't want to go near the enemy, toss out a temporal acceleration (share with psicrystal), psionic telekinetic sphere around yourself, fission to split yourself in two for double the manifesting, then metamorphosis, iron body, oak body, on your psicrystal, summon a cerebrilith, then fusion it with your psicrystal for massively-boosted stats. (You can do so from within the telekinetic sphere through the Channel Powers ability.)

Duke of URL
2009-11-21, 08:51 AM
I don't have a full 20 at the moment, but Pixie Rogue 10/Swordsage X/Dervish Y with Savvy Rogue (I think it's called) to deliver massive amounts of STR damage with a really pumped DEX.

IthilanorStPete
2009-11-21, 10:16 AM
If your DM allows you to refluff ur-priest a bit, go Crusader 4/Swordsage (or any other class with a good Will save) 1/Ur-Priest 2/Ruby Knight Vindicator 10/Crusader +3. +17 BAB, 9th level divine spells, you can turn undead so you can use DMM (as well as the RKV ability to get swift actions), you can get a 9th level maneuver.

Amphetryon
2009-11-21, 10:40 AM
Hmmm...does sound fun. If I can find the build, I might even do it.

Captain America, by PhoenixInferno:


CL IL Feats Maneuvers Stances
1 Crusader 1 1 Shield Specialization, Improved Shield Bash Crusader's Strike, Charging Minotaur, Vanguard Strike, Leading the Attack, Douse the Flames Martial Spirit
2 Crusader 2 2 Leading the Charge
3 Fighter 1 2.5 Agile Shield Fighter, Stone Power
4 Fighter 2 3 Shield Sling
5 Crusader 3 4 Stone Vise
6 Crusader 4 5 Improved Unarmed Strike Leading the Attack -> White Raven Tactics
7 Fighter 3 5.5
8 Fighter 4 6 Active Shield Defense
9 Crusader 5 7 Superior Unarmed Strike Shield Block
10 Crusader 6 8
11 Crusader 7 9 Foehammer
12 Crusader 8 10 Snap Kick Charging Minotaur -> Radiant Charge Thicket of Blades
13 Crusader 9 11 Rallying Strike
14 Crusader 10 12
15 Crusader 11 13 Combat Reflexes Shield Counter
16 Crusader 12 14 Stone Vise -> Entangling Blade
17 Crusader 13 15 White Raven Hammer
18 Crusader 14 16 Leadership Aura of Triumph
19 Crusader 15 17 Mountain Tombstone Strike
20 Crusader 16 18 Rallying Strike -> Strike of Righteous Vitality

Tavar
2009-11-21, 11:55 AM
Looks interesting. Decisions, decisions.

Wings of Peace
2009-11-21, 03:17 PM
Something I personally would find fun...

Wizard 1/Sword Sage 2/Binder 1/Anima Mage 4/Jade Phoenix Mage 7Crinti Shadow Marauder 5

Cheese: Precocious Apprentice for JPM's Spell Requirement

Tricks:
-Arcane Disciple (War) for Divine Power
-Anima Mage for easy Persisting of Divine Power, Wraith Strike, Greater Mighty Wallop, Anything Else That Makes Life Good...

Combat Style:

Start of Day: Buff

Round 1: Shadow Jaunt, Shadow Stride, Shadow Blink for 3 full attacks

Round 2: Adaptive Style, Shadow Blink for Maneuver recovery and 1 full attack

Round 3: Repeat round 1 and follow with round 2

Biffoniacus_Furiou
2009-11-21, 03:37 PM
Human, Wild Shape Ranger 5/ Nature's Warrior 1/ Master of Many Forms 10/ Warshaper 4
Str 13, Dex 9, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 8, +5 levels into Wis, +5 Tome of Wis, +5 Manual of Con.
Track, Power Attack, Combat Reflexes, Endurance, Alertness, Leap Attack, Frozen Wild Shape, Robilar's Gambit, (any feat), Defensive Sweep; Nature's Weapon from Nature's Warrior

Favorite forms will be a War Troll and a 12-headed Cryohydra (via Frozen Wild Shape). Get a melee weapon with Sizing, and a large mighty composite longbow that allows +13 from Str. Be sure to get a Ring of Freedom of Movement, Belt of Magnificense +6, Monk's Belt added to that or changed to Monk's Bracers, and whatever else you think you'll need, all with Wilding Clasps attached.

9mm
2009-11-21, 07:22 PM
bard/lyric Themiuge/warweaver/seaker of the song

enjoy

Moff Chumley
2009-11-21, 07:35 PM
I'm fond of the wildshaping Ranger/Master of Many Forms combo. :smallcool:

Eldariel
2009-11-21, 07:36 PM
Bard 8/Arcane Archer 2/Sublime Chord 2/Sacred Exorcist 4/Abjurant Champion 4 is a fun arcane archer fully capable of kicking ass in melee too (but built to really do mean things with a bow like shoot AMFs at people).

Ranger 2/Fighter (Targeteer if available) 1/Barbarian 1/Warblade 6/Eternal Blade 10: A solid combination of melee and ranged prowess with access to Pounce, Power Attack, Rapid Shot, etc. + maneuvers to enable both combat styles on solid level along with Knowledge Devotion to pump any damage + To Hit, Iron Heart Surge & al. vs. magic, and most importantly, Island in Time which means you have at least some action economy to match the insanity high-level casters can produce.

Mystic Ranger 15/Scout 4/Cloistered Cleric 1 with Swift Hunter and Sword of the Arcane Order. Decent casting, decent combat capabilities, mobility and access to great arcane magic including Sniper's Shot which you might be able to argue your DM into allowing to work with Skirmish given both are precision damage (along with the obvious like Flame Arrow, Greater Magic Weapon, Polymorph and so on).

Barbarian 5/Fist of the Forests 3/Deepwarden 2/Runescarred Berserker 10 for some nice casting abilities (Heal & Anti-Magic Field, most notably) along with great AC, great melee offensive, capable ranged offense and so on.


Those aren't all that powerful, but a bunch of quite solid builds with some capabilities. If Epic Spellcasting is allowed as written, only the #1 build is any good since you're a 0 without it, but otherwise those could pull off something decent vs. an average level of adversaries. Definitely worse than Full Caster + PrCs 20 though (yes, even in melee).

If you want something completely, obscenely powerful, try Twice-Betrayer of Shar (http://web.archive.org/web/20070305054327/http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=478716). But only do that if you're sure the game is honestly a battle of demigods. That's pretty high up there even as far as casters go, in the same level as your average Incantatrixes and Planar Shepherd. Other Insane Cleric (who could kick anyone's ass in melee) would be Cheater of Mystra (http://web.archive.org/web/20080611084750/http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=248239). Same warnings apply though. The combination there-of can be used to create some of the strongest possible 20 builds that doesn't utilize loops to generate infinite/arbitrary high anything.

It's worth noting that 26pb hurts all of those builds. However, on level 20 with level 20 WBL, you can make up for poor base stats quite easily.