riddles
2011-03-29, 08:32 AM
One of my players is running a small adventure pretty soon and has asked me to flex my optimisation muscle as "there'll be things in there you shouldn't beat. my character builds, things i would never play" and so on.
however the game setting he's written sounds really interesting. basically anything that isn't human or goblinoid is considered lower class and the humans/goblinoids are currently at war. guess where we're being dropped? smack bang in the middle as a potential mercenary group.
to me, that means I can play one of my favourite archetypes - a snooty, dismissive individual with a knack for comic timing and insulting the wrong people.
Enter Insensato the Magnificent:
Desert gnome (+2 bluff and sense motive, no listen bonus)
Str 6
Dex 14
Con 16
Int 17
Wis 8
Cha 10
Wizard 4
Hp: 22
AC: 12
Fort: 4
Ref: 3
Wis: 3
Feats:
Scribe scroll
Spell focus: Conjuration
Rapid summoning (UA Variant) (summon as standard action)
Augment summoning (UA Variant)(+4 str and con for summons)
Skills:
Concentration - 7
Spellcraft - 5
Knowledge, arcana - 3
Knowledge, the planes - 3
Knowledge local - 2
Bluff - 3.5 (+2 from gnome)
Sense motive - 3.5 (+2 from gnome)
Spells/day
0. 4
1. 6
2. 5
Spells Known:
Lvl1:
Summon monster 1, mage armour, unseen servant, comprehend languages, identify, disguise self, benign transposition, grease
Lvl2:
Summon monster 2, glitterdust, invisibility, rope trick
Gear:
Metamagic road of extend (lesser)
Havards handy haversack
Tent, rope, marbles, caltrops
Light crossbow
Cart/sedan chair (wheeled)
Now, Insensato could have originally been a strongheart halfling. With the bonus feat, I'd pick up collegiate wizard (never spend money on scrolls again!) or improved initiative. However, desert gnome fits the theme of the system and gives me a small boost to bluff checks, which will be invaluable when I go into malconvoker. i could also be human - but having played this character in another group in a high powered game, i found that human characters insulting people tend to get victimised, whereas comic shortfolk get away with murder.
I'm basically going for style over substance here. Unseen servant will be extended every day so that I can relax in my sedan chair being dragged along at a stately pace (unsure whether unseen servant benefits from augment summoning, but it can drag 100 pounds at base strength and insensato will only weigh 50). it will also provide someone to make me tea whenever required. I intend to pick up some useful herbs and posions to brew and offer to various dignitaries.
with bluff and sense motive as cross class skills, I'm going to make a poor merchant - but i'll do it anyway.
bottom line, this guy has some optimisation skills. not great, but good. i'll be using summons as my primary spells - battlefield control, flanking aid, damage dealers, HP walls all in a nice package. greenbound summoning is probably more powerful at this level, but if the campaign continues, i'll progress into malconvoker. and wizard fits the character better than druid.
am i missing anything? is strongheart halfling clearly the superior choice? what spells need to be in my book that aren't (bearing in mind he will definately limit spell access)? does anyone else have any style tips for a dandy wizard, other than calling the rest of the party minions?
however the game setting he's written sounds really interesting. basically anything that isn't human or goblinoid is considered lower class and the humans/goblinoids are currently at war. guess where we're being dropped? smack bang in the middle as a potential mercenary group.
to me, that means I can play one of my favourite archetypes - a snooty, dismissive individual with a knack for comic timing and insulting the wrong people.
Enter Insensato the Magnificent:
Desert gnome (+2 bluff and sense motive, no listen bonus)
Str 6
Dex 14
Con 16
Int 17
Wis 8
Cha 10
Wizard 4
Hp: 22
AC: 12
Fort: 4
Ref: 3
Wis: 3
Feats:
Scribe scroll
Spell focus: Conjuration
Rapid summoning (UA Variant) (summon as standard action)
Augment summoning (UA Variant)(+4 str and con for summons)
Skills:
Concentration - 7
Spellcraft - 5
Knowledge, arcana - 3
Knowledge, the planes - 3
Knowledge local - 2
Bluff - 3.5 (+2 from gnome)
Sense motive - 3.5 (+2 from gnome)
Spells/day
0. 4
1. 6
2. 5
Spells Known:
Lvl1:
Summon monster 1, mage armour, unseen servant, comprehend languages, identify, disguise self, benign transposition, grease
Lvl2:
Summon monster 2, glitterdust, invisibility, rope trick
Gear:
Metamagic road of extend (lesser)
Havards handy haversack
Tent, rope, marbles, caltrops
Light crossbow
Cart/sedan chair (wheeled)
Now, Insensato could have originally been a strongheart halfling. With the bonus feat, I'd pick up collegiate wizard (never spend money on scrolls again!) or improved initiative. However, desert gnome fits the theme of the system and gives me a small boost to bluff checks, which will be invaluable when I go into malconvoker. i could also be human - but having played this character in another group in a high powered game, i found that human characters insulting people tend to get victimised, whereas comic shortfolk get away with murder.
I'm basically going for style over substance here. Unseen servant will be extended every day so that I can relax in my sedan chair being dragged along at a stately pace (unsure whether unseen servant benefits from augment summoning, but it can drag 100 pounds at base strength and insensato will only weigh 50). it will also provide someone to make me tea whenever required. I intend to pick up some useful herbs and posions to brew and offer to various dignitaries.
with bluff and sense motive as cross class skills, I'm going to make a poor merchant - but i'll do it anyway.
bottom line, this guy has some optimisation skills. not great, but good. i'll be using summons as my primary spells - battlefield control, flanking aid, damage dealers, HP walls all in a nice package. greenbound summoning is probably more powerful at this level, but if the campaign continues, i'll progress into malconvoker. and wizard fits the character better than druid.
am i missing anything? is strongheart halfling clearly the superior choice? what spells need to be in my book that aren't (bearing in mind he will definately limit spell access)? does anyone else have any style tips for a dandy wizard, other than calling the rest of the party minions?