Iron Chef Optimization Challenge In The Playground XXXI

[Amphetryon]

Welcome, contestants, judges, and guests to Iron Chef XXX. Here in Optimization Colosseum, contestants will endeavor to create an optimized and flavorful character using a specified D&D3.5 prestige class as a "Secret Ingredient".

Contestants: You will need to present a write-up of your build at at least one of the following points: 5th level, 10th level, 15th, 20th, and a "sweet spot" that you feel is the high point of the build, as well as presenting a fully-fleshed out 20-level build in the table below. 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 challenges, the "special ingredient" will be drawn from Core plus Completes. There will, from time to time, be special challenges that showcase secret ingredients from other books--for example, the XPH.

32 point-buy is the presumed creation method, but we 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, and Unearthed Arcana is allowed; but see Elegance below. Web-exclusive 3.0 or 3.5 materials by WotC are expressly allowed, but take care to verify that an updated version did not appear in print elsewhere, as this may cause an Elegance deduction at the judges' discretion. Alternate rule systems from UA such as gestalt are not allowed, as they create a different playing field. Also, item familiars are forbidden because I hate 'em. This comes up often enough to bear mention in the rules: Dragon Compendium is allowed.

Cooking Time: Contestants will have until 11:59PM GMT on Saturday, March 31st, 2012 to create their builds and PM them to the Chairman, Amphetryon. Builds will then be posted simultaneously, to avoid copying. Judges will have until 11:59PM GMT on Saturday, April 14th, 2012 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. If you do not have access to the current challenge's Secret Ingredient, please do not volunteer to judge this round.

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.

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 my predecessors, a little cheddar can be nice, but avoid the mature Gruyere unless you're making a cheese fondue.
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. Please note the following change: a legal source's relative obscurity should not be considered as penalizing Elegance, excepting the aforementioned issues with Unearthed Arcana. Using too many sources may be an Elegance deduction at the judges' discretion, but a book's relative obscurity may not.
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!

Due to concerns about standardizing entry format, I'd like everyone to try to use the following table for their entry.NAME OF ENTRY
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack 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]

CodeNAME OF ENTRY
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack 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, use the following table for Spells per day and Spells Known. (Spells Known only if necessary, i.e. 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]

CodeSpells 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 producing a meal, not a seven-course banquet for a hundred diners. If your entry includes a prestige class or ACF that grants Leadership or a Leadership-like ability as a bonus feat, the feat should be ignored and is not eligible to be traded away for another feat of ACF through any means.

So! Who wants to sign up as a contestant, and who wants to sign up as a judge? Looking for as many contestants and judges as feel like playing!

This week's special ingredient is:
Races of Destiny's Shadow Sentinel!
We will award 1st through 3rd places, as well as a shout-out for honorable mention. The honorable mention prize is given to the most daring or unexpected build. Judges, contestants and guests alike are invited to vote for honorable mention via PM.

Allez optimiser!

Contestants

Judges

The Builds

Past Competitions

Iron Chef I: Entropomancer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=142470)
Iron Chef II: Psibond Agent (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146583)
Iron Chef III: Cancer Mage (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=148584)
Iron Chef IV: Stonelord (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=150595)
Iron Chef V: War Chanter (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=152543)
Iron Chef VI: Master of Masks (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=156876)
Iron Chef VII: Green Star Adept (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=158633)
Iron Chef VIII: Pyrokineticist (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=160266)
Iron Chef IX: Animal Lord (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=162702)
Iron Chef X: Mythic Exemplar (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=164381)
Iron Chef XI: Blade Bravo (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=166539)
Iron Chef XII: War Mind (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=9426386)
Iron Chef XIII: Vigilante (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=172233)
Iron Chef XIV: Seeker of the Song (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=174434)
Iron Chef XV: Drunken Master (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=176049)
Iron Chef XVI: Assassin (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=178202)
Iron Chef XVII: Ardent Dilettante (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=182492)
Iron Chef XVIII: Unseelie Dark Hunter (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=186097)
Iron Chef XIX: Dread Pirate (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=190607)
Iron Chef XX: Incandescent Champion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=10976416)
Iron Chef XXI: Ghostwalker (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=198921)
Iron Chef XXII: Dervish (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=206576)
Iron Chef XXIII: Divine Crusader (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=210071)
Iron Chef XXIV: Tactical Soldier (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=214198)
Iron Chef XXV: Scion of Tem-Et-Nu (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=217441)
Iron Chef XXVI: Shadowdancer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=220956)
Iron Chef XXVII: Mindbender (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=224008)
Iron Chef XXVIII: Cryokineticist (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=227304)
Iron Chef XXIX: Consecrated Harrier (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=229688)
Iron Chef XXX: Initiate of Pistis Sophia (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=233346)

[Amphetryon]

FAQ:
Is Dragon Compendium Allowed? Yes, but individual issues of Dragon Magazine are not.

What about 3.0 materials? 3.0 materials, whether online or in printed form, are allowed unless they've been officially updated to a 3.5 edition.

Are Dragonlance, Ravenloft, Planescape, Dark Sun, or Kingdoms of Kalamar allowable sources? The Dragonlance Campaign Setting is allowed, but the subsequent books for Dragonlance are considered 3rd party, and are therefore not eligible, despite the "WotC approved" status of those books. Similarly, materials from Ravenloft, Planescape, Dark Sun, and Kingdoms of Kalamar are considered 3rd party for purposes of this contest, and are therefore not allowed.



What about online sources in general? If the online source is a) published by WotC, and b) not replaced by an updated version at a later time, it is eligible. Use it, link it.

Where's the line drawn with "acceptable/unacceptable" for Unearthed Arcana? This will likely vary a bit from Chairman to Chairman. Item Familiars have always been verboten, since before IC migrated to GitP; don't expect that to change. Flaws have similarly always been noted as warranting a deduction; while I am Chairman, I'm extending that to Traits, though they warrant 1/2 the penalty in Elegance that a Flaw would because they're roughly 1/2 as useful. Alternate spell systems, alternate skill systems and alternate crafting rules all create an uneven playing field, and as such, will be disallowed for as long as I am Chairman. Bloodlines are ripe for abuse, and will be strongly discouraged as long as I am Chairman. Note that judges are allowed to look askance at any use of Unearthed Arcana not specifically mentioned above, at their discretion, and otherwise penalize Elegance according to their preference.

What the heck do the rules on Umbral Blade mean for this PrC? Umbral Blade cares about adding special properties or powers to it, not about what special properties or powers are already extant on the weapon. The text about "in the hands of anyone not trained in its use" should be read as assuming a blade was not otherwise magical, which is not necessarily the case. Note that delaying entry in order to acquire sufficient WBL for a more enchanted blade before entering Shadow Sentinel is quite likely to get an Elegance hit, as is using various shenanigans to justify swapping out your Umbral Blade whenever it may be convenient to do so (as, for example, in Darrin's post). Note, also, that there is nothing in the text for Shadow Sentinel allowing it to bypass normal enhancement bonus caps, so you cannot, for example, use Shadow Sentinel to get a +7 long sword.

Casting a spell, manifesting a psionic power, dousing poison, etc. on your Umbral Blade is not "adding special powers or properties to your Umbral Blade" by what I would consider a reasonable reading of the text, though using shenanigans to have those effects last hours and hours could get you thwapped with an Elegance penalty ("your unmodified caster/manifester level" is not shenanigans). Using weapon crystals or attempting to have it actually, (further) permanently enchanted or permanently alchemically treated once it becomes your Umbral Blade is "adding special powers or properties to your Umbral Blade", and is therefore specifically proscribed by the text of the PrC.

If someone can point to a RAW reason why the above interpretation of Umbral Blade is wrong, please do so.

[Gotterdammerung]

Nice i like this one. And I got a fun build already xD

[Venger]

Huh. I've never even heard of this class before. It looks pretty good though and I have a fun concept in mind. i'll throw my chips in as a chef and see if I can get a streak going.

[Kuulvheysoon]

Huh. I've never even heard of this class before. It looks pretty good though and I have a fun concept in mind. i'll throw my chips in as a chef and see if I can get a streak going.

Seconded. I'll have to take a look at the class and see if I can make anything of it.

[Amechra]

I will be participating in this.

[OMG PONIES]

Interesting; a secret ingredient that isn't particularly bad or tough to get into, but one that is at once unique and overlooked. Nice pick, Chairman! I will refrain from opening my trap about competing or judging prematurely, but I am very interested in this round.

[Aeryr]

Shadow's begone this one shall purify you. I'll try to cook something this weekend.

Good luck everyone.

[tanderson11]

I may try participating in this contest. I do have one question about the ruling of Shadow Points. The entry explicitly states that spending Shadow Points is a Swift Action, how does this work in conjunction with abilities like Shadow Drain, which is activated after striking an enemy? As far as I know, swift actions cannot interrupt full attack routines.

[Amphetryon]

For any who saw and have yet to grok my cryptic comment about "another PrC from Book of Exalted Deeds", I was seriously considering Anointed Knight before I realized I wanted to also use this PrC at a later date.

[gbprime]

Nice ingredient choice, Mr Chairman. However, the relative lack of judges pains me even more than the special ingredient entices me. I shall judge this time around.

JUDGING CRITERIA

Originality - Surprise me. I want to see something out of the ordinary, be it Race, Template, Class, PrC, feat combo, or backstory. If there's a simple and straightforward way to get a prerequisite or ability, find some other way. If there isn't another way to get it, then give it a unique spin or synergy. (Please note that Originality is relative. It may very well be original to use a specific race, unless multiple builds in the contest also used the same thing... which will tend to lower the score for all of them.) Penalties for 1-2 level dips in base classes will be placed in this category.

Power - What kind of power and versatility is this build capable of cranking out? My criteria are based on the high side of a moderate power level, something any experienced DM could handle in their game. (See my past entries if you want examples.) If you exceed that power level, you get more points. Fail to exceed it, you get less. But if you exceed it TOO FAR, to the point that this build needs no other party members or renders other party members useless by comparison... well you won't lose points, but you won't get too many bonus ones either. (More power than a DM can handle is actually a BAD thing, IMO.)

Elegance - The classic hero in comic and myth is a capable fellow, does one thing amazingly well, and has one or more glaring weaknesses, so bonuses for that sort of thing. Other bonuses include (but are not limited to) single classing or simple combinations rather than complicated ones, hooking multiple mechanics together in one package (like Wisdom-to-AC and Zen Archery), and anything that strikes me as just plain old cool. Penalties in this category include (but are not limited to) cheesy combinations, iffy or incorrect rules interpretations, and tricks which make little sense and add nothing to the build. An illegal build will typically be flatlined with a 1.0 in this category. (Please note that elegance may come into direct conflict with power and/or originality, and it may not be possible for your concept to get high scores in all three. You live with these choices as tradeoffs.)

Use of Secret Ingredient - This one should be pretty obvious, so I'll list out a few specific things to keep in mind. What does it do for you that you couldn't have done better by avoiding it? Did you use all 10 PrC levels? Did you get into the PrC so late that it's abilities were nearly obsolete when you gained them? Did you synergize or supercharge those abilities? Did you increase, maximize, or ignore the Special Ingredient's required skills? (No skill requirements this time around, does not apply.)

Scoring - Since we're going on a scale of 1-5 here, I'll be using 3.0 for each category as the default score. To that I'll add by the quarter point for good stuff and subtract by the quarter point for bad stuff. A dead average build should be around a 12 and the builds that go under 9 or over 15 should be rare. Y'know... in theory. :smallwink:

[Cieyrin]

Hey, Races of Destiny, a book we haven't run an ingredient from before, and a PrC I've always wanted to try out. Maybe I'll manage an entry this time around, but that's what I said about Animal Lord (Darfellan Sharklord :/) and Scion of Tem-Et-Nu (Druid with small army of hippos via Animal Control and Blessed of Tem-Et-Nu + Bone Talisman, including a Horrid Hippo Wild Cohort). Guess we'll see...

Also good to see an FAQ post, we so desperately needed one. Hopefully that'll nip that particular problem at the bud.

[Kuulvheysoon]

Alright, so a basic melee class. Looks to be focused on their weapon... Chairman, did you give us a wanna-be soulknife?:smalltongue:

Easy requirements, though every entry is going to have to be Illumian.

The PrC class skills list... she burns. WHY is it so terrible?

[Amphetryon]

I have received a couple of PMs already. I'm clarifying one point on the PrC:

Having read over the class several times now, I find nowhere that it is indicated that you are automatically proficient with your umbral blade (although you do get to choose its base form. If someone can cite a passage to the contrary, that would alleviate the apparent concerns in the PMs considerably.) The verbiage I do find is that "in the hands of anyone not trained in its use, an umbral blade is merely a weapon with a +1 enhancement bonus". This combines to indicate, so far as I can tell, that while you could theoretically use the PrC to end up with an umbral blade in a form you're not proficient with, doing so would automatically mean you're non-proficiently wielding a mere +1 version of whatever weapon shape the umbral blade is in.

Again, if someone could cite rules as to why this is/is not the right reading, that would be lovely.

[gbprime]

Having read over the class several times now, I find nowhere that it is indicated that you are automatically proficient with your umbral blade

I concur. Shouldn't be an issue. Like any other weapon, you don't automatically have proficiency with it. You get to choose the form of the weapon when you take the class, so choose one you do have proficiency with and go from there.

[Aeryr]

I have received a couple of PMs already. I'm clarifying one point on the PrC:

Having read over the class several times now, I find nowhere that it is indicated that you are automatically proficient with your umbral blade (although you do get to choose its base form. If someone can cite a passage to the contrary, that would alleviate the apparent concerns in the PMs considerably.) The verbiage I do find is that "in the hands of anyone not trained in its use, an umbral blade is merely a weapon with a +1 enhancement bonus". This combines to indicate, so far as I can tell, that while you could theoretically use the PrC to end up with an umbral blade in a form you're not proficient with, doing so would automatically mean you're non-proficiently wielding a mere +1 version of whatever weapon shape the umbral blade is in.

Again, if someone could cite rules as to why this is/is not the right reading, that would be lovely.

That seems a correct reading of the class.

There is a REALLY OBVIOUS way around that problem, but I don't think that saying it in public couldn't be considered speculation. Might I PM it to the Chairman?

EDIT: Argh I hate errrors, I got a quadrupled message and errors on my deleting errors ****.

[gbprime]

A quadruple post? Man, I can't wait til Rich spends some of his kickstarter scratch on a better server...

[Cieyrin]

I have received a couple of PMs already. I'm clarifying one point on the PrC:

Having read over the class several times now, I find nowhere that it is indicated that you are automatically proficient with your umbral blade (although you do get to choose its base form. If someone can cite a passage to the contrary, that would alleviate the apparent concerns in the PMs considerably.) The verbiage I do find is that "in the hands of anyone not trained in its use, an umbral blade is merely a weapon with a +1 enhancement bonus". This combines to indicate, so far as I can tell, that while you could theoretically use the PrC to end up with an umbral blade in a form you're not proficient with, doing so would automatically mean you're non-proficiently wielding a mere +1 version of whatever weapon shape the umbral blade is in.

Again, if someone could cite rules as to why this is/is not the right reading, that would be lovely.

"In the hands of anyone not trained in its use," at least to my eyes, indicates whether you have the Umbral Blade feature or not, not whether you have proficiency with said weapon type. When you choose its form, the form indicates proficiency or nonproficiency. So if a Human Fighter picked up a Shadow Sentinal's Umbral Blade, which has the shape of greatsword, she could wield it as a +1 greatsword, she wouldn't get the extra bonus if that Shadow Sentinal was 4th level or higher in the PrC or any other features that are currently acting on it from SS features.

[Amphetryon]

A quadruple post? Man, I can't wait til Rich spends some of his kickstarter scratch on a better server...Yea, verily, what a frabjous day that shall be.


"In the hands of anyone not trained in its use," at least to my eyes, indicates whether you have the Umbral Blade feature or not, not whether you have proficiency with said weapon type. When you choose its form, the form indicates proficiency or nonproficiency. So if a Human Fighter picked up a Shadow Sentinal's Umbral Blade, which has the shape of greatsword, she could wield it as a +1 greatsword, she wouldn't get the extra bonus if that Shadow Sentinal was 4th level or higher in the PrC or any other features that are currently acting on it from SS features.I read "In the hands of anyone not trained in its use" to be inclusive of both Umbral Blade and weapon type, from context given. The question was (paraphrased as) "So what happens when an Umbral Blade is shaped into a whip by a Shadow Sentinel who isn't proficient with whip?" So far as I can tell, it would be treated as a +1 whip with which the Shadow Sentinel is not proficient, aka the most amazing tactical weapon since the toffee spear.

[Cieyrin]

I read "In the hands of anyone not trained in its use" to be inclusive of both Umbral Blade and weapon type, from context given. The question was (paraphrased as) "So what happens when an Umbral Blade is shaped into a whip by a Shadow Sentinel who isn't proficient with whip?" So far as I can tell, it would be treated as a +1 whip with which the Shadow Sentinel is not proficient, aka the most amazing tactical weapon since the toffee spear.

So we're saying a Shadow Sentinal can't use their Umbral Blade's full powers if its in a form that they aren't proficient with? That seems...odd to me, honestly, unless I'm missing something and answering that would probably be speculation, so I guess I'll just be confused by that point while I try to think of something neat to do with this.

[Aeryr]

My biggest concern (I hope is general enough for everyone) is... what happens with double weapons?

[Kuulvheysoon]

My biggest concern (I hope is general enough for everyone) is... what happens with double weapons?

I asked the Chairperson myself and he responded with a reply that basically boils down to "If it doesn't explicitly state that it only affects one side of a double sided weapon (like Kensai does) then it affects both sides of the weapon".

[Dumbledore lives]

Well it's certainly more usable than the last SI, I'll see if I can make something unique.

[Fearan]

*You can't add other properties or powers to your Umbral blade*
Crraptastic. That's the biggest hit to the class. Well, my initial idea went null.

[Piggy Knowles]

OK, I'm running a bit of a fever and I'm woozy from various meds, so maybe I'm just being delusional, but I think I have a pretty cool build worked out already. I'll write it down and see if it makes sense when I'm less addled, but I'm feeling pretty decent about it thus far...

[spelacnar]

*You can't add other properties or powers to your Umbral blade*
Crraptastic. That's the biggest hit to the class. Well, my initial idea went null.

The way I interpret that is you can't use your Umbral Blade class featureto give your weapon an additional property. For example, at level 4 when your Umbral Blade is +2, you can't opt to make it a +1 Keen blade, which equals a +2 enhancement bonus. It just seems like poor wording.

Can we get a clarification from the Chairman on this?

[Amphetryon]

The way I interpret that is you can't use your Umbral Blade class featureto give your weapon an additional property. For example, at level 4 when your Umbral Blade is +2, you can't opt to make it a +1 Keen blade, which equals a +2 enhancement bonus. It just seems like poor wording.

Can we get a clarification from the Chairman on this?

I read it as no other enchantments, including weapon crystals, dipping a (non-kaorti) umbral blade in kaorti resin, etc. With other PrCs/class features, I'd think they fall under the "specific trumps general" exception and are thus allowed.

If someone can cite rules invalidating this reading, please do so.

[Venger]

I read it as no other enchantments, including weapon crystals, dipping a (non-kaorti) umbral blade in kaorti resin, etc. With other PrCs/class features, I'd think they fall under the "specific trumps general" exception and are thus allowed.

If someone can cite rules invalidating this reading, please do so.

I would agree with the others (and not just because it'll un-cripple this ability)

umbral blade seems to be like a template applied to a pre-existing weapon of at least +1 since it can be put on new weapons in case you lose your old one. since the "base weapon" (+1 or more slashing weapon) can get more stuff, then it seems to stand to reason that this would too.

like many copypasta errors, this stems from a lack of pasta. it seems to be trying to differentiate itself from FoP's magic weapon ability which does let you imbue items with a +x ability with x equal to a number in raw enhancements or properties (shock, frost, etc) but didn't remember to put that, similar to the confusion caused with tactical soldier's free/not free combat reflexes.

since it was talking about you putting enhancements on your weapons the sentence before, I think that's what it was talking about

I can't seem to find an errata for RoD, that's how I understand it.

[Amphetryon]

I would agree with the others (and not just because it'll un-cripple this ability)

umbral blade seems to be like a template applied to a pre-existing weapon of at least +1 since it can be put on new weapons in case you lose your old one. since the "base weapon" (+1 or more slashing weapon) can get more stuff, then it seems to stand to reason that this would too.

like many copypasta errors, this stems from a lack of pasta. it seems to be trying to differentiate itself from FoP's magic weapon ability which does let you imbue items with a +x ability with x equal to a number in raw enhancements or properties (shock, frost, etc) but didn't remember to put that, similar to the confusion caused with tactical soldier's free/not free combat reflexes.

since it was talking about you putting enhancements on your weapons the sentence before, I think that's what it was talking about

I can't seem to find an errata for RoD, that's how I understand it.
I'm sorry; I honestly cannot tell from your response if you're agreeing or disagreeing with my posted understanding of the rules for further enchantments.

[WinWin]

"You can't add other special powers or properties to your Umbral Blade"

Actual text. Clear cut. The other abilities of the class (morphic blade, shadow strike, shadowbane, shadowsharp) specifically reference the Umbral Blade ability.

Abilities or powers that modify attacks would work. Abilities or powers that modify the properties of the Umbral Blade will not.

However...any slashing melee weapon with an enchancement bonus of at least +1 can be transformed into an Umbral Blade that gains the powers approriate to your level.

What happens to any powers or properties possessed by the weapon is not clear. They are not being 'added' to the Umbral Blade if they are a pre existing power or special property.

[spelacnar]

The other thing that leads me to believe that you can have other properties is the part about making a new Umbral Blade if you lose your current one. It states that the new weapon has to have "At least" a +1 enhancement. So I could imbue a +1 keen greatsword into a new Umbral Blade and it would gain all the properties based on your level. It doesn't state that you would lose previous powers/enhancement on the weapon.

[Amphetryon]

The other thing that leads me to believe that you can have other properties is the part about making a new Umbral Blade if you lose your current one. It states that the new weapon has to have "At least" a +1 enhancement. So I could imbue a +1 keen greatsword into a new Umbral Blade and it would gain all the properties based on your level. It doesn't state that you would lose previous powers/enhancement on the weapon.

Nope, it doesn't. Did someone in the thread?

[Amechra]

What about the adaptation to enter the class as non-Illumians?

[Amphetryon]

What about the adaptation to enter the class as non-Illumians?

Adaptations generally widen the base too far for Iron Chef purposes. Given the otherwise easy entry, I'm going to say the adaptation section is off-limits for this one.

[Amechra]

Okie-dokie.

[Venger]

I'm sorry; I honestly cannot tell from your response if you're agreeing or disagreeing with my posted understanding of the rules for further enchantments.

sorry if my wording was confusing (since the text is somewhat ambiguous) but what I was saying is that I was disagreeing. I believe what was intended was you can't put any further enhancements on your umbral blade with your umbral blade ability by leveling up, you just get the naked bonus and cannot select special abilities like shock or frost. the reason I believe this is because it was talking about how the umbral blade works and it wasn't ust speaking generally

[Jeriah]

I think I might have a build for this one...

[gbprime]

The other thing that leads me to believe that you can have other properties is the part about making a new Umbral Blade if you lose your current one. It states that the new weapon has to have "At least" a +1 enhancement. So I could imbue a +1 keen greatsword into a new Umbral Blade and it would gain all the properties based on your level. It doesn't state that you would lose previous powers/enhancement on the weapon.

Unless the chairman states otherwise, I'd call that a hit to elegance at the very least.

[Amphetryon]

sorry if my wording was confusing (since the text is somewhat ambiguous) but what I was saying is that I was disagreeing. I believe what was intended was you can't put any further enhancements on your umbral blade with your umbral blade ability by leveling up, you just get the naked bonus and cannot select special abilities like shock or frost. the reason I believe this is because it was talking about how the umbral blade works and it wasn't ust speaking generallyIn which part is this disagreeing with what I posted?

[Zaq]

Heh. I love the contrast between this one and the last one, especially in terms of entry requirements.

Illumians are my favorite race, and I have ever so slightly more time than usual this week. I sincerely doubt that I'll be able to put anything together, but if inspiration strikes like a thunderbolt, I'll let you know.

[Aeryr]

"You can't add other special powers or properties to your Umbral Blade"

Actual text. Clear cut. The other abilities of the class (morphic blade, shadow strike, shadowbane, shadowsharp) specifically reference the Umbral Blade ability.

Abilities or powers that modify attacks would work. Abilities or powers that modify the properties of the Umbral Blade will not.

However...any slashing melee weapon with an enchancement bonus of at least +1 can be transformed into an Umbral Blade that gains the powers approriate to your level.

What happens to any powers or properties possessed by the weapon is not clear. They are not being 'added' to the Umbral Blade if they are a pre existing power or special property.


+1 You can't add powers, but preexisting powers should be fine, of course elegance can take a hit.

I don't really know about "temporal enhancements" weapon crystals or spells, I don't believe that spells are on the spirit of that rule and weapon crystals just are on the verge (imo).

Ps. I don't really think that Umbral Blade could work with Kensai or Annointed Knight (for example) they are actively adding enchancements to the blade.

[Thurbane]

I got all excited when I read RoD...I started doing a happy dance in my chair chanting "Urban Soul! Urban Soul!"...then I saw Shadow Sentinel. :smallfrown: Still, looks like an interesting ingredient. I may try and get a build in. If not, I should be able to have a go at judging.

Without wandering into speculation, I don't think there's a lot of wiggle room for race in this one. I can't imagine we'll be seeing any Lumi or Equicephs this round. :smalltongue:

[Feytalist]

Illumians, huh. I'll have to brush up on my sigil capabilities. I like the idea of this class, but I've never been able to do anything special with it.

Also only 10 daaaays :O Should be enough though.

[Thurbane]

I love it when the fluff text for a PrC is completely unsupported by the PrC itself:

When you reach the higher levels of the prestige class, you’ll quickly become adept at figuring out how best to bypass a monster’s magical defenses, using the relevant Knowledge skill to learn more about your enemy.
Oh yeah, you know, those Knowledge skills that are notably NOT on your craptastic skill list, with your whopping 2 skill points per level. :smallamused:

[SilverLeaf167]

I have lots of free time and the PrC seems interesting, and as I'm sick anyway, I might participate this time.

Kinda anxious, it's my first entry. :smallredface:

[Darrin]

*You can't add other properties or powers to your Umbral blade*
Crraptastic. That's the biggest hit to the class. Well, my initial idea went null.

There are ways around that. Example:

1) Sword +1 infused into umbral blade.
2) "Lose" Sword +1 by dropping it in a river, bag of holding, shadow cache, making it out of aurorum (sunder), etc.
3) Pick up Axe +1, spend 100 GP/24 hours to make it your next umbral blade.
4) Locate lost Sword +1 (detect magic, locate object, instant summons, etc.), enchant it into Keen Flaming Penguinbane Slow-burst Speed Sword +5.
5) "Lose" Axe +1.
6) Spend 100 GP/24 hours to make Sword +5 your next umbral blade.

[SilverLeaf167]

There are ways around that. Example:

1) Sword +1 infused into umbral blade.
2) "Lose" Sword +1 by dropping it in a river, bag of holding, shadow cache, making it out of aurorum (sunder), etc.
3) Pick up Axe +1, spend 100 GP/24 hours to make it your next umbral blade.
4) Locate lost Sword +1 (detect magic, locate object, instant summons, etc.), enchant it into Keen Flaming Penguinbane Slow-burst Speed Sword +5.
5) "Lose" Axe +1.
6) Spend 100 GP/24 hours to make Sword +5 your next umbral blade.
That would definitely result in a big Elegance drop from most judges, I think, even though it adds some Power.
I don't know if having a Penguinbane sword would give you points in some hidden Humor category :smallbiggrin: but I definitely like the idea.

[WinWin]

I will not be competing, but I have some free time; There are a few things that may require further clarification.

Not adding powers or special properties too your umbral blade.

It would seem the intent was to prevent further enchantment (Weapon Special Properties, Special Powers from an intelligent Item), however that is not actually stated.

So what is a power or special property?

I would suggest that spells that modify your weapon would count, eg. Align Weapon, Magic Weapon, Keen Weapon.

The ability of the Duskblade to channel spells though attacks, would not count. Other class features such as Smite, modify attacks, but do not alter the properties of the weapon, per se.

Nor would spells such as Haste count. Personal spells that modify attacks are distinct from those that target a specific weapon.

Does injury poison modify the weapon? What about alchemical gear? Are the properties of the weapon being altered here, or is the effect ancillary to the attack? I want to say no, but that position does not seem consistant with other abilities and effects that modify the properties of weapon.

Most weapon Crystals seem to either alter the properties of the weapon or attacks made with the weapon. There are a number of other items that can modify attacks or grant properties simply by being worn though, such as Gauntlets of Destruction or Gloves of the Uldra Savant. While unlikely to come up, someone may present a gear dependant character.

Clarification and consensus on these points (and others) may prevent issues after the reveal. It may also help judges keep their rulings consistent should someone utilise Umbral Blade in an unexpected fashion.

[kestrel404]

Hmm. Required race Illumian. That's going to cut down on the possibility for originality somewhat. Fortunately, Illumian's have a rather versatile racial ability. I'm going to have to read up on them again...

[SilverLeaf167]

I am annoyed by the fact that all the Illumian words are useless if you're not a caster or rogue, especially as the given prestige class doesn't progress either casting or sneak attack. :smallannoyed:

[Soranar]

Concerning the Illumian Krau sigil (+1 caster level), can we assume it can be applied to a psionic class or are we restricted to a straight interpretation?

[Z3ro]

Hmmmm...I am completely unfamiliar with Illumian, but the class itself seems interesting. I may or may not enter, once I brush up on Illumian abilities. If not, I'll post judging guidelines.

[Amphetryon]

Unless the chairman states otherwise, I'd call that a hit to elegance at the very least.

Why would it be a hit in Elegance, exactly, to choose a weapon that's already a magical weapon as your Umbral Blade? Where in the text, or in any of my responses thus far, is it stated that any enhancements or special properties already on the weapon when it becomes your Umbral Blade go away?

Attempting, again, to clarify this point:

Umbral Blade cares about adding special properties or powers to it, not about what special properties or powers are already extant on the weapon. The text about "in the hands of anyone not trained in its use" should be read as assuming a blade was not otherwise magical, which is not necessarily the case. Note that delaying entry in order to acquire sufficient WBL for a more enchanted blade before entering Shadow Sentinel is quite likely to get an Elegance hit, as is using various shenanigans to justify swapping out your Umbral Blade whenever it may be convenient to do so (as, for example, in Darrin's post). Note, also, that there is nothing in the text for Shadow Sentinel allowing it to bypass normal enhancement bonus caps, so you cannot, for example, use Shadow Sentinel to get a +7 long sword.

Casting a spell, manifesting a psionic power, dousing poison, etc. on your Umbral Blade is not "adding special powers or properties to your Umbral Blade" by what I would consider a reasonable reading of the text, though using shenanigans to have those effects last hours and hours could get you thwapped with an Elegance penalty. Using weapon crystals or attempting to have it actually, (further) permanently enchanted once it becomes your Umbral Blade is "adding special powers or properties to your Umbral Blade", and is therefore specifically proscribed by the text of the PrC.

Questions?

[Cieyrin]

Without wandering into speculation, I don't think there's a lot of wiggle room for race in this one. I can't imagine we'll be seeing any Lumi or Equicephs this round. :smalltongue:

Illumnians are pretty flexible, though, with their sigils and words, so there may be quite a bit of originality from choosing an interesting combo on that front.

On Umbral Blades, could we have the final interpretation on that put in the FAQ so we don't have to pore through the thread? That would be immensely helpful. :smallsmile:

[Amphetryon]

Concerning the Illumian Krau sigil (+1 caster level), can we assume it can be applied to a psionic class or are we restricted to a straight interpretation?

Psionic/Magic transparency is not typically extended to Illumian sigils, to my knowledge. I'd love to be proven wrong on this one (no, really, I would).


On Umbral Blades, could we have the final interpretation on that put in the FAQ so we don't have to pore through the thread? That would be immensely helpful.

Done.

[gbprime]

Why would it be a hit in Elegance, exactly, to choose a weapon that's already a magical weapon as your Umbral Blade? Where in the text, or in any of my responses thus far, is it stated that any enhancements or special properties already on the weapon when it becomes your Umbral Blade go away?

...

Questions?

Fair enough, and a good discussion on what qualifies as added/enhanced. Elegance hit comment is hereby retracted.

[Menteith]

I'll be interested in competing. This will be my first Iron Chef, but I've always been interested in trying it out. I read through the opening post, and it didn't specify who we should submit the builds to - should I just PM it to Amphetryon after I've completed it? Looking forward to coming up with something delicious!

[Kuulvheysoon]

I'll be interested in competing. This will be my first Iron Chef, but I've always been interested in trying it out. I read through the opening post, and it didn't specify who we should submit the builds to - should I just PM it to Amphetryon after I've completed it? Looking forward to coming up with something delicious!

Yeah, just PM it straight to the Chairperson (Amph) in the specified format before March 31st and you'll be shiny.

[Menteith]

Yeah, just PM it straight to the Chairperson (Amph) in the specified format before March 31st and you'll be shiny.

Alright, sounds good. My first attempt is mired in a really weird place right now, but if I can solve a single problem, I think I can get the build to work. Yay, splat diving for really esoteric solutions....

[OMG PONIES]

Alright, sounds good. My first attempt is mired in a really weird place right now, but if I can solve a single problem, I think I can get the build to work. Yay, splat diving for really esoteric solutions....

Methinks you'll fit in with the Iron Chef crowd just fine :smallcool:

[Venger]

That would definitely result in a big Elegance drop from most judges, I think, even though it adds some Power.
I don't know if having a Penguinbane sword would give you points in some hidden Humor category :smallbiggrin: but I definitely like the idea.

well, like with most equipment, it's not necessary to dress your characters to the gills, equipment is situational anyway and people will wear it depending on the campaign,verminbane blade for the demonweb pits, elemental for tomb of elemental evil, etc. if that's how the blade is ruled to work, then I think it can be understood that we'll all just be doing that anyway since martial characters need magic weapons to remain relevant. I don't think that giving a melee character a magic weapon is exactly game breaking, it's what a straight fighter would have anyway.

I do kind of hope your writeup is about how much your character hates penguins though. that would be awesome.

[Kuulvheysoon]

I don't know about penguins - clearly, geese are the most dangerous fowl.

They are planning on taking over the world, after all.

On a lighter note, I might actually have 2 builds completed by the 31st. Neither is particularly GOOD, per se, but I came up with two stories, so, of course, I needed to crunch the second one out too.

[OMG PONIES]

Oh my gorsh; I may have just inadvertently done something awesome. :smallbiggrin:

[flabort]

I don't know about penguins - clearly, geese are the most dangerous fowl.

They are planning on taking over the world, after all.

On a lighter note, I might actually have 2 builds completed by the 31st. Neither is particularly GOOD, per se, but I came up with two stories, so, of course, I needed to crunch the second one out too.

From their headquarters here in mapleland Canada.

Hmm... Limited to one race? :smallfrown: I'll see if I can come up with something, I'll have to check the books...

[Menteith]

Arg, going to have to restart. Blah. I'll post the idea of the build after the submission deadline, see if I can get it working with some help, but it's time to switch to my backup. Alas.

[Hunter Killer]

I think I found something cool. I'm going to try this again; Hopefully I can place this time around. Probably not, but meh...

Regarding last round's trophies, the Mindbender trophy, and the judge medal for Jeriah: I'll get to them when I get to them. Been lazy lately. :smalltongue:

[Venger]

I think I found something cool. I'm going to try this again; Hopefully I can place this time around. Probably not, but meh...

Regarding last round's trophies, the Mindbender trophy, and the judge medal for Jeriah: I'll get to them when I get to them. Been lazy lately. :smalltongue:

wow! thanks! I'm excited

[Amphetryon]

I think I found something cool. I'm going to try this again; Hopefully I can place this time around. Probably not, but meh...

Regarding last round's trophies, the Mindbender trophy, and the judge medal for Jeriah: I'll get to them when I get to them. Been lazy lately. :smalltongue:

Looking forward to both the submission and the trophies, Hunter Killer. :smallsmile:

[Gotterdammerung]

Illumians are an entire race designed around supporting multi-classing. I'm not sure how that works in a contest that sometimes penalizes multi-classing, but meh, I guess we shall see.

Thanks for all the clarifications about how the Umbral blade works for this contest. I'm glad we now have a unified interpretation of this ability.


I've got a lot of juicy stuff cooking. I can't decide if I should stuff it all onto one hilariously silly yet cool build. Or split it into 2 builds, one hilariously silly and one serious and cool.

[SilverLeaf167]

I'm feeling kind of lost on how to do this in an Original way, but I'll definitely have something applicable.

[Thurbane]

Casting a spell, manifesting a psionic power, dousing poison, etc. on your Umbral Blade is not "adding special powers or properties to your Umbral Blade" by what I would consider a reasonable reading of the text, though using shenanigans to have those effects last hours and hours could get you thwapped with an Elegance penalty. Using weapon crystals or attempting to have it actually, (further) permanently enchanted once it becomes your Umbral Blade is "adding special powers or properties to your Umbral Blade", and is therefore specifically proscribed by the text of the PrC.
An excellent call, as far as I'm concerned. Might help me with the first concept that popped into my head...:smallcool:

Illumians are an entire race designed around supporting multi-classing. I'm not sure how that works in a contest that sometimes penalizes multi-classing, but meh, I guess we shall see.
Most hits for multiclassing are usually on when they would cause XP penalties, or fall into what an individual judge considers to be "dips" (not that all judges deduct for dips anyhow).

[SilverLeaf167]

Most hits for multiclassing are usually on when they would cause XP penalties, or fall into what an individual judge considers to be "dips" (not that all judges deduct for dips anyhow).
What if it's one of those rare instances where the dip actually fits the character and his hilarious backstory? :smallbiggrin:

[Feytalist]

I may actually have a cool idea. Not the most original ever, but it is at least based on using the given class abilities. Hopefully no-one else is going quite that direction.

First idea failed spectacularly. There's only three entry requirements, and I got hung up on one of them. Heh.

Now just to do the write up. I've noticed I have a very specific way of writing and explaining myself. I've already had one person saying they recognise my writing style. Meh, I don't want to have to change how I write :/

[gbprime]

What if it's one of those rare instances where the dip actually fits the character and his hilarious backstory? :smallbiggrin:

IMO, you get a penalty for the dip and a bonus for the concept and back story. it's a trade off. Do it and hope it results in a net positive. :smallwink:

[Cieyrin]

What if it's one of those rare instances where the dip actually fits the character and his hilarious backstory? :smallbiggrin:

Depends on how you pull it off. As gb has already said, if you think you can make more by taking the risk, go for it. Build what you want; if you build something you like and are proud of, others may see it in the same way.


Now just to do the write up. I've noticed I have a very specific way of writing and explaining myself. I've already had one person saying they recognise my writing style. Meh, I don't want to have to change how I write :/

I wouldn't worry about it unless you're worried about that negatively effecting your scores. That could be a good thing if a repeat judge likes the cut of your jib or bad if it rubs a judge the wrong way. Like everything in Iron Chef, judge for yourself how much it'll be worth to change your writing style for points.

Consider Fistbear Bearfist, which was modified by Solo from the original Fistbeard Beardfist and he got marked off because judges thought he was someone else copying off his work. Ironic, that. :smallwink:

[Kuulvheysoon]

I may actually have a cool idea. Not the most original ever, but it is at least based on using the given class abilities. Hopefully no-one else is going quite that direction.

First idea failed spectacularly. There's only three entry requirements, and I got hung up on one of them. Heh.

Now just to do the write up. I've noticed I have a very specific way of writing and explaining myself. I've already had one person saying they recognise my writing style. Meh, I don't want to have to change how I write :/

How in the planes did you miss one of the requirements?

...Never mind. I totally missed the Weapon Focus in my first draft of build as well, so I apparently can't talk.

[Sgt. Cookie]

I'll give this a go. Now, to work on the draft...

[SilverLeaf167]

I'll give this a go. Now, to work on the draft...


This may sound like a really idiotic question, but where can I find the Illumian racial stats?
In Races of Destiny, of course. Page 53 to be more precise.

[Sgt. Cookie]

Thank you, silver leaf. I had trouble locating the exact page.

[mattie_p]

This will be my first Iron Chef, but I'm preparing a build as well. Allez Optimizers!

[Heatwizard]

Man. So I told myself in the last IC that I'd get in on the next one, just to have some practice building outside of 'take everything the handbook labels blue'. This is hard! This class just actively resists letting me do things with it. I mean, I have a build, but it doesn't really go anywhere after 10. (It is also terrible.) But then, that's par for the course, I suppose.

[SilverLeaf167]

I would say the PrC requirements are... "deviously restrictive", in lack of a better word. Being limited to a single fairly niche race is an annoying restriction, and the lack of almost any other requirements has a certain psychological effect.

You know: if there are many weird feat requirements, you are motivated to think of a build that makes them work. If there's only a single, easy requirement (like this PrC), you might end up just making a standard character and adding the PrC on top.

EDIT: By the way, has the special ingredient ever been anything other than a prestige class? Might that ever happen in the future?

[Menteith]

Does the Player's Guide to Fauren's update to Unapproachable East count as an official update to 3.5? i.e., is Unapproachable East legal for the purposes of Iron Chef? I'm sorry, I've been looking through past Iron Chef contests to see if this question has been answered and can't find a ruling, and the OP doesn't mention it.

[Darrin]

Does the Player's Guide to Fauren's update to Unapproachable East count as an official update to 3.5? i.e., is Unapproachable East legal for the purposes of Iron Chef? I'm sorry, I've been looking through past Iron Chef contests to see if this question has been answered and can't find a ruling, and the OP doesn't mention it.

Even if it weren't, 3.0 material is still legal.

That being said... even though PGtF pretty much updates Unapproachable East to 3.5, there are still some conversion issues that might need to be addressed via a PM to the Chairperson (I'm looking at you, Mr. Shou Disciple with Martial Flurry).

[Amphetryon]

EDIT: By the way, has the special ingredient ever been anything other than a prestige class? Might that ever happen in the future?Nope, and not on my watch, respectively.

[mattie_p]

Man. So I told myself in the last IC that I'd get in on the next one, just to have some practice building outside of 'take everything the handbook labels blue'.

Incarnum much? Everything there is blue.

[Menteith]

Even if it weren't, 3.0 material is still legal.

"What about 3.0 materials? 3.0 materials, whether online or in printed form, are allowed unless they've been officially updated to a 3.5 edition."

From the OP. I just was checking to be sure of build legality before I fully statted it out. Thanks for clarifying!

[Cieyrin]

Nope, and not on my watch, respectively.

Not the main contest, anyways. Some of the spin-offs, though, like the Appetizer edition, do but that's got its own spin on things, anyways. Speaking of, they're desperately in need of judges, if anyone wants to nip over there and make like Superman. :smallwink:

[mattie_p]

Not the main contest, anyways. Some of the spin-offs, though, like the Appetizer edition, do but that's got its own spin on things, anyways. Speaking of, they're desperately in need of judges, if anyone wants to nip over there and make like Superman. :smallwink:

Speaking of which, Zinc Saucier III (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=12857570&postcount=43) still needs judging. Hint hint. Feel free to comment on anything, as our judges seem to be scarce.

[gbprime]

Speaking of which, Zinc Saucier III (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=12857570&postcount=43) still needs judging. Hint hint. Feel free to comment on anything, as our judges seem to be scarce.

Judges are getting rare in here too. We have... two so far, including myself?

[Menteith]

Why, oh why, is spending Shadow Points a Swift Action instead of a Free Action? I'm just now realizing that it's impossible to use Shadow Strike alongside any of the other abilities without shenanigans. I feel brilliant.

[Amphetryon]

Why, oh why, is spending Shadow Points a Swift Action instead of a Free Action? I'm just now realizing that it's impossible to use Shadow Strike alongside any of the other abilities without shenanigans. I feel brilliant.
You're welcome. :smallbiggrin:

[Menteith]

You're welcome. :smallbiggrin:

Heh, it's alright. I'm really, really enjoying the build I've got going here - it may be a bit....strange....but I would love to actually run this in a real campaign.

EDIT

Although I'll admit that the racial restriction has been a massive headache. I didn't think it would be an issue, but the character is much, much weaker due to it. Alas.

[Thurbane]

Judges are getting rare in here too. We have... two so far, including myself?
I'll commit to judging if I don't get a build in.

[SilverLeaf167]

Is anyone else having trouble with settling on a build? I have, what, 5-6 whole concepts and builds already! My inability to decide might just make me run out of time. :smallsmile:
At least I already have one full character I can submit if I don't finish any of the others.

[Sir_Mopalot]

I'm a longtime lurker, first time poster on Iron Chef here, but I love reading through it all. I was going to try to join in the last IC as a competitor, but then it ended up being silly difficult, so after some cursory research to see if I could think of an interesting entry method, I gave up. However! This round I'll throw my hat into the ring as a judge, if there are no complaints, I've never completely understood if there was protocol for being a judge. Assuming none, Criteria:
Originality: Originality can flex to a certain degree. If nobody else can figure out how to get into a class in a unique way, I won't penalize you for it. But if a couple people do, points will be lost. Originality, in my opinion, also incorporates a very subjective metric, namely how surprised I would be if a player approached me with your build as a character concept. If you have made something useful that comes out of nowhere, that's worth quite a few points. Originality is how obvious your build is.
Power: Can the build do what it's supposed to do? If you've made a front-line melee character, will you be good at that? More importantly, is it better at it than a medium-op character who doesn't have your restrictions? I do recognize that in reality, these characters would be a quarter of a group, so I will take into consideration characters who hold a support role from the perspective that they are supporting. Power is how good you are at what you do.
Elegance: I'm fairly loose on elegance. While I don't endorse dipping or rampant multiclassing, a well-written backstory covereth a multitude of sins. The one pet peeve I have is alternating between one class and others. If you take every odd level in Favored soul you better have a great explanation for why your character develops that way. The only other major element in determining elegance is whether the build feels organic. Do you take levels that don't add anything in and of themselves to your build? That's a hit, if a minor one.
Use of Secret Ingredient: Do you use the entire ingredient? If you left it, is it clear that you really milked everything possible from it? More importantly than either of these, however, is whether the SI makes sense. I shouldn't be able to look at your build and instantly realize that you had to take the SI, it should look like the SI was the natural choice for your character at the time.

[DemonRoach]

Multiple classes + Build Tables = Pain :smallfrown:

[Amechra]

Is anyone else having trouble with settling on a build? I have, what, 5-6 whole concepts and builds already! My inability to decide might just make me run out of time. :smallsmile:
At least I already have one full character I can submit if I don't finish any of the others.

Tell me about it; I've submitted a (rather horrid) build so that I can get one particularly nagging concept out of the way.

[Menteith]

I've finished my build, just need a specific ruling regarding it before I submit it. It's it ruled that [CENSORED] doesn't work with [SCRUBBED], then I'll have to [SUPER SECRET TECH] instead of [SUPERIOR SUPER SECRET TECH], but I think it'll still be pretty good. I used WAY too many splat books to pull this off, but such is life.

[DeAnno]

I'm a little afraid I'm going to crash into somebody, so everyone try to get out of the way! :smalltongue:

On a more serious note, I really enjoyed cogitating over this build. I had a number different ideas for how to implement it and I think I ultimately made the best choice.

[Aeryr]

Okay I finally decided on a build concept and stated it in quite detail... I still need to go shopping for magic items :smalleek: and writing the backstory :smalleek: but I am confident on the build (I would actually like to play it in a game, and that's the best compliment I can give).

Question, should I provide a detailed magic item list?

[Amphetryon]

Okay I finally decided on a build concept and stated it in quite detail... I still need to go shopping for magic items :smalleek: and writing the backstory :smalleek: but I am confident on the build (I would actually like to play it in a game, and that's the best compliment I can give).

Question, should I provide a detailed magic item list?

Approaches vary, but the safest course is to list all but the most vital magic items you want under some sort of "options" category. Characters decked out in a Christmas tree of bling can distract from the builds themselves.

[Menteith]

Build submitted. I hope you enjoy!

[Thurbane]

I suppose I should post my judging criteria in case I don't get a build in (which is looking ever more likely - this week is my end of financial quarter at work, so I have to devote a fair amount of my time and mental energy to that).

I'll preface this with the fact that I have decent grasp of the basics of 3.5, access to nearly all of the books (all of the 3.5 non-campaign books, most of the 3.0 ones, and a fair chunk of FR and a couple of Eberron books), but I am a little limited as to uber-op, and a bit slightly shaky on some of the subsystems (psionics, incarnum, ToB) - although I am happy to consult the books when a build calls for it.

Originality
This one's fairly straightforward: did you use a race (not so much for this comp), base class(es) and feats that were expected, or used by other contestants? Expect more bonuses here for off the wall stuff, than penalties for expected stuff.

Power
How effective/versatile is your character in combat? How effective/versatile is he out of combat? How effectively can he carry out the focus of his PrC/build? All these will gain or lose you points here.

Elegance
This is the most subjective. I consider this the "flow" of a character, and ease of use in an actual game. I won't usually penalise "dips", but the more base classes and PrCs you cram in, the more likely you will take a hit - especially if any of these seem "at odds" with each other, crunch or flavour wise (combos that would cause XP penalties will draw a hit). If it feels like the kind of character a DM would seriously question letting in a game (for any other reason than raw power), it may cost a hit. Assuming LA buyoff will cause a hit.
And you will definitely take a hit if your entry is hard to read. If it takes more more than one read through to determine basics like race and class composition, expect a hit. And any sources (race, feats, classes etc.) not credited somewhere in the build will likewise cause a hit. I strongly recommend a race/class level(s) recap near the start of an entry, and a source list near the bottom.

Use of Secret Ingredient
Fairly straightforward, spilt into two main areas. Did you use all of the levels? You will take a smallish hit if you take less than 10, and a major hit if you take 5 or less. The other factor is, does the SI add anything to the character that couldn't have been gained with simply more levels of the other classes in the build?

[Feytalist]

So this weekend I had a choice to make: spend the weekend in bed with my girlfriend, or work on my build. And even though the correct choice was obvious, I decided to stay in bed :smalltongue: So I might not have a build ready in time.

Nice to see a few more potential judges this time around. Thanks guys :smallsmile:

[Sgt. Cookie]

Well, build's done. Now all I need to do is write up a couple of breakdowns and the crunch can be submitted. Then all I need to do is write up some fluff.

[Amphetryon]

Well, build's done. Now all I need to do is write up a couple of breakdowns and the crunch can be submitted. Then all I need to do is write up some fluff.

Please submit crunch and fluff together, so that the Chairman is not left guessing as to how you wish the presentation to look.

[Sgt. Cookie]

Sure, Amph, will do.

[Hunter Killer]

Holy hell. I just found some cheese that gets really, really stupid. It's not specifically related to this class, mind, but the class is a perfect fit to cap the build required for said cheese. :smallamused:

[Aeryr]

I am actually building a fondue. Maybe we can compare notes on Sunday.

[Menteith]

Everything I've done is both RAW legal and RAI defensible. I don't think that it's very cheesy (Brie at worst), but we'll see what the judges think. I'm really hoping no one else took the route I did - I came up with it on my own, but other people might have too. We'll see!

[Piggy Knowles]

Holy hell. I just found some cheese that gets really, really stupid. It's not specifically related to this class, mind, but the class is a perfect fit to cap the build required for said cheese. :smallamused:


I am actually building a fondue. Maybe we can compare notes on Sunday.

Ha, I actually also discovered something very cheesy with one of the earlier drafts of my build, although the latest revision omits it. It's only tangentially related to the SI, and I ended up going in a very different direction, but it's a trick I haven't seen before, and I'd like to expand on it in a future build. It's not just cheesy for the sake of power - it's actually quite flavorful, too. Call it a nice Spanish cabrales... unexpectedly sharp, but pleasant nonetheless.

This should be an interesting round!

[Aeryr]

Cabrales kills me. I prefer a semicurado :smallsmile:

[kestrel404]

Gee, I hope we're not all using the same cheese, here.

[Amphetryon]

Gee, I hope we're not all using the same cheese, here.
*Chairman laughs maniacally*

[DeAnno]

I think I know what cheese you are all referring to and I am happy that I decided not to partake in it.

[kestrel404]

And, build submitted. Let the cheese flow.

[Menteith]

*Chairman laughs maniacally*

Oh god. Now I want to immediately start working on a different build in the complete other direction, but don't have a ton of time this week. Curse you Chairman!!!

[Kuulvheysoon]

...and build is submitted!

I have to say, I had a second idea bouncing around, but I'm not sure how viable it is. I'm debating on whether or not to finish it off.

[Piggy Knowles]

Submitted!

Glad I got it in on time. I usually rely on that last Saturday to prep everything, but I'll be out of town this Saturday. Should be fun, I can't wait until the reveal!

[Aeryr]

Yay!

Lady inspiration come back, I was able to write the fluff in one go! Yay! I'll probably be able to finish everything before submit time.

[Menteith]

I liked this class a lot. It certainly has the potential to go in a number of...interesting... ways, along with the more intended uses. I enjoyed seeing how much I could get away with.

[Aeryr]

Aeryr okay build finished (with fluff and discussion and everything) I am going to bed tomorrow I'll go over it and submit it, after taking a shower in order to clean the cheese out of me.

[Feytalist]

I had an idea, but it was probably too close to everyone else's ideas. And to an known existing build. Oh well, I'll post a breakdown after the reveal.

I'm still looking forward to seeing what everyone else did with this class :smallbiggrin:

[The Gilded Duke]

I guess I'm judging, figured out a whole bunch of new tricks, but all of them worked better without shadow sentinel. A little late to post criteria at this point, but I don't think there should be anything too surprising.

[mattie_p]

Unfortunately due to time constraints I will not be submitting a build. Too much to do, too little time. I will, however, post my build idea, after the submissions are revealed. I will say it relied on well-known tricks, with one small element of stinky cheese.

[OMG PONIES]

Must...avoid...known...cheese.

[Aeryr]

Wow, sourcing everything is taking long.

Okay build finished. Tomorrow I'll give it a last check and submit it.

Good luck to everyone :smallsmile:

[Piggy Knowles]

Gah, I'm getting impatient, I wish the reveal was tonight! As it is, I won't see it until Sunday. The suspense, it kills!

[OMG PONIES]

I actually have a build table done! Now I just need to type up the rest of my entry.

[SilverLeaf167]

I should be able to post my finished build this evening. Just in time, hopefully...

[DeAnno]

And Submitted.

We'll see if my better judgement was better or just a different kind of worse.

[Aeryr]

Also submitted.

Funnily I came with a build concept just right now.

[Kuulvheysoon]

Less than 24 hours 'til the reveal!

(okay, likely not, but still...)

[OMG PONIES]

Whew, build submitted. I probably missed some stuff in my rush to submit, but que sera sera.

[Amechra]

Si, que sera sera.

[Thurbane]

Just on 1/2 an hour for those last minute submissions, by my reckoning... :smallbiggrin:

[DeAnno]

I hope the pony invasion downtime didn't kill anyone's last minute submission window.

[Venger]

I hope the pony invasion downtime didn't kill anyone's last minute submission window.

pony invasion? what?

I figured that the site was down for earth hour

[Kuulvheysoon]

pony invasion? what?

I figured that the site was down for earth hour

Nope - it's April Fool's in England, and Rich likes to keep the forums to GMT.

[mattie_p]

And submitted (15 minutes late - due to downtime shenanigans), so if I don't see my build, I'll know why.

Due to circumstances beyond my control, I did, in fact, have time to finalize a build and submit it.

[Amphetryon]

And now (that the site's back) it's time for the reveal! Please avoid posting in this thread until I've given the all clear. I'll come back to this post to link the builds when I can. Thanks.

[Amphetryon]

Fear the Fist of Great Justice.

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15009675/images/1306056356810.jpg (http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15009675/images/1306056356810.jpg)

Whispersong, the Blade that Dreams
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features|Vow of Poverty

1st|Sohei|
+0|
+2|
+0|
+2|Concentration 4, Craft (Basketweaving) 4|Sacred Vow, Weapon Focus (Unarmed Strike)|Ki Frenzy 1/day|

2nd|Overwhelming Attack Monk|
+0|
+4|
+2|
+4|Concentration 5, Craft (Basketweaving) 5, Profession (Butler) 2|Power Attack|Flurry of Blows, Unarmed Strike, AC Bonus, +2 Intimidate|

3rd|Overwhelming Attack Monk|
+1|
+5|
+3|
+5|Concentration 6, Craft (Basketweaving) 6, Profession (Butler) 4|Improved Bull Rush, Vow of Poverty|Invisible Fist|

4th|Sohei|
+2|
+6|
+3|
+6|Concentration 7, Craft (Basketweaving) 7, Profession (Butler) 5|Nymph's Kiss||

5th|Sohei|
+3|
+6|
+3|
+7|Concentration 8, Craft (Basketweaving) 8, Profession (Butler) 6|Deflect Arrows|Ki Frenzy 2/Day|

6th|Fighter|
+4|
+8|
+3|
+7|Concentration 9, Craft (Basketweaving) 9, Profession (Butler) 6|Nimbus of Light, Versatile Unarmed Strike, Racial Emulation||

7th|Warshaper|
+4|
+10|
+3|
+7|Concentration 9, Craft (Basketweaving) 10, Profession (Butler) 7||Morphic Immunities, Morphic Weapon|Str +2

8th|Warshaper|
+5|
+11|
+3|
+7|Concentration 9, Craft (Basketweaving) 11, Profession (Butler) 8|Touch of Golden Ice|Morphic Body|

9th|Warshaper|
+6/+1|
+11|
+4|
+8|Concentration 9, Craft (Basketweaving) 12, Profession (Butler) 9|Shock Trooper|Morphic Reach|

10th|Warshaper|
+7/+2|
+12|
+4|
+8|Concentration 9, Craft (Basketweaving) 13, Profession (Butler) 10|Stigmata|Morphic Healing|

11th|Shadow Sentinel|
+8/+3|
+14|
+6|
+8|Concentration 9, Craft (Basketweaving) 14, Profession (Butler) 11||Umbral Blade +1, Morphic Blade (Type), Shadowstrike|Str +4, Wis +2

12th|Shadow Sentinel|
+9/+4|
+15|
+7|
+8|Concentration 9, Craft (Basketweaving) 15, Profession (Butler) 12|Sanctify Natural Weapon, Improved Natural Attack (Unarmed Strike)|Shadowbane|

13th|Shadow Sentinel|
+10/+5|
+15|
+7|
+9|Concentration 9, Craft (Basketweaving) 16, Profession (Butler) 13||Shadowsharp|

14th|Shadow Sentinel|
+11/+6/+1|
+16|
+8|
+9|Concentration 9, Craft (Basketweaving) 17, Profession (Butler) 14|Defender of the Homeland|Umbral Blade +2|

15th|Shadow Sentinel|
+12/+7/+2|
+16|
+8|Str +6, Wis +4, Con +2
+9|Concentration 9, Craft (Basketweaving) 18, Profession (Butler) 15|Superior Unarmed Strike|Morphic Weapon (Material)|

16th|Shadow Sentinel|
+13/+8/+3|
+17|
+9|
+10|Concentration 9, Craft (Basketweaving) 19, Profession (Butler) 16|Vow of Chastity|Umbral Blade +3|

17th|Shadow Sentinel|
+14/+9/+4|
+17|
+9|
+10|Concentration 9, Craft (Basketweaving) 20, Profession (Butler) 17||Shadowdrain|

18th|Shadow Sentinel|
+15/+10/+5|
+18|
+10|
+10|Concentration 9, Craft (Basketweaving) 21, Profession (Butler) 18|Vow of Obedience, Flying Kick|Umbral Blade +4|

19th|Shadow Sentinel|
+16/+11/+6/+1|
+18|
+10|
+11|Concentration 9, Craft (Basketweaving) 22, Profession (Butler) 19||Morphic Blade (Alignment)|Str +8, Wis +6, Con +4, Dex +2

20th|Shadow Sentinel|
+17/+12/+7/+2|
+19|
+11|
+11|Concentration 9, Craft (Basketweaving) 23, Profession (Butler) 20|Vow of Abstinence|Umbral Blade +5|[/table]

LG Changeling Sohei 1/Monk 2/Sohei +2/Fighter 1/Warshaper 4/Shadow Sentinel 10

32 PB:[/b]
Str: 28/30 (16 PB, +8 VoP, +4 Morphic Body/+2 Ki Frenzy)
Con: 24 (16 PB, +4 VoP, +4 Morphic Body)
Dex: 12/14 (10 PB, +2 VoP/+2 Ki Frenzy)
Wis: 26 (15 PB, +5 Level, +6 VoP)
Cha: 8 (8 PB)
Int: 10 (10 PB)[spoiler]

Backstory
“You wondering about my sword? Where it came from? Because, of course, you've never seen a blade of this particular color, have you?

Well, sit back my lad, and I'll tell you the story of Whispersong, the name of this living blade.

It was once a man, a young basketweaver that sought a simple, contemplative task to complete, to define his life...

[spoiler]Level 1

Welcome to Whispersong, my friend; a Changeling Sohei who actually has ranks in Craft (Basketweaving). Now, you might wonder, what makes him so special? He hasn't yet hit his stride; he can pull of a flurry of blows while in Ki Frenzy, which also gives him a tiny boost to Strength and Constitution. He has also taken a Sacred Vow that he will never turn aside from his quest to find his purpose for being. He wears a pair of gauntlets for the express purpose of making his unarmed attacks lethal.

Craft (Basketweaving) is also a deceptively strong skill, despite all jokes about it; you technically could use it to make boats (wicker boats, but boats nonetheless), shields, doors, buildings... Basically, you can use it to make any sort of woven, wicker item.

But yeah, 1st level is kinda boring for Whispersong; the only real “active” abilities he has are what form to take with Minor Change Shape and when to use his one Ki Frenzy.

“He took it upon himself to find a place of employment, so he picked up his basketweaving tools, and walked 50 miles to the home of the Highfronts, an Illumian cabal that was unusually open in its activities, and pledged his service; for, he thought, surely the Highfronts would have enough knowledge passing through their gates that he could seek his purpose that way.

He took the form of an Illumian, disguising himself as one who had been disgraced in another cabal, and who thus had suppressed his sigils so long that he forgot how to let them free. The cabal, though skeptical, took him in, and allowed him to enter their service as a manservant for one of the members. He was overjoyed! He took it upon himself to learn how to fight, to better defend his charge.

He served there for about one month when he came across a wandering ascetic monk, who begged him for a handful of rice. After that point, Whispersong came to visit the man again and again, eventually shunning all material possessions; all but the robe on his back, and the bright, red ribbon that was to mark his service to the Highfronts. Yes, that is the same ribbon that is on my blade; very observant of you.

He looked in many directions for enlightenment, from sensuality with a fey in the Highfront's garden to hard fasting for many days. But one event would sculpt his life from that point forward.”

Level 5
Notice the ranks in Profession (Butler)? That was to get money before he, you know, began to eschew such things. But by this point, it still serves to make him excellent at his employment. He still weaves beautiful baskets for his employers, much to their delight.

But enough of that; by this point, his fists actually deal lethal damage on their own, and he can double flurry (he can flurry from Ki Frenzy, and then use his Flurry of Blows in the same round), which will come in handy later.

He can also turn invisible, due to his long meditations; the Invisible Fist ACF allows him to turn invisible for one round at will, which allows him to make discrete exits after his employers don't need him.

Besides that, he still hasn't hit his stride; he can power attack a bit, and he is a bit harder to hit, but is still a bit boring in a fight.

“One day, when he was coming to his master's door with his clothing for the day, he was stopped in the hall by the spirit of one of the ancestors of the cabal. The spirit had seen through his disguise, and could see that he was able to change his form; so the ancestor took him aside, in a fragment of time and space where there was nothing, and told him:

SEEK OUT THE TIGER-THAT-WALKS-LIKE-A-MAN, AND HAVE HIM TEACH YOU HIS WAYS. YOUR PURPOSE WILL REVEAL ITSELF THEN!

Astonished and abashed, Whispersong served his superior that morning, and asked if there was a man who would fit the discription of “a tiger that walks like a man”. His master merely chuckled, and said that there was a wild-man in the forest who was said to have been born from tigers.

Whispersong asked him leave to find this man, which he was happily granted (he had asked for nothing else, so why deny him this small thing? The forest was only a few miles away, and the wild-man was seen often near the edge.) So that evening, Whispersong walked the long pathways, until he came across a man lying lazily, naked, on the side of the road.

Upon seeing him, the man's outline flickered, and became a majestic tiger:

“Why are you here, puny mortal one?”

Whispersong spoke of his purpose, and how he had been sent; he spoke of his nature, and he spoke of his desire. The tiger, laughing a panting laugh, walked over and touched Whispersong's forehead with his tongue in benediction, and instructed him in the Five-Fold Technique, of how to move his heart and lungs, of how to strengthen his hands and lengthen his arms, and of how to cheat death through his own nature, rather than magic.

Whispersong thanked him, and took his leave.”

Level 10
NOW WE ARE COOKING WITH NAPALM! Sorry for that, Warshaper is just so sexy that I kinda had to do that.

He now deals damage as if he was a size larger, has a +4 to Strength and Constitution, Fast Healing 2, Immunity to Crits and Stunning, and +5' reach while he is in a form that isn't his own... which is all the time, since he spends his life as an Illumian.

Other than that, he's running around with Touch of Golden Ice, which makes bad people hurt when they touch him, the ability to qualify for things as if he was anything he looked like at the time (yay Illumians!), and... Shock Trooper.

Yes, he can go ahead and charge, punching someone in the face with full power attack! He also has free stuff from Vow of Poverty, so that's always cool.

One last note: he can swap his unarmed strikes between being Slashing, Bludgeoning, and Piercing weapons at will; seemed like something nice to do with a feat, given that he's a shapeshifter who was about to learn how to grow fangs and claws, amirite?

“When he returned, he saw his home buring; when he reached it, his masters were slain, and the spirits of the ancestors themselves arose from the grave to weep.

And so, Whispersong stood there, and groaned, a heartfelt, deep groan; he knew not who had done this, and had grown too wise throughout his life to madly rush off. He could wait. He would discover who did this.

He noticed that none of the more powerful magical items that the family owned were missing; the villains obviously intended to return, after the fire burned away the wards.

And so, Whispersong called upon his learning, all his lore in the art of changing form, and took the form of a beautiful blade, shadow-dark of hue and sharp of edge; he knew this form would draw them to take him to where they dwelt, so he could then administer justice as he best knew how.”

Level 15

Bet you didn't see that one coming; he spent 100 xp to make his Unarmed Strike (which is a slashing weapon, thanks to Versatile Unarmed Strike) into his Umbral Blade, since he already got an enhancement bonus from Vow of Poverty. You see, this is where everything comes together; Shadowbane will make him a tad more effective vs. any Evil Outsiders he might meet (hmm, I wonder who burnt his adoptive home?), and to continue the shapeshifter theme, he can transform himself into any slashing weapon he damn well pleases for 24 hours, which is a really good disguise, since it doesn't do anything to alter his ability scores or anything. Sadly, his sword form does not give any benefit to the wielder (except the ability to pierce DR if it is DR/Magic or DR/Good, thanks to Vow of Poverty.)

Using a swift action to set up a touch attack? Priceless.

Plus, entering Shadow Sentinel transformed his (natural) flesh into a dark metal, without changing him from being a Humanoid (Shapechanger), which is just badass, and is why he entered the prestige class in the first place; the nigh-at-will Keen Edge effect on his unarmed strike, combined with the ability to transform his fleshy fists into silver, cold iron, or adamantine is just fun.

His unarmed attacks aren't slouches, either; a single unarmed strike deals 1d10+8/9 damage +1 vs. Evil Creatures, +2d6+1d4 vs. Evil Outsiders, and the enemy has to save vs. the Golden Ice ravage.

This is not to mention charge attacks, which can throw an additional 12 damage on there for minimal cost (a little penalty to AC... eh.)

He also gains a small combat boost to saves and AC while defending his “homeland”, which is occasionally useful.

“It wasn't long until a scavenger found him, half-melted and addle-headed, in the middle of the burned wreckage of the manor; for whatever reason, he now believes himself to be the spirit of the blade whose form he takes, and so refuses to leave it for long.

He still searches for those that slew his “owners”, as he now calls them, and so...

What's that? How did I get him?

A shop-owner gyped me into spending a couple thousand gold pieces on him, that's why.”
Level 20

Woohoo, strength DRAIN! That rapidly makes people he attacks useless in a stand-up slugfest, especially with a good 5 Str Drain on a hit a couple of times per day.

Other than that, he hit his stride a while back; pretty much everything in these last 5 levels has been “stabilizing” the character, if you would. The newfound ability to essentially treat his weapon as being any alignment he damn well pleases (maybe lawful?) is really lovely, since it gets through a couple more sources of pesky DR. He still can't pounce, much to my chagrin, which is the one small problem.

[Amphetryon]

I attack WITH the darkness!

The Dark Monk
Lawful Evil Feral Illumian
Passive Way Monk 4, Fighter 1, Shou Disciple 1, Soul Eater 1, Shadow Sentinel 10, Soul Eater 1, Shou Disiciple 2
Stats (Modified by Feral Template) - Str 20, Dex 12, Con16, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 8
Illumian Word: Aeshuur

I still remember how happy you were to find me, all those years ago. I had always known I was different from my tribe. They told me they had found me on the edge of burned out fortress. I never knew anything about what it meant to be Illumian. Never wanted anything more than to live my life on the plains. I was accepted there - they taught me how to hunt, how to fight, they admired my strength and respected me. You only saw me as a means to an end. You convinced me to come with; you told me that you would show me my real life, my purpose.

You were searching for a way to achieve something great. You never cared about the cost, about what you were doing to all of us, to me. No, don’t apologize - I can admire those aims. In a way, I should be thanking you. Without you, I never would have become what I am. I’m no god, true, but you shouldn’t demean your accomplishments. You’ve already felt what I’m capable of.

Please stop screaming. I’ve told you already, we’re quite alone here. If you can’t control yourself, I’ll have to calm you down. Would that be better for you? No? Well, I’m glad that you’re able to behave like an adult eventually.

You didn’t lie. You did show me my real life. Without you, I would still be out there with the Lion Tribe, wasting my life, training myself slowly, ever so slowly, off bits of scrolls recovered alongside me. With your help, Elirhondas accepted me. I’m to be inducted into the order of Shadow Sentinels on the morning, thanks to your recommendation. It’s a shame that you’re not going to be able to make it, but you and I are the only ones who know what I am. And what I am is very, very, hungry.

The Build in Brief
Lion Tribe Warrior lets you Pounce with Light Melee Weapon, and a Monk’s Unarmed Strike are light weapons that he adds his full strength bonus to. Versatile Unarmed Strike and the Monk’s Unarmed Strike ability allow his to use his body as his Umbral Blade. Soul Drinker’s Energy Drain bestows a negative level on any enemy that he touches - and an Unarmed Strike is a touch. The Feral Template qualifies him for Soul Drinker by changing his type to a Monstrous Humanoid. Touch of Taint allows him to increase a target’s Depravity Score whenever he inflicts a negative level through his Energy Drain, which causes a target to Will Save (on failure they’re stunned, on success they’re stunned) if Depravity exceeds their Wisdom Modifier. He has 19 BAB at level 20, has good saves, and can deal several hundred damage if buffed and he gets a charge off. He can use his various SU Abilities granted through Monk and Shadow Sentinel for infiltration purposes, or for additional combat utility.

Flavorwise, his entire body looks like it’s made of a dark, oily metal. He is clearly inhuman, with long, wickedly sharp claws from the feral template. Whenever he uses his Shadow Sentinel abilities, his body shifts sickeningly, twisting around every obstacle to reach his targets. His attacks can come from any part of him, solid bands of shadow that unexpectedly lash out, and these shadows drain the strength and life of his targets. Those that are attacked by him feel their mind slipping away from them, incapable of defending themselves, of even thinking as he feasts upon them. He could be anywhere - he can take the shape of small objects, and retake his horrid form and charge in a single surprise round. He flickers in and out of sight, even if you’re starting directly at him. He is the Dark Monk.


The Build

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

1st| Passive Way Monk 1|
+0|
+2|
+2|
+2| Knowledge (Local) 2, Move Silently 4, Balance 4, Tumble 4| Dodge, Lion Tribe Warrior | Flurry of Blows -2/-2, +2 Escape Artist Bonus, Bonus Feat, Wisdom to AC

2nd| Passive Way Monk 2|
+1|
+3|
+3|
+3| Move Silently 1, Jump 3| Mobility | Bonus Feat, Invisible Fist

3rd| Passive Way Monk 3|
+2|
+3|
+3|
+3| Move Silently 1, Jump 1, Tumble 1, Spot 1 | Versatile Unarmed Strike| Standing Jump, Still Mind

4th| Passive Way Monk 4|
+3|
+4|
+4|
+4| Move Silently 1, Jump 2, Balance 1 |-| Holy Strike, Wall Walker

5th| Fighter 1 |
+4|
+6|
+4|
+4| Jump 2 |Weapon Focus (Unarmed Strike)| Bonus Feat

6th| Shou Disciple 1|
+5|
+7|
+6|
+4| Twisted Charge | Alertness | Unarmed Strike Combination, Armor Proficiencies, Dodge Bonus +1

7th| Soul Eater 1 |
+6/+1|
+9|
+9|
+6| Move Silently 2, Spot 2 |-| Energy Drain

8th| Shadow Sentinel 1|
+7/+2|
+11|
+11|
+6| Spot 1, Listen 1 |-| Umbral Blade +1, Morphic Blade (type), Shadowstrike

9th| Shadow Sentinel 2|
+8/+3|
+12|
+12|
+6| Spot 1, Listen 1 | Touch of Taint: Energy Drain | Shadowbane

10th| Shadow Sentinel 3|
+9/+4|
+12|
+12|
+7| Spot 1, Listen 1 |-|Shadowsharp

11th| Shadow Sentinel 4|
+10/+5|
+13|
+13|
+7| Spot 1, Listen 1 |-|Umbral Blade +2
12th| Shadow Sentinel 5|
+11/+6/+1|
+13|
+13|
+7| Spot 1, Listen 1 | Snap Kick |Morphic Blade (material)

13th| Shadow Sentinel 6|
+12/+7/+2|
+14|
+14|
+8| Spot 1, Listen 1 |-|Umbral Blade +3

14th| Shadow Sentinel 7|
+13/+8/+3|
+14|
+14|
+8| Spot 1, Listen 1 |-|Shadow Drain

15th| Shadow Sentinel 8|
+14/+9/+4|
+15|
+15|
+8| Spot 1, Listen 1 | Improved Natural Attack |Umbral Blade +4

16th| Shadow Sentinel 9|
+15/+10/+5|
+15|
+15|
+9| Spot 1, Listen 1 |-|Morphic Blade (alignment)

17th| Shadow Sentinel 10|
+16/+11/+6/+1|
+16|
+16|
+9| Spot 1, Listen 1 |-|Umbral Blade +5

18th| Soul Eater 2|
+17/+12/+7/+2|
+17|
+17|
+10| Move Silently 4 |Superior Unarmed Attack|Soul Strength

19th| Shou Disciple 2|
+18/+13/+8/+3|
+17|
+17|
+10| Move Silently 4 |Power Attack|Bonus Feat

20th| Shou Disciple 3 4|
+19/+14/+9/+4|
+18|
+18|
+11| Move Silently 4 |-|Martial Flurry (Light) [/table]

Level 1
Our boy starts off strong with Pounce, a large number of attacks due to Claws and Flurry of Blows, and a high strength score. His Armor Class is poor, but at this level enemies aren’t getting iterative, making it less of an issue, especially when considering the Fast Healing 2 granted by the Feral template. He can easily drop a target on a charge, and is a strong, mobile melee combatant. He's functional, but the unique features of the build haven't had time to come online yet.

Level 5
Things are a bit more exciting here. Holy Strike gives a decent boost to damage against Good targets, and Invisible Fist ensures he’s going to start every encounter off Invisible. Wall Walker is nearing the end of its usefulness, but it’s still handy to be able to run up the side of a building. This is one of the weaker levels in the build - No matter how it’s sliced, he still using the Monk as a chassis for these levels, which makes it tough. On the next level, he starts to wear Light Armor, and the level after that he starts inflicting Negative Levels every hit, but for now, he’s just dealing damage and being incredibly mobile.

Level 10
He’s rocking and rolling now. Anyone without ways to prevent negative levels is looking at eating up to five (six with haste) negative levels if charged, and gets either Dazed/Stunned depending on how high their Will save is - no save on negative levels or being Dazed, either. He can Flurry in Light Armor, giving a much needed AC boost now that iterative attacks are online for everyone. He can change the type of damage he deals(Blug/Slash/Pierce) as a swift action, can ignore concealment on a target as a swift action, can turn invisible as an immediate action, and can change into any weapon that deals Slashing Damage as a swift action. This grants him a +8 bonus on Hide (Daggers are Tiny Objects), and if allowed to shift into any Improvised Slashing Weapon, shifting into a 4’ piece of glass gives you a +16 Hide Bonus as a Fine object. Damage is reasoanble - he’s got Pounce and an impressive number of attacks, most of which receive full strength bonus, and with the Feathered Wing graft from Fiend Folio he has no significant issues qualifying for a charge. Nothing terribly interesting happens with his skills - Shadow Sentinel’s list makes me cry a little, but there’s nothing wrong with the Perception skills.

Level 12 (Sweet Spot)
He has everything from level 10, only significantly better. Snap Kick and BAB progression add two more attacks, he can ignore just about every type of damage reduction, can punch through walls, and keeps the host of useful SU abilities that give him out of combat utility. He’s an excellent infiltrator - he can turn into an especially sharp rock, sharpened coin, pocket knife as a swift action 9 times/day (which also gives a +16 Size bonus to Hide checks), is Invisible (and not “as the spell”) a third of the time. Anyone he hugs dies and he can throw out an awfully large amount of hugs per round. And by hugs I mean punches that are coated with the pure essence of evil. If a target isn’t prepared to face down Energy Drain, they’re in a world of hurt.

Level 15
Shadow Drain is gravy on top of everything else. It’s nice to be able to target something else, and the fact that it’s permanent instead of temporary makes it a good deal more powerful. He gains a larger Shadow Points Pool, Umbral Blade progression gives him more damage on every attack, and Improved Natural Attack boosts damage even more. Damage is respectable - he’s not dealing thousands every attack, he’s fully capable of beating something to death with his bare hands if the Energy Drain + Touch of Taint lock isn’t working.

Level 20
Power Attack finally comes online at level 19 (like a boss). He gets a few more toys, and improves damage significantly more (With a Monk’s Tattoo, the Shou Monk’s improved unarmed progression, and his Monk levels he deals unarmed damage as a 19th level monk). With Psyonic Tattoos of Augmented Expansion and Improved Natural Attack, every unarmed attack deals 6d8 + modifiers (str, power attack, umbral blade, holy strike), meaning you have the potential to drop a Titan in a single round if you’re buffed up. He competes reasonably well with other high end melee - Umbral Blade gives him a significant amount of SU Abilities, Invisible Fist isn’t quite as sexy as it was at level 2, but it’s still really strong, and anyone without Death Ward up is a speedbump at best. Saves are strong across the board, and he’s improved skills a bit since finishing Shadow Sentinel.


Specific Rules Interactions
How does an Unarmed Strike qualify for an Umbral Blade?

If you have the Monk’s Unarmed Strike ability, your unarmed attacks are both natural attacks and manufactured attacks. Versatile Unarmed Strike allows you to deal slashing damage with it, which allows you to use your body as an Umbral Blade.

Citations
“A monk’s unarmed strike is treated both as a manufactured weapon and a natural weapon for the purpose of spells and effects that enhance or improve either manufactured weapons or natural weapons.” (SRD Monk Entry)
“An umbral blade may be any kind of slashing melee weapon…” (Races of Destiny p137)

What does it mean to have your body be an Umbral Blade?

RAW, any part of your body that can be used to make attacks counts as an Umbral Blade. For the most part, the abilities make sense - you can change your fists and kicks into Aligned weapons, change their material compositions, make them Keen, bypass Concealment/Armor, and so on. The only really strange interaction is with Morphic Blade (type). There are two reading from this, from what I see. One reading is that you can change any of your limbs into any slashing weapon, sized appropriately for you. The other reading is that you can change yourself into any slashing weapon, sized appropriately for you. I’ve gone with the second interpretation, but either one (or even both) seems like a reasonable reading to me. Also, note that you can change your Umbral Blade into a weapon you don’t have proficiency with - this allows you to shift yourself into an Improvised Slashing Weapon for 24 hours or until you shift again as a swift action. This naturally opens up a realm of abuse, since you can turn yourself into any number of household objects for infiltration purposes. This also potentially interacts with the Soul Eater’s Energy Drain ability in a strange way, detailed below.
As a strange by-product of you being an Umbral Blade, you technically look like you are constructed from a dark, oily metal, which is neat. Also, if anyone tries to wield you, you count as +1/2/3/4/5. Yay!

Citations
“A monk’s attacks may be with either fist interchangeably or even from elbows, knees, and feet….there is no such thing as an off-hand attack for a monk striking unarmed.” (SRD Monk Entry)

Touch of Taint, really?

Yup. As quoted above, the Monk’s Unarmed Strike counts as a Natural Attack for the purpose of spells or effects that enhance or improve either manufactured weapons or natural weapons. Touch of Taint is an improvement to a Natural Attack that bestows negative levels. Thus, he qualifies.

Alternate Ideas
This is a direction I chose to avoid, but if you read the Morphic Blade (type) as changing limbs instead of changing a body, you can grow any weapon out of any part of you. These growths are still a part of you, and thus, and attacks you make with them count as “touching” an opponent, bestowing a negative level on them due to Soul Eater’s Energy Drain, on top of everything else. For a 2 level Dip (Soul Eater 1, Shadow Sentinel 1), this gives any Monstrous Humanoid the ability to bestow a negative level (no save) on every attack, with both Natural Attacks and Weapons.

If the Feral Template bugs you, the build can function without it, although it does become significantly weaker if you drop Soul Eater. You can make a stronger debuffer by taking the Spellwarp Strike (Complete Mage), Strength Draining Strike from Tome of Battle and Weakening Touch from Complete Warrior. With things like Empower Supernatural Ability and Empower Ability Damage, you can do some sickening permanent Strength Drain with a single attack (5 *1.5 *1.5 +6 +4(2) = minimum of -19 Strength), or even just maximizing damage in typical Monk ways (S. Unarm Str, I. Nat Att, Fiery Fists, Touch of Golden Ice, etc)


Sources Used
SRD - Passive Way Fighting Style Monk, Fighter, Dodge, Mobility, Power Attack, Skills
Shining South - Lion Tribe Warrior
Unapproachable East - Shou Disciple
Book of Vile Darkness - Soul Eater
Races of Destiny - Illumian, Shadow Sentinel
Savage Species - Feral Template
Heroes of Horror - Touch of Taint
Player’s Handbook II - Versatile Unarmed Strike
Dungeonscape - Standing Jump, Wall Walker
Exemplars of Evil - Invisible Fist
Complete Scoundrel - Twisted Charge skill trick
Complete Champion - Holy Strike
Tome of Battle - Snap Kick, Superior Unarmed Strike
Eberron Campaign Setting - Improved Natural Attack

[Amphetryon]

Twas brillig. . . .

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f1/Page_195_illustration_in_English_Fairy_Tales.png/220px-Page_195_illustration_in_English_Fairy_Tales.png


I weird ye to be a Laidly Worm,
And borrowed shall ye never be,
Until Childe Wynd, the Duke's own son
Come to the Heugh and thrice kiss thee;
Until the world comes to an end,
Borrowed shall ye never be.

The Laidly Worm of the Taer
Kemp Uwain saw again the glinting of copper from the icy cliff face. Intrigued, he drew closer, pushing his way through the frozen dale.

Yes, it appeared to be a human - or did it? Uwain pulled out his spyglass and watched with fascination as the creature skittered across the side of the cliff like a spider. It looked human, but covered in scales of copper and clad in rough leathers. A tall halberd was strapped across its back, forged from some strange dark metal.

So engrossed was he that he failed to hear approaching steps, but soon a foul odor reached his nose. He turned and started. Several cruel-looking creatures were standing before him. Many were larger than he, and looked almost like apes, but with long and matted white fur. They were all clutching crude clubs, and one had a great spear that was pointed at Uwain.

"Little man," said the one with the spear. "Out alone. Know you not that these lands belong to Taer? You will pay for passage, little man. You will pay with your skin." He pressed the point of the spear against Uwain's throat.

Suddenly, a great cry pierced the air. Uwain looked up and saw the dragon-like creature above them fling itself from the cliff face toward him. As it jumped, great wings unfurled from its back, and it dove forward with the great halberd pointed forward.

There was a terrible crash and a mist of blood. Before Uwain could gather his bearings, the melee was over. Two of the ape-like creatures lay dead, skewered by the strange halberd. The others were fleeing, crying, "the Laidly Worm! The Laidly Worm is upon us!"

The dragon creature turned toward him, and Uwain saw it was not it but she. "It is not safe to travel the pass alone," she said. "There is a village four hours north of here. I will watch over you and keep you safe that far. Once there, you are on your own."

And then she was gone, climbing up the great cliff as though it were a ladder...

Build Notes
CG Dragonborn (Wing Aspect) Illumian, Dragon Shaman 6/Fighter 4/Shadow Sentinel 10

ACF: Shamanic Invocation

Stats:
Str 16/Dex 8/Con 16/Int 14/Wis 12/Cha 12

Level boosts all go to Strength.

Build
The Laidly Worm of the Taer
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Dragon Shaman 1|
+0|
+2|
+0|
+2|Knowledge (local - Rashemen) 2 ranks, Jump 4 ranks, Balance 2 ranks, Tumble 2 ranks|Battle Jump|Draconic aura +1, totem dragon (copper)

2nd|Dragon Shaman 2|
+1|
+3|
+0|
+3|Jump 5 ranks, Balance 2.5 ranks, Tumble 2.5 ranks, Bluff 1 rank|Skill Focus (Jump)|

3rd|Dragon Shaman 3|
+2|
+3|
+1|
+3|Jump 6 ranks, Balance 3 ranks, Tumble 3 ranks, Bluff 2 ranks|Power Attack|Draconic Adaptation

4th|Fighter 1|
+3|
+5|
+1|
+3|Jump 7 ranks, Balance 3.5 ranks, Tumble 3.5 ranks, Intimidate 1 rank|Weapon Focus (Halberd)|

5th|Fighter 2|
+4|
+6|
+1|
+3|Jump 8 ranks, Balance 4 ranks, Tumble 4 ranks, Intimidate 2 ranks|Cleave|

6th|Dragon Shaman 4|
+5|
+7|
+1|
+4|Jump 9 ranks, Balance 4.5 ranks, Tumble 4.5 ranks, Bluff 3 ranks|Entangling Exhalation|Breath weapon (2d6; 30-ft. line), draconic resolve

7th|Shadow Sentinel 1|
+6/+1|
+9|
+3|
+4|Jump 10 ranks, Balance 5 ranks, Tumble 5 ranks, Intimidate 3 ranks||Umbral blade +1, morphic blade (type), shadowstrike

8th|Dragon Shaman 5|
+6/+1|
+9|
+3|
+4|Jump 11 ranks, Bluff 5 ranks, Intimidate 4 ranks||Draconic Aura +2

9th|Dragon Shaman 6|
+7/+2|
+10|
+4|
+5|Jump 12 ranks, Intimidate 7 ranks|Leap Attack|Breath weapon (2d6), touch of vitality (heal wounds)

10th|Shadow Sentinel 2|
+8/+3|
+11|
+5|
+5|Jump 13 ranks, Intimidate 10 ranks||Shadowbane

11th|Shadow Sentinel 3|
+9/+4|
+11|
+5|
+6|Jump 14 ranks, Intimidate 13 ranks||Shadowsharp

12th|Shadow Sentinel 4|
+10/+5|
+12|
+6|
+6|Jump 15 ranks, Intimidate 15 ranks, Spot 1 rank|Leap of the Heavens|Umbral blade +2

13th|Shadow Sentinel 5|
+11/+6/+1|
+12|
+6|
+6|Jump 16 ranks, Intimidate 16 ranks, Spot 3 ranks||Morphic blade (material)

14th|Shadow Sentinel 6|
+12/+7/+2|
+13|
+7|
+7|Jump 17 ranks, Intimidate 17 ranks, Spot 5 ranks||Umbral blade +3

15th|Shadow Sentinel 7|
+13/+8/+3|
+13|
+7|
+7|Jump 18 ranks, Intimidate 18 ranks, Spot 7 ranks|Double Draconic Aura|Shadow drain

16th|Shadow Sentinel 8|
+14/+9/+4|
+14|
+8|
+7|Jump 19 ranks, Intimidate 19 ranks, Spot 9 ranks||Umbral blade +4

17th|Shadow Sentinel 9|
+15/+10/+5|
+14|
+8|
+8|Jump 20 ranks, Intimidate 20 ranks, Spot 11 ranks||Morphic blade (alignment)

18th|Shadow Sentinel 10|
+16/+11/+6/+1|
+15|
+9|
+8|Jump 21 ranks, Intimidate 21 ranks, Spot 13 ranks|Flyby Attack|Umbral blade +5

19th|Fighter 3|
+17/+12/+7/+2|
+15|
+9|
+9|Jump 22 ranks, Intimidate 22 ranks, Spot 14 ranks||

20th|Fighter 4|
+18/+13/+8/+3|
+16|
+9|
+9|Jump 23 ranks, Intimidate 23 ranks, Spot 15 ranks|Great Cleave|[/table]

Auras and Invocations:
Draconic Auras (4):

Vigor, Senses, Swiftness, Presence

Shamanic Invocation:

See the Unseen


Peredur's Tale: The Origin of the Laidly Worm
"You saw her? The Laidly Worm of the Taer?" Peredur tugged on his long beard thoughtfully. "Aye, she looks like a wild thing. But you have nothing to fear from her, lad. Know you not her story?"

Kemp Uwain shook his head. "I might tell it," said Peredur, "though my throat is awful dry." He looked sorrowfully at his empty mug. The young man smiled, and slid a stamped coin to the bartender.

"Many thanks, lad," said Peredur, sipping the new beer and sucking foam off his grey whiskers. "You would not believe it to see her now, but the Laidly Worm once was a lass of the Rashemi court, a daughter of Ok Olvis, duke to the Iron Lord of Rashemen. Ok Olvis and his brood were a strange sort, members of the old magocracy, you know. Rashemen can be a tough land, ruled by fyrra and chieftains, but Duke Olvis was a librarian, and kept the books of magic for the Iron Lord.

"Duke Olvis had but two children, a lass named Margaret and a young man by the name of Wynd. They say that both were great beauties, though the women of the librarian-race never much appealed to me. I like to see pretty locks and flowing braids around a woman's head, not glowing sigils!

"Still, Duke Olvis' children were children of the land, and they were both warriors, not librarians like their father, and they were of a valorous heart, such that the Witches of Rashemen could not control them. So they sent an enchantress from their ranks to seduce the duke and bear him a new heir, and displace his children.

"Child Wynd she banished to the Feywilds, to wander there for all ages. As for Lady Margaret, she tried to curse her and turn her into a foul serpent. But Lady Margaret was too strong, and so the curse was incomplete.

"At first the curse made Lady Margaret appear a foul thing, all scales and slime, and the enchantress tried to cast Lady Margaret from court as an abomination. But Lady Margaret embraced the change, in the name of the Great Wyrm Bahamut. She sought out others who worshiped him, and soon she was reborn, her serpent's scales transformed to the features of a dragon.

"The Witches of Rashemen would not be daunted, though. The enchantress hired giants of the frozen dales to kidnap Lady Margaret and carry her off. And so they did, and abandoned her to the cruel cliffs and frozen valleys of their brutal lands.

"And so she remains, having learned from the cliffs and the dales, and from its cruel tenants. And she grew stronger from those harsh lands. The Taer who live there call her the Laidly Worm, and live in fear of her. But she is a sentinel of the land, and those who might travel through it. And she still seeks her brother, Wynd, so that one day they might return to their father's court, and reclaim their rightful places..."

The Battle-Style of the Laidly Worm
Lady Margaret was always a smart lass, before and after her rebirth into dragon-form. Once captured by the Taer, she studied them. They seemed a savage race, but they knew how to use the land to their advantage. She soon learned that her dragon-form was well suited for life on the Icewind Dale.

Using her Spider Climb ability from her draconic adaptation, the Laidly Worm sticks mostly to the cliff faces, where her mobility often exceeds her opponents. Though she can fly, she prefers not to, as she enjoys the comfort of having a wall near her.

She typically opens most combats by firing off an entangling breath, keeping her enemies from flying or reaching her. Then, she launches herself forward, jumping off a wall, ceiling or cliff-face, and gliding into her enemies with a devastating charge.

Battle Jump and the dragonborn's diving charge ability allow her to deal triple damage on her attack with a halberd. She also fully Power Attacks, which is further increased through Leap Attack, using her Shadowstrike ability to hit as a touch attack.

If she can activate all three damage multipliers in one attack (Battle Jump/diving charge/Leap Attack), she can deal hundreds of points of damage in a single blow, often cleaving through to deal similar damage to other enemies within reach.

Even if the terrain is not in her favor, the Laidly Worm is a talented jumper, with a huge bonus from her dragon wings, plus Leap of the Heavens and the jumping boosts she gets from her dragon totem, and by the mid-levels, she can make the jump check necessary to jump thirty feet in the air and ten feet forward, allowing her to still trigger Battle Jump, Leap Attack and diving charge.

Unlike many chargers and typical melee combatants, the Laidly Worm has a great deal of versatility. She obviously has no issues dealing with flying enemies, nor do invisible enemies stymie her, thanks to See the Unseen. Even defenses such as cover mean nothing, because of Shadowstrike, and she can use the Shadow Sentinel's other umbral blade abilities to make her weapon effective against any opponent.

In addition, she has several draconic auras that can heal, boost her initiative, and more, which she shares with any party she travels with. She has decent social skills (made better with her Presence aura). She has some decent battlefield control from her entangling breath and the bonuses to tripping and grappling she receives from Battle Jump.

Level Progression
The Laidly Worm is effective at all levels of play, and is designed to be played from 1 through 20.

LEVEL 5:
The Vigor aura is at its best at these low levels, combining with her high hit points to turn the Laidly Worm into an excellent tank. Though she cannot yet fly, she can glide, and has Spider Climb at will. She can climb up a wall or ceiling, breath acid at her enemies, then close to melee by battle jumping and attacking with her halberd.

LEVEL 10:
By level 10, the Laidly Worm is a true terror. Her big gains here are Leap Attack and Entangling Exhalation, as well as her flight ability, and the Shadow Sentinel's Shadowstrike.

Even without a single magic item beyond her +1 umbral blade with no other enchantments, on a diving charge, she can deal 3d10+3x(24 [PA + leap attack]+1 [weapon enhancement]+6 [strength bonus]), for an average of 109.5 points of damage in a single attack, as a touch attack. This is a very conservative estimate (including the more conservative interpretation of the Leap Attack errata). Adding in level-appropriate items, it can break 150 points of damage.

Add on touch of vitality, entangling exhalation, See the Unseen, and you have a very powerful mid-level character.

LEVEL 15:
All of the Laidly Worm's abilities continue to improve. Her umbral blade grows in strength and she picks up the ability to augment its crit range, add on strength draining effects, and more. She can now manifest two auras at once, and Leap of the Heavens lets her activate all both Battle Jump and diving charge anywhere with at least 30 feet of room. Even if she cannot, she is still effective at melee, and can add in battlefield control with her breath weapon.

LEVEL 20:
These last five levels continue much the same. The Laidly Worm's umbral blade grows ever stronger, and she picks up Flyby Attack so that she make opportunistic attacks with her breath weapon or halberd while getting into position for a leap attack. She also picks up Great Cleave, allowing her to potentially take out groups of clustered enemies.


The Shadow Sentinel of the Icewind Dale
The driving engine behind the Laidly Worm's devastating attacks is the ability to Power Attack for full and reliably hit her enemies. For this reason, Shadowstrike is absolutely key to her build, allowing her to make an attack every round as a touch attack. In fact, Shadowstrike is superior to many similar abilities, as it even works around cover.

The Shadow Sentinel's abilities are all useful for this build, though. The ability to bypass damage reduction easily, augment criticals, deal extra damage to certain enemies, and drain Strength all dovetail nicely with the Laidly Worm's abilities. And the enchanting of the umbral blade itself means that she does not have to constantly run away to magic shops as she is defending the frozen lands.

What Came Before, What Lies Ahead

Suggested Items
Living among the Taer, the Laidly Worm relies on herself and her abilities, rather than magic items. She would do well even in a low-magic game. However, if she ever has the opportunity to upgrade her gear, the following items would help her purpose:


Anything that boosts Strength or Con would be helpful.
Anything that boosts damage on a charge attack.
Jump boosts are unnecessary at high levels, but can help her at low to mid-levels.
Items that increase size or reach will similarly help.
If she can enchant her weapon prior to making it an umbral blade, Valorous would be a huge damage boost.


Leap Attack
There is frequently debate as to how Leap Attack multiplies damage for two-handed weapons, and unfortunately the errata did not clear this up. Some argue that the errata, giving +100% return on your Power Attack, actually quadruples your penalty rather than tripling it. This interpretation would mean that the build does quite a bit more damage per attack.

For purposes of this build, I assumed the more conservative tripling, but check with your DM.

Adaptations
If you are playing in a game with Tome of Battle allowed, Warblade would be a viable alternative to Fighter, and give her even more combat options. Simply replace the four levels of Fighter with Warblade levels, drop Great Cleave, and postpone Cleave until later in the build.

If you wanted to focus more on damage and less on overall utility, Double Draconic Aura could be replaced with Power Lunge, which doubles the Strength bonus on a charge. Also, if Dragon Magazine is allowed, the partisan (found in DR331) is both a piercing and slashing martial weapon (allowing it to qualify for both umbral blade and diving charge), but also has a 10' reach, and would make a decent replacement for the halberd.

Sources
PHB
PHBII
Dragon Magic
Races of the Dragon
Unapproachable East
Races of Destiny
Complete Adventurer
Monster Manual

[Amphetryon]

I didn't say Skeletor. . . .

Bellator, Sentinel of Darkness

Story

Correct, I feel no remorse, no pinging of a conscience, if I strangle a mewling child to stop it squeling like a piglet in the night it is solely for my own convenience. Does that mean that loyalty is inalienable to me? That I do not see the threat of the Gith, or that the Shadow Sentinels possess powers that would ultimately serve my purposes? I will serve and my people will be better off for it, as will I be.

Bellator was always selfish. The Illumian collective he was raised in was dedicated to the study of language and the paths of Arcane magic, but Bellator was never inclined to study the mustic paths. By dint of no choice limited knowledge of Alchemy and Spells were granted to him, but he never showed a real incliniation for such, preffering physical paths of brutality.

Leaving at a young age, Bellator travelled for a time, studying the ways of the brute with vigorous application, allowing his intelligence to take a back seat to his physique.

As he found in his travels, however, there a very palbapale limits to what brute force alone can achieve. Fortunately for him, the Sentinels, able to gift those who serve with powers of the Shadow Plane, cared only for his martial ability. He became a member of the Sentinels with ease.

For a time the powers of the Umbral blade entranced him, but always he could see others around displaying the same abilities. Reviling himself for doing so, he reached back to his earliest years, applying his limited knowledge of alchemy to craft a draft he theorised would strengthen him.

The potion worked, due a degree, empowering him with dark energies for a time. But even as he advanced upon this path, he saw that he would be greater served by continuing the path of the Shadow Sentinel.



Build



NE Illumian
Warblade 4/Fighter 2/Warrior of Darkness 3/Exotic Weapon Master 1/Shadow Sentinel 10
Illumian Sigil: Aesh-Hoon (Boosts Strength, Wisdom and Constitution rolls)
Stats

{table=head]Level|32 Point Buy|Level 4 |Level 8 |Level 12 |Level 16 |Level 20

Str|16|17|18|19|20|21

Dex|10|10|10|10|10|10

Con|16|16|16|16|16|16

Int|14|14|14|14|14|14

Wis|10|10|10|10|10|10

Cha|10|10|10|10|10|10
[/table]

Bellator, Sentinel of Darkness
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Skill Tricks|Feats|Class Features|Shadow Points

1st|Warblade|
+1|
+2|
+0|
+0|Balance 4(4), Concentration 4(4), Craft [Alchemy] 4(4), Jump 4 (4), Knowledge Arcana 4 (2), Spellcraft 4 (2) |Nimble Charge|Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Minotaur Greathammer)|Battle Clarity, Weapon Aptitude|

2nd|Warblade|
+2|
+3|
+0|
+0| Balance 1 (5), Climb 2 (2), Concentration 1 (5), Jump 1 (5), Knowledge Arcana 1 (2.5)|| |Uncanny Dodge|

3rd|Fighter|
+3|
+5|
+0|
+0| Jump 1 (6), Knowledge Arcana 1 (3)||Iron Will, Weapon Focus (Minotaur Greathammer)||

4th|Fighter|
+4|
+6|
+0|
+0| Climb 3 (5), Jump 1 (7)|| |ACF: Resolute|

5th|Warblade|
+5|
+6|
+1|
+1| Climb 2 (7), Concentration 3 (8), Jump 1 (8)|| |Battle Ardor (Crit Confirmation)|

6th|Shadow Sentinel|
+6|
+8|
+3|
+1| Spot 4 (4)||Power Attack|Umbral blade +1,Morphic blade (type),Shadowstrike|1

7th| Shadow Sentinel |
+7|
+9|
+4|
+1| Spot 4 (8)|||Shadowbane|3

8th| Shadow Sentinel |
+8|
+9|
+4|
+2| Spot 3 (11)|||Shadowsharp|5

9th|Warrior of Darkness|
+9|
+11|
+4|
+4| Concentration 4 (12), Jump 1 (9), Spot 1 (11.5)| |Leap Attack|Black Magic Oil (Blind Fight)|5

10th| Warrior of Darkness |
+10|
+12|
+4|
+5| Concentration 1 (13), Jump 4 (13), Spot 1 (12)|||Darkling Weapon|5

11th| Warrior of Darkness |
+11|
+12|
+5|
+5| Climb 2 (9), Concentration 1 (14), Jump 1 (14)| Spot the Weak Point ||Violent Knowledge (Improved Critical: Great Sword)|5

12th| Warblade |
+12|
+13|
+5|
+5| Climb 4 (13), Concentration 1 (15), Jump 1 (15)||Battle Jump||5

13th| Exotic Weapon Master |
+13|
+15|
+5|
+5| Intimidate 2 (2)|Leaping Climb||Uncanny Blow|5

14th| Shadow Sentinel |
+14|
+15|
+5|
+6| Jump 2 (17), Spot 2 (14)|||Umbral blade +2|7

15th| Shadow Sentinel |
+15|
+16|
+6|
+5| Jump 1 (18), Spot 1 (15)|Extreme Leap|Mage Slayer|Morphic blade (Material)|9

16th| Shadow Sentinel |
+16|
+16|
+6|
+6| Jump 1 (19), Spot 3 (18)|||Umbral blade +3|11

17th| Shadow Sentinel |
+17|
+17|
+7|
+6| Jump 1 (20), Spot 1 (19)|Up the Hill||Shadow Drain|13

18th| Shadow Sentinel |
+18|
+18|
+8|
+6| Climb 1 (14), Jump 1 (21), Spot 2 (21)||Pierce Magical Protection|Umbral Blade +4|15

19th| Shadow Sentinel |
+19|
+18|
+8|
+7| Jump 1 (22), Spot 1 (22)|Wall Jumper||Morphic blade (Alignment)|17

20th| Shadow Sentinel |
+20|
+19|
+9|
+7| Climb 2 (16), Jump 1 (23), Spot 1 (23)|||Umbral blade +5|19
[/table]
Maneouvers
Iniator Level
{table=head]Level|Iniator Lvel|Manouevers Gained |Stances Gained
1|1|Moment of Perfect Mind, Sapphire Nightmare Blade, Steel Wind|Stonefoot Stance
2|2|Charging Minotaur|
5|4|Claw at the Mind|
12|8| Iron Heart Surge (Replaces Sappire Nightmare Blade)|Leaping Dragon
[/table]
Level by Level



Level Five
At this point Bellator fights as any other warblade, using his excellent hit points, BAB and manouvers to serve as the primary melee role. The Fighter ACF “Resolute”, alongside Iron Will and the Moment of Perfect Mind will serve throughout his carerr to give him an excellent Will save, normally the achilles heal for a melee build.

Equipment:

The Mountain Greathammer is easily the best weapon we can get, D12 damage with a good Crit chance.

We want the heaviest armour we can get, after all Dex isn’t helping any.

Level Ten

Using Weapon Aptitude from Warblade, we switch our Weapon Focus Feat to Greatsword, allowing us to enter Shadow Sentinel. Exotic Weapon focus and other such feats can also be changed in the same manner.

Our early levels guve us the Umbral blade, which can be changed to an appropiate weapon for the situation. Greatsword is our default, Hellspear if reach is required or a Scimitar if Criticals are wanted. Along with our feat changing this gives perfect flexibility of weapon.

The ability to get Bane and Keen can also be applied as required, or both against our signature foe the Gith.

This is also where our Jumping Power attacks com on line, as we have the BAB to sacrifice, Leap attack to boost and Shadowstrike allows us to hit despite the penalty to the attack.

When required, the Darkling Weapon ability granted by the Warrior of Darkness allows, with a minor cost in gold and 3 rounds, us to add any +1 bonus as required for hours. A number of the better picks are:

Binding – Stops foes from using escape powers
Brutal Surge – Grant a free Bull Rush, a likely choice a lot of the time
Ghost Touch – Allows us to attack those accursed incorporeal foes
Heavenly Burst – Boosts Criticals against Evil creatures
Illusion Bane – Stops those damn illusionists!
Lucky – Re-rolls are always handy
Magebane – To be the bane of...mages?
Merciful – Lets you capture them alive if thats something you want
And of course a variety of different damage effects to bypass DR as required.

For normal equipment, a Belt of Growth would be helpful for the size boost when required.
Level Fifteen

Bellator drops back into Warblade briefly, allowing the acquiring of the potentially reality shattering Iron Heart Surge, allowing negative effects to be cancelled.

A jump into Exotic Weapon Master helps increase damage input, again pre-requisites beig attained by our first level Warblade ability. Shadow points rise again, and the ability to morph the weapon by material allows us to wield any weapon as being made of Heavy Material, allowing a free upgrade to weapon damage.
Armbands of Might boost our Power/Leap attack shenanigans.
The Umbral blade thankfully saves us a great deal of GP, allowing us to focus on boosting our armour, miscellaneous items and so forth.
By this point A strength boosting Item and a competence boosting item for Jump would be the norm, as well as magical flying.
Level Twenty

We finish off Shadow Sentinel, boosting our Shadow points to the max, boosting our Umbral weapon to the highest levels and most importantly, allowing us to permenantly damage strength. The Venomous and Weakening qualities can also be added from our Warrior of Darkness levels, further boosting the Strength leeching abilities Bellator now possesses.





Source List

{table=head]Item|Source|Page #
Leap Attack|Complete Adventurer| 110
Battle Jump|Unapprochable East|42
Mage Slayer|Complete Adventurer|81
Pierce Magical Concealment|Complete Adventurer|82
Warrior of Darkness|Book of Vile Darkness|75
Warblade|Book of Nine Swords|20
Resolute|Complete Champion|48
Exotic Weapon Master|Complete Warrior|30
Fighter|SRD| http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/fighter.htm
Minotaur Greathammer|Monster Manual 4|
+1 Weapon Bonus|Magic Items Compendium|
Hellspear|Fiendish Codex 2|170
[/table]

[Amphetryon]

I'll make this brief.

Amicus, Ambassador Between The Orders

Story



In the beginning....


Amicus sighed. Whenever the grey haired ones started that way, it meant a long lecture disguised as a parable. He was dutiful to his people and respectful, but that didn’t stop him wishing they could just get to the point.


“There was the word, the conveyor of knowledge and thought, that which bespoke wonders, but not seen for being one in its own right. The truest wonder is the begetting of life, the greatest of magics. Great Tarmuid did see the wonder of the words, and through their....”


Amicus nodded off. It just wasn’t in him to listen to drivel, he was a warrior and knew what he was good at.


After a time, he felt a stinging on his face. Blearily opening his eyes, he saw that the elder was holding his hand in a grimace, doubtless after slapping the young fool awake. He kept talking in an even monotone, as though he had not paused even as the young one dozed.


“....and thus it falls to you, young Amicus, to stand by the treaties between us and the humans of Heironeous. Rather than tribute or reward for the heroic efforts of the Knights of the Yellow Stone in saving our fortress from the hordes of Shadows that besieged, they asked only for friendship and mutual respect. To that end one of our number has been sent to learn their ways with each generation, and enforce our mutual ties of respect and alliance against the foul things that plague the innocent.”


“Got all that?” the mischievous elder said with a grin.


“Um....no?” the young Shadow Sentinel murmured hesitantly.


Groaning with the weight of his old bones, the elder sank into his equally ancient chair.


“In spite of your...lackluster wit, you, Amicus the 4th, have proven yourself a dedicated defender of the innocent and harsh foe of the Abberant ones. Yours is a most important task, and a greater challenge than you have faced before. Though you are poor of words and manner, your strength and good heart we feel will be favoured by our ancient allies. You will learn their ways, and in turn teach somewhat of ours. Your horse awaits, good luck young one.”



The elder made his way from the room, leaving the young knight to realise his path had been decided.


Still clinging on?


Amicus announced cheerfully to the elder, though now ancient was a better description, his hair white and thin, his body even more cracked and bent. But there was always the undeniable twinkle in the eye.


It had been years, a time of trials and learning for Amicus.


“How did you fair?” rasped the ancient.


“Well. I have learnt much.”


“Your thoughts on our fellows?”


“We were wise to make our treaty, they’re powers aid ours well, but I fear they have greater potential for hatred than we. Our primary concern is to survive against the Shadows, there’s is to destroy all the Aberrations they can.”


“Have you more to learn?”


“Always...”


The Final Chapter


Amicus looked upon the young knight with a certain sense of glee. There was a curious joy in finishing the cycle, and being the one not on the receiving end of the rant. The young one before him was full of promise, not the swiftest, nor the most skilful, but the one with the greatest heart. He was destined to master dual paths, and in so doing keep a proud tradition that ensured the Knightly orders unity in the fight against the foul things in the dark.


“Now listen here young Yeeron. There was the Word....”



The Build

LG Illumian (Naenhoon) Adds to Intelligence, Wisdom and Constitution draws.


Paladin 5/Shadow Sentinel 10/Topaz Guardian 5




Amicus, Ambassador Between The Orders
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Paladin|
+1|
+2|
+o|
+o| Know (Arcana, Dungeoneering, Nature, Religion) 4|Education|Avenging (Favored Enemy: Aberration), Aura of Good, Detect Evil, Smite Evil 1/day

2nd|Paladin|
+2|
+3|
+0|
+0| Know (Dungeoneering, Nature) 5, Sense Motive 2||Divine Grace

3rd|Paladin|
+3|
+3|
+1|
+1| Know (Dungeoneering, Nature) 6, Sense Motive 4|Weapon Focus (Greatsword)|Aura Courage, Divine Health

4th|Paladin|
+4|
+4|
+1|
+1| Know (Dungeoneering, Nature) 7, Skill Trick (Collector of Stories)| |

5th|Paladin|
+5|
+4|
+1|
+1| Know (Dungeoneering, Nature) 9, Know (Planes) 2| |Stand Fast, Avenging (Favored Enemy 2: Aberration), Smite evil 2/day

6th|Shadow Sentinel|
+6|
+6|
+3|
+1| Spot 4|Quick Recovery| Umbral blade +1,Morphic blade (type),Shadowstrike

7th|Shadow Sentinel|
+7|
+7|
+4|
+1| Know (Dungeoneering, Nature) 10| | Shadowbane

8th| Shadow Sentinel |
+8|
+7|
+4|
+2| Know (Dungeoneering, Nature) 11, Spot 6|| Shadowsharp

9th|Topaz Guardian|
+9|
+9|
+4|
+4| Know (Dungeoneering, Nature) 12, Spot 8|Knowledge Devotion|Topaz Diadem

10th| Shadow Sentinel |
+10|
+10|
+5|
+4| Know (Dungeoneering, Nature) 13, Spot 10| | Umbral blade +2

11th| Shadow Sentinel |
+11|
+10|
+5|
+4| Know (Dungeoneering, Nature) 14, Spot 12|| Morphic blade (Material)

12th| Shadow Sentinel |
+12|
+11|
+6|
+5| Know (Dungeoneering, Nature) 15, Spot 14|Pious Defense| Umbral blade +3

13th| Shadow Sentinel |
+13|
+11|
+6|
+5| Know (Dungeoneering, Nature) 16, Spot 16| | Shadow Drain

14th| Topaz Guardian |
+14|
+12|
+6|
+6| Know (Dungeoneering, Nature) 17, Know (Religion) 5, Spot 17||Smite Aberration 1/Day

15th| Topaz Guardian |
+15|
+12|
+7|
+6| Know (Dungeoneering, Nature) 18, Know (Religion) 6, Spot 18|Pious Soul|Topaz Diadem +2, Hard to Hold

16th| Shadow Sentinel |
+16|
+13|
+8|
+6| Know (Dungeoneering, Nature) 19, Know (Religion) 7, Spot 19|| Umbral Blade +4

17th| Shadow Sentinel |
+17|
+13|
+8|
+7|Know (Dungeoneering, Nature) 20, Know (Religion) 8, Spot 20||Morphic blade (Alignment)

18th| Shadow Sentinel |
+18|
+14|
+9|
+7| Know (Dungeoneering, Nature) 21, Know (Religion) 9, Spot 21|Travel Devotion| Umbral blade +5

19th| Topaz Guardian |
+19|
+15|
+9|
+8| Know (Dungeoneering, Nature) 22, Know (Religion) 10, Spot 22||Smite Aberration 2/Day

20th| Topaz Guardian |
+20|
+15|
+9|
+8| Know (Dungeoneering, Nature) 23, Know (Religion) 11, Spot 23||Topaz Diadem +3

[/table]

{table=head]Level|32 Point Buy|Level 4 |Level 8 |Level 12 |Level 16 |Level 20

Str|15|16|17|18|19|20

Dex|12|12|12|12|12|12

Con|14|14|14|14|14|14

Int|12|12|12|12|12|12

Wis|12|12|12|12|12|12

Cha|14|14|14|14|14|14
[/table]


Spells per day/Spells Known
{table=head]Level|1st|2nd

1st|-|-

2nd|-|-

3rd|-|-

4th|1|-

5th|1|-

6th|1|-

7th|1|-

8th|1|-

9th|1|-

10th|1|-

11th|1|-

12th|1|-

13th|1|-

14th|2|-

15th|2|-

16th|2|-

17th|2|-

18th|2|-

19th|2|-

20th|2|1
[/table]

Level Breakdown
Level 5

Your a straight Paladin, melee is your thing. Your saves are better than a fighter’s courtesy of Divine Grace, with bonuses from Favored enemy giving you a boost against your normal enemies (Though there is a DM dependency which might call for better options. Thanks to Education, Amicus know who he ought be prepared for). Immunity to Fear is always fun. Spellcasting is retained, but really thats to allow Paladin spells to be used via wands for the most part. A Greatsword and full plate would be expected at the very least.

Level 10

Here we get our Shadow goodness. We now get a magic weapon which lets touch attacks, bane and keen be applied as required. Knowledge Devotion particularly both boosts to hit and damage, and more importantly allows the properselection of the bane ability, which provides sufficient bonus that it will be worth using for the whole of the Ambassadors career. The opening level of the Topazians grants complete immunity to possession and mind affecting effects, alongside the standard Paladin immunity to Fear we need never worry about the horrible aberrations affecting our sanity in anyway.

Level 15

Here we ruch to Shadowdrain, the apex ability of the Shadow Sentinel. It’s hard to pass up permanent, no resist ability damage, and with maximum BAB single powerful beings can be dropped forthwith. The Pious feats grant survivability and hail mary passes, and with our strict codes of conduct the faith points ought be generated with a good level of regularity. A few more levels of Topaz gives some more minor boosts to AC and to escaping fiendish Hentai scenes.

Level 20

We now finish off both prestige classes, giving the ability to bypass virtually any DR with our various Shadow Morphic properties, maximum enhancement bonus, Knowledge Devotion for a decent boost and the appropiate Bane selection and Keen if applicable. Topaz gives us a minor boost, but the Shadow levels are more important.

Equipment

Armor ought be enchanted as much as possible, given that weapons are taken care of.
Possible enchantments would be Fortification (Immunity to critical and sneak attack hits is always good), Anchoring boosts resistances to certain combat moves, Aporter helps our mobility issues before Travel Devotion comes along, Ghost Ward will help stop the Shadow’s that have to be dealt with in their plane.

Any Shield ought be Animated to keep the hands free.

Strength and Charisma boosting items should acquired as soon as possible to boost both saves and our primary stat.
A restful Crystal stops the need to spend minutes putting armour on during surprise battles.

Sources

UA (58) – Avenging (Paladin ACF)
CS – Stand Fast (Paladin ACF) http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a
RoD – Shadow Sentinel
SRD – Paladin
Lords of Madness – Topaz Guardian
Magic Item Compendium – Various suggested Enhancements
Complete Champion – Devotion Feats
Complete Divine – Pious Feats

[Amphetryon]

In the shadow of a grave.

Kalthool Ulnahlea, the Flickering Shadow of the Lore-Reborn Cabal
There may exist a stranger place for a child to grow up than a Gravewhisper Cabal, but that place is not likely on the material plane. Kalthool grew up surrounded by family - his mother, father, grandparents, great-grandparents and relatives going back to the earliest days of the Cabal all surrounded him in his early years, each doing what they could to shape him into a worthy successor. The fact that he was an orphan, in fact the last living descendent of the oldest family in the Cabal, only made the pressure on him to turn out to be an important man that much greater. His father, who had been slain while defending the Cabal from raiders, had been re-animated as a skeleton and given to Kalthool as a birthday present on his fifth birthday. His mother, who sat upon the Cabal's council and had sworn upon her husband's death that she would love no other, and had undergone the ritual to become a Lich the moment Kalthool had been weaned. Of the other relatives who watched over him as a child, five retained their minds and memories in one form or another, but none had a pulse.

Needless to say, Kalthool was not a well adjusted child.

Life and death were rather...indistinct concepts to Kalthool. He studied methods of killing people in much the same way normal people studied how to cook or paint. Growing up in a crypt what was, for the most part absolutely pitch black except for his own sigils, he was also naturally fascinated by flickering light and the play of shadow around him. These two things became passions, and later he made them into something of a profession - remaining in darkness and killing people.

Build:Race: Illumian (Aeshuur)
Attributes: Str 8, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 15, Cha 10
Alignment: LE
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features
1|Swordsage 1 |+0 |+0 |+2 |+2 |Hide 4, MS 4, Disguise 2, Tumble 4, Balance 4, Iaijutsu Focus 2, Psicraft 1, Speak Language 4, Autohypnosis 1|Adaptive Style|Quick to act +1, Discipline Focus (Weapon Focus, Shadow Hand)
2|Psychic Warrior 1 |+0 |+2 |+2 |+2 |Craft (Poison) 2, Autohypnosis 3|Exotic Weapon Prof. (Spiked Chain)|
3|Psychic Warrior 2 |+1 |+3 |+2 |+2 |Craft (Poison) 4, Autohypnosis 5|Practiced Manifester, Weapon Finesse|
4|Psychic Warrior 3 |+2 |+3 |+3 |+3 |Craft (Poison) 6, Balance 5||+1 Wis
5|Psychic Warrior 4 |+3 |+4 |+3 |+3 |Disguise 4||
6|Swordsage 2 |+4 |+4 |+4 |+4 |Hide 8, MS 8|Expanded Knowledge (Minor Creation, Psionic)|AC Bonus
7|Psychic Assassin (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20040723d) 1|+4 |+4 |+6 |+4 |Tumble 8, Hide 9, MS 9||Poison Use, 1d6 Sneak Attack
8|Psychic Assassin (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20040723d) 2|+5 |+4 |+7 |+4 |Tumble 10, Hide 11, MS 11||+1 Poison Saves, +1 Psychic Warrior Manifesting, +1 Dex
9|Shadow Sentinel 1 |+6 |+6 |+9 |+4 |Craft (Poison) 10|Craven|Umbral Blade +1, Morphic Blade (Type), Shadowstrike
10|Shadow Sentinel 2 |+7 |+7 |+10|+4 |Iaijutsu Focus 4||Shadowbane
11|Shadow Sentinel 3 |+8 |+7 |+10|+5 |Iaijutsu Focus 6||Shadowsharp
12|Shadow Sentinel 4 |+9 |+8 |+11|+5 |Iaijutsu Focus 7, Tumble 11|Shadow Hand|Umbral Blade +2, +1 Dex
13|Shadow Sentinel 5 |+10|+8 |+11|+5 |Iaijutsu Focus 8, Tumble 12||Morphic Blade (Material)
14|Shadow Sentinel 6 |+11|+9 |+12|+6 |Tumble 13, Disguise 5||Umbral Blade +3
15|Shadow Sentinel 7 |+12|+9 |+12|+6 |Iaijutsu Focus 9, Tumble 14|Martial Study(Strength Draining Strike)|Shadow Drain
16|Shadow Sentinel 8 |+13|+10|+13|+6 |Tumble 16||Umbral Blade +3, +1 Dex
17|Swordsage 3 |+14|+11|+13|+6 |Tumble 18, Iaijutsu Focus 10, Hide 13, MS 13||
18|Swordsage 4 |+15|+11|+14|+7 |Hide 17, Move Silent 17|Martial Stance(Step of the Dancing Moth)|Discipline Focus(Insightful Strike, Shadow Hand)
19|Shadow Sentinel 9 |+16|+11|+14|+8 |Iaijutsu Focus 11, Tumble 19||Morphic Blade (alignment)
20|Shadow Sentinel 10|+17|+12|+15|+8 |Speak Language 8||Umbral Blade +5, +1 Dex[/table]

Maneuvers & Powers:
{table=head]Level|Manifester Level|PP
1|0|0
2|1|1
3|3|3
4|4|7
5|5|11
6|6|11
7|7|11
8|8|14
9|9|14
10+|9|14[/table]
Note: Any boost to Wis modifier adds 2.5pp/point of wis-mod increase (round up, since level 8 total is actually 14.5).

Powers:
1st: Chameleon, Burst, Compression, P. Minor Creation*
2nd: Hustle, Strength of My Enemy

Maneuvers:
1st: Burning Blade, Distracting Ember, Clinging Shadow Strike, Shadow Blade Technique, Stone Bones, Counter Charge, Island of Blades, Flame's Blessing
2nd: Shadow Jaunt
3rd: Strength Draining Strike*
5th: Dragon's Flame, Step of the Dancing Moth*
6th: Ring of Fire
*Gained via feat

Secret Ingredient:The secret ingredient had two abilities that immediately jumped out and caught my attention. The first was the ability to change their weapon as a swift action for 1 shadow point. While limited to slashing weapons, this still provides an intriguing variety of options, and as such I've made a character who can switch between numerous fighting styles with ease.
The second thing that grabbed me about the class was the ability to do a specified amount of Strength damage. Strength damage is pretty rare, often with good reason, since a lot of enemies have pretty ridiculous strength scores. However, as long as you have other methods of taking something down, it becomes an option that allows you to quickly take down some of the most dangerous enemies you're likely to come accross - Mages. So one of the primary motivators for this build was figuring out a way to deal lots of strength damage quickly. I think I've got most, if not all, of the best methods for that built into this character.
The other class features are also used to good advantage:

Umbral Blade - Much of this character is built around the ability to use a variety of weapons. Having several enchanted weapons is really, really expensive, though. This, along with Morphic Weapon, lets us have a single +N weapon effectively for free. We're going to make the absolute most of this.
Morphic Blade - The Aptitude enchantment is a +1 equivalent enchantment from Tome of Battle which states that any feat the character has that applies to a specific weapon also applies to the enchanted weapon, even if it's not the correct type. Because Aptitude is the central feat in the classic Lightning Maces build, it has become much maligned as 'known cheese', despite the fact that it's really only ever used for that one trick. Well, Morphic Blade gives us another really, really good trick. The key here is that we use an enchanted weapon (probably a dagger) with the aptitude enchantment and turn that into our umbral blade. A +2 weapon is easily affordable by the time we get into Shadow Sentinel, so there should be no complaint about using one here - even if we have to go out and get someone to craft it for us and go on a quest to do so, it's worth it in the end. Because by the time we get the Umbral blade, we'll have three very important feats that are weapon specific. One is weapon focus, arguably the least important, but this means we always get that +1 to hit no matter what we're wielding. The second feat is Exotic Weapon Proficiency - it's a feat, it applies to a specific weapon, so with the Aptitude enchantment and Morphic Blade, we can literally now wield any slashing exotic weapon we like as a swift action. The third is weapon finesse. Because the feat specifies not just light weapons, but also rapier, whip and spiked chain, it's a feat that applies to a specific type of weapon, and therefore ANY slashing weapon we choose to wield becomes finesseable. Examples of how we can use this are below in the tactics section.
Shadowstrike - What do you call a flat-footed opponent taking an iaijutsu touch-attack?...What opponent? All I see is red mist.
Shadowbane - It's always nice to have an evil outsider bane weapon. I see no downside, but this is not a game changer, really.
Shadowsharp - While this might not be a critfishing build, there's certainly no problem with changing our weapon into an Elven Courtblade and going to town when we really need to. The only unfortunate thing here is that our precision damage is does not double - but most of our other extra damage does.
Shadow Drain - At the cost of a swift action, we can add strength damage. Using our standard action, we can use a swordsage maneuver to deal strength damage in our attack. And of course applying strength-damaging poison (created that morning for a single power point) only requires a move action. Having Strength of My Enemy active also adds to the damage, but isn't entirely necessary. Yeah, we can do strength damage, all right.

Equipment:Of course, the most important item for this character is their blade. That having been said, we're not going to need anything exceptionally fancy - a +1 dagger of Aptitude is all we really need. If we could make it deal extra dice of damage, give it the speed enhancement, or various other features, that would be wonderful - but we don't really need all that.
Of course, what we save on up-front costs, we can later spend on versatility - specifically, Augment Crystals (from the Magic Item Compendium). With a few of these little beauties, we can customize our weapon to the task at hand. A couple of Lesser crystals of Energy (Acid and Electricity, since we can already generate fire damage) will improve our damage output even further, while a Greater crystal of Demolition and a Greater crystal of True Death will solve a lot of the problems that rogues normally have with sneak attack - that is, killing constructs and the undead. Total cost for weapon: 26 k

With the blade taken care of, we move on to armor. Any light armor will do at the beginning, but by later levels we're going to want Celestial Armor from the DMG, because it provides a +8 max dex bonus. We don't particularly need a shield, and we're more likely to have a Dorje in the off hand anyway. Cost for Armor: 22.5k

Other misc gear, based on a level 15 budget:
Gloves of Dexterity +4, Phylactery of Wis +4, Belt of Con +2, 36k
Ring of blinking 27k
Ring of Protection +2 8k
Cloak of Resistance +5 25k
Boots of Speed 12k
Circlet of Persuasion 4.5k

Dorje: Force Screen 750
Dorje: Body Purification 4.5k
Total: 166.25/200k by ECL 15
Plenty of room left for miscelaneous odds and ends.

Tactics:Levels 1-6: Starting out as a Swordsage/Psychic Warrior, our initial tactics generally involve using our swordsage maneuvers & stances to deal damage, while applying our Psychic Warrior powers carefully for maximum effect. You'll note that, of the Psychic Warrior powers, only Hustle and Strength of My Enemy (and possibly Compression) are intended for combat use, and mostly just Hustle (which is sort of like Pounce, except not requiring a charge). Between light armor, high dex, wis-to-AC and a spiked chain, you're probably going to be nearly unhittable, while being more than capable of whittling the enemy down to nothing, either from hiding or outside their effective range.
Levels 7-8: With both Poison Use and Psionic minor creation, suddenly you've got the option of doing lots of Damage. And status effects. And stat damage. And whatever else you like, because nearly all poisons are plant-matter extract and thus readily available through Psionic Minor Creation. This newly acquired versatility exands even further with...
Levels 9-14: With the advent of sneak attack and Craven, you can suddenly do serious damage. Lots and lots of damage. Between Island of Blades, your instant-flanking-buddy manuver (), and a respectable stealth score, you should ALWAYS be doing sneak attack (and with a couple of Augment Crystals, you'll be doing sneak damage to undead and constructs as well). Also, with your Morphic Blade ability coming on-line, you're no longer (just) a chain fighter - You may only have 1 shadow point to play with (for now), but that still means that if you decide you want to be wielding a Gnomish Quickrazor (which is a free action to draw as well as sheath, allowing you to perform MULTIPLE IAIJUTSU STRIKES in a single full-attack), or a Drow Scorpion Chain (slashing version of a spike chain), or an Elven Court Blade (1d10 damage Falchion), or a Dragonsplit (MM4, 1-handed Scythe), or a dozen others (including, oddly enough, a whip). Basically, this is allows you to change your tactics to suit your enemies, and as you increase in level, you can do this for every encounter in a given day! Add on top of that a bit of extra versatility in the form of Shadowstrike, Shadowbane, Shadowsharp and Morphic Material and you'll be cutting down your enemies without missing a beat. The only issue you're facing now is a shortage of swift actions and an abundance of combat options.
Level 15: Here's the absolute pinacle of the build. You were powerful before, but now you're downright scary. Not only do you have a dozen different fighting styles, but you can use every single one of them with the trick you get at level 15. Specifically, you simultaneously pick up Shadow Drain and the Strength Draining Strike maneuver. Combined with the strength damage you had before that (Strength of My Enemies via Psychic Warrior and Greensickness poison (MM3) via minor creation), you can deal 8 strength damage along with (DC 33 fort save vs. 2d6 str damage) poison! With a standard action! Now THAT is a mage-killing strike!
Level 16+: More versatility, more damage, more tricks. A couple more levels of swordsage provide you with two mid-level maneuvers that let you breathe a 6d6 cone of fire or run around in a circle to deal 12d6 (reflex half) to everything trapped in that circle (and with Burst and Boots of Speed, you can kill a small army of trolls with this maneuver). The step of the dancing moth stance lets you ignore most terrain, including minor things like oceans and lava, as well as never triggering a tripwire or pressure plate trap again. And of course more Shadow Sentinel gives you a +5 weaponarsenal in addition to more shadow points and the ability to bypass pretty much any DR in the game.

Build at level 15:
Illumian Swordsage 2/Psychic Warrior 4/Psychic Assassin 2/Shadow Sentinel 7
Medium Humanoid (Illumian)
Hit Dice: 6d8 + 2d6 + 7d10 + 45 (115 HP average)
Initiative: +6
Speed: 30 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 33 (+8 armor, +6 dex, +0 natural, +0 size, +5 bonus ,+2 deflection), touch 23, flat-footed 20
Base Attack/Grapple: +12
Attack:
Melee - +23 Adaptive Umbral Elven Courtblade +4 (1d10 + 9 + 1d6 electricity, 18-20x2 crit)
Full Attack:
Melee - +23/+18/+13 Adaptive Umbral Elven Courtblade +4 (1d10 + 9 + 1d6 electricity, 18-20x2 crit)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Sneak attack +1d6+15, Poisoned weapon, Umbral Blade, Morphic Blade, Shadowstrike, Shadowbane, Shadowsharp, Swordsage Maneuvers, Powers
Special Qualities: Swordsage Stances, Aeshuur Sigil (+2 on Strength and Dexterity skill checks, +2 dodge bonus VS enemies hit by sneak attack)
Saves: Fort +17, Ref +23, Will +16
Abilities: Str 8, Dex 22, Con 16, Int 14, Wis 20, Cha 10
Skills: Hide +19, Move Silent +19, Disguise +5, Craft(Poison) +9, Balance +13, Iaijutsu Focus +11, Tumble +22, Psicraft +4, Autohypnosis +10
Feats: Adaptive Style, Exotic Weapon Prof. (Spiked Chain), Practiced Manifester, Weapon Finesse, Expanded Knowledge (Minor Creation, Psionic), Craven, Shadow Hand, Martial Study(Strength Draining Strike)
Possessions: See Equipment
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Languages Known: Common, Illumian, Undercommon, Draconic, Elven, Celstial, Infernal, Demonic

Psychic Warrior Powers:Manifester Level 9, 19pp
Level 1: Burst, Chameleon, Compression, Psionic Minor Creation
Level 2: Hustle, Strength of My Enemy

Swordsage Maneuvers: As a swordsage, Kalthool may choose 4 maneuvers to have available at any time. As a full-round action, Kalthool may choose and ready 4 maneuvers. Initiator Level is 8.
Burning Blade (Swift action to add 1d6+8 fire damage to next attack), Distracting Ember (swift action to cause enemy to be flanked), Clinging Shadow Strike (standard attack, enemy has 20% miss chance until next turn), Shadow Blade Technique (standard attack, roll 2d20 on attack then either choose higher or gain +1d6 cold damage), Stone Bones (standard attack, gain DR 5/- until next turn), Counter Charge (immediate action opposed Dex check causes enemy to fail on charge), Shadow Jaunt (standard action to teleport 50'), Strength Draining Strike (standard attack, +4 strength damage)
Swordsage Stances: As a swordsage, Kalthool may be in one stance at any time. Changing stances is a swift action
Island of Blades (flank any enemy threatened by both yourself and any ally, regardless of positions), Flame's Blessing (Resist Fire 20)


Sources:Craven: Champions of Ruin
Psychic Assassin: The Mind's Eye (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20040723d)
Iaijutsu Focus: Oriental Adventures
Swordsage, Maneuvers, Adaptive Style, Martial Study, Martial Stance, Aptitude Weapon: Tome of Battle
Psychic Warrior and all psionics related material are from the Expanded Psionics Handbook and thus available from the D20 SRD.
Gnomish Quick Razor: Races of Stone
Elven Courtblade: Races of the Wild
The other exotic weapons mentioned come from various sources which I won't bother to list - most of the attributes are described where mentioned. For additional info on the tremendous range of exotic weapons, see Haberdash (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88633) by the inimitable Person Man.

[Amphetryon]

Shadows and dusk. . . .

Loretower Qona, Champion Abjurant of the Shadow Sentinels

Levelling statistics

{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Duskblade 1|
+1|
+2|
+0|
+2|Concentration 4, Knowledge (arcana) 4, Knowledge (the planes) 4, Tumble 4| Able Learner|Arcane Attunement, Armored mage (light), Skilled city dweller (Ride for Tumble)

2nd|Duskblade 2|
+2|
+3|
+0|
+3|Concentration 1, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (the planes) 1, Tumble 1|Combat Casting (B)|

3rd|Duskblade 3|
+3|
+3|
+1|
+3| Concentration 1, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (the planes) 1, Tumble 1|Power Attack|Arcane Channeling

4th|Duskblade 4|
+4|
+4|
+1|
+4| Concentration 1, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (the planes) 1, Tumble 1||Armored mage (medium), Con+1

5th|Duskblade 5|
+5|
+4|
+1|
+4| Concentration 1, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (the planes) 1, Tumble 1||Quick cast 1/day

6th|Abjurant Champion 1|
+6|
+4|
+1|
+6| Tumble 1, Concentration 1, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (the planes) 1|Knowledge Devotion| Abjurant armour, Extended abjurations

7th| Abjurant Champion 2|
+7|
+4|
+1|
+7| Tumble 1, Concentration 1, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (the planes) 1|| Swift abjurations, alignment shift to CG (from CN)

8th| Abjurant Champion 3|
+8|
+5|
+2|
+7| Tumble 1, Concentration 1, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (the planes) 1|| Str +1

9th| Abjurant Champion 4|
+9|
+5|
+2|
+8| Tumble 1, Concentration 1, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (the planes) 1|Weapon Focus (Greatsword)|Arcane boost

10th| Abjurant Champion 5|
+10|
+5|
+2|
+8| Tumble 1, Concentration 1, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (the planes) 1||Martial arcanist

11th|Shadow Sentinel 1|
+11|
+7|
+4|
+8|Tumble 1, Concentration 1, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (the planes) 1||Umbral blade +1, Morphic blade (type), Shadowstrike
12th|Shadow Sentinel 2|
+12|
+8|
+5|
+8| Tumble 1, Concentration 1, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (the planes) 1| Arcane Strike|Shadowbane, Str +1

13th|Shadow Sentinel 3|
+13|
+8|
+5|
+9| Tumble 1, Concentration 1, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (the planes) 1||Shadowsharp

14th|Shadow Sentinel 4|
+14|
+9|
+6|
+9| Tumble 1, Concentration 1, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (the planes) 1||Umbral blade +2

15th|Shadow Sentinel 5|
+15|
+9|
+6|
+9| Tumble 1, Concentration 1, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (the planes) 1| Extra Spell/Improved Initiative |Morphic blade (material)

16th|Shadow Sentinel 6|
+16|
+10|
+7|
+10| Tumble 1, Concentration 1, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (the planes) 1||Umbral blade +3, Str +1

17th|Shadow Sentinel 7|
+17|
+10|
+7|
+10| Tumble 1, Concentration 1, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (the planes) 1||Shadowdrain

18th|Shadow Sentinel 8|
+18|
+11|
+8|
+10| Tumble 1, Concentration 1, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (the planes) 1|Versatile Spellcaster| Umbral blade +4

19th|Shadow Sentinel 9|
+19|
+11|
+8|
+11| Tumble 1, Concentration 1, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (the planes) 1||Morphic blade (alignment)

20th|Shadow Sentinel 10|
+20|
+12|
+9|
+11| Tumble 1, Concentration 1, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (the planes) 1||Umbral blade +5, Str +1[/table]


Spells per day

{table=head]Level|0lvl|1st|2nd|3rd

1st|3|3|-|-|

2nd|4|4|-|-|

3rd|5|5|-|-|

4th|6|6|-|-|

5th|6|6|3|-|

6th|6|7|4|-|

7th|6|7|6|-|

8th|6|8|7|-|

9th|6|8|7|3|

10th|6|9|8|4|

11th|6|9|8|4|

12th|6|9|8|4|

13th|6|9|8|4|

14th|6|9|8|4|

15th|6|9|8|4|

16th|6|9|8|4|

17th|6|9|8|4|

18th|6|9|8|4|

19th|6|9|8|4|

20th|6|10|8|4|[/table]
*Assuming a +6 item to Strength by 20th level, add an extra spell per day to both second and third level spells.

Spells Known

{table=head]Level|0lvl|1st|2nd|3rd

1st|4|2|-|-|

2nd|4|3|-|-|

3rd|4|4|-|-|

4th|4|5|-|-|

5th|4|5|1|-|

6th|4|5|2|-|

7th|4|5|3|-|

8th|4|5|4|-|

9th|4|5|4|1|

10th|4|5|4|2|

11th|4|5|4|2|

12th*|4|5|4|2|

13th*|4|5|4|2|

14th*|4|5|4|2|

15th*|4|5|4|2|

16th*|4|5|4|2|

17th*|4|5|4|2|

18th*|4|5|4|2|

19th*|4|5|4|2|

20th*|4|5|4|2| [/table]
*If your DM allows Extra Spell to give you a spell not on your spell list, nab shield for an extra 1st level spell known (+9 to AC all day at 20th). If not, either grab a second level duskblade spell or take Improved Initiative



General Information

Loretower Qona, CG female Illumian (Aeshkrau)
Duskblade 5/Abjurant Champion 5/Shadow Sentinel 10

Starting Ability scores (32 PB);

Strength: 16 (+3)
Dexterity: 12 (+1)
Constitution: 15 (+2)
Intelligence: 14 (+2)
Wisdom: 10 (+0)
Charisma: 10 (+0)

Note: Level-up points went into Constitution (at 4th) and Strength (at 8th, 12th, 16th and 20th)

Qona at a glance, 20th level (no equipment)

Loretower Qona
Duskblade 5/Abjurant Champion 5/Shadow Sentinel 10
Medium Humanoid (human)
HD: 5d8+15d10+60 (175hp, assuming 1/2HD+1 per level)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 30ft
Base Attack/Grapple: +20/+25
Attack: Umbral Greatsword +31, 2d6+13/19-20 (x2)
Saves: +15 Fort, +10 Reflex, +11 Will
Stats: Str 20, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 14, Wis 10, Cha 10
Feats: Education (1st), Combat casting(Bonus at 2nd),Power Attack (3rd), Knowledge Devotion (6th), Weapon Focus (Greatsword) (9th), Arcane Strike (12th), Extra Spell/Improved Initiative (15th), Versatile Spellcaster (18th)
Skills: Concentration 23, Knowledge (arcana) 23, Knowledge (the planes) 23, Tumble 23


Tactics, level by level

From first level
In which the steel is chosen

Long ago, The Library of the Sublime floated through the Astral Sea in harmony.

Then, everything changed when the githyanki attacked.

Only Aulasha could stop them. But when the Library needed her most, she vanished.

Five hundred years have passed, and the ruins of the Library are still visible for any who care to look for them.

My cabal, the Astralhunter, have dedicated our lives to searching out and destroying those who attacked the Library, and to punish those who worship the fake goddess who let the Library be destroyed.

To that end, I’ve been extensively trained in the arts both martial and arcane, and learned to combine the two into a seamless play of blade and magic.

So she’s a first level duskblade. Although she has spells, she’s pretty much a glorified Fighter without the bonus feat (and with an average of 1 less hit point). Grab the heaviest armor that you can afford, nab a greatsword and start swinging.



To level 5
In which the blade is shaped

My skills with both my blade and my magic have both improved immeasurably. But once, years ago, my faith in my birth cabal was shaken to its core, and I became... disillusioned.

We had come across a cabal that dedicated itself to Aulasha, the Fake One. Upon discovery, Captain Duensel conferred with our illithid allies and decided to slaughter them all.

The cabal stood no chance. Between out illithid allies and our duskblade warriors, we overwhelmed their feeble homeguard and dispatched them. I was given the honour of slaying the Lorekeeper... and his family. Initially, I was thrilled at the chance to execute the heretics. But as i stood before hem, lighning crackling along my blade, I heard the Loremaster’s daughter begging me not to kill her father. At that moment, I realised that they were no different than I. Spying my hesitation, out cabal mage mutter a rhyming couplet and the following fireball engulfed the family. For my hesitation, I was given three parallel scars across my forehead, showing my shame to the planes.

At third level, you’ll be picking up your signature ability – Arcane channelling. Make sure that by fourth, you have some medium armor (likely a breastplate at this point) so you can continue attacking while channelling. You also pick up Power attack in this span – use it well, grasshopper.



To level 10
In which a champion is forged

Not long after my shaming, I left the cabal to wander the planes, searching for repentance and trying to find my place in Tarmuid’s great story. I journeyed with a group of companions on a world known as Khorvaire for nearly three years.

It was there that I learned how to further combine my blade and spells, so their power was not dependant on my force of will, but my martial mastery. While there, I studied in the greatest mortal library that I have ever seen; the Korranberg Library. There, I studied specific techniques on monster-slaying, hoping that I could destroy enough monsters like my former kin to atone for the all the unjust deaths that I had caused.

You’ve completed Abjurant champion and picked up the tasty Knowledge Devotion (and necessary Weapon Focus)). With martial arcanist, your CL will actually remain relevant up to high levels. Note on swift abjuration; it says that you CAN cast your low level abjurations as a swift action, not ‘you cast all abjurations spells of x level as a swift action, so it doesn’t have to interfere with her upcoming shadow points.



To level 15
In which the blade casts a shadow

Elirhondas. The City of Shadows.

Located in a remote corner of the Plane of Shadow, the illumian metropolis called to me the minute I stepped foot inside. Within weeks of staying, I had met the Shadow Sentinels and knew how to absolve myself. Three days later, I stepped foot inside of their barracks and submitted myself to their judgement.

When they asked for my cabal, I hesitated. I had not identified myself with the Astralhunters, my birth cabal, for nearly 5 years. When they asked again, I felt a lightness in my soul as I gave the name of the quill cabal that I’d help destroy – Loretower.

BOOM. Secret Ingredient time. Shadow Sentinel. Entered late to ensure CL remaining viable for the rest of the build. You gain access to shadow points, costing you your swift actions... which is alright. Your main strategy from here on out is likely to use shadow points (swift) move into position (move) arcane channel (standard).



Endgame
In which the shadows deepen

As a proved agent of the Sentinels, I enjoyed the happiest days of my life. The camaraderie among the sentinels was incredible – it was if I had joined a new cabal, our bonds were so tight.

Level 20, and it’s smooth sailing. Easily capable of dishing out a greatsword strike worth about 2d6+10d6+2d4+STR +Umbral enhancement (5), all at a +31 to hit (+20 (BAB)+6 (Strength)+5 (Umbral blade) (without adding Power attack) a minimum of 4 times per day (4 third level spell slots), plus whatever bonuses you get from equipment (ring of wizardry, anyone?). You have a modifier of +27 for Knowledge (arcana) and (the planes), meaning you’ll be getting a minimum +3 (+4 if you roll a 4 or higher) versus outsiders, elementals, dragons, constructs and magical beasts. Versatile Spellcaster lets you transform your useless 0-level spell slots into first level spells (at a cost of 2 for 1).



Post-game
In which the shadow’d blade is sheathed

Now, after nearly sixty years of service to the Shadow Sentinels, I prepare to go forth and meet Tarmuid. I both fear and await my inevitable meeting with Aulasha; will she forgive me for all I have done?

Onwards, to the greatest journey of them all.



On using the Umbral blade

Umbral Blade: The defining characteristic of the prestige class, the blade is free enhancements to a melee weapon. And what combines well with free to hit/damage bonuses? Power Attack. So Qota grabs a two handed weapon and goes to town.

Morphic blade (type): Ever been swallowed whole, and had to rely on your inferior, light slashing weapon to cut your way out? Thanks to this class feature, Qota no longer has to rely on that. As a swift action, she can change her greatsword into a short sword and cut her way free. Also handy if she manages to get grappled.

Shadowstrike: This feature synergies particularily well with Qota because frankly, she’s usually better off making single attacks anyways. Her arcane channelling ability only affects 1 attack, and this ability lets you make a single attack as a touch attack. Load your (perfect) base attack into Power Attack for extra damage on your channelled spell. Ignoring cover (except for total cover) is just the cherry on top.

Shadowbane: A swift action to imbue your weapon with another +2 to hit and 2d6 bonus damage (against your ‘traditional’ foes)? Yes please!

Shadowsharp: Keen property as a swift action (for am minute/class level, not the typical round/class level). A greatsword already has a chance for an increased critical hit, and this helps it get them more often..

Morphic blade (material): You’re going to be facing off against higher level fiends and outsiders. Which means damage reduction. This feature (although late, ECL-wise) will help cut through that reduction on the cold iron/silver or good.

Shadowdrain: By the looks of it, we have a no-save chance to drain 5 Strength permanently from our target. I could see this being useful against a final boss or against a low-strength enemy (draining Strength to zero), but you only get 21 shadow points a day, and a single full-power strike drains a full quarter of them. Synergizes well with Qota’s single attack routine (arcane channelling).

Morphic blade (alignment): As your pseudo-capstone, one could definitely do better, but letting you cut through any sort of DR (with a swift action or two) isn’t an outright terrible capstone.


Equipment suggestions


A single Ring of Wizardry (III) can up your usages of third level spells to 7, making your vampiric touches last that much longer.
Strength enhancing item (likely +6) will give you an extra 2nd and 3rd level spell slot, as well as making it easier for you to hit things (+3 to hit)
For hilarity’s sake, Qona can pull out one of her own teeth and jab in a Tooth of Savnok to ensure that she can tumble in mithral full plate for mobility enhancement. A pricier option would be full plate (made from the material of your choice) with halfweight (+3 enhancement from Underdark). This lets you treat any armor as light armor for all intents, therefore not impeding your armored mage (medium).
Other standard CO fare, such as a Belt of Battle, etc...


Sources

Player’s Handbook
Player’s Handbook II
Complete Mage
Races of Destiny
Complete Warrior
Complete Champion
Cityscape Web enhancement (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a)
Races of the Dragon

[Amphetryon]

Don't you know that you are a shooting star - Bad Company

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/rod_gallery/86296.jpg

Sometimes just one Sending can change your life forever.

For Jacques de Payens, explorer, alchemist, and scholar, that Sending could not have been more ill-timed. He had dutifully worshiped the Mother of Magic and done all she had asked, had trained for years with the Sentinels who fought alongside the Order of the Shooting Star, defending the Weave from the work of Shar. And now he was ready to settle down, to marry, perhaps even open a shop. He had accomplished much in so short a time, and he was looking forward to a quieter life.

Alas, it was not to be. Through the Weavespeak, Jacques saw the face of his brother, full of anguish.

“Guillaume is dead. Elirhondas has fallen. The High Priest d’Aubigne has betrayed the Sentinels and stolen away the sacred books. We were unprepared. Help us.”

Jacques looked with longing at the sleeping figure of his mistress, the woman he hoped would be his wife. He fingered the small black dagger he kept always on a leather thong about his neck. Then, steeling himself, he strode from bed and stole out into the night. His glowing sigils cast ghastly shadows about him, shadows that seemed to cry out, stay!

He shook his head. He would not abandon his fellow partisans, even if it meant forsaking the life he craved. He was Jacques de Payens, Shadow Sentinel, renowned throughout the land for his craft, and he would now bring all this craft to defend his brethren.

He pulled the dagger from its scabbard, and as he walked it transformed to the tall guisarme that was the marker of his station. And with that, he continued down the path to Elirhondas…

Jacques de Payens, Defender of the Weave

LN Illumian (Naenkrau), Ranger 5/Trapsmith 1/Earth Dreamer 4/Shadow Sentinel 10

Starting Stats: Str 14/Dex 12/Con 14/Int 16/Wis 14/Cha 8
(Level boosts go to Strength, plus one boost to Con.)

ACFs:
Order of the Shooting Star substitution levels, Arcane Hunter, Trap Expert, Spiritual Connection

The Build

Jacques de Payens
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Ranger 1|
+1|
+2|
+2|
+0|Craft (trapmaking) 4 ranks, craft (alchemy) 4 ranks, disable device 4 ranks, search 4 ranks, open lock 2 ranks, knowledge (nature) 4 ranks, knowledge (dungeoneering) 4 ranks, listen 4 ranks, spot 4 ranks|Earth Sense|Favored enemy: arcanists, spiritual connection, trapfinding

2nd|Ranger 2|
+2|
+3|
+3|
+0|Craft (trapmaking) 5 ranks, craft (alchemy) 5 ranks, disable device 5 ranks, search 5 ranks, open lock 2.5 ranks, knowledge (nature) 5 ranks, knowledge (dungeoneering) 5 ranks, listen 5 ranks, spot 5 ranks|Two-Weapon Fighting|Combat style

3rd|Ranger 3|
+3|
+3|
+3|
+1|Craft (trapmaking) 6 ranks, disable device 6 ranks, search 6 ranks, spellcraft 5 ranks, open lock 3 ranks|Weapon Focus (Guisarme)|Weavespeak

4th|Ranger 4|
+4|
+4|
+4|
+1|Craft (trapmaking) 7 ranks, disable device 7 ranks, search 7 ranks, open lock 3.5 ranks, spellcraft 7 ranks, craft (alchemy) 6 ranks, listen 6 ranks, spot 6 ranks||Bonus spells, improved spellcasting

5th|Ranger 5|
+5|
+4|
+4|
+1|Craft (trapmaking) 8 ranks, disable device 8 ranks, search 8 ranks, open lock 4 ranks, spellcraft 8 ranks, craft (alchemy) 7 ranks, listen 7 ranks, spot 7 ranks||Second favored enemy: aberrations

6th|Shadow Sentinel 1|
+6/+1|
+6|
+6|
+1|Craft (trapmaking) 9 ranks, craft (alchemy) 8 ranks, spellcraft 9 ranks, open lock 4.5 ranks|Sword of the Arcane Order|Umbral blade +1, morphic blade (type), shadowstrike

7th|Shadow Sentinel 2|
+7/+2|
+7|
+7|
+1|Craft (trapmaking) 10 ranks, craft (alchemy) 9 ranks, spellcraft 10 ranks, open lock 5 ranks||Shadowbane

8th|Trapsmith 1|
+7/+2|
+7|
+9|
+1|Craft (trapmaking) 11 ranks, craft (alchemy) 10 ranks, disable device 11 ranks, search 10 ranks, listen 8 ranks, spot 8 ranks||Booby traps (simple), master disarmer, trap sense +1

9th|Earth Dreamer 1|
+7/+2|
+9|
+9|
+3|Craft (trapmaking) 12 ranks, craft (alchemy) 11 ranks, listen 9 ranks, disable device 12 ranks|Shape Soulmeld (Phase Cloak)|Earth friend

10th|Earth Dreamer 2|
+8/+3|
+10|
+9|
+4|Craft (trapmaking) 13 ranks, craft (alchemy) 12 ranks, listen 10 ranks, disable device 13 ranks||Earth dream

11th|Earth Dreamer 3|
+8/+3|
+10|
+10|
+4|Craft (trapmaking) 14 ranks, craft (alchemy) 13 ranks, listen 11 ranks, disable device 14 ranks||Lesser tremorsense

12th|Earth Dreamer 4|
+9/+4|
+11|
+10|
+5|Craft (trapmaking) 15 ranks, craft (alchemy) 14 ranks, listen 12 ranks, disable device 15 ranks|Open Lesser Chakra (Shoulders)|Earth Sight

13th|Shadow Sentinel 3|
+10/+5|
+11|
+10|
+6|Craft (trapmaking) 16 ranks, craft (alchemy) 15 ranks, listen 13 ranks, spot 10 ranks||Shadowsharp

14th|Shadow Sentinel 4|
+11/+6/+1|
+12|
+11|
+6|Craft (trapmaking) 17 ranks, craft (alchemy) 16 ranks, listen 14 ranks, spot 12 ranks||Umbral blade +2

15th|Shadow Sentinel 5|
+12/+7/+2|
+12|
+11|
+6|Craft (trapmaking) 18 ranks, craft (alchemy) 17 ranks, listen 15 ranks, spot 14 ranks|Travel Devotion|Morphic blade (material)

16th|Shadow Sentinel 6|
+13/+8/+3|
+13|
+12|
+7|Craft (trapmaking) 19 ranks, craft (alchemy) 18 ranks, listen 16 ranks, spot 16 ranks||Umbral blade +3

17th|Shadow Sentinel 7|
+14/+9/+4|
+13|
+12|
+7|Craft (trapmaking) 20 ranks, craft (alchemy) 19 ranks, listen 17 ranks, spot 18 ranks||Shadow drain

18th|Shadow Sentinel 8|
+15/+10/+5|
+14|
+13|
+7|Craft (trapmaking) 21 ranks, craft (alchemy) 20 ranks, listen 19 ranks, spot 19 ranks|Travel Devotion|Umbral blade +4

19th|Shadow Sentinel 9|
+16/+11/+6/+1|
+14|
+13|
+8|Craft (trapmaking) 22 ranks, craft (alchemy) 21 ranks, listen 20 ranks, spot 21 ranks||Morphic blade (alignment)

20th|Shadow Sentinel 10|
+17/+12/+7/+2|
+15|
+14|
+8|Craft (trapmaking) 23 ranks, craft (alchemy) 22 ranks, listen 22 ranks, spot 22 ranks||Umbral blade +5[/table]


Spells

Ranger Spells/Day
{table=head]Level|1st|2nd|3rd|4th

1st|-|-|-|-

2nd|-|-|-|-

3rd|-|-|-|-

4th|0+1|-|-|-

5th|0+1|-|-|-

[/table]

Trapsmith Spells per day
{table=head]Level|1st|2nd|3rd

8th|1|-|-

9th|2|-|-

10th|2|1|-

11th|3|2|-

12th|3|2|1
[/table]

Trapsmith Spells Known

1- Arcane Sight, Haste, Protection from Energy, Dispel Magic
2- Arcane Eye, Otiluke’s Resilient Sphere, Stone Shape
3- Wall of Stone, Fabricate



Explanation, Tips & Tricks

Jacques de Payens is no musty scholar. He trained with the Order of the Shooting Star, the great order of rangers allied with Mystra’s churches. He is accustomed to living deep underground, to penetrating the deepest and darkest dungeons and tombs in the Realms.

SCOUTING AND DUNGEON DELVING

Temple, prison or crypt - none is safe from Jacques de Payens, should the Mother of Magic send him there. Jacques has a great affinity with the earth, which he uses to his advantage. He gathers information well, able to speak to the animals and plants surrounding a dungeon via his Spiritual Connection class ability. He can even speak to the earth itself, using Earth Dream. He can also communicate via Sending to other members of his order, through Weavespeak.

He has excellent perception skills, coupled with tremorsense and even the ability to see through solid rock. His search skill is high enough to find any mundane trap, and he has Arcane Sight to spot magical ones. He also has Arcane Eyes which he can send forward to help him scout.

Thanks to his Phase Cloak, he can slip into the ethereal as he moves, allowing him to bypass most traps without even setting them off, pass through walls and ceilings, and more. He is skilled at disabling traps, and what he can’t disable through normal means, he can destroy via Stone Shape, Dispel Magic, or by the expedient means of smashing through with an iuak or adamantine weapon (see The Master’s Touch). He also has access to powerful alchemy that can rust metal or burn through stone (see The Power of Alchemy).

COMBAT

Jacques de Payens strives to keep his enemies guessing, and is a versatile combattant. He prefers hit and run tactics, scouting out enemies first, watching them through a wall via Earth Sight/tremorsense or Arcane Eyes, then making opportunistic attacks before disappearing through a wall or ceiling via Phase Cloak.

When he has time to prepare, he is a peerless trapmaker. The Fabricate spell especially helps with this, allowing him to create complex traps in minutes. The sheer breadth and diversity of traps is too great to go into here, but just looking at the DMG gives an excellent idea of what he can do. For instance, using Wall of Stone and Fabricate, he can create a powerful resetting crushing wall trap that can deal 18d6 points of damage. He also knows how to make simple and low-cost booby traps in seconds - trip wires, traps that drop stones or tanglefoot bags from the ceiling, alarms, etc.

He likes to use the environment to his advantage, using his ethereal movement and superior senses to attack where opponents cannot strike back. The Shadowstrike ability lets him attack even around corners, meaning that he can attack from behind an obstacle as a touch attack, while his opponent will face cover penalties if they try to return their attack.

If the environment does not favor him, he changes it. Wall of Stone is an especially potent spell for him. He can see through the wall of stone with his Earth Sight ability, and use it to trap enemies, then phase through via Phase Cloak to attack, and retreat via Travel Devotion.

To prevent opponents retreating, he uses spells, trip wires, combat maneuvers, and more. He has a wide range of debuffs available to him via alchemy:

The Power of Alchemy

A skilled alchemist, Jacques can create large quantities of alchemical substances in short periods of time by use of the Fabricate spell.

Jacques finds innumerable uses for these items. Tanglefoot bags and thunderstones are simple ranged weapons that Jacques likes to use as debuffs when fighting. But this just barely scratches the surface of what he can do, which includes...


Smokesticks, noxious smokesticks and stinkpots create areas of choking and nauseating fog, to block line of sight and debuff enemies. Jacques takes advantage of his ethereal movement to avoid these hazards he creates.
In addition to sundering items, Jacques can use rust cubes to covertly destroy weapons and armor of his enemies.
Freeze powder can be combined with ordinary water to create icy patches that cause enemies to fall and force Balance checks.
Alchemist’s mineral acid and rust cubes eat through stone/earth and metal respectively, allowing Jacques to destroy key elements of traps, locks and more.
When Jacques has time to prepare against an enemy, a favorite tactic is to completely fill an area with drop traps, dropping tanglefoot bags, blister oil and alchemical sleep gas on anyone who walks through. He also covers the floor with crackle powder to prevent anyone from sneaking through.
Carrying with him a wide variety of antitoxins, antivenoms, bottled air, nerv, endurance elixir and more means that he has an effective response to the negative attacks of most enemies.
If he has the accompaniment of a cleric or paladin to work with him, he can create positoxins, which have powerful effects against undead foes.



Of course, just because he is an opportunistic attacker does not mean he is weak. With +17 BAB, spells such as Haste, and his excellent umbral blade, he is a very dangerous opponent. This is especially true when combined with Master’s Touch:

The Master’s Touch

As a Shadow Sentinel, Jacques has amazing flexibility with his umbral blade. His typical blade form is a guisarme, the classic weapon of his homelands, which gives him reach and the ability to trip. He wears armor spikes as well, allowing him to attack adjacent enemies and even two-weapon fight using them.

That said, his umbral blade is no ordinary guisarme. At an instant, he can transform it into any other slashing weapon. In order to stay proficient, Jacques uses the spell Master’s Touch. This is a swift action to cast, will last throughout any given combat, and specifically provides profiency with whatever weapon Jacques is holding:



You gain proficiency with a single weapon or shield you hold in your hand when the spell is cast... This spell does not grant proficiency for a kind or category of item (such as short swords) but only for the one specific item held in your hand at the time the spell is cast...

Since Master’s Touch does not grant proficiency with any particular type of weapon, but rather with the specific weapon he is holding, he is able to maintain proficiency with his umbral blade in whatever form, and even switch it between forms from round to round. Here are some examples of what he can do:


Wield a heavy valenar double-scimitar, combined with Shadowsharp, Haste and two-weapon fighting, to make seven attacks per round with a 15-20 critical. Can be even more deadly if Morphic Blade is used to change the weapon material to kaorti resin.
Utilize a whip-dagger, kusarigama or stingray whip to disarm and trip from a distance, and still leave a hand free.
Use a lynxpaw with TWF to make up to seven trip or disarm attempts in a round, then escape through a wall via Travel Devotion.
Use an iuak, or an adamantine weapon, to sunder key items such as bowstrings, spell component pouches and holy symbols.
Drain an enemy’s strength via Shadowdrain, then grapple them with a sharktooth staff. If necessary, use Shadowstrike to ensure that the attack hits.




Build Snapshots

EARLY LEVELS (1-7)

In the early levels, Jacques focuses on his skills and scouting. He is a reasonable combatant, but this is where he shines. He primarily fights with a guisarme and armor spikes, focusing on a single enemy at a time, until his training as a Shadow Sentinel kicks in. By this point, he has access to Master's Touch, the morphic blade ability, and by level 7, enough shadow points to switch his weapon as circumstances permit.

MID LEVELS (8-14)

These middle levels are where the bulk of Jacques' abilities come online. Trapsmith gives him the ability to create booby traps and also grants him access to an excellent spell list. This augments him both in and out of combat, letting him supplement his searching with Arcane Sight and Arcane Eyes, and focus on his other perception skills. The ability to Fabricate large quantities of alchemical substances and traps grants him a great number of options in combat. Earth Dreamer gives him a wealth of perception-based abilities, letting him communicate with earth creatures, divine answers from mountains, gain tremorsense and even see through earth. He combines these heightened senses with the ability to turn ethereal from his Phase Cloak. His utility is improved by the Shadow Sentinel's ability to change the material composition of his weapons, and the shadowsharp ability adds some necessary offense to his arsenal. Most importantly, his pool of shadow points increases to the point where he can freely use the Shadow Sentinel's abilities.

HIGH LEVELS (15-20)

High levels for Jacques become more and more about planning and preparation. His mobility increases considerably thanks to Travel Devotion, and his ever-growing pool of shadow points and umbral blade abilities helps keep his offense online. At these levels, his Craft (trapmaking) checks are enough that, combined with Fabricate, he can create any mechanical trap in the Realms.

BUILD SNAPSHOT: Level 15

Ranger 5/Trapsmith 1/Earth Dreamer 4/Shadow Sentinel 5

BAB: +12/+7/+2

Full Trapsmith casting, including Fabricate, Wall of Stone and Arcane Sight.
Tremorsense and Earth Sight (ability to see through earth and stone at will)
Ability to turn Ethereal whenever he moves, and swift action movement via Travel Devotion
Morphic blade (type and material), combined with Master's Touch to great effect
Shadowsharp ability for offense
Ability to use shadowstrike to attack through cover at no penalty, while his enemies cannot
Can create booby traps at will, or more complex traps via Fabricate, as well as alchemical items



No Man Travels Alone

Thanks to Fabricate, Jacques de Payens can ensure that he always has the alchemical items he needs when he is in the middle of a tomb. And his weapon needs are taken care of thanks to umbral blade (although he does like to have armor spikes, in case he needs to strike an adjacent enemy when wielding a reach weapon).

Beyond that, he should be equipped as you would equip any dungeon delver. Items that boost Strength, Intelligence or Constitution are helpful, and items that boost his skills are always sought out. In particular, he values Pearls of Power, which are especially useful to him because of Trapsmith's unique spell list. He also seeks out the lightest, least restricting armor possible, such as thistledown padded armor. Also, alchemical capsules and weapon chambers are useful not only for Jacques, but for any other member of Jacques' party.

Jacques de Payens works well both alone and in a party. He serves as a scout and a secondary combatant, focusing more on battlefield control and debuffs than raw damage. Several of his spells also help the party as a whole, especially Haste.

Alone, he is more cautious, and prefers to retreat when faced with an immediate threat, study his enemy, and attack when they have a disadvantage.


Interpretations, Adaptations & Sources

There is constantly debate on how Sword of the Arcane Order works, as it allows you to prepare spells from a spellbook but does not actually grant you a spellbook. As a scholar and a member of a Church of Mystra, obtaining a spellbook should not be a problem for Jacques, but run it by your DM. If this is a concern, the Magical Training feat easily covers it. If this is necessary, drop the second Travel Devotion from the build.

This build only scratched the surface of what can be done via alchemy and traps. If 3.0 sources are allowed, then Arms & Equipment Guide has many potent alchemical items that produce stronger effects than what was listed here.

Also, if you are playing in a higher-op game, Jacques de Payens can just as easily create self-resetting traps of Haste, Protection from Energy, etc. This can easily turn a campaign on its head, and should only be used if your DM knows EXACTLY what he or she is facing.

If you are playing in a game without Magic of Incarnum, the fifth level of Earth Dreamer could instead be taken for the Earth Glide ability. This is less effective than turning ethereal via Phase Cloak, but could work as a suitable alternative.

Sources

CLASSES
Shooting Star ranger substitution levels: Champions of Valor
Trap Expert ACF, Trapsmith prestige class: Dungeonscape
Spiritual Connection ACF: Complete Champion
Arcane Hunter ACF: Complete Mage
Earth Dreamer prestige class: Races of Stone
Shadow Sentinel prestige class: Races of Destiny

FEATS
Earth Sense: Races of Stone
Sword of the Arcane Order: Champions of Valor
Shape Soulmeld, Open Lesser Chakra: Magic of Incarnum
Travel Devotion: Complete Champion

SPELLS/ALCHEMICAL ITEMS
The Master's Touch spell is found in the Spell Compendium.

Alchemical items are found in almost every sourcebook. The ones referenced here include the stinkpot (Stormwrack), noxious smokestick (ECS), freeze powder (Frostburn), rust cube (Comp Scoundrel), bottled air (Dungeonscape), alchemist's mineral acid (Underdark), blister oil (Races of Stone), alchemical sleep gas (FRCS) and positoxins (Libris Mortis).

[Amphetryon]

An impure shadow, to be sure.

Casu Marzu, the Shadow of Corruption

The Fluff:

Entry from the journals of Kathar Tharashk, killed during the 74th Tharashk expedition to Xen'Drik, found at an empty ruin by the 75th expedition:
3 Therendor:
The expedition has just made a major find! Just before quitting time, we stumbled across a chamber full of sylanders. The contents were difficult to see into since the surfaces were mirrored from most angles, but it's possible to catch the outline of what's inside if you look at one just right. Our resident psionicist has identified the material as probably being Quintessence, meaning that this is some form of long-term stasis chamber! Even if all the cylanders are empty, the sheer quantity of quintessence should pay for this expedition and the next one! The two we managed to inspect last night were empty, but there are several more and perhaps one will contain something interesting. We've identified this building as likely to be some form of arcane research facility, as it has extensive underground areas full of exceedingly dangerous magical defenses that our 'casters can't make heads or tails of.
4 Therendor:
The fifth cylinder was not empty: it held a small child! We believe he's a human. The child appears to be only a year or so old and not yet capable of speech, but strangely he's fully literate - a bit of a puzzle, but it allows for rudimentary communication. We've begun questioning the child by exchanging notes in the Draconic cunaeform, which most of our scholars can read and the child seems to be fluent in. So far, we have learned little beyond his continuous requests to be returned to his 'Cabal', whatever that means. He calls it the Seven Mercies Council Cabal, whatever that means. More importantly, he claims to have seen the primordial giants! If he's telling the truth - and honestly he's so young I'd have a hard time imagining him capable of lying, then the child has been in stasis since the peak of the Xen'drik empire!
6 Therendor:
We've named the boy found in the ruins Casu Marzu, after the ruins and the primordial god of the harvest. He can't remember his own name, or perhaps he's unable to write it in the Draconic script? Either way, he's in the care of Lissa Teree, a young female half-elf, and has been tentatively identified as illumian rather than human. Oddly, our party's cleric has declared that the boy has some form of innate magic resistence, since his healing and diagnostic spells occasionaly fail when directed at the boy - we believe this may be the result of whatever the giants were doing to the child. Once we get back to Sharn, we'll have the best medicinal and thaumetific minds studying the child.
7 Therendor:
The archeourges have found something! It's positively amazing! It appears to be another stasis chamber in the deepest recesses of the ruins. It was protected by a number of powerful wards, which our expert in such things managed to bypass with relative ease - although he was puzzled by the placement of them, saying that they should have been much harder to approach if they were meant to protect from thieves. Regardless, our examination of the cylinder, which is much larger than the ones above, leads me to believe that the creature inside is one of the primordial giants! This could be the biggest find for House Tharashk since my uncle found one of the draconic prophecies in the original draconic! The boy seems to be extremely nervous about something so I've had one of the wizards cast sleep on him. It took two castings, but he's soundly out now and won't be getting in the way.
The next section is written in a childish hand in what appears to be blood. There are no further entries after this one.
Told them told them told them did not listen told them! Bad master came out of darkness, called lightning killed Lissa killed Tharashk killed everyone! Hit me with lightning but did not hurt instead made stronger. Bad master turned into bear ran into jungle. Must find Cabal.

I don't know precisely how long I wandered in that jungle, or how I survived. I do know that Drow aren't as bad as everyone says - at least, the one I met wasn't. Drit or Zizit or something. I was only two, and all he did was get me to the edge of that jungle, but I know that if it wasn't for him and his big cat-thing I'd be dead.
At the edge of the Jungle was an ocean and a port. There was a boat waiting - the expedition that was to return to Sharn was late getting back, and they were willing to take me off the Drow's hand. Of course, once I got to Sharn, I was sold. The Elan that bought me thought I was quite the prize - on the trip across the sea, my first Sigil had manifested, the Krau sigil, and he wanted to see whether his magic could take the sigil for himself.
I'm not sure who was worse, him or the Mind Flayers who he dealt with for the psionic artifacts. They always wanted a 'taste' of me to seal the deal, and the pain from their 'tasting' is still among my worst memories. I grew to hate all the inhuman creatures who pretended to be humanoid. Little did I know then...
In time, I managed to escape. My life has been hard. I learned Shadowcasting from an old woman who was herself killed by the shadows she tried to command. I took into myself that which I hated most in an odd form of self-torture, when I found out that I myself was one of the hated abominations. I even found a Cabal, hidden within Sharn itself - perhaps not my original Cabal but I think it might be one of the descendents of that group. Now, I kill for them, with my hated ally. I will not name it, but it is perhaps the most important part of me. I hate myself. But I am far too selfish to die alone.

The Crunch:
Build:
Race: Spellwarped Illumian (Type: Aberration Subtypes: Augmented Illumian)
Starting Attributes: Str 20, Dex 16, Con 18, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 12
Final Attributes: Str 25, Dex 16, Con 18, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 12
Alignment: TN
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features
1|Ranger 1 | +1| +2| +2| +0|Gather Info 4, Search 4, Know(Dung) 4, Survival 4, Spot 4, Sense Motive 4, Concentration 4, Speak Lang 4|Power Attack|Favored Enemy (Aberrations), Track, Wild Empathy
2|Shadowcaster 1 | +1| +4| +2| +2|Concentration 5, Spot 5, Speak Lang 5, Spellcraft 1||Fundamentals of shadow, apprentice mysteries
3|Shadowcaster 2 | +2| +5| +2| +3|Know(Dung) 6|Symbiont Mastery|Bonus feat* (actually acquired at 5th level on starting 2nd path)
4|Shadowcaster 3 | +2| +5| +3| +3|Know(Dung) 7, Spellcraft 3||Umbral Sight (Darkvision +30 ft)
5|Shadowcaster 4 | +3| +6| +3| +4|Know(Dung) 8, Spellcraft 5|Favored Mystery (Flesh Fails)|Bonus Fundamental
6|Impure Prince 1 | +4| +6| +4| +5|Bluff 5, Sense Motive 5|Weapon Focus (Tentacle Whip)|lure symbiont
7|Impure Prince 2 | +5| +6| +4| +6|Survival 10||Favored enemy aberrations +4
8|Impure Prince 3 | +6| +7| +5| +6|Survival 11, Search 9||Aberrant anatomy (25%)
9|Impure Prince 4 | +7| +7| +5| +7|Survival 12, Search 10, Gather Info 8|Favored Mystery (Umbral Touch)|Aberrant fortitude
10|Impure Prince 5 | +8| +7| +5| +7|Survival 13, Concentration 10||Otherworldly surge
11|Shadow Sentinel 1 | +9| +9| +7| +7|Spot 6, Survival 14||Umbral blade +1, morphic blade (type), shadowstrike
12|Shadow Sentinel 2 |+10|+10| +8| +7|Spot 8, Survival 15|Combat Reflexes|Shadowbane
13|Shadow Sentinel 3 |+11|+10| +8| +8|Spot 10, Survival 16||Shadowsharp
14|Shadow Sentinel 4 |+12|+11| +9| +8|Spot 12, Survival 17||Umbral Blade +2
15|Shadow Sentinel 5 |+13|+11| +9| +8|Spot 14, Survival 18|Shape Soulmeld (Strongheart Vest)|Morphic Blade (material)
16|Shadow Sentinel 6 |+14|+12|+10| +9|Spot 16, Survival 19||Umbral Blade +3
17|Shadow Sentinel 7 |+15|+12|+10| +9|Spot 18, Survival 20||Shadow Drain
18|Shadow Sentinel 8 |+16|+13|+11| +9|Spot 20, Survival 21|Empower Spell-like Ability (Umbral Touch)|Umbral Blade +4
19|Shadow Sentinel 9 |+17|+13|+11|+10|Spot 22, Survival 22||Morphic Blade (alignment)
20|Shadow Sentinel 10|+18|+14|+12|+10|Spot 23, Survival 23, Speak Lang 6||Umbral Blade +5[/table]
Mysteries:
{table=head]Level|Caster Level|Mysteries gained
1|0|-
2|3|Life Fades, Caul of Shadow, Umbral Hand, Mystic Reflections
3|4|Mystic Reflections
4|5|Flesh Fails
5|6|Voice of Shadow, Caul of Shadow
6|6|-
7|7|Flesh Fails
8|8|Umbral Touch
9|9|Umbral Touch
10|10|Umbral Touch
11+|10|-[/table]
For a description of each mystery and uses/day info, see the Build@20 notes below

Build Notes:
Three odd tastes that taste great together. That's the intent of this build. The first oddity is the secret ingredient, of course. This ingredient is sort of like Kensai and sort of like the Incarnum-based weapon class, while being uniquely itself. As such, the focus of the class is going to be around the weapon used. That, of course, brings us to the second oddity - the Tentacle Whip from Eberron. This little ugly is a cross between a sentient whip and an optimizer's wet dream. One of the most interesting features of this weapon is that it can deliver a touch attack ANY TIME it hits something, which brings us to the third, and in no way least strange, aspect of the build - Shadowcaster. The use of Shadowcaster here is for two reasons: first, flavor complements the secret ingredient exquisitely, and second, the mysteries Flesh Fails and Umbral Touch are some of the most potent touch attacks available to characters below 5th level. Everything else in the build focuses around getting the trifecta of those three elements.

A note on the Tentacle Whip - this is perhaps the single most under-utilized weapon in a published D&D book. The only real downside to it is that getting proficiency in it is kind of tough - but fortunately the people who wrote Daelkyr Half-Blood were smart enough to fix that problem, albeit in a poorly chosen location. Under the features of the Aberration type for the description of that race (Magic of Eberron, 37), is a note stating that aberrations are automatically proficient with any weapon-like symbiont - such as the Tentacle Whip. With this little hindrance out of the way, you may now choose to arm yourself with a weapon that is: better than masterwork (that +1 bonus is not a masterwork bonus, and stacks with the bonus from enchanting), automatically a 'dancing' weapon, allows you to make touch attacks by attacking, gives a 15' reach to a medium creature while allowing you to attack anywhere within that reach - and none of this business about not getting attacks of opportunity! Basically, anyone who wants to have a ridiculous amount of reach on the battlefield should choose this weapon. Of course, actually getting it enchanted is difficult...but since a Whip is considered a Slashing weapon...

Of course, this meant that we needed an Illumian with the Aberration type. Of the templates that could do the job, Spellwarped was both the most flavorful and the LEAST CHEESY. Yeah, that surprised me too, but the other options were Insectile (+4 arms, making it a killer multiweapon-ranger) and Symbiot (very appropriate, but so poorly written and broken that I just couldn't do it - literally, I tried, I had the Symbiot-Illumian/Greenbound-Shimmerling-Swarm all statted out and just decided that it looked too ridiculous even for an optimization competition). Of course, the +3 LA and the need for Impure Prince 5 meant that LA Buyoff was necessary to finish the secret ingredient, but that's not unreasonable - and if it's unavailable, the build is still good enough to manage without it.

The Secret Ingredient:
Umbral blade - While not unique, the ability to empower a physical weapon in this manner is pretty scarce. There are numerous abilities or spells that will do this temporarily, but the key here is that you can choose any slashing weapon - and there are a number of things that count as slashing weapons that were not originally intended for use here. A primary example is the Tentacle Whip, our chosen tool. There are a few issues regarding wording and intent here that I'd like to cover. First, you may choose 'any kind of slashing melee weapon' to be your umbral blade. Well, whips are melee weapons that deal slashing damage, and the Tentacle Whip is a type of whip. We have proficiency by way of being an aberration in the Eberron setting (where aberrations get proficiency with weapon-like symbionts they wield as part of the aberration type). Replacing the symbiont should it get lost is a bit trickier - you can use Lure Symbiont from Impure prince to gain a new Tentacle Whip, and Umbral Blade to make it your umbral blade, except that Umbral Blade specifies a weapon 'that has at least a +1 enhancement bonus'. For this, I suggest that there are a number of spells which grant enhancement bonuses, and the Umbral Blade text does not state that the bonus has to be permanent (or even that it has to last the full 24 hours you're meditating with the weapon). So, if it becomes necessary, you can always hire an NPC mage to cast Magic Weapon on your tentacle. (Go ahead, say that in public, I dare you.)
Morphic Blade - You know how the Tentacle Whip is a sentient creature that often does its own thing? Well, here's where that goes from powerful to completely ridiculous. Because nothing in the text of Morphic Blade, or the way it works, changes the nature of the Tentacle Whip. It retains the abilities 'Channel Touch', 'Improved Attack' and 'Poison' while shaped like, say, a greatsword. You won't have a 15' reach any more, of course, but you'll also be able to wield the Tentacle WhipGreatsword with two hands, which, by the way, still provides a +4 bonus on trip attacks, which also do not provoke! Adding on the abilities to turn it Adamantine or overcome pretty much any damage reduction in the game is just nice.
Shadowstrike - Spend a shadow point for the equivalent of a Bright Energy weapon? Combined with Flesh Fails, this can amount to a no-save-just-suck 4 ability damage attack, either Dex (which you can damage more with the Tentacle Whip's poison) or Strength (which you can add to later via Shadow drain). Either way, a couple of those will put a lot of different monsters out of action.
Shadowbane - Given the Shadowcaster's natural incliniation to dealings with the plane of shadows, you're actually more likely to run into shadow creatures than evil outsiders. Either way, this will definitely come in handy.
Shadowsharp - While this isn't the greatest of abilities to add to a whip normally, being able to apply it to a scythe or falchion makes this a killer ability. While it's unfortunate that your touch-attack damage will not be doubling (there's some argument about this, but general consensus seems to be that touch attacks channeled through weapons do not double as weaponlike spells), you're a high-strength character with mostly-full BAB, stacked to-hit bonuses and power attack. You should be able to do a lot more damage with a keen weapon.
Shadow drain - More strength damage to go along with your Flesh Fails mystery! Since it's all no-save, you can seriously put the hurt on any low-to-mid strength enemy very quickly. By level 20, you'll be able to drop any Str 18 opponent in 2 hits, with the option of doing up to 36 strength damage over 4 rounds! That'll put down just about anything short of the Tarrasque (and if you're trying to drop the Tarrasque with strength damage, you're doing something wrong...).

Tactics:
Level 1-5: A Ranger/Shadowcaster is a bit of an odd duck. With your LA, you're also only level 2 meaning you're not going to be the front-line fighter. However, with your massive Strength and Con you're also very far from helpless. Basically at this point you're the party's 5th wheel with no definite role and getting in your hits where you can.
Level 6-10: Now you're really starting to come into your own. If you haven't managed to acquire a tentacle whip yet, you're only a few levels from being able to summon one. And either way you've got a useful companion who can gross out anyone in the party. Prior to getting the tentacle weapon, you're effectively a dual-wielder without two-weapon fighting - you're either wielding a two-handed weapon (probably a bastard sword) or you've got Flesh Fails/Umbral Touch charged up and you're hitting touch AC for decent damage. Either way, you're putting some serious hurt out and your various class/race abilities stack up to make you very tough to put down. When not in combat, you've still got options thanks to a versatile set of skills and a handful of non-combat mysteries.
Level 11-15: At this point, everything is on-line. You've got a Tentacle Whip, which is symbiotically linked to you. Because it's a symbiotic weapon no matter the shape, it will probably be shaped as either Drow Scorpion Chain (for better damage/crit range while retaining reach) or a Falchion. You only revert your symbiont back to the Tentacle Whip form when you need that 15' reach - which you can do as a swift action, so no problem doing that AND full-attacking the guy 20' away who thinks he's safe! Also, you're going to be doing a staggering amount of damage between Umbral Touch (which you can hit with 8 times before having to re-cast), power attack, lots of crits and an impressive strength score. And with combat reflexes, you become a serious threat to anything that wants to move around your (up to 15') threat zone. In addition, you've got some nice offensive and defensive capabilities from Impure Prince that let you dish out area damage (Otherworldly Surge for 5d6 damage +Confusion to a 20' radius) and ignore criticals (25% fortification). Outside of battle, you're a very good tracker and adept at spotting ambushes, in addition to having a well-rounded skill set.
Level 16-20: You are a murder-machine. You can kill your enemies dead with straight damage, dex damage, strength damage or all 3 at once. Nothing within your reach is safe, and that reach is pretty huge. You yourself have become more resistent to ability damage (strongheart vest) and you can dish out some really serious damage with your 4 attacks/round and empowered Umbral Touch (see the level 20 build for the math).

Equipment:
For all his power, Casu is pretty MAD. He desperately NEEDS a high strength, he wants dex for AC and combat reflexes, needs con for HP, Int for a number of his skills, Wis for will saves (vs being taken over by his whip...) and extra uses of his Otherworldly Surge, and finally more Cha for higher save DCs on his mysteries (most of which have a save vs. status effect). So, in essence, this is a primary contender for needing the Belt of Magnificence +N, ASAP.
Weapon is taken care of, but the thing that would be really nice is a bunch more Symbionts. Many of them have a GP value, while others are available via barter with the other planes. Either way, it would be nice to get as many as will fit on the character. In particular:
Breed Leech (Magic of Eberron, 145) - Possibly the easiest to obtain, this little guy gives bonus HP.
Cerebral hood (Fiend Folio, 217) - It's a ring of sustenance that grants Blindsight. Yes, it's also eating your brain, but what's a point of int between friends?
Ghostly Visage (Fiend Folio, 222) - An absolute must, this little guy provides immunity to mind-affecting AND a paralyzing gaze attack!
Gutworm (Fiend Folio, 220) - The ability to rage at the cost of a higher metabolism? Definitely a nice trade.
Shadow Sibling (Magic of Eberron, 156) - Immediate action for 50% concealment against an incoming attack - we've got extra AoOs so this is a great trade.

Also note that every Symbiont we attach to ourselves provides us with 2 extra HP, thanks to Symbiont Mastery.

And since we're going with the cyborg look anyway, adding a few grafts (like Paralyzing Arm for +4 str and 2/day paralyzing touch attacks - which we can channel through our whip) would also not go amiss.
Aside from these, standard equipment is sufficient.

Casu at Level 20:
Spellwarped Illumian (Aeshkrau) Ranger 1/Shadowcaster 4/Impure Prince 5/Shadow Sentinel 10
Medium Aberration (Augmented Illumian)
Hit Dice: 6d8 + 4d6 + 10d10 + 146 (242 HP average)
Initiative: +6
Speed: 30 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 28 (+10 armor, +6 dex, +2 natural, +0 size), touch 16, flat-footed 22
Base Attack/Grapple: +18/+30
Attack: (Assumes Umbral Touch has been cast and empowered)
Melee - +37 Shadowsharp Tentacle Falchion (2d4 + 23 + (5d6 * 1.5), 15-20x2 crit, + poison (1d3 dex, fort DC 12))
Melee - +37 Adamantine Tentacle Drow Scorpion Chain (1d6 + 17 + (5d6 * 1.5), 19-20x2 crit, + poison (1d3 dex, fort DC 12))
Melee - +37 Tentacle Whip (1d4 + 17 + (5d6 * 1.5), 20x2 crit, + poison (1d3 dex, fort DC 12))
[b]Full Attack:
Melee - +37/+32/+27/+22 Shadowsharp Tentacle Falchion (2d4 + 23 + (5d6 * 1.5), 15-20x2 crit, + poison (1d3 dex, fort DC 12))
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. wielding Falchion, 5ft/10ft wielding DSC, 5ft/15ft wielding Tentacle Whip
Special Attacks: Tentacle Whip (Can make independent attack), Otherworldly Surge, Mysteries, Paralyzing Touch (grafted arm) 2/day, Shadowstrike, Shadowbane, Shadowsharp, Shadow drain, Ghostly Visage (gaze attack)
Special Qualities: Spell Resistance 31, Spell Absorption, Luminous Sigils, Glyphic Resonance, Power Sigils (Aesh, Krau), Final Utterance, Superior Literacy, Favored Enemy (Aberrations) +4, Darkvision 90', Aberrant Anatomy (25% fortification), Aberrant Fortitude (no effect), Immune to Mind-affecting (Ghostly visage)
Saves: Fort +27, Ref +23, Will +19
Abilities: Str 35, Dex 22, Con 24, Int 20, Wis 18, Cha 18
Skills: Spot 23, Survival 23, Speak Lang 6, Concentration 10, Search 10, Gather Info 8, Bluff 5, Sense Motive 5, Know(Dung) 8, Spellcraft 5
Feats: Track, Power Attack, Symbiont Mastery, Favored Mystery (Flesh Fails), Weapon Focus (Tentacle Whip), Favored Mystery (Umbral Touch), Combat Reflexes, Shape Soulmeld (Strongheart Vest), Empower Spell-like Ability (Umbral Touch)
Possessions: Belt of Magnificence +6, Tentacle Whip, Breed Leech, Ghostly Visage, Paralyzing Arm, Cloak of Resistance +5, +5 Mithril Breastplate
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Languages Known: Common, Illumian, Giant, Daelkyr, Undercommon, Draconic, Elven, Celstial, Infernal, Demonic

Otherworldly Surge: 7/day, Deal 5d6 damage to all living, intelligent creatures within 20 feet (not including yourself or symbionts), and confuse them for 1 round. Will save DC 19 reduces damage by 1/2 and negates confusion. Aberration are at a -4 on their save. Enchantment (combulsion, mind-affecting) affect.
Mysteries:
1/day Life Fades (Sp): Touch attack deals 5d6 non-lethal damage and target is fatigued for 10 rounds. DC 15 fort save to negate fatigue.
6/day Caul of Shadow (SLA): +2 deflection bonus to AC for 10 minutes
3/day Umbral Hand (SLA): Mage hand up to 50lbs for 10 rounds.
6/day Mystic Reflections (SLA): Detect magic with 30' range for 10 rounds
4/day Flesh Fails (SLA): Touch attack deals 4 str, 4 dex or 2 con damage (caster's choice on casting), no save.
6/day Umbral Touch (SLA): Touch attacks deal 5d6 damage + slow, for save DC 17 to prevent slow, 10 charges per casting, lasts 10 minutes (each minute without hitting eats 1 charge), may also empower this (1.5x damage) 3/day.

Sources:
Spellwarped Template: MM3
Shadowcaster: Tome of Magic
Tentacle Whip: Eberron Campaign setting
Impure Prince, Symbiont Mastery & most symbionts: Magic of Eberron
Shape Soulmeld, Strongheart Vest: Magic of Incarnum
Empower Spell-Like ability: MM1

[Amphetryon]

Can't sleep, clown will eat me. - Bart Simpson


Insomnia, the Nightmare Blade
Illumian Warblade 10/Shadow Sentinel 10

Image


http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc434/RhysDA/Insomnia2.jpg


Insomnia's Wielder

She's decided she needs a new sword, and I came along because I love to see the look on her face when she gets something shiny. The shop has a bunch of used ones at a bargain, and she's going through them all, whipping them back and forth and inspecting all their details critically. She gives a reason for rejecting each blade: this one is curved all wrong, that one's the wrong length, this other one clashes with her sigils. And then she gets that faraway look I see on her sometimes in the middle of a fight, and she dashes straight to the back of the shop.

The sword she pulls out is almost as tall as she is and seems about half as wide as her too. But she's entranced and spins it around like a feather, as if it was mithral instead of black adamantine. She says it's perfect and I smile because she really does make it look good.

***

She's a wonder to see in combat. Her hair flying, sigils flashing, the Nightmare Blade in her hands flowing around her like a living shadow. One moment, she's full of energy and emotion; the next her gaze blanks out. Then it's Snicker-snack and the beast twice her size is cut shoulder to hip, and she's off again to the next skirmish in the fight.

At the end the dark wizard surrenders, and as I'm getting the gear ready to bring him in safely she swoops in and cuts him down like wheat before the scythe. Afterward she doesn't say anything, and I don't either. I tell myself that he deserved it, if only to drown out the voice telling me that she didn't used to think about people that way.

***

She hasn't been sleeping well lately. She doesn't look tired, but she goes into her concentrating gaze more and more often now, even when she isn't fighting. Even though it's my watch and past midnight she isn't asleep; she walks out to the edge of camp and takes a place by my side quietly. She always used to break silences, and I'm too unused to the job to do it myself.

After either a minute or an eternity she takes my hand and I look at her. Her sigils are dim but her eyes are bright, and everything's perfect right now even if it might not be later.

***

And then I find her there alone, and I don't ask where the others are because I already know. That faraway concentrated look is on her face, deeper than ever. And then it goes away, and suddenly she's crying and I run towards her hoping (but not believing, not after this) that maybe it'll be alright. I wipe the tears from her eyes and she says she loves me and that she's sorry and then in a flash she's gone. The look is back, distant and empty. The tears are gone from her face, her sigils are twisted and alien, and this time the look reaches all the way behind her eyes.

Snicker-snack.


Build

Insomnia's wielder received Insomnia at level 5 and was a Chaotic Good Illumian Warblade 5/Shadow Sentinel 2/Warblade +2/Shadow Sentinel +8/Warblade +3 with the following initial ability scores:

STR 18 || DEX 12 || CON 14 || INT 14 || WIS 8 || CHA 8

Insomnia is a jet black +1 Adamantine Falchion with no other inherent magical properties. However, its superb balance and unusual coloring let it double as a Masterwork Tool, providing a +2 circumstance bonus on Concentration checks made as part of a martial maneuver.
MSRP: 5,125 gp

Insomnia, the Nightmare Blade
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Warblade 1|
+1|
+2|
+0|
+0|4 Balance, 4 Concentration, 4 Jump, 2* Listen, 2* Spot, 4 Tumble|Weapon Focus: Falchion|Battle Clarity, Weapon Aptitude, Hoon Sigil

2nd|Warblade 2|
+2|
+3|
+0|
+0|1 Balance, 1 Concentration, 1 Jump, 0.5* Listen, 0.5* Spot, 1 Tumble|-|Uncanny Dodge, Aesh Sigil

3rd|Warblade 3|
+3|
+3|
+0|
+0|1 Balance, 1 Concentration, 1 Jump, 0.5* Listen, 0.5* Spot, 1 Tumble|Power Attack|Battle Ardor

4th|Warblade 4|
+4|
+4|
+1|
+1|1 Balance, 1 Concentration, 1 Jump, 0.5* Listen, 0.5* Spot, 1 Tumble|-|STR +1

5th|Warblade 5|
+5|
+4|
+1|
+1|1 Balance, 1 Concentration, 1 Jump, 0.5* Listen, 0.5* Spot, 1 Tumble|Blade Meditation: Diamond Mind|-

6th|Shadow Sentinel 1|
+6/+1|
+6|
+3|
+1|1 Listen, 3 Spot|Leap Attack|Umbral Blade +1, Morphic Blade (type), Shadowstrike

7th|Shadow Sentinel 2|
+7/+2|
+7|
+4|
+1|1 Listen, 3 Spot|-|Shadowbane

8th|Warblade 6|
+8/+3|
+8|
+5|
+2|3 Concentration, 3 Tumble|-|Improved Uncanny Dodge, STR +1

9th|Warblade 7|
+9/+4|
+8|
+5|
+2|1 Concentration, 2* Spot, 1 Tumble|Steady Concentration|Battle Cunning

10th|Shadow Sentinel 3|
+10/+5|
+8|
+5|
+3|1* Concentration, 1 Listen, 1 Spot|-|Shadowsharp

11th|Shadow Sentinel 4|
+11/+6/+1|
+9|
+6|
+3|1* Concentration, 1 Listen, 1 Spot|-|Umbral Blade +2

12th|Shadow Sentinel 5|
+12/+7/+2|
+9|
+6|
+3|1* Concentration, 1 Listen, 1 Spot|Martial Study: Shadow Stride|Morphic Blade (material), STR +1

13th|Shadow Sentinel 6|
+13/+8/+3|
+10|
+7|
+4|1* Concentration, 1 Listen, 1 Spot|-|Umbral Blade +3

14th|Shadow Sentinel 7|
+14/+9/+4|
+10|
+7|
+4|1* Concentration, 1 Listen, 1 Spot|-|Shadow Drain

15th|Shadow Sentinel 8|
+15/+10/+5|
+11|
+8|
+4|3 Listen, 1 Spot|Adaptive Style|Umbral Blade +4

16th|Shadow Sentinel 9|
+16/+11/+6/+1|
+11|
+8|
+5|3 Listen, 1 Spot|-|Morphic Blade (alignment), STR +1

17th|Shadow Sentinel 10|
+17/+12/+7/+2|
+12|
+9|
+5|3 Listen, 1 Spot|-|Umbral Blade +5

18th|Warblade 8|
+18/+13/+8/+3|
+13|
+9|
+5|4 Concentration, 2 Tumble|Quick Reconnoiter|-

19th|Warblade 9|
+19/+14/+9/+4|
+13|
+10|
+6|1 Concentration, 5 Tumble|Improved Initiative|-

20th|Warblade 10|
+20/+15/+10/+5|
+14|
+10|
+6|1 Concentration, 1* Spot, 3 Tumble|-|STR +1[/table]


Maneuvers, Stances, and Shadow Points
{table=head]Level|Maneuvers Known|Stances Known|Maneuvers Readied|Shadow Points

1st|Sapphire Nightmare Blade, Moment of Perfect Mind, Steel Wind|Bolstering Voice|
3|
0

2nd|Rabid Wolf Strike|-|
3|
0

3rd|Emerald Razor|-|
3|
0

4th|Action Before Thought (Steel Wind)|Hunter's Sense|
4|
0

5th|Mind Over Body|-|
4|
0

6th|-|-|
4|
1

7th|-|-|
4|
3

8th|Ruby Nightmare Blade (Rabid Wolf Strike)|-|
4|
3

9th|Bounding Assault|-|
4|
3

10th|-|-|
4|
5

11th|-|-|
4|
7

12th|Shadow Stride|-|
4|
9

13th|-|-|
4|
11

14th|-|-|
4|
13

15th|-|-|
4|
15

16th|-|-|
4|
17

17th|-|-|
4|
19

18th|Moment of Alacrity (Emerald Razor)|-|
4|
19

19th|Greater Insightful Strike|-|
4|
19

20th|Diamond Nightmare Blade (Sapphire Nightmare Blade)|Stance of Alacrity|
5|
19[/table]

Level 20 Skill Rank Summary
Balance: 8 ranks
Concentration: 23 ranks
Jump: 8 ranks
Listen: 20 ranks
Spot: 21 ranks
Tumble: 22 ranks



Quick Build Strengths Summary

-Big Single Hits: Nightmare Blades, Power Attack, and Leap Attack give good damage; Shadowstrike, Perfect BaB, and high Enhancement bonus Umbral Blade give accuracy; Falchion + Shadowsharp give a good Crit chance
-Toughness: HD are all d12 and d10 with good con, and all three Concentration-save maneuvers available and optimized to the point of auto-save
-Mobility: Full Attack not required, Bounding Assault lets us do dirty charges, Tumble and Shadow Stride give us good move actions
-Perception: Near level-maxed Listen and Spot from Shadow Sentinel, plus Scent from Hunter's Sense and Quick Reconnoiter for free Spot and Listen checks


Use of Secret Ingredient

The Shadow Sentinel is actually a pretty good prestige class in my opinion, since it gives you useful, repeatable abilities. This build emphasizes the most useful of these abilities: Shadowstrike. Shadowstrike is a little tricky to wield effectively since it gives with one hand and takes away with the other: you get to make melee touch attacks, but you only get one per turn and it eats your swift action. On the plus side you get a whole lot of them per day, especially once you're at later levels of the class. Once you have 19 Shadow Points, you should be able to use Shadowstrike on the majority of your combat rounds, or even all of them on some days. One danger of this class is that it is impossible to really be effective at all with a reserve weapon, since you need an Umbral Blade to use your class features. To help make sure we are never in that situation, we have invested in the solid practicality of durable adamantine over more frivolous pursuits with our meager wealth at level 6.

This excess of daily uses lets us centralize our build around Shadowstrike fairly aggressively, and the name of the game will be using it to make heavy use of Power Attack practical. We can multiply our Power Attack conventionally with Leap Attack, or in a more exclusive manner with Ruby and Diamond Nightmare Blade, both of which will supply us with ample DPR. Our aggressive Power Attacking is further aided by the Umbral Blade enhancement bonus provided by the class, keeping us well ahead of the accuracy curve without needing to maintain an expensive weapon or a reluctant Wizard. Even the sole feat requirement of Weapon Focus does good duty for this build: 1 point of attack bonus is worth 8 points of damage when Power Attacking with Diamond Nightmare Blade.

The downside to all this Shadowstrike love is our swift actions are at a premium, and they're even more at a premium since we are also a Warblade with a habit of using save immediates to take advantage of our high concentration. The primary fallout of this is we can't rely on skeezy swift action movement to make full attacks, and we don't want to excessively use magic items with swift action activations. The first piece of fallout goes hand and hand with the one hit per turn, heavy power attacking nature of the build, so we don't care very much. The second can be problematic, especially with regards to teleportation and vision, so the build has some built in mechanisms to account for that in Shadow Stride (a move action) and Quick Reconnoiter (a free action). Lastly, we will have a harder time than is usual for a Warblade refreshing maneuvers, but our use of Leap Attack and some interesting tactics involving Adaptive Style will alleviate that issue.

The other features of the class are a mixed bag. Shadowsharp is the best of the lot, and we have emphasized the increase to threat range by using a Falchion. Morphic Blade will be handy on some occasions, but we want to avoid having to pay those big activation costs on the later features unless we know we won't run out of Shadow Points for the day, especially because our strategy of one big hit makes damage reduction mostly a non-issue. Shadowbane is similarly sort of useless to our strategy, and is a corner case anyway. Shadow Drain would be better suited to a multiattacker, and in any case is a very expensive way to be spending your Shadow Points all in one place; things you hit with 10 Strength or less will generally die to that one hit anyway.

On a final note, the skeleton of the class is wonderful. The full BAB aids Power Attack (the luxury of a perfect BAB is great for a Power Attacker), and the good Fort and Reflex saves together are better than many melee classes get. A d10 HD melds well with the d12s of Warblade making us extremely bulky. Lastly, though the skill list seems abysmal (only 8 skills!) at first glance, the inclusion of Listen and Spot is a wonderful boon which we exploit to the fullest with Quick Reconnoiter. Our high Listen, Spot, Quick Recon, and even the Scent stance from Warblade combine to make Perception one of our best subroles.


Levels 1-5

At this early juncture you are pretty much a normal Warblade 5 with a slightly bizarre maneuver selection and race. Because of our emphasis on Concentration for this build and a lack of too many more Warblade levels in the near future, we have picked up all three Conc-Save maneuvers, but you rarely should have more than one readied at once; try to pick based on what sorts of enemies you're seeing around and when in doubt keep Moment of Perfect Mind. Steel Wind is pretty good at the low levels when you have it, and Sapphire Nightmare Blade can seem underwhelming but is very useful against dodgy high touch AC enemies. Rabid Wolf Strike and Emerald Razor are both top tier and should be always readied, since they basically let you spend all your BAB Power Attacking due to their accuracy bonuses.

The stances we choose are Bolstering Voice and Hunter's Sense. Bolstering Voice is a good general party Will boost, and Scent is good to have available even with a low Wisdom and no Track.


Levels 6-10

In levels 6 and 7 we get started with Shadow Sentinel and pick up Leap Attack. For a while you'll only have 3 Shadow Points per day, and should probably save them all for Shadowstriking fully/mostly power attacked Leap Attacks. Making Touch Attacks at this level basically frees us from the tyranny of Shock Trooper and lets us maintain our quite reasonable bulk. Progressing into levels 8 and 9 we go back to Warblade for two very important maneuvers: Ruby Nightmare Blade and Bounding Assault. Both of these in their own way allow for 4:1 Power Attacking; Ruby Nightmare Blade doubles all damage on a Conc check (which you should always make with your very high Conc and Steady Concentration) and Bounding Assault lets you do a Leap Attack charge without worrying about the actual charging part.

Once you get to level 10, you get up to 5 Shadow Points and can get a little less frugal with your Shadowstriking. Generally a good hit with Ruby Nightmare Blade/Leap Attack and Power Attacked Shadowstrike at level 10 is something like 70 damage depending on gear and PA aggressiveness. Once you have Steady Concentration, a Conc-save maneuver is pretty much an auto-win on the save, but remember doing this steals your swift action for the next round, meaning no Shadowstrike or maneuver refreshing.


Levels 11-15

Here we gain a lot of Shadow Sentinel, vastly improving how much we can spam Shadowstrike and our general accuracy with enhancement bonuses on the Shadow Blade. For these levels you're mainly doing similar things to what you were doing at level 10, except more frequently and better. We spend a feat to pick up Shadow Stride at Level 12, which provides us with a wonderful move action teleport (better than Swift considering our action economy) we can use to get out of a sticky spot or catch an evasive enemy with a Ruby Nightmare Blade. Adaptive Style at level 15 lets us quickly change around our prepared maneuvers, especially Conc-saves. In a lot of circumstances, it can even make sense to use it midbattle to regain our offensive maneuvers while simultaneously pulling out the proper save for the situation. It also works well with Shadow Stride, letting us teleport 50 feet once per two rounds if that's all we're doing. The size of our bigger hits hasn't improved too much over these levels (to about 100 or so), but we're generally much more accurate when Power Attacking (due to the large enhancement bonus on the Shadow Blade) and we can make those Shadowstriked Power Attacks much more often now.


Levels 16-20

First, we finish Shadow Sentinel and now get to enjoy being really accurate and having lots of Shadowstrike spam. At this point on most reasonably short days you should be Shadowsharping before battles as well with your excess of Shadow Points. All the Spot and Listen we got from Shadow Sentinel really pay dividends at level 18 with Quick Recon, since at this point in the game things have come full circle and a normal hide check is the best method of concealment again (due to the prevalence of True Seeing). We get some more free initiative investment to go with Quick Recon's +2 in the next level with Improved Initiative as our Warblade Bonus Feat, giving us a respectable natural initiative of +7.

We finish our career by heading back to Warblade to pick up three great maneuvers. Moment of Alacrity can effectively give us an extra turn if we ended up low in the initiative order, though it does so at the steep price of your swift action. This actually can make it a good idea to use a couple rounds into the battle so that we can burn the rest of the turn with Adaptive Style and get away with refreshing maneuvers and still getting a full turn soon afterwards. On the other hand, Moment of Alacrity also goes quite well with Greater Insightful Strike, since GIS doesn't care about Power Attack for its massive damage and will therefore be accurate without needing a Shadowstrike. Lastly Diamond Nightmare Blade is our grand finale, giving us an effective Power Attack return of 8:1. With our +5 Weapon, high Strength, and even the Weapon Focus feat, we can often fully Power Attack a Diamond Nightmare Blade for 250 damage or so in a single blow (on a turn where we get a real move action too). In other news, at level 20 we also get Stance of Alacrity, allowing us to use our Conc-saves as free actions, leaving Shadowstrike and our recovery mechanic undisrupted.


Gear Notes and Additional Options

The most important piece of gear you want to get your hands on is an item that gives a competence bonus to Concentration checks, such as a Third Eye Concentrate or something more powerful if you have access to custom items. Skillchecks in general are pretty big for this build, so any items you can get boosting Listen, Spot, or Tumble are all going to be pretty appreciated.

Since you're very focused on melee, you'll also want to keep your enhancement bonus to strength as up to date as possible, with lesser focus on Con, Dex, and Wis. You are quite bulky already, but additional investment there is required especially in the very gear dependent field of AC. Even though you have Conc-saves, you won't have them readied or unexpended all the time and so should not neglect your Resistance bonus to saves either.

In general, try to avoid items that have swift action activations, as this build is incredibly deprived of enough swift actions already. When you do need to use such items, activate them before battle if possible.

Some feats that almost made the build but didn't were Improved Sunder, Combat Brute, and Stormguard Warrior. Improved Sunder goes well with our big hits and Adamantine Weapon, and that leads into Combat Brute which enables stronger Power Attacks the turn after a charge. Stormguard Warrior is a nice option to full attack with on a turn we regain maneuvers, providing a similar damage bonus in the next turn. These feats were cut from the build because they didn't generally get online until later levels where tactics requiring two rounds become questionable at best, but if you have some flaws or other means of picking up more feats early they could fit in quite well.


Sources

I was a little surprised by how few splats I ended up using at the end of this, though ToB being so good and Complete Adventurer having two of the feats helped.

Races of Destiny: Illumians, Shadow Sentinel
SRD: Power Attack, Weapon Focus, Improved Initiative
Tome of Battle: Warblade, Martial Study, Adaptive Style, Blade Meditation
Complete Adventurer: Leap Attack, Quick Reconnoiter
Races of Stone: Steady Concentration

[Amphetryon]

A mask of shadow.

Aor Dustwing aka Jharis Nihil the Betrayer
Bard 3 – Warblade 6 – Master of Masks 1 – Shadow Sentinel 10

Stats

{table=head]Level|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA

1st|16|14|12|14|10|12
4th|17|14|12|14|10|12
8th|18|14|12|14|10|12
12th|19|14|12|14|10|12
16th|20|14|12|14|10|12
20th|21|14|12|14|10|12[/table]


Story
Wathaku's words are clear to anyone who wishes to listen. The end is coming, the end is near. When a Illumian dies he sees the future. The priests record them because only if we are able to know what is to come we can prevail.

The priests keep track of the words and learn of the names of destiny, they learn of the great heroes to come, of the great battles to fight. And change them.

Jharis was raised to replace one of the future Illumian heroes, Aor Dustwing member of the Elhirondans Shadow Sentinels, for that he was trained in the ways of the sword and the ways of espionage.

All went according to plan Aor was killed and replaced. Jharis, Aor, went to Elhirondas in order to join the Shadow Sentinels but the Shadow city was under attack. Ranks of devils charged towards Jharis fighting without regard for their live, trying to bring the assassin down. When the last of them charged towards him with a great scimitar Jharis gutted him with his sword but the last words echoed in his ears.

“Soorinek says there is greatness in your name”

Even if Jharis was called for failure his acts were always a success. Many devils attacked the Shadow City but they were always repelled. The Shadow Sentinels rallied around Aor and won the battles. Soon Jahris launched suicidal strikes, trying to fail, but somehow his luck overcome any trial. His pushes against the githyanki recovered more books of the Library of the Sublime than any Shadow Comander before him.

Jharis doubter, whatever he tried he was successful. Wathaku was silent, as he had always been. Wathaku's church, was not, assassin's attacked Aor Dustwing but their training was no match to Aor's.

He no longer knew his name nor his allegiances. He fought alongside his men against the church that had raised him.

He no longer was Jharis Nihil, he became Aor Dustwing hero of the Illumian.

Build

{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Bard 1|
+0|
+0|
+2|
+2|Balance (4), Bluff (4), Disguise (4), Intimidate (4), Perform (act) (4), Tumble (4)|Able learner|Bardic Music, Bardic Knack (ACF), Healing Hymn (ACF), Inspire Courage|

2nd|Bard 2|
+1|
+0|
+3|
+3|Balance (1), Bluff (1), Disguise (1), Intimidate (1), Perform (act) (1), Tumble (1)|-|-|

3rd|Warblade 1|
+2|
+2|
+3|
+3|Bluff (1), Disguise (1), Intimidate (1), Perform (act) (1), Knowledge Arcana (1), Tumble (1)|Weapon focus|Battle clarity (reflex saves), weapon aptitude|

4th|Bard 3|
+3|
+3|
+3|
+3|Bluff (1), Disguise (1), Intimidate (1), Perform (act) (1), Knowledge Arcana (1), Tumble (1)-|Inspire competence|

5th|Warblade 2|
+4|
+4|
+3|
+3|Bluff (1), Disguise (1), Intimidate (1), Perform (act) (1), Knowledge Arcana (1), Tumble (1)|-|Uncanny dodge|

6th|Master of Masks 1|
+4|
+4|
+5|
+5|Bluff (1), Disguise (1), Intimidate (1), Perform (act) (1), Knowledge Arcana (1), Tumble (1)|Obtain familiar|Persona Mask|

7th|Warblade 3|
+5|
+4|
+6|
+6|Bluff (1), Perform (act) (1), Sense motive (3), Tumble (1)|-|Battle ardor (critical confirmation)|

8th|Shadow Sentinel 1|
+6/+1|
+6|
+8|
+6|Intimidate (1), Perform (act) (1), Sense motive (1), Tumble (1)|-|Umbral blade +1, morphic blade (type), shadowstrike|

9th|Shadow Sentinel 2|
+7/+2|
+7|
+9|
+6|Bluff (1), Listen (1), Perform (act) (1), Tumble (1)|Martial Study (Iron Heart Surge)|Shadowbane|

10th|Shadow Sentinel 3|
+8/+3|
+7|
+9|
+7|Listen (1), Perform (act) (1), Sense Motive (1), Tumble (1)|-|Shadowsharp|

11th|Shadow Sentinel 4|
+9/+4|
+8|
+10|
+7|Intimidate (1), Listen (1), Perform (act) (1), Tumble (1)|-|Umbral blade +2|

12th|Shadow Sentinel 5|
+10/+5|
+8|
+10|
+7|Bluff (1), Listen (1), Perform (act) (1), Tumble (1)|Doomspeak|Morphic Blade (Material)|

13th|Shadow Sentinel 6|
+11/+6/+1|
+9|
+11|
+8|Listen (1), Perform (act) (1), Sense Motive (1), Tumble (1)|-|Umbral blade +3|

14th|Warblade 4|
+12/+7/+2|
+10|
+11|
+8|Intimidate (1), Listen (3), Perform (act) (1), Tumble (1)|-|-|

15th|Warblade 5|
+13/+8/+3|
+10|
+11|
+8|Listen (3), Perform (act) (1), Sense Motive (1), Tumble (1)|Iron Heart Aura, Stormguard Warrior|Bonus feat|

16th|Shadow Sentinel 7|
+14/+9/+4|
+10|
+11|
+8|Bluff (1), Listen (1), Perform (act) (1), Tumble (1)|-|Shadow drain|

17th|Shadow Sentinel 8|
+15/+10/+5|
+11|
+12|
+8|Intimidate (1), Listen (1), Perform (act) (1), Tumble (1)|-|Umbral blade +4|

18th|Shadow Sentinel 9|
+16/+11/+6/+1|
+11|
+12|
+9|Listen (1), Perform (act) (1), Sense Motive (1), Tumble (1)|Extra Music|Morphic blade (alignment)|

19th|Shadow sentinel 10|
+17/+12/+7/+2|
+12|
+13|
+9|Bluff (1), Listen (1), Perform (act) (1), Tumble (1)|-|Umbral blade +5|

20th|Warblade 6|
+17/+13/+8/+3|
+13|
+14|
+10|Intimidate (1), Listen (3), Perform (act) (1), Tumble (1)|-|Improved uncanny dodge|[/table]

Spells

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

1st|2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

2nd|3|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

3rd|3|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

4th|3|2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

5th|3|2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

6th|3|2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

7th|3|2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

8th*|3|3|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

9th|3|3|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

10th|3|3|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

11th|3|3|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

12th|3|3|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

13th|3|3|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

14th|3|3|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

15th|3|3|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

16th|3|3|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

17th|3|3|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

18th|3|3|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

19th|3|3|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

20th **|3|4|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-[/table]

*Assumed +2 item to STR

**Assumed +7 to STR

Spell known
{table=head]Level|0lvl|1st

1st|Dancing Lights, Ghost Sound, Prestidigitation, Minor Disguise|-|

2nd|Dancing Lights, Ghost Sound, Prestidigitation, Minor Disguise, Mage Hand|Improvisation, Undersong|

3rd|Dancing Lights, Ghost Sound, Prestidigitation, Minor Disguise, Mage Hand|Improvisation, Undersong|

4th|Dancing Lights, Ghost Sound, Prestidigitation, Minor Disguise, Mage Hand, Detect Magic|Improvisation, Undersong, Critical Strike|[/table]

Jarhil doesn't learn any other spell in his whole career.


Maneuvers

{table=head]Level|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th|7th

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

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

3rd|Moment of Perfect Clarity (DM 1), Steel Wind (IH 1), Wolf Fang Strike (TC 1), Blood in the water (TC 1)|-|-|-|-|-|-|

4th|Moment of Perfect Clarity (DM 1), Steel Wind (IH 1), Wolf Fang Strike (TC 1), Blood in the water (TC 1)|-|-|-|-|-|-|

5th|Moment of Perfect Clarity (DM 1), Steel Wind (IH 1), Wolf Fang Strike (TC 1), Douse the Flames (WR 1), Blood in the water (TC 1)|-|-|-|-|-|-|

6th|Moment of Perfect Clarity (DM 1), Steel Wind (IH 1), Wolf Fang Strike (TC 1), Douse the Flames (WR 1), Blood in the water (TC 1)|-|-|-|-|-|-|

7th|Moment of Perfect Clarity (DM 1), Steel Wind (IH 1), Wolf Fang Strike (TC 1), Douse the Flames (WR 1), Blood in the water (TC 1)|-|White Raven Tactics (WR 3)|-|-|-|-|

8th|Moment of Perfect Clarity (DM 1), Steel Wind (IH 1), Wolf Fang Strike (TC 1), Douse the Flames (WR 1), Blood in the water (TC 1)|-|White Raven Tactics (WR 3)|-|-|-|-|

9th|Moment of Perfect Clarity (DM 1), Steel Wind (IH 1), Wolf Fang Strike (TC 1), Douse the Flames (WR 1), Blood in the water (TC 1)|-|White Raven Tactics (WR 3), Iron Heart Surge (IH 3)|-|-|-|-|

10th|Moment of Perfect Clarity (DM 1), Steel Wind (IH 1), Wolf Fang Strike (TC 1), Douse the Flames (WR 1), Blood in the water (TC 1)|-|White Raven Tactics (WR 3), Iron Heart Surge (IH 3)|-|-|-|-|

11th|Moment of Perfect Clarity (DM 1), Steel Wind (IH 1), Wolf Fang Strike (TC 1), Douse the Flames (WR 1), Blood in the water (TC 1)|-|White Raven Tactics (WR 3), Iron Heart Surge (IH 3)|-|-|-|-|

12th|Moment of Perfect Clarity (DM 1), Steel Wind (IH 1), Wolf Fang Strike (TC 1), Douse the Flames (WR 1), Blood in the water (TC 1)|-|White Raven Tactics (WR 3), Iron Heart Surge (IH 3)|-|-|-|-|

13th|Moment of Perfect Clarity (DM 1), Steel Wind (IH 1), Wolf Fang Strike (TC 1), Douse the Flames (WR 1), Blood in the water (TC 1)|-|White Raven Tactics (WR 3), Iron Heart Surge (IH 3)|-|-|-|-|

14th|Steel Wind (IH 1), Wolf Fang Strike (TC 1), Douse the Flames (WR 1), Blood in the water (TC 1)|-|White Raven Tactics (WR 3), Iron Heart Surge (IH 3)|-|Iron Heart Focus (IH 5), Dancing Blade Form (IH 5)|-|-|

15th|Steel Wind (IH 1), Wolf Fang Strike (TC 1), Douse the Flames (WR 1), Blood in the water (TC 1)|-|White Raven Tactics (WR 3), Iron Heart Surge (IH 3)|-|Iron Heart Focus (IH 5), Pouncing charge (TC 5), Dancing Blade Form (IH 5)|-|-|

16th|Steel Wind (IH 1), Wolf Fang Strike (TC 1), Douse the Flames (WR 1), Blood in the water (TC 1)|-|White Raven Tactics (WR 3), Iron Heart Surge (IH 3)|-|Iron Heart Focus (IH 5), Pouncing charge (TC 5), Dancing Blade Form (IH 5)|-|-|

17th|Steel Wind (IH 1), Wolf Fang Strike (TC 1), Douse the Flames (WR 1), Blood in the water (TC 1)|-|White Raven Tactics (WR 3), Iron Heart Surge (IH 3)|-|Iron Heart Focus (IH 5), Pouncing charge (TC 5), Dancing Blade Form (IH 5)|-|-|

18th|Steel Wind (IH 1), Wolf Fang Strike (TC 1), Douse the Flames (WR 1), Blood in the water (TC 1)|-|White Raven Tactics (WR 3), Iron Heart Surge (IH 3)|-|Iron Heart Focus (IH 5), Pouncing charge (TC 5), Dancing Blade Form (IH 5)|-|-|

19th|Steel Wind (IH 1), Wolf Fang Strike (TC 1), Douse the Flames (WR 1), Blood in the water (TC 1)|-|White Raven Tactics (WR 3), Iron Heart Surge (IH 3)|-|Iron Heart Focus (IH 5), Pouncing charge (TC 5), Dancing Blade Form (IH 5)|-|-|

20th|Wolf Fang Strike (TC 1), Douse the Flames (WR 1), Blood in the water (TC 1)|-|White Raven Tactics (WR 3), Iron Heart Surge (IH 3)|-|Iron Heart Focus (IH 5), Pouncing charge (TC 5), Dancing Blade Form (IH 5)|-|Finishing Strike (IH 7)|[/table]


Level 1-5
During his first five levels Jharil has an assorted set of skills and can access even more with bardic knack. Jharil also speaks four languages (common, illumian, abyssal and infernal). His sigils are Aesh (+2 to strength checks and strength based skill checks) and Krau (+2 to caster level) forming Aeshkrau (use strength instead of charisma for determining bonus spells).

The bard abilities mesh well for support (either offensively with inspire courage, defensively using countersong or enhancing their healing with healing hymn) and the spells enhance his general capabilities (minor disguise improves his disguise, undersong allows to use perform instead of concentration for moment of Perfect Clarity and defensive casting, Improvisation adds a pool of luck bonus that improve his bardic knack skills and Critical strike enhance his critfishing chances). Note that the caster level due to Aeshkrau is five.

His warblade levels add maneuvers and stances to his arsenal. Moment of perfect clarity works wonder to defend Jharil's will, Steel wind and wolf fang strike give him extra attacks, douse the flames (interchangeable with leading the attack, note that the morale bonus from leading the attack would supersede the bonus from inspire courage) allows Jharil to leave a combat without provoking AoO or cast without need to do it defensively and blood in the water increases the bonuses of scoring critical hits. Those levels also allow him to relocate his weapon focus to any weapon that might benefit from it, enhance his reflex save and grants him uncanny dodge.

Regarding Item selection Jharil can do fine with almost any weapon at this level, benefiting more from weapons with a (18-20) crit range and carrying an extra weapon for the occasional wolf fang strike. As soon as he can afford it a wand of undersong would free some of his spell uses.

level 6-10
At sixth level Jharil starts to become (replace) Aor he crafts two persona masks Archmage (that increases his caster level to seven, so he has a pool of 14 points while using improvisation and can expend 3 at once that get added to the 2 points of bardic knack) and Gladiator (giving him proficiency with every weapon that he might find and a +1 to attack and damage). He also gets a familiar a Owl that he can shares spells with (like improvisation and critical strike) useful for scouting and that provides a huge bonus to his spot check +3 (as a shadow sentinel most of his time is probably going to be in shadows, if not a hawk is also a good option) from the familiar and +2 from alertness that stack with bardic knack and improvisation, a total of +10.

Seventh level adds White Raven tactics so Jharil can change the initiative of his allies of even himself, making acting twice in a turn possible. His critfishing abilities are also increased.

Eighth level is his first on the Secret Ingredient and provides him one of the most important class features. Morphic Blade, Jharil's umbral blade is a Great Falchion (from Sandstorm), whenever beneficial he might change it to:
-Heavy poleaxe (complete warrior) A reach weapon that can be setted against a charge with 2d6 x3
-Gythka (Expanded psionic handbook) A double weapon (remember that he still has wolf fang strike) for 1d10/1d10 x2
-Double kopesh (sandstorm) Also a double weapon but with 1d6/1d6 18-20 x2
-Sharktooth staff (savage species) A free grapple check with every attack doing 2d6 x3
-Great falchion (sandstorm) A two handed weapon 1d12 18-20 x2
-Drow scorpion chain (Races of eberron) If Jarhil is in eberron this chain has reach but threatens also adjacent squares 1d6 19-20 x2
-Fullblade (arms and equipment guide) Sometimes only damage will do 2d8 19-20 x2
Is also at eighth level that Jarhil and its familiar qualify for the “Precision Assault” team benefit (from the forge of war) that GREATLY increase their chances of making a critical hit. And Shadowstrike in case a touch attack is needed.

Ninth level gives shadowbane (useful if it applies) and IRON HEART SURGE! Because being out of combat is boring. Tenth level gives shadowsharp (keen enhancement for the umbral blade) which is another way of increasing the chances of making a critical hit. Note that critical strike won't increase the threat range further (that probably doesn't affect the umbral blade) but the +4 to confirmation and the +1d6 damage should still apply but it can be shared with the familiar.

A +2 strength item is really encouraged at level 8, since it raises the first level spells per day. Items that might also be useful are some eternal wands (or normal wands) for example an eternal wand of heroics can provide two weapon fighting or other useful feats (including martial study/martial stance), mirror move (from here (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/sb/sb20030504x)) can even be more powerful, or wands for improving initiative. Also consider gloves of the balanced hand (giving two weapon fighting or even improved two weapon fighting), strongarm bracers (wield larger weapons) and rings with Diamond Mind maneuvers replacing saves with perform is great, seriously consider action before thought (it is going to become really useful in a couple of levels).

level 11-15
Level 11 is nice, having a +2 weapon is nice but level 12 is great. This is the sweetspot of the build morphic blade (material) is potentially broken. Some useful materials (not taking into account setting specific materials):
Frystalline (Book of exalted deeds) the weapon counts as good.
Kheferu (Sandstorm) the weapon bypasses earth creatures DR.
Silver (DMG) is silver.
Abyssal bloodiron (Planar Handbook) counts as cold iron and +4 to confirm critical hits.
Starmetal (Complete Arcane) counts as adamantine and also deals 1d6 extra to outsiders.
Jade (Oriental adventures) provides some goodies against onis or spirit but also counts as having the ghost touch property.
Baatorian greenstel (Fiendish Codex II) Adds 1 to damage.
Gold/Platinum (Magic of Faerun) increases damage due to heaviness 1d12 becomes 2d8. Note that there are other special materials in magic of faerun but since they are probably setting specific they are not considered here. Heavy tends to be better than Baatorian Greenstel for a large Die.
Gehennan Morghuth Iron (Arms and equipment guide) at the cost of -1 to attack and damage every attack might inflict poison (FORT save DC 12) for 1 DEX damage (and a secondary damage of 1D4 DEX).
Aurorum (Book of exalted deeds) after breaking the weapon reform it as a full round action.
Kaorti Resin (here (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031014a)) Increases the weapon critical multiple to x4.
Stygian Ice (Frostburn) This is so broken I feel dirty for pointing it out, yes even dirtier than with the Kaorti. It deals 1d6 cold damage per round of contact (a resist energy eternal wand is almost mandatory, no use of morphic blade (material) can outlast a cast of resist energy) if damage is taken it might deal 2 WIS damage (WILL save DC 12) till WIS is 0 and then it deals 2 CON damage every round. The weapon also deals the extra cold damage in every hit (with the same chances of WIS damage). The bad things of the stygian ice weapon is that every time it deals damge the wielder needs to roll a REF save DC 15 or deal the same damage to the weapon, at level 12 Jahril's reflex save is 14 (10 base, +2 DEX, +2 INT) so he fails in a one, being able to replace the saves with a perform check (that can't be failed) and being able to repeat saves in a level helps to not destroy the weapon. Note that even if a normal stygian ice weapon HP and Hardness suck the umbral blade retains its original hardness and hitpoints. If for some reason the weapon ends being pulverized turning it into aurorum and reforging it is a good idea.
Note that per the rules compendium attacks that deal ability damage and crits deal the double of ability damage.

Of course a DC 12 is a pretty bad DC luckily doomspeak saves the day (or at least saves it 3 rounds a day), rasing the DC in 10, to a DC of 22. Even if you normally cannot benefit from doomspeak since it lasts for a turn, using white raven tactics to act another time in the same round (and full attack) is a nice way of getting more attacks. You are probably gessing it, but level 12 is the sweet spot of the build, giving Jahril ways of dealing ability damage, increasing it's critical confirmation or increasing it's critical multiple.

Level 13 gives umbral blade +3 normally it would be an ok level but a +3 weapon adds hardness and hitpoints to the weapon making the stygian ice tactic a bit safer.

Level 14 gives more maneuvers and a new stance, yay, Iron Heart focus (for repeating those dangerous saves) and Dancing Blade form (for a better reach, most of the time blood in the water is still going to be more useful, but extra reach might always be handy)

Level 15 gives Iron heart aura, while in dancing blade adjacent allies get a +2 to saves, the increase in reach just became really useful enabling to hit behind the tank while buffing it. Jahril also gets Stormguard warrior enabling the use of channel the storm (Jahril can only take an AoO a round so most of the time he is going to be refraining from taking them), combat rhythm (even if it deals no damage it should be able to crit for 0 damage, activating blood in the water and precision assault), fight the horde is probably not going to be really useful. Also at this level Jahril gets the pouncing charge maneuver enabling to full attack after a charge.

Equipment, as mentioned above an eternal wand of resist energy is... really, really encouraged it makes the use of the stygian ice weapon more viable. A diamond mind ring with the action before thought maneuver is also really useful. If not items mentioned above, strength boosting items or a secondary +1 slashing weapon (in case Jahril's weapon is destroyed and not saved thanks to Aurorum so it can be transformed into a new umbral blade). Otherwise typical movement items, for fly speed or teleport, or defensive items are encouraged.

level 16-20
Shadow drain at level sixteenth opens the possibility of doing strength damage (it is probably not an option due to the high consumption of shadow points but Jahril might go nova before recharging shadow points). Seventeenth and nineteenth increase the umbral blade (increasing hardness and hit points). Eighteenth adds alignment to the blade, enabling it to potentially bypass almost any DR in the game and extra music for more doomspeak (this feat is quite free it could be changed with other feats like the ones from heroics, so heroics nets better feats). Finally as a capstone ability Jahril gets improved uncanny dodge and finishing strike (potentially doing 14d6 extra damage).

Itemwise around this levels Jahril should be able to scrap some gold pieces for a +7 boost to strength, other than that most of the specially useful items have been mentioned above.

What can Jarhil do?
First and foremost Jarhil is a front line melee fighter. But he can also work as a party face if need be due to his social skills and can act as a decent scout. His familiar can also provide help in any of those situations, acting as a flanking buddy (Jarhil has decent Health Points), improving his skills rolling for aid another (providing a +2 bonus) and as another pair of eyes/ears (and Owl has really good spot and listen). In case he needs any other skill bardic knack and improvisation enables him to get a chance of passing them specially abilities like climb, jump and swim (since they are strength based Jarhil gets an extra +2 from his Aesh sigil). Intimidate might be used for a duel of wills (as in page 27 of the Tome of Battle)

In melee Jarhil works most of the time as a crit fisher, with a two handed weapon. His investment on that style of fighting are a stance (that can be swapped for extra reach and better saves), a team benefit (shared at least with the familiar), two class features (shadowsharp increases critical threat range and battle ardor increases the chances of confirming critical hits) and from time to time a spell.

He can also work as a good debuffer dealing dexterity damage (easily stackable), wisdom damage and strength drain. Not taking into account his use of doomspeak that combined with white raven tactics (on himself or another team member) allows for effective save or suck.

He has ways of bypassing almost every DR, be it due to material or alignment, in the game making sure that his attacks are effective. He even can hit ghosts with a jade weapon.

In case Jarhil ends in Oozeland land of the oozes wearing fortification armour it is not hard for him to just change his weapon and his stance, with strongarm bracers and using morphic blade (material) a larger and heavier fullblade increases damage greatly (6D6, even if inmune to critical strikes is considerable). If he remains in Oozeland for to long he can even move weapon focus to a suitable weapon. If doomspeak is disabled he can still use the vanilla bard music.

Working as a part of a team, his capabilities get increased, another melee member could be included into the team for “precision assault” or give “feats” via mirror move wands. A spell caster could alleviate his need of a wand of resist energy and also if a high level divine spell caster use “spark of life” making undead vulnerable to critical strikes.

Finally maneuvers are still there, either defensively (rerolls for saves, ignore ongoing effects or changing his saves for a perform check) or ofensively (pounce, extra attacks, extra 14d6 damage, extra actions in a round).
Overall Jarhil can adapt.

Item selection

Expending all his ability points from leveling into strength and an extra of 7 points (+6 items and +1 tome) is desirable since it would increase it's strength to 28 resulting in an extra first level spell per day (and obviously an increase in attack bonus and damage).

Strongarm bracers are really desirable since he can turn his weapon into larger versions without trouble.

Gloves of the balanced hand increase Jarhil's effectiveness with double weapons (might be further increased with heroics or mirror move, both spells available in eternal wands)

Rings that give diamond mind maneuvers specially the maneuvers that replace saves with concentration (or perform) checks are useful. If custom items are available a ring of continuous undersong will free some spell uses per day.

Also both persona masks are useful one enabling Jarhil to use any weapon, also giving a small competence bonus, and another one giving him spell like abilities and increasing his caster level (both the spell like abilities and the caster level increase is more useful for out of combat).

Defensively speaking he has ok saves and chances of repeating them, ignore ongoing effects (he might then use countersong to save the party), and can increase the saves even further with iron heart aura (that would also let him be further away from the enemy) so any magical armor useful for a melee character is ok, since he need light armor to cast bard spells that should be factored. It is also necessary to have cold resistance 10 from time to time in case Jarhil needs to go nova with stygian ice weapon.

Obviously mobility is important for every melee character flight items or teleport items are encouraged.

Weaponwise a secondary +1 slashing weapon just in case the main weapon is destroyed and a ranged weapon for the strange case that enemies are out of his reach. In case a pitspawned weapon is not too cheesy the unnamed +2 to confirm critical hits is great.


Other possibilities

If flaws are allowed Jack of All trades from complete adventurer would let Jarhil make skill checks with every skill imaginable, combined with bardic knack for greater bonuses. Or feats like combat expertise or power attack (that start chains of feats that can be picked up with heroics/mirror move) might be useful.

All the ranks in listen can be traded for ranks in UMD that will increase Jarhil's versatility but probably reduce his scouting skills, if that route is followed a raven (that can speak) would be the best familiar, it can use Jarhil's wands freeing actions.
If common is not counted as a language (it is a language, it is just a common language) speak language is a class skill and another language could be bought for getting into Master of Masks.

If the use of able learner in an illumian (which is humanoid (human) and should qualify) the skill ranks necessary for Master of Masks could be bought during Jarhil's bard levels. I finally went with the able learner route since I found that the skill selection for a Shadow Sentinel was craptastic at best. Similar results could had been achieved with Apprentice (entertainer).

Other similar builds considered were:
Warblade 3 – Bard 3 – Master of Masks 2 – Shadow Sentinel 10 – Exotic Weapon Master 2 Discarded because even if flurry of strikes and show off deemed useful they were not as varied as maneuvers.

Warblade 3 – Bard 6 – Master of Masks 1 – Shadow Sentinel 10 Discarded for similar reasons, this build ends being more dependant in crit fishing or dealing score damage so it has less options (doesn't get another stance, nor pounce). It is a better skill monkey, but that was not the intended role, and frees a feat not needing extra music, but overall is weaker in front line combat.

Warblade 5 – Favoured soul 5 – Shadow Sentinel 10 This interesting, gets second level divine spells (lacks access to eternal wands and familiar), frees a feat due to weapon focus, gets energy resistance 10 (probably cold due to it being necessary) and completely screws over the skills making Master of Masks really hard to pull off. Overall it lacks options to the build presented above.

Warblade 5 – Sorcerer 4 – Master of Masks 1 – Shadow Sentinel 10 Both Apprentice (entertainer) and draconic heritage (silver) are necessary for getting into Master of Masks. This combination gets second level arcane spells but takes a really strong hit to class skills and to options (no more bardic music nor Doomspeak) and is weaker as a frontliner.

Fighter 4 – Bard 5 – Master of Masks 1 – Shadow Sentinel 10 More feats, access to power attack and combat expertise (improving the feat selection of heroics) but lacking the versatility of adapting the weapon focus to a new weapon, lack of maneuvers and poorer skill points pool.

Suming it up:
-Warblade adds the option to change weapon focus to a useful weapon, 6 skill points per level, maneuvers, +2 to critical confirmation.

-Bard adds some situational spells (access to eternal wands for utility and access to a familiar), good class skills (getting perform (act) as a class skill is hard), 6 skill points per level, bardic music and bardic knack.

-Master of Masks adds a bump to spellcaster level in out of combat situations, proficiency with every exotic weapon in combat.

-Shadow Sentinel access to every exotic slashing weapon, to every exotic material, to keen weapon enhancement, and 4 skill points per level.

Sources

{table=head]Item|Source|Page

Illumian|Races of destiny|51
Wathaku|Races of destiny|77
Soorinek|Races of destiny|75
Bard|Player handbook|26
Healing Hymn (ACF)|Complete Champion|47
Able learner|Races of destiny|150
Spells|PHB or Spell Compendium|-
Warblade|Tome of battle or Here (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20060802a&page=2 )|20
Maneuvers|Tome of battle or Here (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20061225a )|47
Weapon focus|Player Handbook|102
Master of Masks|Complete Scoundrel|52
Obtain Familiar|Complete Arcane|81
Shadow Sentinel|Races of Destiny|137
Teamwork Benefits|Player Handbook II|157
Precision Assault|The forge of war|131
Great Falchion|Sandstorm|96
Heavy Poleaxe|Complete Warrior|154
Gythka|Expanded psionic handbook|14
Double kopesh|Sandstorm|96
Sharktooth staff|Savage Species|45
Drow Scorpion Chain|Races of Eberron|172
Fullblade|Arms and Equipment Guide|6
Martial Study|Tome of Battle|31
Ring of the Diamond Mind|Tome of Battle|150
Gloves of the balanced Hand|Magic Item Compendium|105
Strongarm Bracers|Magic Item Compendium|139
Eternal Wand|Magic Item Compendium|159
Doomspeak|Champions of Ruin|20
Frystalline|Book of exalted deeds|38
Kheferu|Sandstorm|136
Silver |Dungeon Master Guide|284
Abyssal bloodiron |Planar Handbook|69
Starmetal |Complete Arcane|141
Jade |Oriental adventures|142
Baatorian greenstel |Fiendish Codex II|99
Gold/Platinum |Magic of Faerun|179
Gehennan Morghuth Iron |Arms and equipment guide|14
Aurorum |Book of exalted deeds|38
Kaorti Resin |Here (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031014a)|-
Iron Heart Aura|Tome of Battle|31
Stormguard Warrior|Tome of Battle|36
Extra Music|Tome of Battle|52[/table]

[Amphetryon]

At first I thought this was a big red dog.

Clifford the Dim
NG Changeling Ardent 5/Warmind 5/Shadow Sentinel 10

BackstoryI've been many people in my time. I've been an elven beggar, a dwarven maiden, countless humans and others that I have long since forgotten. Though I have worn many faces and become many people, I've never truly belonged in any of them. Even in my natural face, sameness is encouraged and any non-uniformity is viewed as a threat to the system. I began to wonder whether any community would come to accept someone like me, but that all changed once I saw the light.

I had come to Elirhondas with a team of specialists to extract one of their leaders, but I was amazed at what I saw--a community of like-minded individuals, each with their own unique complexities. Each used their strengths to the benefit of the whole, and weaknesses were supplemented by the strength of others. Their leaders had created something truly beautiful, and I came to the realization that I didn't want to extract any of them; instead, I wanted to serve them--to become a part of this wondrous community. The night before our mission, I ducked out of the inn we were staying in and changed my face one final time. I mimicked the soft, yet stoic demeanor of the Illumians around me, and for all intents and purposes I became one of them. I couldn't manifest the sigils that orbit their heads, but some Illumians choose to suppress theirs anyway, so I was still able to mesh into the crowds. I came to the leader we had planned to extract and shared my team's entire plan, then vowed my service in protecting him. I fought valiantly, not hesitant to bring my blade to bear against my former "teammates," though using that term for them is an affront to the very word. Ever since, I have stayed here among the people of light in Elirhondas. I doubt I shall ever leave again, since I have finally found a home.

The Build
{table=head]
Level|
Class|
BAB|
Fort|
Ref|
Will|
Skills|
Feats|
Class Features


1|
Ardent 1|
+0|
+0|
+0|
+2|
Autohypnosis 2, Conc 4, Know (Hist) 2, Know (Psi) 4|
Psionic Weapon|
Conflict Mantle (Weapon Focus: Fauchard), Deception Mantle


2|
Ardent 2|
+1|
+0|
+0|
+3|
Autohypnosis 3, Conc 5, Know (Hist) 2, Know (Psi) 5||
Destruction Mantle (Improved Sunder)


3|
Ardent 3|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+3|
Autohypnosis 4, Conc 6, Know (Hist) 2, Know (Psi) 6|
Power Attack|



4|
Ardent 4|
+3|
+1|
+1|
+4|
Autohypnosis 5, Conc 7, Know (Hist) 2, Know (Psi) 7||



5|
Ardent 5|
+3|
+1|
+1|
+4|
Autohypnosis 6, Conc 8, Know (Hist) 2, Know (Psi) 8||
Knowledge Mantle


6|
Warmind 1|
+4|
+3|
+3|
+4|
AH 8, Conc 9, Know (Hist) 2, Know (Psi) 8|
Psionic Meditation|
Chain of Personal Superiority +2


7|
Warmind 2|
+5|
+4|
+4|
+4|
AH 10, Conc 10, Know (Hist) 2, Know (Psi) 8||
Chain of Defensive Posture +2


8|
Warmind 3|
+6/+1|
+4|
+4|
+5|
AH 11, Conc 11, Intimidate 1, Know (Hist) 2, Know (Psi) 8||
Enduring Body (DR 1/-)


9|
Warmind 4|
+7/+2|
+5|
+5|
+5|
AH 12, Conc 12, Intimidate 2, Know (Hist) 2, Know (Psi) 8|
Racial Emulation|



10|
Warmind 5|
+8/+3|
+5|
+5|
+5|
AH 13, Conc 13, Intimidate 3, Know (Hist) 2, Know (Psi) 8||
Sweeping Strike

11|
Shadow Sentinel 1|
+9/+4|
+7|
+7|
+5|
AH 14, Conc 13, Intimidate 4, Know (Hist) 2, Know (Psi) 8||
Umbral Blade +1, morphic blade (type), shadowstrike


12|
Shadow Sentinel 2|
+10/+5|
+8|
+8|
+5|
AH 14, Conc 14, Intimidate 5, Know (Hist) 2, Know (Psi) 8|
Combat Brute|
Shadowbane


13|
Shadow Sentinel 3|
+11/+6/+1|
+8|
+8|
+6|
AH 15, Conc 14, Intimidate 6, Know (Hist) 2, Know (Psi) 8||
Shadowsharp


14|
Shadow Sentinel 4|
+12/+7/+2|
+9|
+9|
+6|
AH 15, Conc 15, Intimidate 7, Know (Hist) 2, Know (Psi) 8||
Umbral Blade +2


15|
Shadow Sentinel 5|
+13/+8/+3|
+9|
+9|
+6|
AH 16, Conc 15, Intimidate 8, Know (Hist) 2, Know (Psi) 8|
Greater Psionic Weapon|
Morphic Blade (Material)


16|
Shadow Sentinel 6|
+14/+9/+4|
+10|
+10|
+7|
AH 16, Conc 16, Intimidate 9, Know (Hist) 2, Know (Psi) 8||
Umbral Blade +3


17|
Shadow Sentinel 7|
+15/+10/+5|
+10|
+10|
+7|
AH 17, Conc 16, Intimidate 10, Know (Hist) 2, Know (Psi) 8||
Shadow Drain


18|
Shadow Sentinel 8|
+16/+11/+6/+1|
+11|
+11|
+7|
AH 17, Conc 17, Intimidate 11, Know (Hist) 2, Know (Psi) 8|
Wounding Attack|
Umbral Blade +4


19|
Shadow Sentinel 9|
+17/+12/+7/+2|
+11|
+11|
+8|
AH 18, Conc 17, Intimidate 12, Know (Hist) 2, Know (Psi) 8||
Morphic Blade (Alignment)


20|
Shadow Sentinel 10|
+18/+13/+8/+3|
+12|
+12|
+8|
AH 18, Conc 18, Intimidate 13, Know (Hist) 2, Know (Psi) 8||
Morphic Blade +5[/table]

{table=head]Attribute|Points|Base|Level|Total|Mod
STR|10|16|4|20|+5
DEX|4|12|0|12|+1
CON|6|14|0|14|+2
INT|4|12|0|12|+1
WIS|8|15|1|16|+3
CHA|0|8|0|8|-1[/table]

{table=head]Level|PP/day|Powers Known
1|2|Psionic Charm, Prescience (Offensive), Metaphysical Weapon
2|6|Dissipating Touch
3|11|Dissolving Weapon
4|17|Psionic Lion's Charge
5|25|Touchsight
6|27|Vigor
7|30|Expansion
8|34|
9|39|Levitate
10|45|
11|45|
12|45|
13|45|
14|45|
15|45|
16|45|
17|45|
18|45|
19|45|
20|45|[/table]

Tactics
Levels 1-5: Clifford spends his early levels trading off powers and power attacks. Psionic Weapon and Power Attack in conjunction up our damage output, but we also have the Deception Mantle's 50% concealment if we need to expend our focus for more defensive power. Psionic Charm helps us out of combat, while our other powers help us in combat. We pick up Psionic Lion's Charge, but that does not take a larger role until later levels, where we have multiple attacks to make the power worthwhile. Conflict Domain gives us free weapon focus, which helps our average BAB keep pace in combat with our high STR and powers like Metaphysical Weapon. Additionally, we acquire the Knowledge Mantle not only to aid us in making Knowledge checks, but to snag the excellent Touchsight power in order to deal with stealthy characters that threaten our home city.
Levels 6-10: Once we can regain psionic focus as a move action w/ Psionic Meditation, our main tactics see much more use. We can now use Psionic Weapon or Deception Mantle every round if we'd like, keeping both our offensive and defensive capabilities relevant. Entering Warmind allows us to pick from a far wider selection of powers, so we pick up two of my favorites. Vigor allows us to use temporary HP as either a buffer or on-the-fly healing, while Expansion allows us to threaten more squares in combat and pump our STR even higher in conjunction with Chain of Personal Superiority. Lastly, we pick up Sweeping Strike, but more on that later.
Levels 11-15: We finally enter our Secret Ingredient at full force, buffing our umbral blade as we buff ourselves. Greater Psionic Weapon in conjunction with Psionic Meditation allows us to add +4d6 damage, while Dissolving Weapon precast before combat adds another +4d6 acid damage onto that. Since our umbral blade's abilities apply to only one attack, we can use a swift action to spend Shadow Points, a move action to gain our psionic focus, and then a standard action to make one large attack with our umbral blade abilities. Of course, it's important to have decisions. We can expend our psionic focus to trigger Greater Psionic Weapon on our attack or Deception Mantle after our turn, but using it for deception mantle eats up an immediate action (and thus our swift action for the next round). Because we won't be able to spend any shadow points next round, that's a perfect time to full attack. Power Attack ups our damage output, and Combat Brute (qualifying via Destruction Mantle) helps up that even further. However, since Destruction Mantle only gives us Improved Sunder while psionically focused, it seems we can't use Combat Brute and trigger Greater Psionic Weapon in the same round. This is fine, since Combat Brute gives us a way to up our damage on rounds that we wait until after our turn to expend our psionic focus for Deception Mantle. Our iterative attacks begin to come online here, so Psionic Lion's Charge is also a great way to use our swift action in rounds that we won't be spending any shadow points.
Levels 16-20: At these levels, we turn from a bruiser into a literal death machine. Shadow Drain allows us to sap away our enemies' STR, and Wounding Attack lets us expend our psionic focus to peel away some of their CON as well. This works wonders if you've got anyone in your party handing out FORT saves, but it also works with our old swift action/move action/standard action shuffle. We spend shadow points on Shadow Drain (and possibly some other abilities, but see below), use our move action to gain psionic focus, then use our standard action to hit 'em hard with an attack that deals damage as well as lowering two of their ability scores with no save. Lather, rinse, repeat, and there's going to be a whole lot of bodies hitting the floor.

Being a Shadow Sentinel
Qualifying for the Secret Ingredient: "Wait," you say, "this gent's not even an Illumian!" Right you are, but the rules don't know that. The Changeling feat "Racial Emulation" specifically states that while you don't gain any racial traits of your chosen race, you count as one for all other purposes. While the text of the feat only specifically calls out magic items, this means that Prestige Classes treat you as your chosen race as well. You'll notice that Weapon Focus isn't in our list of feats, either, but Conflict Mantle allows us to pick it up for free. Unlike the Destruction Mantle, Conflict makes no mention of having the feat only while psionically focused, so we don't have to worry about losing our class features every time we expend focus. Lastly, the combat examination takes place when Clifford turns on his former team and fights for the very Illumian leader they're coming to kidnap. Now, granted, this setup means that Clifford can't qualify for the SI while in any other form besides Illumian, so you might say "why even bother with a Changeling?!" However, the answer is infiltration and escape. Since most of the Secret Ingredient only affects us in combat, once combat is over (or before it begins) we can ingratiate ourselves into the ranks of those who are in Elirhondas for the wrong reasons. We play along with their plan until it's time to fight and then reveal our "true" nature. Also, should combat turn south or we need to travel outside of Elirhondas on any missions, we can assume any form we'd like in order to lay low.
On Shadow Points: Yes, spending shadow points is a swift action. Though there was some confusion in the thread, there is no distinction in the text that you can only spend shadow points on ONE ability at a time. Spending a shadow point is a swift action just the same as spending 4 shadow points is a swift action; the only limitation is the size of your reservoir. This allows us to combine Morphic Blade and Shadow X abilities as we see fit, oftentimes delivering a shadow drain as a touch attack via Shadowstrike. The only limit is the size of your reservoir. Speaking of that, purchasing a ring of sustenance (see suggested items, below) allows us to reap the benefit of 8 hours of sleep in only 2 hours. Not only does this allow us to recharge shadow points four times faster than normal, but it means we can use up our entire reservoir of both Power Points and Shadow Points in the morning, take a nap over an extended lunch, and be ready to rock and roll at full capacity all night long.
Umbral Blade: The weakness of entering the class through Ardent is that they are only proficient with simple weapons. In core, that means the dagger or sickle--both light weapons, which means fat chance using Power Attack. However, in the Dragon Magazine Compendium you'll find the fauchard: a two-handed slashing weapon that deals 1d8 damage and has a x3 crit multiplier for really getting the most bang for our Power Attack/Combat Brute Buck. If you feel like burning a feat on Exotic Weapon Proficiency, there's the Talenta Sharrash in the Eberron Campaign Setting: a two-handed slashing weapon that deals 1d10 damage with reach and a 19-20/x4 crit multiplier. Yowza! Now granted, there are two easy snags for this ability, but I feared they were known cheese. A dip in Warblade will let you change the type of your umbral blade and your Weapon Focus to match, whereas a dip in Master of Masks gives you proficiency (and a small bonus) with any exotic weapon you change your umbral blade into via the Gladiator Mask. Warblade dips are easy enough, and entrance into Master of Masks is feasible with a dip in the awesome Changeling Rogue sub-level from Races of Eberron. However, the Haberdash build floating around the internet is already awesome at using every exotic weapon, so let's let him keep that.
Morphic Blade: Due to our limited proficiences, we aren't really changing the type of our blade too often, but changing it from a two-handed fauchard into a dagger can allow us to smuggle weapons into places that might not otherwise allow them. Changing material and alignment are, as always, good for overcoming damage reduction. If fighting multiple creatures with the same DR, see below.
Shadowbane & Shadowsharp: as abilities that last for more than one attack, these are great buffs for the early rounds of combat or the middle of a fight when you need the extra OOMPH. Shadowbane allows us to roll even more d6s (on top of Dissolving Weapon and Greater Psionic Weapon), whereas Shadowsharp allows us to multiply our Power Attack/Combat Brute and high STR contributions to damage more frequently.
Shadowstrike, Shadowbane, and Shadow Drain: on their own, these abilities are each useful in different contexts. When you spend multiple shadow points to activate more than one at a time, they're straight up deadly. A Shadowstrike Shadow Drain Wounding Attack means only a touch attack stands between you and a decent chunk of your enemy's physical attributes. However, all of these abilities suffer from the same problem--they only apply to your next single attack. I spent a lot of time thinking of ways to apply them to multiple attacks...no dice. I spent more time thinking how to get more swift actions, and even tried to cobble together a Ruby Knight Vindicator build...no dice. Then it hit me: we don't need to apply our shadow points to more attacks. Instead, we need to apply our one attack to more enemies! Enter Warmind's Sweeping Strike; whenever you attack someone, you can resolve the attack against their adjacent allies as well. Money in the bank! This is an at-will ability, as long as you haven't moved more than 10 feet. So please, walk softly and carry a big stick. Not only can this apply the above abilities to multiple foes at once, but you can use it on your run of the mill full attack as well. Either way, you're dishing out some serious pain.

Suggested ItemsIt's the usual suspects, minus an uber weapon. Just give Clifford some decent armor (since he's proficient with all of it), Strongarm Bracers, a +1 fauchard, some STR/WIS boosting items, and a Belt of Battle so we can break the action economy like our fellow savvy shoppers. As mentioned above, a ring of sustenance will allow us to refresh shadow points with 2 hours of downtime instead of 8 .

Adaptation:Honestly, the only real adaptation that might really help Cliff is one flaw and one trait. For the trait, we'd take slow for the bonus HP, especially since Sweeping Strike requires you only move 10 feet at a time. For the flaw, take Shaky to be cheesy since he's not making ranged atacks any time soon and pick up Power Attack at first level. Though you can't yet use it, this frees up your third level feat for Exotic Weapon Proficiency. If your DM is handing out templates or using LA buyoff, why not pick up the Feral template? It doesn't make sense with the Knowledge Mantle IMHO, but if your DM allows Feral, he doesn't care about things making sense :smallyuk:.

Sources
Complete Warrior (Combat Brute)

Complete Psionic (Ardent)

Dragon Magazine Compendium (fauchard)
Eberron Campaign Setting (Changeling)
Expanded Psionics Handbook (Greater Psionic Weapon, Psionic Meditation, Psionic Weapon, Warmind, Wounding Attack)
PHB (Improved Sunder, Power Attack, Weapon Focus)
Races of Eberron (Racial Emulation)

[Amphetryon]

Night air is bad air. - Poor Richard's Almanac



18 Strength
12 Dexterity
18 Constitution
12 Inteligence (Bonus language: Auran)
12 Wisdom
8 Charisma (9 at level 4, 10 at level 8, 11 at level 12 and 12 at level 16)

The air of night
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features|Shadow points

1st|Wizard|
+0|
+0|
+0|
+2|Knowledge (the planes): 4, Concentration: 4, Spellcraft: 4|Eschew materials|Summon familiar (Any), Scribe scroll, Spells|0

2nd|Wizard|
+1|
+0|
+0|
+3|Knowledge (the planes): 5, Concentration: 5, Spellcraft: 5|||0

3rd|Wizard|
+1|
+1|
+1|
+3|Knowledge (the planes): 6, Concentration: 6, Spellcraft: 6|Weapon focus (Dagger)|||0

4th|Hexblade|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+5|Knowledge (the planes): 7, Concentration: 7, Spellcraft: 6||Hexblade’s curse 1/day|0

5th|Hexblade|
+3|
+1|
+1|
+6|Knowledge (the planes): 8, Concentration: 8, Spellcraft: 6||Arcane resistance|0

6th|Hexblade|
+4|
+2|
+2|
+6|Knowledge (the planes): 8, Concentration: 9, Spellcraft: 8|Quick draw|Mettle|0

7th|Bonded summoner|
+4|
+2|
+2|
+8|Knowledge (the planes): 8, Concentration: 10, Spellcraft: 10||Elemental Companion (Medium) (Air), Resistance 5 (Electricity)|0

8th|Bonded summoner|
+5|
+2|
+2|
+9|Knowledge (the planes): 8, Concentration: 11, Spellcraft: 11, Craft (weapon smithing) 1||Spells as a 4th level wizard|0

9th|Bonded summoner|
+5|
+3|
+3|
+9|Knowledge (the planes): 8, Concentration: 12, Spellcraft: 12, Craft (weapon smithing) 2|Enhanced Power Sigils|Elemental companion (Large) (Air), resistance to energy 10, immunity to sleep|0

10th|Warblade|
+6/+1|
+5|
+3|
+9|Knowledge (the planes): 8, Concentration: 13, Spellcraft: 13, Craft (weapon smithing) 3||Battle clarity (Reflex saves), weapon aptitude|0

11th|Shadow Sentinel|
+7/+2|
+7|
+5|
+9|Knowledge (the planes): 8, Concentration: 14, Spellcraft: 13, Craft (weapon smithing) 4||Umbral blade +1, morphic blade (type), shadowstrike|1

12th|Shadow Sentinel|
+8/+3|
+7|
+5|
+9|Knowledge (the planes): 8, Concentration: 15, Spellcraft: 13, Craft (weapon smithing) 5|Craft magic arms and armour|Shadowbane|3

13th|Shadow Sentinel|
+9/+4|
+7|
+5|
+10|Knowledge (the planes): 8, Concentration: 16, Spellcraft: 13, Craft (weapon smithing) 6|Shadowsharp|5

14th|Shadow Sentinel|
+10/+5|
+8|
+6|
+10|Knowledge (the planes): 8, Concentration: 17, Spellcraft: 13, Craft (weapon smithing) 7||Umbral blade +2|7

15th|Shadow Sentinel|
+11/+6/+1|
+8|
+6|
+10|Knowledge (the planes): 8, Concentration: 18, Spellcraft: 13, Craft (weapon smithing) 8|Improved unarmed strike|Morphic blade (Material)|9

16th|Shadow Sentinel|
+12/+7/+3|
+9|
+7|
+11|Knowledge (the planes): 8, Concentration: 19, Spellcraft: 13, Craft (weapon smithing) 9||Umbral blade +3|11

17th|Shadow Sentinel|
+13/+8/+4|
+9|
+7|
+11|Knowledge (the planes): 8, Concentration: 20, Spellcraft: 13, Craft (weapon smithing) 10||Shadow drain|13

18th|Shadow Sentinel|
+14/+9/+5|
+10|
+8|
+12|Knowledge (the planes): 8, Concentration: 21, Spellcraft: 13, Craft (weapon smithing) 11|Snap kick|Umbral blade +4|15

19th|Shadow Sentinel|
+15/+10/+6/+1|
+10|
+8|
+12|Knowledge (the planes): 8, Concentration: 22, Spellcraft: 13, Craft (weapon smithing) 12||Morphic blade (Alignment)|17

20th|Shadow Sentinel|
+16/+11/+7/+2|
+11|
+9|
+13|Knowledge (the planes): 8, Concentration: 23, Spellcraft: 13, Craft (weapon smithing) 13||Umbral blade +5|19[/table]

Spells per day (The table only notes changes to the spells per day):

Spells per day/Spells Known
{table=head]Character Level|0lvl|1st|2nd

1st|3|1|-

2nd|4|2|-

3rd|4|2|1

8th|4|3|2
[/table]

Power sigils:
Level 1: Aesh
Level 2: Krau

Level break down: Wizard 3/Hexblade 3/Bonded Summoner 3/Warblade 1/Shadow Sentinel 10


Level 5:
[spoiler]By level 5, apart from the BaB requirement, we have the perquisites for the PrCs that will be used in the build. There is a reason Hexblade levels have been chosen, instead of any other full BaB class. Which will be revealed later...

The Power Sigils were chosen to give the build more spells per day. The caster level and strength bonuses, were simply a fortunate by-product.

Level 10:
By level 10, the foundation of the build is finished, all the multi classing has given: Spell casting as a 4th level Wizard, at a caster level of seven, an elemental companion, immunity to sleep, energy resistance 10, mettle and a mutable weapon focus. Not bad for the price of 4 "points" of BaB.

Now, the reason I chose to use Hexblade is two fold, one for mettle and two, it's an Arcane spell casting class. I know, I didn't go far enough into Hexblade to get any spells, but it is still a spell casting class, therefore, the builds "Arcane level", as the bonded summoner PrC puts it, is 9, granting many of the features of a familiar, empathic link, share spells, deliver touch spells, etc.

Level 15:
Level 15 is probably the sweet spot of this build, you have several different Shadow Sentinel features, the ability to make a brand new Umbral blade if you loose it and decent fort and will saves, made even more useful via mettle. Reflex saves are not too good for this level, but they do get allot better.

Level 20:
Level 20, it's been a fun ride, an elemental companion, low level spell casting, five attacks as part of a full attack (4 from BaB and one from Snap Kick) and a magic sword that can change shape and type at will. Not much more to say.)

Weaknesses:
[Spoiler]I understand that dropping this guy into an AMF will shut down most of the class features, due to them being magical or supernatural, but he still remains a decent combatant, and don't forget that he has an elemental to back him up.

Notes on the elemental choice:
An air elemental was chosen simply because it has a better "general use" that the others, but depending on the campaign, the others may be more useful, such as a water elemental in a sea fearing campaign, or an earth elemental for an underdark campaign.[spoiler]

Equipment suggestions:
[Spoiler]To get the most out of the spells, it is recommended that the armour you use is:
Fey-crafted mithral breastplate of twilight. To give you armour with no arcane spell failure.

Spell choices:
(Note that these are only recommendations)
[Spoiler]
Level 1:
Blade of blood
Shield
Magic missile
Sonic orb, lesser

Level 2:
Baleful transposition
Cloud of knives
Black karma curse
Summon monster II

Maneuver choices:
(Again, suggestions)

Moment of perfect mind
Steel wind
Iron heart surge[Spoiler]

Stance choice:
[Spoiler]
Absolute steel[Spoiler]

Sources:
[Spoiler]
Races of destiny:
Ilumian, shadow sentinel

Tome of battle:
Warblade, maneuvers and stance

Miniatures handbook:
Bonded summoner, Orb of sonic lesser, baleful transposition.

Player's handbook 2:
Black karmic strike, cloud of knives, blade of blood

Unknown (to me) but official:
Fey crafted template

[Amphetryon]

That's the oddest looking Illumian I've ever seen - terrified bystander


Myrrish Yarblerender,Mineral Warrior Dragonborn Illumian
Dungeoncrasher Fighter 6/Lion Totem Barbarian 1/Exotic Weapon Master 2/Shadow Sentinel 10

A tragicomedy of epic proportions
http://images.community.wizards.com/community.wizards.com/user/human_folly/772bad6ba38ae9c91466c96d8477cb07.png?v=206425

Myrrish was born into a small Illumian clan living near an entrance to the Underdark, which they were tasked to protect from the invaders within. He was trained as a warrior, and he seemed quite talented…

After that, there’s a long stretch of time he simply doesn’t remember.

The next thing he recalls is being shackled deep in a Drow dungeon. They had interrogated and tortured him in incredible ways unknown to mankind; manipulated his very form to resemble that of a hideous lizard and planted expanding crystals into his skin, in addition to many other devious, cruel methods. Yet he hadn’t told them anything. The Drow were clearly frustrated by his stubbornness, and were starting to consider a simple frontal assault on the Illumians.

His head dizzy and senses distorted, Myrrish couldn’t quite make out what they were saying… all he remembers is the word “Yarble” being repeated over and over. In this disturbed state, he somehow convinced himself that this “Yarble” was the evil mastermind behind everything.

When the Drow finally left his cell and he managed to clear his head, Myrrish broke free from his chains and made a mad dash to the surface, guided by intuition and rage. He arrived just in time to find his dear home and family pillaged, killed and burned by the Drow: without him, his family hadn’t enough people to fight the onslaught. Furious and ashamed, Myrrish fled the area, swearing revenge on this mysterious Yarble. He even abandoned his old name and chose a new one to forever remind himself of this task.

Covering his scaly, partially stony skin in a cloak, Myrrish spent years pushing people against walls and interrogating them about this Yarble. Over time, he became quite good at pushing people against walls; so good, even, that he could easily kill a man that way if he wanted to, and sometimes by accident. After getting into big trouble for this and slaughtering half the town guard, he decided to change his strategy. It was obvious that all these people were simply brainwashed by or servants of the Yarble, so they probably wouldn’t help him.

If he wanted to find the Yarble, he had to think and act like the Yarble! Of course, he had no idea what the Yarble was, but he imagined it as a huge, ferocious beast. So, following the example of his imaginary nemesis, Myrrish learned to embrace the rage within and fight with ferocious tenacity. He also tried imprisoning random strangers and sticking sharp stones into their skin, but that didn’t really feel right. He also didn’t like the idea of eating live children for breakfast (which the Yarble surely does), so he decided to think of something else.

By this time, his distorted scales had settled to resemble those of a dragon and leathery wings had sprouted from his back. The stones enveloping his body had stopped aching, instead covering him in a protective shell and making him stronger.

Wondering why the Drow had granted him special powers like this: he came to the most obvious conclusion:
they, unhappy with their cruel leader, had given him the power to usurp him! Or it. Myrrish still isn’t really sure what to call the Yarble.

He now had a potential ally in the Drow. Convinced of their friendliness, he made a solo expedition into the Underdark and asked the Drow about the Yarble as politely as he could: by pushing them against walls. The confused Drow didn’t really like being splattered, so they attacked him but were quickly slaughtered. Myrrish wasn’t sure what to think about the Drow anymore, but he decided to just let them be for now.

His next idea was to simply explore the world in search of the Yarble. After years of walking, flying, crawling and burrowing around he ran into a hidden group of Illumians called the Elithondas. After listening to their stories and what they do, he came to a revelation:
The Yarble was obviously on the Shadow Plane! That’s why he hadn’t managed to find it!

Myrrish opted to join the group. Though the Elithondas had some doubts of his morals and general sanity, they saw the former Illumian deep inside him and let him join out of pity, in the hopes that he could find peace. It also didn’t hurt that he was one of the best damn fighters they could find. Myrrish was delighted and excited, especially when he found out that the Elithondas actually knew of some creature called the Yarble! He managed to convince them to organize a raid into the Shadow Plane to hunt it down and IMPALE IT WITH GREAT PREJUDICE.

They entered a portal and fought through seemingly endless hordes of shady minions. While the Elithondas acted as a diversion, Myrrish reached the great lair of the Yarble, a gigantic eldritch abomination.

“Finally we meet face to face, my archnemesis. You spilled the blood of my kin, and now I shall spill yours!”
“Who the heck are you, anyway?”
“PREPARE TO DIE!”

After a long and epic battle, Myrrish finally had the beast cornered.
“And now, lowly Yarble, your miserable mockery of a life ends!”
“I’m not the Yarble…”
“Excuse me?”
“I am the Yordle…”
Unquenchable rage burning in his eyes, Myrrish delivered the killing blow… and another, and another, and dozens more until there was barely anything left of the Yordle.

Frustrated by this futile campaign against the frickin’ wrong enemy, Myrrish and the warband return to the Material Plane and ponders his next plan. Due to numerous complaints from his new family at Elithondas, he also takes his first bath in ten years.
Leveling scheme
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Fighter 1|
+1|
+2|
+0|
+0|Craft (weaponsmithing) 2, Intimidate 4, Jump 2|Exotic Weapon Proficiency (bastard sword), Weapon Focus (bastard sword)|-

2nd|Fighter 2|
+2|
+3|
+0|
+0|Craft (weaponsmithing) 1, Intimidate 1|-|Dungeoncrasher

3rd|Fighter 3|
+3|
+3|
+1|
+1|Intimidate 1, Jump 1|Power Attack|-

4th|Fighter 4|
+4|
+4|
+1|
+1|Intimidate 1, Jump 1|Improved Bull Rush (B)|-

5th|Fighter 5|
+5|
+4|
+1|
+1|Intimidate 1, Jump 1|-|-

6th|Fighter 6|
+6/+1|
+5|
+2|
+2|Intimidate 1, Jump 1|Leap Attack|Improved Dungeoncrasher

7th|Barbarian 1|
+7/+2|
+7|
+2|
+2|Intimidate 1, Jump 1|-|Pounce, rage 1/day

8th|Exotic Weapon Master 1|
+8/+3|
+9|
+2|
+2|Craft (weaponsmithin) 1, Intimidate 1|-|Exotic weapon stunt (Uncanny Blow)

9th|Exotic Weapon Master 2|
+9/+4|
+10|
+2|
+2|Craft (weaponsmithing) 1, Intimidate 1|Shock Trooper|Exotic weapon stunt (Show Off)

10th|Shadow Sentinel 1|
+10/+5|
+12|
+4|
+2|Intimidate 1, Jump 1|-|Umbral blade +2, morphic blade (type), shadowstrike

11th|Shadow Sentinel 2|
+11/+6/+1|
+13|
+5|
+2|Intimidate 1, Jump 1|-|Shadowbane

12th| Shadow Sentinel 3|
+12/+7/+2|
+13|
+5|
+3|Intimidate 1, Jump 1|Shadowsharp

13th| Shadow Sentinel 4|
+13/+8/+3|
+14|
+6|
+3|Intimidate 1, Jump 1|-|Umbral blade +2

14th|Shadow Sentinel 5|
+14/+9/+4|
+14|
+6|
+3|Intimidate 1, Jump 1|-|Morphic blade (material)

15th| Shadow Sentinel 6|
+15/+10/+5|
+15|
+7|
+4|Intimidate 1, Jump 1|Endurance| Umbral blade +3

16th| Shadow Sentinel 7|
+16/+11/+6|
+15|
+7|
+4|Intimidate 1, Jump 1|-|Shadow Drain

17th| Shadow Sentinel 8|
+17/+12/+7/+2|
+16|
+8|
+4|Intimidate 1, Jump 1|-|Umbral blade +4

18th| Shadow Sentinel 9|
+18/+13/+8/+3|
+16|
+8|
+4|Intimidate 1, Jump 1|Steadfast Determination|Morphic blade (alignment)

19th| Shadow Sentinel 10|
+19/+14/+9/+4|
+17|
+9|
+5|Intimidate 1, Jump 1|-|Umbral blade +5[/table]
Statblock
Myrrish Yarblerender, CN male Mineral Warrior Dragonborn Illumian
Levels: Dungeoncrasher Fighter 6/Lion Totem Barbarian 1/Exotic Weapon Master 2/Shadow Sentinel 10
{table=head]Level|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA| Source

1st|18|12|20|10|8|10|32 point buy, racial adjustments

20th|21|12|22|10|8|10|leveling bonuses*[/table]
*ability points at 4th+8th+12th into STR, 16th+20th into CON

Racial Traits: +2 dodge bonus to AC against dragons, immunity to frightful presence, draconic aspect (wings), darkvision 60 ft.
Favoured Class: Fighter

Stats w/o items, 19th level
Medium Humanoid (humanoid, dragonblood, earth)
Hit Dice: 18d10+1d12+114 (average 219hp, maximum 306hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 30 ft., fly 30 ft., burrow 15 ft.
Base Attack/Grapple: +19/+24
AC: 14 (+1 DEX, +3 natural armor), touch 11, flatfooted 13
Special Attacks: Glide, earth strike, rage 3/day, morphic blade (type, material, alignment), shadowstrike, shadowbane, shadowsharp, shadow drain
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 8/adamantine
Abilities: STR 21, DEX 12, CON 22, INT 10, WIS 8, CHA 10
Saves: Fort +23, Ref +10, Will +11
Feats: Exotic Weapon Proficiency: bastard sword, Weapon Focus: Bastard Sword (B), Power Attack, Improved Bull Rush (B), Leap Attack, Shock Trooper, Extra Rage, Endurance, Steadfast Determination
Skill ranks+modifiers: Craft (weaponsmithing) 5+0, Intimidate 22+0, Jump 17+5
Level Adjustment: +1
Shadow Points: 19
Recommended items and tactics
Obviously, Myrrish needs a bastard sword, preferably with enhancements such as valorous and speed to help him deal more damage and brutal surge to allow him to use his Dungeoncrasher abilities. For armor, mithral fullplate and an animated mithral tower shield of some sort shall suffice. Other than that, one should focus on different defenses and ability boosters.

In battle, Myrrish is a quite typical charger, though with the added bonus of natural flight. Though his direct damage on a full attack isn’t too bad, especially if you count in Dungeoncrasher and some weapon enhancements, he’ll definitely need help from allies for pretty much everything else. So, typical melee character.

It’s quite hard to pin down an exact sweet spot for this build, as all its combat capabilities scale rather steadily. However, if I had to pick something, I would pick 12th level, just after the build has finished its major charger components and received some Shadow Sentinel abilities. Also, casters shouldn’t be that far ahead in power quite yet, though I guess we aren’t really comparing a melee PrC to casters anyway.
Variants
The last two feats (Endurance and Steadfast Determination) were mostly filler and a way to boost his poor Will save. If you can fit a few Ranger levels in there for Endurance as a bonus feat and Favored Enemy: Mysterious Nemesis, it might be worth it. Of course, if you can think of something better to do with those two feats, go ahead.

I considered Imperious Command for a feat, but by RAW I don’t think it works with the Show Off stunt. If it did, it would be pretty great and definitely worth taking.
Sourcebooks
Complete Champion (Lion Totem Barbarian variant)
Complete Warrior (Exotic Weapon Master prestige class, Extra Rage feat, Leap Attack feat, Shock Trooper feat)
Dungeonscape (Dungeoncrasher Fighter variant)
Player's Handbook II (Steadfast Determination feat)
Races of Destiny (Illumian race, Shadow Sentinel prestige class)
Races of the Dragons (Dragonborn race)
Underdark (Mineral Warrior template)

[Amphetryon]

Reporting from Fulsome prison:


Abilities
Str 14 Dex 17 Con 14 Int 13 Wis 10 Cha 8 (ability boosts to dex)

Beautiful Words Uur at 1st level, Krau at 2nd. Uurkrau determines bonus spells off dex.

$
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Duskblade 1|
+1|
+2|
+0|
+2|Concentration 4, Jump 4, Know (Arcana) 1, Know (Planes) 1, Know (Religion) 1, Know (Nature) 1|Weapon Focus (Greatsword)|Arcane Attunement, Armored Mage (light)

2nd|Duskblade 2|
+2|
+3|
+0|
+3|Concentration 1 (5), Jump 1 (5), Know (Planes) 1 (2)||Combat Casting

3rd|Duskblade 3|
+3|
+3|
+1|
+3|Concentration 1 (6), Jump 1 (6) Know (local) 1 |Power Attack|Arcane Channeling

4th|Duskblade 4|
+4|
+4|
+1|
+4|Concentration 1 (7), Jump 1 (7), Know (dungeoneering) 1| |Armored Mage (medium)

5th|Duskblade 5|
+5|
+4|
+1|
+4|Concentration 1 (8), Jump 1 (8), Know (arcana) 1 (1)| |Quick Cast 1/day

6th|Shadow Sentinel 1|
+6|
+6|
+1|
+6|Jump 1 (9) Listen 1, Spot 1|Combat Reflexes|Umbral Blade +1, morphic blade (type) shadowstrike, 1 shadow point

7th|Shadow Sentinel 2|
+7|
+7|
+1|
+7|Jump 1 (10), Listen 1 (2), Spot 1 (2)| |Shadowbane, 3 shadow points

8th|Shadow Sentinel 3|
+8|
+7|
+2|
+7|Jump 1 (11), Listen 1 (3), Spot 1 (3)| |Shadowsharp, 5 shadow points

9th|Shadow Sentinel 4|
+9|
+8|
+2|
+8|Jump 1 (12), Listen 1 (4), Spot 1 (4)|Improved Bull Rush|Umbral Blade +2, 7 shadow points

10th|Shadow Sentinel 5|
+10|
+8|
+2|
+8|Jump 1 (13), Listen 1 (5), Spot 1 (5)| |Morphic Blade (material) 9 shadow points

11th|Shadow Sentinel 6|
+11|
+9|
+3|
+9|Jump 1 (14), Listen 1 (6), Spot 1 (6)| |Umbral Blade +3, 11 shadow points

12th|Shadow Sentinel 7|
+12|
+9|
+3|
+9|Jump 1 (15), Listen 1 (7), Spot 1 (7)|Robilar's Gambit|Shadow drain, 13 shadow points

13th|Shadow Sentinel 8|
+13|
+10|
+3|
+10|Jump 1 (16), Listen 1 (8), Spot 1 (8)| |Umbral Blade +4, 15 shadow points

14th|Shadow Sentinel 9|
+14|
+10|
+4|
+10|Jump 1 (17), Listen 1 (9), Spot 1 (9)| |Morphic blade (alignment), 17 shadow points

15th|Shadow Sentinel 10|
+15|
+11|
+4|
+11|Jump 1 (18), Listen 1 (10), Spot 1 (10)|Shock Trooper|Umbral Blade +5, 19 shadow points

16th|Abjurant Champion 1|
+16|
+11|
+4|
+13|Know (arcana) 3 (5)| |Abjurant armor, extended abjuration

17th|Abjurant Champion 2|
+17|
+11|
+4|
+14|Know (arcana) 3 (8)| |Swift Abjuration

18th|Abjurant Champion 3|
+18|
+12|
+5|
+14|Know (arcana) 3 (11)|Leap Attack|

19th|Abjurant Champion 4|
+19|
+12|
+5|
+15|Know (arcana) 3 (14)| |Arcane boost

20th|Abjurant Champion 5|
+20|
+12|
+5|
+15|Know (arcana) 3 (17)| |Martial Arcanist[/table]

Spells per day
{table=head]Level|0lvl|1st|2nd|3rd

1st|3|2|-|-|

2nd|4|3|-|-|

3rd|5|4|-|-|

4th|6|5|-|-|

5th|6|5|2|-|

6th|6|5|2|-|

7th|6|5|2|-|

8th|6|5|2|-|

9th|6|5|2|-|

10th|6|5|2|-|

11th|6|5|2|-|

12th|6|5|2|-|

13th|6|5|2|-|

14th|6|5|2|-|

15th|6|5|2|-|

16th|6|6|3|-|

17th|6|6|5|-|

18th|6|7|6|-|

19th|6|7|6|2|

20th|6|8|7|3|[/table]

Spells Known
{table=head]Level|0lvl|1st|2nd|3rd

1st|3|2|-|-|

2nd|3|3|-|-|

3rd|3|4|-|-|

4th|3|5|-|-|

5th|3|5|1|-|

6th|3|5|2|-|

7th|3|5|3|-|

8th|3|5|4|-|

9th|3|5|5|-|

10th|3|5|5|-|

11th|3|5|5|-|

12th|3|5|5|-|

13th|3|5|5|-|

14th|3|5|5|-|

15th|3|5|5|-|

16th|3|5|6|-|

17th|3|5|7|-|

18th|3|5|8|-|

19th|3|5|8|1|

20th|3|5|8|2|[/table]

Beautiful Life
Now, I'm sure you heard it before, but life ain't easy for a boy named Sue. Things weren't exactly too smooth growing up, so our boy took to the road for a life as a traveling musician. The nomadic life of a guitar man suited him well. People would listen to him play and didn't tend to ask him his name, which suited him just fine.

His suit, in fact, was how people tended to know him. His music, like his manner of dress was somber, but not dreary. While his competitors maligned him as a singer of dirges, he knew the difference between a dirge and the blues. One was something that happened to someone else, and one was something that happened to you. It was the reason people kept coming when he'd turn up in one of their towns. Everyone came to see the man in black.

There are only so many little towns to stroll though, though, only so many honky tonks to strum a guitar in, and only so many crowds to listen. He had plenty of songs in him, but he had his limits, and popular as he was, people wouldn't come to the same show forever. When a stranger at one of his shows asked him to take a trip in his airship, the man in black was welcome to explore new horizons.

Unfortunately, the ship ran into some unexpected turbulence in the form of a great big hole in the night sky. The captain didn't seem worried, so the man in black isn't say anything.

What met his eyes on the other side was something he never would have imagined. Figures holding black bladed swords did battle with strange monsters that were uncomfortably close to the ship. Though it was dark, the man in black could see them clearly enough, but no color existed in this strange realm, monsters and heroes in black and white.

Something happened to the ship. He thought he heard a shout about a rudder being torn, or the hull being breached. Whatever it was, they began to go down fast. He saw a darkness and knew he'd be a part of it sooner or later, but he wasn't worried. It wasn't that he was sure he would make it out in one piece, just that he knew he'd end up somewhere else, just like he'd ended up here. He unslung his guitar from his back and started to play a song about how he saw the light. As the ship got closer and closer to the ground, that's just what he saw, wreaths of light circling the heads of the heroes as they fought. They looked like angels.

He closed his eyes as the ship collided with the ground. At least he knew he was going to the good place after all.

What he hadn't been expecting was to open them again. He knew without a doubt that he was alive, but before he looked in a mirror, he knew he was no longer himself. Just as he knew this,he distinctly remembered dying. He sat up and saw he was in a hospital room. His face was different, and as he squinted at his reflection, he saw a symbol in the middle of his forehead.

It roughly resembled a treble clef, looking like an S with a line through it. He examined the $ and tried to make sense of it.

His sword leaned against the wall. There was a wailing and a buzzing from the ceiling of the room. He took up his sword, knowing that whatever he was, it was now his job to protect this realm. This was the afterlife he had been taken to. As his fingers wrapped around his weapon, the blade turned black, melding into shadow. He stood with what he now knew to be his brethren shoulder to shoulder against the invaders to the castle, having braved death to be reincarnated as this dark angel. He murmured a prayer, a promise before the first wave of them broke against the bulwark of sentinels standing outside the gate.

"Ain't no grave can hold my body down."

Guess Things Happen That Way

This SI gave me no small amount of trouble as far as what to do after levels in Shadow Sentinel were complete. Illumian allows bonus spells to come from dex or str, and dex is a better primary since more things are keyed off it. Uurkrau lets dex determine your bonus spells and combat reflexes give you additional AoOs. Since Robilar's gambit lets you make 1+dex mod AoOs, so if anyone hits you once you're in Robilar's stance, they will not survive, especially if you power attack, which you should, especially since Shock trooper lets you shift the penalty to AC, making it easier for people to hit you in Robilar's gambit, and thus easier for you to kill them.

Duskblade lets you cast in medium armor, and gives you some spells. Abjurant champion boosts your CL to 20 at lvl 20 and helps out with your magic, plus offering full BA. I think of it as a melee build with some spells rather than a caster with some melee. Pick spells where saves are less important, make sure to pick at least 1 abjuration (for abj champ) such as buffs for yourself to decrease MAD and rely more on Dex. you need int for little else, having poor skill lists with 2 points your entire career. being able to focus on dex as much as possible will make this character's weaknesses less apparent.

At level 5, play as a normal melee type and enjoy having your spells be relatively on-par with a normal character while you can. Since you're a gish, enjoy being able to cast defensively with relative impunity due to free combat casting.

At level 10, push people around with imp bull rush and hit for big damage with power attack. You have put at least 1 point into monster knowledges from dusk blade, so you have at least some chance to identify monsters as the fluff in RoD suggests, despite the SI's lack of knowledges. This may help you figure out what material to turn your sword into to penetrate DR.

At 15, Shock trooper is finally online. This is the sweet spot. Dex is everything here. Combat reflexes gives a ton of AoOs, AC, and initiative. Shock trooper lets you shunt your PA attack penalty to AC so you can hit more reliably. it also makes robilar's gambit more useful since you'll get hit more often, making your enemies get hit with a bunch of AoOs.

at 20, your CL is now 20. 10th level dusk blade casting isn't terrible, and you fortunately do get a lot of spells even from base allotment, to say nothing of your high ability score from dex. leap attack works well with power attack, and charge (and thus shock trooper's AC shift) can be used all at once, finishing in robilar's gambit to make enemies hit for you to finish them off next turn with AoOs. you can get up to -20 to AC for a huge penalty to AC (making sure that they'll hit you) and a giant +60 to damage. if they survive, you get a bunch of AoOs, all of which you can use PA on (though not with shock trooper's AC shift since that only works on a charge)

SourcesPHB2 (robilar's gambit, duskblade)
RoD (Shadow sentinel)
, CWar (shock trooper)
CAdv(Leap attack)
CMage (Abjurant champion)
Core (weapon focus, combat reflexes, power attack, imp bullrush)

[Amphetryon]

Breaking the chains of darkness.


Edgein the Chain Slasher


Build

{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Barbarian 1|
+0|
+2|
+0|
+0|Tumble 4, Jump 4, Balance 2, Craft (Weaponsmith) 4, Intimidate 4|Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Drow Scorpion Chain) [RoE,172]|ACF Whirling Rage [UA], ACF Wolf Totem [CC] (+2 on attack rolls when flanking), power sigil "Aesh" (+str), ACF Skilled city Dweller (ride -> tumble)

2nd|Barbarian 2|
+1|
+3|
+0|
+0|Tumble 5, Jump 5, Balance 2.5, Craft 5, Intimidate 5|Improved Trip [bonus, ACF-UA]|ACF Wolf Totem [UA], power sigil "Uur" (+dex)

3rd|Fighter 1|
+2|
+5|
+0|
+0|Balance 3, Tumble 6, Intimidate 6|Power Attack, Shape Soulmeld (Mauling Gauntlets)|Bonus Feat (Power Attack), ACF Skilled city Dweller (ride -> tumble)

4th|Fighter 2|
+3|
+6|
+0|
+0|Balance 3.5, Tumble 7, Intimidate 7|Combat Reflexes|Bonus Feat (Combat Reflexes)

5th|Psychic Warrior 1|
+4|
+8|
+0|
+0|Balance 4, Tumble 8, Know (Psion) 1|Weapon Focus (Drow Scorpion Chain)|Bonus Feat (Weap Foc) , power gained Adrenaline Boost, ACF Skilled city Dweller (ride -> tumble)

6th|Psychic Warrior 2|
+5|
+9|
+0|
+0|Craft 6, Tumble 9, Know (Psion) 2|Willing Deformity [HoH], Cleave|Bonus Feat (Cleave), power gained Expansion

7th|Crusader 1|
+6/|
+11|
+0|
+0|Balance 5, Tumble 10, Craft 7, Intimidate 8, Know (Religion) 1|N/A|Furious counterstrike, steely resolve 5, ACF Skilled city Dweller (ride -> tumble)

8th|Crusader 2|
+7|
+12|
+0|
+0|Tumble 11, Craft 8, Intimidate 9, Know (Rel) 2|N/A|Indomitable soul

9th|Exotic Weapons Master 1|
+8|
+14|
+0|
+0|Tumble 12, Intimidate 10|Deformity, Tall [HoH]|Exotic weapon stunt, Flurry of Strikes

10th|Exotic Weapons Master 2|
+9|
+15|
+0|
+0|Back on Feet (skill trick), Intimidate 11|N/A|Exotic weapon stunt, Trip Attack

11th|Shadow Sentinel 1|
+10|
+17|
+2|
+0|Nimble Stand (skill trick), Intimidate 12|N/A|Umbral blade +1, morphic blade (type), shadowstrike

12th|Shadow Sentinel 2|
+11|
+18|
+3|
+0|Know (planes) 1, Jump 6|Knockdown|Shadowbane

13th|Shadow Sentinel 3|
+12|
+18|
+3|
+1|Know (nature) 1, Intimidate 13|N/A|Shadowsharp

14th|Shadow Sentinel 4|
+13|
+19|
+4|
+1|Know (dungeon) 1, Intimidate 14|N/A|Umbral blade +2

15th|Shadow Sentinel 5|
+14|
+19|
+4|
+1|Know (arcana) 1, Intimidate 15|Robilar's Gambit [PHB II]|Morphic blade (material)

16th|Shadow Sentinel 6|
+15|
+20|
+5|
+2|Up the hill (skill trick), Intimidate 16|N/A|Umbral blade +3

17th|Shadow Sentinel 7|
+16|
+20|
+5|
+2|Twisted Charge (skill trick), Intimidate 17|N/A|Shadow drain

18th|Shadow Sentinel 8|
+17|
+21|
+6|
+2|Nimble Charge (skill trick), Intimidate 18|Defensive Sweep [PHB II]|Umbral blade +4

19th|Shadow Sentinel 9|
+18|
+21|
+6|
+3|Craft 10, Intimidate 19|N/A|Morphic blade (alignment)

20th|Shadow Sentinel 10|
+19|
+22|
+7|
+3|Acrobatic backstep (skill trick), Intimidate 20|N/A|Umbral blade +5[/table]



Chaotic Evil Psychic Warrior 2/Fighter 2/Barbarian 2/Crusader 2/Exotic Weapons Master 2/Shadow Sentinel 10

Stats:
Point Buy: Str 16, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 8
Levels: Str 17, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 8
Inherent: Str 22, Dex 22, Con 18, Int 12, Wis 18, Cha 8
Magic Items: Str 28, Dex 28, Con 24, Int 12, Wis 24, Cha 8



Maneuvers/Stances Known:
Cru 1: Martial Spirit (Stance), Crusader's Strike, Vanguard Strike, Foehammer, Defensive Rebuke, Revitalizing Strike

Cru 2: Thicket of Blades (Stance)


Magic Items:

At level 10, he had a +1 Sweeping Warning Drow Scorpion Chain. I didn't feel it was appropriate to go beyond a +3 bonus (total) at level 10, when he qualified to enter the secret ingredient class.
Tomes, lots of tomes
His will save sucks, so anything to enhance it (to a lesser extent, his reflex save). Because he's not spending on his weapon (anymore) he should be able to make something happen.
+5 Chain Mail of whatever (ran out of time to specify other +5)
Dorje of augmented Expansion (Augmented to boost size again)
Other generic items, these are the most important



Story:
Once upon a time, Edgein heard a ghost story of a slasher who used chains in a magical land called Texas to massacre people. (His cabal encouraged such stories in order to develop the latent talents of
impressionable youth, inspiring them to great heights of achievement in their field of study.) Edgein developed a fascination with chains, to the point where he carried them around for no reason. To this day he wears a set of enchanted chain mail, simply because he cannot bear to give up chains of any kind.

He grew fascinated with a special slashing chain that researchers in his cabal had discovered, and took to whirling it around, eventually growing proficient with its use, and able to trip up both sparring partners and melee opponents at ease. He strove to improve his proficiency in his chain at any cost, spending time to extract a secret of incarnum to improve his tripping abilities (and murdering his teacher), as well as willingly deforming his body to extend the range of his attack. He studied psionics in order to expand and augment his body, no need to him to expand his mind. He traveled widely, studying under any and all who could teach him anything about chains, to include the religious (crusaders - he had no need for their gods, worshiping on the chains and, if pressed, the dark pantheon), and martial experts specializing in weapons that no one had ever heard of. Finally his love of his chain weapon led him to join the Shadow Sentinels, so that he could use his own dark shadow magic to manipulate the chain that he loved so much.

[Amphetryon]

The shadow gnomes! Er, knows. . . .

Shalisa - whispered lightning
-=-=-=-=-

Shalisa was born in a tiny young quill cabal. Recovery of the lost works of the destroyed Library of the Sublime. She had a knack for picking things up quickly

and the hum of silent quills scratching across papyrus was a ripe environment for learning the art of stealth, and the internal affairs of the cabal was

perfectly suited for manipulation of the inner mind and hidden intent.

Her life changed, however, when an expeditionary unit came back with 'visitors'.

A band of Githyanki, sporting red left shoulder pads, with a distinctive flame symbol escorted the unit into the cabal, and demanded valuable information on the

Cabrisis Crystal, a rumored artifact, allowing for the immediate transfer of items across the planes. The githyanki pillaged the library and stole whatever they

thought was of value and promising that the cabal had better find something of use when they returned. The Cabal was helpless against them.

They devised a plan, to create a series of scrolls with false knowledge; that would send the githyanki wildly across the planes and would hopefully give them

time for another cabal to return with forces to defend the library when the githyanki caught on.

Shalisa lived in tension as she did her best to find hiding spots from the impending danger that lies across the ethereal planes.

When the Githyanki arrived, the Black Table presented their 'findings'. The overseer of the Githyanki war band, Escabar, insisted on reading it at the cabal.

Shalisa watched, patiently, silently at the effect of the warriors standing over the scholars and took in every moment. Every facial twitch and snicker, she

watched faultlessly from afar. Escabar took the scrolls and thanked the black table for thier work, and then ordered the cabal to be cleared with fire.

Hidden in an alcove in the basement, Shalisa listened to her cabal scream for mercy. She listened to the orders shouted from the soldiers and the flames roar,

then cackle, then hiss.

And then... silence.

She stepped out to the home she had never left, the still faces of every name she had known by heart and was washed by the ashes of the slaughter they died to.

However, she observed the effect of fear, saw it's true fruition and what it was capable of. And like a true Illumian, she craved to understand it, use it, and

show her true mastery over it.

A gauntlet cabal, the Palerider, came to answer the distress call of the nameless cabal to find Shalisa shaking uncontrollably. Not of cold or sickness, nor of

shock or fear. she shook with unbridled anger...

The Paleriders taught her utilize this anger in a flourish of speed and strength. She grew fond of the Dagger and after a handful of skirmishes, even acquired a bit of name for herself on the ship "The Abolishment".

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

after controlling the anger inside of her, she started to learn that there was no such thing as too many blades. She spent much of her bounty she received on a verity of daggers, naming each after a chairmen of her black table with a red ribbon across the hilt of the daggers. Most of which were merely mundane weapons,

but a masterful weapon appeared across her collection. she had an over sized boot for a while, merely for the hidden dagger in the toe.

She reverted her studies back to controlling fear. She started leaving survivors to retell her stories about the mad Illumian woman with a seemingly endless

supply of weapons that she haphazardly throws and slices across the hull of her ship. She met a sleek trim bard who, while perhaps a bit timid for her taste,

helped her enormously with the understanding of how a little background music can make the difference between a solid threat and a seeming attempt at the psyche of her foe.

However, the Scourge of The Abolishment's true skills were merited when she uncovered a familiar scroll in the spoils of a githyanki raid ship.

Tirelessly she hunted down airship after airship looking for the man she had branded into her inner torment. While their few surviving captors feared her entirely, the crew feared for her health and sanity more-so. Word of her endeavors spread feverishly across the planescapes, and eventually reached the Garrison

at Elirhondas. When the message was sent to her, saying that she had been invited to be tried for the Shadow Sentinels, she was reluctant. Finally having the opportunity to use the skills of intimidation against the very overseer she had learned them from was just outside of her grasp. Her crew insisted, however, that she could use her abilities to defend the entire city of Elirhondas. she respectfully declined the shadow sentinels and continued hunting Escabar. The sentinels

replied to her message very simply:

"we know where the Cabrisis Crystal is"

She immediately called for the ship to turn face.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The Trials and tribulations of the Shadow Sentinels were stifling and boring. she was a lot more seasoned then most of the applicants and made swift work against

them. the judges gave her the title 'Whispered Lightning' on account of the silence behind the chaos of where she struck, and rarely every had to strike twice.

The Garrison withheld the information they had tempted her in with, citing that the artifact was safe and being looked after and she need not worry over it. Her

pleas to know it's location fell onto deaf ears, with simple replies of 'should it be moved or compromised, you will be notified.'

between working and leading skirmishes here and there, she utilized the opportunities to train with access to a full library, the daggers for sale and the keeping her mind sharp on the workings of the psyche. Her dagger collection started to become a monstrosity of it's own, and she learned to use the drawing of her hidden blades as an attack themselves, but most importantly she received her umbreal blade. this blade allowed her to have a weapon that she needed, rather then having to draw one out. She would never have to hide a kurki or a Short sword again, but she still kept the habit of numerous weapons on hand at all times... the only question was where to hide them all?

Once it became obvious they weren't going to give her the information she desired, she set off to find it herself and called back to work on The Abolishment.

The sway of the ship beacon her back almost immediately and she was finally able to learn hands on again. once forgotten skills leaped back into action and she held herself ready to use her Umbreal weapons against the Githyanki while hunting down Escabar. But first the crew and ship needed some time to relax, much to her displeasure. Of course, a few detours wouldn't do them any harm, right?

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

The Pale riders gained many new faces, but lost a few to many for her liking. amongst the few gained, however, was an illumian mage that worked deep in the

material plane, and carried with him a small petite blade around his wrist. This blade was useful as it allowed him free hands to cast magic, but still be armed if things got up close and nasty. after using her umbreal blade to become a Gnome quickrazor, he helped her learn how to use it properly and she added a new utility to her arsenal, what's better then throwing daggers out of each hand? Having an amorphous spare that you could attack with, catch and turn into a dagger afterwards.

As the ship returned to the cabal, the tight feeling in her chest caught her again... the faint smell of ashes caught her nostrils and the eery silence immediately grasped her back. as the ship floated through the fog, the familiar thoughts steered true. The pale rider outpost had been attacked, this time they didn't have helpless scholars and scribes to bully around. Githyanki bodies peppered the few Illumian bodies across the reaches of the battlement, what could be burnt was, and a githyanki ship lay on it's side. the distinctive flame symbol fluttered softly in the slow breeze.

They sent dispatch back to Elirohondas, letting them know what they had found. Shalisa rallied the crew, reminding them that they had Whispered Lighting within

the hull Of the ship and back out to the winds they rode.

A diplomat for the Shadow Sentinels pursued them, boarded and negotiated with her to take the fight on behalf of the city of Elirohondas. She would have full

support of the Garrison. They wisely recognized that she wasn't leaving her warpath, but merely asked that she do it with the support, and the law of the city.

she agreed, however only in regards to the Githyanki, the Leader, Escabar would be at her desecration.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

STR 8
DEX 20 (2 for level enhancement)
CON 14
INT 12
WIS 14 (2 for level enhancement)
CHR 18




Shalisa, The Whispered lightning
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skill points|Feats|Class Features

1st|Rogue|
+0|
+0|
+2|
+0|36|Able Learner|1d6 Sneak attack, trapfinding

2nd|Rogue|
+1|
+0|
+3|
+0|45|N/A|Evasion

3rd|Barbarian|
+2|
+2|
+3|
+0|50|Intimidating rage|Fast movement, Whirling Rage 1/per day

4th|Barbarian|
+3|
+3|
+3|
+0|55|N/A|Uncanny Dodge

5th|Barbarian|
+4|
+3|
+4|
+1|60|N/A|Trapsense +1

6th|Rogue|
+5|
+3|
+6|
+2|69|Weapon Focus (Dagger)|Sneak Attack 2d6, Trapfinding +2

7th|Scarlet Corsair|
+6|
+3|
+7|
+2|74|N/a|Improved Feint

8th|Scarlet Corsair|
+7|
+3|
+7|
+2|79|n/a|Sneak attack 3d6

9th|Shadow Sentinel|
+8|
+5|
+9|
+2|82|Imperious Command|Umbreal blade +1, Morphic Blade (type), Shadow strike

10th|Shadow Sentinel|
+9|
+6|
+10|
+2|85|n/a|Shadowbane

11th|Shadow Sentinel|
+10|
+6|
+10|
+3|88|n/a|ShadowSharp

12th|Shadow Sentinel|
+11|
+7|
+11|
+3|91|Quick Draw|Umbreal Blade +2

13th|Uncanny Trickster|
+11|
+7|
+13|
+3|100|n/a|Bonus Trick, Favorite Trick (never out-numbered)

14th|Shadow Sentinel|
+12|
+7|
+13|
+3|103|n/a|Morphic Blade (material)

15th|Shadow Sentinel|
+13|
+8|
+14|
+4|106|Exoctic weapon Prophiency (gnome quickrazor)|Umbreal Blade +3

16th|Uncanny Trickster|
+14|
+8|
+15|
+4|117|n/a|Bonus Trick, Favorite Trick (Hidden Blade),Corsair's Feint/2d4 rounds

17th|Uncanny Trickster|
+15|
+9|
+15|
+5|126|N/a|Bonus Trick, Favorite Trick (Sudden Draw), Tricky Defense, Sailor's Step +2

18th|Shadow Sentinel|
+16|
+9|
+15|
+5|129|Exotic Armor Prophiency (gnome twist cloth)|Shadow Drain

19th|Shadow Sentinel|
+17|
+10|
+15|
+5|132|n/a|Umbreal Blade +4

20th|Scarlet Corsair|
+18|
+11|
+15|
+6|137|n/a|Scourge of the seas[/table]

Intimidate 23 ranks
Hide 15
Bluff 18
Slight of hand 11
Tumble 20
Jump 8
Climb 8
Use rope 7
Profession (sailor) 7 ranks

Skill tricks

Never out-numbered
Corner perch
back on your feet
Leaping climber
Nimble stand
Acrobatic Backstab
hidden blade
Mosquito bite
Extreme leap
walk the walls
Slipping past
Sudden draw
Whip climber

Items:
Mask of the Martyr
+3 Fearsome Gnome Twistcloth armor
2 Masterwork daggers
+2 flaming hidden boot blade
+1 Wrist blade
1 Knee blade
+3 throwing throwing dagger of returning
+1 dagger of returning (Poisoned)
+2/4 Dagger of wounding (Umbreal blade)
+1 Dagger (silver)

[Amphetryon]

Unless I missed something in my inbox, that's the last of them, and everyone's most recent edit is the one presented. On your mark, get set, JUDGE!


IMPORTANT: If you are not judging, and see an inconsistency in a build, PM me. DO NOT discuss build irregularities in the thread, so that we can avoid any appearance of sniping at each others' work in the thread and keep things civil. Thanks.

[mattie_p]

Hurrah! Not only did I make it in time, I get to look at other people's cheese awesome tricks!

[Thurbane]

Whispersong Changeling Sohei 3/Monk (overwhleming attck) 2/Fighter 1/Warshaper 4/Shadow Sentinel 10
The Dark Monk Feral Illumian Monk (passive way) 4/Fighter 1/Shoul Disciple 3/Soul Eater 2/Shadow Sentinel 10
The Laidly Worm Dragonborn Illumian Dragon Shaman 6/Fighter 4/Shadow Sentinel 10
Bellator Illumian Warblade 4/Fighter (resolute) 2/Warrior of Darkness 3/Exotic Weapon Master 1/Shadow Sentinel 10
Amicus Illumian Paladin (avenging) 5/Shadow Sentinel 10/Topaz Guardian 5
Kalthool Ulnahlea Illumian Swordsage 4/Psychic Warrior 4/Psychic Assassin 2/Shadow Sentinel 10
Loretower Qona Illumian Duskblade 5/Abjurant Champion 5/Shadow Sentinel 10
Jacques de Payens Illumian Ranger (shooting star, spiritual connection) 5/Trapsmith 1/Earth Dreamer 4/Shadow Sentinel 10
Casu Marzu Spellwarped Illumian Ranger 1/Shadowcaster 4/Impure Prince 5/Shadow Sentinel 10
Insomnia Illumian Warblade 10/Shadow Sentinel 10
Aor Dustwing Illumian Bard 3/Warblade 6/Master of Masks 1/Shadow Sentinel 10
Clifford the Dim Changeling Ardent 5/Warmind 5/Shadow Sentinel 10
The Air of Night Illumian Wizard 3/Hexblade 3/Bonded Summoner 3/Warblade 1/Shadow Sentinel 10
Myrrish Yarblerender Mineral Warrior Dragonborn Illumian Fighter (dungeoncrasher) 6/Barbarian (Lion Totem) 1/Exotic Weapon Master 2/Shadow Sentinel 10
Sue Illumian Duskblade 5/Shadow Sentinel 10/Abjurant Champion 5
Edgein Illumian Barbarian (whirling rage, wolf totem) 2/Fighter 2/Psychic Warrior 2/Crusader 2/Exotic Weapon Master 2/Shadow Sentinel 10
Shalisa Illumian Rogue 3/Barbarian (whirling rage) 3/Scarlet Corsair 3/Shadow Sentinel 8/Uncanny Trickster 3

[Kuulvheysoon]

Damn, totally swordsage'd by Thurbane. I was about to post the menu listings.

I have to say, some of these I did NOT expect. The Impure Prince, Earth Dreamer and Scarlet Corsair (of all things) caught me completely by surprise.

I'm currently laughing at the 2 duskblade/AC/SS greatsword weilding entries, though.

Nice to see that we've kept up the tradition of a 10/10 entry (This round the award goes to Insomnia).

Thurbane - you accidentally bolded 'Illumian' on Insomnia's entry.

[Thurbane]

Damn, totally swordsage'd by Thurbane. I was about to post the menu listings.

Thurbane - you accidentally bolded 'Illumian' on Insomnia's entry.
Fixed. Thanks. :smallsmile:

So...17 entries, judging due by April 14th. A bit over 1 a day. I'll probably make a start on my judging tomorrow. :smallcool:

[Kuulvheysoon]

Fixed. Thanks. :smallsmile:

So...17 entries, judging due by April 14th. A bit over 1 a day. I'll probably make a start on my judging tomorrow. :smallcool:

Godspeed, judges.

You'll need it.

[DemonRoach]

Thurbane - you accidentally bolded 'Illumian' on Insomnia's entry.

But...he's extra Illumian! :smalltongue:

Wish I'd had time for the Cleric/Human Paragon/Psychic Warrior build, oh well (Theory was worship Helm, have access to enlarge person that could be persisted via Illumian, use Psychic Warrior to go up another size category if needed and bounce between grappling/Whirlwind striking with a silly amount of reach and a dip in Master of Masks to use any Exotic Slashing weapon. Damn you real life!)

[Amphetryon]

I was hoping to see a Cleric (War Domain)/Shaper of Form (Dragon Magazine Compendium) entry as a way of bypassing the crunch-based entrance requirements more or less entirely.

[Aeryr]

Wow some of the builds seem to build over some of my early character concepts, that I thought were really cool but hard to pull off effectively. Great job you guys!

Ps. I wanted to do a changeling turning his claws into shadowstuff that would had been cool.

[Kuulvheysoon]

I really wanted to see a Planar Champion (MoP).

I tried to make one, but all I could do was a lockdown fighter (with his umbral 'blade' being armor razors and using a reach weapon (possibly a lucerne hammer)) or a charger.

I'm also surprised that there was only 2 racial entry shenanigans.

[Gotterdammerung]

I didn't get to finish my 2 builds thanks to some seriously wicked food poisoning. But now I am kinda glad. My first idea of making my body into my umbral weapon was very popular. And my second idea of using warblade and exotic weapons master with the morphic weapon thing to make a versatile weapons master was also taken, although I was going to take a more bardblade approach to signify illumians regard for words, it is still essentially the same schtick.

Looks like a tough round for originality.

[DeAnno]

Looks like a tough round for originality.

Indeed. Contestants had limited means to differentiate themselves by race, and with all these entries there are a lot of builds that share classes. I count nine base classes or prestige classes (not counting SS) that are used by at least two builds.

Shadow Sentinel itself got a whole lot of love too, with 168/170 possible levels taken by entrants.

[Hunter Killer]

I had a Factotum 2 / Fighter 2 / Beguiler 6 / Shadow Sentinel 10 built. Couldn't submit because of work related things that had to comve first.

The main cheese was Iaijutsu Focus with the Gnomish Quickrazor, the Drow of the Underdark feat Surprising Riposte, and the Beguiler's ability to Feint as a swift action. Extra damage from Hit-and-Run Fighter.

The secondary cheese was grabbing UMD and UPD, as well as cherry-picking the rest of my skills like a boss. Lucid Dreaming was thrown in for pure flavor; It's one of my favorite obscure skills.

The main things I got from Sentinel here were improved accuracy with the Umbral Blade enhancement bonuses, a way to reallocate WBL to grab more ability increasing things like Tomes, and morphing my weapon to different materials. Treating attacks as Touch Attacks when the opponent is flat-footed is also pretty excellent.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/Xeven/psionic.jpg

Xrillin, The Dreamer

The Build...

Chaotic Neutral Illumian Female

Racial Features:
Humanoid (Human)
Illumians are humanoid creatures with the Human subtype
Luminous Sigils
Sigils orbit the charater's head, casting light equivalent to a candle. Can be doused as a free action; Doused sigils provide no benefits.
Glyphic Resonance
Penalty of -4 on saving throws gainst Glyph or Sigil style spells. If Caster Level is higher than the effect, the spell instead has no effect.
Power Sigils
Uur (1st Level) and Krau (2nd Level). +1 to Dexterity Check and Dexterity Based Skills, and +1 to Caster Level. Both improve to +2 at second level.
Uurkrau
The character uses their Dexterity for purposes of Bonus Spells rather than their casting score.

Ability Scores:
10, 15, 12, 17, 8, 13
(Intelligence at 4th Level [18], Dexterity at 8th [16], Charisma at 12th [14], Dexterity at 16th [17] and 20th [18])

Alternate Class Features:
Hit and Run Fighter, Drow of the Underdark -- Page 58

{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Factotum|
+0|
+0|
+2|
+0|Autohynosis 4, Balance 4, Bluff 4, Iaijutsu Focus 4, Intimidate 4, Lucid Dreaming 4, Tumble 4, Use Psionic Device 4, Use Magic Device 4|Able Learner|Inspiration, Cunning Insight, Cunning Knowledge, Trapfinding

2nd|Hit-and-Run Fighter|
+1|
+2|
+2|
+0|Autohynosis +1 [5], Balance +1 [5], Bluff +1 [5], Iaijutsu Focus +1 [5], Tumble +1 [5]|Weapon Finesse (Fighter Bonus Feat)|Bonus Feat, +2 Initiative, Dexterity to Damage vs. Flat-Footed

3rd|Hit-and-Run Fighter|
+2|
+3|
+2|
+0|Autohynosis +1 [6], Bluff +1 [6], Iaijutsu Focus +1 [6], Tumble +1 [6], Use Magic Device +1 [5]|Exotic Weapon Proficiency [Gnomish Quickrazor], Combat Expertise (Fighter Bonus Feat)|Bonus Feat

4th|Factotum|
+3|
+3|
+3|
+0|Autohynosis +1 [7], Bluff +1 [7], Iaijutsu Focus +1 [7], Intimidate +1 [5], Tumble +1 [7], Use Psionic Device +3 [7], Use Magic Device +2 [7]||Arcane Dilettante (1 Spell, 0th Level)

5th|Beguiler|
+3|
+3|
+3|
+2|Autohynosis +1 [8], Bluff +1 [8], Iaijutsu Focus +1 [8], Intimidate +1 [8], Lucid Dreaming +1 [5], Tumble +1 [8], Use Psionic Device +1 [8], Use Magic Device +1 [8]||Armored Mage, Trapfinding, Spellcasting

6th|Beguiler|
+4|
+3|
+3|
+3|Autohynosis +1 [9], Bluff +1 [9], Iaijutsu Focus +1 [9], Intimidate +1 [9], Lucid Dreaming +1 [6], Tumble +1 [9], Use Psionic Device +1 [9], Use Magic Device +1 [9], Skill Trick -- Never Outnumbered|Improved Feint|Cloak Casting, Surprise Casting

7th|Beguiler|
+4|
+4|
+4|
+3|Autohynosis +1 [10], Bluff +1 [10], Iaijutsu Focus +1 [10], Intimidate +1 [10], Lucid Dreaming +3 [9], Tumble +1 [10], Use Psionic Device +1 [10], Use Magic Device +1 [10]||Advanced Learning

8th|Beguiler|
+5|
+4|
+4|
+4|Autohynosis +1 [11], Balance +1 [6], Bluff +1 [11], Iaijutsu Focus +1 [11], Intimidate +1 [11], Lucid Dreaming +2 [11], Tumble +1 [11], Use Psionic Device +1 [11], Use Magic Device +1 [11]||

9th|Beguiler|
+5|
+4|
+4|
+4|Autohynosis +1 [12], Bluff +1 [12], Iaijutsu Focus +1 [12], Intimidate +1 [12], Lucid Dreaming +1 [12], Tumble +1 [12], Use Psionic Device +1 [12], Use Magic Device +1 [12], Skill Trick -- Acrobatic Backstab|Weapon Focus [Gnomish Quickrazor]|Silent Spell

10th|Beguiler|
+6/+1|
+5|
+5|
+5|Autohynosis +1 [13], Bluff +1 [13], Iaijutsu Focus +1 [13], Intimidate +1 [13], Lucid Dreaming +1 [13], Tumble +1 [13], Use Psionic Device +1 [13], Use Magic Device +1 [13], Skill Trick -- Group Fake-Out||Surprise Casting

11th|Shadow Sentinel|
+7/+2|
+7|
+7|
+5|Autohynosis +1 [14], Bluff +1 [14], Iaijutsu Focus +1 [14], Tumble +1 [14], Use Psionic Device +1 [14], Use Magic Device +1 [14]||Umbral Blade +1, Morphic Blade (Type), Shadowstrike

12th|Shadow Sentinel|
+8/+3|
+8|
+8|
+5|Autohynosis +1 [15], Bluff +1 [15], Iaijutsu Focus +1 [15], Tumble +1 [15], Use Psionic Device +1 [15], Use Magic Device +1 [15]|Suprising Riposte|Shadowbane

13th|Shadow Sentinel|
+9/+4|
+8|
+8|
+6|Autohynosis +1 [16], Bluff +1 [16], Iaijutsu Focus +1 [16], Lucid Dreaming +2 [15], Tumble +1 [16]||Shadowsharp

14th|Shadow Sentinel|
+10/+5|
+9|
+9|
+6|Autohynosis +1 [17], Bluff +1 [17], Iaijutsu Focus +1 [17], Lucid Dreaming +2 [17], Tumble +1 [17]||Umbral Blade +2

15th|Shadow Sentinel|
+11/+6/+1|
+9|
+9|
+6|Autohynosis +1 [18], Bluff +1 [18], Iaijutsu Focus +1 [18], Intimidate +1 [14], Lucid Dreaming +2 [18], Tumble +1 [18]|Arcane Strike|Morphic Blade (Material)

16th|Shadow Sentinel|
+12/+7/+2|
+10|
+10|
+7|Autohynosis +1 [19], Bluff +1 [19], Iaijutsu Focus +1 [19], Intimidate +1 [15], Lucid Dreaming +2 [19], Tumble +1 [19]||Umbral Blade +3

17th|Shadow Sentinel|
+13/+8/+3|
+10|
+10|
+7|Autohynosis +1 [20], Bluff +1 [20], Iaijutsu Focus +1 [20], Lucid Dreaming +2 [20], Tumble +1 [20], Use Magic Device +1 [16]||Shadow Drain

18th|Shadow Sentinel|
+14/+9/+4|
+11|
+11|
+7|Autohynosis +1 [21], Bluff +1 [21], Iaijutsu Focus +1 [21], Tumble +1 [21], Use Psionic Device +1 [16], Use Magic Device +1 [17]|Improved Combat Expertise|Umbral Blade +4

19th|Shadow Sentinel|
+15/+10/+5|
+11|
+11|
+8|Bluff +1 [22], Iaijutsu Focus +1 [22], Tumble +1 [22], Use Psionic Device +2 [18], Use Magic Device +1 [18]||Morphic Blade (Alignment)

20th|Shadow Sentinel|
+16/+11/+6/+1|
+12|
+12|
+8|Bluff +1 [23], Iaijutsu Focus +1 [23], Lucid Dreaming +1 [21], Tumble +1 [23], Use Psionic Device +1 [19], Use Magic Device +1 [19]||Umbral Blade +5
[/table]

Spells, Inspiration Points, and Shadow Points Per Day
(Inspiration Points are not a main aspect of the character, but do provide useful effects. Spells are useful, if not plentiful. Shadow Points included for reference. Noted to the side are key spells throughout each level.)

{table=head]Level|IP|SP|0th|1st|2nd|3rd|What We'll Be Casting
1st|2|-|-|-|-|-|
2nd|3|-|-|-|-|-|
3rd|3|-|-|-|-|-|
4th|3|-|-|-|-|-|
5th|3|-|5|3+1|-|-|0th: Daze, Ghost Sound, Message; 1st: Color Spray, Expeditious Retreat, Obscuring Mist
6th|3|-|6|4+1|-|-|
7th|3|-|6|5+1|-|-|
8th|3|-|6|6+1|3+1|-|0th: Daze, Ghost Sound, Message; 1st: Distract Assailant, Expeditious Retreat, Obscuring Mist; 2nd: Blur, Glitterdust, Invisibility
9th|3|-|6|6+1|4+1|-|
10th|3|-|6|6+1|5+1|3+1|0th: Daze, Ghost Sound, Message; 1st: Distract Assailant, Expeditious Retreat, Obscuring Mist; 2nd: Blur, Glitterdust, Invisibility; 3rd: Displacement, Glibness, Haste
11th|3|1|6|6+1|5+1|3+1|
12th|3|3|6|6+1|5+1|3+1|
13th|3|5|6|6+1|5+1|3+1|
14th|3|7|6|6+1|5+1|3+1|
15th|3|9|6|6+1|5+1|3+1|
16th|3|11|6|6+1|5+1|3+1|
17th|3|13|6|6+1|5+1|3+1|
18th|3|15|6|6+1|5+1|3+1|
19th|3|17|6|6+1|5+1|3+1|
20th|3|19|6|6+1|5+1|3+1|
[/table]

[Aeryr]

I personally was surprised not seeing more Master of Masks dips.

I didn't pull off a race shenanigan because the race ended being more favorable to my build than any viable shenanigan. I considered necropolitan for a while though.

What does Lucid dreaming do?

[The Gilded Duke]

My main ideas:

1. Critical Hit Archer. It was looking like some sort of combination of Ranger, Warblade and Shadow Sentinel. The main weapon was going to be the Yaun-Ti serpent bow from Secrets of Xen'Drik. The Serpent Bow counted as a double weapon with one "side" being a bow, and one side being a slashing weapon.

I was then going to use it with the Ranger spell Hunter's Mercy to make the next hit with a bow count as a critical hit. This was going to be combined with Diamond Mind powers that allowed you to do multiple damage on a hit. The touch attack abilities were going to be used to make sure the x5 damage was not wasted. I didn't find too many ways to boost base damage though, and everything was pretty rules questionable to begin with.

2. Mounted Charger "ShadowfAxe". Was going to be a pretty standard mounted charger build, with some combination of Artificer, Crusader and Shadow Sentinal while using a Greataxe, with Wild Cohort for the mount. Artificer was for personal weapon infusion to make the Shadow weapon Aptitude and Valorous. Aptitude would allow it to count as a Lance when using Spirited Charge. Combined it would be 4x damage on a charge with a full power attack touch attack and White Raven charging stance and maneuvers. Ran out of time for this one though, and it was difficult to make the artificer bits work with the rest.

I also flirted with the idea of monks, changeling warshapers, Incarnum Clerics, War Hulks and War Minds but nothing seemed to click.

[kestrel404]

Woohoo! No one else used my cheese! That is all.

[Zombimode]

Damit, I didnt submit because I thought my idea was to unoriginal. But it appears no one has attempted to stack the "has a weapon"-sthick with other similar abilities.
My first draft was a Soulknife6/Kensai4/SS10, who would have used his Mind Blade as his Signature Weapon as his Umbral Blade. But thanks to fact that the soulknife is made of suck this didnt work (not enough BaB and only crappy weapons).
My second draft was Warblade1/Human Paragon3/Warmind2/Kensai4/SS10 but I got stuck on the details (the build would have needed Taint or some other source of bonus feats).

[SilverLeaf167]

I couldn't think of anything too interesting for this, so I just went with humor. The prestige class suffers from a version of the Soulknife dilemma, in my opinion: all its class features are simply free enhancements to your weapon, and a couple abilities you can activate limited times per day and once per turn. I found it pretty hard to make a build that would really be made better by the class.

So, in the end, instead of making a build that works thanks to the PrC, I think I made a build that works regardless of the PrC. I'm seeing traces of this in other builds as well.

[Venger]

I personally was surprised not seeing more Master of Masks dips.

I didn't pull off a race shenanigan because the race ended being more favorable to my build than any viable shenanigan. I considered necropolitan for a while though.

What does Lucid dreaming do?

you can realise you're dreaming, change your appearance in the dream, manipulate the landscape, go from one creature's dream to another, and kill people by pulling them into the dreamheart, which is like limbo in inception.

you can use it to untraceably kill anything that sleeps, essentially.

[Kuulvheysoon]

*snip*
So, in the end, instead of making a build that works thanks to the PrC, I think I made a build that works regardless of the PrC. I'm seeing traces of this in other builds as well.

I'm really not surprised that you noticed this - it's hard to do something that depends on the mechanics of the class when the entire class (save shadowdrain, off the top of my head) can be replaced by equipment (metalline, Shadowstriking), feats (Deep Impact, Shape Soulmeld (diadem of purelight)) or spells (GMW, I'm pretty sure that there's a spell that makes your weapon a bane weapon somewhere).

[DeAnno]

I'm really not surprised that you noticed this - it's hard to do something that depends on the mechanics of the class when the entire class (save shadowdrain, off the top of my head) can be replaced by equipment (metalline, Shadowstriking), feats (Deep Impact, Shape Soulmeld (diadem of purelight)) or spells (GMW, I'm pretty sure that there's a spell that makes your weapon a bane weapon somewhere).

I disagree. Feats suck up space in a build, as do class levels you use to get spellcasting, and highly specialized gear can't really be assumed to be available, especially as the same levels you'd get the ability from Shadow Sentinel.

In essence, even if you can use a Wizard to do almost anything, it doesn't make all the other classes invalid.

[Piggy Knowles]

The idea I had that did not quite come together was to put together a build that used Necrocarnum Weapon and Incarnate Avatar to augment the umbral blade.

The cheesy idea was to take Disciple of Dispater, turn any weapon into iron via the morphic blade, and combine it with shadowsharp to get a lot of criticals for Necrocarnum Weapon. While the temp essentia doesn't stack, the idea would be to do something along the lines of...


Invest all my essentia into Necrocarnum weapon.
Score a critical hit, gaining X essentia.
As a swift action, use a portion of X temp essentia (let's call it Y) to max out Necrocarnum weapon's essentia investment, boosting damage but also boosting the amount of temp essentia it grants. Devote the rest of the essentia to Incarnum Avatar or another useful soulmeld.
Score another critical hit, gaining the new greater amount of essentia. While it wouldn't stack with the initial X essentia, I would basically have Y extra essentia granted. Use this greater leftover essentia to further boost other soulmelds.


Essentially, it was a way to get a lot of temporary essentia through Necrocarnum Weapon, despite not having much essentia in general from only having 5-6 levels of Incarnate. It relied on the fact that the maximum essentia I could invest was based on character level, not meldshaper level, and so I would be able to invest more than my total essentia pool. Another cheesy idea was to take a Soulspark Familiar, give it fast healing, and CDG it with a low-damage weapon that would not kill it to start off the cycle.

But while it was a cool trick, and there was some neat flavor buried in there (especially the idea of damaging a piece of his own soul to gain boosts to skills, damage, and other effects), it was performing a whole lot of shenanigans just to do what a regular Incarnate could do anyhow, only without the benefit of increased chakra binds and other goodies. In the end, I abandoned it for the build I ended up submitting, which I liked a lot better.

[OMG PONIES]

I was hoping to see a Cleric (War Domain)/Shaper of Form (Dragon Magazine Compendium) entry as a way of bypassing the crunch-based entrance requirements more or less entirely.

First we have an Ingredient that practically requires Monk of the Enabled Hand, and now you were looking for Shaper of Form? Methinks our Chairman has recently become enamored with the Dragon Compendium :smalltongue:. That would have been a classy way to slide into this PrC, but I think it would have raised a bevy of "why Shadow Sentinel?" questions from the judges.


I personally was surprised not seeing more Master of Masks dips.

As was I! I figured for sure that we'd see a bunch of Warblade/Master of Masks dips for Weapon Aptitude and the Gladiator mask. Whether I incorporated either of these ideas into my build is something that must wait to be revealed.


My main ideas:

1. Critical Hit Archer. It was looking like some sort of combination of Ranger, Warblade and Shadow Sentinel. The main weapon was going to be the Yaun-Ti serpent bow from Secrets of Xen'Drik. The Serpent Bow counted as a double weapon with one "side" being a bow, and one side being a slashing weapon.

I was then going to use it with the Ranger spell Hunter's Mercy to make the next hit with a bow count as a critical hit. This was going to be combined with Diamond Mind powers that allowed you to do multiple damage on a hit. The touch attack abilities were going to be used to make sure the x5 damage was not wasted. I didn't find too many ways to boost base damage though, and everything was pretty rules questionable to begin with.

2. Mounted Charger "ShadowfAxe". Was going to be a pretty standard mounted charger build, with some combination of Artificer, Crusader and Shadow Sentinal while using a Greataxe, with Wild Cohort for the mount. Artificer was for personal weapon infusion to make the Shadow weapon Aptitude and Valorous. Aptitude would allow it to count as a Lance when using Spirited Charge. Combined it would be 4x damage on a charge with a full power attack touch attack and White Raven charging stance and maneuvers. Ran out of time for this one though, and it was difficult to make the artificer bits work with the rest.

I was tinkering with the same weapon for #1, but it looks like you would have made it work in a much classier way. I love the name on #2, and I also really wanted to inject some artificer levels into my build, but I know that once you go artificer you don't really have much reason to NOT go full artificer.


My first draft was a Soulknife6/Kensai4/SS10, who would have used his Mind Blade as his Signature Weapon as his Umbral Blade. But thanks to fact that the soulknife is made of suck this didnt work (not enough BaB and only crappy weapons).

Yeah, the soulknife seemed like a good idea until I realized that making your mind blade into your umbral blade meant not letting go of it for a full 24 hours.


The cheesy idea was to take Disciple of Dispater, turn any weapon into iron via the morphic blade, and combine it with shadowsharp to get a lot of criticals for Necrocarnum Weapon.

I definitely thought of the material/shadowsharp/Disciple of Dispater combo, but I didn't take the thought to the awesome lengths that you did. Kudos!

[Amechra]

I was going to go with a Incarnate/Psychic Warrior/Lasher/Shadow Sentinel build, using the Soulbound Weapon ACF to bind an Incarnate Weapon to myself, so that it gets auto-enchanted, then dropping the 10th level of Shadow Sentinel so that I can fit in the 4th level of Lasher, to get an extra attack per round.

Because I'm sorry, but a whip made of shadows and souls is awesome.

[DeAnno]

The cheesy idea was to take Disciple of Dispater, turn any weapon into iron via the morphic blade, and combine it with shadowsharp to get a lot of criticals for Necrocarnum Weapon. While the temp essentia doesn't stack, the idea would be to do something along the lines of...

Wouldn't most slashing weapons be available in iron anyways? I'm not sure why you need morphic blade to make that work.

[Feytalist]

How strange. No one had my idea.

My build was going to be something like Aeshoon illumian Fighter4/Warblade1/Shadow Sentinel10/Warblade+1/Incandescent Champion4, and use the morphic blade (type) ability to switch instantaneously between different slashing weapons, for a sort of a "Haberdash the Masked" feel.

With Melee Weapon Mastery (slashing), Warblade's adaptive style and the illumian Enhanced Power Sigil (aesh), he would get bonuses to attack and damage for any slashing weapon in his hand. Add in Incandescent Champion with umbral blade has his bound weapon, and he's always got the right weapon, whether he needs a reach weapon or a tripping weapon or whatever.

His fluff was going to be sort of the opposite of Dak'kon of Planescape: Torment. Use the power of his chaotic mind to adapt to his situation. Something like that.

Damn, I'm sorry I didn't have time to submit it.

[Aeryr]

After reading all the entries there are few points that I would say shame on you (a couple on my entrance so everyone should be fine). And I was surprised that no one used my second concept for the build.

Binder 10 / Shadow Sentinel 10 The triad is nice, givin the full array of exotic weapons to bind, and binding two vestiges (up to level 6) at once is always powerful. Discarded it to imo late entry into the Secret Ingredient but had some potential changing the other vestige (or even both of them) situationally.

Also I fear that my reading of the rules might had been pretty harsh but nevermind.

Might I start tossing aside an honorable mention to Casu Marzu for making what I tried to with renegade mastermaker and failed horribly.

Ps. Personally when I read the umbral blade I read it as being made of "shadow stuff" that is completely not Iron.

[Piggy Knowles]

Wouldn't most slashing weapons be available in iron anyways? I'm not sure why you need morphic blade to make that work.

You don't need it, but it means you could use things like whips for the reach, sharktooth gauntlets for the high crit range, or sugliins for the high damage per hit. But that's one of the reasons I dropped the idea - you really need to shoe-horn in odd weapons in order to justify Shadow Sentinel, since otherwise you could just take Improved Critical (which doesn't stack with shadowsharp) and not worry about it.

[Sgt. Cookie]

EDIT: Redacted.

[OMG PONIES]

REDACTED

To answer your question...


IMPORTANT: If you are not judging, and see an inconsistency in a build, PM me. DO NOT discuss build irregularities in the thread, so that we can avoid any appearance of sniping at each others' work in the thread and keep things civil. Thanks.

Please be sure to follow this procedure, as innocent questions have turned into ugly flamewars in previous threads :smallfrown:.

[gbprime]

Well I'm judging and I have a question for mister Dark Monk too.

Mr Chairman, could you get Dark Monk to confirm whether he is using Level Adjustment Buyoff for his Feral Template and just forgot to mention it in the build and sources? Otherwise, he's a 21 level build...

[Amphetryon]

Well I'm judging and I have a question for mister Dark Monk too.

Mr Chairman, could you get Dark Monk to confirm whether he is using Level Adjustment Buyoff for his Feral Template and just forgot to mention it in the build and sources? Otherwise, he's a 21 level build...

Dark Monk confirms LA buyoff should be presumed, and apologizes for the chart being unclear in that regard.

[Thurbane]

The build I was contemplating was to try and include Elemental Warrior or Shadow Blade to get some extra boosts to your weapon, since the chairman ruled that temporary boosts to the weapon would be kosher...

[DemonRoach]

I think I suffer from ICEADD (Iron Chef Entry Attention Deficit Disorder).

I really need to focus on only a few ideas instead of getting bored and doing rushjobs.

Oh well, let there be judging :smallsmile:

[Darrin]

I was hoping to see a Cleric (War Domain)/Shaper of Form (Dragon Magazine Compendium) entry as a way of bypassing the crunch-based entrance requirements more or less entirely.

Sorry. I was headed in that direction, and had worked out a non-Illumian entry via Shaper of Form, but didn't have enough time to put it all together. Since it was likely to give the judges some rules headaches, I'll save the idea for another IC.

[Piggy Knowles]

I think I suffer from ICEADD (Iron Chef Entry Attention Deficit Disorder).

I really need to focus on only a few ideas instead of getting bored and doing rushjobs.

Oh well, let there be judging :smallsmile:

If it makes you feel any better, I almost always end up sending two or three revisions of my entries before the time ends, because I'll have noticed that I forgot to add something really obvious. Heck, this time I forgot not one but two fairly vital sections to my write-up... luckily I caught it and got a revision in on time!

[gbprime]

Four builds judged, a whole mess to go...

[mattie_p]

Four builds judged, a whole mess to go...

Good luck, there were, what, 17 builds? We need a bard to inspire speed amongst judging.

[SilverLeaf167]

I'm not too confident about my entry, but I'm also looking forward to the next IC and hoping for an interesting secret ingredient.

My other ideas for this included a Bloodstorm Blade, a Bardblade and a Duskblade, but they either didn't work properly or I procrastinated too much and didn't get to finish them.

[mattie_p]

It matters not if you win or lose, what matters is that you have fun. It's not like there is a cash prize or anything for winning, at most you get a trophy icon for your sig.

[Amphetryon]

For those thinking ahead, the next IC will be some variety of caster. :smallcool:

[SilverLeaf167]

For those thinking ahead, the next IC will be some variety of caster. :smallcool:
Yay!
I like casters!
At least my build for that shouldn't feel so totally useless :smallredface:

When an IC challenge is finished (and judged and stuff), how long does it usually take for the next one to begin?

[kestrel404]

Given normal timeframes, I would expect the next IC to be posted roughly around the 20th of April.

[Zombimode]

For those thinking ahead, the next IC will be some variety of caster. :smallcool:

"some variety" beeing the catch term here. Mind you, Assassin and other lukewarm PRCs with their own caster progression would qualifiy. I doubt that we will see Hathran or Planar Shepard in an IC :D

[SilverLeaf167]

"some variety" beeing the catch term here. Mind you, Assassin and other lukewarm PRCs with their own caster progression would qualifiy. I doubt that we will see Hathran or Planar Shepard in an IC :D
Of course not, but casters are fun anyway :D
It's actually more fun to think of shenanigans with just a little casting available. Much more satisfying than auto-winning (the game, not the challenge, duh) with Wizards, at least.

[flabort]

"some variety" beeing the catch term here. Mind you, Assassin and other lukewarm PRCs with their own caster progression would qualifiy. I doubt that we will see Hathran or Planar Shepard in an IC :D

Especially with this chairman. :smallwink:
I could see some chairman eventually pulling the cork, pushing the big red button, and letting the demon out of the can, by picking PS as the SI when it gets to scraping the bottom of the bucket.

[Amphetryon]

"some variety" beeing the catch term here. Mind you, Assassin and other lukewarm PRCs with their own caster progression would qualifiy. I doubt that we will see Hathran or Planar Shepard in an IC :D

We already did Assassin, in fact. (IC XVI)

[Menteith]

Especially with this chairman. :smallwink:
I could see some chairman eventually pulling the cork, pushing the big red button, and letting the demon out of the can, by picking PS as the SI when it gets to scraping the bottom of the bucket.

Decades later....

[Jeriah]

17 entries again? I'm not doing the solo judge thing...

[Cieyrin]

For those thinking ahead, the next IC will be some variety of caster. :smallcool:

*crosses fingers for a Complete Mage PrC*

[Kuulvheysoon]

For those thinking ahead, the next IC will be some variety of caster. :smallcool:

Good gods people... The Shining Blade of Hienerous is a casting PrC!

...Actually, Amph, do manifesting classes count as a variety of 'caster' for the purposes of your ICO?

[OMG PONIES]

For those thinking ahead, the next IC will be some variety of caster. :smallcool:

:smallcool: indeed, Herr Chairman, :smallcool: indeed.


17 entries again? I'm not doing the solo judge thing...

Nah, gbprime's already got scores in the works. Pull a duet!

[DeAnno]

For those thinking ahead, the next IC will be some variety of caster. :smallcool:

Gogogo Disciple of Thyrm?

[Kuulvheysoon]

Gogogo Disciple of Thyrm?

I doubt it - Cryokineticist was the SI for XXVIII, and it's from the same book.

Maybe we'll get the Acolyte of the Skin (CAr) or the Sea Witch (SW). I mean, we've hit the other 2 environmental books (Scion of Tem-Et-Nu and the aforementioned cryokineticist), so why not the last?

[Amechra]

Sea Witch or Acolyte of the Skin would be LOVELY, thank you very much.

[OMG PONIES]

Maybe we'll get the Acolyte of the Skin (CAr) ...


...or Acolyte of the Skin would be LOVELY, thank you very much.

I kind of want this to be the Secret Ingredient just to satiate the rabid masses that have been asking for it round after round. I think it would make a great lightning round: you get three days to submit the build you've had typed up for the past five rounds waiting for Acolyte to be announced :smalltongue:.

[DemonRoach]

I kind of want this to be the Secret Ingredient just to satiate the rabid masses that have been asking for it round after round. I think it would make a great lightning round: you get three days to submit the build you've had typed up for the past five rounds waiting for Acolyte to be announced :smalltongue:.

Nay! Resist the mob and their pleading for their common desire!

Also, It's funnier of it never happens :smalltongue:

[Jeriah]

I think it'd be great it AotS was never used, just to mess with everyone. :smallamused:

[Thurbane]

17 entries again? I'm not doing the solo judge thing...
I'm working on it, and I believe GBPrime is as well... :smallwink:

[DeAnno]

I've wanted to ask this opinion question for several previous ICs, but couldn't since itd be speculation. Since that isn't at risk now, I was wondering if people thought Wild Cohort (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a) counted as leadership (and therefore would be banned)?

It does have cohort in the name, which is a leadership thing, but you get an animal companion/mount like feature. This way when the next secret ingredient inevitably tempts me to run Wild Cohort, I don't have to just sit there wondering if its legal or not and how to figure it out.

[Jeriah]

Instead of waiting so long, you could have just PMed the chairman and asked him...

[Amphetryon]

I've wanted to ask this opinion question for several previous ICs, but couldn't since itd be speculation. Since that isn't at risk now, I was wondering if people thought Wild Cohort (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a) counted as leadership (and therefore would be banned)?

It does have cohort in the name, which is a leadership thing, but you get an animal companion/mount like feature. This way when the next secret ingredient inevitably tempts me to run Wild Cohort, I don't have to just sit there wondering if its legal or not and how to figure it out.

It's legal; the word 'cohort' in the name has as much relation to the Leadership feat as Combat Reflexes has to a character's Reflex save.

[OMG PONIES]

FWIW, different judges have different stances on the elegance of using Wild Cohort, though. Speaking of judges, I'm pumped to hear that we have two in the works and a possible third.

[Amphetryon]

FWIW, different judges have different stances on the elegance of using Wild Cohort, though. Speaking of judges, I'm pumped to hear that we have two in the works and a possible third.

"Different stances on the elegance of using [insert any aspect]" is pretty much the rule of thumb around here. For a while contestants were guessing which books were in a certain judge's storage locker to try for a higher Elegance score. :smalltongue:

[Venger]

For those thinking ahead, the next IC will be some variety of caster. :smallcool:


variety

master transmogrifist?

either that or acolyte of the skin. in any event, I don't think sea witch is too likely since it's 9/10 casting, and I don't think we've seen more than half thus far.


I'm not too confident about my entry, but I'm also looking forward to the next IC and hoping for an interesting secret ingredient.

My other ideas for this included a Bloodstorm Blade, a Bardblade and a Duskblade, but they either didn't work properly or I procrastinated too much and didn't get to finish them.

good thing you didn't do duskblade, or there'd be 3 of them. what was your plan for bardblade? were you figuring on going divine to cut down on MAD?

[Toy Killer]

For those thinking ahead, the next IC will be some variety of caster. :smallcool:

*crosses fingers* Please be Virtuoso, Please be Virtuoso

What? A Toykiller can dream can't he?:smallbiggrin:

[Aeryr]

If by bardblade you mean bard/warblade there is already one, but I don't understand how going divie reduces mad :smallconfused: Adding WIS to the list of desirable stats is not reducing MAD. Maybe I am unaware of something?

I don't like acolite of the skin as a SI there are a lot of people waiting for that one, it won't really be fair.

[Amphetryon]

If by bardblade you mean bard/warblade there is already one, but I don't understand how going divie reduces mad :smallconfused: Adding WIS to the list of desirable stats is not reducing MAD. Maybe I am unaware of something?

I don't like acolite of the skin as a SI there are a lot of people waiting for that one, it won't really be fair.
I'm not saying whether I've chosen AotS, but I'm curious about what you mean by "it won't really be fair."

[DeAnno]

I think the idea is a lot of people probably have builds all but prepared already, and so would be under less time pressure. I don't really care myself as I really dislike the AotS flavor and probably wouldn't submit that round anyway.

[Aeryr]

Well... even if assuming that some of the secret ingredients might be classes that have been played by some player in the past, so they have experience with them being able to pull out a good build fast, and that some people might have a few build of possible SI on reserve just in case, both factors are not comparable to the foreshadowing that AotS has. I mean, I've been checking past IC and people just keep claiming that they already have builds of the AotS.

Don't get me wrong, when I saw those comments I made a couple of build concepts, don't normally take a lot of time pulling concepts for builds.

But still, I don't believe that it would be "fair" (maybe fair is not the correct word, adequate? equitable?) to those who are new to the IC.

Of course, doing an AotS round would finish the AotS demand, and could make for a nice lightning round.

Ps. I don't intend to say that AotS is a bad secret ingredient.

[Kuulvheysoon]

master transmogrifist?

either that or acolyte of the skin. in any event, I don't think sea witch is too likely since it's 9/10 casting, and I don't think we've seen more than half thus far.

Huh - it' 8/10 casting. I could have sworn that it was 6/10 casting. Well, damn.

Master Transmorgrifist might be worth a laugh or two, though.

Chairman, any more hints as to the next SI other than the fact that it's caster? (And does the [caster] subtype include arcane divine and psionics?)

[Amphetryon]

Huh - it' 8/10 casting. I could have sworn that it was 6/10 casting. Well, damn.

Master Transmorgrifist might be worth a laugh or two, though.

Chairman, any more hints as to the next SI other than the fact that it's caster? (And does the [caster] subtype include arcane divine and psionics?)

Another hint: it was published by WotC. :smalltongue:

[flabort]

Another hint: it was published by WotC. :smalltongue:

:smallcool:
Nice dodge, Master Chairman.

[Jeriah]

Another hint: it was published by WotC. :smalltongue:Well, that definitely narrows it down quite a bit.

[Feytalist]

Damn. There goes my dream of optimising anything out of the BoEF. :smallbiggrin:

[Gotterdammerung]

any of the crappy yet flavorful caster classes from the dragon compendium could make for cool rounds. Flux adept, Fleet Runner of Ehlonna, Cerebrex, and Osteomancer would all make fun rounds i think.

I personally would like to see stormwracks stormcaster.

[Sgt. Cookie]

Hell, for all we know it could be Mystic Theurge.

[Amphetryon]

Hell, for all we know it could be Mystic Theurge.

It could be but a PrC utterly devoid of features is hard within this contest's parameters

[Cieyrin]

Hell, for all we know it could be Mystic Theurge.

That's about as likely as Eldritch Knight, it has no features to actually optimize, it's just there to cover a build with the bare minimum advancements. Knowing Amph, I expect better than that. :smallamused:

[mattie_p]

Yeah, so speculation abounds, but judging does not (yet). I know there were many entries, but I hope for some results this weekend - a holiday weekend for many of us.

[Toy Killer]

http://www.explosm.net/db/files/Comics/Kris/throw.png

I was surprised to see this hit the forth page...:smallbiggrin:

[Piggy Knowles]

Same! Any judging updates yet? I know this has got to be a tough one to judge... a ton of entries, all of which look very good!

[Amphetryon]

Fixing the end of page glitch.

Haven't heard from any judges this weekend, but it's a holiday for several folks.

[gbprime]

Yeah, holiday weekend, house full of inlaws and kids. But despite that I'm 11 builds in. 6 to go plus checking my work. Tuesday, I should think.

[kestrel404]

Woohoo! Potential judgement (relatively soon)! Any other judges making progress?

[SilverLeaf167]

Heh, I was away from teh internetz for Easter and thought there'd be a ****load of new posts, even some judging scores, when I got back.

I was proven wrong.:smallwink:

[Thurbane]

Still grinding away at judging...Easter was a bit busier than expected, and I'm running behind schedule. It's my first judging attempt, but I still hope to have it in before the deadline.

[Aeryr]

Still no news from judges? *Cheers the judges*

Btw I think black flame zealot (complete divine) could be an interesting SI. :smallredface:

[Venger]

Still no news from judges? *Cheers the judges*

Btw I think black flame zealot (complete divine) could be an interesting SI. :smallredface:

while you're not wrong, I think it's unlikely for the same reason blighter is unlikely, all the builds would look too similar. there aren't that many different ways to get divine spellcasting and SA.

[Aeryr]

Well blighter is much MORE restrictive it specifically asks to be an ex druid that was capable of casting 3rd level spells. Not even something with druid casting would qualify since it is not an ex druid, it also gets a fast full spellcasting progression like that of a ur-priest. Black flame zealot is not as restrictive as it seems you could qualify for it with a lot of classes and combinations, like for example temple raider of Olidammara (in the same book).

From complete divine other interesting options are the shining blade of heironeous (it is hideous) or the void disciple.

[Toy Killer]

I could see a void disciple competition, or an entropy-mancer whatever from complete arcane (Mage? I always get them confused).