Powerful Character Challenges?

[Gamer Girl]

So I started Dming a new group a couple weeks ago. They all wanted a high power game, and I'm a high power DM, so we all agreed. As we started at 1st level, they don't have all that much 'power' yet, but they will get past 10th level soon enough.

So, I'm looking to counter and challenge their soon to be powerful characters. And that brings me to my question: What kinds of things do you do to a character to make them Powerful? Can anyone posts some such characters, or link to them? Or post ideas that they have used in game and such. But not the vague stuff-'just use the awesome spells', but more detailed then that...what spells and feats and such.

The idea is I'd like to be ready for the common tricks and basically 'practice' on some characters before the game.

[NichG]

Some tricks I've used for a very potent Tome of Battle character:

- Get access to Giant Size somehow (scrolls, etc) for the huge Str and Con boosts. Combos really well with Str-based save DCs from ToB maneuvers
- Disrupting Strike (Diamond Mind) is an action-denial strike that isn't typed Daze or Mind Affecting or Stunning or Paralysis or anything, so nothing is immune to it.
- Ring of Nine Lives = you can just make one save per game, no matter the DC. A little expensive but excellent
- Item familiar. 10% ahead on the xp curve, and skills through the roof. Plus 3/day cure moderate on its action is just icing. And a 1/month True Resurrection at higher levels.
- Death Pact. Level 8 cleric spell, basically a contingent True Resurrection for less.
- Avalanche of Blades (Lv8 Diamond Mind maneuver) against low AC targets is really brutal.

Some things I can think of that are potentially quite potent:

- Cloudkill + Forcecage
- Bump Cleric caster level with Beads of Karma, Ankh of Ascension, Divine Power feat, Ioun Stone. Now toss out a Holy Word or Dictum or whatever.
- Earthquake. Deny land-bound foes their attacks without a save
- Tidal Wave from Sandstorm. Same deal but also pushes them back.
- Maze for more no-save action denial
- Eberron action points + the right feats = extra actions per round
- Factotum/Font of Inspiration = extra actions per round
- Celerity + immunity to daze cheese
- Avasculate. Go to half hitpoints on a successful save.
- Polymorph Any Object. Incredible versatility, free permanent templates, create creatures from nothing to help you fight, the list goes on.
- Reincarnate body-shop. Use Last Breath to keep switching bodies till you get something with really good physical stats.

Some tricks I've seen used to great effect:

- Wis based character using thrown weapons for Palm Throw (they can get something like 10 attacks a round), taking Shiba Protector to get Wis to hit and damage on all ten attacks. This isn't the only way to do this, but that was this particular character's trick.

- Cha based character with Slippers of Battledancing, Snowflake Wardance, Unearthly Grace, Sirine's Grace, Ruin Delver's Fortune, and the paladin Cha to saves thing. Throw in Iaijutsu Master 5 and a gnomish quickrazor for obscene damage output (9d6 + 9 * Cha mod)

- (Maximized) Timestop + Delay Spell X

[WinWin]

Simple stuff to aim for, various methods of acheiving them.

Iterative Probability Protection.
Simply put, you rolls lots of dice for your character. The DM is always going to roll more. Methods of forcing rerolls, penalising die rolls or ignoring specific effects that tie to die rolls are all good. This could be something like twist fate or fortification armor. The more of these at your disposal, the better.

A horrid inversion of IPP is Iterative Probability Dominance. Pouncers? Multiweapon Fighting? Don't make me laugh. Thrallherd, I'm looking at you and your posse of Astral Constructs.

Immunities and Immunity Bypass
Just say no. Level drain? No. Ability Damage? No. Sword in Face? No. Typically it is casters that get to say no the most often. No is not a word power players like hearing from DM's, so finding methods around immunites is good, especially when it is tied to a particular speciality. Most often provided by prestige classes or feats that can alter the type of an effect.

Archer Cleric fits in here.

Lockdown
Better than avoiding or ignoring attacks. Prevent the opponent from taking any meaningful actions. Casters may have better options, but spiked chain trippers have the edge on endurance, meaning the casters can leave room on their spell lists for other things.

3 major areas I can think of. Specific builds and tactics vary widely. I am sure there is more the playground can add.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

1) Druidzilla. Really, this is just Druid out of the box with Natural Shape feat at level 6. I'm a bear, that can eat your face better than a Fighter, that can also cast spells. You can also turn into a dinosaur. That can breathe fire. It's not radioactive, though.

2) Batman Wizard. I throw around Save or Loose spells. Grease, Glitterdust, and Stinking Cloud by level 5 are three spells in my list at all times. Fly is also invaluable to keep me away from trouble. At level 7, Dimension Door is a Get Out of Combat Free card. It gets exponentially worse as you get higher levels.

3) Ubercharger. Pounce + Power Attack + Leap Attack + Headlong Rush + Shock Trooper + Valorious weapon. Deals out damage that can, on occasion, require scientific notation to accurately describe.

4) ClericZilla. Divine Metamagic: Persist Spell + Divine Power + Righteous Might. Another case of 'better at fighting than the Fighter'. Plus all the spells of an appropriate level Cleric.

There are more, but these are the most basic ways to 'break the game'.