Chaining Prestige Classes (character-build contest)

[enderlord99]

I will be entering this contest myself, but I'm actually at a disadvantage: My vote counts double, but neither I, nor anyone else, may vote for him- or herself.

Rules:

1. Your build must have only one base class, and at most 10 levels total between it plus any racial hit dice. Yes, really.

2. All WotC-published 3.5 sources are allowed except the magazines.

3. Builds should be optimized, but not "cheesy".

4. All builds must be at least 15th level. There is no maximum.

5. The whole point of this contest is to use prestige classes to qualify for other prestige classes, in as convoluted a way as possible. Vote accordingly.

6. One entry per person. One vote per person.

7. Post entries here. Post votes in the voting thread (once it's open).

8. Feel free to get help from others, but make it mostly your own work.

[Soranar]

Alignment: Neutral Evil
Race: half-elf
Template: shadowcreature with LA bought off (gives evasion for Fochluran lyrist), Necropolitan to fix your Hitpoints and makes CHA your Concentration

STAT 32 pts

STR 8 (dump stat)
DEX 14
CON - (dump stat, necropolitan)
INT 16 (you need a lot of skills and it's necessary for Assassin spellcasting)
WIS 14 (necessary to get access to level 4 cleric spells)
CHA 16 (main stat, gets every increase)

FEATS: 1 Iron Will, 3 Evil focus, 6 Endurance, 9 Energy substitution, 12 augment summoning, 15 practiced spellcaster: Sublime Chord, 18 Practiced spellcaster: UrPriest

1 Bard (Bardic sage variant, +2 will saves)
2 half-elf paragon (+2 reflex saves)
3 Stoneblessed (+2 fort saves, your level is higher than your highest save, you can now take a level in survivor)
4 Survivor (your saves are now high enough for UrPriest)
5 Human Paragon (gives access to 10 skills of your choice for any class, helps several PrC requirements)
5 UrPriest (Divine casting progression at twice the speed, divine caster 1 for Fochluran lyrist)
6 Assassin (for a fast progression spellcasting and 1d6 sneak attack)
7 Wildrunner (provides trackless step for Arcane hierophant)
8 Ruathar (+1 Assassin spellcasting)
9 Fochluran lyrist (+1 Assassin and UrPriest spellcasting)
10 Arcane Hierophant (+1 Assassin and UrPriest Spellcasting)
11 Mystic Theurge (+1 Assassin and UrPriest Spellcasting, Assassin spellcasting now qualifies you for Sublime Chord)
12 Sublime Chord (provides a new, faster, arcane progression based off CHA)
13 Mindbender (+1 Sublime chord spellcasting)
14 Wayfarer Guide (+1 Sublime chord spellcasting)
15 Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil (+1 Sublime chord spellcasting)
16 Fatespinner(+1 Sublime chord spellcasting)
17 Elemental Savant (+1 Sublime chord spellcasting)
18 Alienist (+1 Sublime chord spellcasting)
19 Paragnostic Apostle (+1 Sublime chord spellcasting)
20 Unseen seer (+1 Sublime chord spellcasting)

Final result

BAB = 2 (you can forget touch attack spells altogether unless you get a wand of true strike or the like)

Bard caster level 1
Assassin caster level 5
Sublime Chord Caster level is 18 (5 from Assassin, 1 from the class itself, 8 more from the PrCs and 4 more from practiced spellcaster)
UrPriest known spells 4th, Caster level = 15 (1 from UrPriest+ 3 from PrCs that progress the class itself + 1/2 your total non UrPriest spellcasting class levels which is 15, rounded down so 7 + 4 from practiced spellcaster)

Gameplay

Level 1-5

You rely on UMD and inspire courage to be somewhat useful in combat. Out of combat you're quite the skillmonkey and most probably the party's face.

Level 6-10

UMD is still your friend but your spells are starting to be far more useful as your UrPriest progression catches up. Your assassin spells tend to be unusually useful as they're lower than they should be.

Level 11-15

Dualprogression makes you alway have something useful for the occasion.

Level 16-20

You're just as powerful as most spellcasting classes but you lack the true shine of a focused build.

Build notes: by level 10 you qualify for virtually any spellcasting class. However UrPriest gimps your access to a LOT of divine PrCs and I'm fairly sure an Apostle of peace would be a better choice but the no killing thing is such a hassle that I didn't bother with it.

The build would also be a lot better with 5 levels of savage bards as a base (eliminates the need for human paragon and the need to use half-elf, you could get the same results with an able learner human) but I wanted to take 1 base class with 19 PrCs. You could also age your character 1 or 2 categories to pump your spell's DCs but you need a minimum of strength to wear light armor.

[Zaq]

I did something rather like this for the Ardent Dilettante episode of Iron Chef.

Part 1. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=10175478&postcount=147)
Part 2. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=10175488&postcount=148)

Nutshell: No more than 1 level in any class that isn't Ardent Dilettante, no Bard, no Factotum, and no base classes that grant spells (by the way, you need both arcane and divine spells to enter Ardent Dilettante). It didn't place, but it got honorable mention.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Savage Bard8/UrPriest2/Sublime Chord1/Mystic Theurge9

You barely get 9's on both sides of casting. Savage Bard has the fort and will save to qualify for UrPriest, and also gets the spells for Sublime Chord. Then Mystic Theurge advances both Sublime Chord and UrPriest spellcasting.

[enderlord99]

Race: human
Archivist 8/Psionic Fist 10/Psychic Theurge (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20040925b) 10/Sacred Fist10
Final level:38

[mootoall]

Y'know what's fun? Chaining class variants. Ranger trades combat styles for wildshape, uses Druidic Avenger to get rage and double favored enemy, and go from there.

[dextercorvia]

<snip>
5 Human Paragon (gives access to 10 skills of your choice for any class, helps several PrC requirements)
5 UrPriest (Divine casting progression at twice the speed, divine caster 1 for Fochluran lyrist)
<snip>

You have two classes at level 5.

[Soranar]

You have two classes at level 5.

oups, I shouldn't do builds that late

[UrsielHauke]

Quick question: Do racial hit dice count towards the limit of 1 base class?

[enderlord99]

Quick question: Do racial hit dice count towards the limit of 1 base class?

I'll edit the OP to clarify.

[enderlord99]

Any more entries?

[squeekenator]

Jimmy the Grimweird Assassin 4 Ur-Priest 1 Mystic Theurge 10.

Jimmy takes his 15 class levels, then pays an NPC cleric 26530gp to cast true resurrection after Jimmy destroys himself by whatever means, which he promptly does. The cleric brings him back as the living creature which he once was, a human. Jimmy is now a human Assassin/Ur-Priest/Mystic Theurge without a single level in any base class.

There's probably a much better class than Assassin to use in order to gain arcane spells from a prestige class, but I've already looked through too many books recently. I might find a better one later.

[Acanous]

Which book is "Survivor" from?
It doesn't ring any bells, which is odd.

[dextercorvia]

Which book is "Survivor" from?
It doesn't ring any bells, which is odd.

Savage Species