How to make a Sith?

[Daftendirekt]

I'm sure people have done it. How could you not? Now I want to try it out, but I'm not positive on the how. How would YOU make a Sith? Some sort of gish build? Psychic warrior? Let's hear it.

[Seerow]

Playing Starwars D20 is a good start. :P



Barring that? I'd go for the Psi warrior, and try to convince the DM to use the pretty common homebrew of Soulknife = feats.

[arguskos]

There's a brew class that can do it. The Force Adept (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=92407). It's reasonably effective, but it *is* brew, so it's not universally accepted.

[Gaius Marius]

Monk/Sorcerer

Or Warblade/Sorcerer

edit: I am silly

Make it Warblade/Warlock, find alternative to the warlock Eldritch Blast

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Depends on what kind of Sith you want to make...

Vader? Yea, he's a PsiWar gish. Same thing with his predecessor that got waxed in Episode 1.

Palpatine? I'd go straight Psion. He was never a Jedi, he never got Jedi training. He's a Sith Lord, through and through.

[Daftendirekt]

Playing Starwars D20 is a good start. :P

Yeah, we play only 3.5, so that's not happening. Must build a setting-appropriate adaptation!

[Zonugal]

I'm sure people have done it. How could you not? Now I want to try it out, but I'm not positive on the how. How would YOU make a Sith? Some sort of gish build? Psychic warrior? Let's hear it.

Same way I build a Jedi, with good ol' psionics. I tend to use the Ardent as it gains a far greater selection of powers and abilites over the psychic warrior. Psychic warriors seem good until you realize they have difficulty doing any of the non-combat things a force-user should be capable of achieving.

With Ardents you can achieve something like this:


So in my process to replicate what a Jedi may be like within the 3.5 system I found the Ardent to be a really good way off pulling it off. So here are some of the mantles that I had (after using the ACF to reconstruct them). Some notes to be had though, the mantles were considerably created lower-powered to establish the power-level as represented in the films and the Magic Mantle is chosen for conflict as to allow access to flame blade wands (lightsabres...) for battle.

The Force (Force Mantle)
Granted Power: While psionically focused, you gain a +1 deflection bonus to your Armor Class.
1.Detect Psionics (1): You detect the presence of psionics.
2.Know Direction & Location (1): You discover where you are and what direction you face.
3.Mindlink (1): You forge a limited mental bond with another creature.
4.Vigor (1): Gain 5 temporary hit points.
5.Psionic Suggestion (2): Compels subject to follow stated course of action.
6.Read Thoughts (2): Detect surface thoughts of creatures in range.
7.Telekinetic Maneuver (4): Telekinetically bull rush, disarm, grapple, or trip your target.
8.Psionic Divination (4): Provides useful advice for specific proposed action.
9.Correspond (4): Hold mental conversation with another creature at any distance.
10.Remote Viewing (4): See, hear, and potentially interact with subjects at a distance.

Conflict (Magic Mantle)
Granted Power: You gain Use Magic Device as a class skill. if you purchased ranks in Use Magic Device or Use Psionic Device at the cross-class rare, you get additional ranks in Use Magic Device or Use Psionic Device as if it had always been a class skill for you. In addition, you always treat magic and psionics as identical, Therefore, powers such as dispel psionics work for both magic and psionics. Most campaigns already treat them in this manner, so this mantle is most useful in campaigns where they are considered different systems.
1.Inertial Armor (1): Tangible field of force provides you with +4 armor bonus to AC.
2.Offensive Precognition (1): Gain +1 insight bonus on your attack rolls.
3.Defensive Precognition (1): Gain +1 insight bonus to AC and saving throws.
4.Offensive Prescience (1): Gain +2 insight bonus on your damage rolls.
5.Hustle (3): Instantly gain a move action.
6.Psychic Containment (3): Temporarily disallow the use of psionics for a single creature.
7.Touchsight (3): Your telekinetic field tells you where everything is.
8.Schism (4): Your partitioned mind can manifest lower-level powers.
9.Energy Adaptation (4): Your body converts energy to harmless light.
10.Psychic Crush (5): Brutally crush subject's mental essence, reducing subject to -1 hit points.

The Light Side (Communication Mantle)
Granted Powers: While psionically focused, you gain a +2 competence bonus on Diplomacy checks and can use the Diplomacy skill more quickly and skillfully than others. When making a rushed Diplomacy check as a full-round action, you take only a -5 penalty on the check.
1.Empathy (1): You know the subject's surface emotions.
2.Bestow Power (2): Subject receives 2 power points.
3.Empathic Transfer (2): Transfer another's wounds to yourself.
4.Sustenance (2): You can go without food and water for one day
5.Serenity (2): Pacify a creature and stop it from fighting.
6.Restore Extremity (5): Return a lost digit, limb, or other appendage to subject.
7.Psionic Restoration (5): Restores level and ability score drains.
8.Psionic Revivify (5): Return the dead to life before the psyche leaves the corpse.
9.Suspend Life (6): Put yourself in a state akin to suspended animation.
10.True Metabolism (8): You regenerate 10 hit points/round.

The Dark Side (Death Mantle)
Granted Powers: You can expend your psionic focus to kill a dying creature, as the death knell spell.
1.Crisis of Breath (3): Disrupt subject's breathing
2.Death Urge (4): Implant a self-destructive compulsion.
3.Mindwipe (4): Subject's recent experiences wiped away, bestowing negative levels.
4.Energy Current (5): Deal 9d6 damage to one foe and half to another foe as long as you concentrate.
5.Crisis of Life (7): Stop subject's heart.
6.Insanity (7): Subject is permanently confused.
7.Mind Seed (8): Subject slowly becomes you.
8.Bend Reality (8): Alters reality within power limits.

So for a Sith warrior? I might do a combination of either Human Paragon/Ardent or Warblade/Ardent. For a major Sith Lord like Palpatine I would recommend something like Telepath 5/Thrallherd 2/Subverted Psion (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20051125a) 13.

[Seerow]

Depends on what kind of Sith you want to make...

Vader? Yea, he's a PsiWar gish. Same thing with his predecessor that got waxed in Episode 1.

Palpatine? I'd go straight Psion. He was never a Jedi, he never got Jedi training. He's a Sith Lord, through and through.

I dunno, he stood toe to toe in a lightsaber duel with Yoda, who in turn was capable of standing against Dooku who took out Obi Wan and Anakin at the same time. So he obviously had some proficiency in lightsaber combat.

Though if it were to be transcribed into game terms, both of the characters (Yoda and Palpatine) would have been Jedi Consulars, while the other Jedi we're familiar with are generally Guardians or Sentinals, they're just higher level to make up for the BAB loss. But it could still be argued either way.

[Zonugal]

I dunno, he stood toe to toe in a lightsaber duel with Yoda, who in turn was capable of standing against Dooku who took out Obi Wan and Anakin at the same time. So he obviously had some proficiency in lightsaber combat.

There is also some aspects of immense buffing happening though.