Making a star wars force user in dnd?

[umbergod]

I had access to the new star wars mmo beta this past weekend and it got me wanting to make a "sith" in a dnd campaign.

Psionics are no go, since if I play this character it will be in a friend's campaign, and he banned all but the soulknife for psionic classes. I was thinking a sorcerer with a theme of spells, like charm person, different lightning spells, debuffs and such, and maybe some levels in something that grants use of a longsword or scimitar

[Gavinfoxx]

Several people have already done this; psion works fantastically well for this.

[umbergod]

Several people have already done this; psion works fantastically well for this.

yeah, my first thought was a psion or wilder. then i remembered my DM banned psionics :(

[Psyren]

Without psionics, your best bet is a glaivelock, fluffing the EB as a lightsaber or even dual-lightsaber. Their invocations can mimic most of the iconic abilities, such as Force Jump or Jedi Mind Trick. Eldritch Cone or Chain can mimic Force Lightning as well.

[Kaje]

Sucks that you don't have Psychic Warrior, but it's doable.
Glaivelock
Swordsage - try refluffing the Setting Sun throws as telekinesis
Duskblade maybe
Beguiler would probably work


Also, I'd like to point out the Hideaway weapon property from Races of the Wild. At the press of a button, your weapon instantly folds into or out of its handle. Yeah.

[Psyren]

Also, I'd like to point out the Hideaway weapon property from Races of the Wild. At the press of a button, your weapon instantly folds into or out of its handle. Yeah.

+1 Brilliant Energy Hideaway Longsword?

[Gavinfoxx]

You don't want Brilliant Energy. It doesn't work the way Lightsabers do, you need different options...

[umbergod]

Well my idea is based off the sith sorcerer, which is more of a caster, and only uses the lightsaber if he/she has to. So my idea is less of a gish type and more of a caster with a middling ability to melee if needed.

Abjurant Champion is definitely gonna be in the mix. other than that I am not sure how to build this guy. I don't need to be perfectly optimized or min/maxed, as long as it fits thematically.

[Zonugal]

What about an Ascetic Mage build?

[umbergod]

What about an Ascetic Mage build?

is there a link or should I invoke google-fu? I am not 100% aware of this build, but I have heard of the feat. BRB checking

Edit: it doesnt fit thematically, though I like the idea. not a bad idea for a jedi type, but sith are chaotic generally

[TroubleBrewing]

but sith are chaotic generally

... According to what? Darth Vader is LE, the Emperor is LE, Darth Maul is indeterminate.

[umbergod]

... According to what? Darth Vader is LE, the Emperor is LE, Darth Maul is indeterminate.

According to most of the sith from older timelines. Very few were lawful. This character concept is based on the sith sorcerer, from the old republic, only a few thousand years before the rule of the 2 and when the sith empire was a thriving faction of hate, destruction, deceit and power.

so ascetic mage fits more for a jedi imo, especially a jedi focused on hand to hand combat.

[Alefiend]

Psychokinetic and psychokinetic burst (MIC) might help with the lightsabre feel—they do force damage, anyway. It's not a lot, and you don't have the "cut through anything" ability, but it's something.

Impaling (also MIC) lets you make your melee attack as a touch attack 3 times/day. Whirling (guess where?) lets you whirlwind attack 3/day. These would also help make a weapon more lightsabresque.

Combine the above with an adamantine base weapon for ignoring hardness and being mostly unbreakable, and you're good to go.

EDIT—started writing this before the reply about being a Sith sorcerer made it into the thread. My ideas are still here for your use, just less likely to see daylight. :smallredface:

[umbergod]

Psychokinetic and psychokinetic burst (MIC) might help with the lightsabre feel—they do force damage, anyway. It's not a lot, and you don't have the "cut through anything" ability, but it's something.

Impaling (also MIC) lets you make your melee attack as a touch attack 3 times/day. Whirling (guess where?) lets you whirlwind attack 3/day. These would also help make a weapon more lightsabresque.

Combine the above with an adamantine base weapon for ignoring hardness and being mostly unbreakable, and you're good to go.

EDIT—started writing this before the reply about being a Sith sorcerer made it into the thread. My ideas are still here for your use, just less likely to see daylight. :smallredface:

those actually help :D I want to be able to defend myself if in melee and out of spells. so thank you :) less useful than if I were building a sith marauder, but still handy nonetheless

[Cerlis]

if you are using sorcerer or wizard (or most arcane casters i guess) as the base for spellcasting, you can achieve that "sith sorcerer" feel, and those times when you need to hit something with a knife.....Truestrike is low enough level to quicken, and then there are some spells that help melee (often in complete adventure or divine or what have you). In PHB2 Duskblades get "blood blades" or something that lets them take damage for +3d6 on their next attack.

[umbergod]

if you are using sorcerer or wizard (or most arcane casters i guess) as the base for spellcasting, you can achieve that "sith sorcerer" feel, and those times when you need to hit something with a knife.....Truestrike is low enough level to quicken, and then there are some spells that help melee (often in complete adventure or divine or what have you). In PHB2 Duskblades get "blood blades" or something that lets them take damage for +3d6 on their next attack.

Yeah I am going sorcerer for the spontaneous part, but I am gonna dip into something that gives martial weapon proficiences. Hmmm, would a 1 level dip in warblade be ill advised? because that would give me the weapon proficiency I want

[Essence_of_War]

Well my idea is based off the sith sorcerer, which is more of a caster, and only uses the lightsaber if he/she has to. So my idea is less of a gish type and more of a caster with a middling ability to melee if needed.


Have I got an idea for you.

Incarnate 2/Ardent 3/Soul Manifester X

To make it work perfectly, you really need the cooperation from your DM to rebuild the Ardent's mantles in thematically appropriate ways. Make sure to include lots of augmentable powers that are evocative. Inertial Armor, Force Screen, Vigor, Psionic Blast, Energy Current, telekinesis (not augmentable, but evocative) etc. Don't forget open chakra either!

Be sure to take and invest lots of essentia in Midnight Augmentation, so that you can keep pumping out augementable powers.

This will work less effectively with the psion (due to the Arden't strange power learning clause), but won't require as much DM adjudication for the new mantles.

On the soulmeld side, I like Incarnate Weapon + crystal helm for your lightsaber, and I'm sure I can think of other fun ideas when I'm around my books.:smallbiggrin:

[Zonugal]

Have you considered the Battle Sorcerer variant in UA?

[umbergod]

Have you considered the Battle Sorcerer variant in UA?

I thought about it, but I want to avoid losing spells if I can, and from what most people say, its basically a trap. It fits thematically quite perfectly actually though, and would allow earlier Abjurant Champion access. Definitely gonna consider this, have to talk to the DM about it, as he has final say with all character builds and variants (of course)

@Essence_of_War: That build is out b/c all psionics are banned except soulknife, as stated in my first post. If psionics were allowed a wilder, psion or psychic warrior would work perfectly.

[JackRackham]

Slightly OT: How was the game? Is it MMO-ey (WOW in Space) or does it habve more of a KOTOR feel? I was signed up for the beta this weekend as well, but had computer troubles. Otherwise, I loved the KOTOR games.

[umbergod]

Slightly OT: How was the game? Is it MMO-ey (WOW in Space) or does it habve more of a KOTOR feel? I was signed up for the beta this weekend as well, but had computer troubles. Otherwise, I loved the KOTOR games.

its like KOTOR on roids, with the bonus stuff of MMOs. I loved it. even the low level quests had me feeling badass and important. The character drives the story and progresses the quest direction with choices.

[Hyfigh]

No psionics is poopy.
I'd say go with a Gish of some kind and try to squeeze in a little Master of the Unseen Hand or something. Mostly focusing on powers with mind affecting stuff. Maybe a Beguiler gish?

Edit: Blah! I forgot to ad the lightsaber. My vote is on an energy sub'd and energy admixiture Flame Blade. Power attack with it, Mmmkay?

[Essence_of_War]

@Essence_of_War: That build is out b/c all psionics are banned except soulknife, as stated in my first post. If psionics were allowed a wilder, psion or psychic warrior would work perfectly.

Eeeep. I got so excited that I didn't parse the OP carefully enough :smallredface:

I still like the way that Incarnum captures the jedi's abilities to be "on" all the time.

If you like it too, I might recommend Person_Man's homebrewed awesome soulborn/soulknife hybrid (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=156441), it sort of drags the soulknife and soulborn, kicking and screaming, into tier 3 :smallbiggrin:

[umbergod]

No psionics is poopy.
I'd say go with a Gish of some kind and try to squeeze in a little Master of the Unseen Hand or something. Mostly focusing on powers with mind affecting stuff. Maybe a Beguiler gish?

Yeah the lack of psionics sucks. However, I think I am gonna go with Battle Sorcerer. The loss of 1 max level spell kind've sucks, but it covers my want for a martial weapon proficiency and semi-decent combat abilities. Still going to focus on the caster aspect of this build.

[Gavinfoxx]

What about Stalwart Sorcerer?

[umbergod]

What about Stalwart Sorcerer?

same effect as the battle sorcerer variant, only worse

[Hiro Protagonest]

How about a warblade 1/wizard 5/swiftblade?

[umbergod]

How about a warblade 1/wizard 5/swiftblade?

dunno what a swiftblade is, but wizard doesn't fit thematically. Better mechanically, but fluff wise the sith sorcerer's don't study spellbooks for their powers, they're inherent and honed, and new powers are researched much like new spells are researched, through trial and error and resource expenditure

[Getsugaru]

Why not just convert the Force Powers system from Saga edition into D&D Format. If I'm not mistaken, however, Saga was used by Wizards as a quasi-beta for some of the stuff for 4th edition, which might make it difficult to convert.

[umbergod]

Why not just convert the Force Powers system from Saga edition into D&D Format. If I'm not mistaken, however, Saga was used by Wizards as a quasi-beta for some of the stuff for 4th edition, which might make it difficult to convert.

I dont have any experience with saga, only the revised star wars rpg. and in that force users were overpowered hardcore. It would make more sense if i had access to psionics, since I see force powers as more mental powers being harnessed, but i will make due with sorcerers. All of my spells are gonna be themed around pre-existing force powers and dark side powers

[hushblade]

Ask the DM if you can tweak the spell list of a duskblade slightly?

[DeAnno]

If you want a one level dip for full Martial WP on a sorc, Marshal is what you're looking for.

[umbergod]

If you want a one level dip for full Martial WP on a sorc, Marshal is what you're looking for.

just asked him and the battle sorcerer is allowed, so thats probably the route im gonna take, using either a longsword or a scimitar.