Oh gods, I need help!

[Little Brother]

I'm probably going to be sent into the Tomb of Horrors by new year's!

What should I do? I have never even seen the tomb, just about it. Nothing not absurd is off the table(Probably). Preferably castery, and good outside of the dungeons if it's decided to continue afterwards.

I have no data on it beyond that he slipped that we might(Translation:Probably will) go into it, no level given and nothing else. Sorry about vagueness, I just have absolutely no idea on specifics.

Any(I mean ANY) help'd be amazing. Thanks

[Tvtyrant]

Tomb of Horror is mostly trap based, and several of the traps do not allow saves. The best solution to this that I have heard is the Elemental summoning reserve feat, which makes an endless supply of weak-sauce summons that you can have hurl themselves into each new corridor and crevice to check for traps.

Anywhere you are going to go, anything you are going to touch, sometimes even whatever you are going to look at should be interacted with by the summons first.

[Dark Elf Bard]

All traps...

[tiercel]

One obvious ability (which doesn't need to be your character's, but just someone in the party) would be the Summon Elemental reserve feat (Complete Mage).

As long as your character doesn't mind ruthlessly subjecting summons to repeated horrible deaths, infinitely expendable trapspringers are a useful resource in a carnival house of doom-traps.

Having a bag of tricks goes some way toward this goal as well if the feat isn't available or doesn't fit in your character build.

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Another particularly useful set of abilities in a largely trap/puzzle based dungeon is divinations. Any spellcaster can certainly help here, but you'll probably want to pay more attention to your available divination choices than usual.

The Beguiler class is a interesting choice since it comes preloaded with a number of divinations which can be spontaneously cast (plus, of course, a beguiler can be your primary non-expendable trapfinder).

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These are just a couple of general-terms things to think about. The danger of something like Tomb of Horrors is, once you realize you are entering Trap World, that you find yourself looking at Full Paranoia Mode -- take 20 on everything in every 5' square and waves of expendable summons and divinations, inching forward with excruciating slowness.

To be fair, what I've seen of the 3.5 Return version isn't as cruelly and capriciously you-made-a-mistake-you-couldn't-have-reasonably-known-about-and-just-die-no-save, so Full Paranoia Mode isn't ALWAYS fully justified, but it's the choice you'll find yourself making... just how careful and slow do you want to be? Too reckless, and you could find yourself sex-changed, disintegrated, and worse, stripped of all your gear! :P Too slow, and your DM (and you) will start beating your heads against the gaming table wondering if you will ever get to DO anything amidst your excruciating layers of precautions.

[TroubleBrewing]

If the reserve feat is banned, a summon-focused Druid works nicely.

Stock up on healing items and prayers. :smallyuk:

[JadePhoenix]

Tomb of Horrors is a lot more based on your mindset than your build.
You have to be paranoid at all times.

[Madara]

Go with the Summon Elemental (Druid?) or (Artificer?) depends on if your artificer can add to his spellbook ahead of time. Your spell selection will also be key.

[jaybird]

Be grateful you're not playing a Dark Heresy conversion of Tomb of Horrors like my players will be soon :smallbiggrin:

[OracleofSilence]

While this may count as ridiculous, use any one of the infinite-pp tricks and spam Astral Constructs (very similar to the reserve feat, with the bonus that you also get to recharge all your powers at the same time.

Something like
Earth Sense
Earth Power
Psionic Mediation
EPH Torc of Power Preservation
w/ Bestow Power
(if you can get the Torc w/ WBL, and if you have access to natural stone)

or

Midnight Augmentation
Linked Power
Metapower
Psicrystal Affinity
Psicrysal Containment

Link some lvl 1 power to Bestow Power via Linked Power/Metapower
Psionically Focus yourself, and attach your first level power to bestow power. Then have your psicrystal expend psionic focus, manifest the first level power, and besto power, (targeting you) comes along for the ride, all for 1 pp.

Both of these wok at low level and offer good general benefits.

[Randomguy]

Your party will want a factotum as their trapfinder. He can take the summon elemental reserve feat. You'll be up against mostly undead, I think, so rogues can't quite cut it without a ghost strike weapon. I don't think beguilers would be as good, either, since most of their spells are mind affecting.

It would be nice if your party trapfinder was optimized for trapfinding, so the trapsmith PrC wouldn't be too bad if you had a way to improve their caster level. spellthief 1/factotum 4/ trapsmith 5/ factotum X with the master spellthief feat might work. It would be great with a ghost strike weapon.
The trap sensitivity feat would be very useful.

You also need a caster with permanancied arcane sight.

Oh, and you might want to have your cleric prepare find the path.

[Manateee]

Either play cheesily and slowly with overwhelming paranoia, or learn to sit back and laugh when your character is simultaneously suffocated, mangled and dissolved.

The second way is more fun.

[Human Paragon 3]

Spamming summons is stupid. If your DM is smart, he'll have a way around this. What level are you starting at?

One important note, is that in the tomb, you can usually rest as often as you wish, so classes that can "go all day" do not have a significant advantage.

A trapfinding cloistered cleric would be an excellent choice, as would a factotum. Max out search as hard as you possibly can if you are the trapfinder, and pack plenty of healing items.

[TroubleBrewing]

Spamming summons is stupid. If your DM is smart, he'll have a way around this. What level are you starting at?

One important note, is that in the tomb, you can usually rest as often as you wish, so classes that can "go all day" do not have a significant advantage.

A trapfinding cloistered cleric would be an excellent choice, as would a factotum. Max out search as hard as you possibly can if you are the trapfinder, and pack plenty of healing items.

Trapfinding in the tomb is way more flawed of an idea than summoning mooks to die horribly. Several of the traps have practically unhittable DC's, and there are at least two that go off even if you find them.

Admittedly, some of the traps reset, but at least you'll know where they are if when your elemental buddy dies to it.

[Crasical]

Got 23k+ Gold to spend?

Play a Huge sized character, spend your starting gold on a Mattock of the Titans (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#mattockoftheTitans), dig the dungeon up.

[Tokiko Mima]

Got 23k+ Gold to spend?

Play a Huge sized character, spend your starting gold on a Mattock of the Titans (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#mattockoftheTitans), dig the dungeon up.

Or any character with 12 levels and a major Titan bloodline (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/bloodlines.htm#titan) can handle it, too.

[Lonely Tylenol]

The caster you play has a heavy Divination focus.

Never thought I'd say that before.

If you do use summons, see about getting a way to see through their eyes in a way that doesn't expend spells or resources. That way, if you have to send it around a corner, or something of the sort, you can see what it sees right up to the moment that it sets off the trap that ends its life, and it will set off a trap that ends its life.

Basically, treat the entire tomb like a demolition derby for your elemental RC cars.