Iron Chef Optimization Challenge: Dessert Round V

[flabort]

Welcome All, to the FIFTH Iron Chef Dessert round! Judge, contestant, spectator alike, ladies and gentlemen! Here in the Optimization Kitchen, contestants will attempt to mix up an optimized, flavorful character using a specific homebrew prestige class as a "Secret Ingredient".

Contestants: You will need to present your build at at least one of the following points: 5th level, 10th level, 15th level, 20th, and a "sweet spot" that you feel is the high point of the build. Feel free to present as many of these as you like, and please give a rundown of the build's abilities and playability at all of the levels you didn't show.
The rules are as follows:

Menu: For most Dessert challenges, the "Special ingredient" will be drawn from the Homebrew Design section of the forums, with the permission of the author. Sometimes the PrC contests will be a source of the Secret Ingredient, but more often I'll take one from a well known 'brewer. I may also take a homebrew out of the Homebrew Galleria (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=188088), in which case I may not directly ask the author's permission, as I believe it has already been given.

32 point buy is the presumed creation method, but the Iron Chef's hosts have generally allowed other levels of point buy.
If you do use a different point buy, please make your case for its necessity in your entry. Keep in mind that for using exceptionally large or small point buys may warrant deductions in elegance and/or power.

Kitchen: Competitors will be free to use any official 3.5 rulebook in constructing their builds. Dragon Magazine is disallowed, with exceptions (as described later), and Unearthed Arcana is allowed; But see Elegance below. Alternate rule systems from UA such as gestalt are not allowed, as they create a different playing field. Item Familiars are forbidden, because the judges may hate 'em, and because they fall under the category of equipment as well. If the Secret ingredient calls for a mechanic that can only be found in the Homebrew section or Dragon Magazine, then any feats, classes, or other ingredients required or related may be allowed. Such ingredients do not need the permission of a judge to use, but if they deviate from the Secret Ingredient too much, they may result in deductions in Elegance or Use of Secret Ingredient, or if they don't relate to it at all, then the build may be disqualified.
While Dragon Magazine may be disqualified, with exception due to the reliance on it a Secret Ingredient may have, Dragon Compendium is not disqualified.

Cooking Time: Contestants will have until 11:59 GMT on February 12 (which for the chairman's convenience is 4:59 MDT) to create their builds and PM them to the Chairman of the Desserts Section, Flabort (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/member.php?u=46366). Builds will then be posted simultaneously, to avoid copying. Judges will have until 11:59 GMT on March 4 (4:59 for the chairman) to judge the builds and submit their scores. If no judges have scored by that point, only the scores of the first judge to submit will be counted.

Judging: Judging will be based on the following criteria, with each build rated from 1 (very poor) to 5 (exemplary) in each area: Originality, Power, Elegance, Use of Secret Ingredient.

Originality is obvious: If a concept has been used before, it loses points. Very common concepts get very low scores. But pulling a trick out of your sleeves that no-one's used may earn you points back.
Power level is up to you. Cheese is acceptable, but should be kept to a sane level unless you're showcasing a new TO build you've discovered. In the words of one of our (IC chairmen and spin off chairmen alike) predecessors, a little cheddar can be nice, but avoid the mature Gruyere unless you're making a cheese fondue. And to add to this, as a dessert, cheese is pretty rare.
Elegance could bear a little elaboration. It basically measures how skillfully you put your build together, and whether you sacrificed flavor for power. We're cooking here - if your dish doesn't taste good, it doesn't matter how well presented it is. Use of flaws is an automatic loss of one point per flaw in this category. Other things that will cause lost points here are excessive multiclassing, and classes that don't fit the concept - using Cloistered Cleric in a front-line melee fighter, for example, will lose you points. This also applies to using too many homebrew sources. For example, if the Secret ingredient is The Beast Sculpted (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=9576356#post9576356), it's fine to use the Harrowed (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=188148) Base class, because it is required. But it is not fine in such a case to use the Evolutionist (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=112349).
Use of Secret Ingredient just means that you've used a concept in which the secret ingredient is necessary. If you don't use all the levels of the ingredient, or ignore most of the features, or another class would work better in it's place, you'll probably lose points. Also, for using other homebrew sources to build your concept, without them being integral to the Secret ingredient, may lose you points.

Presentation: Builds will be posted anonymously, in order to avoid the potential of bias towards a particular competitor. For this reason, please don't put your name in the build, as I'm likely to miss it when reviewing the entries!

The main competition uses this standardized table for their entries to avoid confusion. I request that it be used here, too.
NAME OF ENTRY
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack<br />Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

2nd|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

3rd|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

4th|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

5th|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

6th|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

7th|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

8th|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

9th|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

10th|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

11th|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

12th|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

13th|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

14th|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

15th|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

16th|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

17th|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

18th|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

19th|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

20th|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities[/table]

code
NAME OF ENTRY
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack<br />Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

2nd|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

3rd|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

4th|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

5th|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

6th|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

7th|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

8th|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

9th|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

10th|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

11th|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

12th|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

13th|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

14th|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

15th|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

16th|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

17th|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

18th|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

19th|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

20th|New Class Level|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities[/table]


For entries with spellcasting table for spells per day and spells known (Spells Known only if necessary, ie Sorcerer or Bard, but not Wizard or Warmage)

Spells per day/Spells Known
{table=head]Level|0lvl|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th|7th|8th|9th

1st|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

2nd|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

3rd|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

4th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

5th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

6th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

7th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

8th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

9th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

10th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

11th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

12th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

13th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

14th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

15th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

16th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

17th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

18th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

19th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

20th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-[/table]

code
Spells per day/Spells Known
{table=head]Level|0lvl|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th|7th|8th|9th

1st|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

2nd|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

3rd|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

4th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

5th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

6th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

7th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

8th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

9th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

10th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

11th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

12th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

13th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

14th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

15th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

16th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

17th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

18th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

19th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

20th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-[/table]


For other systems (Psionics, ToB, Incarnum, etc.) keep track of PP/maneuvers/essentia separately, preferably in a nice neat list.

Speculation: Please don't post or speculate on possible builds until the "reveal", in order to avoid spoiling the surprise if a particular competitor is producing a build along those lines.

Leadership is banned; We're making desert. The main competition is making a meal. Neither is making a seven-course banquet for a hundred diners. Should a Secret Ingredient require or use a similar mechanic, ignore it. Animal companions, familiars, and similar mechanics are OK, but may result in penalties depending on the judges. Anything resulting from any of these does not need to be statted out - simply state the role it will fill.


Alrighty, who wants to be a contestant, who wants to be a judge? I'd like as many contestants and judges as feel like playing!

This round's special ingredient is:

ShneekyTheLost's Shadowdancer fix! (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=12191059#post12191059)

If anyone's willing to draw them, we will have trophies for 1st through 3rd places, as well as a special trophy for honorable mention. The honorable mention prize is given to the most daring or unexpected build. Judges, contestants, spectators and guests alike are invited to vote for honorable mention (after the reveal, doesn't have to be by PM).

Allez optimiser!

Contestants
DarthPeleus

The Builds


Judges


Past Desert Competitions
Round I, Sin Knight (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=213806)
Round II, Helfire Blade (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=217319)
Round III, Maverick Templar (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=222616) (Only one entry :smallfrown:)
Round IV, Task Mage (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=225865)

Current Iron Chef
Round XXIX, Consencrated Harrier (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=229688)

The main competition is starting early, and each segment of the dessert round is going to last 3 weeks (Instead of 2) to counter/work with this.

[DarthPeleus]

Would it be okay for me to use Google Spreadsheets instead of the forum table?

Example here (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ah978jhxw8hkdFYxa2Jwel9PalExUGM3cmNDOTJBM UE&hl=en_US#gid=0)- try to ignore weird racials and stuff. There were some house rules.

I will add a third sheet if spellcasting is involved.

Notice the second sheet tracks skill ranks and combat statistics.

Also I'm rather new to Iron Chef, what is the procedure on equipment?

[flabort]

Would it be okay for me to use Google Spreadsheets instead of the forum table?

Example here (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ah978jhxw8hkdFYxa2Jwel9PalExUGM3cmNDOTJBM UE&hl=en_US#gid=0)- try to ignore weird racials and stuff. There were some house rules.

I will add a third sheet if spellcasting is involved.

Notice the second sheet tracks skill ranks and combat statistics.

Also I'm rather new to Iron Chef, what is the procedure on equipment?

@Using Google spreadsheets: Using the forum code is preferred. Since there is already a pre-designed standardized sheet to use available to copy/paste/fill in, it helps make the entries more uniform, and therefor more anonymous. It's the same sheet used in the main competition, for the same reasons.
While we're at it, though, I have never yet been able to view a Google Doc. Always, always been on a computer that has done some FREAKY psychedelic things to it, or froze, or both, when I try viewing one of those.

@Equipment: Usually, don't rely on it; if your build requires it, it may get more points in power, but lose even more in elegance. Usually, it's common courtesy to include a "Recommended Equipment" section, that calls out what would be best (For example, "Wis boosting gear would be useful, because of his large number of spells and his Wis to AC and Hit features"), but nothing specific ("A Greatclub of Light is most useful because..." is bad).

[DarthPeleus]

Alrighty, I think I got something for this. Put me up as a contestant please.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

I may use the results of the competition to tweak the class, if one or more builds points out a glaring problem or a potentially broken combo.

[DarthPeleus]

I may use the results of the competition to tweak the class, if one or more builds points out a glaring problem or a potentially broken combo.

Didn't see anything particularly broken, other than the double FRA, but then those weeaboos have been able to do that for a while.

A little difficult to qualify for without multiclass, but I like the fix.



I just submitted my build for judging. Are there any rules regarding multiple submissions?

[flabort]

...'mm, sounds like you expect it to be judged right now. :smalltongue: Which may or may not be the case, right? :smallwink: Usually we just collect builds from entrants (Who are allowed to put in two or three), and then post them anonymously all at once, at the beginning of the judging phase.

Thank you for your prompt submission. This is good news for the dessert side competition, which has been struggling in past rounds. Signs of more entrants, perhaps? :smallwink: :smalltongue:

[DarthPeleus]

...'mm, sounds like you expect it to be judged right now. :smalltongue: Which may or may not be the case, right? :smallwink: Usually we just collect builds from entrants (Who are allowed to put in two or three), and then post them anonymously all at once, at the beginning of the judging phase.

Thank you for your prompt submission. This is good news for the dessert side competition, which has been struggling in past rounds. Signs of more entrants, perhaps? :smallwink: :smalltongue:

No no, I don't mean to rush you or anything.

I'm just rather eager to get in on Iron Chef, as this is my first try.

I'll probably get one more build in, to see which will score better.

The current Iron Chef is doing Harrier, which is very :smallyuk: compared to this Shadowdancer fix.

[flabort]

The point of the main competition is to take :smallyuk: classes and make something :smallcool: out of them. :smallwink: Dessert round takes any quality homebrew (Often :smallyuk:, sometimes :smallconfused:, or occasionally :smallamused:) and makes :smallcool: out of them.

I'm trying to make a harrier entry, and it's not doing well. But it's challenging, and that's the point.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

The point of the main competition is to take :smallyuk: classes and make something :smallcool: out of them. :smallwink: Dessert round takes any quality homebrew (Often :smallyuk:, sometimes :smallconfused:, or occasionally :smallamused:) and makes :smallcool: out of them.

I'm trying to make a harrier entry, and it's not doing well. But it's challenging, and that's the point.

After Cryokeneticist, I think everyone involved is owed a touch of sweet to get the bad tasted out of their mouthes...

[DarthPeleus]

I can kind of see that, but I felt the Harrier didn't really have any particularly cool abilities it could call its own.

Dervish, Assassin, Master of Masks...

They have a lot more cool factor imo

Or maybe that's just me watching waaay too much Anime.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

The current Iron Chef is doing Harrier, which is very :smallyuk: compared to this Shadowdancer fix.

Well, I'll certainly take this as a compliment.

I don't know if it would be right of me to enter or judge, since my impartiality is somewhat compromised by the fact that I made the class. However, I eagerly await seeing what everyone does with it!