zind
2011-04-07, 11:09 AM
So, I'm being invited to join the reawakening of a long-slumbering campaign, and am intensely excited about it. I've been waffling back and forth between character archetypes and trying to figure out what I want to play, and one of the concepts I've come up with, as the title would suggest, is an assassin (preferably of the noble variety) who accepts contracts for targets on whatever plane.
First, some rules talk and background. This is a ridiculously powered game, set in Planescape. The character will be starting at 20th level, and will be a gestalt character. I am allowed to ignore the LA on pretty much any LA 1 or 2 race since the campaign is going to be so absurdly powerful. We're using the Pathfinder skill list, but can add whatever separate skills that need to be added at will - this is mostly to take advantage of the consolidation of skills and add yet more power. Non-spontaneous casters have gotten a buff in that they prepare a different spell in every slot, but can use any combination of those prepared spells until they reach their daily limit for that level (the DM is aware that this almost makes spontaneous casters obsolete, but that's low on her priority list of things to fix since nobody is planning on playing one yet). Book of Erotic Fantasy rules apply (even if they're not a central theme), so I'll have a comeliness stat. Any WotC-published sourcebook is pretty much fair game; homebrew and non-WotC books are probably okay, but require DM-vetting (the DM herself is playing a PC of a homebrew race with a homebrew PrC). I don't think it would matter much for this character, but there's a completely open field on gods; can pull from any book, any mythology, or make up our own. There's a cleric of basketweaving, even.
I am coming to you all for assistance, as I am a little out of my experience. I've never played a game that featured planar travel very heavily (if at all) before, and I've never been in a campaign of this high level. 13ish has been about as high as I've ever gone before.
I fancy myself a rather adept builder of characters that progress strongly, but have never played many PrCs out to their capstones or been able to see how they compare to others.
I will lay out my overarching goals and current thoughts, as well as ask some general questions. However, feel free to offer up specific build ideas as well - if I go with this idea I'll probably end up hybridizing all the advice I receive here into a superbadass, so let's get to it!
Things I'm assuming I need for the concept:
Stealth, both physical and social
Precision damage
Some combat ability
A way to travel from plane to plane under my own power
A way to survive from plane to plane under my own power
Things I want:
Good, if not full, BAB
Good, if not full, saves
Current thoughts:
I'm looking at either Rogue or Ninja, or maybe Beguiler for much of one side of the tree, possibly with Invisible Blade thrown in. I get my complete scoundrel book back from a friend today, so I'll be looking through there again as well.
Horizon Walker seems like an easy way to get a BAB boost as well as add some planar survivability, but are those benefits worth taking 8+ levels?
Since there's a chance this could be a slightly arcane-flavored character, I'd kinda like to include swiftblade if it fits in anywhere, just because I think it'd fit in with the sort of weirdness of the rest of the party.
As for race, I'm considering either Changelings from Eberron or just going full-on Doppelganger, just because I like the flavor of them. Any recommendations for other fitting races are quite welcome (and remember, I can ignore pretty much any LA1 or 2 race!).
General questions:
Is a high UMD good enough to explain planar travel, or should I be able to cast the spells (or manifest the powers) myself, or is planar travel enough of a mainstay in the Planescape universe that one can just 'buy a ticket', as it were?
If I want planeshifting powers of my own, would I be better served gaining them magically or psionically?
I figure you guys will probably have some fun with this, so have at it!
EDIT: I realize I didn't put too much in here as far as combat abilities go, and that's for a reason. I'm kind of assuming a physical combat build with some sneak-attack stacking, but I realize that I might be able to get a more synergized build if I'm more of a magically-aligned combatant.
First, some rules talk and background. This is a ridiculously powered game, set in Planescape. The character will be starting at 20th level, and will be a gestalt character. I am allowed to ignore the LA on pretty much any LA 1 or 2 race since the campaign is going to be so absurdly powerful. We're using the Pathfinder skill list, but can add whatever separate skills that need to be added at will - this is mostly to take advantage of the consolidation of skills and add yet more power. Non-spontaneous casters have gotten a buff in that they prepare a different spell in every slot, but can use any combination of those prepared spells until they reach their daily limit for that level (the DM is aware that this almost makes spontaneous casters obsolete, but that's low on her priority list of things to fix since nobody is planning on playing one yet). Book of Erotic Fantasy rules apply (even if they're not a central theme), so I'll have a comeliness stat. Any WotC-published sourcebook is pretty much fair game; homebrew and non-WotC books are probably okay, but require DM-vetting (the DM herself is playing a PC of a homebrew race with a homebrew PrC). I don't think it would matter much for this character, but there's a completely open field on gods; can pull from any book, any mythology, or make up our own. There's a cleric of basketweaving, even.
I am coming to you all for assistance, as I am a little out of my experience. I've never played a game that featured planar travel very heavily (if at all) before, and I've never been in a campaign of this high level. 13ish has been about as high as I've ever gone before.
I fancy myself a rather adept builder of characters that progress strongly, but have never played many PrCs out to their capstones or been able to see how they compare to others.
I will lay out my overarching goals and current thoughts, as well as ask some general questions. However, feel free to offer up specific build ideas as well - if I go with this idea I'll probably end up hybridizing all the advice I receive here into a superbadass, so let's get to it!
Things I'm assuming I need for the concept:
Stealth, both physical and social
Precision damage
Some combat ability
A way to travel from plane to plane under my own power
A way to survive from plane to plane under my own power
Things I want:
Good, if not full, BAB
Good, if not full, saves
Current thoughts:
I'm looking at either Rogue or Ninja, or maybe Beguiler for much of one side of the tree, possibly with Invisible Blade thrown in. I get my complete scoundrel book back from a friend today, so I'll be looking through there again as well.
Horizon Walker seems like an easy way to get a BAB boost as well as add some planar survivability, but are those benefits worth taking 8+ levels?
Since there's a chance this could be a slightly arcane-flavored character, I'd kinda like to include swiftblade if it fits in anywhere, just because I think it'd fit in with the sort of weirdness of the rest of the party.
As for race, I'm considering either Changelings from Eberron or just going full-on Doppelganger, just because I like the flavor of them. Any recommendations for other fitting races are quite welcome (and remember, I can ignore pretty much any LA1 or 2 race!).
General questions:
Is a high UMD good enough to explain planar travel, or should I be able to cast the spells (or manifest the powers) myself, or is planar travel enough of a mainstay in the Planescape universe that one can just 'buy a ticket', as it were?
If I want planeshifting powers of my own, would I be better served gaining them magically or psionically?
I figure you guys will probably have some fun with this, so have at it!
EDIT: I realize I didn't put too much in here as far as combat abilities go, and that's for a reason. I'm kind of assuming a physical combat build with some sneak-attack stacking, but I realize that I might be able to get a more synergized build if I'm more of a magically-aligned combatant.