OC straight melee build challenge

[killianh]

it is what it is. Best straight melee build you can think of. Rules are as follows:

1) No ToB
2) No casting of any kind (outside of items)
3) ECL 20
4) No Pun-Pun builds

Include feats and any relevant equips needed for the build. The prize is me declaring how awesome you are :smallbiggrin:

[Gwendol]

"Best" according to what yardstick? I suggest you define what you want the build to do (well).

[Spuddles]

This, hands down:
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=105525

[Malachei]

While it does have weaknesses, my all-time personal favorite is Jack B. Quick. (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19869062/6_hits_to_1:_Jack_B._Quick)

[Soranar]

Alright, here's a build I've used in the past. For a paladin it was surprisingly versatile and SAD.

warning: this build uses a lot of ACF, substitution levels and some cheese

Race: warforged scout (small means you can ride a medium mount anywhere)
Alignment: lawful good
template : dragonborn of bahamut (breath aspect)

STATs (32 pts)

STR 14
DEX 8 (dump)
CON 20 (main stat, a lot of things key off this)
INT 10 (you need 3 skillpoints in perform as cross class skills)
WIS 6 (dump, no spellcasting)
CHA 6 (dump, nothing keys off CHA in this build)

alternate class features

holy warrior (complete champion) : gain bonus feats from a limited list, lose spellcasting
curse breaker (complete mage): trade remove disease / day for remove curse/break enchantment / day

substitution levels:

warforged paladin 1,2,3 (from races of eberron) : various abilities now key off CON instead of CHA

planar paladin 6 (from planar handbook) : lose 1 use of remove disease for a free celestial template on your mount

2 flaws

feats:

1 power attack, improved bullrush, entanglin exhalation
3 from smite to song
4 bonus feat: extra smites (powers from smite to song)
6 shock trooper
7 bonus feat: mounted combat
9 quicken breath
11 bonus feat: ride by attack
12 spirited charge
14 bonus feat: extra smites
15 dragonfire inspiration
18 awesome smites

the last 3 feats aren't that great, feel free to change them. Dragonfire inspiration is quite damaging but the regular inspire courage bonus gets multiplied on a charge and the to hit bonus is very useful too.

by level 9, your breath weapon is a free action (usually only used once per combat but still useful) some magic items can really boost it (gives you the tempest breath feat for free for example)

from smite to song makes your smites far more useful (inspire courage equal to that of a bard's of your level) and you can still smite evil on top of it

you want to charge with a lance (2x damage) and deliver a spirited charge (3x damage) while power attacking fully with shock trooper (so you land the blow), smiting (damage bonus based on your paladin level) and singing. Most evil creatures (or constructs) will die in one shot from this. There is also a magic item that multiplies your damage on a charge even more (a banner if I remember right)

finally your celestial riding dog (use a magic item to fly with it through shared spells)

celestial makes its animal HD celestial (d10, full bab, more skillpoints)

it will gain 8 more HD from your paladin levels and 4 more STR

feats for the riding dog:

1 sacred vow
3 vow of poverty (cheesy but great for a mount, you save a ton of money on magical equipment for it) bonus feat: nymph's kiss
5 bonus feat: touch of golden ice
6 power attack
7 bonus feat: vow of obedience
9 leap attack bonus feat: vow of chastity

skills

a riding dog gets access to jump, listen, spot, swim and survival

I recommend maxing out listen or spot. Survival could be use (if you don't have a tracker). You also need some ranks in jump to power leap attack.

Finally, if you don't like the breath weapon feel free to trade it for the spot bonus, eventually it'll give you blindsense. If you don't want to give your dog vow of poverty, consider giving it mage slayer, blind fight and pierce magical concealment.

[Private]

it is what it is. Best straight melee build you can think of. Rules are as follows:

1) No ToB
2) No casting of any kind (outside of items)
3) ECL 20
4) No Pun-Pun builds

Include feats and any relevant equips needed for the build. The prize is me declaring how awesome you are :smallbiggrin:

Is everything else allowed? 3.0/3.5/Pathfinder? 32 point buy? I'd like to contribute, I'd just like some more guidelines.

[killianh]

other than the rules posted its free for all on everything else. Use as much cheese as you want, but try not to Pun-pun the character if possible.

By best I mean best in the role that a melee character plays: Hp, AC, Saves, ATK and Damage, and versatility within the expectations of a pure melee character. Loving the three builds I've seen so far, but I'd like to see some more before I call it a finished match

[moritheil]

feats for the riding dog:

1 sacred vow
3 vow of poverty (cheesy but great for a mount, you save a ton of money on magical equipment for it) bonus feat: nymph's kiss
5 bonus feat: touch of golden ice
6 power attack
7 bonus feat: vow of obedience
9 leap attack bonus feat: vow of chastity

I've never seen a DM allow this for mounts. That aside, RAW, Vow of Poverty specifies that it does not mean that you don't have to put gold in: you instead tithe the gold that would have gone to your items to helping the poor.

[Waker]

Wish I could find the original post I made for this, but whatever.
Warforged Wildshape Ranger 5/Master of Many Forms 6
Feats: Adamantine Body, Altertness and whatever else you feel like.
Equipment: Beasthide enchantment on your armor plating
The rest of the build is moot, because at level 11 of this build you become
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y47/Omnikar/Grimlock.jpg
After that, you've officially won the game.

[Venusaur]

Strongest Melee would probably be Troll-Blooded Warforged Juggernaut. Through in some half red and black dragon or any other preferred way of getting fire and acid immunity, and you can only die from searing spell. Finish with whatever Melee PRCs you like (maybe frenzied berzerker?).

[Keld Denar]

Dwarf
Fighter2/Barbarian2/FistoftheForest3/BearWarrior1/Deepwarden2/Warshaper4/OccultSlayer5/Something1

You are a dwarf who turns into a bear. You get your Con to AC twice, which goes up a lot when you become a bear and apply Warshaper bonuses. You take Improved Unarmed Strike, and you attack with your UAS buffed by Fist of the Forest combined with your Claw/Claw/Bite routine. Take Steadfast Determination and your are almost completely dependant on only Str and Con.

Human
Spirit Lion Barbarian1/PaladinofFreedom4/Hellbreaker10

Very tanky and durable while still able to dish out the kickass. Get a big 2 hander like a Greatsword or Glaive and get smiting for great justice. If you don't want spells, take variant in CChampion for a free bonus feat. Hellbreaker is in Fiendish Codex II and is a little anti-outsider focused, but still very strong against other foes.

[moritheil]

Strongest Melee would probably be Troll-Blooded Warforged Juggernaut. Through in some half red and black dragon or any other preferred way of getting fire and acid immunity, and you can only die from searing spell. Finish with whatever Melee PRCs you like (maybe frenzied berzerker?).

That reminds me of the epic game I played with a Voidmind Half-Dragon Wartroll with about 18 levels of templates. He had something like only 1 actual level, and if anyone ever dispelled or disjoined his protections he was toast.

Anyway, you can still die from save-or-dies, excessive negative levels, or being KOed, stripped of gear, and then drowned (admittedly, not if you get water breathing via a bloodline.)

[Yorrin]

Troll Blooded works with any immunity to nonlethal damage. Bone Knight, becoming undead, etc.

Wildshape Ranger/MoMF was a good call. Hellbreaker is quite powerful as well. I'm personally a fan of Dungeoncrasher 6/Barbarian 1/Hellbreaker 10/X 4 (norrmally X would be Crusader, but since you said no ToB...shrug). Another favorite of mine is Dungeoncrasher 6/Barb 1/Horizon Walker 6/X 7 for the teleportation on my melee guy.

[Spuddles]

Regeneration turns into fast healing when you become undead. See the undead type on the SRD.

[Venusaur]

That reminds me of the epic game I played with a Voidmind Half-Dragon Wartroll with about 18 levels of templates. He had something like only 1 actual level, and if anyone ever dispelled or disjoined his protections he was toast.

Anyway, you can still die from save-or-dies, excessive negative levels, or being KOed, stripped of gear, and then drowned (admittedly, not if you get water breathing via a bloodline.)

Warforged Juggernaut gives immunity to nonlethal damage, death effects, necromancy effects, and you can't drown a warforged.

[Keld Denar]

Regeneration turns into fast healing when you become undead. See the undead type on the SRD.

Citation? The only requirement for Regeneration is that you have a Con score. Con score = regeneration works. No Con score = regeneration doesn't work. It doesn't change into anything. It simply works or it doesn't work. It doesn't say anything about regeneration at ALL in the undead type description.


Traits

An undead creature possesses the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature’s entry).

No Constitution score.
Darkvision out to 60 feet.
Immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects).
Immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, and death effects.
Not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability drain, or energy drain. Immune to damage to its physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution), as well as to fatigue and exhaustion effects.
Cannot heal damage on its own if it has no Intelligence score, although it can be healed. Negative energy (such as an inflict spell) can heal undead creatures. The fast healing special quality works regardless of the creature’s Intelligence score.
Immunity to any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects or is harmless).
Uses its Charisma modifier for Concentration checks.
Not at risk of death from massive damage, but when reduced to 0 hit points or less, it is immediately destroyed.
Not affected by raise dead and reincarnate spells or abilities. Resurrection and true resurrection can affect undead creatures. These spells turn undead creatures back into the living creatures they were before becoming undead.
Proficient with its natural weapons, all simple weapons, and any weapons mentioned in its entry.
Proficient with whatever type of armor (light, medium, or heavy) it is described as wearing, as well as all lighter types. Undead not indicated as wearing armor are not proficient with armor. Undead are proficient with shields if they are proficient with any form of armor.
Undead do not breathe, eat, or sleep.

[Yorrin]

::shrug::
So undead with regeneration doesnt work. Warforged Juggernaut and Bone Knight Still do.