[DnD 3.5] Classes for the unlucky

[theonesin]

So yeah, after two sessions of incredibly bad luck with a character (two weapon fighting guy) almost never hitting, I feel the need to retire him for something else. But what should I look at to get out of this funk?

[Godskook]

1.Dragonfire Adept - Welcome to an easy button for being an effective teammate. Entangling Exhalation will ensure you're being useful against everything but evasion.

2.Dragonfire Inspiration Bard - Bet on someone else's luck, giving *them* bonus damage on their attacks.

3.This (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=265125) - You don't really need 'luck' when you're rolling 7+ to-hit rolls, all at full BAB.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

If you have horrible luck with dice, make a Dragonfire Adept, get Entangling Exhalation, pick Endure Exposure (to use daily on allies) and other 24-hour buffs, and wear full plate and carry a tower shield. Con is your only important ability score, and you won't roll any dice apart from saving throws and skill checks so your armor check penalty and nonproficiency penalties are irrelevant. Even if opponents make their save against your breath attack they'll still take damage and become entangled, thus significantly lowering their AC, Reflex save, and chance to hit, plus halving their move speed. For race (Dragonborn) Mongrelfolk is a common choice, but a (Dragonborn) Dwarf or even (Dragonborn) Whisper Gnome or Arctic Goblin would also be suitable.

[theonesin]

Oh right, I should've said it before, but DFA isn't an option because the party has too much of a problem with battlefield control effects.

[NineThePuma]

... How do you have a problem with battle field control?

[olentu]

... How do you have a problem with battle field control?

Perhaps it gives them an uncomfortable rash.

[Greenish]

... How do you have a problem with battle field control?When you don't have any.

[NineThePuma]

I'd just take the rash.

[Eldariel]

BFC is pretty much the only thing that works if you don't wanna roll dice. You can't kill things without rolling dice so bad luck will end you. I suppose you could play some buffbot. Either way, you wanna be a spellcaster 'cause non-casters always rely on attack rolls, opposed checks or some such to do their thing.

Spellcasters can use:
- Buffs (Haste, Enlarge Person, Bull's Strength, Heroism, Invisibility, all the good stuff)
- BFC (Solid Fog, Grease, Web, Wall of X all work without rolls)
- Dispels (take Arcane Mastery -> Never roll a dispel check again -> Profit)

Basically, you just pick save-AND-be-screwed spells (Grease, Web, etc.), buffs and overall, defensive spells. Then no-save offense. Rays should be pretty reliable later on even with the attack roll since touch attacks tend to hit on anything but 1.

They don't have saves. And there's a 3rd level spell called "Alter Fortune" in PHBII for rerolling dice. And you could about the same with Cleric potentially better; Silence is a level 2 no save goodie, they specialize in buffs and such. Bard isn't awful either.

[theonesin]

... How do you have a problem with battle field control?

The problem was that the party had TOO MUCH, and is making encounters too easy and unfun.

[Fable Wright]

Luck, you say? Try Fortune's Friend. Plenty of second chances for whatever you try. Alternatively, just go with a Cleric or Bard. Or cleric/bard. As stated above, you don't use your own luck when you use your ability. You just help other people get luckier. I think that there's also a cleric feat that allows them to get some luck, as well. Surge of Fortune, I believe...

[Jude_H]

Luck, you say? Try Fortune's Friend. Plenty of second chances for whatever you try.
Plus, if you roll horribly regardless of the rerolls and lucky fluff, it'll be kind of hilarious.

[Greenish]

Plus, if you roll horribly regardless of the rerolls and lucky fluff, it'll be kind of hilarious."Turns out friending her in Facebook isn't enough to become Fortune's friend."

[Tvtyrant]

Be a Cleric with the Luck domain, then go into Divine Oracle in order to reroll your dice a couple times a day. Then when you have 10 levels of Divine Oracle take 4 of Contemplative for general immunities. Seems the best system to me, since you can dip Contemplative early for yet another Domain. 4 Domains, general immunities, reroll abilities, and full casting :smallcool:

[theonesin]

We already have a cleric in the party, so I'd rather not double up on classes like that. It seems like Bard is my best option right now.

[Eldariel]

If too strong BFC is a problem though, have you considered asking the DM to give you more challenging and competent encounters? It isn't that big a job to have enemies with ways to counter BFC to a degree (even just good saves, Balance and such help; then there's Dispels, Teleports and all that) and people fielding their own.

In a world where chain trippers are the best fighters and controller wizards rock, it is only natural that sentient creatures gravitate towards the most successful combat styles, after all.

[Greenish]

It seems like Bard is my best option right now.It often is. :smallcool:

[Natael]

We already have a cleric in the party, so I'd rather not double up on classes like that. It seems like Bard is my best option right now.

Cleric is such a diverse class that you could have a party of 5 of them and have nobody encroaching on each others area.

[Coidzor]

Fell Drain Sonic Snaps, Fell Drain Magic Missiles, other Fell Drain no-roll damage spells.

[Lonely Tylenol]

Fell Drain Sonic Snaps, Fell Drain Magic Missiles, other Fell Drain no-roll damage spells.

Pretty much this, for hilarity's sake. Play a Human (or any other class that grants two entry-level feats), take Fell Drain and Easy Metamagic (Fell Drain) OR Metamagic School (school of choice). You can Fell Drain Sonic Snaps at level 1 (effectively killing creatures with 1 HD with negative levels) and then move on to higher-level spells as time goes on. If you went the Metamagic School route, you can apply Fell Animate to Sonic Snap or Electric Jolt at level 3, applying coup-de-grace kills to helpless or dying enemies to get free minions, on top of applying Fell Drain to Magic Missile. Then, take no-save debuffs and buffs and become the cheap-shot Wizard.

[NineThePuma]

(effectively killing creatures with 1 HD with negative levels)


A character with negative levels at least equal to her current level, or drained below 1st level, is instantly slain. Depending on the creature that killed her, she may rise the next night as a monster of that kind. If not, she rises as a wight.

Better have a team built around killing Undead.

[Lonely Tylenol]

Better have a team built around killing Undead.


A character with negative levels at least equal to her current level, or drained below 1st level, is instantly slain. Depending on the creature that killed her, she may rise the next night as a monster of that kind. If not, she rises as a wight.

Or just a team that doesn't spend too much time in one place, or has little care for the consequences of their actions (which is a good launch for an evil party or character, especially if done in the pursuit of power).

[Coidzor]

Better have a team built around killing Undead.

Dismember the corpse, can't rise as wight, profit.

Or, y'know, kill the wights when they're hobbled in one way or another, get extra XP for every enemy you fight. Profit.

[NecroRick]

I've been looking at Dragon Shaman. Particularly the aura that gives healing up to half hit points, and then there are some effects that kick in when you have half hp... (I'm pretty sure I saw an item in MIC along those lines...)

Also, the various auras are similar to what the bard does, last longer, don't have silly casting pre-requisites (song/dance etc).

Combine with a Vicious weapon (+2d6 damage for a +1 modifier, but it does 1d6 to you as well).

You don't have to stay a Dragon Shaman either, feel free to swap to a different base class and prestige away.

----

Alternatively, consider gishing. It's a hard road at first (because if you give up (for instance) +3 BAB and 3 levels of casting you typically give them up early in your career), but eventually you will kick butt.

Alternative to gishing is to cleric. I know you said you don't want to cleric because there is already another cleric, but if you take your cleric in a completely different direction to his, there won't be any confusion. E.g. take some alternate class feature to give up hot-swapping heal spells for starters.

If low level, Heat Metal rocks. Melee touch attack the enemy and then walk away. It's the five finger death strike thing from Kill Bill, in a level 2 spell (if they're wearing metal armour, all of which takes ~10 rounds of longer to remove).

Ray touch attacks are also good. (Eberron specific) Buy a lvl 4 wands with 1 charge (420gp) and use action points to power it and convert whatever crap spell it had to get 10d6 blasts. Doable at level 1 (if human). :D Since it's powered by action points, it's your "big stick" that you only pull out occassionally...

[Amphetryon]

Play a Human Wu Jen with the various Destiny Feats from Races of Destiny, headed into Mythic Exemplar. You'll have sufficient rerolls available to mitigate most of the bad luck.

Alternately, play a Halfling Luckstealer, for similar - though less immediately spectacular - results. Combine either with Fortune's Friend from Complete Scoundrel if the rerolls are more important to you than the caster level.

[Feytalist]

Alternately, play a Halfling Luckstealer, for similar - though less immediately spectacular - results. Combine either with Fortune's Friend from Complete Scoundrel if the rerolls are more important to you than the caster level.

Forget your own luck, take someone else's :smallbiggrin:

[Malkav]

I'd just take the rash.

*gives you the rash*