Thri-Kreen FEED!

[Wadaro]

Hello everybody! I have just started a new character in a high-powered campaign. tl;dr at the bottom.

Right now everybody's ECL is 9, my thri-kreen is no exception. He is NOT a psionic variety, and his class levels are 2 Thri-kreen/6 warblade.

I have most of him stamped out, but I have a few questions.

My thri-kreen's fighting style is going to favour high mobility. In the sense that if my thri-kreen wants to go somewhere and be someplace, he IS GOING TO BE THERE. Having said that, he currently uses the Sudden Leap martial maneuver and has boots of Spider Climb so that he can jump from the floor all the way up to the ceiling and attach himself there. He's a very bouncy fighter. What I would like to know is the following;

1. What sort of tricks can I do at my level with Jump? I learned the hard way after introducing my character thati f I jump from the ceiling to ground level I take massive damage. I'm looking for ways to circumvent that. I am also looking for methods in which I can use Jump as part of some sort of Attack action. Sort of ike Spring attack, I guess. I'm not too sure.

2. In the late game, my thri-kreen will amass enough wealth to modify his collection of Kukris and rapiers into something altogether more dangerous.

All of the Kukris I use will eventually turn into Fleshgrinding(magic item compendium) weapons, each with a crystal that allows me to draw them as a Free Action(augment crystals, magic item compendium.) My rapiers will also eventually have the Dancing property with Greater Return crystals(compendium). This "circus of blades" is still incomplete, I still need to find a way to immediately sheath and comfortably cycle through all of these weapons while they do their thing so I don't have "traffic jams" of weapons trying to make their way back to me.

so yeah, tl;dr is that I need to find out more ways to improve my thri-kreen's ability to turn the Jump Skill into something scarey for combat, and to work on making my "Circus of Blades" fleshgrinding/dancing weapon collection work more smoothely. Any ideas?

[Mutazoia]

Jump skill? Well sadly there is no Death from Above feat in D&D (that I know of) but you will probably want (if you do not already have) Whirlwind attack and spring attack

[nyarlathotep]

First get a way to pounce any method is fine, most common is 1 level of lion spirit totem barbarian.

Second ask your DM if you can take battlejump as it is a FR regional feat but can be fluffed for other locales and races. I turns any attack that you perform by jumping or falling onto someone into a double damage charge. I forget the book sadly.

Third if you switch out your kulris for two two-handed weapons you can get leap attack. Which is in complete adventurer

Up the walls is a cool psionic feat that lets you literally walk up walls, but would require multiclassing or taking a psionics granting feat.


Jump skill? Well sadly there is no Death from Above feat in D&D (that I know of) but you will probably want (if you do not already have) Whirlwind attack and spring attack

It does exist and is called battle jump. Whirlwind attack and spring attack do not gel with a multiweapon fighter at all really.

[G3N3R3L GHOST]

Battlejump is indeed the way to go here. Along with power attack, leaping charge, shock trooper combo. Gaining pounce is also a must. I personally favor frenzied berserkers for any uber charge build just because of how epic power attack gets...although many here would disagree with me if it is worth the trade off or not. Slide across the roof then drop down on the enemy to initiate your charge which will do that double damage plus (if 10th level frenzied two handing with leap attack) 12 points of P.A. for every 1 you subtract off. Im sure you can figure out how epic that can get really fast.

[Skaven]

Only way to prevent your jumping damage I know of is safe fall.

[Wadaro]

Safe Fall? I've never heard of that feat.

Also, I assume that for pounce to work, Charging then must mean that it does not disclude jumping as a charge, eh?

[nyarlathotep]

Safe Fall? I've never heard of that feat.

Also, I assume that for pounce to work, Charging then must mean that it does not disclude jumping as a charge, eh?

You can normally jump as a part of a charge, but battle jump makes any jump you perform a charge even if you moved before then.

[HalfDragonCube]

Gnome tunnel acrobatics (for which you do not actually have to be a gnome) is a nice feat for dropping off the ceiling and stabbing baddies in the face with huge bonuses.

[Wadaro]

Gnome Tunnel Acrobatics? What book is that from?

Also, how many ways are there to get pounce? since I'm a thri-kreen, I cannot dip into a single level of Lion Totem Barbarian because I would then be subject to serious multiclassing experience penalties. Stupid lack of favoured classes...

[HalfDragonCube]

Gnome Tunnel Acrobatics? What book is that from?

Also, how many ways are there to get pounce? since I'm a thri-kreen, I cannot dip into a single level of Lion Totem Barbarian because I would then be subject to serious multiclassing experience penalties. Stupid lack of favoured classes...

Gnome tunnel acrobatics is in Dungeonscape, or possibly RoS, probably Dungeonscape.

Sorry I can't be of further help...:smallfrown:

[Curmudgeon]

Gnome tunnel acrobatics (for which you do not actually have to be a gnome) is a nice feat for dropping off the ceiling and stabbing baddies in the face with huge bonuses.
The feat is in Dungeonscape on pages 44-45.

However, you have to "drop from a wall while climbing and land adjacent to a creature". So you're only going to be able to attack enemies near walls, and only if you Climb (not Jump) to your starting point.

[zephyrkinetic]

Anything particularly wrong with a ring of featherfall? That could elegantly handle your falling damage.

[Curmudgeon]

Anything particularly wrong with a ring of featherfall?
It makes Battle Jump do nothing, that's all.

[zephyrkinetic]

Does it? How's that? I thought it could be activated or not; surely, were one Battle Jawmping, they would not activate their ringy-rings.

[Curmudgeon]

I thought it could be activated or not; surely, were one Battle Jawmping, they would not activate their ringy-rings.
How are you supposed to add extra damage from crashing down on your enemies when you're instead drifting down at a safe, sedate rate?

Anyway, the feat says "you have to hurl yourself down on your foe", which excludes Feather Fall.

[Mutazoia]

How are you supposed to add extra damage from crashing down on your enemies when you're instead drifting down at a safe, sedate rate?

Anyway, the feat says "you have to hurl yourself down on your foe", which excludes Feather Fall.

maybe he's wearing his ring of feather fall upside down so he drops faster than normal?

[nyarlathotep]

maybe he's wearing his ring of feather fall upside down so he drops faster than normal?

Now that opens the doors for all sort of silliness. Rakasha rings function backwards on account of their funny hands. This results in the ring of spell turning redirecting the spell to a target on the other side of the rakasha from the mage that fired upon him. Hilarity ensues.

[2xMachina]

How high are you planning to jump from?

Jump check reduces 10'. Boots of Landing (MIC) reduces another 2 dices of falling damage (another 20')

A 30' jump should be more than enough for your needs. You may want to Dragonborn (wings), and you take even less damage from falling.

As for weapon cycling... you might want to look into Master Thrower for Quick Draw. Or just take the feat.

Or Blood Storm Blade for instant return (this one is better for harpoons than Fleshgrinding)

Instant sheath doesn't appear in D&D. Just make sure your hands are empty before your turns starts, and you can catch your returning weapons.

[Wadaro]

Thanks for the help, GitP! All of these suggestions have been of great help!

All I need is some way to give myself the Pounce special attack... What ways are there for that?

[ffone]

Thanks for the help, GitP! All of these suggestions have been of great help!

All I need is some way to give myself the Pounce special attack... What ways are there for that?

google Person_Man's 'Pounce or free movement' thread, it's great.

Virtually everyone takes 1 level of spirit lion totem barbarian for it. In fact, it's been a long time since I saw a melee build that DIDN'T do this.

[Doc Roc]

:: sighs ::
Feathered Wing Grafts, Battle Jump.

You can start or stop flying at any point, technically. It's a rules abuse, but honestly, you're going to suffer plenty anyway.