feat selection and shopping [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

big teej

2011-08-25, 10:26 PM

greetings playgrounders.

I am making a Crimson Scourge (cityscape page 93)

he's 8th level (fighter 5, scourge 3)

I had to take Urban tracking to get in so thats one feat.

that leaves me with
1st level feat
3rd level feat
6th level feat
fighter bonus feat x3

so I'm looking for some advice.

I've also got full wbl to spend, and any suggestions on that are appreciated as well.

however, as usual, I have a limited sourcelist.
anything NOT on this list is outright banned.
also outright banned: anything online - supplements, updates, errata, etc.

here's my sourcelist

Masters of the wild
Defender's of the Faith
Sword and Fist
Song and Silence
Tome and Blood
Enemies and Allies
Monster Manual I
Player's Handbook II
Monster Manual III
Psionics handbook + expanded*
Book of Vile Darkness
Arms and Equipment Guide
Player's Handbook
Magic of Incarnum
Dungeon Master's Guide II
Oriental Adventures
Book of Exalted Deeds
Races of Stone
Monster Manual II
Deities and Demigods.
Cityscape
Unearthed Arcana

* we use an amalaglam of 3.0 and 3.5 psioinics, the system is mostly based on 3.0, only using the 3.5 power point tables.

Darrin

2011-08-26, 08:50 AM

I am making a Crimson Scourge (cityscape page 93)
he's 8th level (fighter 5, scourge 3)

Never ever ever leave fighter at an odd level. The Cityscape Web Enhancement is verbotten (no online? WTF?!?!), but there is an Urban Ranger variant in Unearthed Arcana (p. 55) that gets Urban Tracking.

Hmm... no Completes, so most of the Ranger ACFs are off the table, but there is still Distracting Attack in the PHBII. No real reason to go four levels in Ranger, though.

Crimson Scourge gains a free proficiency in bola, net, or whip. Net is an excellent debuff weapon... no razor net (Dragon Compendium) but aurorum (BoED) is still available. No Net and Trident Style (CWar), but with Quickdraw you can draw a net as a free action and throw, so Rapid Shot could work... still works with a two-handed weapon (free action to change grip, free action to draw, throw, free action to regrip). Blister Oil (Races of Stone) is available, which means a net + Blister Oil Bomb (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9742205&postcount=2) might work, but I'd never use that except as a last resort or if I wanted to get permabanned from the DM's game.

Painful Strike only works against unarmed opponents, so Improved Disarm might be worth considering. Excellent, you have MMIII, so the Flindbar is available (p. 62). One-handed exotic weapon (use two-handed grip), 2d4 damage, 19-20/x2 crit, and you get a free disarm attempt every time you threaten a crit.

1) Urban Ranger 1. Feat: EWP (flindbar), Bonus: Urban Tracking, Human: Open feat?
2) Urban Ranger 2. Bonus: TWF*.
3) Barbarian 1. Feat: Weapon Expertise. Whirling Frenzy variant (UA p. 66), consider Dragon Totem to swap Fast Movement for Blind-Fight.
4) Fighter 1. Bonus: Improved Disarm
5) Fighter 2. Bonus: Quickdraw
6) Crimson Scourge 1. Feat: Snatch Weapon* (Song & Silence, not optimal, but fun when it works)

* = Snatch Weapon allows a free attack, but you take an off-hand penalty... which is either -8 or -10 without TWF. You may be able to get around this with a Glove of Storing or Kimono of Storing (no errata? 4400 GP bargain!!!), free action to store the flindbar and grab your opponent's weapon with your primary hand. You'll have to ask your DM if TWF penalties still apply. If not, take Rapid Shot instead and throw your net as your extra ranged attack.

So, throw the net for an entangle effect, wade in with the flindbar, free disarm on a crit, and if you disarm a light or one-handed weapon, free attack to smack your opponent with his own weapon. Hmm... no way to throw net + move + attack with flindbar, though. I don't see any easy way to get free movement, except maybe PsyWar 4/Urban Ranger 1/Crimson Scourge 3 (for hustle... throw net + hustle + flindbar). However, since unarmed opponents don't threaten, flindbar + free disarm + snatch weapon attack + throw net might work.

The other way to go would be whip dagger + Improved Trip + Knockdown. Since errata is banned, you don't even have to argue with your DM about whether Knockdown + Improved Trip gets a free attack. You do have to sort out if whips are treated as ranged or melee weapons, though. Hopefully they are melee, in which case Knock-Down and Power Attack work with whip-dagger, and you can ignore paying for the "mighty" version. If your DM says whip = ranged, then you're better off with EWP (Spiked Chain) and maybe take proficiency with bolas to make ranged trip attacks beyond 15'.

1) Urban Ranger 1. Feat: EWP (Spiked Chain), Bonus: Urban Tracking, Human: Power Attack.
2) Wolf Totem Barbarian 1. Whirling Frenzy variant (UA p. 66).
3) Wolf Totem Barbarian 2. Feat: Stand Still (XPH), Bonus: Improved Trip
4) Fighter 1. Bonus: Knock-Down.
5) Fighter 2. Bonus: Combat Reflexes.
6) Crimson Scourge 1. Feat: Extra Rage or Expert Tactician. Or Quickdraw (bolas, nets). Or... ok, not sure what to take here.

Swap Fighter 2 with PsyWar 2, and you still get 2 bonus feats but can add Expansion into the mix for large size (Str bonus, +4 size bonus on trips).

So... yes, considering your allowable books, that's what I'd focus on: Knockdown + Improved Trip combo, grab the Kimono of Storing (4400 GP) and Wondrous Writing Set (2060 GP, +10 circumstance bonus on Forgery checks) from Oriental Adventures. Buy a few ranks of Forgery cross-class: "Why yes, I do happen to have a warrant to arrest uh... what was your name again? *scribble scribble*" "Why yes, Lord Moneybags sent me to make a withdrawal from his vault." "Why yes, King Overcompensating did say I could borrow his +5 mithral fullplate from the Royal Armory."

Let's see... some other things to keep in mind. Book of Exalted Deeds has a couple gems: Paralyzing +2 enhancement... would suck up all your WBL but might be worth it. Every hit, Fort save DC 17 or target is paralyzed for 10 rounds. Also, pick up a Retributive Amulet ASAP (56000 GP), it got nerfed in the MIC but here it's still continuous with no daily limit.