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Drakevarg
2010-10-17, 04:12 AM
Been mulling this over for about a day now; how can I best maximize my character's Strength with the books I have? Just to see if there's anything I missed (there is), I thought I'd ask the Playground the same question. Here are the limitiations:

- No Templates.
- ECL prior to class levels must be <10.
- Material can ONLY be from the following books:

Player's Handbook
Dungeon Master's Guide
Monster Manual
Draconomicon
Libris Mortis
Complete Arcane
Complete Warrior
Manual of the Planes

- Ignore Errata.
- Cannot involve the assistance of other characters.
- Rules may be added when things I overlooked come up.

The goal is simple: try to create a character with as high a STR score as possible. :smallcool:
(Bonus points if you can give a reasonable backstory as to why the character would take the class choices he did. :smalltongue:)

ranagrande
2010-10-17, 06:19 AM
Human Barbarian 1/Druid 8/Wizard 3/Warshaper 2/Frenzied Berserker 1/Bear Warrior 5

Take the required feats and Natural Spell, and then choose whatever you want for the other three.

When you want to nova for ridiculous strength, do the following:

Wildshape into a Brown Bear: 27 strength
Mophic Body: +4 bonus to strength
Cast Bull's Strength: +4 Enhancement bonus to strength
Cast Enlarge Person: +2 Size bonus to strength
Rage: +4 bonus to strength
Frenzy: +6 bonus to strength
Bear form into a Brown Bear (again :smalltongue:): +16 bonus to strength

for a grand total of 63 strength

Edit: I forgot about a wildshape limit, adjusting accordingly.

Dr.Epic
2010-10-17, 06:21 AM
Human Barbarian 1/Druid 6/Wizard 3/Warshaper 2/Frenzied Berserker 1/Bear Warrior 5/Mystic Theurge 2

Take the required feats and Natural Spell, and then choose whatever you want for the other three.

When you want to nova for ridiculous strength, do the following:

Wildshape into a Brown Bear: 27 strength
Mophic Body: +4 bonus to strength
Cast Bull's Strength: +4 Enhancement bonus to strength
Cast Enlarge Person: +2 Size bonus to strength
Cast Rage: +2 morale bonus to strength
Rage: +4 bonus to strength
Frenzy: +6 bonus to strength
Bear form into a Brown Bear (again :smalltongue:): +16 bonus to strength

for a grand total of 65 strength

Does enlarge person work on animals? I thought there was a separate spell for that.

ranagrande
2010-10-17, 06:30 AM
Does enlarge person work on animals? I thought there was a separate spell for that.

There is a separate spell for it, Animal Growth. However, after they errata'd Wildshape to function as Alternate Form, the Druid's type no longer changes.

Kobold-Bard
2010-10-17, 06:34 AM
Human Barbarian 1/Druid 8/Wizard 3/Warshaper 2/Frenzied Berserker 1/Bear Warrior 5

Take the required feats and Natural Spell, and then choose whatever you want for the other three.

When you want to nova for ridiculous strength, do the following:

Wildshape into a Brown Bear: 27 strength
Mophic Body: +4 bonus to strength
Cast Bull's Strength: +4 Enhancement bonus to strength
Cast Enlarge Person: +2 Size bonus to strength
Rage: +4 bonus to strength
Frenzy: +6 bonus to strength
Bear form into a Brown Bear (again :smalltongue:): +16 bonus to strength

for a grand total of 63 strength

Edit: I forgot about a wildshape limit, adjusting accordingly.

So turning from a bear into an identical bear grants you +16 Strength?

Magic is weird :smalltongue:

Foryn Gilnith
2010-10-17, 07:08 AM
So turning from a bear into an identical bear grants you +16 Strength?

You become closer to the Platonic Ideal of Bear, which grants you strength beyond that of the mortal incarnations of bears.

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=6658861&postcount=1 describes a recreation of the Hulk. Basically, whenever he takes damage, he enters a rage, which increases his size to Large, which allows him to qualify for War Hulk, which gives him tons of strength. Not too helpful for 10th level, but worth examining.

Runestar
2010-10-17, 07:18 AM
Goliath barb5/warhulk10

str18 (base15, +3 lv up)
+4 racial
+4 rage
+2 barb alternative
+6 enhancement (belt of str)
+20 str (warhulk when you rage)

= 54 str when you rage.

Crap, no races of stone. :smalltongue:

Eldariel
2010-10-17, 07:31 AM
Wizard 17/Barbarian 1/Frenzied Berserker 1/Warshaper 1 with Practiced Spellcaster and Reckless Rage (rest of the feats are up to the user). Shapechange into Pit Fiend, base 37 Str (+4 Warshaper). Alter Self to generic Medium Outsider; stats remain as they are. Wish to replicate Giant Size, +32 Str for total of 73. +6 Enhancement, 79. Use 5 Wishes or have inherents or whatever, 84. Cast Rage on yourself, +2 Morale. Hulk out (Reckless Raging Rage, Frenzy for +12), 98.

Draconic Polymorph may be able to outperform Shapechange; not in the mood to run numbers right now. And I'm sure you could come up with +2 more somehow to hit 100.


EDIT: And if that Wishing losing XP hurts you, you could do the same with a Cleric with Animal-domain instead; Miracle to replicate lower level spells costs none. Would probably make more sense with the Angry half anyways.

EDIT#2: Doh, Reckless Rage isn't CWar. Well, whatever. -2 then, so only 96. Or if you Shapechange into Outsider and then Draconic Polymorph into Pit Fiend (again!) and get +8 Str. So 104.

EDIT#3: And yeah, Cleric will mostly be casting Miracles since much of that stuff isn't on his list but hey, that's why Clerics get the spell in the first place! Also, Draconic 104 Str isn't nearly as sustainable as the 96 since 96 lasts for 10 min/level (or about 7 hours with Greater Rod of Extend) outside the Giant Size/Raging part while Draconic has a buff in the middle that's round/level.

Toptomcat
2010-10-17, 11:10 AM
Infinite loops aren't allowed, right?

dspeyer
2010-10-17, 11:40 AM
Are you allowed to be a barbarian/etc. with leadership who keeps a wizard cohort around to buff you?

Drakevarg
2010-10-17, 04:26 PM
You become closer to the Platonic Ideal of Bear, which grants you strength beyond that of the mortal incarnations of bears.

No, I checked this out before starting this thread. Since the bear form is a polymorph effect, you cannot rage into bear and then turn into a bear again. (Or vice-versa.)


There is a separate spell for it, Animal Growth. However, after they errata'd Wildshape to function as Alternate Form, the Druid's type no longer changes.

A new rule occurs: Please ignore Errata, since I don't use it.


Are you allowed to be a barbarian/etc. with leadership who keeps a wizard cohort around to buff you?

No. You need to be able to pull it off solo.


Infinite loops aren't allowed, right?

If you can pull it off with these books, sure, I'd like to see it. But actually using it in-game would just get me smacked upside with the DMG. :smalltongue:


Wizard 17/Barbarian 1/Frenzied Berserker 1/Warshaper 1 with Practiced Spellcaster and Reckless Rage (rest of the feats are up to the user).

What's the Warshaper 1 for? :smallconfused: The +4 to STR and CON doesn't kick in 'til Warshaper 2.