Iron Chef Optimization Challenge XVI

[Zonugal]

Finally, it is done!

[monkeysammich]

Hooray! Congrats winners!

Now I can participate in the next one and help others not come in last place! :smallwink:

[gbprime]

Congrats to all our participants. And to our winners, I am indeed impressed. I know I concentrated only on one aspect of the class and didn't worry so much about the others, but the integration and power a few of you pulled out of this was indeed head and shoulders above.

<begins slow clap>

[Grynning]

Horray! The longest IC in GitP history now has a very satisfactory outcome, I think. This was probably the toughest competition yet for everyone, and I thank all the other judges and True_Shinken for their hard work, and most of all I thank the contestants for giving us a truly stellar set of entries.

Cool to see so many new people contributing, and big ups to all the first time winners. Hope to see this must interest in the next one.

[BG]

One thing I think all the judges were able to pick up from my entry is that I spent a lot of time thinking about the Wu-Tang Clan, and not a lot of time thinking about optimizing.

It will probably come as little surprise that the fluff I created was originally for a Drunken Master build that I abandoned. Assassin wasn't quite as good a fit for the fluff, but it worked alright, and I didn't come in last. I tried to indicate the emphasis on the sillier aspects of the build by taking the apprentice feat just so that I could have Perform (battlerap) at max ranks. If there had been a feat that let me use Int instead of Cha to perform, I also would have taken that (to represent the character's more cerebral style of rhymes).

I also ran out of time on the build, so I didn't pick spells well at all (I had access to 5th level spells, but I think the only ones I specifically mentioned in the build were all 1st level).

I'll probably not do this again, as I always underestimate how much time it takes to create a 20th level character (and then adding the formatting on top of that). If I do, though, I will not play a high Int skill monkey, so at the very least skills won't take as long to do.

[The Gilded Duke]

Oof I had a lot of fun with that one, felt a bit rushed in the final posting though, just stuff going on. Thus the lack of multi-colored post titles. Spoons does suffer a bit from low psicraft, somehow psychic assassin doesn't actually get psicraft, oh well.

Turns out the item was called "Crystal Mask of Psicraft" as opposed to "Third Eye of Psicraft"

As far as the other builds, I was really impressed with the power of The Leopard's Paw, and the presentation of the Wudang Renegade. The venerable unwashed hermit has to be the best part.

[Cieyrin]

Oof I had a lot of fun with that one, felt a bit rushed in the final posting though, just stuff going on. Thus the lack of multi-colored post titles. Spoons does suffer a bit from low psicraft, somehow psychic assassin doesn't actually get psicraft, oh well.

Turns out the item was called "Crystal Mask of Psicraft" as opposed to "Third Eye of Psicraft"

Yeah, that would have made a difference in making Burrowing Power viable and I would have given you more power for your signature trick, not that you needed it, though. :smalltongue:

[Zonugal]

My original build (to which I spent a couple days on) was going to be modelled after Dexter Morgan in a way. Factotum 3/Master Inquisitive 2/Assassin 4/Zhentarim Spy 5/Assassin 6 with a high focus on being able to fool anyone while under disguise.

Than one night I was looking at a picture of a fat cat and immediatly scrapped the entire build.

That night Mr. Muschi was born.

[OMG PONIES]

My original build (to which I spent a couple days on) was going to be modelled after Dexter Morgan in a way. Factotum 3/Master Inquisitive 2/Assassin 4/Zhentarim Spy 5/Assassin 6 with a high focus on being able to fool anyone while under disguise.

Than one night I was looking at a picture of a fat cat and immediatly scrapped the entire build.

That night Mr. Muschi was born.

Mountain Dew, straight out the nose.

[Tam_OConnor]

I think I already explained the idea for Tom: to make all wizards fear housecats. I did have an idea for Dvati twins, but Dawn and Dusk were so much better than my idea I'm glad I didn't submit it.

It may just be that we just had the Drunken Master competition, but I get the feeling that there have been a lot of improbable weapon users. Spoons is just the Platonic Ideal of it. Great work, Duke.

[Fearan]

Well, congratulations to all. Hope, I'll see you all in next challanges

[true_shinken]

Just got word from Jumilk that we'll have the trophies tomorrow.
I'm setting the next challenge right now.

[The Gilded Duke]

Looking forward to it. Not sure what Ill be able to pull off for it though.

[T.G. Oskar]

And again, vindication isn't at hand. What's worse; not even at the top four... I guess it was Master of Masks what really killed it off for me, but otherwise I wouldn't have had the ability to fly... The use of Master of Masks was partly fluff and partly a way to gain some different class abilities; Rogue 4th gives an ability that would become redundant with Assassin granting it, and Monk 3rd while granting better chances to get Knowledge [arcana] wouldn't have granted that much more, possibly fast movement but nothing particularly significant).

Luckily I wasn't using Psionic Assassin and building for Tashalatora, or else I would have gotten some serious competition out (and Child of Night would have been pointless as well).

I had another build I figured out right after I finished Ilphaid, but it would have taken some time to build up and the deadline was almost there. It was a Rogue 3/Monk 2/Invisible Blade 5/Assassin 10, using roughly the same five level progression as Ilphaid (Sleeping Tiger + Invisible Blade), but keeping Flurry of Blows. Then, I would have gone with TWF + ITWF and Unorthodox Flurry. The spells would have been different, the race and the feats as well (human, PBS and Far Shot). The build behind that concept was that of Ragnarok's Assassin (http://irowiki.org/wiki/Assassin) class geared toward Katar (punching dagger) and Critical Hits: Flurry of Blows with both punching daggers would have resembled Sonic Blow, TWF would have represented Left and Right Hand Mastery, Dagger Sneak Attack would have represented Dagger Mastery (and Katar Mastery), the Invisible Fist ACF would have represented Cloaking, Poison Use would have been Envenom, and so on. Some stuff would have been missing (Grimtooth is hard to replicate, unless using Invisible Fist and a wand of Earthbolt).

The problem was building a story for her (yes, it would have been a woman), and the fact that at second thought it would have been a bit weaker than Ilphaid, considering that it would be using a similar tactic for lowering saves for Death Attack but never at the level that Ilphaid does (using Twist the Knife rather than Aleval School, meaning it would be pretty specific rather than just usable at the moment).

[true_shinken]

Somehow I missed this in the award presentation.

Honorable mention goes to Amphetryon's Toval. Good build and nice backstory, I enjoyed it a lot.

Stay tuned for trophies.

[Jumilk]

Sorry, guys... I'm late. (>.<)'
But I hope the trophies are good enough to compensate it.

Congratulations! :smallbiggrin:


Trophies:
http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/5628/assassinouromini.png http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/523/assassinpratamini.png http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/6453/assassinbronzemini.png http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/42/assassincristalmini.png

Badges:
http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/6444/judgecieyrinmini.png http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/1148/judgekesnitmini.png http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/1163/judgegrynningmini.png http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/9650/judgekelddenarmini.png http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/7646/judgeomgponiesmini.png

[The Gilded Duke]

Looks awesome, thank you!

[true_shinken]

I found the judge badges to be particularly great this time around.

[Tam_OConnor]

Delicious stabbing goodness.

[Private-Prinny]

Holy crap those trophies are nice. Where did you learn how to do that?

Also, my inner pedant is dying to point out that Grynning's name has a "y" in it. Still, amazing job!

[Keld Denar]

I has a medal! YAY! Good job all.

[Cieyrin]

Yay badges! :smallbiggrin:

[Jumilk]

Holy crap those trophies are nice. Where did you learn how to do that?
Oh, thank you.
I had few lessons of web designer in 2006, but I can't remember all, so I try my best drawing in flash. Actually I did a short comic in japanese style but I lost it when my computer died. It was a magic world called Magir where everyone was mage. Not so good and I can't remember the history. (>.<)


Also, my inner pedant is dying to point out that Grynning's name has a "y" in it. Still, amazing job!

And thank you for point my mistake. Please let me know those errors. (And if you guys could help my english learning correcting me, I'll be happy). Portuguese don't have many words with 'y' except foreigner names, so I missed it.

Sorry, Grynning. I'll correct your badge.

Thank you all! (^3^)

[Cieyrin]

And thank you for point my mistake. Please let me know those errors. (And if you guys could help my english learning correcting me, I'll be happy). Portuguese don't have many words with 'y' except foreigner names, so I missed it.

Sorry, Grynning. I'll correct your badge.

Thank you all! (^3^)

I'm just glad my name was spelled right, as shinken misspells it almost every time he tries. :smallamused:

[true_shinken]

I'm just glad my name was spelled right, as shinken misspells it almost every time he tries. :smallamused:
But it's damn hard to spell it! :smalltongue:

[Grynning]

And thank you for point my mistake. Please let me know those errors. (And if you guys could help my english learning correcting me, I'll be happy). Portuguese don't have many words with 'y' except foreigner names, so I missed it.

Sorry, Grynning. I'll correct your badge.

Thank you all! (^3^)

No worries, my handle is an "XTREME KEWL LETTERZ" thing I came up with in like 8th grade and it stuck. You actually spelled the word correctly :smalltongue:

[Cieyrin]

No worries, my handle is an "XTREME KEWL LETTERZ" thing I came up with in like 8th grade and it stuck.

Strangely enough, my moniker has similar origins, though I don't remember when I made it. Sometime late middle/early high school, I'm guessing.