Getting the most out of the Bloodstorm Blade's Blade Storm

[ILM]

"You can make a ranged attack with a thrown weapon at you highest BAB against as many targets as you wish". Lolwut. All right, let's go total flechette storm (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FlechetteStorm) here.

Whisper Gnome (as they're too cool for school, and also Small - but take it a mile further and find some Fine or Diminutive race if you like) Somethingsomething 5/ Master Thrower 5/ Bloodstorm Blade 10. With a Belt of Battle, just for kicks and extra move actions.

So, to recap: as a full-round action, you get to make a ranged attack versus anything you like; I'm not even sure you need to have LoS against all targets at the beginning of your action or if you can thin the ranks of the closest ones and wait until they fall to get a clear view of the others. Let's be conservative and assume you do need LoS (which can be done as simply as getting some way to fly and rising up above the battlefield). I'm also going to assume that you can't throw a weapon beyond its normal maximum range, which will be our main concern here. Thanks to Master Thrower, you can take a move action to deny your opponents' Dex to AC (provided they can't beat your Sleight of Hand with a Spot check), allowing mucho sneak-attack goodness - this is where those move actions come in handy. Also thanks to Master Thrower, you can throw all that as ranged touch attacks.

This, to clarify, is meant as an army-killer move, a way to get rid of hundreds of low-hp mooks in one shot - not something to be used against one powerful opponent. Assuming some way of getting sneak attak on there, you could deal something like 1d3 (dagger) +20 (Craven) +xd6 (sneak attack) +xd6 (elemental mods) +20 (power throw - not like you need the attack bonus although the range penalties do bite) +5 (let's assume someone was around for a Greater Magic Weapon) +5 (and that you have enough cash to splurge on Collision). Enough to take out anything with less than a few levels, meaning the opponent army is toast.

Unfortunately, there's a snag: daggers have a range increment of 10 ft. Distance and Far Shot only bring that up to 30 ft, and by RAW you can't make Dragonbone daggers. Then there's Accuracy and Hawkeye if you can get them cast for another 150%. As a result, the max range you can throw them at is 225 ft, which is cute but not the anime-level of destruction I was hoping for. How, then, can we increase the range to something respectable? (note: I'm aware there's a psionic power for this, but I don't play with psionics)

[supermonkeyjoe]

Use a boomerang and take the boomerang daze feat from here (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20050408b&page=6):


Boomerang Daze

You can daze the targets of your boomerang attacks.

Prerequisites: Proficiency with Talenta boomerang or Xen'drik boomerang, base attack bonus +4.

Benefit: When you attack with a Talenta boomerang or Xen'drik boomerang (see page 119 of the Eberron Campaign Setting), any target creature that takes damage must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 10 + damage dealt) or be dazed for 1 round (until just before your next action). If you have the Boomerang Ricochet feat (described in Races of Eberron), you can daze both targets.

any targets who don't die will probably be dazed allowing you to try again next round :smallbiggrin:

[tyckspoon]

Unfortunately, there's a snag: daggers have a range increment of 10 ft. Distance and Far Shot only bring that up to 30 ft, and by RAW you can't make Dragonbone daggers. Then there's Accuracy and Hawkeye if you can get them cast for another 150%. As a result, the max range you can throw them at is 225 ft, which is cute but not the anime-level of destruction I was hoping for. How, then, can we increase the range to something respectable? (note: I'm aware there's a psionic power for this, but I don't play with psionics)

Use a different weapon seems like a good starting point; the Shortspear and Light Hammer have a thrown increment of 20 feet, and Javelin is viable for 30 feet (the Bloodstorm Blade is most notable for letting you throw a melee weapon, but nothing specifies you have to- it works just as well with a thrown-only weapon like the Javelin.) A Distance + Far Shot javelin throw has a range increment of 90. That good enough?

[AmberVael]

Or, if you were planning to use Palm Throw, you could pick up proficiency with darts. But really, changing your weapon seems like the best option, and I don't see any reason why you couldn't.

[ILM]

Or, if you were planning to use Palm Throw, you could pick up proficiency with darts. But really, changing your weapon seems like the best option, and I don't see any reason why you couldn't.
True, but none of the other thrown weapons look as badass as firing a crapton of daggers (really only one, but really quickly). :smallbiggrin:

Though to be honest I hadn't considered this (pretty obvious) solution. Any other throwable weapon with decent range that doesn't make you look like you're competing in the Olympics or playing a bar game?

[AmberVael]

Well, if you have your heart set on a dagger, Sandstorm introduces the Desert Throwing-Knife. Only 15ft range though. Notably, it also introduces the Atlatl, with a 50ft range increment, though it doesn't make it quite clear if you're supposed to count it as thrown (though it seems to me it would be).

Alternately, you could be really mean and pick out the harpoon from Frostburn. 30ft range increment. Barbed instrument of death. Depending on how someone rules it, it could be either annoying or terrifying with a bloodstorm blade- harpoons stick, see. Yet, returning says your weapon comes back to you. If your DM rules it rips itself out and returns, then you get to cite the nasty clause that a harpoon that is pulled out deals the same damage it did coming in... but if it is ruled the other way, it gets stuck and you can't throw it again, which is bad.

[hex0]

Actually you should play a Neraph as they have familiarity with the Annulat (30 feet range, 1d6, 19-20/x2). They can also flat-foot an enemy 1/encounter when throwing. So yeah, sneak attack everyone.

[ILM]

Ranged Weapon Mastery. How did I not think about this before?

With the daggers from Sandstorm and this, I have a 35 ft range increment. Tack on all the modifiers (distance, far shot, accuracy, hawkeye) and oh look, 775 feet max range! Now we're talking.

[Wings of Peace]

Combine with Boomerang Daze with Boomerang Ricochet. Ricochet lets your successful hits target a 2nd enemy. Attacking everyone in range + everyone in range again with PA level damage seems pretty good to me.

[Venger]

be a hulking hurler.

throw everything you can lift as a light load

win D&D

[Hand_of_Vecna]

I like harpoon myself, 30 ft increment and I think it looks far more BA than daggers. When I visualize a harpoon BSB I picture it leaving a trail of barbed chain threaded through all it's targets in a ultra gory God of War fashion.

[Tvtyrant]

Or go Duskblade and then into Bloodstorm blader, so you can channel touch magic into a blur of attack sent over a distance. Especially fun if you use an arrow with the splitting property as a melee weapon, so you can double the amount of thrown weapons (albeit at a -4 to hit).

[sonofzeal]

True, but none of the other thrown weapons look as badass as firing a crapton of daggers
So..... this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZtaay2xu0k)?

[Wings of Peace]

Daggers are cool but you're going to have trouble getting the kind of damage you need to slay an army unless it's a very low level army. Brutal Throw would be a VERY good investment for Str to ab instead of dex with thrown weapons. Thunderous Throw is a very good thing! Using something that's not a light weapon will lose you palm throw but allow you to PA which you can then combine with Shocktrooper for big damage.

Again, Boomerang Ricochet is highly advisable to the point of calling for an Aptitude weapon I would say. With a high ab it effectively doubles the number of attacks you're making and thus the average damage you're dealing. Boomerang Ricochet + Boomerang Daze (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20050408b&page=6) essentially means that anything you don't outright kill is going to be daze-locked till you DO kill it.

Ancestral Relic/Soulbound Psychic Warrior (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070214a) + Arcane Duelist (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20030224a) in combination with BSB would also increase the character's overall power by a lot.

Edit: Don't forget that Lightning Ricochet is always active EVEN during Blade Storm, so really you only need one weapon and lots of range, unless you want to dual wield for the extra attacks in which case you need two weapons. However, Arcane Duelist/Ancestral Relic/Soulbound Weapon only work on -one- specific weapon so optimizing a single super weapon seems like the best bet.

Edit 2: Wield an Aptitude Harpoon for double damage via Lightning Ricochet auto removing the harpoon then proceed with usual Boomerang Feat Hijinx. Plus harpooning an army is stylish.

[Venger]

I like harpoon myself, 30 ft increment and I think it looks far more BA than daggers. When I visualize a harpoon BSB I picture it leaving a trail of barbed chain threaded through all it's targets in a ultra gory God of War fashion.

you wanna get really mean, have 2 people throw harpoons at an enemy and take hold of the trailing rope to hold him in place

get 4 guys for true lulz:

1: North guy spears with harpoon and holds target in place (30ft from you)
2: South guy spears with harpoon and holds target in place (30 ft from you and him, be 30ft away on opposite sides and he is effectively immobilised)
3: West guy spears with harpoon
4: East guy spears with harpoon (he is 60 ft from West guy, like North/South)
5: North guy makes the strength check and pulls out the harpoon, automatically dealing damage equal to the initial hit
6: South guy does the same
7: North guy and South guy replant their harpoons
8: West and East guy repeat steps 5-7
9:repeat steps 5-8 until the target is dead

good for melee guys since they can't hit you, good for casters since they have to make elephantine concentration checks to cast with a friggin' harpoon in them, much less 4. the harpoon rules don't impose a cumulative penalty on the ref save to avoid being harpooned if you are already harpooned, but talk to your DM, it's kind of what the pont of harpoons IRL is, and you didn't burn that EWP/MoM dip for nothing

[Slipperychicken]

It says "targets", not "enemies". Weapons, Spell Component Pouches, and Divine Focuses are all valid targets. Thunderous Throw lets you disarm or sunder them according to taste. Since grabbing is a disarm action (an attack action), you can rip off everyone's unsecure items (cloaks are an example, I don't know if armor is legal). Now that army is dead, unarmed, and most of their clothing is ripped off :smallbiggrin:. I hope you're proud of yourself.


EDIT: This works (AFAIK) because Thunderous Throw lets you treat thrown weapons "as melee attacks". That should let you use sunder/disarm/grab.

[hex0]

Combine with Boomerang Daze with Boomerang Ricochet. Ricochet lets your successful hits target a 2nd enemy. Attacking everyone in range + everyone in range again with PA level damage seems pretty good to me.

No one mentioned Halfling Skiprock yet?

[Rubik]

If you've got a manifester level (say, through levels in psychic warrior) there's always the Suppression ability. Dispel Psionics at your ML against everything you hit.