E6 Batman

[Hyfigh]

Inspired a little by the Low Level Captain America thread...

How does Batman look in E6? Does the Factotum-based Haberdash the Masked make for a better Batman in E6 then the standard Wizard?

[Hecuba]

Inspired a little by the Low Level Captain America thread...

How does Batman look in E6? Does the Factotum-based Haberdash the Masked make for a better Batman in E6 then the standard Wizard?

Are you asking about a batman wizard (the charop concept based on benig crazy prepared) or Batman (the DC comic hero)?

They're very different, and a batman wizard type character isn't really expected to inherently play much like the Batman character.

[Hyfigh]

A little bit of both. In E6 versatility can come from more than just magic. In a full level 20 game, the same can't said.
I'm mostly looking for a Batman character - the guy who has the right tool for the job all the time. 20 levels of Wizard does this in a normal game, but the restrictions in E6 change this substantially.

[Tvtyrant]

Cleric with the Magic domain can use every magic item in the game without having to UMD them. Take the Knowledge Domain for all knowledge as class skill as well as Detect Secret Doors, then use a wand of knock. That or the Travel domain for flight.

[Gullintanni]

Cleric with the Magic domain can use every magic item in the game without having to UMD them. Take the Knowledge Domain for all knowledge as class skill as well as Detect Secret Doors, then use a wand of knock. That or the Travel domain for flight.

That's not entirely true. A Cleric with the Magic domain can use every magic item in the game without having to UMD them as long as a level 3 Wizard could use the item. IIRC scrolls and wands still require a check to activate if they're higher than Wizard 3...although the check is much easier to pass than UMD.

[Tvtyrant]

That's not entirely true. A Cleric with the Magic domain can use every magic item in the game without having to UMD them as long as a level 3 Wizard could use the item. IIRC scrolls and wands still require a check to activate if they're higher than Wizard 3...although the check is much easier to pass than UMD.

True, but I think that is the best you do for item batman, since you get the whole of the Cleric spells and access to the Wizard/Sorcerer spells as items.

[Gullintanni]

True, but I think that is the best you do for item batman, since you get the whole of the Cleric spells and access to the Wizard/Sorcerer spells as items.

It's definitely closer to the mark than trying to UMD. I do support this approach in general. [/nitpick]

While we're on the topic of E6... Early entry Master of Shrouds is awesome. There's not a lot that hard counters incorporeal strength draining undead from ECL 1-10.

Your build should look like this:

Cleric3 (Possibly Cloistered)/Church Inquisitor1/Master of Shrouds 2

The fluff can be a little bit hard to marry, but Wee Jas permits use of undead and has the Inquisition Domain in Greyhawk, so you could definitely make a case for this working. This way you only lose one caster level, so you keep level 3 spells.

Complete Warrior suggests adding the Planning Domain to Wee Jas' portfolio, so your domains at level 4 are:

Knowledge, Inquisition, Planning and Magic.

You then take the Spontaneous Domain Casting ACF with the Magic Domain and the Divine Defiance feat from FCII, and you can counter spells with a +4 bonus as an immediate action...plus all the sexy wizard toys you get to play with. DMM persist is a mere two feats away.

[Hyfigh]

I didn't really think of that route... Wouldn't an Artificer fit that better?

How about for a self-sufficient charater? One that can do all of this, but doesn't require items or others?

[Gullintanni]

Incorporeal strength draining undead are about as self-sufficient as it gets at E6 levels of play...just sayin' :smallwink:

[Person_Man]

My suggestion is some combination of:

Binder 1 can bind Naberius for at will Disguise Self, at will Command, bonuses to Bluff and Diplomacy with a vastly reduced penalty to "rushed" Diplomacy, and fast healing of ability damage (which opens up the use of drugs, Festering Anger, certain vile feats, and Hellfire Warlock).

Binder 1 with the Improved Binder feat can bind Dahlver-Nar. His Shield Self ability makes one target share 50% of your damage (Will negates). Buy a mount or some other animal, and keep Shield Self on it continuously, and you’ve basically increased your hit points by 50%. Then in the first or second round of combat try to switch it to the most dangerous enemy. Maddening Moan is a potent area of effect Save or Daze effect (Will negates, Mind Effecting). And you also get 1/2 your Con as a bonus to Natural Armor, which has nifty Totemist synergy.

Binder 3 with the Improved Binder feat can bind Paimon for +4 Dex, limited Weapon Finesse, Whirlwind Attack, Dance of Death (move past enemies and hit each of them, which is hugely potent at low levels, especially when combined with various exotic weapons), and minor Skill bonuses.

Incarnate 3 has a ton of options. Also keep in mind that your essentia capacity improves once you hit 6 hd, and you can get extra essentia or open up additional chakra binds with Feats (which you keep getting in E6). An Incarnate 3/Anything 3 could get Spell Resistance 19, 5d6 retributive fire damage, DR 10/magic, and +12ish bonuses to your choice of Skills, and an infinitely renewable zombie (though it's hit dice are limited by your meldshaper level, so you may not want to bother with this one unless you want to go Incarnate 5 or 6).

Totemist 2 opens up the Totem chakra. Again, lots of options here, with the standouts being 4 Claw Attacks, at will Stone to Flesh, Move Action at will Dimension Door, and Die Hard.

Sorcerer 1: I only mention this as an option because a Totemist or Incarnate benefits greatly from a Familiar, which it can Share Soulmelds with. Also, if you take the Practiced Caster feat there's actually a good number of first level spells you might want to consider using and/or putting into wands, such as Charm Person, Disguise Self, Enlarge Person, Reduce Person, Expeditious Retreat, etc.

Master of Masks 1: You already pointed this out, but one level of this opens up proficiency with every exotic weapon, allowing you to use a ton of different combos.

Tome of Battle: Because 1/2 of your levels in any other class count toward your maneuver and stance level, you only need 2 levels of any ToB class to pick up 1st and second level manuevers, or 4 levels to pick up 3rd (assuming you take the ToB levels last).

Factotum 1: One level is all you need to get Tumble and Iajutsu Focus on your Skill list, and to fulfill your Skill pre-reqs for Master of Masks or any other PrC you might want. Plus you might be able to work in some Int synergy as well for a Factotum 1/Warblade 4/Master of Masks 1 or something similar.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

- Spellhoarding, Venerable, Dragonwrought, Desert Kobold, Loredrake.
- Draconic Rite of Passage (Charm Person), Draconic Reserve, Greater Draconic Rite of Passage.
- Martial Wizard (Conjurer or Transmuter) 1/ Stalwart Battle Sorcerer 4/ Mindbender 1.
- Immediate Magic ACF (PH2) for Wizard, either Abrupt Jaunt or Sudden Shift.
- Animal Companion ACF (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#sorcererWizard) (Sorcerer).

- Two flaws, required feats and bonus feats: Dragonwrought (flaw), Collegiate Wizard (flaw), one bonus Fighter feat, pref Combat Reflexes or Improved Initiative (Martial Wizard 1), Scribe Scroll (Spellhoarding), Eschew Materials (Spellhoarding), Martial Weapon Proficiency: any light or one-handed weapon, pref Armor Spikes (Battle Sorcerer 1), Martial Weapon Proficiency and Weapon Focus: any martial melee weapon, pref Glaive (Stalwart Sorcerer 1), Draconic Reserve (Level 3 or 6), Mindsight (first virtual level feat after 6th).
- Open feats: Level 1, Level 6 or 3, all virtual level feats after the first.

- Spellcasting: As a 9th level Wizard (Conjurer or Transmuter). At each level gained you automatically learn four spells, so you'll know at least eight spells of each level from 2nd-4th, and four spells of 5th level. Your spells are written on your scales so there's no risk of losing a spellbook.

Feat suggestions:
- Ability Training, Ability Advancement (Intelligence, Constitution, Dexterity) (E6 specific).
- Swift Metamagic (E6 specific) until you have enough to get Swift Persist (Split Ray, Fell Drain, Maximize, Twin, Ocular, Persistent) then take that repeatedly.
- Spell Focus: Transmutation and Ability Enhancer (Dragon Compendium, spells which grant an Enhancement bonus to an ability score get a +2 increase, Bull's Strength grants +6, or Animalistic Power grants +4's, for example).
- Natural Bond, Companion Spellbond.
- Wild Cohort, assuming you can dismiss the initial cohort and designate your Animal Companion as the beneficiary of the feat.
- Item Familiar.
- Metamagic feats, Arcane Thesis.
- Obtain Familiar, Improved Familiar (Imp or Quasit).
- Dragon Wings.

Spell suggestions:
5th: Teleport, Passwall, Transmute Rock to Mud, Cloudkill, Prying Eyes, Lightning Leap, Heart of Fire, Persistent Image
4th: Enervation, Heart of Earth, Celerity, Black Tentacles, Solid Fog, Greater Resistance, Greater Mirror Image, Arcane Eye, Scrying, Lesser Globe of Invulnerability, Greater Invisibility, Animate Dead, Polymorph, Wall of Sand, Orb of [energy]
3rd: Heart of Water, Explosive Runes, Dispel Magic, Shrink Item, Command Undead, Haste, Slow, Stinking Cloud, Greater Magic Weapon, Ray of Exhaustion, Fly, Melf's Unicorn Arrow, Bands of Steel, Greater Mage Armor
2nd: Rope Trick, Alter Self, Heart of Air, Web, Glitterdust, Animalistic Power, Bull's Strength, Cat's Grace
1st: Shield, Grease, Mage Armor, Alarm, Protection from Evil, Identify, Wall of Smoke, Silent Image, Ray of Enfeeblement

[gorfnab]

Wildshape Arcane Hunter Mystic Ranger with the feats Wild Cohort and Sword of the Arcane Order.

Beguiler 5/ Mage of the Arcane Order 1 with the feats Arcane Preparation, Cooperative Spell, and Versatile Spellcaster.

[Zonugal]

Inspired a little by the Low Level Captain America thread...

How does Batman look in E6? Does the Factotum-based Haberdash the Masked make for a better Batman in E6 then the standard Wizard?

I think there are some paths one could certainly take.

1. Artificer (focus on the spell-storing infusion as to imitate Batman always having the right tool for any job).

2. Riklan Rogue (you'll pick up some great skills, sneak attack and bardic knowledge as well, your wide selection of feats can cover unarmed combat).

3. Seer 5/Monk 1 (Go the Tashalatora route and you'll have a some-what competent unarmed fighter who can really play the role of detective. Seer powers and bardic knowledge make for a very intuitive Batman).