Alright... We're trying to NOT break Faerun.

[Rossebay]

So, this is the party so far:

Necropolitan Hexblade2/Exoticist1/Battledancer1/Sorcerer1/Spellfire Channeler 1
Uses Imbued Staff (applying to his Heavy Metal Longsword), Item Familiar, Arcane Strike, and Spellfire wielder to increase damage, but overall it's a pretty relaxed build so far. Power Attack. Going into Abjurant Champion at 8th level, and Eldritch Knight from there on out, though I may nix the spellcasting if I can find something else that's good enough.

Wizard5/Red Wizard 1
Specializing in either Transmutation, Conjuration, or Illusion. Not taking alacritous cogitation or anything like that, so that should be pretty decent. 3 schools banned.

Bard 6
General bard feats. Slightly focusing on inspire courage. Pretty basic.

We've got healing down, from my Spellfire and the Bard's healing spells... But, we could probably use more. We need a specialist role. My Spellsword's turns are used up in melee, the Wizard's in battlefield control, and the Bard's in bardic music. Need a trapmonkey, too.

And the ultimate purpose is this: We don't want to break the faerun campaign setting. We know that the NPC's have fighter levels and such, so we've removed ToB from the campaign to cope with a difference. We're basically looking for a Tier 3-4 Trapmonkey/Healer that isn't a Factotum. One that stays pretty in-line with the precedent of tameness set so far.

Any suggestions? The player(s) have exhausted all of their ideas for characters, and we're sort of in a bind.

[deuxhero]

Psychic Rogue. There was a new handbook a week back on it in fact.

(Rogue is tier 4 on its own though.)

[Kuulvheysoon]

Well, you apparently don't have any alignment issues (given the Red Wizard), so perhaps a Black Flame Zealot (CD)? Not too powerful (given the loss of CL).

Or how about someone from the Shadowbane Hunters (either a Stalker (Rogue/Paladin) or an Inquisitor (Rogue/Cleric)?) Both could be interesting, and who doesn't want to play a SA Paladin?

[Hirax]

Ranger has an ACF that trades track for trapfinding, I believe. I know they can get trapfinding at level 1 from somewhere. Add mystic ranger for better spells, if Dragon Magazine is in play, otherwise you'll be pretty middling at healing without magic items.

[Alleran]

You're using spellfire?

Huh. I didn't think anybody really did anymore. I suppose it might be useful for converting unneeded spell slots into some healing, though. It's certainly not going to be all that effective in actual combat. And the RP implications of everybody wanting to kill you or capture you (or both) are mildly severe.

[Godskook]

Rogue 1/Druid 5/Daggerspell Shaper 10

Healing and trapmonkey.

As a suggestion, use Burlew's polymorph fix -and- make Daggerspell Shaper stack for all wildshape purposes.

[Rossebay]

Psychic Rogue. There was a new handbook a week back on it in fact.

(Rogue is tier 4 on its own though.)

Funny, we actually discussed that sort of thing. He seemed to like the idea. I'll push that a little harder.


Well, you apparently don't have any alignment issues (given the Red Wizard), so perhaps a Black Flame Zealot (CD)? Not too powerful (given the loss of CL).

Or how about someone from the Shadowbane Hunters (either a Stalker (Rogue/Paladin) or an Inquisitor (Rogue/Cleric)?) Both could be interesting, and who doesn't want to play a SA Paladin?

We actually talked about this concept as well. That's funny. But, uhh, yeah. He seemed to like the concept for that too... I just didn't know class abilities offhand.
Are Black Flame Zealots from Thay, perchance?


You're using spellfire?

Huh. I didn't think anybody really did anymore. I suppose it might be useful for converting unneeded spell slots into some healing, though. It's certainly not going to be all that effective in actual combat. And the RP implications of everybody wanting to kill you or capture you (or both) are mildly severe.

It's alright, I'm already dead! But, I didn't know what the in-game implications of Spellfire are. We're headed into this blind. I find that very cool. Besides, it makes healing as an Undead a little easier.

[Kuulvheysoon]

We actually talked about this concept as well. That's funny. But, uhh, yeah. He seemed to like the concept for that too... I just didn't know class abilities offhand.
Are Black Flame Zealots from Thay, perchance?


It doesn't straight out say it, but in the Adaptation section it mentions how any nongood God with the Fire Domain could be used to access it, and it specifically mentions Kossuth for Forgotten Realms.

And guess who the (principal) god of Thay is? :smallbiggrin:

[deuxhero]

BFZ serve Kossuth, a deity whose human worshipers are mostly in Thay, so yes.

[Rossebay]

BFZ serve Kossuth, a deity whose human worshipers are mostly in Thay, so yes.

Niiice.
That makes three characters from Thay, then.

My character is supposed to be an ex-Thayan Knight. He died in battle, and the Red Wizard he was defending knew of his Spellfire abilities. He pumped him full of magic, and the Knight stood back up... Undead. So he began to study arcane powers, finding now that he had a reserve of it for himself. (Lost that first level of Thayan Knight, and the feat Iron Will in the process.)

Any fluff-conflicts with that?

And... Finally, we have a bard. I need to ask you guys something. With an Undead Thayan Knight sort of character, a Red Wizard, and a Black Flame Zealot, how does a Bard fit in? I feel like the Bard class breaks the seriousness of the rest of us.
A glowing-eyed, magic-infused undead, a fearsome wizard, and a divine assassin approach, and the lad behind them is skipping and playing a lute. Would there be a more serious way to fluff a bard? We wanted a more serious, lower OP game.

[deuxhero]

How else do you gain fame to go with your fortune than by having epic tales about it?

[Palanan]

There's always the harbinger, which is a bard variant from Dragon 337. You lose Inspire Courage for the ability to inspire fear, and so forth. So instead of skipping and playing a lute, your harbinger bard is intoning an ominous, soul-crushing dirge.

[Rossebay]

On that note, is it possible to create a bard that works on shouting magic into the air, thereby buffing his allies?

[vhfforever]

The Dirgesinger PrC from the Book of Bad Latin is a possibility. Bardsongs work on the undead (potentially controlling them), singing laments for the dead and such.

[Randomguy]

Preform: oratory or vocal could possibly be refluffed as that.

Option for a trapfindy healer: Rogue/cleric/seeker of the misty isle, which is for elves or half elves, is a decent alternative to BFZ.

[nedz]

Scout/Warlock ?
Scout 3+ for Improved Skirmish and skills
Warlock maxing out at 6 for Extra Invokation
After that more Scout for skills
Warlock 4 can UMD wands

or a straightforward Swift Hunter ?

[Averis Vol]

And... Finally, we have a bard. I need to ask you guys something. With an Undead Thayan Knight sort of character, a Red Wizard, and a Black Flame Zealot, how does a Bard fit in? I feel like the Bard class breaks the seriousness of the rest of us.
A glowing-eyed, magic-infused undead, a fearsome wizard, and a divine assassin approach, and the lad behind them is skipping and playing a lute. Would there be a more serious way to fluff a bard? We wanted a more serious, lower OP game.

i seem to recall a certain thayan bard, who after losing his love to szass tam went on a rampage slaying red wizards. eventually he went toe to toe with a dream vestige, killed it, and died himself, only to come back as a revenant.

look up the haunted land trilogy and you'll see who i mean if you don't already know ^^

[Alleran]

It's alright, I'm already dead! But, I didn't know what the in-game implications of Spellfire are. We're headed into this blind. I find that very cool.
Everybody wants it because it's so rare, and many will attempt to capture you for study. Or kill you to study your corpse, if capture becomes too difficult a prospect.

[Rossebay]

Everybody wants it because it's so rare, and many will attempt to capture you for study. Or kill you to study your corpse, if capture becomes too difficult a prospect.

Oof. Harsh. Well, good luck to them. We've got a defected Red Wizard and Black Flame Zealot on my side to defend me... ;D