Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVI

[Amphetryon]

Welcome, contestants, judges, and guests to Iron Chef XXXVI. 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, August 25th, 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, September 8th, 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.

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 or 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:
Complete Arcane's Acolyte of the Skin
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)
Iron Chef XXXI: Shadow Sentinel (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=236908)
Iron Chef XXXII: Temple Raider of Olidammara (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=239786)
Iron Chef XXXIII: Drow Judicator (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=243052)
Iron Chef XXXIV: Dragon Disciple (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=246072)
Iron Chef XXXV: Death Delver (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=249542)

[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. The same holds for Oriental Adventures (1st party) and the subsequent Rokugan books (3rd party). 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 and Gestalt 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, exactly, does the ban on Leadership mean? As folks have started to try to work around the edges of this one, I'm forced to spell it out more plainly. No Leadership, Draconic Cohort, or Feats that grant a similar ability are allowed EXCEPT Wild Cohort while Amphetryon is chairman. Any PrC you choose with Leadership or a Leadership-analog has that ability entirely ignored for this contest, as it may neither be used nor traded away via any means whatsoever.

What's the minimum score in a category? Assuming an entry is legal, the minimum score in any category is 1. If a judge is convinced that an entry is illegal by the RAW, the judge may give a 0 or decline to score a given entry. Because this contest focuses on Player Characters, an entry that is not technically allowed for a PC, but is viable as an NPC, counts as a legal entry, but may receive a minimum score at the judges' discretion.

For the "Wear Fiend" ability, what difference does it make if the AotS chooses a specific Devil, Demon, or other Fiendish creature? Barring explicit errata or similar to the contrary from WotC, the choice of what type of Fiendish creature to wear is purely cosmetic in regards to Wear Fiend.

Is "Fiendish Glare" based upon the target's total HP, or current HP? It is based upon the target's current HP at the moment they are affected by Fiendish Glare.

What happens if an Undead or a Construct takes AotS? According to Savage Species 143, undead and constructs do not have a Con score and therefore cannot become any other creature type. The capstone would apply the DR if otherwise possible, but no other effects of Fiendish Symbiosis would apply.

[Piggy Knowles]

Well dang... I'll be honest, I kind of expected Acolyte of the Skin would never actually happen! I'll have to crack open CArc; it's been a long time since I've looked at the class.

Good luck, everyone!

[GreenSerpent]

First time I'm entering Iron Chef and it's this... *sighs and grabs Complete Arcane*

[Menteith]

I have ideas. I'm not sure they're good ideas, but I have ideas regarding the PrC. Off to look for rulings before I commit to anything!

[OMG PONIES]

New contest? :smallcool: Let's see what this round's SI is...:smallsmile: *whistles, clicks, reads* :smallfrown: :smalleek: :eek:

So it begins. Now taking bets on how quickly we break the "fastest first submission" record. There is such a thing, right?

[Amphetryon]

I'll be honest; the delays that real life caused me in ending the previous contest prompted me to choose Acolyte of the Skin, on the basis that it's been asked for so often that I figured folks could get their entries in with less than 2 weeks to build.

[The Dark Fiddler]

I've never entered an Iron Chef competition before.

I'm not much of an optimizer.

I don't remember what Acolyte of the Skin does.

I still have summer work to do before school starts up again.

But you know what? I just might do this... or maybe, if possible, I'll judge. I'll see when I get home and I can look at the PrC.

[KoopaTrooper#12]

My first Iron Chef, (and first post here) I have a few ideas and looking forward to this!

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Oohhhh... 1/2 caster progression PrC. Will entries be able to utilize this, and avoid a penalty for not utilizing the SI fully, but not horridly nerf their class because it's only 1/2 caster progression? Let us see.

A question for Fiendish Glare... the duration for the possible stun effect... is that based on maximum hit points, or current hit points?

Some 1/day abilities and some resistances that a straight Warlock could beat? How is that a trade-off for five lost caster levels?

The contestants sure have their work cut out for them...

[Gotterdammerung]

Ahahah! I knew it!!!

[Kazyan]

This is the part where everyone else makes something really impressive, right?

Ugh, gotta make this all actually come together this time. Think.

[Piggy Knowles]

Man, after re-reading this PrC, I am already feeling less confident about this one. This is... not a lot to work with.

I do have a couple of ways I could go with this from a flavor perspective, but while having an interesting story to tell always helps, it doesn't do much if I can't back it up with a halfway decent build.

Time to go book-diving!

[TheGeckoKing]

I.....think I can make this one work. One can only try as one usually does, with gibbering lunacy and mirth.

[ClayQ]

Otyugh Hole here I come.

I got my build down trouble is although I have 10 levels of aots its all flavor really, and im powerful inspite of it kinda overshadowing the abilities I get from it.

[Zaq]

Even if I had time in my schedule (it's not lack of interest that has caused me to be absent for so long), I'm not positive I could do much with this one.

Well, OK, one thing. But it's not a good thing.

I do have to laugh at the fact that the picture claims to be of "Vorta Nehalem," but it's so very clearly of Morthos. My best explanation* is that Morthos and Vorta are both played by the same guy, and he's one of those annoying guys who plays the same character in every campaign, even though he sometimes uses a different name.

*Not really.

[Gotterdammerung]

Otyugh Hole here I come.

I got my build down trouble is although I have 10 levels of aots its all flavor really, and im powerful inspite of it kinda overshadowing the abilities I get from it.

Don't talk about builds. We are all optimizers... high caliber optimizers. With that little slip of the tongue more than a few people here can infer about 80% of your build.

[GreenSerpent]

Don't talk about builds. We are all optimizers... high caliber optimizers with at least one person working on a build with pretty much blind luck because he has only some rudimentary optimisation skills.. With that little slip of the tongue more than a few people here can infer about 80% of your build.

Fixed that for you.

[OMG PONIES]

For the "Wear Fiend" ability, what difference does it make if the AotS chooses a specific Devil, Demon, or other Fiendish creature? Barring explicit errata or similar to the contrary from WotC, the choice of what type of Fiendish creature to wear is purely cosmetic.


If the skin is demonic, once per day he can summon a babau; if devilish, once per day he can summon a chain devil.
A minor difference, and one that has no bearing on wear fiend, but wanted to make sure it was noted.

[Kuulvheysoon]

A minor difference, and one that has no bearing on wear fiend, but wanted to make sure it was noted.

Damn, and here I was going to bind a Yugoloth to me... oh well.

I'm unsure if I'll compete here... I'll either judge or compete, though - been looking forwards to this one.

[Venger]

well I'm obviously cooking this time. glad aots is off the back burner

[RFLS]

Ah, what the heck. I'm in. Should be fun.

[TroubleBrewing]

I've been asking for this for as long as I've been participating in the contest.

SO EXCITED.

[The Gilded Duke]

I might actually have a build coming together for this.

[ThiagoMartell]

I'll compete this time.

[Thurbane]

I've got a build idea, but it's so glaringly obvious I'd imagine at least 2 other people would submit very similar. Still, if I get time and inspiration, I may enter it anyway.

[The Dark Fiddler]

I've got a build idea, but it's so glaringly obvious I'd imagine at least 2 other people would submit very similar. Still, if I get time and inspiration, I may enter it anyway.

Is it [REDACTED]?

I dislike this whole "not being able to talk about builds" thing, but at the same time recognize its necessity. :smallsigh:

Still, considering how obvious you think it is, I do believe it's the same idea I have. Either that, or a different idea that I thought was equally obvious but disregarded. Guess we won't know until the end, huh?

EDIT: ...one entry per person?

EDIT-EDIT: There's an error in the link to the latest Iron Chef (Death Delver).

EDIT^3: Do we use fractional saves/BAB? Is it optional? Something to be noted in adaptations?

[Kazyan]

For the past two contests, I submitted builds that seemed obvious, but received significant marks for Originality. And nothing about this ingredient lends itself to "duh" moments. I wouldn't freak out too much.

[The Dark Fiddler]

For the past two contests, I submitted builds that seemed obvious, but received significant marks for Originality. And nothing about this ingredient lends itself to "duh" moments. I wouldn't freak out too much.

Well, when I refreshed my memory of what the PrC was, I had two classes jump to mind immediately, so I do feel like there is an obvious choice or two. Hopefully, I'm wrong, or my execution is original enough for originality points.

Edit: More-or-less finished my entry, at least the actual entry part. Gonna pretty it up, add explanations and fluff and stuff. Made me realize how much of a pain the skill system in this system can be...

And I swear I won't edit another post for the rest of the week. I've met my allowance already tonight.

[Venger]

Is it [REDACTED]?

I dislike this whole "not being able to talk about builds" thing, but at the same time recognize its necessity. :smallsigh:

Still, considering how obvious you think it is, I do believe it's the same idea I have. Either that, or a different idea that I thought was equally obvious but disregarded. Guess we won't know until the end, huh?

EDIT: ...one entry per person?

EDIT-EDIT: There's an error in the link to the latest Iron Chef (Death Delver).

EDIT^3: Do we use fractional saves/BAB? Is it optional? Something to be noted in adaptations?

the whole double bluff thing gets everyone:

step 1: X is so obvious
step 2: I will not do it. everyone will be doing it
step 3: everyone will have this line of thought. it is back on the table
step 4: everyone will have the above line of thought. it is back off the table.
step 5: repeat step 3&4 until you pick one to settle on.

honestly, I thought nosomatic chirurgeon was "obvious" for death delver, but I got a ton of points for originality (and was the only one) so I was wrong, maybe you're wrong about the thing you're thinking.

you do not use fractional saves/BA. it is not optional, it falls under "alternate rules systems" like generic classes, gestalt, spell points, etc. it is not usable for the purposes of this contest and this has been asked before (in dread pirate I think)

[Gotterdammerung]

the whole double bluff thing gets everyone:

step 1: X is so obvious
step 2: I will not do it. everyone will be doing it
step 3: everyone will have this line of thought. it is back on the table
step 4: everyone will have the above line of thought. it is back off the table.
step 5: repeat step 3&4 until you pick one to settle on.


"Never match wits with a Sicilian when DEATH is on the line!!!!! an IC trophy is on the line!!!"

[Thurbane]

Fair enough, you fine people have convinced me to go with my original idea, assuming I get the time to get an entry in.

Work and social commitments are kicking my butt at the moment.

[Amphetryon]

Is it [REDACTED]?

I dislike this whole "not being able to talk about builds" thing, but at the same time recognize its necessity. :smallsigh:

Still, considering how obvious you think it is, I do believe it's the same idea I have. Either that, or a different idea that I thought was equally obvious but disregarded. Guess we won't know until the end, huh?

EDIT: ...one entry per person?

EDIT-EDIT: There's an error in the link to the latest Iron Chef (Death Delver).

EDIT^3: Do we use fractional saves/BAB? Is it optional? Something to be noted in adaptations?
Folks have regularly entered as many as 3 builds in a single contest.

Table's been fixed, though for the life of me I can't tell you what changed in the copy-pasta.

Fractional BAB/Saves are best left for adaptation notes.

[T.G. Oskar]

After last competition, I still find the need to vindicate myself (even though I fell short to a worthy competitor), but this isn't my plate.

However, just for a change of theme...I might be tempted to do judging this time, while I wait for the appropriate challenge. If work and circumstances permit, and given that lengthy and extensive explanations are still in order, I could cook up one extensive, pain-staking, funny and sincere judging as I usually do.

Now, don't take my word for it; I'll do it as much as work allows me to, but since the no-holiday period is effectively over, and the only trouble would be the logistics of when will I reach work (and hence my books), I think I can take the challenge.

I also want to see the intricacies of how everyone works the PrC, because it's quite awful, and it's still on the operating table for a much-needed retooling, so seeing it working on a build might just inspire me to complete it.

[eggs]

I might have an idea; I'll give this a shot.

[dantiesilva]

I am almost done with a build sadly it is way to obvious so i do not think i will be competing this round. As others have mentioned 2 things jumped at me, both were obvious choices but the power they could pack if worked correctly. Saddly I have never used both classes so though I know what they can do I can not optimize them. I will try to get my build in, but doubt it very much. I wish everyone good luck though and hope I am not disappointed and cursing myself if i don't put my build in to see that it did not show up.

[The Gilded Duke]

And done. I think I might have done something new with the class even. Once I had the idea I couldn't stop working on it.

[Amphetryon]

*Opens private message. . . reads build. . . :smallconfused: well, now. . . :smallamused:. . . you, um. . .:smalleek: *

Best of luck, y'all. :smallbiggrin:

[Kazyan]

Called it.

I do hope the deadline doesn't outpace me--some better fluffing is in order, and a way for the entry to not scream who made it.

[DemonRoach]

Folks have regularly entered as many as 3 builds in a single contest.


Personal experience tells me its better to spend more time fine tuning one build, though that might be due to experience and talent limitations :smallfrown:

I'd kinda hoped Acolyte would always be mentioned and never actually used, but oh well.


*Opens private message. . . reads build. . . :smallconfused: well, now. . . :smallamused:. . . you, um. . .:smalleek: *

Best of luck, y'all. :smallbiggrin:

Well, that's comforting :eek:

[Menteith]

I want to shank alignment restrictions in a dark prison cell. Maybe if I keep looking I'll find what I need, but I think I'll actually need to start a new build altogether. Le sigh.

[eggs]

Not using fractional BA must be what going insane feels like. :smalleek:

I keep being shown up in every respect by one of the most painfully obvious builds that I can imagine when I look at the class... I'm almost tempted just to use it.

[GreenSerpent]

To be honest, this is my first IC and it's turning out to be... easier than I thought in some ways. Harder in others.

I presume that the Power category though is judged on how strong it is for its role in the party? For example a Frenzied Berserker would probably get a higher score for power if it was competing against a Fighter for a BSF role?

[OMG PONIES]

I presume that the Power category though is judged on how strong it is for its role in the party? For example a Frenzied Berserker would probably get a higher score for power if it was competing against a Fighter for a BSF role?

It depends on the judge. Some grade Power on a universal scale, so a Wizard will always receive a higher score than a Truenamer. Others (like myself) compare each entry to the same chassis without the Secret Ingredient, which is closer to what you were mentioning. Others still have their own systems.

[Amphetryon]

It depends on the judge. Some grade Power on a universal scale, so a Wizard will always receive a higher score than a Truenamer. Others (like myself) compare each entry to the same chassis without the Secret Ingredient, which is closer to what you were mentioning. Others still have their own systems.

Further, some will grade Power relative to other entrants, while some grade Power versus a theoretical ideal.

[GreenSerpent]

Hmmm, well, I come out pretty well anyway.

Fluff-writing time. Hopefully it'll work out well :smallamused:

[Dusk Eclipse]

I just hope I have enough time for my submission. I am kinda exited with my idea.

[OMG PONIES]

I really like the fluff I've got brewing, but mechanically I've only got a few tricks popping out. I'll try to cobble it together into a build, but I'm afraid I may not be using every part of this buffalo.

[Venger]

I really like the fluff I've got brewing, but mechanically I've only got a few tricks popping out. I'll try to cobble it together into a build, but I'm afraid I may not be using every part of this buffalo.

I am having exactly the same problem.

(squint)

I really hope you didn't have the same idea that I did. That would be terrible for both of us.

[The Dark Fiddler]

I want to shank alignment restrictions in a dark prison cell. Maybe if I keep looking I'll find what I need, but I think I'll actually need to start a new build altogether. Le sigh.

I know what you mean. My original concept (which turned out to be unworkable) had about 4 different alignment restrictions, all mildly to completely contradictory. Skill points are also being a pain.


I really like the fluff I've got brewing, but mechanically I've only got a few tricks popping out. I'll try to cobble it together into a build, but I'm afraid I may not be using every part of this buffalo.

I feel the exact same way. I fear we may have the same build brewing. :smalleek:

[Venger]

I know what you mean. My original concept (which turned out to be unworkable) had about 4 different alignment restrictions, all mildly to completely contradictory. Skill points are also being a pain.



I feel the exact same way. I fear we may have the same build brewing. :smalleek:

now I'm sure I know what you and ponies are doing. I am afraid that I too think you are building the same thing, and kudos to you, that was my first thought too (of course) but that's why I decided ultimately not to go with it. best of luck to both of you

[GreenSerpent]

*whew* So I'm not building the same character as either of you!

Mine has no alignment problems, luckily~

[Amphetryon]

Folks, please ease up a bit on hinting at which build is likely to be yours at the reveal. Thanks.

[OMG PONIES]

I can firmly say I have no clue what anybody is building, myself included :smalltongue:.

[Kuulvheysoon]

I honestly don't care about anybody's build at this point, as I am judging!

Criteria

Power: This is going to be based on the specific prestige class’s level of power. How much can you do with the chassis provided, and how much does it amount to?

Originality: Is it innovative? You’re liable to lose points here if I found your concept extremely boring (though a ‘poor’ class choice can be rectified with a justified backstory).

Elegance: How does the build flow? General mechanics will also go here, as will penalties for dips and flaws.

Use of Secret Ingredient: Can I see why you took Acolyte of the Skin? Do you make the most of the prestige class’ abilities? Did you take all of the levels?

[The Dark Fiddler]

I honestly don't care about anybody's build at this point, as I am judging!

Doesn't that mean you have to care about everybody's build?

[Dusk Eclipse]

Doesn't that mean you have to care about everybody's build?

I think he says he doesn't care what people are building, because he doesn't have to worry other peoples using the same trick...

[Kuulvheysoon]

I think he says he doesn't care what people are building, because he doesn't have to worry other peoples using the same trick...

I likely could have phrased it better (when I initially posted), but this is pretty much the point that I was trying to get across.

My thanks, Dusk Eclipse, for being eloquent when I could not.

[Dusk Eclipse]

No problem, now back to the books for me....

[Kazyan]

Most of the mechanics have crystallized out, and I actually haven't drifted as wildly from my original concept this time. Is that usually a good thing?

[DemonRoach]

Dammit fluff, stop fighting me...

[Amphetryon]

Dammit fluff, stop fighting me...

You could try to reskin the fluff. *rimshot*

[Venger]

Most of the mechanics have crystallized out, and I actually haven't drifted as wildly from my original concept this time. Is that usually a good thing?

in my experience, yes. when you second guess yourself, your build suffers for it. if something's your first instinct, that's what you're most excited about. when I placed in pistis sophia and drow judicator, I just went with my instinct: "play xiaolin showdown straight" and "evil spider-man" and it worked out. I got a little weird back in temple raider with ted, and I sort of shot myself in the foot because I was so preoccupied with what was "obvious' I didn't spend enough time on what I wanted to build.

go with your gut and you'll have fun

[DemonRoach]

You could try to reskin the fluff. *rimshot*

Huh. That was quite helpful. Cheers!

[GreenSerpent]

Well, sent mine off. That should hopefully be ok.

[OMG PONIES]

Oh goodness, now I have a whole other awesome direction in which I can spin the fluff. I really don't think I've got two builds in me, especially given our abbreviated deadline, but I sure will try!

[gbprime]

Can't decide between enter and judge. Depends on the build I come up with, I guess, and whether I feel like judging eighty thousand entries.

[Dusk Eclipse]

Question to older competitors... on average how many times do you revise your builds? I have revised mine at least 3 times now, I keep finding problems with it or I find an option I hadn't considered before...

[Venger]

Can't decide between enter and judge. Depends on the build I come up with, I guess, and whether I feel like judging eighty thousand entries.

no way that many people were able to finish acolyte. it seems like it'd be an easy thing to build, but it's really not. I thought I had enough stuff for 2 but I'm not really sure that that's true any longer.

[Piggy Knowles]

My original idea didn't work out quite as pretty as I'd hoped. Found a decent alternative, but it's not the beauty it started out to be. I may keep tinkering a bit to see if I can restore it to its former glory.

I also have another totally insane and off-the-wall build idea that I probably won't turn into an actual build. But we'll see.......

[Kuulvheysoon]

Can't decide between enter and judge. Depends on the build I come up with, I guess, and whether I feel like judging eighty thousand entries.

I think you should help me judge. The more the merrier!


Question to older competitors... on average how many times do you revise your builds? I have revised mine at least 3 times now, I keep finding problems with it or I find an option I hadn't considered before...

I usually find myself sticking to the same idea, but often about 2 revisions. The notable exception was Temple Raider (5 times), and, well... that one didn't turn out too well.

I'm part of the 'trust your gut' school of thinking, I guess.

[OMG PONIES]

Question to older competitors... on average how many times do you revise your builds? I have revised mine at least 3 times now, I keep finding problems with it or I find an option I hadn't considered before...

Welcome to the flock. I often find that, the better my idea is, the more times I go back for revisions or possible revisions.

[Piggy Knowles]

Yeah, I usually have at least three or four revisions on my builds. Keeps poor Amphetryon busy, I'm sure...

[Kazyan]

*dumps build into chairman's inbox*

It started out all shiny and synergetic and totally going to medal, and now it's kludgy and disjointed and gaaaah where did the shiny go. Hoping for the best.

[Venger]

*dumps build into chairman's inbox*

It started out all shiny and synergetic and totally going to medal, and now it's kludgy and disjointed and gaaaah where did the shiny go. Hoping for the best.

exactly what the designers said when they made this class and sent it to the printers

[Menteith]

Inspiration struck me today. It'll be tight, but I hope to have a submission by tomorrow morning.

[Dusk Eclipse]

Ok... maybe writting my entry by hand with the intention of then typing it wasn't a good idea....

[The Dark Fiddler]

Submitted my build... feels good. I don't know how I'm going to do, but the fact that I finished a build, that I actually managed to write it up, is good enough in itself.

[eggs]

Someone pointed out today that the core of my cunning plan has a big hole in it. I'm seeing some sweeping last-second revisions in the near future.

[OMG PONIES]

Build submitted! I can't wait to see what everyone cooked up; I feel like there are a lot of potential tricks I missed with this round's Ingredient.

[Macabaret]

Looong time lurker, first time poster. (Don't you feel special, being able to read my first ever post here?)

I cooked up a build. Then I sent it in. I think. I hope. There were...issues. (sigh)

If there's a problem with how it mangled its way through this cyber-stuff, do please let me know. I'll see if I can't fix what needs fixing, if need be.

So, assuming everything worked, now I just sit back and stew in the juices of my own anxiety, waiting for judgement to be passed down from on high? (Or up from down low?) That seems like it'll be the hardest part of all of this.

[Amphetryon]

Looong time lurker, first time poster. (Don't you feel special, being able to read my first ever post here?)

I cooked up a build. Then I sent it in. I think. I hope. There were...issues. (sigh)

If there's a problem with how it mangled its way through this cyber-stuff, do please let me know. I'll see if I can't fix what needs fixing, if need be.

So, assuming everything worked, now I just sit back and stew in the juices of my own anxiety, waiting for judgement to be passed down from on high? (Or up from down low?) That seems like it'll be the hardest part of all of this.
My emphasis. Well, that and the initiation ritual. Everyone have their Klingon pain sticks ready? :smallwink:

Welcome aboard.

[Venger]

Looong time lurker, first time poster. (Don't you feel special, being able to read my first ever post here?)

I cooked up a build. Then I sent it in. I think. I hope. There were...issues. (sigh)

If there's a problem with how it mangled its way through this cyber-stuff, do please let me know. I'll see if I can't fix what needs fixing, if need be.

So, assuming everything worked, now I just sit back and stew in the juices of my own anxiety, waiting for judgement to be passed down from on high? (Or up from down low?) That seems like it'll be the hardest part of all of this.

best of luck in the cookoff, macaberet, welcome aboard.

[GreenSerpent]

WHAT. No-one told me about the painsticks...

Can't I just give Amphetryon my agonizer and be done with it?

*shivers* Now... the wait. Till my sorry piece of work is revealed.

[Kazyan]

I just want to get at least a 12 this time. Not even caring about medaling anymore, considering that some of us has been waiting on this and that means there's going to be awesome entries.

[The Dark Fiddler]

Hey, Amphetryon, for some reason or another I wanted to ask about what happens if somebody submits a build but, for whatever reason, the PM doesn't go through. Do you check to make sure that you've gotten a submission from everybody who posts saying they've submitted? If it wasn't caught until after you post the builds, would you allow somebody to resend it and enter then, or would they be out of luck?

[Macabaret]

Thanks for the welcomes. (And so quickly done, too.)

Now, about these painsticks... Surely their use violates forum rules somehow? Right? Er... *gulp* Right?!?

[Amphetryon]

Hey, Amphetryon, for some reason or another I wanted to ask about what happens if somebody submits a build but, for whatever reason, the PM doesn't go through. Do you check to make sure that you've gotten a submission from everybody who posts saying they've submitted? If it wasn't caught until after you post the builds, would you allow somebody to resend it and enter then, or would they be out of luck?

Enter at your own risk; no money will be refunded*. Not responsible for lost, misplaced, incorrectly sent applications, or Acts of Mod. The forum PMer does have a "receipt" option for the extra paranoid types.

*Because, yanno, we don't charge any money or award any here at Iron Chef.

[ThiagoMartell]

It was cool when there were trophies.

[Amphetryon]

It was cool when there were trophies.

I'll happily offer trophies again, should someone come forward. Hunter Killer disappeared, and I've yet to find another willing artist for Iron Chef Optimization Challenge.

[ThiagoMartell]

I'll happily offer trophies again, should someone come forward. Hunter Killer disappeared, and I've yet to find another willing artist for Iron Chef Optimization Challenge.

Have you tried starting a thread in the Arts & Crafts forum?

[Kuulvheysoon]

I'll happily offer trophies again, should someone come forward. Hunter Killer disappeared, and I've yet to find another willing artist for Iron Chef Optimization Challenge.

Well, I just got a tablet for an (early) birthday present, so I'll see if I can produce anything that I'm alright with posting. How far behind are we?

[Venger]

Well, I just got a tablet for an (early) birthday present, so I'll see if I can produce anything that I'm alright with posting. How far behind are we?
well happy birthday, then. :smallsmile:
The last contest that had trophies was Scion of Tem-Et-Nu, so that makes it 9 (10 if you count acolyte too) (there were trophies for cryokineticist, but not for the ones before it up to scion, nor after it)

it would be pretty awesome if you'd make trophies, all of us who've won stuff since shadowdancer would certainly appreciate it.

[T.G. Oskar]

Everyone have their Klingon pain sticks ready? :smallwink:

What? I thought it was shotos, but now you tell me it's bat'leth initiation?

Speaking of which: bat'leth-shaped dual lightsabers. If I were to see one, I'd call it the Mastermune.

And...I'm probably saying "yes" to judging, because I'm bored. As you may know, I usually tend to deliver (and usually announce how many judgings I've got with time, allowing for pretty nice estimations). As usual, I never reveal my judging criteria, but if you see some of my earlier acts, you may get an idea of how I judge. Or see any of my posts.

Well, I can say part of my judging criteria, actually:
Expect a long read.

[GreenSerpent]

I'm really quite worried now *shivers*

[Venger]

build submitted.

oh, man, for something I'd been expecting for so long, this build was way harder than anything I've done in IC yet (except pistis sophia. that darn class)

I hope I do well, I really enjoyed writing the backstory this time.

[Amphetryon]

Now it's time for the reveal! Please refrain from posting in this thread until I give the all-clear. Thanks.

LIST OF BUILDS SUBMITTED:

Bloody Hands Butcher: Human Barbarian 2/Hexblade 4/Suel Arcanamach 4/AotS 10

Captain Wyrmbeard the Damned: Human Dragonfire Adept 10/AotS 10

Ash'okk Lar: Skarn Fighter 2/Paladin of Slaughter 4/AotS 10/Thrall of Juiblex 4

The Sacred Demon: Lesser Aasimar Sorcerer 5/Malconvoker 5/AotS 10

Eshpaunsuud Zhirvaush: Half-Fey Illumian Swordsage 4/Spellthief 6/AotS 10

Reykja Skjar: Domovoi Fey Savant 4/Jaunter 4/AotS 10

Luc: Stonehunter Gnome Bard 1/Gnome Paragon 3/AotS 10/Fiend of Corruption 6

Baby the Bearbarian: Voidmind Half-Vampire Goliath Spellthief 3/Barbarian 2/AotS 9

The Rag and Bone Man: Human Dread Necromancer 4/AotS 10/Pale Master 6

Mother Morrigna: Human Savage Bard 4/AotS 10/Ur-Priest 2/Mystic Theurge 4

[Amphetryon]

You've got something on your, uh, well, everywhere, really.


The Bloody Hands Butcher

http://th05.deviantart.net/fs10/PRE/i/2006/109/8/6/demon_knight_by_Edragon.jpg

The Background
He walks like an animal. Growls like an animal. Devours the young and weak like an animal. Butchers entire cities like......well, that's just not natural. - Lardarus, Druid of the Elderwood Circle.

What can be said of the Bloody Hands Butcher, what hasn't already been said? No-one knows where he came from, and no-one knows where hence he has departed to.
One day, he simply tore down the city gates of Newtown, slaughtered the local guard, hunted down the Court Mage and flayed his skin into a shawl, and then left. Next, he hit Summerhill, and the small village of Commoners had no chance. Even the children were not spared, their bodies tossed into the river like trash. The Bloody Hands Butcher eventually gained his grisly name from the bloody hand prints that are always left in plain sight at places he attacks, like on the town sign or on the door of the town hall.
Government-funded divinations can only reveal that he "Looks for what once griefed him, for who once bested and shamed him." Master Inquisitives have revealed that he wields the same greatsword once wielded by the famous Mage-Knight, Sir Michael Simmons.
The story makes sense, as Sir Michael was unceremoniously abandoned in the middle of battle by nearly his entire regiment of knights after they released they were outnumbered 10-to-1. Sir Michael was a good fighter, but he was never brilliant at choosing his fights.
While it's easy to think that Sir Michael made a deal with the devils to gain revenge, what people forget is that the enemy side were a band of marauders notorious for three things - a love of bloodshed, graverobbing, and dealing with just about anything foul hat can offer them power.
So that is where the facts end, and the ideas take over. Was he a man driven mad by the horrors of war? A punishment from the gods? A demon in mortal form?

All I know is, he's out to get us all, and has a good chance of succeeding.

The Build

CE Human Barbarian* 2/Hexblade** 4/Suel Arcanamach 4/Acolyte of the Skin 10
*Skilled City-Dweller ACF and Spiritual Totem (Lion) ACF
**Dark Companion ACF

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

1st|Barbarian 1|
+1|
+2|
+0|
+0|Intimidate 4, Jump 4, Listen 4, Survival 4, Tumble 4|Able Learner, Power Attack|Fast Movement, Illiteracy, Rage 1/day

2nd|Barbarian 2|
+2|
+3|
+0|
+0|Intimidate 5, Jump 5, Listen 5, Survival 5, Tumble 5|---|Uncanny Dodge

3rd|Hexblade 1|
+3|
+3|
+0|
+2|Concentration 3, Intimidate 5, Jump 5, Listen 5, Survival 5, Tumble 5|Iron Will|Hexblade's Curse 1/day

4th|Hexblade 2|
+4|
+3|
+0|
+3|Concentration 4, Intimidate 5, Jump 5, Listen 5, Spellcraft 1, Survival 5, Tumble 5|---|Arcane Resistance

5th|Hexblade 3|
+5|
+4|
+1|
+3|Concentration 4, Intimidate 5, Jump 5, Listen 5, Spellcraft 4, Survival 5, Tumble 5|---|Mettle

6th|Hexblade 4|
+6|
+4|
+1|
+4|Concentration 4, Intimidate 7, Jump 5, Listen 5, Spellcraft 5, Survival 5, Tumble 5|Combat Casting|Dark Companion

7th|Suel Arcanamach 1|
+6/+1|
+4|
+3|
+6|Concentration 6, Intimidate 8, Jump 5, Listen 5, Spellcraft 5, Survival 5, Tumble 5|---|Ignore Spell Failure Chance 5%, Tenacious Spells

8th|Suel Arcanamach 2|
+7/+2|
+4|
+4|
+7|Concentration 6, Intimidate 11, Jump 5, Listen 5, Spellcraft 5, Survival 5, Tumble 5, Never Outnumbered (Skill Trick)|---|Dispelling Strike 1/day

9th|Suel Arcanamach 3|
+8/+3|
+5|
+4|
+7|Concentration 6, Intimidate 11, Jump 5, Knowledge (The Planes) 5, Listen 5, Spellcraft 5, Survival 5, Tumble 5|Improved Bull Rush|Extended Spellstrength

10th|Suel Arcanamach 4|
+9/+4|
+5|
+5|
+8|Concentration 8, Intimidate 13, Jump 5, Knowledge (The Planes) 6, Listen 5, Spellcraft 5, Survival 5, Tumble 5|---|Ignore Spell Failure Chance 10%

11th|Acolyte of the Skin 1|
+9/+4|
+7|
+5|
+10|Concentration 10, Intimidate 14, Jump 5, Knowledge (The Planes) 6, Listen 5, Spellcraft 5, Survival 5, Tumble 5|---|Wear Fiend, Poison 1/day

12th|Acolyte of the Skin 2|
+10/+5|
+8|
+5|
+11|Concentration 11, Intimidate 15, Jump 5, Knowledge (The Planes) 6, Listen 5, Spellcraft 6, Survival 5, Tumble 5|Shock Trooper|Flame Resistant

13th|Acolyte of the Skin 3|
+11/+6/+1|
+8|
+6|
+11|Concentration 12, Intimidate 16, Jump 5, Knowledge (The Planes) 6, Listen 5, Spellcraft 6, Survival 5, Tumble 5|---|Fiendish Glare

14th|Acolyte of the Skin 4|
+12/+7/+2|
+9|
+6|
+12|Concentration 13, Intimidate 17, Jump 5, Knowledge (The Planes) 6, Listen 5, Spellcraft 7, Survival 5, Tumble 5|---|---

15th|Acolyte of the Skin 5|
+12/+7/+2|
+9|
+6|
+12|Concentration 14, Intimidate 18, Jump 5, Knowledge (The Planes) 6, Listen 5, Spellcraft 8, Survival 5, Tumble 5|Arcane Strike|Skin Adaptation, Poison 2/day

16th|Acolyte of the Skin 6|
+13/+8/+3|
+10|
+7|9
+13|Concentration 15, Intimidate 19, Jump 5, Knowledge (The Planes) 6, Listen 5, Spellcraft 9, Survival 5, Tumble 5|---|Cold Resistant

17th|Acolyte of the Skin 7|
+14/+9/+4|
+10|
+7|
+13|Concentration 16, Intimidate 20, Jump 5, Knowledge (The Planes) 6, Listen 5, Spellcraft 10, Survival 5, Tumble 5|---|Glare of the Pit

18th|Acolyte of the Skin 8|
+15/+10/+5|
+11|
+7|
+14|Concentration 17, Intimidate 21, Jump 5, Knowledge (The Planes) 6, Listen 5, Spellcraft 11, Survival 5, Tumble 5|Imperious Command|---

19th|Acolyte of the Skin 9|
+15/+10/+5|
+11|
+8|
+14|Concentration 18, Intimidate 22, Jump 5, Knowledge (The Planes) 6, Listen 5, Spellcraft 12, Survival 5, Tumble 5|---|Summon Fiend

20th|Acolyte of the Skin 10|
+16/+11/+6/+1|
+12|
+8|
+15|Concentration 19, Intimidate 23, Jump 5, Knowledge (The Planes) 6, Listen 5, Spellcraft 13, Survival 5, Tumble 5|---|Fiendish Symbiosis[/table]

Spells

Hexblade Spells:
Spell list of Disguise Self and Expeditious Retreat. Yeah. Best to stick with the wands.

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

7th|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

8th|1|0|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

9th|2|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

10th-11th|2|2|0|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

2th-13th|3|2|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

14th-15th|3|3|2|0|-|-|-|-|-|-

16th-17th|3|3|2|1|-|-|-|-|-|-

18th-19th|4|3|3|2|0|-|-|-|-|-

20th|4|4|3|2|1|-|-|-|-|-[/table]

Spell List
1st - Enlarge Person, Benign Transposition, Blade of Blood, Nerveskitter
2nd - Wraithstrike, Alter Self, Whirling Blade, Animalistic Power
3rd - Haste, Greater Mage Armor, Greater Magic Weapon
4th - Greater Mirror Image, Bite of the Werewolf
5th - Draconic Polymorph, Cloudkill

The listed spells here offer (I hope) a dash of all the best things - Battlefield Control, Self-Buffs and general WOW spells like Draconic Polymorph.

Build Notes/Level Breakdown
The Bloody Hands Butcher is a Gish-esque build that gains 5th level spells and 4 iterative attacks by 20th level, which isn't bad if I do say so myself. As well as charging into people and thwacking them with magic .

1st and 2nd level - You're a Barbarian. Hit things. Kill things. Have fun.
3rd to 6th level - You're a Barbarian.....WITH MAGIC. Don't necessarily use your Curse on the first turn, but wait until you see the guy who needs the most cursing and smack him with a Curse while he still thinks you're just a Thwack-Thwack Savage. At 6th level, you get your glorious Dark Companion, who you simply move to the gribbliest mook before cutting them to giblets.
7th to 10th level - You're a Barbarian......WITH MORE MAGIC! MORE! This is where things accelerate - You gain Never Outnumbered and actually consider using Intimidate in battle, you get access to lovely spells such as Wraithstrike and co., ASF reduction, dispelling strikes and EXTENDED SPELLSTRENGTH. YAY.
11th level onwards - More magic! MORE MAGIC! MOOOOORE! MAAAGIC! The Acolyte of the Skin class abilities nicely compliment your gishing and debuffing skills, with Poison's Con debuff, Fiendish Glare stunning your enemies. Natural Armor and Cold Resistances are also nice, so are the eye-rays, and the summon-able fiend is just cool. Then you become so evil and demon-skin-y that you become evil to THE MAX/an Outsider, and that's just awesome. :smallcool:

Ability Scores

Original Scores
STR - 16
DEX - 12
CON - 12
INT - 10
WIS - 10
CHA - 16

Score Increases per Level
4th - +1 Str
8th - +1 Cha
12th - +1 Str
16th - +1 Cha
20th - +1 Cha

Magic Items
The Bloody Hands Butcher wants stuff that boosts Charisma, Strength and Constitution, so a Belt of Magnificience (or individual stat boosters) would be nice. Fearsome enhancements for a good set of armour is cheap enough and suitable for this build, and any old two-hander is cool. But if I had to state key items, then it would be that Belt. But you don't REALLY need it, so no worries.

Sources Used
Core, Complete Arcane, Complete Champion, Complete Warrior, Drow of the Underdark, Player's Guide to Faerun, Player's Handbook II, Races of Destiny, Spell Compendium.

[Amphetryon]

Some liberties were taken with "permission to come aboard."



Captain Wyrmbeard the Damned
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a358/rodimus25/Chow75DemonPirate.jpg
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me.
We entangle and char and in flame and ignite.
Drink up me 'earties, yo ho.
We burn up the city, we're really a fright.
Drink up me 'earties, yo ho.

We're rascals and scoundrels, we're villians and knaves.
Drink up me 'earties, yo ho.
We're demons and black sheep, we're really bad eggs.
Drink up me 'earties, yo ho.
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life eternal.


River Drake (ECL 5)

A Rashemi youth, Wyrmbeard was always more fascinated by dragons then the traditional spirits of his country. In particular he revered the great aquatic dragons of green and black hues, who would lay under the water and ambush passing ships, bringing great wealth to their submerged hordes.

Finding out everything he could about them Wyrmbeard began the path of the Dragonfire Adept, learning to move about as easily underwater as he could on land. He began to pray upon the river traffic, burning ships from below and accumulating his treasures under the most treacherous undertows.

Wyrmbeard can move both on land and underwater, with aquatic adaptation giving him a swim speed and a good swim check. His breath weapon works both in the air and while submerged, making him good at attacking ships from below. He can breath both fire and cold allowing him to harm most foes, and do additional damage to those vulnerable. His breath can also entangle his foes if they take any damage at all, making him effective at locking down. This gets even more extreme when combined with his slowing breath, making it difficult for his enemies to move at all. If he is working with other bandits he can make them temporarily immune to his blasts, making him a good team player.

He usually carries around a few flasks of oil to soak people before setting them on fire. Oil is cheap, and is a ranged touch attack which makes hitting easier. Whenever he throws oil at somebody he triggers his frightful presence making his foes shaken and further debuffing them. This sets them up to then be intimidated further.

While he isn't that great of a sailor yet, he is great at destroying ships. Ships are composed of multiple sections. When sections take fire damage they risk catching on fire. The roll to resist catching on fire is a straight d20 roll. If a breath weapon is used on them, the DC that the ship has to roll against is the breath weapons reflex dc. Before items Wyrmbeard has a DC 16 breath weapon giving each section an 80 percent chance of catching on fire whenever it takes fire damage from Wyrmbeard's breath. Wyrmbeard can breath on three or more 10 by 10 sections at once.

If using entangling exhalation, Wyrmbeard's breath continues to damage for 1d4 rounds, so even if the section doesn't catch on fire at first, it will eventually. Once a section is on fire it takes 2d6 fire damage a round, burning all creatures on the section and may spread to separate sections. Thanks to aquatic adaptation Wyrmbeard's breath burns even under water letting him burn ships apart from below.

But Wyrmbard is good at more then sinking ships. He is also good at looting. His appraise modifier is +10, which, if he takes 10, lets him appraise the value of every single possible item in existence. He also can reliably identify most spells as they are cast, and make difficult knowledge planes and geography checks, helping him navigate. By taking 10 he is able to reliably use all functions of a Dimensional Sextant to find the nearest planar portals, letting him not only pirate ships in native Faerun, but all the prime material and other planes connected to the astral.


Acolyte-Reaver of Ashardalon (ECL 15)

In his studies of the planar dragons, Wyrmbeard heard the story of Ashardalon, the great Red Dragon who replaced his own heart with the heart of a Balor. Through doing so Ashardalon not only extended his life but augmented his own abilities with unnatural demonic power.

For years Wyrmbeard sought out the secrets of Ashardalon, plundering temples throughout the infinite layers of the Abyss and the endless prime material. In time he gained the secrets, but the rituals only worked for true dragons, not a pretender like himself. The power of Ashardalon was denied to him.

There was another way. The disciples of Ashardalon had records of a lesser ritual, said to be a less powerful derivative, where a mortal might gain a fraction of a true demonic hybrid. Instead of replacing the heart, the lesser ritual replaced the skin. It would have to do. Finding a willing demon took only time and the proper application of will. As Wyrmbeard donned the flesh, he continued his path of metamorphosis, now part human, part dragon, and part demon. All this to become the perfect interplanar pirate.

How does Acolyte of the Skin make him a better pirate? To start with Profession Sailor is a class skill. Before wearing a demon skin Wyrmbeard was more of a swimmer then a sailor, but to get the best ships you need a ship of your own. As an Acolyte he makes a damn good captain with full ranks in profession Sailor.

His new demonskin specifically increases natural armor, improving his Dragonfire Adept scales. Furthermore it grants him resistance to fire and cold. While 10 resistance might not seem like much, it actually is quite important for Wyrmbeard. Any resistance to fire gives complete immunity to lava. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/environment.htm) Letting him swim the lava seas of the plane of fire preying upon the wealthy Ifriit. Cold resistance also helps Wyrmbeard survive in freezing water and elemental seas of cold. His new 120 foot Darkvision helps him see in light-less planes and in the murky depths of countless oceans.

Acolyte of the Skin also continues the progression of Wyrmbeards breath weapon and invocations, giving him new spell like abilities to use and letting his breath do more damage. One of his best new invocations is Frightful Presence. Whenever he attacks an enemy or breaths upon them he can cast Frightful Presence as a swift action. This gives him a 30 foot save vs fear aura that is not HD dependent. When he uses it he is effecting all enemies within 30 feet with a spell, which then triggers his Dreadful Wrath frightful presence. Every single breath attack now comes with two will saves vs fear. (although the second can only effect a target once per day)

Of course before combat even begins, he likes to terrify the entire enemy force with a fiendish glare, making all enemies within 100 feet shaken no save, with a will save or be stunned. This is especially effective is the enemy has any low level crew members who are more effected by the stun. Combining these together he can push his enemies all the way to panicked without even breaking out Imperious Command and his +27 intimidate score before items.

Glare of the Pit can be used as a backup attack, for when Wyrmbeard wants to attack enemies outside of his breath weapon range. Wyrmbeard summons his personal Babau as a private scout whenever he arrives in a new plane of existence. The Babau teleports around the plane looking for large settlements or shipments to rob, before reporting the information back to Wyrmbeard.

In time Wyrmbeard fully merged with his demonskin. While martial weapon proficiency and no longer needing to eat or drink can be nice, Wyrmbeard's use of being an outsider goes further. Wyrmbeard has murdered and pillaged and betrayed his way across the planes. His soul was doomed to the Abyss. Now he doesn't have a soul.

As far as the twice a day poison? Wyrmbeard finds it better then whipping for keeping morale high.

Lastly, Wyrmbeard is now a Scourge of the (Planar) Seas. Whenever a captain sees his flag flying Wyrmbeard gets to make a free intimidate check against them. If Wyrmbeard succeeds the captain is frightened for 1d6x10 minutes and tries to get away. This is a perfect opening for Glare + Frightful Presence x2.

Many of his best Acolyte abilities only function once or twice a day. Wyrmbeard has a way around that however. From the Babau he learned the secrets of the Trickery Devotion, letting him make a semi-real duplicate of himself once a day, essentially doubling the uses of all his Acolyte abilities. The duplicate also lets him captain his ship and breath on the enemy ship at the same time.

With a spellcraft check of +20 or more Wyrmbeard can identify any spell that has already been cast, and can identify most spells that he has to make a saving throw against including ones that aren't immediately apparent such as Scry. His knowledge of the planes is at +20 or more, letting him make even the most difficult of planar knowledge checks, which should include the majority of things he encounters as he ravages the planes. A Profession Sailor of +19 or more lets him overcome nearly every possible obstacle. Lastly Wyrmbeard's spot score is high enough to spot invisible Astral Cords as they move through the Astral Plane.



Scourge of the Layers (ECL 20)

His metamorphosis complete, Wyrmbeard has resumed his quest to gain draconic power. Learning draconic secrets from the corpses and libraries of his enemies. He is now the most powerful pirate in the multiverse. Why is he the most powerful pirate?

Chilling Fog. Chilling Fog is an invocation that produces a Solid Fog that also does cold damage. Wyrmbeard can cast it at will, although he can only have one active at a time. What is so great about Solid Fog? Any ship in an area of Solid Fog has its speed reduced to five feet a round (Stormwrack 29) Wyrmbeard can cast it as often as he wants. Now nobody can escape. While they are stuck in the fog Wyrmbeard is free to breath on them and terrify them again and again.

It gets better. Thanks to void sense Wyrmbeard can see through the fog with his blind sense. Wyrmbeard can also move through the fog if he wishes, his resistance to cold protects him from the majority of the damage the fog causes.

Wyrmbeard also has innate flight, and can use his wings to knock over and knock back his opponents, pushing them off ships into seas, lava lakes, pools of acid bottomless pits or what not. Even other flying creatures are vulnerable to Wyrmbeard. If they use wings or a similar means of propulsion, Wyrmbeard's entangling breath can tie them up, making them unable to flap and meet their minimum forward speeds.

Wyrmbeard has increased his skills, letting him identify all spells as they are cast upon him, and all spells that have already been cast. He is a sailor without peer, and damn terrifying. He is also a master of languages, knowing Rashemi, Common, Draconic, Abyssal, Planar Cant, Ignan, Aquan, Auran, Terran, and Sylvan. No matter the plane, his enemies will understand him when he demands surrender.

Lastly he knows the secrets of thunder breath, letting him breath pure sound, ripping apart hulls, walls, the ground, and any creatures that were previously resistant to him. Few creatures are immune to sonic, and sonic does full damage to objects.


Sailing, Equipment, and Sources


Sailing the Conventional Seas

At the start of any ship to ship combat, the two captains roll opposed profession sailor checks. The captain who wins has advantage, and gets to react to his opponents moves. Advantage can switch later. Grappling, ramming, shearing and gaining advantage are all opposed profession sailor checks.

Ships can be either targeted as a whole, or specific sections. If a single hull section is destroyed the ship loses speed and risks sinking. The profession check to avoid sinking is 14 +4 for each destroyed section. As mentioned above Wyrmbeard can set multiple sections on fire, burning through hulls, crew and rigging, quickly sinking ships.

At ECL 15 he has +17 before equipment on profession sailor checks which is enough to negate most hazards and win most opposed rolls. He can keep a ship with four destroyed hull sections still floating. At higher levels he can survive more.

Wyrmbeard is also a decent navigator, able to hit the DC 17 checks to navigate the open ocean on a clear day and the DC 15 checks to navigate to distant yet familiar ports.

When pirating in lakes or oceans Wyrmbeards vessel of choice is a Pinnace (Stormwrack P. 101, 4,500 gp) It is one of the fastest ships available, with a small crew compliment, a 30 ton cargo hold and able to function at sea and near shore. If Wyrmbeard has raided Eberron through the Plane of Shadow he tries to get his Pinnace's made out of Soarwood (double speed) or Livewood(Living).


Sailing the Skies and Planes

Sometimes there is loot not located in the seas themselves. That's why Wyrmbeard like his ships to fly. It also helps if the ships can navigate between planes without the aid of portals or color pools. Two good ships to use are below:

Elven Wingship (Stormwrack 100) with a Flying Stronghold enchantment (Stronghold Builder's Guide 48) able to fly through the air at wind x 40 foot speed. It has three weapon mounts and thirty tons of cargo space. Cost: 55,000. If Wyrmbeard is able to reach the planes of Eberron through their connection in the Shadow Plane, or otherwise had knowledge and access to Soarwood (Eberron Campaign Setting 127) he might make a Soarwood version instead. Costing 175,000 and moving at double speed.

Living Astral Ship (Planar Handbook 73). The Living Astral Ship is a construct controlled mentally by the pilot. It travels through the Astral Plane at a speed equal to its pilots intelligence x10. In gravity it has a 40 foot (clumsy) fly speed. It isn't normally for sale, and could be the goal of an adventure or an act of piracy. As it is a creature, it is a valid target for Endure Exposure.

Usually when traveling between planes Captain Wyrmbeard uses a Dimensional Sextant (Manual of the Planes 22) to locate the nearest portal to his intended destination with a DC 20 Knowledge the planes check. After he plunders a few Githyanki Astral Skiffs he will invest in more reliable planar transportation and get a Planar Helm (Stormwrack 134 62,520). The Planar Helm lets him cast planar navigation twice a day, moving him, his ship and his crew to navigable water in another plane of existence.

One of the main areas of interplanar trade and transportation is the Astral Plane. Mages stretch their silver cords between worlds, astral caravans cross the planes, and the Githyanki in their skiffs and flying their red dragons hunt for prey.

Creatures can fly through the Astral Plane at a speed of 10x Intelligence Score. Before items Wyrmbeard has a fly speed of 140, after items it can get as high as 200. If that isn't enough speed Wyrmbeard takes Mushroom Powder(Vile Darkness 43) to increase his speed to 220. He can easily resist the addiction effects.

At that speed Wyrmbeard can out fly most creatures and ships, including the standard Astral Skiff that the Githyanki use (120 fly). Astral Caravans only have an apparent speed of 40 feet. If he can, Wyrmbeard will steal a Githyanki Silver Sword and sever cords for fun.

Githyanki will likely be some of his main adversaries. Many of them ride Red Dragons who they are allied with. Wyrmbeard's Dragonkin ability makes him immune to the frightful presence of dragons. His cold breath lets him do additional damage to red dragons. As his breath weapon is a supernatural ability, it ignores the spell resistance of both Red Dragons and Githyanki.


Equipment Options

Dimensional Sextant, Manual of the Planes-22, 21,600gp
Admiral's Bicorn, Stormwrack-131 51,000gp
Magnificent Captain's Coat, Stormwrack - 133, 11,000gp
Draught of Metabreath Magic, Draconomicon 83 variable
Draught of Metallic Metabreath, Draconomicon 83, 2,100gp
Mithril Twilight +1 Chain Shirt, Magic Item Compendium 15, 5,100 gp
Dragon Spirit Cincture, Magic Item Compendium 95, 2,000 gp
Also usual enhancement items, tomes and saving throw items.

Total Intimidate: 23 ranks, +2 synergy, +6 Beguiling Influence, +5 Admiral's Bicorn, +2 Morale, +8 Charisma, +2 Masterwork Hook Hand of Intimidate = +48 Intimidate

Total Profession Sailor: 23 Ranks, +5 Admiral's Bicorn, +2 Morale, +5 Magnificent Captain's Cloak, +2 Masterwork Pegleg of Sailing, -1 Wisdom =+36 Sailor

Knowledge Planes: 23 Ranks, +2 Morale, +2 Masterwork Travel Guide, +5 Intelligence = +32 Knowledge Planes

Sources:

Dragonfire Adept - Dragon Magic 24
Dragonfire Adept Invocations - Dragon Magic 77
Dragonfire Adept and Prestige Classes - Dragon Magic 24
Able Learner -Races of Destiny 150
Dreadful Wrath - Player's Guide to Faerun 38
Entangling Exhalation - Races of the Dragon 101
Imperious Command - Drow of the Underdark 50
Extra Invocation - Complete Arcane 79
Scourge of the Seas - Stormwrack 93
Trickery Devotion - Complete Champion 63



Captain's Log

Captain Brimstone the Demon Drake
Human Dragonfire Adept/Acolyte of the Skin
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Dragonfire Adept 1|
+0|
+2|
+0|
+2|Bluff 4 K. The Planes 4, K. Geography 4 Intimidate 4 Spellcraft 4 Appraise 4 Profession Sailor 2 Swim 2|Able Learner, Dreadful Wrath|Breath Weapon 1d6, Dragontouched, Aquatic Adaptation

2nd|Dragonfire Adept 2|
+1|
+3|
+0|
+3|Bluff 5 K. The Planes 5, K. Geography 5 Intimidate 5 Spellcraft 5 Appraise 5 Profession Sailor 2.5 Swim 2.5||Frost Breath, Scales +2

3rd|Dragonfire Adept 3|
+1|
+3|
+1|
+3|Speak Language: Draconic, K. The Planes 6, K. Geography 6 Intimidate 6 Spellcraft 6 Appraise 6 Profession Sailor 3 Swim 3|Entangling Exhalation|Breath Weapon 2d6, Endure Exposure

4th|Dragonfire Adept 4|
+2|
+4|
+1|
+4|Speak Language: Abyssal, K. The Planes 7, K. Geography 7 Intimidate 7 Spellcraft 7 Appraise 7 Profession Sailor 3.5 Swim 3.5||Dragonkin

5th|Dragonfire Adept 5|
+2|
+4|
+1|
+4|Speak Language: Planar Cant, K. The Planes 8, K. Geography 8 Intimidate 8 Spellcraft 8 Appraise 8 Profession Sailor 4 Swim 4||Breath Weapon 3d6, Slow Breath

6th|Acolyte of the Skin 1|
+2|
+6|
+1|
+6|Intimidate 9, Spellcraft 9, K. Planes 9, Profession Sailor 6|Imperious Command|Wear Fiend, Poison 1/day

7th|Acolyte of the Skin 2|
+3|
+7|
+1|
+7|Intimidate 10, Spellcraft 10, K. Planes 10, Profession Sailor 8||Flame Resistant, Frightful Presence

8th|Acolyte of the Skin 3|
+4|
+7|
+2|
+7|Intimidate 11, Spellcraft 11, K. Planes 11, Profession Sailor 10||Fiendish Glare

9th|Acolyte of the Skin 4|
+5|
+8|
+2|
+8|Intimidate 12, Spellcraft 12, K. Planes 12, Profession Sailor 12|Extra Invocation:Beguiling Influence|Breath Weapon +4d6

10th|Acolyte of the Skin 5|
+5|
+8|
+2|
+8|Intimidate 13, Spellcraft 13, K. Planes 13, Profession Sailor 13, Swim 5||Skin Adaptation, Poison 2/Day

11th|Acolyte of the Skin 6|
+6|
+9|
+3|
+9|Intimidate 14, Spellcraft 14, K. Planes 14, Profession Sailor 14, Swim 6||Cold Resistant, Void Sense

12th|Acolyte of the Skin 7|
+7|
+9|
+3|
+9|Intimidate 15, Spellcraft 15, K. Planes 15, Profession Sailor 15, Swim 7|Scourge of the Seas|Glare of the Pit

13th|Acolyte of the Skin 8|
+8|
+10|
+3|
+10|Intimidate 16, Spellcraft 16, K. Planes 16, Profession Sailor 16, Swim 8||Breath Weapon +5d6

14th|Acolyte of the Skin 9|
+8|
+10|
+4|
+10|Speak Language: Ignan Intimidate 17, Spellcraft 17, K. Planes 17, Profession Sailor 17||Summon Fiend

15th|Acolyte of the Skin 10|
+9|
+11|
+4|
+11|Intimidate 18, Spellcraft 18, K. Planes 18, Profession Sailor 18, Swim 9|Trickery Devotion|Fiendish Symbiosis

16th|Dragonfire Adept 6|
+10|
+12|
+5|
+12|Speak Language Aquan, Intimidate 19, Spellcraft 19, K. Planes 19, Profession Sailor 19, Spot 2 ||DR 2/Magic, Chilling Fog, Breath Weapon +6d6

17th|Dragonfire Adept 7|
+10|
+12|
+5|
+13|Speak Language Infernal, Intimidate 20, Spellcraft 20, K. Planes 20, Profession Sailor 20, Spot 4||

18th|Dragonfire Adept 8|
+11|
+13|
+5|
+13|Speak Language Auran, Intimidate 21, Spellcraft 21, K. Planes 21, Profession Sailor 21, Spot 6|Extra Invocation: Draconic Flight|Scales +3, Wingstorm

19th|Dragonfire Adept 9|
+11|
+13|
+6|
+13|Speak Language Terran, Intimidate 22, Spellcraft 22, K. Planes 22, Profession Sailor 22, Spot 8||Breath Weapon 7d6

20th|Dragonfire Adept 10|
+12|
+14|
+6|
+14|Speak Language Sylvan, Intimidate 23, Spellcraft 23, K. Planes 23, Profession Sailor 23, Spot 10||Breath Weapon Range Doubles, Thunder Breath[/table]
Strength 8
Dexterity 14 +2 Inherent(Class) = 16
Con 16 +4 Level, +6 Enhancement, +2 Inherent(Class) = 28
Intelligence 14 +6 Enhancement = 20
Wisdom 8
Charisma 16 +6 Enhancement +1 Level +3 Inherent = 26

[Amphetryon]

Look out! It's a. . . what the. . . .?




"Fearmonger" Ash'okk Lar

http://i452.photobucket.com/albums/qq244/Toru_Uchiha/demon_knight_by_nebezial.jpg

Build Overview and Stats:
Final Build:
CE Skarn Fighter 2/Paladin of Slaughter 4/Acolyte of the Skin 10/Thrall of Juiblex 4

Un-adjusted Stat Scores:
STR 16, DEX 8, CON 14, INT 13, WIS 13, CHA 14

Adjusted for Skarn Stats:
STR 18, DEX 6, CON 14, INT 13, WIS 13, CHA 14

Level-up Stat bonuses are applied as follows:

4th: CHA
8th: WIS
12th: INT
16th: STR
20th: STR


Build Breakdown:

ASH'OKK LAR
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features
1st|Fighter 1|
+1|
+2|
+0|
+0|Intimidate 4 ranks, Knowledge (planes) 4 ranks, Spellcraft 4 ranks|Power Attack (fighter bonus), Keeper of Forbidden Lore|Bonus Feat
2nd|Fighter 2|
+2|
+3|
+0|
+0|Escape Artist 0.5 ranks, Intimidate 5 ranks, Knowledge (planes) 5 ranks, Spellcraft 4 ranks|Improved Bull Rush (fighter bonus)|Bonus Feat
3rd|Fighter 2/Paladin of Slaughter 1|
+3|
+5|
+0|
+0|Escape Artist 1 rank, Intimidate 6 ranks, Knowledge (planes) 6 ranks, Spellcraft 4 ranks|Willing Deformity|Aura of Evil, detect good, smite good 1/day
4th|Fighter 2/Paladin of Slaughter 2|
+4|
+6|
+0|
+0|Escape Artist 1.5 ranks, Intimidate 7 ranks, Knowledge (planes) 7 ranks, Spellcraft 4 ranks||Divine Grace, Deadly Touch
5th|Fighter 2/Paladin of Slaughter 3|
+5|
+6|
+1|
+1|Escape Artist 2 ranks, Intimidate 8 ranks, Knowledge (planes) 8 ranks, Spellcraft 4 ranks||Debilitating aura, Divine Health
6th|Fighter 2/Paladin of Slaughter 4|
+6|
+7|
+1|
+1|Escape Artist 2.5 ranks, Intimidate 9 ranks, Knowledge (planes) 9 ranks, Spellcraft 4 ranks|Practised Spellcaster (Paladin)|Rebuke Undead
7th|Fighter 2/Paladin of Slaughter 4/Acolyte of the Skin 1|
+6|
+9|
+1|
+3|Escape Artist 3 ranks, Intimidate 10 ranks, Knowledge (planes) 10 ranks, Spellcraft 4 ranks||Wear Fiend (demonic), poison 1/day
8th|Fighter 2/Paladin of Slaughter 4/Acolyte of the Skin 2|
+7|
+10|
+1|
+4|Escape Artist 3.5 ranks, Intimidate 11 ranks, Knowledge (planes) 11 ranks, Spellcraft 4 ranks||Flame Resistant, +1 spellcasting level
9th|Fighter 2/Paladin of Slaughter 4/Acolyte of the Skin 3|
+8|
+10|
+2|
+4|Escape Artist 4 ranks, Intimidate 12 ranks, Knowledge (planes) 12 ranks, Spellcraft 4 ranks|Shock Trooper|Fiendish Glare
10th|Fighter 2/Paladin of Slaughter 4/Acolyte of the Skin 4|
+9|
+11|
+2|
+5|Escape Artist 4.5 ranks, Intimidate 13 ranks, Knowledge (planes) 13 ranks, Spellcraft 4 ranks||+1 spellcasting level
11th|Fighter 2/Paladin of Slaughter 4/Acolyte of the Skin 5|
+9|
+11|
+2|
+5|Escape Artist 5 ranks, Intimidate 14 ranks, Knowledge (planes) 14 ranks, Spellcraft 4 ranks||Skin Adaptation, poison 2/day
12th|Fighter 2/Paladin of Slaughter 4/Acolyte of the Skin 6|
+10|
+12|
+3|
+6|Escape Artist 5 ranks, Intimidate 15 ranks, Knowledge (arcana) 1 rank, Knowledge (planes) 15 ranks, Spellcraft 5 ranks|Imperious Command|Cold Resistance, +1 spellcasting level
13th|Fighter 2/Paladin of Slaughter 4/Acolyte of the Skin 7|
+11|
+12|
+3|
+6|Escape Artist 5 ranks, Intimidate 16 ranks, Knowledge (arcana) 2 rank, Knowledge (planes) 16 ranks, Spellcraft 6 ranks||Glare of the Pit
14th|Fighter 2/Paladin of Slaughter 4/Acolyte of the Skin 8|
+12|
+13|
+3|
+7|Escape Artist 5 ranks, Intimidate 17 ranks, Knowledge (arcana) 3 rank, Knowledge (planes) 17 ranks, Spellcraft 7 ranks||+1 spellcasting level
15th|Fighter 2/Paladin of Slaughter 4/Acolyte of the Skin 9|
+12|
+13|
+4|
+7|Escape Artist 5 ranks, Intimidate 18 ranks, Knowledge (arcana) 4 rank, Knowledge (planes) 18 ranks, Spellcraft 8 ranks|Thrall to Demon|Summon fiend (babau)
16th|Fighter 2/Paladin of Slaughter 4/Acolyte of the Skin 10|
+13|
+14|
+4|
+8|Escape Artist 5 ranks, Intimidate 19 ranks, Knowledge (arcana) 5 rank, Knowledge (planes) 19 ranks, Spellcraft 9 ranks||Fiendish Symbiosis, +1 spellcasting level
17th|Fighter 2/Paladin of Slaughter 4/Acolyte of the Skin 10/Thrall of Juiblex 1|
+14|
+16|
+6|
+10|Disguise 1 rank, Escape Artist 5 ranks, Intimidate 20 ranks, Knowledge (arcana) 5 rank, Knowledge (planes) 20 ranks, Spellcraft 10 ranks||Sickening Slime
18th|Fighter 2/Paladin of Slaughter 4/Acolyte of the Skin 10/Thrall of Juiblex 2|
+15|
+17|
+7|
+11|Disguise 2 ranks, Escape Artist 5 ranks, Intimidate 21 ranks, Knowledge (arcana) 5 rank, Knowledge (planes) 21 ranks, Spellcraft 11 ranks|Frightful Presence|Corrosive Slime
19th|Fighter 2/Paladin of Slaughter 4/Acolyte of the Skin 10/Thrall of Juiblex 3|
+16|
+17|
+7|
+11|Disguise 3 ranks, Escape Artist 5 ranks, Intimidate 22 ranks, Knowledge (arcana) 5 rank, Knowledge (planes) 22 ranks, Spellcraft 12 ranks||Summon Ooze
20th|Fighter 2/Paladin of Slaughter 4/Acolyte of the Skin 10/Thrall of Juiblex 4|
+17|
+18|
+8|
+12|Disguise 4 ranks, Escape Artist 5 ranks, Intimidate 23 ranks, Knowledge (arcana) 5 rank, Knowledge (planes) 23 ranks, Spellcraft 13 ranks||Contagion, Alter Self[/table]

In addition as part of his Paladin of Slaughter training at level 3 he would have been thrown into a Otyugh Hole. The bonus feat he would gain from this would be Skill Focus (Intimidate).


Spells:

Paladin of Slaughter Spells per day (includes bonus spells for base WIS of 14)
{table=head]Level|0lvl|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th|7th|8th|9th
1st|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
2nd|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
3rd|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
4th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
5th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
6th|-|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
7th|-|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
8th|-|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
9th|-|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
10th|-|2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
11th|-|2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
12th|-|2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
13th|-|2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
14th|-|2|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
15th|-|2|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
16th|-|2|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
17th|-|2|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
18th|-|2|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
19th|-|2|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
20th|-|2|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-[/table]

Typical Spells Prepared (at level 20, assuming bonus spells from WIS of 14):

1st:Protection from Good, Divine Favour
2nd:Undetectable Alignment


Tactics

5th level:
At 5th level Ash'okk is a fairly standard melee combatant for his level. Charge in, Power Attack the enemies with weakest armour, and use a two-handed weapon. His Divine Grace feature helps bump up his poor Ref and Will saves slightly. His Deadly Touch ability is mildly useful, but is only much use to finish off the already dying. The majority of his damage at these levels will come from Power Attacking.

10th level:
At 10th level Ash'okk has gained some very minor Paladin of Slaughter spellcasting, which he can use to protect himself from Good. This is very minor though, and his low Will saves mean he’s very vulnerable to domination. As a good point however he now has some minor resistance to fire, can use his Fiendish Gaze to try and stun troublesome opponents. His tactics remain primarily the same – charge, full attack, and use his Deadly Touch to kill opponents who he has disabled. Shock Trooper has given his damage output a hefty boost though, and his high HP means that he can afford to take a few hits.

15th level:
At 15th level Ash'okk has almost completed his merging with the skin, and as such has nearly all the abilities it grants. Imperious Command is now available for him to Demoralize strong opponents and render them cowering, Shock Trooper with his high BAB allows him to deal large amounts of damage on a charge or full attack, and he should now be able to cast Undetectable Alignment to prevent him from being detected by Paladins. He can also now use Glare of the Pit to soften up strong enemies before he charges them, and his Summon Fiend ability can summon a Babau to flank his opponents and Sneak Attack them.

20th level:
At 20th level Ash'okk’s full power has been unlocked. He has become an Outsider, and the Alter Self ability of Thrall of Juiblex allows him to mimic the appearance of other beings to disguise himself. His Sickening Slime also provides a potential small debuff – but his major advantages now are his Alter Self ability in conjunction with the Outsider type, his Frightful Presence (allowing him to demoralize weaker enemies when he attacks or charges, in combination with Imperious Command to render them cowering), and his high BAB in combination with Shock Trooper. If necessary he can also use his Summon Ooze ability as a secondary flanker or a distraction. This allows him to charge a powerful enemy with Shock Trooper, activate Frightful Presence and demoralize weaker enemies around him easily.


Background

Background:
A somewhat “loose cannon” mercenary, Ash’okk was born a Skarn amongst a village of humans. Growing up he quickly took to the sword, slaughtering three bandits when his village was attacked at the age of 18. At the urging of his parents he enlisted in the cohort of a paladin from a far-off land, Sir Rekton the Valorous, but was dismissed after three missions (to rescue a maiden from kobolds, to stop an army of lizardmen from conglomerating, and to negotiate for the lives of some hostages a group of bandits had taken) for excessive violence and cruelty.

Cast out from the mercenary company, over fifty miles from his home, and bereft of his armour and weapons he wandered. Near dead from exhaustion he dropped to the ground, willing to give up and die… and fell into the ruins of a buried house. Landing face-first in a patch of green slime, he howled as it ate away his face, scarring it permanently – but he lived, and managed to pull himself out of the house. Only to look up and to see a black-shrouded figure, sword drawn staring down at him, muttering eldritch words that rang a bell. The words of the Detect Good spell… no, wait. The words of the Detect Good spell reversed?

Upon assessing he was not a threat the figure dragged him through the scrub to his camp, where he demanded to know why Ash’okk had defiled the holy symbol of his lord by falling into it. Upon some discussion he ascertained it was an accident, and explained himself as a Paladin of Slaughter in the service of the Faceless Lord Juiblex. He was learning how to bind the skin of a demon over his own to allow him to service his Lord better. Upon inquiring about the benefits Juiblex granted to his worshippers he gave a great and terrible smile, and the Paladin agreed to teach him… after he survived a week in an Otyugh Hole filled with slimes and jellies.

He survived. Upon completion of the week he emerged, heart filled with hatred and arm slashed with the symbol of the Faceless Lord, ready to serve as a Paladin of Juiblex – and ready to work his way into the service of his Lord by becoming one of his most fervent worshippers.


As a side note:
As a side note, this guy at level 20 would be really creepy. A spiked, slime-oozing scarred madman with demonic skin and horns running at you screaming madly?

[Amphetryon]

Good for an evil cause, or Evil for a good cause?


The Sacred Demon
The Build

Point Buy: 8/12/14/12/10/18
Final Array (level 1): 8/12/14/12/12/20
Final Array (Final): 8/14/16/12/12/24

Lesser Aasimar Sorcerer/Malconvoker/Acolyte of the Skin

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

1st|Sorcerer 1|
+0|
+0|
+0|
+2|Bluff 4, Knowledge: The Planes 4, Speak Language: Infernal 2, Concentration 2|Spell Focus: Conjuration|Divine Companion, +1 Casting

2nd|Sorcerer 2|
+1|
+0|
+0|
+3|Bluff 5, Knowledge: The Planes 5, Concentration 3||+1 Casting

3rd|Sorcerer 3|
+1|
+1|
+1|
+3|Bluff 6, Knowledge: The Planes 6, Concentration 4|Augment Summoning|+1 Casting

4th|Sorcerer 4|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+4|Bluff 7, Knowledge: The Planes 7, Concentration 5||+1 Casting

5th|Sorcerer 5|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+4|Bluff 8, Knowledge: The Planes 8, Concentration 6||+1 Casting

6th|Malconvoker 1|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+6|Bluff 9, Knowledge: The Planes 9, Concentration 7|Celestial Bloodline|Deceptive Summoning, Unrestricted Conjuration

7th|Malconvoker 2|
+3|
+1|
+1|
+7|Bluff 10, Knowledge: The Planes 9, Concentration 8, Spellcraft 1||Planar Binding, +1 Casting

8th|Acolyte of the Skin 1|
+3|
+3|
+1|
+9|Bluff 10, Knowledge: The Planes 9, Concentration 9, Spellcraft 2, Intimidate 2||Wear Fiend, poison 1/day

9th|Acolyte of the Skin 2|
+4|
+4|
+1|
+10|Bluff 10, Knowledge: The Planes 9, Concentration 9, Spellcraft 3, Intimidate 4|Empower Spell-like Ability|Flame resistant, +1 Casting

10th|Acolyte of the Skin 3|
+5|
+4|
+2|
+10|Bluff 10, Knowledge: The Planes 9, Concentration 9, Spellcraft 4, Intimidate 5||Fiendish Glare

11th|Acolyte of the Skin 4|
+6|
+5|
+2|
+11|Bluff 10, Knowledge: The Planes 10, Concentration 10, Spellcraft 4, Intimidate 6||+1 Casting

12th|Acolyte of the Skin 5|
+6|
+5|
+2|
+11|Bluff 10, Knowledge: The Planes 11, Concentration 11, Spellcraft 4, Intimidate 7|Practiced Spellcaster|Skin adaptation, poison 2/day

13th|Acolyte of the Skin 6|
+7|
+6|
+3|
+12|Bluff 10, Knowledge: The Planes 12, Concentration 12, Spellcraft 4, Intimidate 8||Cold Resistant, +1 Casting

14th|Acolyte of the Skin 7|
+8|
+6|
+3|
+12|Bluff 10, Knowledge: The Planes 13, Concentration 13, Spellcraft 4, Intimidate 9||Glare of the pit

15th|Acolyte of the Skin 8|
+9|
+7|
+3|
+13|Bluff 10, Knowledge: The Planes 14, Concentration 14, Spellcraft 4, Intimidate 10|Maximize Spell-like ability (Poison)|+1 Casting

16th|Acolyte of the Skin 9|
+9|
+7|
+4|
+13|Bluff 10, Knowledge: The Planes 15, Concentration 15, Spellcraft 4, Intimidate 11||Summon fiend

17th|Acolyte of the Skin 10|
+10|
+8|
+4|
+14|Bluff 10, Knowledge: The Planes 16, Concentration 16, Spellcraft 4, Intimidate 12||Fiendish symbiosis, +1 Casting

18th|Malconvoker 3|
+10|
+9|
+5|
+14|Bluff 13+3, Knowledge: The Planes 16, Concentration 16, Spellcraft 4, Intimidate 12|Extend Supernatural Ability (Fiendish Glare), Skill focus (Bluff)|Skill focus (Bluff), +1 Casting

19th|Malconvoker 4|
+11|
+9|
+5|
+15|Bluff 16+3, Knowledge: The Planes 16, Concentration 16, Spellcraft 4, Intimidate 12||Deceptive Summons (Fury), +1 Casting

20th|Malconvoker 5|
+11|
+9|
+5|
+15|Bluff 17+3, Knowledge: The Planes 16, Concentration 16, Spellcraft 4, Intimidate 13||Fiendish Legion, +1 Casting[/table]






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

1st|5|5|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

2nd|6|6|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

3rd|6|7|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

4th|6|8|4|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

5th|6|8|5|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

6th|6|8|5|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

7th|6|8|6|4|-|-|-|-|-|-

8th|6|8|7|4|-|-|-|-|-|-

9th|6|8|8|5|-|-|-|-|-|-

10th|6|8|8|5|-|-|-|-|-|-

11th|6|8|8|6|4|-|-|-|-|-

12th|6|8|8|6|4|-|-|-|-|-

13th|6|8|8|7|5|-|-|-|-|-

14th|6|8|8|7|5|-|-|-|-|-

15th|6|8|8|7|6|4|-|-|-|-

16th|6|8|8|8|6|4|-|-|-|-

17th|6|8|8|8|7|5|-|-|-|-

18th|6|8|8|8|7|6|4|-|-|-

19th|6|8|8|8|7|7|5|-|-|-

20th|6|8|8|8|7|7|6|4|-|-[/table]

The above accounts for bonus spells from having a high Charisma score, and assumes all level-up points are put into Charisma.


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

1st|4|2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

2nd|5|2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

3rd|5|3|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

4th|6|3|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

5th|6|4|2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

6th|7|5|3|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

7th|8|5|3|2|-|-|-|-|-|-

8th|8|5|3|2|-|-|-|-|-|-

9th|8|6|4|3|-|-|-|-|-|-

10th|8|6|4|3|-|-|-|-|-|-

11th|9|6|4|3|2|-|-|-|-|-

12th|9|6|4|3|2|-|-|-|-|-

13th|9|6|5|4|3|-|-|-|-|-

14th|9|6|5|4|3|-|-|-|-|-

15th|10|6|5|4|3|3|-|-|-|-

16th|10|6|5|4|3|3|-|-|-|-

17th|10|6|6|5|4|4|-|-|-|-

18th|10|6|6|5|4|4|2|-|-|-

19th|10|6|6|5|5|4|3|2|-|-

20th|10|6|6|5|5|4|3|2|-|-[/table]

The above includes bonus spells known from Malconvoker and the Celestial Heritage feat.

The Story
What you are reading now, I promise, is a true tale. It may not be an exciting one, but it sheds some light on that mysterious figure, simultaneously a hero and a monster, who we’ve taken to calling The Sacred Demon.

I remember vividly the day that my searching paid off; it was an ordinary spring afternoon, and my journey had brought me to a desert that I won’t be naming, at the request of the man. I walked through the sparse wasteland, despite the obvious warning signs of a coming sandstorm. I’d like to say that it struck without warning, but it was my own hubris that kept me out of shelter when it arrived, and it was a powerful sandstorm. I was nearly buried in that desert, with nothing to show for having nearly lost my life, until a strange robed man shouted for me to follow him. I did as he asked (not that I had any other choice), and he pulled me into a hole which he procured from nowhere. In the blink of an eye, I was no longer in the desert, instead in an almost disturbingly calm void, with nothing but the other person to be seen. “A-are you...?” I choked out, fighting past the fear I was feeling.

“I can’t pretend to know for certain what you were going to ask me,” he began after I failed to finish my question, “but I do believe that this should be enough to let you know, no?” He lowered his hood, and I saw the face of the man who had saved me. Thinking back, I wish I hadn’t. I want to preface my description by saying this man almost single-handedly disproves physiognomy, for if he were as depraved as his appearance would lead one to believe, there would be no question as to whether or not he was a benefit to our world. His face was as if he was wearing a mask, almost; the left half was beautiful, almost too much so, with horribly pale skin that looked as though it had never seen sunlight and, while the right half was a disgusting red, covered in scars, burns, and grotesque growths. Separating them was something that I can’t even begin to describe; it was as though either side of his face was its own plane, and between them was a thing border of absolutely nothing. Some time later, he put his hood back up, and I found myself painfully aware of the fact that I had been staring at him. I tried to stammer out an apology, but he stopped me. “I’m quite aware of the fact that I’m an abomination of nature at the moment... it’s a sordid story, one that I believe you came to hear.” I told him that yes, I had come to learn the true story of how he had come to be, and he informed me that he would answer any questions I had to the best of his ability, with a warning that he’d lived a tortured life far longer than many mortals and that his memory was, as a consequence, a bit warped at times.

So I began, as was logical, at the beginning. How had his life started? He told me that he was once a nearly ordinary magician, having inherited an innate magical potency from his father, who was descended from Archons. I asked who his father was, but he just shook his head and refused to answer, saying that he did not wish to tarnish his father’s name by forging a public connection between them. He apologized profusely for going back on his word, but I assured him that I understood, and he agreed to continue. He further explained that, with such a heritage, he was all but born to be a hero. “When most people do something good, they get a ‘warm fuzzy feeling’, but when I do otherwise, I feel as though my soul is being torn from me,” I remember him saying. He told me tales of heroic deeds he had performed, but he seemed terribly distant as he did so, as though he were relating a tale he had studied extensively for the sole purpose of knowing.

For the first five levels of your career, you’re a pretty standard sorcerer, although your charisma is pretty painful for whoever’s on the receiving end of your spells. Between the charisma and the spell focus, and conjuration spell you cast that requires a save will have a DC of 15 plus the spell level. Granted, there’s not too many of them that are that good, but the option’s there. You’ve also got a good bluff skill for when you need to get people to believe you, and stuff.

Why the Divine Companion feature instead of some other ACF? It’s largely for flavor; fluff it as being able to give up your own innate spellcasting power to channel the divine power to which you are connected by heritage. The healing and defensive augmentation you can get from it isn’t overwhelmingly amazing, but it can be good to have as a backup option.

“But no matter what I did, I never felt as though I was living up to my birthright. Every act of heroism I performed eased the emptiness I felt less and less. My father explained that all beings of heavenly descent suffer in such a way, because their true duty is to fight the Fiendish armies of the Nine Hells.” Under the hood, I saw the man’s right eye glow with infernal hatred, and he began to writhe in agony. After a few moments, in which I tried desperately to aid him, he recovered, though he was thoroughly exhausted. “This is where I began my journey to where I am now. It isn’t a pleasant story. If you want, you can leave now, and forget this all happened.” Having spent four years tracking him down, of course, I refused his offer, and he continued his story. He told me of how, one day some months after that conversation with his father, he found a curious book in his possession. It described how one could manipulate fiends into fighting their own kind, turning the forces of evil against themselves, and went into great depths on the matter and a discussion on the morality of such actions. He read the book from cover to cover, and did so endlessly for weeks. He came to the conclusion that such a process would be his contribution to the war against the Hells, and he began the process of utilizing the magics he had studied, summoning a demon by the name of Ta’ligul.

“I believe I can take over from here,” a truly horrid voice from under his hood said. It burned into my mind, and what he said remains there to this day; I can recall it effortlessly. “Yes, he called on me, expecting to be able to bind me to his will effortlessly. I’ll admit, he had a knack for such magics, but I was much more powerful than he anticipated, not that he knew his spell had failed. Instead of showing my hand at that moment, I began a plan to corrupt him. I explained to him how his form reeked of celestial taint, that no demon would willingly serve him. Of course, if he were to hide his origin, he could do as he wished, and bend them to his will. I just happened to know a procedure to do just that.” The voice described with glee the tortuous process that he subjected the young mage to, something that I will take to my grave, lest another person have it haunt their dreams (or even worse, attempt such a procedure). When the ritual had finished, the demon and the angel-spawn shared the same body. For years, Ta’ligul gave him access to powers that would strike down any vile man that stood before him, either by destroying his body or by by destroying his soul. The man’s attitude did not survive unscathed, however; his heart slowly hardened to the suffering of those around him, and he began to use force to make sure his will was enacted. As he relied more and more on what Ta’ligul gave him access to, he neglected his own magical prowess equally so.

Eventually, you set out on the path of a Malconvoker. The placement of these levels are pretty fluid (go see the adaptation section for a bit more detail), but the first few levels get you the ability to summon those demons without going evil, and with Augment Summoning they’re pretty decent. Summoning is a decent thing for you to do, but unless you move the other Malconvoker levels up, you’re going to want to keep it as a bonus thing, rather than focus on it as your main shtick. It’s about at this point that you start taking your Acolyte of the Skin levels, too. What do you get from it?


Poison as an SLA. 1d10 Con damage, with a fairly potent save. Lots of things are immune, but it’s a serious hit on anything that isn’t (especially with the meta-SLA feats you take).
Small bonus to Dexterity and Constitution, as well as natural armor; not unwelcome.
Slight fire resistance and cold resistance. This and the above are a bit underwhelming, but they’re not bad.
Fiendish Glare. This and Poison are probably the best things you get from this PrC: anybody in range gets shaken, no save. The stunning, with a pretty massive DC, is icing on the cake, but unlikely to last long unless you’ve weakened the targets beforehand. A shame it’s only once a day.
Glare of the Pit. 8d6 twice is pretty underwhelming when you pick it up, but never look a gift horse in the mouth.
Summon Fiend is a decent ability that unfortunately doesn’t benefit from your Malconvoker abilities. The limited choice of fiend (that is, no choice) bites, though.
Fiendish Symbiosis: become an outsider, and get some decent DR.

Finish off your malconvoker levels, and that’s pretty much that.

“By the time I realized that he was influencing my actions, I was in far too deep,” the man said, in his original voice. “And it took me far too long as it was. Why did I not realize what was happening until I was the recipient of human sacrifices, seeking dark powers of their own?”

“Because you are weak,” the voice answered. The man merely sighed and continued his tale. At this point, most people who will be reading this account will know the story, but not the reason behind it. Ta’ligul seized control of the man’s body for great periods of time, and committed the horrible acts for which The Sacred Demon was known. For years, the foul creature used his powers, combined the those of the man, to spread havoc throughout the realm, resting only when the body was ready to collapse from the injuries it had sustained. It was in these moments that the man began to formulate a way to regain control of his body, to atone for his sins. He studied and schemed, despite the fact that his body was far past the point where mortal men would have died several times over, and eventually managed to finish the spell that he had begun nearly a century earlier.

“But, as you can see, it didn’t work,” both entities said at the same time. “The fact that our bodies were bound to each other interracted oddly with the spell, causing us to become the creature you see before us.” The horrible voice echoed with glee, while the man spoke with a reserved sorrow; their combination was unnerving. “For the majority of the time, the body is torn between us, unable to do anything meaningful... occasionally, however, one of us will slip up, and the other manages to seize control.”

“As I did, when I rescued you from the sandstorm,” the man said. We spoke for some time after that, though that conversation contains nothing of interest to the public. After what seemed like days, the man finally informed me that the sandstorm was over, that I could leave. I gathered the notes I had taken and left the poor, pitiable soul to his tortured existence, with several promises regarding the publication of my findings. Before anybody reads these notes and decides to ask me for the man’s location, I must warn you that he insisted I not reveal it to anybody, no matter their reason for wanting to know, and I fully intend to respect his wishes. A long overdue final wish for a man whose spirit died a lifetime ago.

And, that’s The Sacred Demon. If I had to pick a point at which he’s best, I’d say around level 10 or so; you haven’t lost enough caster levels to be hindered, and you’ve also picked of Fiendish Glare and Poison. Your tactics stay pretty much the same throughout the build: be a caster, focus on conjurations (and, when possible, augment your abilities with summons). As you pick up the better AotS abilities, you want to focus on them a bit more. Poison can be useful for taking out a single enemy, especially if you use your sorcerer spells to deliver it and get out. Fiendish glare debuffs pretty much anybody around you, and can stack well with other fear effects if you want to go that route. You end up with a caster level of 18, and seventh level spells, with a few assorted goodies. You’re not as powerful as somebody who went straight caster, but the abilities you pick up from AotS can help fill the gap somewhat.


Adaptation
If your DM allows Dragon Magazine, check out Aligned Spellcaster or School Mastery from Dragon #357. School Mastery bumps up the Dexterity and Wisdom of anything you summon, which isn’t much of a boost, but is something. Aligned Spellcaster, however, is quite tasty. If your DM is willing to ignore the non-good requirement of Acolyte of the Skin, be Neutral Good and take it; it makes all of your non-[Evil] spells [Good], gives you +1 caster level to [Good] spells, and gives you an extra +1 if you cast the spell on an Evil-subtype creature (that is, most of what you summon). It bumps your caster level up to a full 20 if you’re casting buffs on your evil summons. If you can’t get that, then consider either Chaotic Neutral or Lawful Neutral; have either a demonic or diabolic skin and summon the other group exclusively. You get the same boost then, and it adds an extra interesting bit of conflict on the Law/Chaos axis as your skin manipulates you into aiding their side of the Blood War. Regardless, these both require you to give up your familiar, which means you also give up Divine Companion.

Fractional BAB and Saves helps you out a bit, if your DM does that; you’ll lose a bit of your Will save, but it’s already pretty massive, and instead gain a point of BAB, a point of Fortitude, and a point of Reflex. Not exactly the most helpful, but extra BAB for landing those touch attacks is always nice, and you’re unlikely to fail a Will save.

If you want to, you could very easily move the last three Malconvoker levels to before the Acolyte of the Skin levels. This helps you get into the demon summoning shtick quicker, and makes it more effective as well. It also helps you get your bluff checks higher a bit sooner, which is good because you definitely don’t want to fail those, and delays the slight drop-off in power from Acolyte of the Skin. Alternately, you could put all of the Malconvoker levels at the back end of the build, letting you delay Spell Focus and Augment Summoning. Honestly, you could put the AotS and Malconvoker levels in almost any configuration to suit you; I picked the presented configuration for fluff reasons. If you want to pick up some more Malconvoker abilities, you can drop out of AotS earlier and finish Malconvoker instead. In this case, you’d either take AotS to 4 or 5 (I’d suggest five, for the extra use of Poison and Skin Adaptation). This gets you a better caster level in the end, but I feel as though you lose out on flavor by doing this. Your choice.

If you want, Fiendish Summoning Specialist from the Planar Handbook can get you some extra Evil things to summon, and raises the point that you can customize your summon-lists anyway; try to work with your DM to get you some evil things to summon. Infernal Sorcerer Heritage from PHB II boosts your caster level when you summon your evil dudes; take it after you start Acolyte of the Skin and say that the skin’s Fiendish presence has affected you. If your DM considers the Bluff check you make as a Malconvoker to be a “Charisma checks made to resolve the effects of planar binding and similar spells,” then Demon Mastery from Fiendish Codex I gives you a +2, and even if he doesn’t it still boosts your caster level by one.
On an entirely different note, Craft Contingent Spell, with the trigger of “when I fail a bluff check against a creature I summoned” can help you get some protection. You can’t use it to dismiss them or anything, unless you find an AoE banishment, but even a Protection from Evil could make all the difference. Lastly, Ability Focus in either Poison or Fiendish Glare boosts the DC, if you want them to be a bit tougher; your high Charisma makes them quite potent already, however. The Supernatural Ability-boosting feats from Tome of Magic (Empower, Widen) can be useful if you want to make Fiendish Glare or Glare of the Pit more potent.

If your DM is particularly awesome, see if you can’t use the rules to designing your own spell to make a Sorcerer spell out of a Bard spell... Glibness in particular. Cast it before you start summoning and you’re all but guaranteed to trick the fiends successfully, plus it gives you a nice bluff check for interacting with normal people. Glibness is a Bard 3 spell, meaning your typical Bard gets it at 7th level; with that logic, it would fit into the Sorcerer/Wizard spell list as a 4th level spell. Unfortunately, you don’t get it until 11th level, but it’s still a wonderful help. If you’re already making your own spells, though... perhaps you could talk your DM into allowing an intimidate version of Glibness. Unless you take a bunch of other feats to make demoralizing better (note that there is potential for stacking with Fiendish Glare, which makes all foes shaken, no save), it won’t get much use there, but it’s always a possibility, and also gives you a boost in interaction with other people.

[Amphetryon]

This one speaks for itself. No one else would dare.


Foreword: Assumptions and Sources
The presented build works under the following conditions:

- The Godsblood Spelltheft feat is available, such as by playing in the Forgotten Realms.
- The DM, for any player who uses this build, has a reasonable interpretation of how Anyspell works in the context of Godsblood Spelltheft.
- Pandorym, the Elder Evil, exists.
- Vile characters are allowed.
- The following sources beyond Core are allowed:
Complete Arcane
Book of Vile Darkness
Elder Evils
Fiend Folio
Races of Destiny
Tome of Battle - The Book of Nine Swords
Complete Adventurer
Web Enhancement (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/frcc/20070606)
Complete Scoundrel
Champions of Ruin
Drow of the Underdark
- Reasonable Tome of Battle Errata is used. Specifically, Swordsages do not get extra skill points at first level, and Searing Blade is a swift action initiation.

With all that in mind, onto the build.



---

Faint Sign (DC 45 Knowledge [Arcana or The Planes]): The lettering of scrolls discolors slightly. Fey become more docile, recieving a -2 penalty on Will saves.

Moderate Sign (DC 35 Knowledge [Arcana or The Planes]): Character must make a spellcraft check (DC 15) to cast any spell involving runes, symbols, or any form of written language--such as Illusory Script, Smybol of Pain, and Explosive Runes. Scrolls spontaneously change some of their symbols to Illumian sigils, requiring a Spellcraft check (DC 15) to activate. Any summoning spell used to summon a fey or evil outsider is cast a -2 caster level. Evil outsiders appear scarred.

Strong Sign (DC 25 Knowledge [Arcana or The Planes]): All fey are automatically and continuously shaken, if they are not immune to fear. All spells of 3rd level or lower require a spellcraft check (DC 15) to cast, as do spell-like abilities of 2nd level or lower. Spells from the Compulsion subschool automatically fail. Any summoning spell used to summon a fey or evil outsider is cast a -4 caster level. Evil outsiders appear flayed, and fey appear scarred around their wings, if they have any.

Overwhelming Sign (DC 20 Knowledge [Arcana or The Planes]): 0th through 2nd level spells and spell-like abilities automatically fail. Attempts to control spheres of annihilation and abberant spheres automatically fail. Evil outsiders appear flayed, and recieve a -2 penalty to existing natural armor. Any winged creature recieves scars around the base of the wings, and cannot fly without extreme pain. Any form of written language changes into an Illumian translation within minutes, rendering scrolls and any rune or symbol spells ineffective.



http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z228/Hauntinomin/zhirvaush.png

Hypothesized Power Sigil created for the events of the FOURTH. Constructed by the Geometer Drakegloom, reproduced with permission.
Collected information on Eshpaunsuud Zhirvaush, including excertps from the Common Translation of the Diary of Words of Union, 4|12|45|20 in Illumian passage notation natively used.Much is known about the Ex-Illumian Eshpaunsuud Zhirvaush (Common translation: Expunged Avarice). Eshpaunsuud is not his cabal name--it is an Illumianization of the Common word "expunged", presumably taken for its additional harshness in Common, and forced upon Zhirvaush for his violations of the ways of existence, after his SECOND. His rejection is a boon to whichever cabal he may have belonged to, and they should be thankful that their identity has not been uncovered.

Zhirvaush has continually set his sights higher during his rise. Like any Illumian, he desires mastery and talent, but it has been suggested by scholars that his behavior is explained by a feeling of inadequacy--he finds his place as a mere humanoid too limiting. In a multiverse of beings too terrible to ever hope to overcome, his place is one descended from humanity--and according to except, he regards it as one of the most pitiful sapients possible. Possessed of no inbuilt useful tools, landbound, hardy intelligent, sparsely structured, and doomed to die in the span of a century. And yet, Zhirvaush's dark psyche inherits and twists two traits of the archetypal race he is connected to after the FIRST: destiny and ambition.

Simply put, Zhirvaush craves power through changing his physical body. On one inferior end of life, there is humanity, and on the other, superior end, there are abominations and gods. He has found a vile way to get to the other side: union of the fragile flesh with constructions of ever-greater power.

It could be considered that Zhirvaush was, long ago, a human. The Ritual of Words Made Flesh was the first step in his ascension, empowering humanity to become the Illumians. The FIRST.

Zhirvaush has "devoted" himself to Pandoyrm, an Elder Evil. He desires to help Pandorym's mind locate the body and find out how to merge with it, yes, but he plans that it will not be Pandorym that performs the merger. What is the method of entering the body? How powerful is it? And most importantly, what can he do to possess it himself? This would usher in the FOURTH, and cannot be allowed to occur.

He has already completed the entire transformation of the THIRD, through the ancient Ritual of Bonding, acquired through fiends from the Far Realms. It seems that his craftiness will not allow us to simply write off the posbility of the FOURTH. If anyone will be able to discover its method, it will be Zhirvaush.

The path to power has, indeed, been change. Subsumption of other beings.

The FIRST has long since occured: The Ritual of Words Made Flesh.
The SECOND occured before expulsion from his cabal: The Ritual of Excision.
The THIRD transpired late in Zhirvaush's advancement, before we become aware of the danger: The Ritual of Bonding.
The FOURTH, an unknown Ritual, will allow Zhirvaush to combine with Pandorym's Body. He will become an Elder Evil in his own right, if he not stopped.

Here are the excerpts, providing an overview of the SECOND.
12|45 I am slighted. It pains me to know I am but mortal. The multiverse owes itself to me to solve its mistake.

13|45 All needs to become MINE. It needs to. [Note: Text also contains frustrations of the day; omitted for bevity.]

14|45 The cabal does not understand the need. I want power, ergo I deserve it. Yet this pitiful body is my vessel, by some arbitrary convolution of what the forces of creation thought were "good".

15|45 My SECOND after my FIRST. [Note: The capitalized words are difficult to translate to Common; they are part of the "emphatic multitordinal" system of implicit designations in Illumian, and beyond the scope of this text.] My body must change, and I have not stopped studying how to do so.

16|45 Stole supplies. They're mine now. I am now in the Shaubon outskirts, in search of Sylvan secrets at the border of the cave. What do fey have that makes them immortal? It is MINE, the power shall be MINE. This body must be improved.

1|46 The fey regard me as a "bad seed". I'll rip their heads off, the ---[Note: Vitriol and misogyny omitted to avoid triggering.]

2|46 I deserve to fly by existence of desire. So why can't I?

3|46 Entering the cavern. I'll kill them later.

4|46 The Underdark is greater for my meager sigils' existence. I was pointed to the site of what I need--a gloura's den--by a drow. He had to die, for safety reasons. Trivia: drow coinage is chamfered.

5|46 Cannot flind the gloura anywhere. I need it's secrets, yet the universe does not give the creature to me. I want to rip its head off now.

6|46 Finally got a glipse of the thing, but it flew off. It'll take days to let it come back. Rip its wings off, too.

7|46 DUH

8|46 It finally came back. I'm preparing.

9|46 [Note: Illegible. Illumian is hard enough to read without blood splatters.]

10|46 Trivia: the base of the wings is a sensitive area among gloura. I had no idea that they could scream that loudly, and I'm currently running down a group of goody-two-shoes drow that want to punish me. Trivia: Goody-two-shoes drow exist.

11|46 I have no idea how to use this knife.

12|46 [Note: shaky writing.] Groan how do my ribs feel so misaligned

13|46 I think the muscles are beginning to merge, though the skin on my back isn't going to be pretty ever again. It matters not. I am impressed with myself that I made it work, but the serendipity deserved to be MINE anyway. And so shall this power.

14|46 Returned to the cabal. Need to sleep and heal.

15|46 Have been getting aggressive looks and admonishments, but am able to divert criticisms with a wave of the hand. Success.

16|46 Something about an “abomination against reality”. I do not care. So my cabal name is now Eshpaunsuud, hmm? It doesn’t matter; I have completed my SECOND. At this point, I can fly my way to another cabal, or perhaps a neighboring city. I am excitied to consider the prospect of a THIRD. Power shall be MINE. I deserve to possess everything in the world.

Record of abilities displayed, compiled by Diviner Teriat, reproduced with permission.Eshpaunsuud Zhirvaush is a unique creature that does not behave like a human or any other simple race; however, studying his rise in power suggests an appropriate model of a Half-Fey Illumian Swordsage 4/Spellthief 6/Acolyte of the Skin 10, using LA buyoff.

Ability Scores at 1st level, after adjustments:
STR 8
DEX 18
CON 12
INT 14
WIS 14
CHA 18

Every four levels, Dexterity increases by one.

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

--|Level Adjustment|
--|
--|
--|
--|||

--|Level Adjustment|
--|
--|
--|
--|||

1st|Swordsage 1|
+0|
+0|
+2|
+2|Knowledge (The Planes) 2, Concentration 4, Intimidate 4, Use Magic Device 2, Hide 4, Move Silently 4, Knowledge (Nature) 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 2|Shadow Blade|Quick to act +1, Discipline Focus (Weapon Focus) [Shadow Hand]

2nd|Spellthief 1|
+0|
+0|
+2|
+4|Knowledge (The Planes) 2.5, Concentration 5, Intimidate 5, Use Magic Device 5, Hide 4, Move Silently 4, Knowledge (Nature) 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 4||Sneak attack +1d6, steal spell (0 or 1st), trapfinding

3rd|Spellthief 2|
+1|
+0|
+2|
+5|Knowledge (The Planes) 3, Concentration 6, Intimidate 5, Use Magic Device 6, Hide 5, Move Silently 5, Knowledge (Nature) 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 6, Spellcraft 1|Weapon Finesse|Detect magic, spellgrace +1, steal spell effect

4th|Spellthief 3|
+2|
+1|
+3|
+5|Knowledge (The Planes) 3.5, Concentration 7, Intimidate 5, Use Magic Device 7, Hide 7, Move Silently 7, Knowledge (Nature) 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 7, Spellcraft 1||Steal energy resistance 10

5th|Spellthief 4|
+3|
+1|
+3|
+6|Knowledge (The Planes) 4, Concentration 8, Intimidate 6, Use Magic Device 8, Hide 8, Move Silently 8, Knowledge (Nature) 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 8, Spellcraft 1||Steal spell (2nd)

6th|Spellthief 5|
+3|
+1|
+3|
+6|Knowledge (The Planes) 4.5, Concentration 9, Intimidate 7, Use Magic Device 9, Hide 9, Move Silently 9, Knowledge (Nature) 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 9, Spellcraft 1|Godsblood Spelltheft (Spell Domain)|Sneak attack +2d6, steal spell-like ability

--|LA Buyoff||||

7th|Spellthief 6|
+4|
+2|
+4|
+7|Knowledge (The Planes) 5, Concentration 10, Intimidate 8, Use Magic Device 10, Hide 10, Move Silently 10, Knowledge (Nature) 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 10, Spellcraft 1||Steal spell (3rd)

8th|Swordsage 2|
+5|
+2|
+5|
+8|Knowledge (The Planes) 5.5, Concentration 11, Intimidate 8, Skill Trick - Never Outnumbered, Use Magic Device 10, Hide 11, Move Silently 11, Knowledge (Nature) 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 11, Spellcraft 1||AC Bonus

9th|Swordsage 3|
+6/+1|
+3|
+5|
+8|Knowledge (The Planes) 6, Concentration 12, Intimidate 10, Skill Trick - Never Outnumbered, Use Magic Device 10, Hide 12, Move Silently 12, Knowledge (Nature) 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 12, Spellcraft 1|Craven, Willing Deformity*, Abominable Form*|

--|LA Buyoff

10th|Swordsage 4|
+7/+2|
+3|
+6|
+9|Knowledge (The Planes) 6, Concentration 13, Intimidate 13, Skill Trick - Never Outnumbered, Use Magic Device 11, Hide 13, Move Silently 13, Knowledge (Nature) 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 12, Spellcraft 1||Discipline Focus (Insightful Strike) [Desert Wind]

11th|Acolyte of the Skin 1|
+7/+2|
+5|
+6|
+11|Knowledge (The Planes) 7, Concentration 14, Intimidate 14, Skill Trick - Never Outnumbered, Use Magic Device 11.5, Hide 13, Move Silently 13, Knowledge (Nature) 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 12, Spellcraft 1||Wear Fiend, poison 1/day

12th|Acolyte of the Skin 2|
+8/+3|
+6|
+6|
+12|Knowledge (The Planes) 8, Concentration 15, Intimidate 15, Skill Trick - Never Outnumbered, Use Magic Device 12, Hide 13, Move Silently 13, Knowledge (Nature) 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 12, Spellcraft 1|Imperious Command|Flame Resistant

13th|Acolyte of the Skin 3|
+9/+4|
+6|
+7|
+12|Knowledge (The Planes) 10, Concentration 16, Intimidate 16, Skill Trick - Never Outnumbered, Use Magic Device 12, Hide 13, Move Silently 13, Knowledge (Nature) 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 12, Spellcraft 1||Fiendish Glare

14th|Acolyte of the Skin 4|
+10/+5|
+7|
+7|
+13|Knowledge (The Planes) 12, Concentration 17, Intimidate 17, Skill Trick - Never Outnumbered, Use Magic Device 12, Hide 13, Move Silently 13, Knowledge (Nature) 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 12, Spellcraft 1||

15th|Acolyte of the Skin 5|
+10/+5|
+7|
+7|
+13|Knowledge (The Planes) 14, Concentration 18, Intimidate 18, Skill Trick - Never Outnumbered, Use Magic Device 12, Hide 13, Move Silently 13, Knowledge (Nature) 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 12, Spellcraft 1|Mortalbane (Poison)|Skin Adaptation, poison 2/day

16th|Acolyte of the Skin 6|
+11/+6/+1|
+8|
+8|
+14|Knowledge (The Planes) 16, Concentration 19, Intimidate 19, Skill Trick - Never Outnumbered, Use Magic Device 12, Hide 13, Move Silently 13, Knowledge (Nature) 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 12, Spellcraft 1||Cold Resistant

17th|Acolyte of the Skin 7|
+12/+7/+2|
+8|
+8|
+14|Knowledge (The Planes) 18, Concentration 20, Intimidate 20, Skill Trick - Never Outnumbered, Use Magic Device 12, Hide 13, Move Silently 13, Knowledge (Nature) 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 12, Spellcraft 1||Glare of the Pit

18th|Acolyte of the Skin 8|
+13/+8/+3|
+9|
+8|
+15|Knowledge (The Planes) 20, Concentration 21, Intimidate 21, Skill Trick - Never Outnumbered, Use Magic Device 12, Hide 13, Move Silently 13, Knowledge (Nature) 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 12, Spellcraft 1|Deformity (Tall)|

19th|Acolyte of the Skin 9|
+13/+8/+3|
+9|
+9|
+15|Knowledge (The Planes) 22, Concentration 22, Intimidate 22, Skill Trick - Never Outnumbered, Use Magic Device 12, Hide 13, Move Silently 13, Knowledge (Nature) 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 12, Spellcraft 1||Summon fiend

20th|Acolyte of the Skin 10|
+14/+9/+4|
+10|
+9|
+16|Knowledge (The Planes) 23, Concentration 23, Intimidate 23, Skill Trick - Never Outnumbered, Use Magic Device 13, Hide 13, Move Silently 13, Knowledge (Nature) 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 13, Spellcraft 1||Fiendish Symbiosis[/table]

*This is an approximate level for when these feats are acquired. These two are the only ones this build needs, so to assuage DM headaches, they're placed where they're the easiest to swallow. Zhirvaush could acquire them later, with minimal adjustments.

Spells per day (+ Bonus Spells, discounting enhancement bonuses)
{table=head]Level|0lvl|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th|7th|8th|9th

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

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

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

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

5th|-|0(+2)|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

6th|-|0(+2)|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

7th|-|1(+2)|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

8th|-|1(+2)|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

9th|-|1(+2)|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

10th|-|1(+2)|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

11th|-|1(+2)|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

12th|-|1(+2)|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

13th|-|1(+2)|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

14th|-|1(+2)|0(+1)|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

15th|-|1(+2)|0(+1)|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

16th|-|1(+2)|0(+1)|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

17th|-|1(+2)|0(+1)|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

18th|-|1(+2)|1(+1)|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

19th|-|1(+2)|1(+1)|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

20th|-|1(+2)|1(+1)|0(+1)|-|-|-|-|-|-[/table]

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

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

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

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

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

5th|-|2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

6th|-|2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

7th|-|3|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

8th|-|3|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

9th|-|3|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

10th|-|3|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

11th|-|3|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

12th|-|3|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

13th|-|3|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

14th|-|4|2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

15th|-|4|2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

16th|-|4|2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

17th|-|4|2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

18th|-|4|3|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

19th|-|4|3|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

20th|-|4|3|2|-|-|-|-|-|-[/table]

Suggested Spells Known:
1st - Shield, Silent Image, Golemstrike, Truestrike
2nd - Wraithstrike, Invisibility, Heroics
3rd - Haste, Alter Self

Maneuvers
{table=head]Level|Known|Readied|Stances
1st - 7th|6|4|1
8th|7|4|2
9th|8|5|2
10th|9|5|2
[/table]

Maneuvers Known:
Distracting Ember
Sapphire Nightmare Blade
Shadow Blade Technique
Burning Blade
Moment of Perfect Mind
Mighty Throw
(Stance) Island of Blades
(Level 8) Mind Over body
(Level 8 Stance) Assassin's Stance
(Level 9) Flashing Sun
(Level 10) Searing Blade** - replaces Burning Blade (Level 10) Burning Brand
"8|48 I feel the sharp ache of the gloura's wings still merging with my tendons. The roots snake into the muscle fibers. The clarity of immortality makes the discomfort welcome. I command all." (ECL 5 = 3 HD + 2 LA)
Zhirvaush has to be careful at low levels, armed only with a dagger and the secrets of the paths of shadow and flame. His avarice shows nonetheless, as he can steal spells and spell effects. Sneak Attack is enhanced by Shadow Blade/Burning Blade, and made reliable with Distracting Ember/Sapphire Nightmare Blade/Mighty Throw. Krau hasn't done much yet, but Vaul is bringing his UMD mod to +12 and Intimidate up to +11. Zhirvaush can't use wands reliably yet, and Intimidate isn't doing a lot besides netting him a bonus after Duel of Wills, but they're helpful.

"10|53 While I scoured the libraries for more information on this beautiful ritual that is MINE, I found something almost too good to be true. A being of semi-infinite power, cleft in twain, leaving mind and body separate. It seeks nothing else but to reunite itselves. The body seems to be some sort of construct, locked in a mostly-extraplanar space.

I cannot ignore this. I hereby ally myself with this 'Pandorym'. I will help it find its body, but not for its sake. The body is MINE. I shall become one with it, Pandorym shall be in awe, and my power shall dominate all that exists. MINE." (ECL 10 = 9HD + LA 1)
A lot of things happen, so let's take this slow.

Steal energy resistance 10 is one of Zhirvaush's most important features; right now he's using it to say 'nyeh' to the reason Desert Wind is considered the worst discipline, but it will do more later. Zhirvaush, can now fulfill a requirement for the Acolyte: By theiving a 3rd-level spell, casting Anyspell -> Summon Monster II with it, and summoning a Kaorti, he makes peaceful contact with an evil outsider. He can keep interrogating Kaorti, provided he has a source of 3rd-level spells to steal and the Summon Monster II scroll with him. It should not be difficult to get a scroll or piece of writing. His Sneak Attack capabilities have increased to 4d6+9 extra damage, thanks to Assassin’s Stance and Craven, and he’s more difficult to hit with that AC bonus. Flashing Sun and Mind Over Body increase offensive and defensive capabilities, too.

One of his most important traits turns on at about level 9. As he increases his Knowledge (Arcana) modifier and scours the libraries, he has a decent chance of hitting the DC 30 Knowledge (Arcana) check to know about Pandorym’s Existence and its goal. This becomes a lot easier with buffing, but which buffs to take are left as a short exercise. See the above quote for Zhirvaush’s reaction. He gets two feats for his devotion, per the rules in Elder Evils. Willing Deformity chains to Abominable Form, and now everything with fewer HD than him is making a Will save (DC 19) or be shaken as soon as they see him. He may or may not get a bonus deformity feat at levels 10, 15, and 20 hereafter—the Elder Evils text doesn’t say so explicitly—but they are omitted for the sake of fairness. If Zhirvaush is allowed to get them, his Abominable Form save DCs will go up and up as he levels. This only lasts for one round, unfortunately, but everyone gets Amulets of Health. Finally, the skill trick Never Outnumbered allows Zhirvaush to attempt to demoralize an entire group of enemies, and when combined with Abominable Form, he can scatter enemies for a round.

Finally, Zhirvaush’s Half-Fey SLAs let him do a little debuffing (for Sneak Attack) and party facing on the side. He’s horrible, but he can force friends.

"2|59 The THIRD has finally come. I regret the pain, but it is nothing compared to what I shall do with the rewards. I already feel to have greater capacity in all I do, and all I claim as MINE." (ECL 15) The other LA is bought off. Insightful Strike in Desert Wind lets you use Flashing Sun with impunity, and...hmmm? Fine, fine. The good stuff. Zhirvaush performs the ritual shortly after gaining an Abominable Form, qualifying via Half-Fey SLAs or Krau’s increase to his Spellthief caster level. Acolyte of the Skin is sparse on features, but Zhirvaush can autopilot: his new Searing Blade boost scales with level, as does Craven and his Half-Fey SLAs. (Dominate Person and Mass Suggestion say what?) But the features it does grant are nice and cooperative.

Wear Fiend - Dex bonus on a rogue-type character? Yes, please. If +2 AC isn’t a tasty enough treat, Zhirvaush can also whip out his trusty Wand of No Light and blanket the enemies in darkness. Due to a quirk of the cantrip, his shiny new darkvision is functional in the area of darkness it creates, and rogues like being able to stab people in the dark. It's debatable as to whether he needs to UMD this; the spellthief doesn't have cantrip slots, so it’s unclear if one is allowed to have 0th-level spells known. If they’re not, his +18 UMD mod makes the problem go away 95% of the time, and it’s certain if a masterwork tool/Cloak of Charisma is available.
Poison - This is a touch ability and he’s good at denying people their Dex bonuses. Do I have to explain? Anyway, his caster level is increased by 2 thanks to Krau, which is finally getting use, so it pierces SR more easily. It is also viable for Mortalbane†, and if 1d10+2d6 Con damage doesn't sound particularly “ouch”, I’m not sure what does.
†If rules dodginess is allowed, Maximize Spell-like Ability can be used in the place of Mortalbane. He has CL 10, so Zhirvaush could maximize it if it's considered level 3 from the Druid list, bringing it to 10 Con damage every time--consistency is nice. However, the base save DC is 14, implying that it's the level 4 version of the spell, so Mortalbane is much less questionable.
Flame Resistant - If setting oneself on fire and being unaffected doesn't grant a circumstance bonus to Intimidate, nothing will. Look below to see why that matters. It also prevents the rogue-type from having to deal with being grappled.
Fiendish Glare - Another way to deny people their Dex bonuses, which works en masse and scales by level. Throw it on the pile. The top, please. It also creates a fear effect that lasts for the entire encounter, no save, which ramps up the effectiveness of using Never Outnumbered or Abominable Form. If either one of them works, everyone is frightened, which is basically a win condition—and Never Outnumbered will often work, with a mod of +29 at 15th level, on top of whatever setting himself on fire will grant. Even without it, he can conceivably use Invisibility, scout ahead, Fiendish Glare a room full of whatever, then turn visible and let Abominable Form kick in.
Skin Adaptation - More health is especially welcome on a build with a racial penalty, but it's also granting another round on Abominable Form, and a +1 on Diamond Mind saves. Not bad. Between natural armor, the two Diamond Mind saves, and increasing dexterity score for an already Dex-based character, Acolyte of the Skin has provided welcome defenses. Zhirvaush is just not that easy to hit anymore. Even if he doesn’t have a Mind Over Body prepared and gets hit with a fort save, Vaulkrau comes to the rescue.
Spellcasting Progression - If he didn't have this, he wouldn't pick up Wraithstrike or Invisibility. These are good things.
Intimidate as a Class Skill - This is something you don't see every day on a caster, and Zhirvaush pumps it. Imperious Command is the only reason he needs, but his other fear effects already mentioned are dripping with icing.


"1|21 The THIRD has drawn to its closure. I feel at one with the beings I spawn; I have grown into monstrous power and visage. My mind is incredible, and the burning desire grows. I understand.

2|21 I have not stopped searching. I have scoured tomes of nigh every plane of existence, amassing knowledge. The possibilities narrow to but a point, and the site of the body of Pandorym is limited to but a few locations. The FOURTH draws nigh. I see my signs, and am constucting one of the requisite sigils to subsume. I have never needed leisure, and continue to make progress, hindered only by the need to sleep.

3|21 I no longer need to sleep." (ECL 20) More SLAs from Half-Fey. There’s a free feat slot, so Zhirvaush fills it with one that gives him reach and +2 to Abominable Form saves. His remaining Acolyte abilities function as follows:
Cold Resistant - Well, they can't all be winners.
Glare of the Pit – This is one of the best abilites. Fire damage is considered suboptimal because of the many monsters that have resistance…which Zhirvaush just stole, because he’s a spellthief, so it doesn't count anymore. Further, the fact that there are two rays means that he gets sneak attack damage for each individually. In Assassin's Stance, he could hit someone for 24d6+30 damage at the level he gets this ability. On average, this is 114 damage, about equal to Disintegrate's average of 119 at this level--but Glare of the Pit doesn't allow a save.
Summon Fiend – Zhirvaush can crib some acid and electricity resistance and that See Invisibility or Darkness when needed. He and a Babau make great flanking buddies when they both get Sneak Attack damage, too. It has darkvision, so it will be right at home when No Light kicks in. Finally, if he has acquired a Crown of the White Raven, he can Heroics up a shiny new White Raven Tactics to give that Babau more mileage, if his party members are twiddling their thumbs.
Fiendish Symbiosis - Bog-standard Alter Self hijinxs are nonetheless appealing when he can snap into a Xill, get three off-hand natural attacks, earn 6d6+32 Sneak Attack/Searing Blade bonuses with all of them, and then have +4 to demoralizing due to large size. A Fanged Ring for Improved Unarmed Strike debatably lets this become four off-handers. Zhirvaush makes sure to use this when all other Acolyte class features have been used up, as they turn off when Alter Self happens.
Spellcasting Progression – Hi, this is Haste, maybe you’ve heard about why I’m useful? Giving you and the Babau extra attacks, right?

Confirmed equipment. Zhirvaush’s hoarding of power and possessions suggest that this is only a fraction of what he owns.
It is suggested to get these:
- Wand of No Light
- Summon Monster II scroll
- Shadow Hand Desert Wind Dagger. The attack bonuses that can be stacked here are wild.
- Anklets of Translocation, or any other method of free movement for the purposes of Flashing Sunning something to death.
- Attribute increasers: Dex, Con, Cha, Wis, in order of importance.
- Crown of the White Raven (Douse the Flames)
- (Eternal) Wand of Heroics, if viable
- Golf bag of wands
- Masterwork Tool of UMD
- Fanged Ring
- Other standard equipment to taste.
In conclusion, if Eshpaunsuud Zhirvaush is stopped, we must carefully note the multitude of factors that can result in a being such as him, and not allow them to occur, in their small variations.
The build works with a Synad—psionic focus and an extra swift action are nice on an initiator. Humans are dandy, too. Replacing Half-Fey with Phrenic isn’t a bad idea, though it makes the fluff squirm. Tweaking the ratio of Spellthief and Swordsage levels won’t hurt if you do it right, nor will taking only a single level in the Half-Fey savage progression.

If it is expected that you will have access to a cleric/druid and their Periapt of Wisdom +2, feel free to dump Wis and stick the points in something else. Borrow it when you need to Anyspell to hit the Wisdom requirement, and give it back afterward.

And finally, don't take the "signs" text in the beginning of this long-winded build as anything important. It's hypothetical metafluff.

[Amphetryon]

Escape doesn't necessarily mean freedom.



Reykja Skjar
“It’s not that I don’t know where the power comes from, it’s just that I don’t care anymore.”
Prologue

The fires were consuming the body now. Flames such as these, fed by tomes and manuscripts, didn’t burn hot enough to render the bones to ash, but the meat would crisp, then cook, then chare.
As smoke billowed from the library, the nearby peasant gazed in shock. What was the house spirit doing? Why was it not putting out the flames?
Riding into the distance fled a small figure, no higher than 2 feet tall, easily small enough in stature to ride the faithful hound beneath him. Tears coursed down his face, and his tiny fist clenched a piece of charred paper. Over and over he sobbed to himself as he fled his old home.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry. It was a mistake. I’m sorry...”

The Build
CN Domovoi
Fey Racial HD 2/Savant 4/Jaunter 4/Acolyte of the Skin 10
LA Buy off rules used

Stats
{table=head]Ability|Point Buy|Racial|4|8|9*|12|13*|16|20
STR|8|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6
DEX|12|16|16|16|18|18|18|18|18
CON|16|18|18|18|18|18|20|20|20
INT|10|14|14|14|14|14|14|14|14
WIS|8|14|14|14|14|14|14|14|14
CHA|18|24|25|26|26|27|27|28|29
[/table]

* Acolyte of the Skin Ability Bonus
Travel Power Uses
{table=head]Level|[/b]|Number of Uses
7th|4
8th|5
9th|6
19th|7
20th|8
[/table]


Arcane Spells per day
{table=head]Level|[/b]|1st|2nd
10th|1|-

11th|1|-

12th|1|-

13th|1|-

14th|2|-

15th|2|-

16th|2|-

17th|2|-

18th|2|1

19th|2|1

20th|2|1
[/table]

Arcane Spells Known
{table=head]Level|[/b]|Spells
9th|Grease, Unseen Servant
11th|Alarm, Identify
13th|Comprehend Languages, Mount
15th|Expeditious Retreat, Feather Fall
17th|Alter Self, Glitterdust
[/table]
Reykja
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Fey Racial Hit Dice|
+0|
+0|
+2|
+2|Balance 4, Escape Artist 4, Handle Animal 0 (.0), Hide 4, Know (The Planes) 0, Listen 4, Move Silently 4, Ride 4 (2), Spot 4, Tumble 4|Wild Cohort*|Spell-Like Abilities, Immunity to fire, low-light vision, Slippery, Vulnerability to Cold

2nd|Fey Racial Hit Dice|
+1|
+0|
+3|
+3|Balance 5, Escape Artist 5, Handle Animal 1 (.5), Hide 5, Know (The Planes) 0, Listen 5, Move Silently 5, Ride 4 (2), Spot 5, Tumble 5 ||

3rd|Savant|
+1|
+0|
+3|
+5|Balance 5, Escape Artist 6, Handle Animal 1 (.5), Hide 6, Know (The Planes) 6, Listen 5, Move Silently 5, Ride 4 (2), Spot 5, Tumble 5|Dodge|Academic Lore, Skill Assistance (5 Feet) [Hide], Trapfinding

4th|Savant|
+2|
+0|
+3|
+6|Balance 5, Escape Artist 7, Handle Animal 3 (2.5), Hide 7, Know (The Planes) 7, Listen 5, Move Silently 5, Ride 7 (5), Spot 5, Tumble 5|Mobility**|Talent Lore**

5th|Savant|
+3|
+1|
+4|
+6|Balance 5, Escape Artist 8, Handle Animal 7 (6.5), Hide 8, Know (The Planes) 8, Listen 5, Move Silently 5, Ride 8 (6), Spot 5, Tumble 5||Sneak Attack +1d6

6th|Savant|
+4|
+1|
+4|
+7|Balance 5, Escape Artist 9, Handle Animal 9 (8.5), Hide 9, Know (The Planes) 9, Listen 5, Move Silently 7, Ride 9 (7), Spot 5, Tumble 5|Spring Attack|Skill Assistance (10 Feet)

7th|Jaunter|
+4|
+1|
+6|
+7|Balance 5, Escape Artist 10, Handle Animal 10 (9), Hide 10, Know (The Planes) 10, Listen 5, Move Silently 8, Ride 10 (7.5), Spot 5, Tumble 5||Travel Power, Benign Transposition

8th|Jaunter|
+5|
+2|
+7|
+8|Balance 5, Escape Artist 11, Handle Animal 11 (9.5), Hide 11, Know (The Planes) 11, Listen 5, Move Silently 9, Ride 11 (8), Spot 5, Tumble 5||Baleful Transposition, Fast Movement

9th|Acolyte of the Skin|
+5|
+4|
+7|
+10|Balance 5, Escape Artist 11, Handle Animal 12 (10), Hide 11.5, Know (The Planes) 12, Listen 5, Move Silently 9, Ride 12 (8.5), Spot 5, Tumble 5|Darkstalker|Wear Fiend (Devil), Poison 1/Day

10th|Acolyte of the Skin|
+6|
+5|
+7|
+11|Balance 5, Escape Artist 11, Handle Animal 13 (10.5), Hide 12, Know (The Planes) 13, Listen 5, Move Silently 9, Ride 13 (9), Spot 5, Tumble 5||Flame Resistant

11th|Acolyte of the Skin|
+7|
+5|
+8|
+12|Balance 5, Escape Artist 11, Handle Animal 14 (11), Hide 12, Know (The Planes) 14, Listen 5, Move Silently 10 (9.5), Ride 14 (9.5), Spot 5, Tumble 5||Fiendish Glare

12th|Acolyte of the Skin|
+8|
+6|
+8|
+13|Balance 5, Escape Artist 11, Handle Animal 15 (11.5), Hide 12, Know (The Planes) 15, Listen 5, Move Silently 11 (10), Ride 15 (10), Spot 5, Tumble 5|Bind Vestige|

13th|Acolyte of the Skin|
+8|
+6|
+8|
+13|Balance 5, Escape Artist 11, Handle Animal 16 (12), Hide 12, Know (The Planes) 16, Listen 5, Move Silently 13 (11), Ride 15 (10), Spot 5, Tumble 5||Skin Adaption, Poison 2/Day

14th|Acolyte of the Skin|
+9|
+7|
+9|
+14|Balance 5, Escape Artist 11, Handle Animal 17 (12.5), Hide 12, Know (The Planes) 17, Listen 5, Move Silently 15 (12), Ride 15 (10), Spot 5, Tumble 5||Cold Resistant

15th|Acolyte of the Skin|
+10|
+7|
+9|
+14|Balance 5, Escape Artist 11, Handle Animal 18 (13), Hide 12, Know (The Planes) 18, Listen 5, Move Silently 17 (13), Ride 15 (10), Spot 5, Tumble 5|Improved Bind Vestige|Glare of the Pit

16th|Acolyte of the Skin|
+11|
+8|
+9|
+15|Balance 5, Escape Artist 11, Handle Animal 19 (13.5), Hide 12, Know (The Planes) 19, Listen 5, Move Silently 19 (14), Ride 15 (10), Spot 5, Tumble 5||

17th|Acolyte of the Skin|
+11|
+8|
+10|
+16|Balance 5, Escape Artist 11, Handle Animal 20 (14), Hide 12, Know (The Planes) 20, Listen 5, Move Silently 20 (15), Ride 17 (11), Spot 5, Tumble 5||Summon Fiend (Chain Devil)

18th|Acolyte of the Skin|
+12|
+9|
+10|
+17|Balance 5, Escape Artist 11, Handle Animal 21 (14.5), Hide 12, Know (The Planes) 21, Listen 5, Move Silently 20 (15), Ride 19 (12), Spot 5, Tumble 5|Accurate Jaunt|Fiendish Symbiosis

19th|Jaunter|
+13|
+9|
+10|
+17|Balance 5, Escape Artist 11, Handle Animal 22 (15), Hide 16, Know (The Planes) 22, Listen 5, Move Silently 20 (15), Ride 19 (12), Spot 5, Tumble 5||Dimension Door, Teleport

20th|Jaunter|
+14|
+9|
+11|
+17|Balance 5, Escape Artist 11, Handle Animal 22 (15), Hide 21, Know (The Planes) 23, Listen 5, Move Silently 20 (15), Ride 19 (12), Spot 5, Tumble 5||Freedom of Movement, Plane Shift
[/table]
*Wild Cohort is a Riding Dog
**Talent Lore grants a Bonus Feat
Brackets indicate total bonus for skills with Cross-Class ranks involved.

The Tale

Purple fires burn in the eternal night, souls squeal with in fear and pain. This is your domain, and nought can stop the malice that guides your body and the temporary construct that is perceived as your flesh. To you, this is a place of rest, your version of tranquillity. But work awaits, to drag you to the mortal plane that you might laugh and talk and whisper, giving trinkets to souls wearing short lived mockeries of blood and bone, in return twisting their true selves just a little at a time, enough to make them step upon the path, enough to make them grab the spiritual dagger in their hearts and twist and push them in further by their own hands.
That was, of course, until one of the arrogant wretches harnesses power is should not possess and traps you in a loathsome tome. A book to a finite mortal mind is a wondrous thing, a source of knowledge gleaned, of wondrous adventures and amazing possibilities. To a being such as this it is an imposition most annoying.
Time beats on a steady rhythm, or at least so it is perceived. Memories fade, and prison cells can be corroded and broken. In a vast hall of scripts and vellum, it is an easy thing to be just another title on a shelf, awaiting one to open the door.
The learned scholar wouldn’t do of course, he would be to knowledgeable, he would see the danger and to a chest of Cold Iron the book would be banished to languish for another tedious millennia. But what’s this? A spirit it would seem, a guardian to save the flammable pieces of flotsam. One not learned in the ways of knowledge, a bored youth with only a hound by his side.
It took a few years of whispering. The little spirit learnt some the older librarian’s skills as he languished in the great hall, but never did he read the trove of knowledge around him. Eventually he took up the ancient tome, drawn by a curiosity he could not explain.
The plan unravelled after that. The elderly scholar came upon the house spirit, just as his will had bent enough to free the trapped entity of malice. After a brief struggle, fire ensued, and the prison at last started to crumble.
Until the blasted spirit, maintaining both some fascination with the burning tome whilst horror at the transpired events shook its mind, saved some pages and fled into the night.
The reshaping of the prison caused pain, but that was not an unwelcome sensation for the perennially bored. It would take some time to corrupt the spirit after the shock it had experienced, but words of temptation could be formed...
It has been years now. The little spirit is more Devil than anything else now. But it hasn’t bent its will. It lusts after power for power’s sake, and has travelled far, mastering many such powers.
Still, it is but a matter of time, surely...

The Tricks

[b]Pyrotechnics + Produce Flame/Flaming Sphere – Available from the very beginning as Racial Spell-Like Abilities (Pyro and Produce at will, Flaming 3/day), Reykja has create a temporary cloud of concealing smoke either on himself or nearby. The flame producing powers explicitly cause flammable materials to catch fire, allow clouds to be formed 100+ feet away using the Sphere, then utilized as a moving cloud source, providing cover for subterfuges/escapes/ambushes/cover/etc.
Teleport + Wild Cohort + Summon Fiend - Keeping the Cohort at a distance allows Reykja to teleport in or out of situations when required. It can also be used with allies to allow them an effective Pounce, as Reykja rides forward, then swaps out an ally with himself or the amount without using any actions and performing a full attack. This later expands when the Acolyte levels grant him an additional ally in the form of a Chain Devil for further options.
Poison + Spring Attack and/or Teleport – The Acolyte’s Constitution Poison attack can be delivered via Spring attack, avoiding unfortunate attack of opportunities, then either teleporting to escape, teleporting in a melee ally to Full Attack the poisoned individual or, best of all, swap the poisoned person from any nearby clerics or other means of neutralizing the poison.
Damage Reduction Good and Neutral Alignment – Using, having DR/Good comes with unfortunate other vulnerabilities. Like Smite Evil. Or Holy Word. Not so Reykja.
Cold Resistance vs Cold Vulnerability[b] – Alas, poor Domovoi suffer an intense dislike of the cold. Thankfully Acolyte provides some measure of protection against such attacks.
[b]Fiendish Glare+ Pyrotechnics –Unlike normal means of causing a target to be shaken (Such as the usual Intimidate focus builds) Fiendish Glare explicitly works without line of sight, allowing Reykja to utilize it even whilst concealed by his racial spell like abilities.
Alter Self + Outsider type – Assume glorious Outsider forms!

Career Explanation and Level Snapshots

Reykja’s primary purpose is tactical debuffing, using his concealment, teleport and various abilities to misplace enemies while others do the damage.
Level Five - Fey Hit Dice and early Savant. From the very beginning Reykja starts employing his Smoke Screen tactics, using his Riding Cohort, Flaming Sphere and flammable items to move and hide wherever he desires. Using his Skill Assist ability, he is also able to lend his Hiding ability to any nearby allies as required.
Recommended Equipment: Flash Powder to befuddle those with high Spot checks.
Level Ten - Fey Hit Dice, Savant, early Jaunter and early Acolyte. Skill Assist increases, allowing Reykja to give the crucial 5 ranks of Balance to allies in danger of being flat footed from balance issues. The Jaunter levels kick in, allowing the teleport high jinks, which can be combined with the first use of the Poison Acolyte ability to devastate Fortitude poor foes (such as Rogues or spellcasters).
Recommended Equipment: Wing Grafts. Fly in the air and teleport non-flyers for damage hilarity.
Note: These are the levels were the LA Buy Off hits (8 and 11)
Level Fifteen - Fey Hit Dice, Savant, early Jaunter and Acolyte.

Level Twenty - Complete.


Notes

Domovoi LA – The Domovoi entry states multiple LA’s for the race. I went with the LA +2 given in the character section, based on it being the closest thing to “Text trumps tables” available. If that was disallowed obviously the final two level of Jaunter wouldn’t eventuate.
Skills - You’ll note a number of skills are not carried out to their maximum possible level. This was a balancing act between different Class skills, skill points and actual game needs. Specifically:
• Escape Artist: This is maxed up until teleports are readily available. As a small, low strength character, this is primary intended for low level Grapple escapes.
• Ride: This is made as high as the skill needs to be, the majority of uses are not particularly high DC (5, 15 and 20). With a high Dexterity and a bonus for Wild Cohort, this can be ignored at higher levels.
• Handle animal: Similar situation to Ride, alleviated even more by a large Charisma score.
MADness – The Spell Like abilities run off Charisma, Savant want Intelligence, Constitution is wanted for health, Dexterity aids a number of the skills. Charisma gets boosted as required, the Savant spells are selected based on utility and don’t require a high DC, Race and Acolyte levels boost Dex and Con as required.
Caster Level Requirement – The Racial Spell Like Ability has a Caster Level equal to HD, allowing the build to qualify when it does for Acolyte of the skin.
Wild Cohort – Whilst being leadership-esque, it is explicitly allowed as per the competition FAQ.
Trapsense – Achieves nothing. If the DM allows, I would swap this with an Alternate Class Feature from the Rogue list (Probably Feign Death or Mimic).

Build Sources

Sources
{table=head]Source|Item
Complete Arcane|Acolyte of the Skin
Dragon Compendium|Flash Powder, Savant
Expedition to Demonweb Pits|Jaunter
Frostburn|Domovoi
Players Handbook|Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack
Tome of Magic|Bind Vestige, Improved Bind Vestige
Unearthed Arcana|Accurate Jaunt, Level Buy Off
Web http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a|Wild Cohort
[/table]

[Amphetryon]

Rumor has it his cousin was born in a crossfire hurricane.


Luc
Stonehunter Gnome Bard 1/Gnome Paragon 3/Acolyte of the Skin 10/Fiend of Corruption 6
"Let's make a deal..."




http://www.theownersclubfantasyfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/devil-in-a-suit1-e1284394543927.jpg

Please allow me to introduce myself:
I'm a man of wealth and taste. But it wasn't always that way, see? My parents, good little worker gnomes that they were, they scrimped and saved just to send me to the Bardic College for one semester. My ma, she had dreams of me becoming the best violinist in all the land...bless her naive little soul. My pa? His dream was for me to do what he had never done and master the Shadow Craft. The Stonehunters think illusions are frivolous, but Pa was a "pureblood" as he liked to say, and Ma was the one with a little dragon in her. He spoke of grand gnomish illusionists and the power they wielded freely. While either of those could have been fine, at college I discovered the lute. My time was sunk into plunking away on its strings, but my parents would have none of it. "The devil's music," they called it; if only they knew.

During one semester break, we were playing a gig in a local tavern. Afterwards, our drummer Mal said he wanted to show us a spell he had just picked up. We headed out back, and watched as he poured his energy into a summoning spell. He called forth a lemure, which sprang forth to attack us. Most of my bandmates ran, but I just pulled out my lute and played a solo. Something in my music soothed the mindless beast, and it sat peacefully before me.

A short time later, a few other minor devils would come to call, asking to hear the man who played their music. I would string together furious riffs on the higher frets, and sometimes I even tuned my strings lower than usual to get the infernally heavy sound they liked out of the thicker strings. Eventually, one came to me unlike the others--in a tailored suit, he smiled and suggested that we make a deal. He could get me a contract as a full-time musician, playing the music I loved, if I just signed on the dotted line. Of course, I didn't take the time to read anything...

If I had, I would have noticed that the clause where the devil decided to "get some skin in the game" was more than just a figure of speech. Instead, inch by inch, he slowly lifted off my skin and replaced it with his own. Whenever I tried to scream, he would just click his tongue, wag his finger at me, and say "Play the pain." I poured my fury into my sound, and my music became more fearsome than ever. Over time, it changed me so much that my family and former bandmates can now hardly recognize me.

You see, what I play is the devil's music, for I am he. I see you sitting there, listening to my song and longing for the sort of fame I have. Do you want to know a secret? I can give it to you. In fact, I can give you whatever you want, and I can give it to you now. I must take the stage now, but after this set we can sit down and talk business. You can trust me, I'm not like all the others; I only want what's best for you...

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

1st|Gnome Bard 1|
+0|
+0|
+2|
+2|Bluff 4, Disguise 4, Intimidate 2, Know: planes 4, Perform (Strings) 4, Sense Motive 4, UMD 4|Dragonfire Inspiration|Bardic music, bardic knowledge, counter fear, fascinate, Inspire Courage +1

2nd|Gnome Paragon 1|
+0|
+2|
+2|
+4|Bluff 5, Disguise 4.5, Intimidate 2, Know: planes 5, Perform (Strings) 5, Sense Motive 4.5, UMD 4||Illusion aptitude, keen senses

3rd|Gnome Paragon 2|
+1|
+3|
+2|
+5|Bluff 6, Disguise 5, Intimidate 2, Know: planes 6, Perform (Strings) 6, Sense Motive 5, UMD 4|Devil's Favor|Mirror Image 1/day

4th|Gnome Paragon 3|
+2|
+3|
+3|
+5|Bluff 7, Disguise 5.5, Intimidate 2, Know: planes 6, Perform (Strings) 7, Sense Motive 5.5, UMD 4||Ability boost (CHA +2)

5th|Acolyte of the Skin 1|
+2|
+5|
+3|
+7|Bluff 7.5, Disguise 6, Intimidate 2, Know: planes 6, Perform (Strings) 7, Sense Motive 6, UMD 4||Wear fiend, poison 1/day

6th|Acolyte of the Skin 2|
+3|
+6|
+3|
+8|Bluff 8, Disguise 6.5, Intimidate 2, Know: planes 6, Perform (Strings) 7, Sense Motive 6.5, UMD 4|Devil's Sight|Flame Resistant

7th|Acolyte of the Skin 3|
+4|
+6|
+4|
+8|Bluff 8.5, Disguise 7, Intimidate 2, Know: planes 6, Perform (Strings) 7, Sense Motive 7, UMD 4||Fiendish Glare

8th|Acolyte of the Skin 4|
+5|
+7|
+4|
+9|Bluff 9, Disguise 7.5, Intimidate 2, Know: planes 6, Perform (Strings) 7, Sense Motive 7.5, UMD 4||

9th|Acolyte of the Skin 5|
+5|
+7|
+4|
+9|Bluff 9.5, Disguise 8, Intimidate 2, Know: planes 6, Perform (Strings) 7, Sense Motive 8, UMD 4|Extend Supernatural Ability|Skin Adaptation, poison 2/day

10th|Acolyte of the Skin 6|
+6/+1|
+8|
+5|
+10|Bluff 10, Disguise 8.5, Intimidate 2, Know: planes 6, Perform (Strings) 7, Sense Motive 8.5, UMD 4||Cold Resistant

11th|Acolyte of the Skin 7|
+7/+2|
+8|
+5|
+10|Bluff 10, Disguise 9, Intimidate 3, Know: planes 6, Perform (Strings) 7, Sense Motive 9, UMD 4||Glare of the Pit

12th|Acolyte of the Skin 8|
+8/+3|
+9|
+5|
+11|Bluff 10, Disguise 9.5, Intimidate 4, Know: planes 6, Perform (Strings) 7, Sense Motive 9.5, UMD 4|Empower Supernatural Ability|

13th|Acolyte of the Skin 9|
+8/+3|
+9|
+6|
+11|Bluff 10, Disguise 10, Intimidate 5, Know: planes 6, Perform (Strings) 7, Sense Motive 10, UMD 4||Summon Fiend

14th|Acolyte of the Skin 10|
+9/+4|
+10|
+6|
+12|Bluff 10, Disguise 10, Intimidate 8, Know: planes 6, Perform (Strings) 7, Sense Motive 10, UMD 4||Fiendish Symbiosis

15th|Fiend of Corruption 1|
+9/+4|
+12|
+8|
+14|Bluff 11, Disguise 10, Intimidate 8, Know: planes 6, Perform (Strings) 8, Sense Motive 10, UMD 4|Imperious Command|Alternate Form, Fiend's Favor

16th|Fiend of Corruption 2|
+10/+5|
+13|
+9|
+15|Bluff 12, Disguise 11, Intimidate 8, Know: planes 6, Perform (Strings) 8, Sense Motive 11, UMD 4||Suggestion, Mind Shielding

17th|Fiend of Corruption 3|
+11/+6/+1|
+13|
+9|
+15|Bluff 13, Disguise 12, Intimidate 8, Know: planes 6, Perform (Strings) 8, Sense Motive 12, UMD 4||Mark of Justice

18th|Fiend of Corruption 4|
+12/+7/+2|
+14|
+10|
+16|Bluff 14, Disguise 13, Intimidate 8, Know: planes 6, Perform (Strings) 8, Sense Motive 13, UMD 4|Devil's Flesh|Fiendish Graft, Major Creation

19th|Fiend of Corruption 5|
+12/+7/+2|
+14|
+10|
+16|Bluff 15, Disguise 14, Intimidate 8, Know: planes 6, Perform (Strings) 8, Sense Motive 14, UMD 4||Geas, temptation

20th|Fiend of Corruption 6|
+13/+8/+3|
+15|
+11|
+17|Bluff 16, Disguise 15, Intimidate 8, Know: planes 6, Perform (Strings) 8, Sense Motive 15, UMD 4||Grant wish, Soul bargain[/table]

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

1st|2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

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

3rd|3|0|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

4th|3|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

5th|3|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

6th|3|2|0|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

7th|3|2|0|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

8th|3|3|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

9th|3|3|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

10th|3|3|2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

11th|3|3|2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

12th|3|3|2|0|-|-|-|-|-|-

13th|3|3|2|0|-|-|-|-|-|-

14th|3|3|3|1|-|-|-|-|-|-

15th|3|3|3|1|-|-|-|-|-|-

16th|3|3|3|1|-|-|-|-|-|-

17th|3|3|3|1|-|-|-|-|-|-

18th|3|3|3|1|-|-|-|-|-|-

19th|3|3|3|1|-|-|-|-|-|-

20th|3|3|3|1|-|-|-|-|-|-[/table]

Sample Spells Known:
{table=head]Level|Spells
0|Dancing Lights, Detect Magic, Ghost Sound, Prestidigitation
1st|Charm Person, Improvisation, Silent Image
2nd|Detect Thoughts, Invisibility, Glitterdust
3rd|Glibness[/table]

{table=head]Attribute|Points|Base|Racial|Class|Levels|Total|Mo d
STR|0|8|-2|0|0|6|-2
DEX|4|12|0|2|0|14|+2
CON|3|11|2|2|0|15|+2
INT|4|12|0|0|0|12|+1
WIS|8|15|0|0|0|15|+2
CHA|13|17|0|2|5|23|+6[/table]

Tactics/Highlights:

Levels 1-5: At these levels, you'll see the most use as an archer bard, tacking on +3d6 fire damage to allies' attacks with the right items. Wear fiend will boost your DEX for both an offensive and defensive edge. Your bevy of racial SLAs, spells, and the ever-useful Mirror Image from Gnome Paragon go a long way to enhance your staying power. Thanks to Gnome Paragon's odd boost to your caster level for Illusion spells, you count as having a CL of 6 by 4th level, which allows us to hop into the Secret Ingredient one level early. It might not seem like a big deal, but this is crucial later as it allows us to finish Fiend of Corruption, snagging two 9th-level spells as class features.
Levels 6-10: Our secret ingredient comes online a little more in these levels. Devil's Sight combined with your keen gnomish senses allows you to serve as a passable scout, but here is where you become a name to be feared. Extend Su Ability and Fiendish Glare partner nicely for individual lockdown, and you can use your few ranks in Intimidate to escalate the fear further if you'd like. However, at this stage of the game most things will be low enough on HP that they'll be stunned for some time.
Levels 11-15: Level 15 is the first real sweet spot here. Our fear trick becomes even more potent with the inclusion of Imperious Command, we snag our highest-level bard spells, we pick up DR 10, AND our huge nova power is fully online. As icing on the cake, we start changing form to any humanoids we like--look for natural attacks, alternate movement modes, or Ex abilities. Fiend's Favor is supposed to be used for foolish mortals, but nothing's stopping us from using it on ourselves, either. Extend Supernatural Ability can be even more useful here than on Fiendish Glare, as it allows the bonus we hand out to last for 2 days. This means that we can actually boost 2 abilities at a time (one on even days, one on odd days) and keep both going. It's a judgement call whether you want to be greedy and use this on yourself, hand it out to a party member, or use it as a bargaining chip with foolish mortals.
Levels 16-20: This cake has way more icing, which is great because that's everyone's favorite part of cake. Suggestion, Geas, and Mind Shielding are normal icing, but from there on out it just gets silly. Hand out Fiendish Grafts to yourself and party members (Granted, only once a month) for fun bonuses like...+4 untyped STR bonus (Clawed Arm), Wings, Natural Attacks...Heck, you can even hand out Fiendish Skins of your own. After all, nothing says Acolyte of the Skin more than having your own "Acolytes of MY Skin:. Major Creation and Geas are limited only by your imagination, but the last two are big hitters. Soul bargain allows us to maintain our own collection of souls which can be used as currency with other devils, boost CL checks to defeat SR by +10, or power diabolic engines. However, the real reason we came is for Wish. Sure, you still have to pay the XP cost, and you'll have to get a mortal party member to make the actual wish, but you are an Acolyte of the Skin. Who can cast two 9th level spells (Wish 1/day, soul bind effectively at will). Suddenly, half casting doesn't seem so bad :smallcool:.

The Perks of Being an Acolyte of the Skin:

Wear Fiend: Natural armor combines with light armor and a DEX bonus to allow you to cast spells without risking arcane spell failure while remaining decently protected. If you're in a bind for additional DEX (whether for defense or landing your ranged touch attack for Glare of the Pit), you can use your Fiend's Favor ability to add a stacking +3 to your DEX, but there are consequences once that wears off so I'd only advise it if you have some downtime coming up. Devil's Flesh bumps up the natural armor bonus you receive, while Devil's Sight extends your darkvision and gives you limited blindsense as well for spotting invisible creatures which you can then peg with Glitterdust.
Poison: This DC is aided by a decent CHA score (which itself is raised by Gnome Paragon and can be raised further via Fiend's Favor, but see the caveat above). Once you have a fiend to flank with, it'll be easier to land this touch attack, or you can always burn your Inspire Courage (though we have better uses for it...see below).
Flame Resistant: If you get an artificer to make you a wand of fireball you can go to town dropping AoE effects around yourself without getting burnt up as quickly. Still, this is more for effect, as I picture Luc walking into a burning building to save those trapped inside without getting burnt. He's wiling to save them, but first they just need to sign on the dotted line.
Fiendish Glare: As we learned last round, the Rules Compendium states that the worst stage of fear lasts until all fear effects end. 10 minutes of cowering via Imperious Command means that an enemy is out of the battle entirely. Fearsome Armor (DotU) allows us to glare as a standard action followed by demoralizing as a move action, so we can use 6 seconds to lock down the DM's BBEG for 10 minutes. Granted, the ability also combines standalone with Extend Supernatural Ability. Not only can we up the duration to 20 minutes if we're going to be sticking around for a while, but the feat would also double the duration of the ability's built-in stunning effect for those who are out of demoralizing range. The DC is CHA-based, which is excellent for us, and could mean stunning a foe for 2-20 rounds.
Skin Adaptation: More natural armor and darkvision means more of a boost from our Devil-Touched feats (one of which this ability gives us the CON score we need to qualify for).
Cold Resistant: Grab yet another wand or a caster, and you can wade around inside of Kelgore's Grave Mist without fear. By itself it's a decent spell, but if your party starts slapping Fell Frighten or Fell Drain on it, that's even more reason NOT to take cold damage.
Glare of the Pit: Two ranged touch rays for 8d6 fire damage is decent, but sounds more like the Wink of the Pit than a glare. For this reason, we took Empower Supernatural Ability. Though it's only 1/day, so is this ability! Now you're handing out a more respectable 12d6 per ray, or you can buddy them up on someone for a total of 24d6. Since bards lack blasting oomph without specialization, this is a tremendous help. Here is where our 1/day Inspire Courage actually comes in handy. Coupled with a Badge of Valor and a Masterwork Mandolin, we're churning out an extra +3d6 fire damage per ray. That makes each ray sizzle with 11d6 fire damage, but Empower Supernatural Ability kicks in after that. Voila--32d6 fire damage. While it's a nova power, it's a darn good one. If your reading is that Empower Su Ability kicks in before Dragonfire Inspiration, we're still dishing out 30d6. If your reading is that these rays don't count as weaponlike spells and thus can't benefit from Dragonfire Inspiration, drop it from the build in favor of Boost Spell-Like Ability, and lose Inspire Courage for Inspire Awe.
Summon Fiend: we stayed away from any summon spells on this build because our low caster level meant a low duration. No longer! You get a pretty decent melee devil for an hour, which buffs up one area in which Luc is lacking. You can still flank to drop poison more easily on your targets.
Fiendish Symbiosis: Ah yes, becoming an outsider. We have DR/good, which seems like it goes without saying that we're evil outsiders now. However, ask your DM. If not, you can shell out the coin for the Ritual of Alignment found in Savage Species. Congratulations, your little gnome now qualifies for the delicious "Fiend of..." PrCs in the Fiend Folio! The usual suspect is Fiend of Possession, but we're taking a different route here. Due to our abundance of Su and Sp abilities with limited uses per day, we continue that by snagging Fiend of Corruption. Our bard and Gnome Paragon levels gave us the class skills that we needed, and we slide in to pick up some higher-level abilities than most bards or devils can ever dream of.

Adaptation:

Flaws: If your DM is cheese-tolerant, you can also snag Assume Supernatural Ability instead of Imperious Command. It's really dealer's choice at this point, but I liked the lockdown ability too much to give it up. If flaws were in play, we could bump Devil's Favor to 1st level, Devil's Sight to 3rd, Extend Supernatural Ability to 9th, Devil's Flesh to 12th, and pop Assume Supernatural Ability in at 18th. The second flaw should be used to rearrange some things to pick up Boost SLA as soon as possible, since it's a +2 a few times per day to each of your SLAs.
LA Buyoff: My two favorite templates once again fight for consideration--half-fey and phrenic both provide the right kind of stat bonuses (especially half-fey!) and a heaping spoonful of spell-like or psi-like abilities.


Sources Used:

PHB (Bard, spells)
Races of Stone (gnome bard substitution)
Dragon Magic (stonehunter gnome, Dragonfire Inspiration)
Unearthed Arcana (Gnome Paragon)
Complete Arcane (Acolyte of the Skin)
Drow of the Underdark (Imperious Command, Fearsome Armor)
Fiend Folio (Fiend of Corruption)
Tome of Magic (Empower Supernatural Ability, Extend Supernatural Ability)
Fiendish Codex II (Devil's Favor, Devil's Sight, Devil's Flesh)


Inquiry:

If an entry has a caster level of 5 for only some of her spells (for example due to domain choices or feats), does she qualify for the Secret Ingredient, or must she maintain a caster level of 5 for all spells she is capable of casting?
The requirement says "Caster level 5th," which reads as different than "able to cast 3rd level spells." That means if you count as a 5th level caster for any spell, you qualify for the AotS; it doesn't go back and check against other spells, as the pre-req has already been met.

Please include the above in a "notes" section of your build if the information describes the character's situation.

[Amphetryon]

"How do you become an Acolyte of the Skin?" 'Grin and bear it.'



Baby, the "Bear"-knuckled Barbarian

Build:
Voidmind Creature Goliath Half-Vampire Spellthief 3/Barbarian, Bear Totem (Goliath Racial Sub-level) 2/AotS 9


Stats:
Str 16, Con 16, Dex 10, Int 8, Wis 8, Cha 16

Goliath
Str +4, Con +2, Dex -2

Half-Vampire
Str +2, Dex +2, Cha +2

Levels
Cha +1, Str +1, Str +1

Tome of Leadership and Influence
Cha +1

Voidmind Creature
Str +4, Con +4, Dex +2, Int +2, Cha -2

Acolyte of the Skin
+2 Dex, +2 Con

Totals
Str 28, Con 24, Dex 14, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 18



Storyline:
BeginningThere are those that fight for money. Some fight for the challenge. Others fight for their freedom. Still others fight for glory. Or honor. Or because they’re masochists, I guess.

I fought for blood!

Well, and because of the whole being a slave thing, sure. Whatever. But mostly for the blood.

I was taken at a fairly young age. Old enough to think I was a man. Young enough (and stupid enough) to get myself captured. I guess the stupid never really goes away.

I “worked” for The Grande Menagerie. Also known by those who work there as “The Pit”. Its part circus, part zoo, part gladiatorial arena. Folk, beasties, and things from the far stretches of the world are brought there to be put on display. And, of course, to be pitted against each other in the arena. Because who doesn’t crave the sight of blood?

Not me, that’s for sure.

My first contest was against a crowd favorite. I wasn’t expected to survive. So they billed me as a vile and evil monster. But it didn’t work. I had the charms to woo over the crowd. Soon enough, they were chanting for me to win. And by some miracle of luck, I did.

In those early days, things weren’t so bad. You’d have hardly known that most of us were slaves. Winners of contests were rewarded with lavish dinners, all sorts of exotic foods from all over the continent–and beyond. Those who won tournaments gained greater prizes. Some got rings, others medallions. I once won a book. (Yeah, yeah, I know. Ooohhhh... a book! Quit laughing. It was a great read. The kind of thing that can really draw you in, hold your attention.)

Anyway, things were all right. Until a few fights broke out in the ‘barracks’. A few ‘gladiators’ died without an audience (or, more to the point, the admission fees they pay), and things tightened up pretty quickly. After that, it didn’t take much to be reminded that your freedom was not your own in the Pit. You were a slave, and that was made clear.

And then there was that thing with the guard.....
Middle I woke up, startled. I couldn’t tell if it was day or night. I was in the new cell. I hadn’t been here long, really. It still seemed strange to wake up to. My former cell had been larger, more cozy, warmer. Not that I mind the cold, really.

As I said, I woke up startled. There was a man standing outside my cell, looking in at me through the bars. It was a long walk down the hallway to this cell, and I had no idea how long he had been standing there. That unnerved me.

He was immaculately dressed. Nice suit. Perfectly tended hair. A goatee just so. It was as though he took the time to put every last individual hair in just the right place. Flecks of salt coloring dotted his pepper-hair. He stood, an arm’s length plus away from the bars of my cell, weight evenly balanced across his frame. He could have been a fighter with that stance, but somehow I doubted that he was. He was still, quiet. He didn’t fidget. He just stood perfectly still, watching me.

I leapt to my feet.

His lips curled in a slow, methodical smile. “Good afternoon.”

I was exhausted. I was hungry. I hadn’t eaten in awhile. And I hadn’t fed in days.

I looked into his eyes, meeting his gaze.

He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. There’ll be none of that. It won’t work on me. After the way you treated your last...handler...cautions have been taken.”

My last ‘handler’, as he put it, was a human. Tasty creatures, those humans. How could I resist, really? He’d looked into my eyes. I couldn’t convince him to let me out, but he was easily persuaded to reach in through the bars. The blood flowed from his wrist in a torrent. And I hadn’t had a real feeding since.

Oh, you ignorant will say, ‘Blood is blood.’ Its not! Locked away in this damp little cage, I’ve had no contact with another soul in weeks! Sure, the rats come when I call. Have you ever tasted rodent blood? Tried to live on it? Settle your need with the meager drops they provide? It’s torment, I tell you! Torture!

And now I could smell ‘good’ blood just a few short steps away.

But I could also sense...something else. Magic? Yes. It was there, coating this man, covering him, containing him. Binding him.

“I have been instructed not to touch you. Or to let you touch me.”

I curled my fingers around the bars of my cage. He was just too far to reach, and he knew it. “Do you always do what you’re told?”

“That depends entirely on who’s doing the telling.” His jaw clenched. His eyes, an image of calm, couldn’t hide the seething roil of anger within him. He drew in a long, slow breath. Then let it out again steadily. The angry storm behind his eyes calmed, abated, but didn’t disappear completely.

“I will be your new handler from now on. You have been exiled down to this space, away from your...co-workers. It is a precaution that the Boss feels is necessary since you’ve shown an inability to control your...addiction. Seeing as you require such extra attention, I have been assigned to you on a one-to-one basis. My name is not one to be spoken, or even known, so you may call me C.”

I was barely listening. His words washed past my ears, some caught, some not. But the scent of him filled me. I could taste the hint blood across my tongue. The smell of it filled my head. White-knuckled, I clenched the bars. I tried to hold the hunger back, control the need, but it was futile. Snarling, I lurched forward, lunging against the bars, reaching out through them. My fingers clawed at the air, violently seeking to grasp the one thing that could sate my burning desire.

He never flinched. Never moved. He simply stood there and waited. Waited for me to calm down, for the rage to subside, for the fatigue to overtake me.

“As I said, I have been instructed not to let you touch me.” He barely blinked. Just a flicker of his eyelids. There was a soft POP, barely audible, and I wasn’t alone in my cell.

It was small, red, hovering in the air on leathery wings. It was alive. I could smell the blood.

I had it in my grasp, teeth digging into its flesh before C had voiced his words. “Calm yourself, imp. Relax. It’ll all be over soon.”

I drank. I fed. I reveled in the flow of blood through my mouth. I ravished that form, drinking from its flesh. I sucked every last drop from it. As I let the limp body drop from my fingers, I heard C’s footsteps echoing away into the darkness. His voice carried back to me across the stone floor.

“You’re scheduled for the arena tomorrow. Be ready to fight!”

At my feet, the lifeless corpse melted into a sickening goo, then dissolved away into nothingness....

More MiddleC escorted me to a room I’d never seen before. It looked like some strange lab.

“There has been contact made between this facility and the Tentacled Trio. You have been chosen as their test subject. I won’t bore you with the details, but it all seems quite profitable for both sides. It does, however, toss the proverbial unicorn horn into the clockworks of our plans. I have been instructed to bring you here and prepare you for their experiment. I’m to return you to your cell immediately afterward. Which is why we’ve arrived so early.”

As he spoke, he led me to a long slab of a table and motioned for me to crawl onto it. He set about fastening several clamps around my wrists, my ankles, my thighs, my waist, my neck–all binding me to the table.

“We have plans?”

“Yes. But now our timetable has accelerated. We must begin tonight, in order to prepare you.”

I tried to move, testing the bindings. They held firm.

“Wait! Did you say ‘experiment’?”

“Yes,” he said. “And trust me, you won’t want to be awake when they get here.”

He pulled a box from his robes and opened it slowly. I noticed that he kept the opening pointed away from himself – and right at me, instead. Dozens, if not hundreds, of tiny little red...uhmm...things...crawled out of the box, leaping from it. They were bright red, about the size of my fingernail, with little barbed horny spikes that stuck out all over their bodies. They landed, one after the next, on my body, spreading out across me, an army sweeping out across the landscape of my flesh. I have to admit, it kinda tickled.

“What you are about to experience will be difficult for you to endure. Do, please, try to look upon this Ritual as the Blessing that it is.” As the last of the little buggers lept from his box, C moved around to stand at the head of the table, hovering over my head. His voice issued forth in that low, dramatic whisper of his that demanded so much awe and reverence. “With this Ritual, I induct thee to the pathway of Ascension, bonding you to the greatest of Hordes!”

With an unmatched precision of unity, each of those little red buggers bit me. They gnawed through my skin, burrowing underneath, chewing at my flesh. I tensed, flinched. But the bonds pinning me to the table held. My body was on fire, burning from the inside, a new height of pain found with each bite of those tiny teeth. I strained against the pain, flexing against my bonds. And still they held, though I cannot image how.

I never heard my scream. Which doesn’t mean that I wasn’t. Screaming, I mean. C stood over me, one hand extended out over my face, a rose dangling from his fingers. His lips were moving, chanting, but I couldn’t hear him any more than I could my own scream. Or the chewing sounds from under my skin. The bubble of silence consumed it all.

I don’t know how long it lasted. Probably a minute or so. It felt like eternity. When the pain finally receded, I just lay there. I was exhausted, my body devoid of energy, my mind wrapped in a haze cloud of numbness. All I could do was stare at the ceiling.

I heard the door open. Ever the diplomat, C made his polite exit. And then I saw them, the Trio, when they stepped next to the table to look down on me.

I have fought in the Pit for years, battled every kind of beastie from here to the Frozen Hills. Only once have I ever seen anything that looked like these three. After a hard-won fight, years ago, back when we still ‘earned’ rewards for our wins, I was offered a special dinner. Cala-something. Squid bits. Squiggly tentacles on a plate. I thought it was kinda weird, really. But I was hungry, and I devoured every last one of them.

As these three leaned lower, their faces squiggling toward me, I could only think one thing: Seafood has an awfully wicked way of taking vengeance!EndIt had been months since C had come around. It wasn’t needed anymore. I did exactly as I was instructed to do. Walk from my cell to the arena and (should I win) back to my cell again. No escort needed. Just those three god-awful voices in my head.

If only they had heard of harmony.

The worst part of all was the hunger. C wasn’t coming around to feed me those delicious imps anymore. The rats would come when I called, but the Trio of Voices wouldn’t let me partake. They thought it disgusting, apparently. It turned their delicate stomachs. Unfortunately, their stomachs outranked mine. There wasn’t anything I could do about it.

To top it all off, the arena held nothing to slake my thirsts. They had taken to pitting me up against bloodless enemies. They build them, apparently, just for me. To keep me weak. Men made out of metal or stone or whatever they could find. Literally out of whatever happened to be lying around. I once fought a shambling pile of rotting hay and hedge clippings. Just a big old mound of the stuff. I could only imagine the day when they sent me out against a walking pile of my own steaming....

Well. Needless to say, it wasn’t a pleasant time in my life. And through it all, those annoyingly self-righteous Voices, a constant flow in my mind, ever bickering, bantering, driving me insane.

I’m not proud to have to admit this, but....there was a time when I tried to fall to an opponent in the Pit. I tried to just stop, let them win, beat me to a lifeless pulp. Just to end the torment, to silence the madness. But those three, the Lords of my madness, wouldn’t let me stop. They made my body fight, tugged me around like a puppet. And I was powerless to stop it.

And then, finally, one day.... One blessed day....

I was brought out of my cell, as usual. Compelled to the back rooms of the Grande Menagerie. I met up with my Puppeteers, the same as I always did. They each took their turns, inspecting me. Admirers of their own work, no doubt. They tried to psych me up, but as usual, it didn’t work. My mind they owned, my body was theirs to work. But my emotions, they couldn’t touch.

C and the Boss came by then. C wouldn’t look at me, wouldn’t even acknowledge I was there. The Boss and the Trio exchanged forced pleasantries. It all seemed like just another day. Until the Boss spoke.

“I have some business I need to attend to in my office. Once the fight begins, C, do please escort these three gentlemen to their private booth. Make sure they arrive safely.”

“As you so instruct, Sir. I will make sure they get to their booth unharmed.” C made his polite bowing motion to the Boss, but he was all ready out the door.

When the fight began, it was the same as it always was. The Trio, clearly not fighters in their own right, bickering and arguing in my head about strategies. One wanted me to press the offensive. Another demanded that I hold to my defense. And the third was perfectly content to nibble popcorn and force my eyes into the stands, focusing on the scantily clad wenches serving frosted ale and pretzels. It all made me sluggish and slow.

And then I heard it. The most glorious sound in all the world.

Silence.

I looked up to the Trio’s booth just in time to catch a glimpse of an immaculately tailored suit slipping out the door, leaving behind a threesome of bodies, slumped forward, unmoving. I could smell their blood from the Pit.

With my tentacles now working for me, instead of in opposition to me, the fight was over fairly quickly. I dropped my foe like a ton of bricks. (Which, incidentally, it was.)

C was waiting for me in the back room. An imp was waiting there with him, knees knocking together, its whole body quivering. I sunk my teeth in with vigor and drank.

“You’re free of the Squid Squad. And you’re welcome. In light of their sudden demise, I have been instructed to take on the duties of your handler once again. I have also been instructed to escort you back to your cell after your duel. I was, however, not given instruction as to when that must occur. You also may find it interesting to know that I was never instructed to lock the office door behind me when I left.”

For all the time he’d spent running a gladiatorial pit, you’d think the Boss would have learned something about defending himself. Instead, he relied on two things. First, his ring that he expected would let him wiggle out of my grasp. And second, his guards coming when he called. But he never had the chance to cry out. And that ring? Pleeeeaaase! That little thing can’t stop the likes of me.

When I met back up with C, he gave me that polite little bow of his. The stench of that magical cage around him was gone. He was unbound, as free as I was. Together, we walked out, throught the doors of the Grande Menagerie and into the world beyond. Neither of us ever looked back.



The Build:
Baby the "Bear"-knuckled Barbarian
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skill Ranks|Feats|Class Features

1st|Goliath (LA+1)|
--|
--|
--|
--|--|--|Powerful Build, Mountain Movement, Acclimated

2nd|Half-Vampire (LA+1of2)|
--|
--|
--|
--|--|Improved Initiative|NA+2, Slam Attack, Blood Drain, Charm Gaze, Children of the Night, Blood Dependency, DR5/silver or magic, Fast Healing, R:cold5, R:electricity5

3rd|Half-Vampire (LA+2of2)|
--|
--|
--|
--|--|--|--

4th|Spellthief1|
+0|
+0|
+0|
+2|K:Arcana4, Tumble4, UMD4, Spot4, Listen4, Climb4|1st: Improved Unarmed Strike|Sneak Attack 1D6, Steal Spell, Trapfinding

5th|Barbarian, Bear Totem (Goliath Racial Subsitution)1|
+1|
+2|
+0|
+2|Climb5, Listen5, Intimidate2|B: Toughness|Mountain Rage

6th|Barbarian, Bear Totem2|
+2|
+3|
+0|
+2|K:Arcana5, Listen6, Intimidate3|2nd: Knowledge Devotion, B: Improved Grapple|--

7th|Spellthief2|
+3|
+3|
+0|
+3|K:Planes6|--|Detect Magic, Spellgrace+1, Steal Spell Effect

8th|Spellthief3|
+4|
+4|
+1|
+3|K:Planes7, K:Arcana7, Tumble7|--|Steal Energy Resistance 10

9th|Voidmind Creature (LA+1of3)|
+4|
+4|
+1|
+3|--|Alertness, Combat Reflexes, Great Fortitude|NA+4(stacks), Tentacle Attack, Cone of Slime, Constrict, Improved Grab (tentacle only), Sentient Tentacle, DR5/magic, Immunities (acid, mind-affecting, ability damage/drain, energy drain), Mind Flayer Host, SR10+HD

10th|Voidmind Creature (LA+2of3)|
+4|
+4|
+1|
+3|--|--|--

11th|Voidmind Creature (LA+3of3)|
+4|
+4|
+1|
+3|--|--|--

12th|Acolyte of the Skin1|
+4|
+6|
+1|
+5|K:Arcana8, K:Planes8|3rd: Stunning Fist|Wear Fiend, Poison

13th|Acolyte of the Skin2|
+5|
+6|
+1|
+5|K:Arcana9, K:Planes9|--|Flame Resistant

14th|Acolyte of the Skin3|
+6|
+6|
+2|
+5|K:Planes10, Intimidate4|--|Fiendish glare

15th|Acolyte of the Skin4|
+6|
+7|
+2|
+6|K:Arcana10, Inimidate5|4th: Choke Hold|--

16th|Acolyte of the Skin5|
+6|
+7|
+2|
+6|K:Planes11, Intimidate6|--|Skin adaptation, poison (2/day)

17th|Acolyte of the Skin6|
+7|
+8|
+3|
+7|K:Arcana11, Intimidate7|--|Cold Resistant

18th|Acolyte of the Skin7|
+8|
+8|
+3|
+7|K:Planes12, Intimidate8|5th: Scorpion's Grasp|Glare of the Pit

19th|Acolyte of the Skin8|
+9|
+9|
+3|
+8|K:Arcana12, Intimidate9|--|--

20th|Acolyte of the Skin9|
+9|
+9|
+4|
+8|K:Planes13, Intimidate10|--|Summon Fiend[/table]


Spells:
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|1/2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

14th|1/2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

15th|1/2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

16th|1/2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

17th|2/3|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

18th|2/3|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

19th|2/3|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

20th|2/3|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-[/table]
Tactics of the Build:
ECL 1-5:At this point, Baby is just an ordinary, run-of-the-mill Goliath Half-Vampire Barbarian Spellthief. Soooo cliche. He's a "bear"-knuckled fighter. What he lacks in hit dice at this ECL, he makes up for in CON modifier and the free Toughness feat. He'll land a lot of punches (due mainly to his strength). Some DMs will let him punch twice (on off-hand attack), some won't. Either way, he follows up with a natural attack (slam). When his Improved Initiative feat gives him the chance to catch an opponent flat-footed, Baby goes for the grapple (no AoO). Another grapple check later, and he's draining CON. Take my advice, do NOT piss this guy off. Inciting his rage will only make him a bigger problem for you!

ECL 6-11:Baby picks up Improved Grapple here and becomes a bear hugger. Lots of half-nelsons and bitten necks. Knowledge Devotion puts Knowledge:The Planes on his class skill list. Coupled with his ranks in Knowledge:Arcana, the Devotion helps him fight those bloodless automatons in the Pit. But what really makes this point of his life shine, is his defense against that bane of grapplers: Freedom of Movement. At ECL 8, (with the Tome he won and a level increase to Cha) Baby has what it takes to use 'steal spell effect' to undo a FoM granted by an item, for example, a ring. Going Voidmind offers up a slew of useful things for a grappler. And if the Tentacled Trio has gone further, implanting not only the template, but a few grafts as well, then Baby's a force to be reckoned with.

ECL 12-20Acolyte of the Skin offers some interest to Baby. Most of all, of course, it starts him on a path to worthiness in the eyes of C. A new skin offers some Dex (nice for the Combat Reflexes feat), natural armor (helpful for those melee folk), and darkvision (which is, of course, good for anyone to have). Poison is a SLA easily applied by a grappler. Once Baby learns how to cast that Fiendish Glare, he starts landing sneak attacks on stunned victims. Which, of course, also makes them all the easier to pin (and keep pinned) for his vampric bite. Glare of the Pit offers him a ranged attack to sneak with to disable spell effects before closing in. Otherwise, he can use his Spellthief ability to lower his enemy's resistance to fire before scorching him with a look. And, at ECL 20, Baby gains the ability to summon a fiend once per day. A sneak attack flanker, you ask? No. Something to exploit for SLAs and abilities? Nope. Those fiends mean one simple thing to Baby. Food! No more relying on those disgusting rats for blood.

Shopping List:
Tome of Leadership and Influence +1
Any (optional) combination of...
Grabbing Tentacle (Illithid Graft)
Grasping Mandibles (Illithid Graft)
Extracting Tentacle (Illithid Graft)
Grappling Tentacle (Fiend Graft)
...depending on how the illithids feel about spending their money on your grafts. And on whether C has the opportunity.

If your character isn't locked in a cell, however, standard grapple equipment applies. Anything that grants strength bonuses, gives Improved Grab, increases size, etc.


Adaptations:
This build could just as easily be: Half-Giant Half-Vampire Voidmind creature Spellthief PsyWarrior. You'd be exchanging Toughness, Mountain Rage, and some strength for Stomp, a free feat, and psionics.

Another option would be to make a human with 5 levels of spellthief (for the Detect Magic SLA at caster level 5) with the Jotunbred feat (if you're in Faerun) and the vampire fangs graft (Libris Mortis).

Question: Can a half-vampire get vampire fangs grafted on and do 1d4 Con damage AND 1d4 Con drain on a successful pin?
If your DM says yes, then feel free to suck...and suck some more!

Sources:
Goliath (Races of Stone)
Half-Vampire (Libris Mortis)
Bear Totem Barbarian ACF (UA/SRD)
Barbarian (PH/SRD)
Barbarian Racial Sub-level, Goliath (Races of Stone)
Spellthief (Complete Adventurer)
Voidmind Creature Template (MM III)
Acolyte of the Skin (Complete Arcane)
Knowledge Devotion (Complete Champion)
Choke Hold (OA)
Scorpion's Grasp (Sandstorm)
Grabbing Tentacle (Underdark)
Extracting Tentacle (Underdark)
Grasping Mandibles (Fiend Folio)
Grappling Tentacle (Fiend Folio)

[Amphetryon]

When they talk about 'skin and bones,' they're usually more metaphorical.

Class Breakdown
NE Human Dread Necromancer 4/Acolyte of the Skin 4/ Pale Master 2/ Acolyte of the Skin 10/ Pale Master 6

Abilities
starting scores:
Str 14
Dex 10
Con 14
Int 10
Wis 14
Cha 16


+2 inherent dex (acolyte)
+2 inherent con (acolyte)
+4 inherent str (pale master)
level boosts go to cha

Finishing scores (w/o items, tomes, wishes, etc. naked as it were)

Str 18
Dex 12
Con 16
Int 10
Wis 14
Cha 21

Backstory

As the sun set, the windows to the corner rag and bone shop shuttered. The door clicked shut and the bolt slid into place.

The proprietor was a shriveled, nondescript little man, who had been, on more than one occasion, been mistaken for one of the preserved mummies (both real and fake) that dotted the shelves of the store. He was busy making preparations.

Of all the things that had passed through his hands over the years, his keen eye could now distinguish with the barest of glances whether what he held in his hand from a prospective seller was trash or treasure.

He had easily bought a hundred supposed "keys to another world." He sometimes kept them on rings and sold them as a set. They'd never worked, of course, he hadn't expected them to, and the wealthy few who deigned to visit his shop knew nothing about the history of the pieces they bought, throwing their money airily onto the counter, as if to flaunt to him how little it meant to someone so privileged.

But none like this.

He had knew from the moment he saw the box in the hand of that little urchin that had to stand on tiptoe to get his attention from just under the counter that it was truly something special and that he absolutely would have it.

Common though the youth appeared, he did seem to have some small inkling of the box's worth. The paltry sum offered wasn't enough to stop him from threatening to cut out this middleman and sell the box directly to one of the bored nobles about town.

Without either another thought or another word, he found the lapel of the urchin's greasy brown coat clutched in his hand. Something in the box was calling out to him, letting him know that if he let it go now, never again with their two paths cross. He tried to pry the box from the tiny fingers that clenched it tightly, but was unsuccessful. The boy kicked him off and began fleeing to the exit.

If asked, the shopkeeper could not say where he found the energy or the speed that possessed him next, only that he knew he must have that box. Not to sell it, no. This was one of those few objects that only one finely trained in the arcane arts through years of study, as he himself was, could ever appreciate. Before he could even feel the rough wood scraping his fingers, he saw a spear from the display behind the counter sailing through the air and pinning the boy to the wall.

He ran over towards the door and locked it up tight. The youth's body slumped and blood ran out the sleeve of his coat, dribbling into his palm, making the box slick. It tumbled to the floor with the softest of thuds that nonetheless carried throughout the shop.This was how he found himself in his present situation.

He peered out the windows to make sure no one had seen him. Not that it was likely, the shop was hardly well-visited. After seeing no one, he went to claim his prize. He had a rag from the pile handy to wipe off the box, but upon lifting it from the floor, he found not a drop of blood on it, nor on the floor or coming from the boy's veins. When he turned his gaze to the limp form still pinned to the wall, it was as desiccated as though it was dug from some far away pyramid a thousand years ago. He touched what had once been a hand and was unsurprised when it crumbled to dust before him.

He examined the box more carefully and saw that it looked even more pristine than before. It shone with a glossy black malevolence that let him know it was not only taking credit for what had just transpired.

It was reveling in it.

He pushed his weathered pince-nez up on his nose and examined what looked like script on the side of the box. It was almost invisible before, but after what was doubtless its feeding, it was bright as fire.

He set it down on the counter and got out a book to begin translating it before it could fade away:

Anoint me with blood drawn by claw, fang, or knife
And away I will take you from this dreary life.

He recognized the couplet, having bought a book on it many years ago. He began to break into a smile. He knew just what would come out of this box, and just what it was expecting. It would be most impolite of him not to play the role fate had assigned him.

Walking up the stairs to the seldom-used top room of the shop, often referred to in angry mutters as the damp room, he felt a strange sense of calm.

The creatures that made these boxes, horrible monsters from a far-away realm, would appear and lure those without sufficient mortal character to their doom. They would only come when called, of course, but the methods of calling were sometimes less than what one would call obvious.

They were supposed to be terrifying to look upon. All the books he had been able to accumulate on them over the years had shown no pictures of them. It was a crime and a sin alike to make an image of them, or to call them by their true names, lest they be summoned. Even the tomes that he had acquired through less legitimate means had their forbidden illustrations torn out or redacted.

The most complete copy he had managed to attain had been traded to him by a cenobite of Afflux in exchange for some equipment that he wasn't sure was intended for recreational use or torture. It was always hard to tell with those who followed Afflux. It was from him that he had learned how exactly one was to summon one of the foul creatures within its pages if he had ever been so inclined. The man trading him the book had no arcane inclination, so had little use for it, but thought it might be something to nudge the shopkeeper a little closer to Afflux's side.

He had never truly forgotten that encounter, yet he had never thought it would ever reenter his life, or that he would ever actually see the plain, black box that was drawn in exquisite detail below the jagged edge where whatever it summoned doubtless stood.

The damp room was cluttered with garbage and gewgaws galore, holy and unholy weapons alike jammed into umbrella cases, the floor covered with a patina of dust. He kept sweeping until he found what he needed. A plain silver circle inlaid into the floor. It had come with the shop, and though its purpose had been plain enough, he had never before possessed the time, resources and inclination to use it. Though the thing downstairs was now little more than a pile of ash, and had only been a street rat to begin with, it wouldn't be long before he was missed. When traveling with an object of such value, it was customary to let others know where you were going. He was sure he would hear people beating down the door any second now.

An out from this dreary life sounded like exactly what he needed. There was nothing for him here. There never truly had been.

He remembered the instructions from the book and stripped, laying his clothes in the center of the circle. A pristine box of silver razors and knives lay before him, an offer of submission to the monster that would come before him to do as he wished. He made a slice across the wrinkled flesh of his palm and knelt on the floor before the circle, the box cupped in his hand, drinking his blood as fast as he could ooze it out.

He spoke the unutterable name of the devil three times and winced as a flash of white, heatless fire sprang from the ground within the confines of the circle, immolating the clothes that had once lain on his back.

Who dares to summon me? You know we are called upon for but one reason

The shopkeeper nodded meekly, peeking at the thing in front of him out of the corner of his eye. It looked disappointingly like a man, and was naked too with a head covered almost entirely in chains, flowing down its shoulders like the hair of an angel.

You wish to be relieved of your life, little one?

He nodded again, not wishing to give himself away.

The devil in front of him laughed with a rattling of metal.

I cannot say I blame you. Who would not be unsatisfied with this paltry existence? Spiriting you away would be more a blessing than a curse.

A chain slithered down from the devil's neck and wound its way down his leg, picking up one of the razors that lay in the circle with him.

Shall we begin?

The shopkeeper could not help grinning.

You certainly are eager, mortal. You must have been damned long before you ever came to me.

The devil beckoned him with a crooked chain and he crawled into the circle, waiting for the devil to transfer the razor to his hand to begin his ritual scarification.

He did not jolt when he heard the devil scream.

His nostrils flared as he smelled the burning flesh and he came at once to his feet as the devil reeled in pain, trying to peel the razor from its fingers, succeeding only in getting its other hand burned as well, the melted flesh fusing them together around the razor in a useless lump.

The shopkeeper had drawn another from the box and looked down at the devil. Now that he was no longer kneeling, he saw it was no taller than he.

"You were right about me being unsatisfied with my life," he said as he took the devil's chin and tilted its head back, "I think I'll take yours."

The devil hissed some antediluvian curse at him as blood bubbled from his throat and he slumped down into the circle.

Books on leather working had not escaped his collection, and it was a relatively simple process to remove the devil's skin. When he slid his hands into the hollow gloves that lay before him, the blood felt scorching hot on his skin, and he saw that wherever the red interior of his devil suit touched, his own mortal skin was being eaten away. He forced his arms in with a scream and from that point, the skin seemed to have a mind of its own, slithering around him and stitching itself invisibly shut in the back. Though it spoke not a word to him, he could tell that there was no going back.

It was just as well. He could hear the folk from the streets trying to break down his door downstairs. Haze and magic drifted up from the circle where the meaty lump that had once been the devil now lay. He gave it a contemptuous kick and found that some scraps of his charred clothing had stuck to its form. Let them think him dead. Let them think that he tinkered with forces he did not understand and paid the ultimate price. Let them think him a foolish old man who had got what was coming to him.

He saw his new reflection in the edge of the razor and saw little difference. He supposed that covered with chains, one devil looked much the same as any other. He stepped into the circle without another thought and felt himself fading away just as the door to the attic broke through. He gave the townsfolk a fey little wave on his way out, and felt his hellbound heart skip a beat.

Someone was calling out for an end to their dreary little life. He shut the razor with a click and a smile.

It would be terribly rude of him not to oblige.
The Rag and Bone Man
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Dread Necromancer 1|
+0|
+0|
+0|
+2|Concentration 2, Know(religion) 4, Know (planes) 4, UMD 4|Apprentice (Spellcaster) (bonus spell: spirit worm), Tomb-tainted soul|Charnel touch, rebuke undead

2nd|Dread Necromancer 2|
+1|
+0|
+0|
+3|Know (religion) 1 (5), Know (planes) 1 (5), UMD 1 (5)||Lich body DR 2

3rd|Dread Necromancer 3|
+1|
+1|
+1|
+3|Know (religion) 1 (6), Know (planes) 1 (6), UMD 1 (6)|Spell Thematics|Negative energy burst 1/day

4th|Dread Necromancer 4|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+4|Know (religion) 1 (7), Spellcraft 1, UMD 1 (7)||Advanced learning (Escalating Enfeeblement), mental bastion +2

5th|Acolyte of the Skin 1|
+2|
+3|
+1|
+6|Know (arcana) 2, UMD 1 (8)||Wear fiend (Chain Devil) +1 natural armor, +2 inherent dex, dark vision 60ft, poison 1/day

6th|Acolyte of the Skin 2|
+3|
+4|
+1|
+7|Spellcraft 3 (4)| Practiced Spellcaster|Flame Resistant

7th|Acolyte of the Skin 3|
+4|
+4|
+2|
+7|Concentration 3 (5)||Fiendish Glare

8th|Acolyte of the Skin 4|
+5|
+5|
+2|
+8|Concentration 1 (6), Know (religion) 1 (8)||

9th|Pale Master 1|
+5|
+5|
+2|
+10|Concentration 1 (7), Know (religion) 1 (9), Know (planes) 1 (7)| Skill Focus (Knowledge: Religion)|

10th|Pale Master 2|
+6/+1|
+5|
+2|
+11|Know (religion) 2 (11), Know (planes) 1 (8)|| Animate Dead

11th|Acolyte of the Skin 5|
+6/+1|
+5|
+2|
+11|Know (arcana) 1 (6), Know (planes) 2 (10)||Skin Adaptation: natural armor +2, +2 inherent con, dark vision 120ft, poison 2/day

12th|Acolyte of the Skin 6|
+7/+2|
+6|
+3|
+12|Concentration 3 (10)| Sickening Grasp|Cold resistant 10

13th|Acolyte of the Skin 7|
+8/+3|
+6|
+3|
+12|Concentration 3 (13)||Glare of the pit

14th|Acolyte of the Skin 8|
+9/+4|
+7|
+3|
+13|Concentration 2 (15), Know (planes) 1 (12)||

15th|Acolyte of the Skin 9|
+9/+4|
+7|
+4|
+13|Know (arcana) 1 (7), Know (planes) 3 (15)| Versatile Spellcaster|Summon fiend

16th|Acolyte of the Skin 10|
+10/+5|
+8|
+4|
+14|Know (arcana) 3 (10)||Fiendish symbiosis, DR 10/good

17th|Pale Master 3|
+10/+5|
+9|
+5|
+14|Know (religion) 2 (13), Know (arcana) 1 (11)||Darkvision +60ft (180ft)

18th|Pale Master 4|
+11/+6/+1|
+9|
+5|
+15|Know (arcana) 2 (13), Know (religion) 1 (14)| Arcane Disciple (Deathbound Domain)|Undead armor affinity (10%)

19th|Pale Master 5|
+11/+6/+1|
+9|
+5|
+15|Know (arcana) 2 (15), Know (religion) 1 (15)||Control undead, deathless vigor (+4 to fort saves unless it affects objects)

20th|Pale Master 6|
+12/+7/+2|
+10|
+6|
+16|Know (arcana) 1 (16), Know (religion) 2 (17)||Undead graft, paralyzing touch[/table]

Spells

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

1st|-|3|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

2nd|-|4|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

3rd|-|5|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

4th|-|6|3|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

5th|-|6|3|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

6th|-|6|4|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

7th|-|6|4|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

8th|-|6|5|3|-|-|-|-|-|-

9th|-|6|5|3|-|-|-|-|-|-

10th|-|6|6|4|-|-|-|-|-|-

11th|-|6|6|4|-|-|-|-|-|-

12th|-|6|6|5|3|-|-|-|-|-

13th|-|6|6|5|3|-|-|-|-|-

14th|-|6|6|6|4|-|-|-|-|-

15th|-|6|6|6|4|-|-|-|-|-

16th|-|6|6|6|5|3|-|-|-|-

17th|-|6|6|6|6|4|-|-|-|-

18th|-|6|6|6|6|5|3|-|-|-

19th|-|6|6|6|6|6|4|-|-|-

20th|-|6|6|6|6|6|5|3|-|-[/table]
Level Breakdown

Level 5:
Congratulations! You're already in Acolyte of the Skin!

Qualifying for the secret ingredient is something of a triviality. Qualifying with this particular class and qualifying early is something else. Apprentice Spellcaster gives planes as a class skill for the 1st 5 levels, along with an extra 2 points at 1st, which is long enough to get points for acolyte. It also gives another 1st lvl spell known, which is nice for someone with a limited list like a dread necromancer. I chose spirit worm from the spell compendium, since it's a sor/wiz 1 necro, but you can choose any you feel is appropriate.

Spell thematics (I suggest a body theme: meat, bones, blood, skin, etc. For example, a ray of enfeeblement could wither your enemy's muscles, or blindness could cause blood to seep from their eyes) allows 1 spell at each level to be cast at +1 CL. For this build, the specific spell chosen is not particularly important, and is a matter of personal taste. Whatever you pick though, you will be casting that spell at arcane CL 5 at level 4, providing early entry into the secret ingredient.


"Caster Level 5th" reads to me as distinct from "able to cast 5th level spells." If you are able to cast any single spell as a 5th level caster - which +1 CL to a single spell may allow you to do - you qualify; the Prestige Class doesn't go back and check other spells, because you've already met the pre-reqs.

Tomb-tainted soul is mandatory as a dread necromancer and can be a real life saver at low levels. Not having to spend money on healing potions or wands is nice, as is healing yourself for free. Dread necromancers can be ok healers if you can "corrupt" the rest of the party into taking tomb-tainted soul as well, which with this character could take place with his devilish influence tricking them into "making a deal" with him in the form of taking the feat (lose the good alignment and you will be able to be healed by my diabolic power)

While Apprentice stops giving you a skill as a class skill after level 5, planes is now a class skill for the SI, and UMD checks are sort of low, plus you are cha based. Wands of all kinds are useful, as are rune staves for later on in the game. It gives you more versatility when fighting something immune to fort saves (undead, constructs) and is handy to save on spell slots.

Dread necro gives you focus primarily on Cha, which the save for acolyte's fiendish glare is keyed off of, making it less MAD.

Enjoy being ahead of the curve for the moment, already being in a prc, having a little dr, bottomless healing, an initiative check and armor that sucks a little less than normal, and you can see in the dark and use a 4th level spell as a SLA 1/day, all at level 5! Pretty spiffy for a build with 10 levels of acolyte of the skin in it.

Remember, dread necromancers can cast in any light armor without ASF, so get a mithral breastplate when you can. Pale master helps if you want undead armor, but that comes later.

Level 10
Practiced spell caster comes online to help make up for the CLs that acolyte loses. As far as CL goes, you're only behind 3 at level 10 and you've got a whole bunch of cool new abilities.

You're (kind of) fireproof now, so that's cool, it saves you from resist energy from wands a little, so that's nice.

Fiendish glare is online earlier than it's supposed to be, so you have a chance to use it on some enemies that aren't immune to fear before those start becoming common.

You're a dread necromancer, and, like delicious french fries, fear is best served with more fear. Many of your spells can induce fear in your enemies, and fiendish glare gives enemies the shaken condition for 10 minutes regardless of whether they make the save. If you can layer more fear onto them, you can have them frightened and panicked in relatively short order since Heroes of horror reminds us that if two effects that induce fear affect a character, then the worst one applies for the duration of both of them.

(Ex. you hit someone with cause fear and they fail, thus are frightened. if you hit them with doom as well and they fail, they are now panicked for the duration of doom, which is much longer, even if cause fear's time limit runs out)

This can be quite potent when layering effects on the same target. If they make the save, who cares? you've got fear spells as 1sts and in combination with this, you can severely hinder any boss who's vulnerable to fear when you get this at 7 (when most of them still are)

It would be unforgivably dishonest to call SF(knowledge religion) anything but a painful feat tax, but it does fit thematically for this character if nothing else and provides entry into the ignored-in-the-same-way-as-acolyte pale master.

Your casting is delayed, and dread necro gets animate dead as a 4th since they're arcane casters, meaning you normally wouldn't get the spell until level 12, but you can ignore that entirely thanks to pale master and get it as a SLA 1/day at 10. not having to pay for them is a handy bonus, and besides, if you're having to animate dead more than 1/day, your DM is sending you a not-so-subtle signal that he doesn't want you to be a necromancer.

While the pale master dip does technically delay the completion of acolyte by 2, the rag and bone man entered 1 early, so he's only behind by one. More importantly, it serves to give him something that he really does need around this level, some undead minions to cover his flank.

Level 15
Have you lost weight? No, your skin just fits better. You're getting closer to one another, finding common interests, telling each other stories about your respective childhoods, and going on long walks on the beach together (by yourself?)

This gives you a couple of cool things, including a few extra hp from that con boost, which is great, since you've got 6+ 3d6s from DN, 10d8 from acolyte, and 6d4 from pale master (why not d12s? it keeps talking about how undeady you are) for a total of around 124hp at the end, which isn't horrible. You can see in the dark longer, which can be a very real asset when fighting other monsters with dark vision (almost all of them only have it out to 60 feet. if you see them before they see you, you get a surprise round. very important for the sneak in your party)

While slinging poison around is less impressive now than it was at level 5, it's still kind of cool, plus it's free, so it's another trick in your bag of tricks. Chain devils (as you know firsthand) are also a real pain to do combat with, so summoning one for an entire hour is pretty awesome, and while it's not a huge obstacle for an average lvl 15 character, it wouldn't make a fight easier

Sickening grasp, a reserve feat, allows you to make a touch attack against any living foe and sicken them for a number of rounds equal to the highest lvl necromancy spell you have available. As a dread necro, you'll get a ton of use out of this. The save DC isn't given, but it would be reasonable to extrapolate it follows the normal formula of 10+cha mod + highest lvl of necro spell you have available.

this is a great way to debuff enemies without using up your spell slots, and it stacks with fear to get their numbers way down. also, since it's not a spell, you don't need to touch defensively or provoke AoOs.

you also are resistant to cold now, which is not as common as fire, but still a welcome contribution

glare of the pit is a pretty excellent way to go nova and obliterate things which are either huge walls of HP that you've debuffed somewhat with con draining things like your poison ability or enervation. it's not especially hard to remember IC or OOC which monsters are fire resistant/immune, most of those are actually on fire or use it as an attack, so as long as you don't go around zapping balors and fire elementals, you should be able to hurt at least 1 monster really badly 1/day. the damage isn't great on an absolute scale, but it does allow you to break the cap of 1d6/lvl that the game (mostly) adheres to when it comes to direct damage spells, so that's certainly something.

since you don't get as many high lvl slots as a straight caster, versatile spell caster helps you by pooling 2 lower ones to get 1 higher one (2 1s for a 2, 2 2s for a 3, etc) but you can only do this one layer at a time (no pooling 2 1s for a 2, then using that 2 and another 2 for a 3) so it helps when you're out of enervations or dispel magics and can't think of anything useful to do with your 3rds.

finishing the class is just around the corner. believe me, delaying for 1 level for free animate dead is worth it. you already get it late, no sense getting it later.

level 20
Here it is. You're a real fiend now, sporting the outsider type like a boss. I hope you picked up a wand of alter self earlier. It's kind of cool when you're a humanoid to get movement speeds, but you get all kinds of excellent weird forms, like the xill, voor, and xorn, along with the mephitis, which are like mini-elementals. it's a better way to pick up mobility (the speeds they give are more varied and better than humanoids') and while they may not be the best combat forms, they do provide utility, something the dread necro list on its own is a bit short on.

speaking of fleshing out (pardon the pun) your spell list, arcane disciple from the death bound domain comes online at 18 due to your subservience to afflux. you may not know it, but when you torture and kill, you're revering him wherever you are. the spells that you get are pretty nice, and you have a good starting wisdom. it requires minimal investment to boost it another 3 points because the death bound domain's spells mostly are either buffs or do not allow saves, so as long as you get to cast all 7 when you have the spell levels for it, you're just fine.

Pale master lets you ignore some ASF for undead armor, but all the undead armor that's keyed off real armor is kind of terrible, and the other things, like the ghost shroud, don't impose it in the first place. you can wear it if you want to be scarier, but a mithral breast plate (or chain shirt) would provide much the same effect for a lot less money.

having control undead as a SLA also saves you some spells, and deathless vigor is just an awesome ability, giving you +4 to all fort saves that don't affect objects. after skinning yourself and wearing a devil, the only taboo more extreme that has not yet been explored is the pale master's signature ability of the undead arm (and its +4 str bonus to boot) whether you want it to be a patchwork frankenstein monster arm on your devil body or a nasty skeleton arm flopping around inside a glove of flesh (my personal preference) is a matter of taste. this class (acolyte) and this character is all about breaking taboos, and pale master is the one thing that would not feel anticlimactic after becoming a real bona fide fiend.



Sources
CLASSES
complete arcane- acolyte of the skin
Heroes of horror- dread necromancer
libris mortis- pale master

FEATS
DMG2- apprentice spellcaster
complete divine- arcane disciple, practiced spell caster
complete mage- sickening grasp
core- skill focus
libris mortis-tomb-tainted soul
player's guide to faerun- spell thematics
races of the dragon- versatile spell caster
spell compendium- death bound domain

[Amphetryon]

"Mother do you think she's dangerous?" - Pink Floyd


https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTX9lSqoDaqyaq1JwVAlUTHlJaDvF7AW g7jo9yqjDfhiYq6s8NY

Mother Morrigna was squatting before the fire, nude from the waist up. In her scarred and gnarled hands she was working a thin flensing knife across the skin of a hare.

Tana stepped closer, her heart pounding. "Mother Morrigna," she said, dropping to her knees. "I have brought you a gift." She beckoned to her servant, who led forward a small calf white from head to toe.

Mother Morrigna smiled, revealing crooked yellow teeth. "Ooooh," she rasped in delight. Her fingers brushed against the calf, who came forward to her happily. "What a pretty thing this is! The Great Mother will love him for sure." She put aside her knife. "Come closer, child. Such a gift deserves a favor. What can Mother Morrigna do for you?"

Tana bowed her head. "My husband and I - we have been trying for two years now to bear children, but my womb does not quicken. I was told..."

Mother Morrigna reached forward and grasped Tana lightly by the arm. Her hand, rather than being rough, was almost oily. "It's all right, child," she said. "Say no more. Send your servant away and spend the night by my fire. I promise you by the Great Mother, you'll have a wee babe on your teat 'ere the year passes."

Tana never remembered much else that happened that night. All of it came in odd flashes. She remembered Mother Morrigna chanting over a set of skin drums, remembered the thick smoke from the fires, remembered seeing Mother Morrigna dance upon a circle of strange symbols. When she woke, the fire had gone cold and there was no sign of Mother Morrigna or her wolf-warriors.

Tana's husband questioned her about the loss of their prized calf, but it was all worth it when Tana's belly began to swell. However strange Mother Morrigna's arts were, they clearly worked. Tana was overjoyed, as was her husband.

And then came the birthing, and Tana shuddered to see the fell creature that had been growing in her womb...



MOTHER MORRIGNA

CE Human, Savage Bard 4/Acolyte of the Skin 10/Ur-Priest 2/Mystic Theurge 4

Build Details:

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

1st|Savage Bard 1|
+0|
+2|
+0|
+2|Know (the planes) 4 ranks, know (religion) 4 ranks, know (arcana) 4 ranks, spellcraft 4 ranks, bluff 4 ranks, concentration 4 ranks, perform (drums) 4 ranks, survival 4 ranks, balance 4 ranks|Evil Brand, Iron Will, Thrall to DemonB|Bardic music, bardic knowledge, countersong, fascinate, inspire courage +1, illiterate

2nd|Savage Bard 2|
+1|
+3|
+0|
+3|Know (the planes) 5 ranks, know (religion) 5 ranks, know (arcana) 5 ranks, spellcraft 5 ranks, bluff 5 ranks, concentration 5 ranks, perform (drums) 5 ranks, survival 5 ranks, balance 5 ranks||

3rd|Savage Bard 3|
+2|
+3|
+1|
+3|Know (the planes) 6 ranks, know (religion) 6 ranks, bluff 6 ranks, spellcraft 6 ranks, perform (drums) 6 ranks, intimidate 2 ranks|Abyss-Bound Soul|Inspire competence

4th|Savage Bard 4|
+3|
+4|
+1|
+4|Know (the planes) 7 ranks, know (religion) 7 ranks, know (arcana) 6 ranks, spellcraft 7 ranks, perform (drums) 7 ranks, intimidate 3 ranks, survival 7 ranks||

5th|Acolyte of the Skin 1|
+3|
+6|
+1|
+6|Know (the planes) 8 ranks, know (religion) 8 ranks, spellcraft 8 ranks, intimidate 4 ranks|Dark SpeechB|Wear fiend, poison 1/day

6th|Acolyte of the Skin 2|
+4|
+7|
+1|
+7|Know (the planes) 9 ranks, perform (drums) 8 ranks, intimidate 6 ranks|Spell Focus (Evil)|Flame resistant

7th|Acolyte of the Skin 3|
+5|
+7|
+2|
+7|Know (the planes) 10 ranks, know (religion) 8.5 ranks, intimidate 9 ranks||Fiendish glare

8th|Ur-Priest 1|
+5|
+7|
+2|
+9|Know (the planes) 11 ranks, know (religion) 9.5 ranks, intimidate 10 ranks, concentration 6 ranks||

9th|Ur-Priest 2|
+6/+1|
+7|
+2|
+10|Know (the planes) 12 ranks, know (religion) 10.5 ranks, intimidate 11 ranks, concentration 7 ranks|Doomspeak|Rebuke Undead

10th|Acolyte of the Skin 4|
+7/+2|
+8|
+2|
+11|Know (the planes) 13 ranks, know (religion) 11 ranks, intimidate 13 ranks, concentration 8 ranks|Insane DefianceB|

11th|Acolyte of the Skin 5|
+7/+2|
+8|
+2|
+11|Know (the planes) 14 ranks, know (religion) 12 ranks, intimidate 14 ranks, concentration 9 ranks||Skin adaptation, poison 2/day

12th|Acolyte of the Skin 6|
+8/+3|
+9|
+3|
+12|Know (the planes) 15 ranks, know (religion) 13, intimidate 15 ranks, concentration 10 ranks|Imperious Command|Cold resistant

13th|Acolyte of the Skin 7|
+9/+4|
+9|
+3|
+12|Know (the planes) 16 ranks, know (religion) 14 ranks, intimidate 16 ranks, concentration 11 ranks||Glare of the pit

14th|Acolyte of the Skin 8|
+10/+5|
+10|
+3|
+13|Know (the planes) 17 ranks, know (religion) 15 ranks, intimidate 17 ranks, concentration 12 ranks||

15th|Acolyte of the Skin 9|
+10/+5|
+10|
+4|
+13|Know (the planes) 18 ranks, know (religion) 16 ranks, intimidate 18 ranks, concentration 13 ranks|Quicken Spell, ApostateB|Summon fiend

16th|Acolyte of the Skin 10|
+11/+6/+1|
+11|
+4|
+14|Know (the planes) 19 ranks, know (religion) 17 ranks, intimidate 19 ranks, concentration 14 ranks||Fiendish symbiosis

17th|Mystic Theurge 1|
+11/+6/+1|
+11|
+4|
+16|Know (the planes) 20 ranks, know (religion) 18 ranks, intimidate 20 ranks||

18th|Mystic Theurge 2|
+12/+7/+2|
+11|
+4|
+17|Know (the planes) 21 ranks, know (religion) 19 ranks, intimidate 21 ranks|Divine Metamagic (Quicken Spell)|

19th|Mystic Theurge 3|
+12/+7/+2|
+12|
+5|
+17|Know (the planes) 22 ranks, know (religion) 20 ranks, intimidate 22 ranks||

20th|Mystic Theurge 4|
+13/+8/+3|
+12|
+5|
+18|Know (the planes) 23 ranks, know (religion) 21 ranks, intimidate 23 ranks|Harvester of SoulsB|[/table]

BBonus Vile feat granted by dedication to Ragnorra, Mother of Monsters (see Elder Evils, p10).

Stats:

Str 8/Dex 10/Con 12/Int 14/Wis 16/Cha 16

LEVELS BOOSTS:
4: +1 Int
8: +1 Wis
12: +1 Wis
16: +1 Wis
20: +1 Wis


Spells:

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

1st|2 / 4|-|-|-|-|-|-

2nd|3 / 5|0 / 2|-|-|-|-|-

3rd|3 / 6|1 / 3|-|-|-|-|-

4th|3 / 6|2 / 3|0 / 2|-|-|-|-

5th|3 / 6|2 / 3|0 / 2|-|-|-|-

6th|3 / 6|3 / 4|1 / 3|-|-|-|-

7th|3 / 6|3 / 4|1 / 3|-|-|-|-

8th|3 / 6|3 / 4|1 / 3|-|-|-|-

9th|3 / 6|3 / 4|1 / 3|-|-|-|-

10th|3 / 6|3 / 4|1 / 3|-|-|-|-

11th|3 / 6|3 / 4|1 / 3|-|-|-|-

12th|3 / 6|3 / 4|1 / 3|-|-|-|-

13th|3 / 6|3 / 4|1 / 3|-|-|-|-

14th|3 / 6|3 / 4|1 / 3|-|-|-|-

15th|3 / 6|3 / 4|1 / 3|-|-|-|-

16th|3 / 6|3 / 4|1 / 3|-|-|-|-

17th|3 / 6|3 / 4|2 / 3|-|-|-|-

18th|3 / 6|3 / 4|2 / 4|0 / 2|-|-|-

19th|3 / 6|3 / 4|3 / 4|1 / 3|-|-|-

20th|3 / 6|3 / 4|3 / 4|2 / 3|-|-|-[/table]

Bard Spells Known:
0- Dancing Lights, Prestidigitation, Summon Instrument, Lullaby, Ghost Sound, Mending
1- Charm Person, Swift Invisibility, Beastland Ferocity, Improvisation
2- Alter Self, Mesmerizing Glare, Summon Swarm, Suggestion
3- Charm Monster, Major Image, Haste

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

8th|4|2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

9th|5|3|0|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

10th|5|3|1|0|-|-|-|-|-|-

11th|5|3|1|0|-|-|-|-|-|-

12th|6|3|2|1|0|-|-|-|-|-

13th|6|3|2|1|0|-|-|-|-|-

14th|6|3|3|2|1|0|-|-|-|-

15th|6|3|3|2|1|0|-|-|-|-

16th|6|3|3|3|2|1|0|-|-|-

17th|6|4|3|3|3|2|1|0|-|-

18th|6|4|4|3|3|3|2|1|0|-

19th|6|5|4|4|4|4|3|2|1|0

20th|6|5|5|4|4|4|4|3|2|1[/table]



Build Notes:

Mother Morrigna is of the old blood, a priestess of the great lifeforce that far precedes the gods and goddesses. Her worship is reserved for Ragnorra, the Great Mother of Monsters, that primeval source of life eternally corrupted. Believing that lust and fertility are the strongest forces known to man, Mother Morrigna has joined a pact with the Succubus Queen Malcanthet to spread a new, twisted kind of life across the realm just as Ragnorra would do.

Having bound her soul to the Succubus Queen, Mother Morrigna has learned to wear the skin of her succubi servants, much as she would wear the hides of those animals she skins daily for her tribe. Malcanthet grants her a boost to her caster level through the Abyss-Bound Soul feat, allowing Mother Morrigna to perform the Ritual of Bonding and become an Acolyte of the Skin at a lower level than most.

By binding succubi to her skin, Mother Morrigna grows ever stronger. The fiendish skin protects her, makes her more powerful. In addition to the ability boosts and fiendish resistances, it gives her the ability to wither living things with a touch (poison as an SLA), grants her the evil eye (fiendish glare and glare of the pit), lets her call more demonic allies (summon fiend), and allows her shapechanging magics to have even greater effect (fiendish symbiosis).

Though she cannot read or write, Mother Morrigna carries on the oral tradition of her tribe, with millenia of history in the form of stories. She worships no gods, only the primeval force that is Ragnorra, and yet she wields great divine power. She knows words of dark power, and though they cost her lifeforce, she can heal it away with restoration spells. When women come to her seeking love or fertility charms, she aids them, enchanting their paramours and calling succubi and unholy scions through planar ally to make matches and fill wombs. Through her deft hands, the twisted life grows and spreads. Soon this world will be a fit place for Ragnorra. Soon...


Explanations and Adaptations:

Mother Morrigna uses the Abyss-Bound Soul feat (tied to Malcanthet) to boost her caster level to CL 5 on all enchantment spells, allowing her to qualify for Acolyte of the Skin by level 4. If your DM decides this is not acceptable, simply take another level of Savage Bard, and reduce Mystic Theurge by a level. This will delay some class features and reduce your total number of high level spells per day, but will still leave an effective and powerful character.

The bonus feats for dedicating her soul to an Elder Evil have all been restricted to the feats listed on the table on page 11 of Elder Evils in this build. However, one could argue that they actually allow the selection of any Vile feat. If that is the case, there are several excellent options in the Book of Vile Darkness and Exemplars of Evil. Some interesting choices are Verminfriend and some of the BoVD deformities.


Sources:

Information on Ragnorra, as well the rules for dedicating yourself to an Elder Evil and the various bonus feats, are all found in Elder Evils.

Savage Bard (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#bardVariantSavageBard) is a variant bard class found in the SRD and Unearthed Arcana.

Spell Focus (Evil), Ur-Priest and Divine Metamagic are all available in Complete Divine.

Expanded information on the Abyss-Bound Soul feat can be found in Fiendish Codex I. Doomspeak is from Champions of Ruin. Imperious Command is from Drow of the Underdark.

All other feats and classes are found in the PHB or DMG.

[Amphetryon]

I believe that's the last of them. On your marks, get set, JUDGE!

I'd like to apologize to The Rag and Bone Man's author, who specified that the submission contains a typo which I was unable to spot (not enough ranks, methinks). If you notice it, know that the author knew it was there and tried to have it fixed.

I'd also like to apologize to Baby's author - and the rest of you - for that horrible pun I included. :smalltongue:

[The Dark Fiddler]

Spoilers: my build is the one that uses at least one level of Acolyte of the Skin.* :smalltongue:

Anyway, looks like some good competition; a Rolling Stones reference is always a good sign.

*Has anybody ever entered a build that didn't use a single level of the secret ingredient? I wonder if such a thing could somehow make a good showing, despite the obvious flaw... :smallconfused:

[Piggy Knowles]

Definitely some interesting things here! Can't wait to read them all in detail... Thus far I've only read over the build stubs.

I really wanted to put together something involving Thayan Slaver, but I couldn't quite get it to come together. I also considered Cloistered Cleric/AotS 10/Nar Demonbinder 5, but I didn't have a great story to go along with it, and ran out of time.

[Amphetryon]

Personally, I was very surprised that everyone managed to talk themselves out of Fleshwarper.

[mattie_p]

*Has anybody ever entered a build that didn't use a single level of the secret ingredient? I wonder if such a thing could somehow make a good showing, despite the obvious flaw... :smallconfused:

That's what the Zinc Saucier (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=252932) competition is all about. Feel free to enter.

[ThiagoMartell]

Man, I was completely mixed up in my dates, I thought I still had time to submit :smallfrown:
Guess I'll judge, then

[Kazyan]

What on earth would Fleshwarper bring to an Acolyte of the Skin, besides interesting fluff? Because it looks like everyone did that without help.

[eggs]

Bleh. I got stuck trying to deal with the Spellthief SLA-recharge trick's level cap. :smallyuk:

But these look interesting. I'm seeing the alignment knots people were talking about.

EDIT:
One of the build ideas I was juggling around was going to abuse Assume Supernatural Ability and that graft-demon to throw the Acolyte of the Skin's abilities on everybody; I imagine Fleshwarper would be used for the same kind of deal.

[Venger]

Personally, I was very surprised that everyone managed to talk themselves out of Fleshwarper.

back before this IC, i'd been making a build with acolyte and fleshwarper, and some other stuff, and as I was combing for grafts, I found that acolyte's fiendish skin was one of the fiendish grafts in FF, so fleshwarper could just make it by itself, no acolyte required. I figure the other contestants came to a similar conclusion that a class that can just make the SI's identifying feature (and more besides) on its own probably isn't the best to highlight its strengths.

I'm surprised no one used blood magus.


Man, I was completely mixed up in my dates, I thought I still had time to submit :smallfrown:
Guess I'll judge, then

bad luck! what would your guy/gal have looked like?


What on earth would Fleshwarper bring to an Acolyte of the Skin, besides interesting fluff? Because it looks like everyone did that without help.

Here's fleshwarper (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20050408a&page=10) fluff certainly would have been fun, but it's certainly got more to offer than that. a little too much, which is exactly the problem

[dantiesilva]

I was making a fleshwarper...i stopped because I thought everyone would do it. And what would it give you...Demonic grafts for one. Power boost to abilities. The possibilities were endless and with Deformities. Dam I curse myself.

My other was a Cancer mage, which again really no one. Though I do like many of the builds must say competitors good job, I just wish i put my fleshwarper in.

[ThiagoMartell]

bad luck! what would your guy/gal have looked like?

Well, my idea was a Killoren Crusader/Paladin/Arcanamach/Acolyte using From Smite to Song and Song of the White Raven for Inspire Courage optimization.

[Kelb_Panthera]

I hate to be "that guy," but maybe I can save the judges some time by provoking a response.

Is it my imagination, or does Luc fail to explain where he got the evil subtype to qualify for fiend of corruption? Unless of course AotS was erratta'd to give the evil subtype with its fiendish apotheosis?

I ask because I really liked the build and I might want to use it in a future game.

[rot42]

I got as far as "those fiendish symbionts from the Fiend Folio could fulfill the peaceful contact requirement", but no build really ever gelled. Just as well, as nothing could compare to Captain Wyrmbeard's masterwork pegleg of sailing.

[The Dark Fiddler]

That's what the Zinc Saucier (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=252932) competition is all about. Feel free to enter.

Mhm, I was actually thinking about the Zinc Saucier competition when I asked that. It doesn't have that... je ne sais quoi when it's the point.

[Venger]

Bleh. I got stuck trying to deal with the Spellthief SLA-recharge trick's level cap. :smallyuk:

But these look interesting. I'm seeing the alignment knots people were talking about.

EDIT:
One of the build ideas I was juggling around was going to abuse Assume Supernatural Ability and that graft-demon to throw the Acolyte of the Skin's abilities on everybody; I imagine Fleshwarper would be used for the same kind of deal.

are you talking about fiendish codex I's sibriex? Assume supernatural ability doesn't work that way, you have to actually turn into the form whose Su ability you want. wear fiend doesn't make you a fiend, nor does fiendish symbiosis.

[eggs]

are you talking about fiendish codex I's sibriex? Assume supernatural ability doesn't work that way, you have to actually turn into the form whose Su ability you want. wear fiend doesn't make you a fiend, nor does fiendish symbiosis.
There were more shenanigans involved with polymorphing+AotS capstone, but enough ability score dependencies were strewn about that I had to scrap the idea pretty hard. (That happened a lot. :smallredface:)

[Venger]

I hate to be "that guy," but maybe I can save the judges some time by provoking a response.

Is it my imagination, or does Luc fail to explain where he got the evil subtype to qualify for fiend of corruption? Unless of course AotS was erratta'd to give the evil subtype with its fiendish apotheosis?

I ask because I really liked the build and I might want to use it in a future game.
So judges don't see till it's decided by the chairman

I wouldn't say you're that guy. I believe he is confusing an evil alignment with the evil subtype. I am unable to find any errata to suggest that, and have never heard anything about that. After my initial readthrough of the build, I too see that he fails to qualify for FoC. I agree it's a shame, I enjoy the flavor and theme of his build and thought it was interesting, but he doesn't have the evil subtype.

[TroubleBrewing]

GAH. I so badly did NOT want to work tonight. Craptastic.

Well, having missed the deadline, I was working on a Beguiler 2/Human Paragon 3/Mindbender 1/Flayerspawn Psychic 4/AotS 10 design. All I needed was formatting and assembly, too.

Poo. :smallannoyed:

[OMG PONIES]

*Has anybody ever entered a build that didn't use a single level of the secret ingredient? I wonder if such a thing could somehow make a good showing, despite the obvious flaw... :smallconfused:

Besides Zinc Saucier, we used Monk for one of the appetizer competitions (E6 only). One contestant awesomely submitted a build that got pretty much all of the monk's abilities without a single level in monk. Riled some feathers, but it was a darn fine showing.

[Amphetryon]

The inquiry regarding Luc's qualification has its answer right in Luc's entry. Clarifying:


In response to the following question:


I hate to be "that guy," but maybe I can save the judges some time by provoking a response.

Is it my imagination, or does Luc fail to explain where he got the evil subtype to qualify for fiend of corruption? Unless of course AotS was erratta'd to give the evil subtype with its fiendish apotheosis?

I ask because I really liked the build and I might want to use it in a future game.

The relevant passage can be found under "The Perks of Being an Acolyte of the Skin," underneath my comments on Fiendish Symbiosis:


Fiendish Symbiosis: Ah yes, becoming an outsider. We have DR/good, which seems like it goes without saying that we're evil outsiders now. However, ask your DM. If not, you can shell out the coin for the Ritual of Alignment found in Savage Species. Congratulations, your little gnome now qualifies for the delicious "Fiend of..." PrCs in the Fiend Folio!

I've clipped some of the text for the Ritual if needed:
This minor ritual gives the character an alignment subtype (chaotic, evil, good, or lawful) or changes an existing aligment subtype.

Hopefully this answers questions about how Luc picks up the [Evil] subtype. Sorry it was buried in the text of my build instead of including in an Adaptation/Notes section.

I would ask the judges and the contestant who responded to Kelb_Panthera's question take note before any rush to judgment.

[GreenSerpent]

Ehh... seems a little fishy to me.

Means that you're dependant on the Rituals being allowed (as in a practical game they're 3.0 material and so DMs might not allow them). Like some builds are dependant on a certain item, that one's reliant on a certain Ritual.

I mean, I love the build and all, but it just still seems a little... twisty.

*applauds anyway*

[Amphetryon]

And that makes four folks who may be competing and have gone on record with which build is/isn't likely to be their own.

Knock it off.

[OMG PONIES]

Never got time to submit my second build, which I'll leave until after the contestants are revealed due to its similarity to another entry.

[Kazyan]

Lots of imperious commanders, huh? I predict a collective smiting in Originality.

[Piggy Knowles]

Lots of imperious commanders, huh? I predict a collective smiting in Originality.

Depends on the judge, I guess. If I recall correctly, something like 50% of the builds in the Mindbender competition took Mindsight, and I don't think any of them got docked for it.

[The Dark Fiddler]

Lots of imperious commanders, huh? I predict a collective smiting in Originality.

That doesn't surprise me; Fiendish Glare is probably the best thing about the secret ingredient, and it meshes well with demoralization.

[Venger]

Depends on the judge, I guess. If I recall correctly, something like 50% of the builds in the Mindbender competition took Mindsight, and I don't think any of them got docked for it.

well hey, only 2 of the 17 entries in shadowdancer took darkstalker, and everyone who didn't have it was smote in the power by one judge.

so sometimes, it's just understood that you're supposed to take a feat, like mindbender and mindsight.

[Piggy Knowles]

well hey, only 2 of the 17 entries in shadowdancer took darkstalker, and everyone who didn't have it was smote in the power by one judge.

Ha, I remember it well - both of those two builds were mine ;)

[Piggy Knowles]

Fixing the reply glitch, and also, it's after the fact, but I did continue to toy around with the Thayan Slaver build that I couldn't quite get off the ground. Here is where it has more or less been left:

Human, Spellthief 5/AotS 10/Thayan Slaver 5

1- Martial Study (Devoted Spirit), Willing Deformity
3- Practiced Spellcaster (Spellthief)
6- Abominable Form
9- Snatch Trophy
12- Bloodsoaked Intimidate
15- Deformity (madness)
18- Master Spellthief

Fluff was going to be a slaver who is known for skinning and flaying those who displease him, and who one day skinned a barbazu and wore that skin as his own. He uses Snatch Trophy to steal bits of his opponent's skin as a trophy, and Bloodsoaked Intimidate to get off swift action demoralize attempts as much as possible (which, thanks to his Thayan Slaver levels, have the bonus of dealing Wisdom damage every time he wins the check by 10 or more).

Thus far, that's the best I could come up with... I also messed around with a half-orc version using Half-Orc Paragon, but it was tough fitting all the necessary components together, and ended up requiring a lot of dips to fit everything. It was theoretically a good bit stronger, but it would have gotten slammed in elegance (three one-level base class dips). And I had another version that involved familiars, with some cool tricks on that end, but it was too feat starved.

Oh well... my own fault for waiting until the last minute to start putting things on paper.

[Urpriest]

There were a few early qualifications, but I'm surprised nobody tried to qualify early with racial features. Genasi and Duergar can both manage it. Problem is, both get penalties to Charisma, so I couldn't think of anything to do with their builds beyond that (and the fluff of the Duergar being a wannabe Durzagon).

[Piggy Knowles]

There were a few early qualifications, but I'm surprised nobody tried to qualify early with racial features. Genasi and Duergar can both manage it. Problem is, both get penalties to Charisma, so I couldn't think of anything to do with their builds beyond that (and the fluff of the Duergar being a wannabe Durzagon).

Hmm... Could maybe do something with that, although the LA means that without LA buyoff (which almost always results in a small hit to Elegance in IC), you're not actually coming out ahead any even with the early entry. Still, could be fun to toy around with.

Since intimidating builds were common, maybe something with Dread Tyranny on a cleric base? That gives you Intimidate as a class skill and lets you add your Strength bonus to your Intimidate checks, making the Charisma penalties a little less painful. The Fiendish Glare's save would be a little lower, which is a shame since it would hurt that nice stun effect, but the 10 minute shaken would still kick in.

EDIT: Actually, thinking on it more, the Aventi from Stormwrack could do it without a Charisma penalty and without any LA, as could the Dream Dwarves from Races of Stone....

[Kazyan]

I considered entering using a Pixie with the SLAs somehow, but that eats up a lot of levels and was sure that someone would go "I wonder who that could be."

Yes, failed my save against the Illusion of Transparency.

[T.G. Oskar]

Just so you know that I deliver: 2 of the 10 builds (a whole 1/5th of the competition) has been judged.

And, as usual, the statistics thus far: using Word Starter, the document is already 9 pages, 5,719 words and a whopping 26,616 characters (without spaces). I did mention you guys to "expect a long read", and I'll be darned if I don't deliver!

Can't say much, though. I don't wish to keep you on the expectative, but after I complete 80% or so I can give a few details about the judging. If things go right (given that I have to work), I expect judging to be done in a week and a half. I wish to aim for, as a bare minimum, 5 days if I do 2 builds per day, but not even I'm that amazing!

[Venger]

EDIT: Actually, thinking on it more, the Aventi from Stormwrack could do it without a Charisma penalty and without any LA, as could the Dream Dwarves from Races of Stone....
in contests past, assuming LA buyoff usually means more than a small hit.

has anyone ever actually taken dread tyranny? it seems like it would be useful, but I've never really been able to make it fit.

aventi plus other tricks for early entry could get you in two levels early instead of one. that's a really good catch, plus you could fluff it as a selkie like thing since they wear skins as their shtick.


Ha, I remember it well - both of those two builds were mine ;)

congrats! good job on placing that time around.

[Piggy Knowles]

aventi plus other tricks for early entry could get you in two levels early instead of one. that's a really good catch, plus you could fluff it as a selkie like thing since they wear skins as their shtick.

That's good... You'd have to use something that boosts CL that also works on [Water] spells, but that's not hard. I don't know of any Illusion, Necro or Enchantment [Water] spells, so that nixes a couple of the tricks used in this particular IC, but Spell Thematics should still work. An aventi cleric with the Creation domain would have a CL of 5 on the Create Water spell, and I'm sure one of the reserve feats would also do the trick.

A dream dwarf cloistered cleric would also qualify by level three, without needing any other feats or anything. +1 to divination spells from being a dream dwarf, +1 for the Knowledge domain.

[Venger]

That's good... You'd have to use something that boosts CL that also works on [Water] spells, but that's not hard. I don't know of any Illusion, Necro or Enchantment [Water] spells, so that nixes a couple of the tricks used in this particular IC, but Spell Thematics should still work. An aventi cleric with the Creation domain would have a CL of 5 on the Create Water spell, and I'm sure one of the reserve feats would also do the trick.

A dream dwarf cloistered cleric would also qualify by level three, without needing any other feats or anything. +1 to divination spells from being a dream dwarf, +1 for the Knowledge domain.

right. the only reserve feat that boosts spells with the water descriptor is drowning glance, which requires being able to cast 4th level spells, which is not feasible at a level that you could enter acolyte early. a cleric also has a divine CL, not an arcane one, so you'd need to drag southern magician into the mix too. since that requires mulan, which an aventi can't simultaneously be, I think that cleric's out.

I'm less familiar with dream dwarves, that was a good catch. in order to prevent the schroedinger's cat paradox that CWar invented regarding prcs, you'd have to never be out of contact with the ground, like Antaeus. If you could find a god that gave you knowledge and oracle (cdiv) domains, or were able to boost your CL that'd overlap with divination spells and just the oracle domain, you wouldn't have this issue

[gbprime]

Interesting that only one build uses alternate caster progression. I'd have thought that would be the way to go with a 1/2 caster PrC.

I was working on a "Demon of the Forest" build combining Nentyar Hunter and Acolyte of the Skin. I was plugging the Kara Tur angle and had Knowledge Devotion and Shiba Protector powering it up in melee, but I couldn't quite finish it in time. Ah well.

Anyway, judging is underway. Results soon!

[gbprime]

a cleric also has a divine CL, not an arcane one, so you'd need to drag southern magician into the mix too. since that requires mulan, which an aventi can't simultaneously be, I think that cleric's out.

Acolyte of the Skin doesn't specify Arcane or Divine. Either works fine.

[T.G. Oskar]

Well, since you're freely speaking of builds...as I mentioned, I didn't made a build for this one because it's not my plate, but you know what I missed seeing?

Nar Demonbinder. Really, the fluff just fits so nicely (though you'd get very late, 8th level at most, but you get 7 levels of the PrC), and the only thing you'd have lost would be the Baleful Energy capstone. Something like Binder 1/wizard or wu jen class 3/Anima Mage 4/Nar Demonbinder 2/AotS 10. That nets 8th level spells, manipulation of vestiges as a 5th level binder but using 4th level vestiges, a fiendish familiar and fiendish qualities.

How many of you guys thought of that? I'm terrible at spellcasters, but that idea dropped up recently and fits quite well: Binder 1, Improved Binding lets you bind 2nd level vestiges so one prereq is met, Intimidate and Knowledge (the planes) are class skills for the Binder, three levels in Wizard or Wu Jen nets you 2nd level spells (another prereq met), enough levels for Imp. Binding and a metamagic feat, so Anima Mage prereqs are met. From there, all you need is play with the cards so that you delay entry into Nar Demonbinder using 6th and 9th levels for Iron Will and Greater Spell Focus (conjuration), and finally dipping into Nar Demonbinder, saving all remaining levels for fulfillment of 8th level spells. I believe it could be done without using human, even.

But again, I thought of this right now, and it wasn't my plate. I'm still gunning for the other one. Still resting from judgment; I expect to finish one or two more tomorrow.

[Piggy Knowles]

right. the only reserve feat that boosts spells with the water descriptor is drowning glance, which requires being able to cast 4th level spells, which is not feasible at a level that you could enter acolyte early. a cleric also has a divine CL, not an arcane one, so you'd need to drag southern magician into the mix too. since that requires mulan, which an aventi can't simultaneously be, I think that cleric's out.

As gbprime pointed out, AotS doesn't specify arcane versus divine - any caster will do (including shadowcasters, warlocks, et al).

And I was thinking of the acid and cold-based Reserve feats, which IIRC can be taken by third level. There has to be some low level spell with both the [Acid] or [Cold] tag and the [Water] tag, right?*

*Purely conjecture, I don't have a specific spell in mind. I'm just spitballin', thinking of all the different ways an aventi could qualify for the prestige class by third level.


as I mentioned, I didn't made a build for this one because it's not my plate, but you know what I missed seeing?

Nar Demonbinder.

Like I mentioned above, I considered a Cloistered Cleric 5/AotS 10/Nar Demonbinder 5, for 8th-level arcane and 4th-level divine spells, but didn't really do much more than set up a build stub for it. Also, I was pretty sure SOMEONE else would think of it, since it seemed like such an obvious combination to me. I guessed wrong, though!

[OMG PONIES]

well hey, only 2 of the 17 entries in shadowdancer took darkstalker, and everyone who didn't have it was smote in the power by one judge.

so sometimes, it's just understood that you're supposed to take a feat, like mindbender and mindsight.

'Allo, poppet. 'Twas I!


Ha, I remember it well - both of those two builds were mine ;)

Erp, sorry about that.


Fluff was going to be a slaver who is known for skinning and flaying those who displease him, and who one day skinned a barbazu and wore that skin as his own. He uses Snatch Trophy to steal bits of his opponent's skin as a trophy, and Bloodsoaked Intimidate to get off swift action demoralize attempts as much as possible (which, thanks to his Thayan Slaver levels, have the bonus of dealing Wisdom damage every time he wins the check by 10 or more).

I stumbled across Snatch Trophy/Bloodsoaked Intimidate myself in Round XIX, as it coupled nicely with the Quick Draw required by the Secret Ingredient and the TWF it provided. Thayan Slaver is a great addition, however.


There were a few early qualifications, but I'm surprised nobody tried to qualify early with racial features. Genasi and Duergar can both manage it. Problem is, both get penalties to Charisma, so I couldn't think of anything to do with their builds beyond that (and the fluff of the Duergar being a wannabe Durzagon).

I thought about a few races that might be able to qualify without class levels, but I didn't want to waste the few additional caster levels this Ingredient gave. That caused me to look for monsters with innate spellcasting, but I didn't know any good low-level ones or whether PrCs could progress their casting.


Well, since you're freely speaking of builds...as I mentioned, I didn't made a build for this one because it's not my plate, but you know what I missed seeing?

Nar Demonbinder. Really, the fluff just fits so nicely (though you'd get very late, 8th level at most, but you get 7 levels of the PrC), and the only thing you'd have lost would be the Baleful Energy capstone. Something like Binder 1/wizard or wu jen class 3/Anima Mage 4/Nar Demonbinder 2/AotS 10. That nets 8th level spells, manipulation of vestiges as a 5th level binder but using 4th level vestiges, a fiendish familiar and fiendish qualities.

How many of you guys thought of that?

I thought I thought of that, but just now realized that Nar Demonbinder (Unapproachable East) is different than Demonbinder (Drow of the Underdark). I was wondering what all the fuss was about, as Demonbinder didn't seem like the best PrC, so I dropped the idea. Whoops.


As gbprime pointed out, AotS doesn't specify arcane versus divine - any caster will do (including shadowcasters, warlocks, et al).

If you want to get really technical about it, you don't even have to use a casting class. According to the PHB, page 181: "A creature with no classes has a caster level equal to its Hit Dice unless otherwise specified." So any creature that just has 5+ HD and no class levels could qualify.

[Venger]

'Allo, poppet. 'Twas I!
of course it was. like I'd forget :smalltongue:



I stumbled across Snatch Trophy/Bloodsoaked Intimidate myself in Round XIX, as it coupled nicely with the Quick Draw required by the Secret Ingredient and the TWF it provided. Thayan Slaver is a great addition, however.
I thought it was a killer combo back in dread pirate the way that one guy used it. I especially liked the bag of knives he carried around, dropping and drawing a new one as he'd move around the battlefield collecting left hands.



I thought I thought of that, but just now realized that Nar Demonbinder (Unapproachable East) is different than Demonbinder (Drow of the Underdark). I was wondering what all the fuss was about, as Demonbinder didn't seem like the best PrC, so I dropped the idea. Whoops.
whatever you do, don't confuse nar demonbinder or demonbinder with tome of magic's fiendbinder.


If you want to get really technical about it, you don't even have to use a casting class. According to the PHB, page 181: "A creature with no classes has a caster level equal to its Hit Dice unless otherwise specified." So any creature that just has 5+ HD and no class levels could qualify.
I don't think that would go over too well with the judges:smallwink:

[Urpriest]

Hmm... Could maybe do something with that, although the LA means that without LA buyoff (which almost always results in a small hit to Elegance in IC), you're not actually coming out ahead any even with the early entry. Still, could be fun to toy around with.


You're still a level ahead, but yes, you're not getting the full 3rd level qualification that you can get with CL boosts.

[Piggy Knowles]

Erp, sorry about that.

Sorry for what? My two builds were the only two that DID have Darkstalker, and it was a close enough round that the boost I got for it may have been what boosted my two builds into the top 3!


I stumbled across Snatch Trophy/Bloodsoaked Intimidate myself in Round XIX, as it coupled nicely with the Quick Draw required by the Secret Ingredient and the TWF it provided. Thayan Slaver is a great addition, however.

Just went back and perused Captain Four Fingers... that's a hell of a build! I always think Avenging Executioner needs more love.

[OMG PONIES]

I thought it was a killer combo back in dread pirate the way that one guy used it. I especially liked the bag of knives he carried around, dropping and drawing a new one as he'd move around the battlefield collecting left hands.

<--"that one guy" :smalltongue:.


whatever you do, don't confuse nar demonbinder or demonbinder with tome of magic's fiendbinder.

Hey now, I actually liked the Fiendbinder. It's not the worst PrC you can pick, but it's far from the best, too.


I don't think that would go over too well with the judges:smallwink:

Eh, I tinkered with it hoping that the Originality boost could outweigh the Elegance hit. However, once I realized it would also mean a deduction in Use of the Secret Ingredient if I was judging it myself, the costs started to outweigh the rewards.


You're still a level ahead, but yes, you're not getting the full 3rd level qualification that you can get with CL boosts.

Yeah, CL boosts seem like the easiest way in. My second potential build used a human chassis with three class levels to enter the Secret Ingredient.


Sorry for what? My two builds were the only two that DID have Darkstalker, and it was a close enough round that the boost I got for it may have been what boosted my two builds into the top 3!

Whoops, I read that backwards. Good on you, then. Some things (like Imperious Command on a fear build or Mindsight on a telepathy build) are such obvious power grabs that they might as well be prerequisites, but on stealth builds Darkstalker is a prerequisite of the other sort: a feat tax that the build quickly becomes weak without.


Just went back and perused Captain Four Fingers... that's a hell of a build! I always think Avenging Executioner needs more love.

Aw shucks, thanks! When I found Avenging Executioner I knew that had to be the way I build it. The fluff is awesome, and the mechanics can make you very dangerous to everything that's not immune to fear. I've been dying to play him in a campaign, but the only pirate campaigns I can find are low-level, so he'd wind up being a strange bird: a DEX-based charger without his main tricks online.

[Venger]

<--"that one guy" :smalltongue:.
lol. Good on you, I really enjoyed captain four-fingers. I think he would be a ton of fun in a nautical themed game.


Hey now, I actually liked the Fiendbinder. It's not the worst PrC you can pick, but it's far from the best, too.
I suppose it's not bad, but what really sort of rustles my jimmies is that it requires 10 in truespeak and doesn't advance truenaming. I know you obviously shouldn't enter it as a truenamer, but that just forces you to either take that one feat that gives you truespeak as a class skill forever, or dip factotum. also, since the truespeak DCs are so high, it seems to want you to play truenamer, but it doesn't advance utterances, and that really is disappointing, because ther are no classes at all in ToM (or anywhere, aside from uncanny trickster and legacy champion) that advance truenaming, and this one seems like it was supposed to but they forgot to make that true.

[vhfforever]

When I was working on my original idea, I started by trying to keep everything class-wise out of the same book and went NE Human Warlock 6 / Mindbender 7 /Acolyte 7 who Dominated and Eternal Charmed the original fiend into giving up its own skin, but as I was putting it all together it just didn't have the right 'feel' to me.

[OMG PONIES]

When I was working on my original idea, I started by trying to keep everything class-wise out of the same book and went NE Human Warlock 6 / Mindbender 7 /Acolyte 7 who Dominated and Eternal Charmed the original fiend into giving up its own skin, but as I was putting it all together it just didn't have the right 'feel' to me.

Lol that seems like a pretty sweet concept. Unfortunately, you'd have to do a lot of fancy footwork to avoid the hurt of all those lost caster levels.

[Draz74]

Interesting that only one build uses alternate caster progression. I'd have thought that would be the way to go with a 1/2 caster PrC.

Me too. For the five minutes that I spent trying to come up with an idea for this round of the competition, the only thing I thought of was using Factotum 5 or Warlock 5 to get the CL prereq, but then dipping an alternate caster progression PrC and advancing it with AotS.

[vhfforever]

Lol that seems like a pretty sweet concept. Unfortunately, you'd have to do a lot of fancy footwork to avoid the hurt of all those lost caster levels.

The other issue was that it ended up relying a lot more on Mindbender, and not Acolyte, and never picked up Dark Invocations or any of the PrC capstones.

[T.G. Oskar]

Time for an update, guys!

Four out of ten builds have been judged, and I'm seeing a tendency over here. I wish the next batch of builds breaks it.

I must say, I am quite satisfied with at least two builds. One more than the other, of course, but both are equally good. No, I don't know who made them, but I suspect they're vets in the competition: on the other hand, if they're newbs, optimization has some promise.

That said, here's the low-down on the size of the document:
Pages: 15
Words: 9,311
Characters (without spaces): 43,571 (close to the thread limit!)

[The Dark Fiddler]

That said, here's the low-down on the size of the document:
Pages: 15
Words: 9,311
Characters (without spaces): 43,571 (close to the thread limit!)

So, we're looking at roughly 37 and a half pages, nearly 23,000 words, and almost 109,000 characters (without spaces).

...wow.

I don't know whether to be excited or afraid.

[GreenSerpent]

On a side point, I actually enjoyed my first Iron Chef!

Seeing as I've got some spare time, I think I'm going to end up finding some obscure prestige class and practising Iron Chefing on it! Best get in some practise!

[Amphetryon]

On a side point, I actually enjoyed my first Iron Chef!

Seeing as I've got some spare time, I think I'm going to end up finding some obscure prestige class and practising Iron Chefing on it! Best get in some practise!

Next one won't be THAT obscure. . . .:smallwink:

[GreenSerpent]

I'm suddenly very worried... (please don't be Frenzied Berserker, please don't be Frenzied Berserker...)

*rummaging through books* I have a sudden urge to try out Iron Chefing a Black Flame Zealot.

[The Dark Fiddler]

On a side point, I actually enjoyed my first Iron Chef!

Seeing as I've got some spare time, I think I'm going to end up finding some obscure prestige class and practising Iron Chefing on it! Best get in some practise!

As did I. It was kinda tough to get right (and the formatting was a huge pain to mess with), but it was certainly enjoyable. I think I may be back for the next one, ingredient pending.


Next one won't be THAT obscure. . . .:smallwink:

Hmm... what're the requirements for ingredients? 10 level prestige classes on the so-so level of power?

[Menteith]

For some reason I have the terrified idea that he's thinking of either Dwarven Defender or Arcane Archer. Actually, both of those could be neat...."scribble scribble".

[Venger]

I'm suddenly very worried... (please don't be Frenzied Berserker, please don't be Frenzied Berserker...)

*rummaging through books* I have a sudden urge to try out Iron Chefing a Black Flame Zealot.
nah, frenzied berserker's actually really powerful.


As did I. It was kinda tough to get right (and the formatting was a huge pain to mess with), but it was certainly enjoyable. I think I may be back for the next one, ingredient pending.

Hmm... what're the requirements for ingredients? 10 level prestige classes on the so-so level of power?
10 levels and so-so on the power is about it. we've had a few that're more on the high side of average like assassin. "not that obscure" makes me afraid it's a core thing too. I really hope it's not duelist. That would make me sad.

[Menteith]

I'd actually love Duelist. It was the first PrC I ever took in 3.5. Duelist and I go way back :smallsmile:.

[GreenSerpent]

A "really powerful" class isn't enough challenge!

*breaks out into Pokemon theme tune*

[Amphetryon]

I'd actually love Duelist. It was the first PrC I ever took in 3.5. Duelist and I go way back :smallsmile:.

Won't be Duelist (this upcoming round).

[Venger]

Won't be Duelist (this upcoming round).

whew! that's a relief

[DemonRoach]

whew! that's a relief

But now you've put the idea out there, so sooner or later... :smalltongue:

thought there'd be more than ten entries, I fear what may have transpired had the deadline been later...

[Akal Saris]

Glad to see that Ash'okk Lar used Thrall of Jubilex! One of my favorite odd little PrCs :)

I was planning to enter a character based on Sparky Sparky Boom Man (http://avatar.wikia.com/wiki/Combustion_Man) from Avatar...

The build was Cleric 5/Ocular Adept 8/Acolyte of the Skin 7....The idea would be to optimize Ocular Spell, Acolyte's two eye-based attacks, and ocular adept to shoot off eye beams at opponents every round. Sadly, RL got in the way :(

[Venger]

But now you've put the idea out there, so sooner or later... :smalltongue:

thought there'd be more than ten entries, I fear what may have transpired had the deadline been later...

yep, 10 in 8 days is pretty impressive. a couple of us had been wanting to do 2 builds.

I was ultimately put off by the dark fiddler and ponies's discussion of what they were going to do. ponies' comment about "using all the parts of the buffalo" made me think they were going to do what I was (initially) going to do.

since other people had discussed their hypotheticals (that weren't similar to the entered dishes) I figured I might as well do the same.



I had figured I would go for a Buffalo Bill motif, but instead of woman skin, it would be succubus skin. He would pose as a demon hunter and when it came time to "dispose of the remains," he'd take his prize and stitch a suit out of her to be a beautiful lady like Ted Levine. I figured I'd call him something like Fiendish Frank, what the watch detectives call him, like the FBI called Gumb Buffalo Bill, but instead of skinning his humps, he'd be, well, you know.

I was going to go Ranger 5/ acolyte 10/ mortal hunter 5 in order to take advantage of the outsider type that the SI offers. mortal hunter is outsider only, and, like acolyte, is centered around wearing the skins of your enemies to gain power. Plus, as an outsider, you can legitimately from a mechanical and in-game perspective, look down on the mortal monsters and characters in the game.

[Draz74]

since other people had discussed their hypotheticals (that weren't similar to the entered dishes) I figured I might as well do the same.



I had figured I would go for a Buffalo Bill motif, but instead of woman skin, it would be succubus skin. He would pose as a demon hunter and when it came time to "dispose of the remains," he'd take his prize and stitch a suit out of her to be a beautiful lady like Ted Levine. I figured I'd call him something like Fiendish Frank, what the watch detectives call him, like the FBI called Gumb Buffalo Bill, but instead of skinning his humps, he'd be, well, you know.

I was going to go Ranger 5/ acolyte 10/ mortal hunter 5 in order to take advantage of the outsider type that the SI offers. mortal hunter is outsider only, and, like acolyte, is centered around wearing the skins of your enemies to gain power. Plus, as an outsider, you can legitimately from a mechanical and in-game perspective, look down on the mortal monsters and characters in the game.

... Have you read The John (http://www.amazon.com/Am-Not-Serial-Killer/dp/0765322471) Cleaver (http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Monster-John-Cleaver-Books/dp/0765327902/ref=pd_sim_b_2) Trilogy (http://www.amazon.com/I-Dont-Want-Kill-You/dp/0765328445/ref=pd_sim_b_3)?

[OMG PONIES]

I was ultimately put off by the dark fiddler and ponies's discussion of what they were going to do. ponies' comment about "using all the parts of the buffalo" made me think they were going to do what I was (initially) going to do.

No, no, your idea was way better (and creepier) than mine! If it ever seems like I'm being clever or making some kind of obscure pop culture reference, assume that it's entirely accidental :smalltongue:.

[The Dark Fiddler]

I was ultimately put off by the dark fiddler and ponies's discussion of what they were going to do. ponies' comment about "using all the parts of the buffalo" made me think they were going to do what I was (initially) going to do.

I'm sorry, such an occurrence was never my intention. :smallfrown:

For what it's worth, I like your idea very much. It's a shame you didn't enter it.

[Venger]

... Have you read The John (http://www.amazon.com/Am-Not-Serial-Killer/dp/0765322471) Cleaver (http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Monster-John-Cleaver-Books/dp/0765327902/ref=pd_sim_b_2) Trilogy (http://www.amazon.com/I-Dont-Want-Kill-You/dp/0765328445/ref=pd_sim_b_3)?
No, I haven't heard of them, I'll have to check them out. Would you recommend them? Like I said, at least the basic chassis for the idea came from Ed Gein, the guy who every tv/movie serial killer (including "Silence of the Lambs"'s Buffalo Bill) is modeled off of

No, no, your idea was way better (and creepier) than mine! If it ever seems like I'm being clever or making some kind of obscure pop culture reference, assume that it's entirely accidental :smalltongue:.
Well, that's awfully nice of you. I'm really having a devil of a time trying to figure out which one is yours this time around. I'm sure it'll make sense after the reveal. heehee, I'll keep that in mind. If it ever seems like I'm making some kind of obscure pop culture reference (can't really claim myself to be "clever" rather defeats the purpose) OTOH, assume it's intentional, especially in Iron Chef, All of my entries have been loosely based off of something:

Shadowdancer: Claire was Kraehe (Claire) from "Princess Tutu," Pumpkinhead was essentially supposed to be a tongue in cheek Mowgli type character

consecrated harrier: Shere Khan Singh was a mashup of Shere Khan from the jungle book and Khan Noonien Singh from Star Trek 2, with the destruction of the jungle standing in for the destruction of his planet.

initiate of pistis sophia: Shui Cho was Omi from xiaolin showdown, because when building a straight monk, that was the first place I reached for flavor, especially with all the water themed feats/ACFs I took

shadow sentinel: $ (or Sue as he was called) was basically an excuse to make as many references to johnny cash songs/lyrics as I could in the span of one backstory. I had intended for his character's name to be "$" as in cash, with that symbol being his Illumian sigil after his rebirth after moving to the plane of shadow. It was probably easily missed in the table, and his human name before his reincarnation as an illumian, Sue, stuck. This was fitting, given the source material, so I can't complain.

temple raider of olidammara: Ted was a mashup of several different Keanu Reeves characters, namely ted from bill and ted, johnny mnemonic, and of course neo. I think this was the one I was surprised most by how poorly I did with the numbers.

drow judicator: I honestly had RL come up when I was planning to write this. my initial intention with anansi had been to have him and a group of other drow escape from their mindflayer captors and to have him try to establish a separatist movement in the underdark, using the Judgement ability on the flayers for their slave-taking. Ultimately, I was unable to finish in time and had to settle for rewriting the 60s spider-man theme song. I still thought it was fun, but I could have done better with more time.

dragon disciple: this was another mashup, this time with Ivan Drago from Rocky 4 and Draco Malfoy from harry potter, so he had the over-the-top training montages from the film administered by his controlling overbearing father from the book. he's able to kill his opponent in the ring (in the form of wizard duel) by eating lightning and crapping thunder

death delver: this is the only character I've entered in Iron chef that's not based on anything. I got the name from Lovecraft's "reanimator" but it's all original content otherwise (with proper recognition to burlew for all the fine eberron material that served as the backdrop. I was especially proud with the end result.

mindbender also wasn't based on anything. I had a ton of fun with monty, but his backstory was probably too long. The only one longer I've seen is probably little starry eyes back from green star adept.


I'm sorry, such an occurrence was never my intention. :smallfrown:

For what it's worth, I like your idea very much. It's a shame you didn't enter it.

Oh, that's okay, I just read too much into it. you and ponies worrying about the same idea, I figured it would be the most obvious (to me of course) entry fluffwise about skinning things and wearing the skin, which led me to buffalo bill. I'm sure it wasn't

that's very kind of you. I'm a little let down also, and had initially wanted to do 2 entries, bill and my other idea, but since we had a truncated cooking period, I just didn't have enough time to cook 2 dishes between having 8 days and having to move back for school, i had to choose one, I picked the one that I thought was less likely to be done by another chef, figuring that at least one of you was going to do bill, and maybe others too. unfortunately, I was wrong, and I am a little bummed, but that's the luck of the draw when playing this sort of prisoner's dilemma/psychological chicken thing every iron chef.

I kind of would like to stat him up and show him to people. If the judges aren't averse, I'd be happy to post him over the weekend. it'd give people something to look at until judgings are posted on thursday.

thanks for the encouragement, guys, I really appreciate it. best of luck to both of you.

[Draz74]

No, I haven't heard of them, I'll have to check them out. Would you recommend them?

Yeah, they're fun. Can't say much more about why your post reminded me of them without spoiling some plot twists, though.

[T.G. Oskar]

[...], I expect judging to be done in a week and a half. I wish to aim for, as a bare minimum, 5 days if I do 2 builds per day, but not even I'm that amazing!

Alright, so a week will expire next Sunday, and 6 builds have been finally judged. Unlike most people here, I will mention that there's some builds I don't like, others that I do, and others which are nice but could have been better. Those I don't like I won't give them the "well, at least I couldn't have done anything with it", because while I didn't, the fact that some effort led to the Nar Demonbinder build means it CAN be used cleverly. I don't want to sound rude, but I have to be frank; don't expect mercy from me.

On the other hand, those builds I like I'll definitely praise, because they're exemplary works. The tendency I was seeing has broken, something I can't mention until I deliver my full judgment, which I find it's good, but I noticed that Acolyte of the Skin, so far, works well with spellcasting classes that bring a lot of low-level spells with a lot of utility, instead of going for the high-level spells with a lot of power.

Now, for those I feel a bit disappointed with but are nonetheless good enough: I might sound harsh, but take note of what I mention. It's not advice on how to build for IC, but it's good advice on how to take the build and make it a bit better. There are very nice things within those builds that hold an inch of promise, and a bit of polish can make them great builds.

To my fortune, this will be a long weekend. I still have to work tomorrow (*grumble*) and I have some things to do Saturday night and all Sunday (sharing with my niece and running D&D for my pals, respectively), so I'll see what I can wring on those two days. That said, Monday is entirely free, so I expect at the very least a better update on when I can finish by early Monday. Worry not; the most I can take is a week and a half. It's just that making patches for Final Fantasy Tactics can be so addictive...

P.S.: Silly me, where are my manners!? Here's the rundown on the judgment so far...
Pages: 22
Words: 14,549
Characters (without spaces): 68,007 (hooray, a two-parter post!)

[T.G. Oskar]

8 judgments so far, so soon you'll see my results. That said, I promised I'd deliver some data after 8 judgings were done, and I'm a man of my word.

The tendency I saw finally repeated, so I must mention it as a cause of concern: Acolyte of the Skin is not meant for martial characters. There's at least three people who attempted it, and got bad results out of it. Those who got GOOD results, though, got good mileage out of their spellcasting.

Be forewarned: there's one of you guys so far who's just .5 points out of a perfect score. The build was amazing, and I take my hat off to whomever made it. There's another that delivered such an interesting trick that made me appreciate being a judge a bit more, as you get to learn a lot from it.

Oh, and there's three builds so far that got a 1 on Elegance. You'll feel that I delivered nothing more than vitriol for them, but I tried to hold my reins on the caustic stuff: politeness more than anything, but I saw that there were a few who somehow thought they could wing the arcane CL 5th requirement, getting a CL of 4th and 2nd respectively, another with a CL that doesn't exist (and I'm still breaking my head on how he qualified, though I have my suspicions), and another with a CL that doesn't exist either. I feel like I made a mistake or something, but the CL requirement is stringent enough. The one that I have my suspicions on still doesn't get off the hook that easily, tho.

Finally, the tally of content thus far. Will I break my earlier records of content? We shall see once I deliver:
Pages: 29
Words: 19,059
Characters (without spaces): 88,904

[DemonRoach]

Pages: 29
Words: 19,059
Characters (without spaces): 88,904

There going to be a summation at the beginning? Not that keen to read a whole essay you've repeatedly mention is liable to be vitriolic at various points :smallfrown:

[eggs]

I think someone said something about brevity once.

[T.G. Oskar]

There going to be a summation at the beginning? Not that keen to read a whole essay you've repeatedly mention is liable to be vitriolic at various points :smallfrown:

Sorta. More like it'll be spoilered several times, then there's gonna be a brief bit explaining the score. It'll be pretty brief, but if you want the whole meat, you'll have to open the spoilers within the spoilers, which hold all the content and whatnot.

Here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9863806&postcount=231) are (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9863808&postcount=232) some (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=10292335&postcount=240) examples (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=10293164&postcount=241) of earlier (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=10293240&postcount=242) judgments (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=10293240&postcount=243) I did. That's how it's gonna be presented to you, so judge yourself whether it's brief or necessary. At least I tell you how advanced I am every single time, and unless some catastrophic thing happens, judgings shouldn't be later than late Monday/Tuesday at most.


I think someone said something about brevity once.

I...distinctively recall that, which is what made me frown from judging some time ago. But I feel that a brief judging doesn't make justice to the competitor, because it feels too mechanical. Well, that and my usual inability to post anything with fewer than 500 words whenever it has to deal with exposition. Regular posts generally are more than 150-200 words at most. Definitely not 2 or 3, much less 20 or possibly 30.

[The Dark Fiddler]

8 judgments so far, so soon you'll see my results. That said, I promised I'd deliver some data after 8 judgings were done, and I'm a man of my word.

[...]

Finally, the tally of content thus far. Will I break my earlier records of content? We shall see once I deliver:
Pages: 29
Words: 19,059
Characters (without spaces): 88,904

Alright then, let's see my previous estimate: 37 and a half pages, nearly 23,000 words, and almost 109,000 characters (without spaces).

With these new numbers you've given us, the new estimate is: 36.25 pages, nearly 24,000 words, and 111,130 characters without spaces.

I'm... not quite sure how the estimate of words and characters went up, but the estimate of pages went down. Are you using a lot of small words in the most recent judgments? :smallconfused:

Anyway, I can't wait to see this monster of a judging you're going to be handing down... but at the same time, I fear it shall bring about the end of the world.

[Feytalist]

Argh blargh.

Two weeks out of the loop, and THIS is the contest I miss? The one we've been talking about since, like, ever? Wonderful.

But hey, at least I get to read over some tasty entries. Heh.

[T.G. Oskar]

Incoming judging! Since I don't know how many posts it'll take, please refrain from posting before I finish. You'll know I finished when I give my final thoughts about the competition and the total amount of pages, words and characters (without spaces).

Bloody Hands Butcher
Originality
Let’s take this at face value, because this is a quite unusual entry. Barbarian, by definition, has this strong fluff of not depending on spellcasting, and usually relying on brute strength. Hexblade, on the other hand, is the opposite; relies on curses and spellcasting to debuff the enemy and equal combat grounds. Suel Arcanamach is distant from both, as it’s a magician that uses its spells to slay other, more powerful spellcasters, but it’s steeped in a very strong tradition.

I consider these components separately because the backstory could have explained the reasons for each transition. I can see this as a problem that fits entirely towards Power and Elegance (there are reasons why it fits Power, but doesn’t fit Elegance), but as I said; I’ll take it on face value. It is, as I mentioned, a very unusual choice, because the expectations are that full spellcasters (and particularly Warlocks, as the fluff is strongly aimed towards them) enter the class, not Arcanamachs. I see the thematic link between Hexblade and AotS, but you get so little from Hexblade that it doesn’t support the idea of taking the class (something I’ll consider in Use of Secret Ingredient, or perhaps Elegance). The real kicker here is the introduction of Barbarian, which is by all means the class that provides the double-take: you don’t expect a class that, by fluff, has some resentment against magic, to embrace said dark magics and make a pact with the creatures it least favors (I’d have expected a pact with the Unseelie), so it really plays with the idea of why a Barbarian would travel the dark path to become the Butcher. Here is where the backstory would have truly made the decision shine: how the transition from Barbarian to Acolyte was done should have been more than just toyed at.

Which leads to the backstory. What little bits it has make the character mysterious, enigmatic…but doesn’t explain the build at all. There is a suggestion which I believe is the core of the backstory, and it’s how the Butcher got its hands on the weapon of a Mage-Knight. It toys with the idea that the Butcher is the Mage-Knight…however, upon close examination of the build chassis, it leads me to think that it makes no sense to follow that clue. The Butcher is someone who killed the Mage-Knight and took his weapon, because there’s way too little regarding the Mage-Knight’s story to suggest a savage background (or rather, a rough background at the edges of civilization, perhaps even INSIDE civilization but not on its higher echelons), which then embraced dark magics and the ancient Suloise art of extermination. With the Butcher effectively orphaned of an origin story, the addition of the Barbarian seems to fulfill two reasons: one, adding Pounce; second, adding shock value. It certainly adds shock value, but had it been explained the transition, it would have felt a bit more natural and thus would have truly brought shock to the build.

Score: 3.5 (It’s mostly “wait, Barbarian!?” and then “wait, why Barbarian???” TL;DR, the use of Barbarian was quite impressive for a dip, but without the reasoning behind it, it feels more tacked on for Originality cookie points than as a means for the class. Good enough Power has something to say regarding this.)

Power
Wow, it’s been hard to explain this without delving on the others, but I’ll attempt so. Just notice that my biggest beef is Elegance, and then there’s some things that go better in Use of Secret Ingredient, but that relate directly to Power.

Here’s the deal: the first 10 levels of the build are great, the last 10 builds scream “why!?” The first two levels, as a Barbarian, deliver enough HP and arm power to survive those crucial levels. The 4 levels of Hexblade begin to stir the theme of a strong man that weakens his opponents (let’s face it; a bully by any other name), what with the Curse + Dark Companion combo working well (Curse has a max DC of 17 ranging just from base DC and stat increases, so that means one [un]lucky individual per day will have the misfortune of suffering from the worst debuff around), and Arcane Resistance/ Mettle providing nice defenses. Arcane Resistance flows real well into your next bit, which is Suel Arcanamach, where you get self-buffs and another set of debuffs for D&D’s archetypal nerd: the full spellcasters. By 10th level, the build works great, what with having Dispelling Strike (only one, of course) striking right where it matters, and having enough attacks and power to strike where it matters.

Then you enter Acolyte of the Skin. Here’s where I say “why!?”, and the reason why this would go better in Use of Secret Ingredient. Power-wise, I see two HUGE delays here; first, Arcane Strike is delayed to 12th level in order to get Shock Trooper, and then you get Imperious Command at 18th level, right where…well, most of the people with immunity to fear are located. Note that I said “delay”? Arcane Strike at 12th level and Imperious Command at 18th would have really, really, REALLY made a difference. Shock Trooper is used, of course, for the Heedless Charge maneuver, so that you could use your AC in order to keep your attack bonus high enough for the attack to hit; however, between Arcane Strike and your Dark Companion debuff, you could have reached a high enough attack bonus to make at least the first hit matter: with the Arcane Strike extra damage, by 12th level it would have really meant a solid hit that can essentially drop any enemy in one shot. This is crucial, as one of your spells is Wraithstrike: hitting as a touch attack makes dropping your AC less meaningful, and only necessary at higher levels, which means you could easily maximize your damage earlier on (though you’d have gone nova even faster). Imperious Command comes on-line way too late as well, particularly because you have to give space to Improved Bull Rush (which you barely use, only as a pre-req for Shock Trooper), particularly as Never Outnumbered comes quite early, where the trick could have been useful.

Now, Arcane Strike has the requisite of casting 3rd level spells. Acolyte of the Skin forcefully delayed that point, which means you have to wait until 15th level to get Arcane Strike, which means that until then you’re more than forced to rely on Shock Trooper, but without the extra damage to really justify betting all your defenses on your charge. IMO, the move was unnecessary and detrimental to your build. Likewise, on your effort to make Shock Trooper come online earlier on, you made the best chance you had for reliable lock-down appear very, very late in game. Given that you maxed Intimidate (and had a great Charisma to make it unstoppable), it’s almost unforgivable that a reliable tactic comes so late. Here’s more of an Elegance hit than a Power hit, but it hits Power because the delay makes your build weaker.

Just so you don’t mention it later: I noticed you have Draconic Polymorph. That’s a fantastic spell. Really fantastic. It would have been more fantastic if you had a second use of it by 16th level, right? So, because of the lack of Charisma by that level, you’re forced to wait until 20th level for it. It’s another example of the delay problem by which I’m penalizing you.

Score: 2.5 (the first 10 levels are great. The last 10 levels make me cringe. But it’s the decision of delaying a great boost to damage and a reliable lock-down for entry into AotS and Shock Trooper that really make me hit Power).

Elegance
Finally, the crux of the build. This build has some serious Elegance penalties. Allow me to explain.

First, I don’t recall Suel Arcanamach’s entry requirements perfectly, but one thing I DO recall is its need for Ancient Suloise. The fluff for the Arcanamach suggests that Ancient Suloise is a dead language, so you need Speak Language to access it. There are two ways to settle this, and you didn’t do anything for them. One is having learned it as a 1st level character, which is dubious at best; however, you have no bonus languages, because your Int is 10 (and remains at 10). That means you can’t learn Ancient Suloise at 1st level; it hits harder with your barbarian upbringing, as you would have needed to explain why your barbaric tribe had access to Ancient Suloise without depending on literacy (when Suel was a powerful spellcaster empire). The other is to spend levels in Speak Language (Ancient Suloise), which would have been the main way to tackle this problem. And…after a cursory revision at 6th level, the verdict calls for…no points in Speak Language. There’s no background explanation indicating how the character knew ancient Suloise without bonus languages or Speak Language, so that means you shouldn’t be able to enter the Suel Arcanamach class.

However…let’s set that aside. It is, after all, a fluff problem. Let’s go with the serious one. To enter Acolyte of the Skin, you need a caster level of 5th. You only have four levels of Suel Arcanamach; as far as I recall, that means that your arcane caster level when casting Suel Arcanamach spells is 4th, not 5th. The arcane caster level for Hexblade spells would be 2nd, not 5th. So, explain in simple terms how did you have access to Acolyte of the Skin without the requisite caster level? That means, good sir, that 14 levels of your whole build are illegal. That’s…reckless, and enough to deliver the dreaded 1 point (if not outright 0).

However, as I mentioned, the crux of the entire build relies on Elegance. Let’s see how the other bits really push the score right into the negatives and furthermore. Excuses if I sound harsh.

First, the issue mentioned in Originality. Your Barbarian follows the spiritual totem of the Lion, making it at best Neutral (but there’s no forced alignment for it, so that’s not the issue). Thematically, how does someone who draws power from a totem end up using ancient and dark magics? The background story does not explain it.

Second, the issue mentioned in Power. The build was gearing up nicely for a sort of mage-killer that used spells to self-buff itself, perhaps dabbled in a bit of the dark in order to gain further resilience against the arcane. Then, why do I see so many delays that really hurt the build more than they help it? Imperious Command at 18th, spellcasting delayed every 2 levels (which means you get that awesome Draconic Polymorph at 20th level, Bite of the Werewolf by 14th level (but then you have to choose between increasing damage or great defenses), Arcane Strike at 15th when you could have had it at 12th (and after a second look, you COULD have gotten it at 12th without problems).

Third, the issue that shall come in Use of Secret Ingredient. What does the Acolyte provides that becomes the foundation of the build? Why is it necessary to drape yourself in the skin of a fiend in order to advance your skills as a mage-slayer who also happens to easily slay monsters, warriors and rogues? Aside from Fiendish Glare, none of the other skills really provide anything. Spellcasting, at most, but that’s not enough.

And finally, the issue that truly pertains to Elegance. Why does the build seem so fractured? It’s great at 10th level, it’s almost unrecognizable at 20th! It’s…not very obvious, so I give you that (the first few levels are good enough), but the last 10 levels really don’t mesh well.

By now, that would have meant a -4 on the score, perhaps the lowest score around. However, because of contest rulings, that means I must give you a…

Score: 1 (14 of your 20 levels are invalidated, but even then, you’d have enough problems with your build to merit a 1. That gaping fracture right at the middle of your build, cleverly hidden because of how nice the first 10 levels are, is dismaying)

Use of Secret Ingredient
So, the question here is what can the Bloody Hands Butcher draw from draping itself in the skin of a fiend, right?

Let’s go bit by bit, shall we? An inherent bonus to Dex, +1 to natural armor and the ability to cast Poison as an SLA once per day (oh, and darkvision)? The build has some decent Dex, but it doesn’t rely on Dexterity, so no big deal. Natural armor…well, you wear armor, so it’s not so bad, but two levels later you disregard AC for sure hits. Poison’s save DC is pretty much fixed, but since you have ways to debuff your enemy, it can hit the worst one you face (later on, the worst two guys you face) pretty easily (Dark Companion, then Hexblade’s Curse, then debuff for 1d10 points of Con damage). And the darkvision…well, that’s decent enough, but nothing surprising.

Then you get resistance to fire, but you have ways on how to temporarily get it, and where it matters. It’s way too small to matter. Fiendish Glare…well, that’s the ability you can play with the most. Between Dark Companion, the Curse, and Intimidate, plus a high Charisma, that’s enough to stun anything in your path, and by the level you get it, it means 2-3 rounds of proper stunning, which prevents the enemy from running away frightened. It’s a pretty sick combo…but its 1/day trait really makes it an “emergency only” trick.

By 5th level, you get bonuses to Constitution, more NA and better darkvision. To me, only the Con boost matters, because that brings a whopping 15 hit point increase, plus that extra Fortitude; the rest is chump change. Cold resistance is just as good (read: not good) as fire resistance, as you could have gained it earlier on through Resist Energy (which, exactly at THIS level, would have granted resistance 20). Glare of the Pit is…well, kinda meh, since you don’t really seem to empower it, so it feels tacked on. Summon Fiend? Well, being CE, and if you chose for a demon, that means a babau, which is more of a rogue than anything else; that means you get a partner for reliable damage, which with your Dark Companion means you get one bit short of a one-man army (all you need is a divine spellcaster!). However, the Babau is way too weak: it’s a CR 6 creature against CR 17-20 creatures, so it’s hopelessly outmatched.

Then comes Fiendish Symbiosis. You become an outsider, you get DR 10/good, so that means you get a degree of resistance. What really matters here is that you can finally cast 5th level spells, and with it, Draconic Polymorph (since, who needs Cloudkill that late on?) With Alter Self, that means you’re planning to use it for 5 HD transformation into other Outsiders: that’s a good use out of it, so consider it a nice move. However, you get Draconic Polymorph. The ability to turn into a frickin’ dragon. That’s the sound of “why, oh by the love of Pelor, WHY!?” echoing from the distance. Basically, you waited several levels for a nice trick that gets invalidated the moment you get it.

Score: 2 (you get some mileage out of the BAB [gish BAB!!!] and the glare. You chose a spellcasting class that provided swift progression, so you ended up pretty close to topping off that class. However, some of the choices you make early on invalidate those you make later on, hurting part of your progress: note the feats and the Alter Self into outsider trick).

Overall: 9 (2.25)
I think I mentioned it all on Elegance, but let’s review it again. The first few level s are quite impressive, even if not very well explained. However, those last 10 levels have so many problems, it feels like you had a breakdown and tried to finish it on time before checking it out, so it ended up dull and reeking of a fracture. Given some time, fixing those mistakes, and going a bit further into the “mage-killer” theme would have made for an awesome character; because of that, it feels like Acolyte of the Skin wasn’t meant for it. The flavor would have been nice, but the backstory really never delivered that flavor that could have saved it at least a bit more. I really would have loved to see this with more levels of Hexblade and Suel Arcanamach, perhaps with a detour into Occult Slayer so that you could maximize the full extent of the build’s power, but sadly that wasn’t the case.

Captain Wyrmbeard the Damned
Originality
Wow, color me impressed! I would have never expected to see a Rashemi (which comes, IIRC, from a cold climate far from the sea), which took levels in Dragonfire Adept, THEN entered Acolyte of the Skin, become a pirate. Really, that came out of left field. I usually bind up fluff with the crunch of the class, but this take on a Dragonfire Adept is truly unexpected. There’s a little problem with your fluff as you have no Knowledge (arcana), the necessary topic of study for dragons; this is more evident because the goal of the character (raiding the Planes) is perfectly explained (through mastery of Knowledge: the Planes). Surprising bit about Knowledge (geography), though, because it expands your horizons (no pun intended) away from Rashemen.

The second bit where I say “darn, that’s a great story!” is how he decides to become an Acolyte of the Skin. I know of Ashardalon for some reason, so bringing that bit of information and making it an integral part of your story makes it all the more impressive. It makes Wyrmbeard feel part of the world.

However, aside from backstory, I want to praise you for many other original bits you took into consideration. The first were the tidbits which I’ll go further in Elegance (namely, the lava thing. Classy!). The second is how the build’s focus stands out from other builds I’ve seen (so far, that is) in other competitions: Wyrmbeard’s a sailor, first and foremost, so all the info dump on how to be a better sailor defines his home territory, giving important tools to the DM in order on how to use him on a campaign.

Oh, and one more thing: again, Dragonfire Adept was truly unexpected. The reason I make it stand out is because Dragonfire Adept has no native support outside of the game. This is more of a Use of Secret Ingredient matter, but the fact that you remembered there’s another invocation user brings a smile.

Score: 5 (really, does it deserve any lower? The fluff takes centerfold, as it not only explains why such an unusual build is meant to work, but also gives the DM enough tools to use the build in their campaigns. It’s a different take from classical monsters and villains; you really don’t expect that combination to work out, and yet it does, at least in terms of fluff. A Dragonfire Adept with Entangling Exhalation can lack originality, but the feel of the class still can rescue it from the heap)

Power
A breath weapon of 7d6 (just three dice shy of full) is nothing to chafe at when you’re at 20th level, which would be the main concern in here. Wyrmbeard doesn’t need to engage in combat in order to be dangerous, with Entangling Exhalation and Slow Breath serving as brutal debuffs, and then topping it all off with several stages of fear.

By itself, it’s a pretty strong build. That, however, is not why the build is quite powerful. What makes it powerful, however, is that it nudges you into entering his home terrain. In land, Wyrmbeard relies on his breath weapon and fear effects just like on sea: however, it’s on sea where he becomes more dangerous, because he’s relying on destroying the terrain you stand on to ensure victory. Make Wyrmbeard stand on water, and he can utterly crush you by having its breath weapon(s) affect you as normal, then kindly introducing you to the dangers of drowning (as broken as it may be).

I must admit, it was surprising to see tidbits that I didn’t notice. Wyrmbeard is effectively immune to lava? I’m watching this, straight from the SRD, and I still refuse to believe it. That means, in volcanoes or under the effect of a Transmute Rock to Lava spell, Wyrmbeard ALSO has the advantage. Come cold climate, and Wyrmbeard STILL has the advantage.

I insist on this because it shows a nice trick behind Wyrmbeard: he doesn’t set up the battle conditions that best suit him; he leads you to think that you can choose them, and then he drops off a curve when he suddenly reveals he can swim almost perfectly (you probably don’t), he can swim on lava (you definitely don’t), he can survive very cold climates (you probably can, but perhaps forgot to do so), and even on land, he has a trick to improve his damage (nice going with the oil trick, by the way: anything that makes a PHB item stand out and shine gets cookie points in my book). He can fight well on marshes, plains, volcanoes, the Frostfell…pretty much anywhere. He can tackle various terrains, and he adapts to them, using them as part of his skills. It’s definitely not wizard-level power, but it’s still an impressive use of your brain and an invitation for tactics rather than brute force.

Now, it’s a trick that never gets old, but there’s a slight problem with it. It still feels like a one-trick pony on the few occasions where the terrain stacks against him. If on land, on a perfectly flat plain, you still rely on your breath weapon and your saves to win the battle. I won’t say that Chilling Fog isn’t excellent (it’s one of the few occasions where it feels you do something different, because you’re impairing movement not just against enemies, but against ships, a clever use of that invocation outside of battle), or the utility of Wingstorm outside of battle is excellent, but it feels like you have way too little tools to play with. Your power is certainly reasonable; it’s the versatility you lack.

However, I’ll err on the side of how much utility you draw from each of the abilities you get. In my book Sorcerers are Tier 2 because they lack the versatility of the Wizard, but can reach the same amount of power through their utility. You have less options than a Warlock or pure DFA, but what you can do with them (specifically thinking outside the box and applying those options to ship-to-ship combat) really shows that the right person can draw a lot of utility, and thus power, out of the build. The build is deceptively strong, but it has a harsh learning curve (one made less harsh because the build is explained very well), but requires some more set-up than the norm.

Oh yeah, I also forgot: nice way to use the Babau. It’s not a strong warrior, but it works great as a scout, and since it lasts for 1 hour, and has excellent teleportation abilities, it makes for a surprisingly decent minion. Again: it’s not that the Babau is inherently powerful, but the way it is used. It’s the utility you can draw from that ability.

Score: 4.5 (we all know how Dragonfire Adept works. We also know that combat is not the most important thing in the game. That said, the build is surprisingly powerful because it has a great deal of utility in and out of combat, particularly on a specific form of combat where terrain is more important than raw power. The only reason this isn’t close to 5 is because of the learning curve; it’s well explained, so it doesn’t lose much, but even then it relies on familiarizing a lot with the game and understanding the reasoning behind every movement. It plays exactly as a Sorcerer does, and the Sorcerer is quite powerful when played correctly, so that influences a lot on its power).

Elegance
I have little to say in here, so I expect this to be just as good, but brief. If there is a problem I have, it’s relying on DM fiat and magic items, because you’ll never know when you get them. The build has to be good on its own in order to be a good build; redundant as it seems, what matters is that the build can function on its own without depending on something to be good. There are two problems I see here, but they really don’t harm the build as much as they’d harm others.

The first problem is its reliance on items. You need oils, you need some magic items, and you need more than anything a ship. This can be a HUGE problem if you’re not on an aquatic campaign, because it invalidates your build’s main focus (though it delivers a surprisingly good way to play a campaign; someone who’s itchy to return to home base). Why, then, this isn’t a HUGE problem at all? While it can’t certainly enter into all campaigns, when it enters a campaign that fits, it can work with little problem even with the worst ship around (or a skiff). The only problem I’d see is the dependence on a Dimensional Sextant when traveling the planes; however, it’s less “you depend on a magic item for your build to be good” and more “you depend on a magic item for the campaign to progress”. This is an example of what I mean: the use of magic items doesn’t make the build, but instead are necessary tools for the campaign, one which even the stingiest DM may consider. Perhaps not the awesome ships, but if you have a planar-able ship along (something you’ll need when facing the planes; with Wyrmbeard’s focus, there’s a huge chance that the ship he gets isn’t his…), you’ll probably need the Sextant, and maybe you’ll get enough funds to improve eventually into what you want. So that merits a minor notch, but not something noticeable.

The second is how the build relies on the proper terrain to excel. That’s just an equal problem as relying on magic items: if you’re not on the proper terrain, a lot of your tools will be useless. For example: on land, Profession (sailor) and Swim will either be useless or have limited uses. This is the problem of a thematic focus rather than a general focus regarding builds. Once again, and as explained in Power, the impact is minimized because Wyrmbeard can work well on various terrains (not just seas), working to adapt the terrain while adapting to the terrain. The notch I’ll remove here is because of the complexity when playing Wyrmbeard in non-favorable terrains, because a great deal of Elegance is not just how well the build flows, but also how simple it is to build and play with.

Score: 4.25 (alright, so I wasn’t really “brief”, but when I judge, this is as brief as it can get. Reliance on magic items and complexity are enemies of Elegance, but the way these problems present in your build minimize their impact. Complexity is the big offender here, however)

Use of Secret Ingredient
Acolyte of the Skin is a bad PrC to work with, I will admit. However, there were some pleasant surprises that your explanation brought to light.

The first, and I’ll dare say the most important, is that fire resistance implies immunity to lava. Really, in all my years of play I never saw that in play. Essentially you treat lava like water, and then you get Aquatic Adaptation to treat water like air, so you can navigate on lava like nobody’s business. This is perhaps the cleverest application of this class feature, so kudos for pointing it out.

Another trick I noticed was how oil, a common material, aids one of the class features. Sure, the idea is that oil boosts the power of your fire breath, but what about Glare of the Pit? It’s an attack that deals up to 8d6 per ray, once per day, so anything that boosts it must be important. So, why not douse the targets in oil, so that they get burned one round later (for less damage, of course, but still interesting) from your Glare? That doesn’t mean it’s any more powerful, but it IS a clever use of a PHB item that people forget after 6th level.

Another nice thing to point out is that Acolyte of the Skin essentially completes your natural armor progression. 2 points in natural armor doesn’t mean much, but 5 points (which scale with Barkskin or Amulets of Natural Armor) quickly scale up. The bonus to Dexterity isn’t so noticeable, but the bonus to Constitution helps the most important tactic you have (and also on your lifeforce).

However, the big problem I have with the class is that it’s chock-full of 1/day abilities. That really makes it suck, because Fiendish Glare (one of the best abilities out there) only works once per day. Enter Travel Devotion: while at first it’s a nice doppleganger, later on it becomes a quasi-real version of you. The way the Project Image spell works is quite interesting, as it allows any spell to work off the shadowy duplicate other than yours. The way you suggest it works seems to give it extra uses of your 1/day abilities, and if that’s true, then it’s perhaps the best boost the class could have.

…However, I don’t see that mentioned anywhere. What it mentions is that any spell you can cast with a range of touch or higher can be cast from the duplicate, and that it has phantom versions of your equipment. In no means it mentions it’s a perfect duplicate, as, say, a Simulacrum. Had it been an effect just as Simulacrum, you had the ability to duplicate all of the AotS’s abilities several times per day; by strict reading, it doesn’t. It points out how much you thought of ability duplication, but it doesn’t seem to work that way. From what I see, the supernatural abilities that can only be used once per day could be used from the shadowy duplicate (thus increasing the range of Poison to “where your eye can see and where your duplicate has line of effect to you”), but if the shadowy duplicate used them, you can’t use them.

The final bit is the many layers of fear Wyrmbeard has. Why here and not in Power? Well, it’s because Fiendish Glare really doesn’t do much, because all your fear-stacking effects are already in play. Between Dreadful Wrath (which only requires an attack), the Frightful Presence invocation, and the Imperious Command/Never Outnumbered trick, you can reliably make them cower in fear for up to 10 minutes. Think of it: first, you use Imperious Command with Never Outnumbered. Everyone is cowering, so they can’t move. Second round, you use your breath weapon on all of them, with Entangling Exhalation: their movement is halved, but they’re now frightened. Now, make a charge against the closest enemy: with their weakened Will save (against a DC that relies on Charisma, which you have at least with a +3), that means they have good chances to be frightened. Fiendish Glare has really two main purposes; one, ensuring important enemies are cowering in fear after two attempts, or combined with Scourge of the Seas for maximum distance cowering. It’s one of the reasons Wyrmbeard’s build is so powerful, but makes Fiendish Glare less important. Since you’re pre-shaking them, that means a lower Will save, so better chances to make them stunned. What’s more important: since your fear effect relies on dealing damage, that means you have higher chances to make that stun effect last for a long time, in case the enemies are not cowering in fear. The feeling that Fiendish Glare isn’t really necessary for your lockdown comes into mind, but after some analysis, you can realize it plays a key part at the moment you use it. It’s a shame you can’t boost it any further, or else the stun would be even more dangerous than the cower (and less people are immune to stun than to fear).

Score: 4 (the clever uses of fire resistance, the boosts to important abilities, the feel that Dragonfire Adept wasn’t weakened with this build…all of these matter. However, what worries me is that Trickery Devotion, your key to duplicate some of the 1/day abilities of the class, really doesn’t work as intended. This is a huge let-down, because it’s false advertising. That, plus the feel that Fiendish Glare isn’t really needed when you have a proper fear-based lockdown build, dent the score quite a bit. Still, it doesn’t feel like Acolyte of the Skin was tacked on just for the competition; quite the contrary; the fact that it works for a Dragonfire Adept means great news!)

Overall: 17.75 (4.4375)
Striking the balance between entertainment and utility on a build can sometimes be hard to do, especially when only a few builds really shine through the game. The Cap’n feels right at home as a villain, with clever and inviting uses of rules from the Dungeons & Dragons supplements to throw a curve to the mighty wizard and his group of cohorts (read: the other PCs that aren’t Tier 1). I’m impressed by how the fluff stands out on its own, and evokes toward the DM in every player, the guy who wishes to see his adventures come to life. It’s a complex build to play, but as a villain, it really steals the show. However, it’s not bad as a player either, with reliable moves and clever ways to surpass obstacles and force enemies to face him on unfavorable terrains, and drawing the most of its small toolbox. It relies on a few tricks, but the mileage you draw from them makes the build exceptional. Well done, great job!

Ash’okk Lar
Originality
Hard to say on this one. On one hand, you have a pair of classes that aren’t what you’d expect for an Acolyte of the Skin; you have a Fighter, and then you have a Paladin. Of Slaughter, of course. While I can debate for years the offensiveness of the word “Paladin” mixed with the alignment “Chaotic Evil”, this isn’t the forum (pun, haw!) to speak of it. Skarn is an unusual choice, particularly for what it offers: spine natural attacks, which are pretty awesome…if you know how to use them.

The first thing that comes to mind is that you’ve entered the class without a single level in an arcane spellcasting class, taking advantage of the class’ open way of spellcasting advancement. However, the advancement from the Paladin (of Slaughter) class is pretty limited, so the idea isn’t to advance your spellcasting. The idea is to take it as a path towards Thrall of Juiblex, which is your main goal.

There are some problems that I’ve found, though, which I find that have some merit. A Chaotic Skarn is definitely different, but it’s only used as a stepping stone, not as something integral to the build. The shock factor is there, but it’s not entirely enough to matter: dig a bit deeper and you might get a race that has exactly what you need (in terms of mechanics) and fit the build a bit better. I’d love to mention it’s a minor thing, but just by looking at the way you mention the Skarn…it’s only vaguely mentioned. What’s with the “perfection of form” all Skarns seek? Mentioning that the Skarn was raised by humans probably addresses that, but there’s no particular reason why it feels the Skarn is necessary there, aside from a mechanical perspective which isn’t entirely clear? High Str, but no loss of Wis or Cha, and without LA? I could mention a few other choices, and given how story-wise it’s explained, it wouldn’t make a difference. Here’s where flavor should be king, and…it’s kinda bland.

The other thing that comes to mind is: how does Acolyte of the Skin mingles with this, anyways? How does a Paladin of Juiblex (or rather, an Anti-Paladin of Juiblex, but who am I to speak of trivial matters such as semantics?) ends up being an Acolyte of the Skin? Other builds have made their intention of getting into the class an important matter, making their introduction into the class an essential part of their story; you, on the other hand, mention it as a perk for your main deal, which is becoming a Thrall of Juiblex. It feels like Acolyte of the Skin was added just because it was necessary for the campaign (or in this case, the competition) but it wasn’t part of your build whatsoever. This is troubling, because it suggests a double meaning: in the story, the character aims to become a servant of Juiblex, but build-wise, the character doesn’t really manage to complete it. It feels like Acolyte of the Skin is stealing levels that should have gone for Thrall of Juiblex. What’s more important, it doesn’t seem to follow the focus of making a character focused on Juiblex.

Now, why do I insist on these trifles? Any story, even one that’s been told one too many times, can be made original by adding new elements, but having those elements become important to the story. That’s the bit I felt missing with Ash’okk: it feels like disparate elements were forcefully blended in the name of making something new and unseen. This may seem like a thing for Elegance (and certainly, it is), but that line of thought isn’t original; it’s… I wish I could say the right word for here, but it’s pretty close to “completely missing the point”. The theme is there, but it really makes no effort to follow it, hoping that all elements are rare and disparate enough to be considered one-of-a-kind. Sure, it is one-of-a-kind…but not in the way you’d expect.
Score: 3.25 (it’s a bunch of things that doesn’t seem to follow the theme you’ve suggested. Separately, each component is unusual enough to merit appreciation; the problem is how everything meshes together, because it makes some elements clash with others, thus giving the impression that the element could be changed into something even more distinct and original than offered. This extends to the race: a Skarn is unusual, and one that aims for Chaos instead of the racial paradigm of Law is twice as unusual, but it feels as irrelevant to the story, since it feels like any other race would have fit in, perhaps one that’s twice as strange. In the end, the story doesn’t seem to fit the build’s theme, making all of the build’s choices mutable enough to suggest different, and potentially better/more original choices.)

Power
The best way to define it is “a late bloomer with a really small bloom”. How did I end up with that definition?

Well, the first thing I notice is that it’s eerily similar to another build (the Butcher, namely). Its two main tricks rely on Imperious Command/Never Outnumbered fear lockdown and a steady source of damage through Power Attack/Shock Trooper. The latter comes pretty early, right as it starts to feel the brunt of low BAB because of AotS’s poor BAB progression. Because you lack ways to increase your attack bonus any further, and because you don’t care too much for AC (or so I believe), Shock Trooper is a bit more useful for you than for the Butcher. Imperious Command, on the other hand…comes somewhat late, and lacking Never Outnumbered altogether. That makes it weaker, particularly since you could have taken it right at 6th level, given that you have access to Spellcraft from VERY early on. Willing Deformity adds only a mild boost to Intimidate (good early on, but you already have a steady Intimidate bonus), so it’s not the best feat around. Those are your two main tricks, because the spellcasting is negligible (only about 3 spells, of which one is essentially flavor).

As you get into AotS, this point becomes quite evident. The abilities from AotS barely offer a synergy with your main attack methods (barring Fiendish Glare + Imperious Command, but without Never Outnumbered you never manage to mass stun everybody), so it’s hard to see what else you can do using AotS as a support.

Only later, in between the Fiendish Symbiosis and the Alter Self spell-like ability from Thrall of Juiblex, you see a pretty strong boost, but it falls really short. You have Alter Self as if cast by a 4th level caster, which means you’re limited to 4 HD outsiders (essentially mephits, imps, quasits, lemures, nupperibos, dretches…really low HD outsiders) and humanoids, which grants a reasonable amount of flexibility. Aside from that, you still rely on a good hit and fear-locking, the former which is decent but lacks pounce, and the latter which lacks proper area of effect. What’s frustrating is that, despite getting a low score in others, there’s another build that pulls it better, because it considered the other options. Your Intimidate is higher, but it matters only a little if it affects only one creature and doesn’t have another way to boost it up. Frightful Presence comes WAY too late, when most creatures start having immunity to fear by default.

One nice trick is the fact that you get two summons, not one: the ooze and the babau. Both are hilariously weak, but at least you get 4 rounds worth of an ooze, which can flank nicely with you and your babau…well, at least with you, because the babau will be dismissed swifter than you can say “sneak attack!”

There’s one thing that hurts me the most: where is the synergy with your spines!? Pounce would have allowed you to get one or two attacks worth the spines, even if they wouldn’t get the bonus from Power Attack. That could have made the difference.

Score: 2 (you’re a man of two tricks: hit hard, and bully people. Someone else did it better. The nudge is because you end up with Alter Self at will, which is pretty decent…but someone else thought of it better, even with limited resources. Alter Self is ridiculously good as an at-will ability, tho: a few more levels and Warshaper, and you got yourself a better character. Oozes to complement you in battle are nice, however.)

Elegance
Yeah, so you expect to clearly land in an Otyugh Hole because Juiblex himself sent you to? Erm, no. Even if it’s mostly a suggestion, it’s clearly something you considered as part of your main build, so it’s decking time.

I can see why Willing Deformity and Thrall to Demon are so important to get before 16th level, and it feels natural that you delay your Alter Self acquisition until AFTER you become an evil outsider, AND getting a viable combat tactic before anything else. However, there are some questionable moves out there. Paladin of Slaughter is…perhaps the biggest one. Aside from the Dark Blessing ability and PERHAPS the Debilitating Aura, I see little to justify getting it: the spells, maybe, but a different dip would have worked better. Some judges penalize for very obvious or excessive dipping, but I don’t mind unless it feels unnatural, and here’s one example.

The build feels fractured for some reason: chaotic I’d say, because it seems to tumble between reasons. It’s obviously meant to be a fighter that becomes an outsider to gain access to the powers of other outsiders, so I’ll consider that application to be, if flavor-inclined, a nice move (and with Alter Self, it becomes a powerful move as well). Yet, the way it becomes a warrior is what feels chaotic: does Ash’okk seeks force of arm, or demonic strength? It doesn’t feel organic, in the sense that you give it a glimpse and notice “darn, everything fits just as it should: the first levels establish the theme and give a lead to why the secret ingredient is important, and every addition is just a garnish to the secret ingredient”. In here, the secret ingredient seems tacked (an issue for Use of Secret Ingredient) as an end to a means, in this case the Alter Self trick. Those 10 levels could have been used, perhaps, on another class that had “turn into Outsider” as a capstone, which while there are few, DO exist and perhaps could fit the theme better. The backstory doesn’t help in anything to support that theme. It’s chaotic because there IS a theme, but it doesn’t feel like it fits, even if it’s pretty obvious it’s that theme, because of the methodology. I can say that there are a few levels that make no sense there, and could have been shifted to something a bit more worthwhile.

What comes to mind are polka dots: there are MANY abilities spread out right there, each of them useful, but only a few seem to follow a pattern or show some synergy. The rest exist on their own, spread out, much like polka dots. That’s why it feels so chaotic: it doesn’t have that build aesthetic which leads to trick-building, instead feeling like you have to trudge through trash to get the nifty stuff).

Score: 2 (the build doesn’t feel elegant, even if the theme is right there. It hides on plain sight, muddled by bad moves in terms of progression. It feels like you’re nitpicking the tasty nibbles and left a mess in the plate, which doesn’t feel so good. There are some things that feel like they connect, though.)

Use of Secret Ingredient
I mentioned it on Elegance: most of the build feels like you just went for the tasty nibbles. There are some thematical links there, but none that are truly surprising.

The first “thematical link” is AotS’s Poison SLA and Thrall of Juiblex’s Contagion SLA. You have a filthy, venomous touch that can take you from healthy to rotting in a heartbeat. It’s a shame the save DC feels so low, or otherwise you’d have a competitor in the midst. That it also depends on two different scores (Wisdom for Poison, Constitution for Contagion) really blows, even if the increase to Constitution boosts Contagion by 1 point.

The other I mentioned already, and it’s the ooze and the babau combination. Early on, it could be pretty amazing, because the babau can be a dangerous little sneak, and it gets better with a strong flanking partner and an ooze that turns any armor into nothing, weapons into acrid fumes… You have more access to the ooze than to the babau, which reveals a glaring problem with that ability.

The third is Alter Self and Fiendish Symbiosis. It’s your capstone, and it’s well used (pretty well used). Alter Self at will adds a lot of utility, such as defensive capabilities, fight and natural attacks to exploit. That seems to be the second half of your build, and the one that feels a bit more powerful.

The fourth is Fiendish Glare + anything that causes fear. You have Imperious Command (and a BIG, but not LARGE or HUGE Intimidate bonus) and later on Frightful Presence for when you charge. It’s a 1/day trick, so it’s not entirely a staple to lock people in fear (it lasts a long time, however).

That said, as I mentioned, you basically took the tasty nibbles and ignored the rest. Getting the fiery gaze, the resistances, the bonus to Dexterity…they don’t feel as meaningful to your build (and much less the damage reduction). Likewise, while you have a good synergy with Contagion, it doesn’t feel like you’re going to constantly use your Poison SLA, so it feels wasted. You were here for Fiendish Glare and Fiendish Symbiosis, and that’s very obvious.

Score: 2 (There’s an effort to mix parts of Acolyte of the Skin with Thrall of Juiblex, but it doesn’t feel like you can exploit every ability, or at least make meaningful sense out of the existing ones. Had you another PrC that delivered the ability to turn into an outsider but better abilities, you’d have chosen it? I can’t answer for you, but the build screams YES!)

Overall: 9.25 (2.3125)
It’s a shame that the two builds that aim for using Acolyte of the Skin while aiming for melee warriors really don’t feel so nice. This is the worst of the pair, because it feels like a patchwork of things trying to garnish a known trick: to use Alter Self to become other kinds of outsiders. The Skarn race aims for perfection; you, on the other hand, willingly chose to stray far from it.

[T.G. Oskar]

The Sacred Demon
Originality
I will chuckle now. Ready?

GWAHAHAHAHAAH!!! Aasimar!? That came out of nowhere! There are some impressive choices, but going straight for the “goody two-shoes race” and corrupting it… Granted, it’s not something entirely original, but what is it? It depends on how you play with it, which leads to part two…

The Malconvoker. This is another staple of stories: don’t play with fire, or you’ll burn off! And, of course, you got burnt: you took a skin from a fiend and tore it off, just to wield it and draw power from it. And you can summon way lot more fiends from where that came from.

Where it hurts a bit is where it leads. Evidently, what you expect would be that the goody two-shoes played a lot with demonic fire and it got burnt, so he got a skin graft from a fiend. That load of fiendish influence made him a dour Knight Templar, doing questionable actions but still believing he’s doing them for good. That was the natural choice. Instead…the guy got possessed. Somewhat. It’s more “symbiosis towards multiple personalities” than actual possession, but it goes there.

But you know what? That goes into Elegance. The backstory, told as a tale of precaution (as many fairy tales, actually), suggests the conflict between both sides, and the obvious consequences of playing with fire and getting a bad quality graft. He got duped, but he managed to retain a good deal of his cool to make a decent comeback, but that wasn’t enough.

Then, for purposes of the story, they act like pals. Yet another curve right there.

Score: 5 (this is a refreshing new twist to a combination of staple stories, going with the race you’d least expect to enter there and then getting into the class that has a serious reason to get into the secret ingredient. The twist of possession rather than Knight Templar made it interesting, because it’s a different take on the purpose of the class. It makes you forget that one of the expected entry points is Sorcerer, because it really doesn’t feel like an evil Sorcerer at all.)

Power
There’s little to say here: you’re a Sorcerer, and one specialized in one of the strongest schools of magic around. That leads to a lot of potential power. How is this applied, then?

Binding and summoning creatures to your bidding, of course: the best application of Conjuration around. Sure, you might go Mailman, or perhaps jaunt and frolic freely, but you went straight for the hot stuff: the bindings. With Malconvoker giving you access to an extensive pool of beings with which to deal with, not to mention the bonuses to safely (maybe) deal with them, gives you a staggering set of options to play with beyond your spell list, which is obviously expanded through the Celestial Bloodline feat).

Acolyte of the Skin, on the other hand, provides a good set of defenses, oddly enough. Between the bonuses to natural armor (coupled with Mage Armor and Mirror Image, perhaps), the bonus to Dexterity (better AC and reflexes, not to mention better initiative which with to win battles alongside Nerveskitter), the bonus to Constitution (more hit points!) and the damage reduction (not to mention [re]claiming Outsider, meaning you just cheated the right way with LA), you got a wide set of defenses running around while your bound fiends mop up the opposition.

The one thing where I must mope up at you is as follows: why no list of known spells? That makes you a wild card: while you have the chance of potentially choosing the best spells (and you’ll have stuff like Magic Circle against Evil and all three Planar Binding spells essentially at-will alongside all Summon Monster spells), the rest is an enigma. That can make or break the Sorcerer’s power.

Score: 4.5 (while a Tier 2 class, the Sorcerer can end up being quite powerful. Specializing in Conjuration makes it doubly so, a place where the Malconvoker shines. Acolyte of the Skin is there for the defenses, which are very important for a summoner character. But, any bad choice in your list of known spells ruins you, so I must give you a stern reprieve for that)

Elegance
It’s amazing just how natural the build feels. It’s quite simple: start as Sorcerer, rack up your celestial bloodline, get into Malconvoker because you want to give the good fight using the enemy’s weapons, and then into Acolyte of the Skin because the fiend you just summoned bluffed you real badly.

As I mentioned before, I have a qualm with how the backstory flows, because it seems that you took a detour for Originality by sacrificing your Elegance. A proper backstory helps explain the reasons of your options, which is important to justify WHY you’re choosing X class and not Y class or more levels of earlier classes. How the fiend duped the young mage into binding their essences was a great move, but the end result leaves something to be desired.

However, where I want to go is on the Adaptation section. It’s quite long, full of options, but one thing struck me hard: it doesn’t matter how the build progresses, so as long as you end up choosing the right amount of levels, you’re set. You can take some levels earlier than presented, or later than presented, and it won’t affect the build. That’s a pretty nice observation, particularly if you want better defenses or better spellcasting and summoning. That is the hallmark of an elegant build, when you don’t feel forced to follow that one path or else suffer the consequences.

One thing I must say, though, is Empower Spell-Like Ability. Yes, you can access it: no, you can’t use it. That is because Poison is a 4th level spell, and the caster level for the SLA is fixed, so it’s impossible for you to empower said SLA.

Score: 4.5 (Very nice flow, feels complete early on and from there you can choose how you wish to play the build. Everything is explained very nicely, but I still have some qualms as to the end result of the bond).

Use of Secret Ingredient
Amazing as how the build flows into the class, it means nothing if the secret ingredient only imparts flavor. The first thing I will mention is that entering Acolyte of the Skin feels very natural given the backstory, as the magician wishes to lay off the “taint” of his celestial bloodline to better dupe the fiends, not knowing he was duped back.

That said: there are some very nice ways to support some of the class options. Empower Spell-Like Ability is a stupendous move: the only problem is that it doesn’t specify exactly WHERE it must be used, so I can imagine it’ll be used on the ability that you expect to use the most (Poison, obviously), which cannot happen. While you’re technically free to access the feat, you can’t really use it because of how both feats work. This could have made Poison VERY powerful (10 +0…5 points of Constitution damage, with the same exact result one minute later? Fail your Fortitude save and prepare for a minute-long death); instead, it doesn’t. The spirit of the choice, however…it merits some points.

The second is that, despite being a weak ability, your specialization with summoning indirectly improved the fiend you summoned. As with everybody, it’s a Babau, but this one will end up being slightly more resilient and dangerous, particularly since you can pair it with a more powerful fiend for a brutal double-take.

Extending Fiendish Glare is also a superb option. While it’s a 1/day ability, the fact that you can turn anyone within range shaken during 20 minutes and potentially stun someone for 2 minutes (or at least 2 rounds) essentially doubles the power of this ability.

Fiendish Symbiosis, on the other hand, is a nasty way to claim Outsider heritage. Most likely you’ll have Polymorph, but this makes Alter Self pretty viable when the Polymorph spell slots run out. Between Black Tentacles and Summon Monster IV, you can be pretty sure you might not have enough Polymorph slots.

There’s a few things that I don’t see used (the resistances), but trying to optimize those are impossible. You end up getting resistances to just about everything (fire, cold, electricity and acid), so you’re maximizing your Outsider heritage that way. The other is the Glare of the Pit ability, considering you could have at least attempted Empower Supernatural Ability for it (that way you dealt 8d6 x 1.5 damage against two enemies) or somehow impose a vulnerability to fire in order to make it worthwhile. I feel that you could have boosted it, while providing the meta-SLA feats as optionals if Poison’s CL could increase.

Score: 5 (despite the blunder with the feats, I cannot really punish you for thinking of EVERYTHING in this PrC. Whether optimizing your outsider heritage or enhancing your existing abilities, the class really feels like it fits. This is true particularly on the fluff, a crucial part of the build, as even the entry method was thought of).

Overall: 19 (4.75)
Holy mother of all that’s good and sacred, you are SO CLOSE to a perfect score, it hurts! Despite the blunder with the feats (which hurt, but not as much as you thought) and the trouble with the spell list and the fluff’s direction, this build really works at all levels. It is full of flavor, but packs a more than serious punch by taking one of the most powerful options in D&D and running forward with it. Sure: taking more levels in Malconvoker would have ended up with a more powerful summoner, but given how everything fits, you can’t say Acolyte of the Skin was tacked on. Quite the contrary: it’s a great plate made better by adding the secret ingredient. Congrats!

Eshpaunsuud Zhirvaush
Originality
Most people would chide you for choosing Illumian, as it’s one of the most exploitable races around. You’re fortunate I’m not one of them.

In fact, there’s very little for me to chide upon. This build really draws upon the idea of the Acolyte of the Skin’s theme, or at least the theme of the ritual used to become one: essentially, to become one with the fiendish essence impregnated in the skin. There’s a HUGE problem with the half-fey template tacked on, which is more of an Elegance penalty than anything else, but it’s a way to get a good template blend in nicely with the fluff you seek: this is important, because if you were to find another way, you could easily get a load of power through roleplaying (the problem lies in crossing the boundary between the rules and DM fiat).

The connection between the theme’s fluff and the end goal of Esh is also wonderful. This is really a deadly villain, nothing short of a genocidal nihilist hell-bent on the destruction of the Multiverse. There’s a theme within the character of transcendence, corruption and absolute power deftly handled by the name itself: Expunged Avarice. It has some calls to a favorite villain of mine (Kefka, of course), but that’s no breach of originality in my book: the goals and the methodology, as well as what would happen if he were to turn into a true Elder Evil, are usually more than enough to make a build feel unique and original.

Class-wise, the entry method was by all means bizarre. Spellthief’s spellcasting is by no means powerful, but it has a solid amount of spell choices, not to mention a spell list that increases essentially with every book they throw. Swordsage is a typical entry class for many builds, and evidently it’s used as an entry class; however, it is used to enter a class that’s not known for combat, that doesn’t use Wisdom as a main score, and that progresses none of the Swordsage’s combat abilities. They’re there to boost Spellthief. Four more levels in Spellthief would have made a world of difference, so you’re using a repeat offender of this contest for what could have been a pretty decent Spellthief entry. Clearly this is an issue best dealt somewhere else, but it affects because you’re not justifying enough the need for Spellthief aside from purely power reasons.

Score: 4.5 (the only thing that doesn’t make this stand higher is the addition of Swordsage, if only because it has no connection to the fluff. Your claim to Originality hinges within Acolyte of the Skin, Illumian [another repeat offender], Half-Fey and Pandorym, so Swordsage feels odd here. I’d like for you to pay attention on how a repeat offender can and cannot be original, because the fluff and how it binds with your choices make a huge difference.)

Power
For a class with so-so options and an entry method that’s not so powerful spell-wise, it’s quite surprising. As I mentioned, Swordsage was not chosen because it fit the fluff, but because it provided a good leap of power. However, there are three choices that really crank up the power of this build.

The first, obviously, was half-fey. For 2 LA, you get the ability to fly, immunity to enchantments, bonus to various scores (mainly your main attack score and your main spellcasting score), and SLAs. The SLAs are definitely nice, because you get a more than fair share of SLAs. Some might be weak, but some are pretty powerful (Glitterdust, Charm Person AT WILL, Protection from Law giving you temporary immunity to any mental effect, Mass Invisibility), and they advance based on your Hit Dice, so that means that, despite the LA, you get pretty strong spellcasting ability. The fact that it was used to enter the class was…well, classy. That’s Elegance, however.

The second was Godsblood Spelltheft and the Spell domain. Clearly you chose Mystra judging from the domain/deity relationship; otherwise, I don’t see how that would work. While Mage Armor isn’t really that powerful (a chain shirt + your Wis score adds a lot more), stuff like Break Enchantment and ANYSPELL really make your day. It’s a shame you couldn’t get a larger share of Spellthief levels, because otherwise you’d have gotten your hands on Limited Wish, which would have been insanely powerful. This hurts a lot, because between Anyspell and Limited Wish, you’d have gained nearly unparalleled breadth of versatility from 1st to 6th level, even if it took XP from you (but you’ve shown to disregard that if it helps you). It really hurts, given that Anyspell’s description is pretty questionable (again, an issue with Elegance), given that you could have justified getting Limited Wish for less trouble. In any case, Godsblood Spelltheft is not a bad choice (you can essentially get Break Enchantment any time you sucker-punch a mage).

The third, of course, is the use of Swordsage as a booster to many things. You have a pretty decent Wisdom score for various reasons (namely, to have a decent save DC for Anyspell), but you maximize it so that it applies to your AC, which gets a nice boost with light armor. Because of Shadow Hand, you make Dexterity your main attack score when striking with the right weapons, which is important if you want to steal spells. Because you depend on sneak attack dice for damage and you get so little, it’s obvious that Assassin’s Stance was on your list. Distracting Ember grants a temporary flanking buddy so that you can steal spells at your leisure, while Flashing Sun essentially makes you flurry, which means one more chance to steal spells or deal SA damage. Burning/Searing Blade and Burning Brand make DR a thing of the past and give you superb damage potential, at least for 1 round and as long as the enemy isn’t immune to fire, with enough range to be considered safe. No matter where, you can see that the Swordsage added a lot of punch.

I see yet another build that uses Imperious Command + Never Outnumbered (I wonder if I should strip some points in Originality for it…), but this one stacks fear in a very different way. Abominable Form is a surprising way to bully weaker people, and the feat makes Intimidate stronger to boot. Since it’s based off the amount of deformity feats you have, you’ll want to have as many as possible, which means you need a good one. Tall makes you get reach while remaining Medium, which means yet another increase if you become Large (Y U NO GET ENLARJ PURSON!?), so you can strike people from 20 feet with a sick Deformity (tall) + Enlarge Person + Burning Brand combo. That’s a very creative way to deal with sneak attack, though it works best somewhere else.

Oh, and Mortalbane. I don’t think it works like you think it does, but if it does…that’s a sick amount of Constitution damage! Or, at least, hit point damage + Con damage. That’s…vile…

Score: 4 (between half-fey, Godsblood Spelltheft and Swordsage you have a pretty strong character. What it hurts is that a little bit of thought could have led to accessing a very powerful spell which you could manifest just from striking spellcasters, since you have enough attack power and resources to strike them. That, plus Anyspell might not work as you think, so the flaw becomes a bit more noticeable. Fear-locking is the least of your worries).

Elegance
The build is great, don’t get me wrong. But it has quite a share of problems, actually.

The first is the lingering feeling that some abilities don’t work as advertised. This is bad, because a specific reading in one of them may dent the potential of the build almost severely. That is, of course, Anyspell: by strict reading, the new spell occupies your domain spell slot, which you don’t have. This is really, really, REALLY bad. Like, tons of bad. That means you CAN steal Anyspell, but it will never work fully because it prepares the new arcane spell into a non-existent domain spell slot, particularly since you DON’T prepare spells (you keep them in your mind). Because of this, the Spell domain becomes less palatable, since you can’t use Rary’s Mnemonic Enhancer for jack.

The second is the “Swordsage comes out of the blue with no explanation” thing. As I mentioned in Originality, the fluff of the build matters because it makes each choice hold some meaning. Illumian was the first of your experiments meant to attain greater power; half-fey was the second of your experiments, whereas Acolyte of the Skin was the third. It was reasonable to have each choice apply. Swordsage, on the other hand, was not explained at all. There’s no evident reason to explain the motive, the reason for why Swordsage HAS to be in the build other than a mechanical dunk. Sure, 4 levels might not seem much, but there’s no explanation WHY it has to be there. How did Esh became a Swordsage in the first place? Why did it dropped the study of the Sublime Way in order to learn the power to steal spells?

A third is the amount of Spellthief levels. One more level would have allowed for Absorb Spell, which is really nice to get if it works. Master Spellthief could have helped nicely, because the more powerful your spells get, the better they work: right now, you’re standing in a CL of 11th (perhaps 13th), which isn’t bad but isn’t awesome either. Even Practiced Spellcaster would have sufficed…

My biggest qualm, though, is how you become a half-fey. One thing is fluff; the fluff is awesome, taking a gloura’s wings and grafting them so that you gain fey powers; the other is justifying them by crunch. Rules-wise, half-fey is an inherited template; that means, you HAVE to be born a half-fey. There IS a way to add a template, but it’s in Savage Species, which is neither a good book in terms of Elegance (but not off-limits) nor mentioned in your sources. Because of that, you CAN’T be a Half-Fey, which is yet another bad hit to Power. This once again extends to Illumian, though at least fluff supports you in here. This is why it hurts, because you could have explained everything by the rules (given that you know of various transformation rituals) but you neglected to explain half-fey through the rules.

I would have sassed you for the feats, but it shows a clever trick: by indicating exactly HOW you know about Pandorym and becoming a servant of his, you get bonus feats. That’s borderline cheesy (even more if Dark Chaos Shuffle is in play), but I’ll incline towards accepting it because it’s an integral part of your build. I feel other judges won’t tolerate that abuse, but given that you’re doing two things right (assuming the rules are in play and thus integrating it to your build, and making sure you meet the right requirements to study and find info about Pandorym, thus offering allegiance and gaining the feats), I don’t feel I have to deck you for this. It’s more of a “clever trick” than “cheating”, even if it feels and tastes like cheat.

Oh, there’s another thing. You immediately assume LA buy-off is allowed. Sure, it essentially IS allowed; whether your DM allows it is another matter entirely. It’s much like with the half-fey issue: you explained that the list of items is not important but rather suggestions, but you didn’t build anything for LA buy-off, aside from “Unearthed Arcana says so”.

Score: 2 (some of the things that grant you Power are negated by Elegance. Half-fey cannot be accessed that way except through DM allowing it, Swordsage comes out of the blue and without a proper reason to exist, and you assume LA buy-off will happen in the book. The other assumptions, such as the minor Errata, are reasonable enough, but the LA buy-off isn’t always gonna be on the books. Those two failures in Elegance hurt your power immensely.)

Use of Secret Ingredient
Being an unusual entry method (using Spellthief + Swordsage) on a class that’s mostly meant to be a spellcasting-focused class, I’ll have to consider each point carefully, but from what I can see, the reason you entered is more fluff-wise than anything. Let’s see if I’m wrong on that one.

First, the actual process. The end result is to become an outsider, and by rule of template stacking and progression, you pass from Humanoid to Fey to Outsider, with the latter having more prominence than the former two. You still have the half-fey abilities, but you’re no longer considered fey, instead being an outsider. This works well, as usual, with Alter Self, but you already bring to the table most of the things that you’d be using anyways. The shift means that Alter Self becomes always useful, but that’s not a class ability.

The second bit is the bonuses. You already have a solid amount of AC, and your main attack method depends on Dexterity; that makes the 1st level ability all the more useful. The second boost to NA and Constitution are less important than that first one. As for the energy reduction abilities…well, I have the nagging feeling that you made them useless, if only because you can steal energy resistance even if only for a minute. You have no other innate immunities nor Resist Energy so you can count on two forms of energy resistance that apply at all times, but you got this ability much, much earlier than others of your kind. Makes losing the levels of Spellthief hurt a bit more because getting 11 levels would have net you the ability to steal energy resistance 20.

The third bit is the abilities. The one that, by all means, comes to mind is how Poison is upgraded. It depends on how you read Mortalbane, though. One interpretation makes the damage dealt by a Mortalbane-improved ability increase by 2d6, which is what I believe you’re aiming at. That is…well, brutal beyond belief, because if it works that way, your poison just deals 1d10+2d6 points of Constitution damage. To explain further: that means you deal approximately 12-13 points of Constitution damage on average if the creature fails its save, which means around 6 points of Fortitude lost and 6xHD points of damage lost. That can REALLY hurt, particularly one minute after where there’s the chance of losing another 12-13 points of Con, which is enough to make anything die. Of course, you can only deal half Con damage against some other creatures (outsiders, mostly, because constructs and undead are immune to ability damage), so you’re shooting yourself whenever you meet outsiders (as constructs and undead are already immune to Con damage). The other application is less brutal, but has its own charm: you deal 1d10 points of Con damage and 2d6 points of damage. While the Con loss is not modified, you’re adding some extra damage to the HP loss by lower Constitution, which may be enough to kill a creature dead on its tracks. I’m not sure if it applies once or twice (Mortalbane is very sketchy on how it works), but it can be pretty interesting…so as long as the enemy fails its save. It’s perhaps the best thing I’ve seen attached to Poison thus far, so it’s good to see you considered it.

The rest…well, it doesn’t see much improvement. Or use. Fiendish Glare has been improved, as usual, by Imperious Command + Never Outnumbered, turning even more dangerous if the enemy has less HD because it goes from shaken to frightened almost automatically (you have a base Will save DC of 21 because of Willing Deformity, Abominable Form and Deformity [tall], and any other deformity feat will essentially boost that save. The problem with the feat is how HD stacks, so eventually you’ll find yourself without a very nice trick to use, so it’s an ability to use against mooks and only once per day. I don’t see any attempt to improve Glare of the Pit, and Summon Fiend using a babau has the same problem as the others: unless you can boost the babau, it’ll get killed real fast. At least you get a sneak-attacking partner for your awesome SA/Assassin’s Stance/Craven combo, but it won’t last long.

Score: 2.5 (Definitely the PrC is making you no justice. If I could, I’d make a better Acolyte of the Skin for you. Sadly, that’s not the case here, but it reflects what I feel: aside from a few things, your build really doesn’t improve that much by Acolyte of the Skin, since most abilities feel useless or redundant. I can’t imagine Esh missing on Acolyte of the Skin, but that’s because it fits the fluff very nicely; thus, the class isn’t doing justice to your build. That makes me get inspired to homebrew; whenever you have an awesome idea but really can’t execute it properly.)

Overall: 13 (3.25)
While really full of the flavor, Esh has a few problems that would need to be fine-tuned before moving on. By itself, it’s a pretty strong and useful class, so I could say you don’t really need AotS to make the build; on the other hand, the way you handled his progression into an eventual “soul of Pandorym’s body” really makes dabbling into the Acolyte something sensible. Because of the LA, however, you can’t take as many levels, and because more levels of Spellthief would have been better, the build feels like it sacrificed power for flavor, and not in the Lightning Warrior kind of way.

Reykja Skjar
Originality
First things first…squeeeee, Savant!!

I have a soft spot for jacks-of-all-trades that actually do their work (which is why, on most of the games I’ve played, I’ve gone with hybrid classes, which attract me the most than single-focused classes), and the Savant is a nice little class that combines a lot of stuff. Thus, it warms my heart to see the Savant in play.

Odd that I mention “warm”, as it leaps right into the Domovoi, which is a rare choice for a race. It has the two big “NO”s of race-choosing: racial HD and level adjustment. That said, it is one heck of a surprising race: loads of good bonuses to everything but Strength, and Produce Flame at will, plus a fire subtype so it is one hot race (pun intended).

Then we see Jaunter, and we get yet another surprise. Jaunter is a nice little PrC that’s short, sweet and useful at every level, given its awesome teleportation abilities on what’s essentially a Rogue chassis.

However, what really captures my attention is how the tale is split into two: a prologue where Reykja does one of his mischievous acts and apologizes, and then a complete PoV shift with the proper tale, indicating how the fiend was bound and then released into power. It explains quite well why a Domovoi, essentially a helpful spirit (or, if we’re going for appropriate allegories, the house elf from Harry Potter) becomes a Savant. It doesn’t explain how it ends up as a Jaunter, however, which is a bad idea because it leaves the PrC orphaned from the rest of the build. It’s twice as bad when you have a good option that’s not entirely explained because it doesn’t help you on its entirety.

Score: 4 (Domovoi + Savant is an awesome combination, and Jaunter is another nice go. Yet, it’s not a full and refreshing surprise because Jaunter seems tacked in for Power and doesn’t add anything to the flavor)

Power
Alright, so I already squee’d by the Savant. Now I have to frown.

Evidently, the Savant does a lot of nice small things but has the trouble of not being very good at all of them. You get a lot of nice stuff to work with, such as the ability to make rolls for adjacent allies with Skill Assistance (Balance and Hide are very nice skills, the former being one that few people have access to and that usually is the best defense for Grease; Hide works well when you need to take a party incognito through some area) and the lone Sneak Attack dice with medium BAB meaning you’re a decent attacker. However, you don’t get most of the power behind the Savant’s Arcane Spellcasting, which is not extremely powerful but nonetheless quite decent. You get three great spells on your list (Grease, Alter Self, Glitterdust) and some extremely useful utility spells, but you don’t get much of a punch with them. Thus, you don’t get a lot of power from Savant, but a lot of utility which is just as good; with some effort, you can disarm traps, fight reasonably well, cast a few utility spells and some strong debuffs, and help allies with some of their saves.

Thus, we have to see the remainder of your power through Jaunter and AotS, as well as what Domovoi offers. Right from scratch, you get very useful SLAs through Domovoi. Produce Flame is a nice attack spell combined with a torch source, and you can use it at-will; Flaming Sphere is another decent attack power which can be used to goad people towards a specific area or else suffer fire damage. However, it’s nice to see a very useful spell such as Pyrotechnics on the list, which is where you can draw a lot more power. You get two debuffs for the price of one, and not insignificant ones either (blindness against Fighters, Strength and Dexterity debuffs against Rogues and potentially Wizards), all of which need a fire source, and guess what? You have a permanent fire source. Pyrotechnics is a spell that few people use, but to which I have a deep sense of respect, so Domovoi adds quite a bit to power. Plus, immunity to fire can’t be bad, nor the +2 NA.

Jaunter is, as I mentioned, a nifty little PrC. You get the Travel Power abilities, which is like the ninja’s Ki Power but used differently (plus, you get a +1 bonus to AC if you keep at least one daily use). It has some excellent crowd control abilities (because you switch between places or switch enemies into the range of allies to give them their whuppin’), but it’s the uses of Teleport, Dim Door, Plane Shift and Freedom of Movement that really shine. The more Dex you have, the more travel power daily uses you have, which is even better. You don’t lose much, and instead get even more Reflex which is formidable.

Which leads us to Acolyte of the Skin, which…offers a bit, but nothing really surprising. AotS barely brings anything new, aside from using Glare of the Pit’s range to activate Pyrotechnics from a long distance, or Fiendish Glare to shaken and stun enemies, so there’s no big deal of power there. Most of your power actually comes from the earlier choices, plus the feats. I see Darkstalker, Bind Vestige (which can be decent if using the right vestige) and Accurate Jaunt (who would have thought I’d see a Spelltouched feat in play), which makes a lot of sense with Jaunter.

Score: 3 (the build has a lot of nice tricks and relies on debuffing and striking the enemy using your mobility, but it starts to lag at the latter levels because Acolyte of the Skin offers way too little. Its power comes from its utility and focus on teamwork, with a large variety of useful tricks, but nothing that really screams powerful. Jaunter is what grants a lot of power to the build, and it shows, but it’s because of the power of Teleport and similar spells).

Elegance
I see a big and glaring flaw in here, good sir. From what I see, Reykja shouldn’t be capable of entering Acolyte of the Skin, because it lacks caster level 5th. You see, Reykja has only four Savant levels, and Arcane Focus is acquired at 5th level. Up until 4th level, a Savant has no caster level whatsoever. Had you taken the 5th level in Savant, entry would have been assured. It was so close, I have to blame the racial Hit Dice for that. I also have to blame that the racial Hit Dice for your spell-like abilities is fixed at CL 3rd, because that would have been another entry method (and a clever one at that). That alone should disqualify you from entering. My suspicion is that you entered through Jaunter, but there’s a wee little problem with it: you’re not 4th level when you enter, and while Baleful/Benign Transposition are spell-like abilities, they aren’t similar to the spells on Spell Compendium, so you can’t tag an arcane caster level for them.

Another big and glaring flaw is that you assume right up that LA buy-off is valid. I have no qualms with Accurate Jaunt: it’s a feat, and one that could easily be added to any feat list if you want to (I know I’ve wanted to use some of those feats, because they feel nice and work well at times; it’s like the reserve feat’s better cousin); however, while you could make a good story for Spelltouched Feats, you can’t do the same with LA buy-off. That nicks you yet another set of points, which would have been great.

Yet another thing is that you don’t explain much about how you became a Jaunter, which conflicts with one of its key requirements. What other planes, aside from the Material Plane, you have visited? This hurts your build immensely, because the best Jaunter powers are at 3rd and 4th level, the ones you decided to sacrifice in case LA buy-off isn’t allowed.

Finally, there’s Bind Vestige (and its Improved format). Bind Vestige can be an awesome ability, but I find a big problem right here: how do you use it? Why it is needed? How do you use Amon, Ronove and the available vestiges’ powers? How does it blends with your build?

Wait, there’s something else. The build is quite MAD, requiring Dexterity, Intelligence and Charisma (Dex for AC, initiative, Reflex and uses of Travel Power; Intelligence for Savant spellcasting and Charisma for many of the save DCs of your spell-like and supernatural abilities) in addition to Constitution. The qualm, more than just the MAD trouble, is that you focused a lot on Charisma when you should have focused on something else. Dexterity would have been an awesome candidate, as Dex 22 would have meant 10 daily uses of Travel Power at ECL 22nd (remember I’m not counting LA buy-off), +6 to AC, +6 to Reflex, an initiative modifier of +6 and bonuses to Hide and Balance, the skills that you provide assistance with. They went for Charisma which only applies to DCs, and not all of them. If you had qualified with Savant spellcasting, you would have used Intelligence for the Poison SLA, so there’s only two abilities that use Charisma: Fiendish Glare and the Domovoi SLAs (well, more like one ability and one ability set). You’re essentially powering Charisma but don’t link anything to it, which hinders you quite a lot.

Score: 1 (there’s a huge lot of mistakes over here, particularly since the way you handled Reykja suggests you’re skilled at making builds. The assumption of LA and the focus on Charisma when Dexterity would have been the proper choice makes your power plummet, and the choices made at each level don’t help. Aside from the feats, which I believe is the best organization I’ve seen thus far, but the losses overcome the victories)

Use of Secret Ingredient
I see some clever uses of the class’ features, but as I mentioned in Power, the class doesn’t offer a lot to you. The Fiendish skin works well with Jaunter as it gives you a free daily use of Travel Power (kudos for essentially using one class to boost another unintentionally!), and seems to be what you took advantage the most. Your NA bonus merges well with the increase from the skin, and the note where DR acquired through these means doesn’t bring a glaring weakness from alignment (and the fact that you entered as Chaotic Neutral, a very clever choice) makes me think your focus was on the skin’s abilities.

There are some other surprises here. Fire resistance is worthless for you, but you’ve managed to counter one of your weaknesses with a buffer. You’ll still take twice the amount of damage from cold spells, but at least you can survive 10 points out of it, which might be enough to use your Jaunter powers for safety. Another surprise is that you’re the first one I’ve seen such far (given that I see the builds in order) that chose a Kyton. Unlike the Babau, the Chain Devil is surprisingly resilient (Regeneration!), plus it has a nasty set of attacks (the chains, which act as if they were spiked chains. That said, the Chain Devil unfortunately isn’t as strong at the level you get it, so you need something to boost it…which you don’t have. Even then, you have to beat its spell resistance, which is pretty high if you come to think about it.

From what you DON’T use…Poison is, sadly, unfortunately weak. If you entered through Savant, your primary ability modifier should have been Intelligence, and while you have the ability to move and attack as a full round action through Spring Attack, I don’t believe you can use Poison in the same way. So, you don’t really use Poison in the best of ways. Ditto for Fiendish Glare: sure, you have one mondo hard save, but it’s for a 1/day ability, and unlike with other builds you don’t focus on improving its effects.

From what you neglected to mention…when you mentioned Fiendish Gaze, I believe you were trying to mention Glare of the Pit for purposes of how it mingles with Pyrotechnics. It’s a shame you didn’t thought how to improve it, because adding a way to cause the targets to catch fire would have made them a homing target for Pyrotechnics. This hurts me so badly because it’s essentially an unusual way to make Glare of the Pit actually useful. Grease doesn’t spontaneously combust (Incendiary Slime does), so it’s not like you can make it work. This is a wasted chance to make a rather insignificant ability of the PrC work.

Score: 3.5 (you take some advantages from taking the class, particularly those related to the skin. Likewise, you’re one of the few who went Kyton and made good use of cold resistance. However, Poison not acting as intended hurts, and I weep for how you could have turned Glare of the Pit from a mere blasting attack to a wonderful homing beacon for your Pyrotechnics debuff)

Overall: 11.5 (2.875)
After a good look, I’m a little bit disappointed in you. Reykja has the merits to be a decent build, one that aims to help a party with its great mobility, skill assistance, spellcasting and feat choices; however, some mistakes tarnished that. My disappointment comes because I feel I learned a few nice tricks by watching your build, but the failures made them lose part of their shine. I’d recommend taking a good second look at them and see how you can improve, particularly regarding how to better take advantage of those Jaunter levels. It has the things needed to be a great, flavorful build for an NPC (not a villain, sadly, and neither a hero), but it gets marred by bad moves.

[T.G. Oskar]

Luc
Originality
Hmm, where do I start? I like your style. Rolling Stones, Sympathy for the Devil…classy.

What’s not that classy is having a gnome bard. Well sure, it’s good that you didn’t gun for Shadowcraft Mage or any of the classical Gnome tricks, but you went with the classical Bard tricks: Dragonfire Inspiration for damage, for example, using a race for the one explicit purpose of shifting the damage type. It’s kinda boring if you think about it.

Fiend of Corruption, on the other hand, is classy. It’s one of the few builds that thinks about its new progression a bit further, ending up with a powerful PrC even if you weren’t meant to get it by normal means. It’s definitely chock-full of powers, and fits your build idea very nicely. It’s evident you were gunning for it.

Gnome Paragon…well, it’s a bit of both. Paragon classes are not usually my cup of…well, I don’t drink coffee and much less tea, so we’ll go with “yogurt” for now…, but they don’t see a lot of use. It’s a class meant to make a particular race stronger (and I despise the fact that the Tieflings get a paragon race, but Aasimar don’t), and since you entered as a Bard, it’s obvious that it guns for bardic progression. Thus, it’s not something that’s refreshing or obvious, since you’re gunning to take advantage of the paragon class at its fullest, so that you get more advantage of the class itself.

One odd surprise was to take the devil’s path, which is a lawful path, with a class that’s mostly known for being chaotic in nature. By all means, you’re going NE from what I can see, but it’s interesting to see the juxtaposition between the devil’s lawful nature and penchant for guile and bargain with the “devil’s musician” feeling of passionate music.

Score: 3 (it’s not surprising, but it’s not boring either. Some of the choices are pretty obvious, but the fluff’s inclination towards ethical neutrality and how a creature with a bit of chaos in its heart can end up being a master bargainer definitely surprises. A refreshing twist on the “devil’s musician” and “deal with the devil” tropes by becoming the dealer yourself. By the way, did the poor gnome’s psyche broke entirely, did it merge, or did it simply mimics the fiend’s psyche but exists nonetheless?)

Power
For being a Bard, you get a surprising set of power. The first indication of something done right is the Gnome Paragon granting you Mirror Image as an SLA. You get it at the same level as a Wizard, and even if it lasts less than the norm, you get a solid defensive capability right there. Dragonfire Inspiration is also a brutal choice, because it adds extra damage to yourself and allies, and being acid damage, that means it’s not very easy to resist.

On the middle, however, your progression somewhat halts. The spells you get are better suited for non-battle purposes (save for Improvisation and Glitterdust), which means you don’t focus that much on battle rather than on preventing battles in the first place or get unlikely allies in the case battle can’t be prevented. Against certain creatures, you’re limited to Dragonfire Inspiration (which doesn’t seem to increase: it stays at 1d6, usable only once per day, and with no Inspirational Boost/Song of the Heart to make it stronger), which means you get killed easily. True story. At least you have Invisibility in case you need to escape… The Devil-Touched feats (particularly Devil’s Sight) are nice boosts to power, but Devil’s Flesh appears a tad too late, something that could have boosted that part of the build a bit better (more NA which stacks with your own, plus a stronger Intimidate for Imperious Command).

Then, when you get to Fiend of Corruption, you get powerful all of a sudden. You get something like Alter Self at will, but with a caveat: it only works with humanoid forms. That’s no problem, as since you’re an outsider now, that means you can eventually get Alter Self to turn into outsider forms, or Alternate Form to gain humanoid forms. Fiend’s Favor ensures you get a load of followers with some time, because they’ll get dependent on your buffs and thus you can blackmail them. Eventually, with Grant Wish, you gain the ability to cast 1/day one of the most powerful spells around, though only for others. You can, though, indirectly use this power for yourself, so that means eventually you can get many things for your own. I mean, you can get someone to request a Manual of Health +5, and then claim its soul before it uses the manual, which ends up with a Soul Gem and a free item. That kind of ability is pure evil, if used correctly.

But again, there’s a gap in power right in the middle, coincidentally where the Acolyte of the Skin lays. Fiendish Glare is there, and fully extended it can be pretty powerful; with Imperious Command, a bit more so (and it has some solid DC because of your high Charisma), and with Devil’s Flesh, you get a pretty decent Intimidate. Glare of the Pit is somewhat boosted, which means you get a decent attack whenever you need it; your spells improve, and you eventually get to become an Outsider, which is the core of becoming a Fiend of Corruption. However, from the strong start and the strong end, it feels like the middle is just lacking. That’s a problem that may reflect on Use of Secret Ingredient, but we’ll see about that.

Score: 3.5 (the build starts pretty strong, what with Mirror Image and Dragonfire Inspiration, then stagnates a bit, only supported by Fiendish Glare and spells. However, when you get into Fiend of Corruption, you slowly recover that power, until Grant Wish all of a sudden grants a great deal of power. Luc is the kind of guy you want on your side, not against; however, it’s a creature that can’t fight on its own, so you depend a lot on how well you can manipulate others)

Elegance
I’ve begun to groan every time I see that the prereqs for Acolyte of the Skin are not followed. I was trying to figure how you did it. Thanks a lot for clearing that out. That’s a creative way to enter, because while you don’t have full access to all your spells at the higher CL, you get a good deal of them. I have to mention that it’s borderline cheesy because it depends on how the DM interprets the entry requirement, but for all purposes you have an increased caster level for (some of) your arcane spells, so it’s not wrong to consider you qualify because of this. The cheesiness of early entry to the class is what makes it somewhat inelegant, but its legal nonetheless, and I just happen to like how it’s managed; technically, you could have entered at 3rd level because your spellcasting level would have been 5th right there, but you went the extra mile for the 3rd level of Gnome Paragon and thus delayed the entry somewhat.

A valid concern brought by the Chairman and spectators is the entry requirement for Fiend of Corruption, and the need for an Evil subtype. Having no access to the ritual can be harmful, because that way you have 6 levels lacking something. It’s such an important part of your build, that negating Savage Species essentially kills it. You depend a lot on it.

Thing is? Screw it: I’ll allow it. It’s a clever entry trick for Fiend of Corruption, it fits the build so badly that negating that ritual essentially negates your entire progress thus far, and it only makes sense. Gaining a subtype should have been part of the capstone, if only because you’re slowly corrupting yourself with the skin until eventually you become a reasonable facsimile of the fiend whose essence is bound to you. If by that moment you aren’t completely depraved and evil, I dunno…it makes little sense to get all those powers and whatnot. The idea is to turn you, slowly, into a fiend, so… It’s there to complete something in order to get into a specific PrC which is the apex of your fluff, so it’d be unfair to negate that.

The use of Devil-Touched feats, particularly Devil’s Flesh, is classy. Devil-Touched feats are part of that second generation of feats that scale based on how many you have, so having three feels only natural. It’s interesting to see how it boosts Intimidate, meaning it’s perfect for Acolyte of the Skin (I’d dare say it’s meant to be used with it). Another classy thing is to use a Chain Devil, because unlike others, you have a reliable way to boost it (DFI + Mirror Image), which fits pretty well with its defenses.

I appreciate that you refrained from using flaws or LA buyoff, because despite how cheesy it feels to have early entry, you took the initiative to finish all three PrCs you entered. I don’t like that much to see something like the gnome bard racial substitution level without earning something important out of it, because Counter Fear is pretty much the opposite of what you’ll eventually do, and you can only go so far with the cantrips.

Score: 4 (it’s nice to see a build that’s well-thought, delivering the correct answers to all of the potential issues, but I just can’t happen to take the bitter aftertaste of early-entry cheese. It’s nothing to punish, but nothing to praise either, so the score relies on how you dealt with everything else, and for that, the only qualm is that some choices could have shifted. It doesn’t feel heavy or chaotic, but lacks only a bit of organization to make it really classy)

Use of Secret Ingredient
Obviously, you NEED Acolyte of the Skin. You want to become a fiend, and what better way to do so than absorbing a fiend’s essence through their skin? Becoming an Outsider is entirely necessary to get into Fiend of Corruption, so it’s not like you could have replaced it. However, the question then becomes: how does Acolyte of the Skin helps you become a better fiend beyond that single point? Or rather, what else can you draw?

For starters, the bonus to Dexterity and Constitution don’t boost that much, at least compared to others. Gnomes get a healthy Con score, so you get lots of hit points and Fortitude; Dexterity, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to influence a lot. It’s a shame the class doesn’t boost Charisma, but Gnome Paragon provides for that.

I like that you took some consideration for the supernatural abilities. Extend Su Ability works wonders for Fiendish Glare, as it makes the stunning effect last for a long while, whereas Empower Su Ability works wonders for Glare of the Pit in order to deal more damage than a Scorching Ray while aiming all three rays, against two people (or, if you feel nasty, concentrate all against one).

For what it doesn’t see too much use…well, the resistances are there and you don’t have native resistances (and Bard doesn’t offer Resist Energy), so it’s not something extremely potent but nothing unnecessary. Poison is where I’m a bit ambivalent. You mention using Fiend’s Favor on yourself, but I’m not entirely sure the ability is meant to work that way. It’s meant to be an ability used on others, so it’s not used creatively on yourself (particularly after the penalty kicks in, since you depend a lot on Charisma). I feel that Poison could be used in a different way , one that you might not have considered: how about using Poison to hasten the death of those you’ve made bargains with? Give them a boost to Constitution, then when they get into Con junkies, grant them the wish in exchange for you touching them twice (maybe grant them a Manual of Health, instead of a direct inherent bonus?). Plead for them to let them honor the end of your bargain first, before they use their boon, and finally see if you can kill them before they use their boon. Between the penalty and their desperation, you might get a way to kill them before they can even take advantage of your perks. I see no mention of this, given that most of your abilities are geared towards the function of “tempter” and not the function of “warrior”, so I have to take a few notches from here.

However, that gives an interesting insight. Your use of Acolyte of the Skin supports your combat functions pretty well, something that contrasts with the feel of empty levels right in the middle. It boosts your combat capabilities only a bit, so it feels like the build stagnates there, but on the other hand, it offers a series of capabilities that you’d otherwise lack. You take some advantage from the class features, so it’s not like it’s entirely lost.

Score: 4 (the main goal of using Acolyte of the Skin was to get into Fiend of Corruption, but that doesn’t mean it’s largely ignored. I see a lot of great applications for many of the class features, such as the ability to summon a kyton and the glares. The lack of support for Poison is what makes it falter a bit.)

Overall: 14.5 (3.625)
This build is interesting because it takes the original fluff of the class (gain the powers of a fiend) for an ulterior purpose, which is essentially to do unto others what the fiend that gave its essence did to you. Basically, you’re the closest to a fiend there is. It’s a clever and nice little build, marred only because the PrC itself hinders you a bit. Some of the moves done with the build are good, the others not that much. It’s at its terrain when being the tempter, so your power and finesse lies on manipulating others. Alone, your weakness emerges and you get into serious trouble. That said, the fluff leads you to play as the manipulator, so it fits quite a lot with the mechanics used.

Baby the Bearbarian
Originality
After the initial shock, I have to word this carefully.

So, we got a Half-Vampire (nasty template), Voidmind (another NASTY template) Goliath (well-known race) Barbarian (expected for Goliath)/Spellthief (completely out of the blue for Goliath)/Acolyte of the Skin?

Ow, my brain…

Seriously, though: it was a fun little read. The story, that is. Just the part where it mentions a bloodthirsty berserker with a literal taste for blood sounds great, but then you overload it with a mixture of a fiend that willingly offers to aid you and then a trio of Illithids that make you their b…espectacled servant. Yeah.

Interesting to know that you began your life as a spellthief, but the story mentions little of how you ended up as one. It only felt natural that you ended up as a Barbarian, and it’s interesting to see anything BUT a Spirit Lion Totem; no Pounce, but you’re aiming for a superior grapple technique, which goes the extra mile with Powerful Build and Mountain Rage. It makes Spellthief all the more unusual, because it’s not there entirely for the fluff and much less for the power (what it gives is just too small to, well…matter).

Score: 4 (while a Goliath Barbarian is about as common as you might see, the mixture of Half-Vampire, Voidmind and the Bear Totem make your build unique. There’s a little bit of a problem in how Spellthief mingles into here, tho)

Power
Evidently, what you get from Spellthief and Barbarian is not enough. The best thing to consider is how the templates boost the build, because it’s obvious that you get most of your power from the templates.

Let’s start with Half-Vampire. You get three bonuses to important ability scores, those being Strength, Dexterity and Constitution; you get Blood Drain (Con damage to the enemy and temporary HP to you is good) and some minor immunities. You get a crippling weakness, which is the blood dependency, but it’s evident as we can see later that you’re attempting to be a master grappler, so that’s not much of an issue.

Next comes Voidmind. Voidmind offers a pretty nasty set of abilities such as the cone of slime (acid damage, -2 to Will saves, stunned for 1d4+1 rounds), the ability to constrict (once again, suggesting grappling as a main technique), improved grab (ditto), sentient tentacle (yet again, ditto), SR and immunities, such as immunity to mind-affecting abilities (aside from those used through the mind flayer host quality), ability damage/drain and energy drain. You get yet another crippling weakness (being bound to a trio of squid-faces), but at least you can free yourself of that one. Oh, and that sweet, sweet tentacle.

Now, after analyzing these, let’s go a bit further. It’s obvious you’re gunning for grappling, because between Mountain Rage (bonus to Strength and Large size), Bear Totem (Improved Grapple), Half-Vampire (Blood Drain + Str bonus) and Voidmind (Constrict + tentacle + improved grab + Str bonus) you’re aiming for a reasonable +13 to grapple (+17 with the tentacle) and constrict damage, then pin for blood drain. It’s a nasty little technique were it not for the two biggest flaws I can see: first, the BAB. Oh, the BAB! It’s way too little to matter, so eventually your main ability will begin to falter until it’s entirely useless. It really sucks when your BAB acts against you. The second, of course, is anything that has at least a bit of Freedom of Movement or a jaunting ability that requires no movement. That’ll cramp your style real fast.

So, does it has any other nifty tricks? Well, between Fiendish Gaze and Cone of Slime, you get two ways to stun enemies, but stunned enemies don’t make you apply for sneak attack. I have to mention Sneak Attack, because once you enable grapple you can SA them at your leisure, but unfortunately you can’t usually rely on grapple. Aside from that, you’re relying mostly on grapple and having as many feats as possible apply to that grapple, so that you can end up stunning the enemy and then land lots of damage. It feels like a one-trick pony, which it isn’t (you get Fiendish Gaze, Glare of the Pit and Cone of Slime as secondary attacks), but it makes you seem less powerful when you’re not in your terrain (aka, not facing creatures with blood vessels, as your story proves) once they’re consumed.

Ultimately, what hurts you more than anything is the loss of BAB. Being a martial character, having so little BAB hurts so badly it’s not fun, but that’s what happens when you lose six levels because of level adjustment. It hurts even more when you have two crippling weaknesses. It feels like you’re playing a Paladin, but you’re not a Paladin and you get even worse penalties for fa(i)l(l)ing.

Score: 3 (it feels like a one-trick pony, but fortunately it isn’t. It has the swarms, elemental and natural attacks to help, but in the end you finish with grappling techniques, which can be countered easily, and which are affected by your severe lack of BAB. You need a lot of Strength to compensate, even if you have the size and technique to make it matter, but once you’re unable to grapple the enemy, you’re screwed. Or when you’re facing creatures with no blood vessels. Plus you need to depend on blood AND you’re the puppet of three Illithids, which is just as bad.)

Elegance
Once again, I see a pattern here. Where, if I may ask, do I see a proper arcane CL in order to enter Acolyte of the Skin? This seems to be a pandemic in this competition! I feel I must be doing something wrong because I’ve seen a few builds that don’t qualify. You don’t take 5 levels of Spellthief, and your templates don’t grant spell-like abilities, so your only claim to fame is the Detect Magic SLA from Spellthief, which is based on your SPELLTHIEF class level; ergo, it’s not a valid entry method. That’s enough to net a bad score…

…but it goes further than that. You also assumed you had all THREE of the special abilities from the half-vampire? I wish you had all three, because that way you could have gotten a bit more power. The story suggests all three, but the template reads differently. Essentially, you can only choose one of the three; either you drink blood, or you have a charming gaze, or you can call creatures 1/day. Not all three. That’s bad, because it’s hard to pin which would be more useful: the gaze works nicely with your other glares, the blood drain is the apex of your grappling mastery, and the ability to call swarms makes you less of a one-trick pony and merges well with your other summoning ability. All three are valuable, so it would have been awesome to have them. I would be tempted to make an exception for you, but sadly, the fact that you weren’t specific with that means I have to get the axe sharpened for more points.

There’s also a discrepancy between your story and your build. In the story, Baby gets infused with the Fiendish Skin first, and THEN becomes a Voidmind creature. In the build, it’s the opposite: you get brain-devoured first, and then you get to become an Acolyte. In theory, you become an Acolyte the moment you get the skin, so you should have been an Acolyte first and THEN a Voidmind creature, because rectifying the choice wouldn’t have made a difference in the story’s outcome, instead making a bit more sense.

Finally…tsk, tsk, tsk. You assumed I’d pay a blind eye to WBL? Yes, it’s an useful tool, but I want to see your character without assuming you get Manuals or Tomes for free, or heaven forbid, grafts! You already have a free graft (the skin, namely), but assuming you can become a patchwork of grafts is a big no-no in my book. Sure, they might make a difference…but what if you lose them? Fortunately the “shopping list” is not so big, but it does have an assumption, so that’d be a reason why points are lost. If you had any more points after this, anyways.

Oh wait, one more thing…since I do this as a stream of thought, after doing UoSI, I noticed something else. Since you’ll be reading this before reading UoSI: HOW DO YOU QUALIFY FOR STUNNING FIST, ANYWAYS!? Stunning Fist requires a Wisdom of 13, while you have a Wisdom of 8. That’s one feat you could easily replace. Note how that cripples you even further?

Score: 1 (between not qualifying for AotS, the slight dependence on WBL, and not paying attention to Half-Vampire, I’ve seen many a mistake. There’s even a fluff-born mistake, which leads me to think this was done a tad hastily, which is never good. It’s almost a miracle, and something I’d shed points for, that you didn’t decide to apply LA buy-off, but the penalties are too severe in order for me to grant it.)

Use of Secret Ingredient
So, here’s the big question. How does AotS help a non-caster class? I’ve seen a tendency over here, and it definitely shows: trying to strong-arm martial prowess to AotS doesn’t work at all.

For starters, with such a pitiful BAB, the acolyte’s medium BAB hinders your main trick, which is grappling. Furthermore, the Acolyte offers absolutely NO boons to grapple, save for Poison (which can be coupled with Blood Drain and Stunning Fist in order to finish a creature just through Con damage).

However, it goes a bit further. The worn skin only offers a minimal improvement to your scores, because you’re not so reliant on Dexterity; Constitution is far more important because it defines the duration of Rage, plus the DC of your Cone of Slime), but the bonus to NA is pitiful at best. The DR is nice, though, because you have two sources of DR applying at once: you need to have a magic, good-aligned silvered weapon to get slain. Oh wait, you don’t: you missed that last level, so no DR (or spellcasting progression) for you!

Regarding Fiendish Glare, Poison and Glare of the Pit, they’re not specifically improved, they don’t seem to pay a key part of your build’s development, but they see some synergies. Poison, of course, works well with Stunning Fist and Blood Drain, as in between the three you can lower Con enough to lock the enemy. Sadly, they rely on Charisma (mostly because, had you gotten the right amount of CL, you’d have depended on Charisma for spellcasting), which is not your strong point, and you have poor Wisdom which means a poor saving throw for Stunning Fist (which leads me to question HOW YOU GOT STUNNING FIST IN THE FIRST PLACE!?).

And we end up with Summon Fiend, which is…largely unmentioned. Oh wait, you use them as vampire chow. That’s certainly a creative use of the Secret Ingredient, but not the best one. They’re weak, but as it stands, they could be more than a match for you. Still, vampire chow?

Score: 1.25 (some abilities see some use, but you don’t get too much power from the PrC itself. The 6 lost levels don’t help much, and you don’t get the last level. Seriously, with a way to get Imperious Command + Never Outnumbered from some other means, you could have skipped AotS entirely and the build would have been oodles better. Seriously. It feels tacked. The only reason you get cookie points is because of the hilarious use of Summon Fiend)

Overall: 9.25 (2.3125)
Definitely, Acolyte of the Skin doesn’t seem to be a worthy class for martial characters. Baby shows no exception to the rule. The class really doesn’t do anything for him, as the templates are what carry most of the build’s weight. The loss of 6 LA hurts like no tomorrow, but it’s the loss of BAB that hurts the most. Those 10 levels could have been used for something else, and that could have meant at least 1 or 2 points of extra BAB, which would have been nicer. I mean, as it stands, you could have taken Barbarian to 10 and Spellthief to 6 and you could have gone much better than currently so. I won’t say you should feel ashamed of your build, because it has some nifty tricks, but Acolyte of the Skin is just not cut for Baby.

The Rag and Bone Man
Originality
Certainly a creative way to enter! Using a spontaneous specialist might be an expected entry point, but not one with conflicting themes. I mean, a Warmage certainly can feel like worthwhile because of fiends’ destructive impulses (tanar’ri, mostly) and a Beguiler because of the fiends’ malevolent guile (baatezu, mostly). But a Dread Necromancer? I can see it if you were a follower of Orcus (who revels on undead), but you clearly went the path of the baatezu, so it’s obvious you were gunning for something entirely different than the expectatives. That’s nice.

I also like the “balance” between fiendish power and undeath, and what little care you have for your birth body, because you first wither it, then add a fiendish skin, then take one of your arms and graft an undead version into the stump. That’s pretty gory if you ask me.

If there’s something I dislike, was that you chose a kyton. I know, the reference to cenobites and whatnot gives it a “Hellraiser” vibe (kudos on that one; given the horror references, though, I might suspect who of the competitors you are…), but I feel that the chain devil wasn’t the one that could have suited you. I mean, why oh why you didn’t go for the osyluth!? That’s a fiend that looks like a shriveled undead creature; the least you could have done is try to get as little skin as it could and take advantage of your shriveled body in order to look even more fiendishly undead! Bad competitor! Points drop!

Score: 4.5 (a fiendish undead theme that doesn’t rely on Orcus is wonderful, and gives a whole new dimension to playing a Cenobite in D&D, almost equaling all references. What really made me cringe was that you could have gone for the bone devil; if you’re going for a theme, go for it as deep as you can! I mean, the bone devil is higher in hierarchy than a chain devil, so it makes sense that you could summon a chain devil as your lackey. Those bits count, after all.)

Power
Just looking from your scores, you’re pretty balanced for a spellcaster. Having a decent Strength score, an excellent Constitution score and the all-important Charisma score really make it pretty decent. Aside from Intelligence (which you make little use of), all scores are over the average, and in order of importance. Well, you don’t use that much Wisdom, but hey, Arcane Disciple? Totally worth it.

That said, the power of the build comes from what it can do, and much like another competitor, yours is focused on the sheer amount of creatures you can manipulate. You went for undead, which have a whole suit of resources, such as energy drain and ability damage/drain, incorporeality and others.

Evidently, the core of your power is spellcasting, and it’s nice to see how much you focused on incrementing the small list of the Dread Necromancer with more choices. Spirit Worm is particularly nasty at any levels (Con damage per round!), and between Advanced Learning and the Deathbound Domain, you get a nifty amount of spells beyond what you’d normally get. It’s a shame about Arcane Disciple spells only usable once and only being capable of casting up to 4th level spells when you can cast 7th level spells: had you gotten your Wisdom to 17, you’d have gotten Revive Undead (to restore one of your super-undead to life), Awaken Undead (intelligent undead!? Sure, it can come bite you in the end, but if you know how to use them…) and Avasculate (touch the enemy, scrape half of its hit points, and a chance to stun for 1 round). That doesn’t mean you don’t have good 7th level spells (Destruction instead of Disintegrate, Finger of Death, etc.) or 6th level spells (Acid Fog, Circle of Death, Harm, Planar Binding) or 5th level spells (Cloudkill, Greater Dispel Magic, Lesser Planar Binding), but those would have been awesome spells to add. Then again, you did mention to seek ways to boost it up, so… Erm, it’s not an Elegance thing, but it’s a Power thing. Let’s just say that the drop was cushioned a bit, alright?

So, what about Pale Master? For starters, Deathbound domain doesn’t apply here, so you don’t get the extension to Animate Dead, but you get two cool spells usable as 1/day abilities: your meat and bones spell (Animate Dead) and your “oh snap, something got wrong; need fixing!” spell (Control Undead). The latter is particularly nice, because you reduce the duration to less than 1/10th of normal to make it irresistible. At least it lets you run away, though some way to initiate diplomacy with the undead would be nice. The undead armor thing, as you clearly mentioned, isn’t as awesome as the rest. Now, the Paralyzing Touch? Nice move, because you’re stacking all kinds of debuffs and status effects here and there.

Which is what leads to the big advantage of this build: between all the debuffs, the free healing/damage thing (Charnel Touch is especially beautiful), the status effects, and the myriad of undead creatures at your command, not to mention all those tasty save or die effects, you’re a threat to behold in the battlefield. Given that you have a series of innate resistances as well and not-bad scores (which are protected by your DN resistances to ability damage/drain), you’re one tough cookie (who can wield a mean martial weapon in case things get up-close and personal).

Oh, and I couldn’t forget about this. I was this close to lambast you because you couldn’t get the most iconic thing a necromancer who dabbles in fiendish lore could do: Vile Death. That closeness became a big stomping WHOOO!!!! when I noticed Dread Necromancer gets it two (spell) levels earlier. I mean, not only you are an unholy blend of fiendish power and undeath, but your undead creatures are as well. That’s going beyond classy: nothing can be more frightening than having a 10-headed fiendish hydra skeleton and its pals, or ravenous fiendish ghouls, which could later be awakened and turned into the hapless population.

Oh, did I forgot about UMD? How could I!? That’s yet another boost of power right there, even if it’s not as powerful as the norm as you need to dedicate some effort towards it. It’s at least good for Alter Self, tho.

Score: 5 (spells, sound front-line combat skills, debuffs, status effects and fiendish undead. Alright, that bought me in. I can’t say that much; it’s a rich and varied build with a lot of options that are actually useful. If you can’t do it, let your awakened fiendish undead pals do the work for you.)

Elegance
If there’s one thing that most judges like, is that everything is explained and dealt with. It saves a lot of problems.

For example: I was gonna deck you the hardest for entering early. Then you mentioned Spell Thematics. SPELL THEMATICS! I actually despise that feat from the bottom of my heart because it was justifying the idea of making custom-looking spells, so I wondered how it was important for an optimal build. Then I notice the little “thematic spell cast at +1 CL” and how that makes you enter at 5th level, and then I notice “darn, it’s an early entry trick enabler!”, so it made me reconsider the feat. It went from “ugh, that feat!?” to “wait, how did THAT feat did that!?” in the blink of a second.

Another thing was the entry point of Pale Master. Being a Dread Necromancer, it’s evident you want to have undead minions as soon as possible, likely after your fighting skills start to lag behind. Pale Master could have felt like a needless interruption, but Animate Dead is clearly part of your build (a key part of it, to be precise), so delaying that would have dented your overall power. Even once per day, getting Animate Dead earlier than usual (and without material components) allows you to get minions early on, which you can then heal through Charnel Touch (though you can’t buff). The spell progression doesn’t seem to bump or delay that much, as you get spellcasting progression at exactly the same rate as you would with Acolyte of the Skin, so it feels natural.

It’s somewhat refreshing to see every trick carefully explained, such as how Fiendish Glare blends well with the Dread Necro’s plethora of fear spells, or how your acquisition of fire and cold resistance makes you less dependent on Resist Energy (which you don’t actually have…), or the reasons why you dipped into Pale Master before finishing Acolyte of the Skin and then AFTER finally finishing PM. The build rundowns are fun enough, and a chuckle is always nice to have.

If there’s something I don’t like, though, is the lack of options. I mean, while I do appreciate that you have no dependence on items or flaws or LA buy-off, I could have liked to see a suggestion on how to alter your build a bit more. You have a lot of buffs for your animated creatures, but there’s no mention of how to snatch Corpsecrafter by exchanging a feat (likely Sickening Grasp), which would have made your undead creatures even MORE dangerous, as you’re an undead spellcaster. There’s a big difference between “optional” and “required”. It’s minimal, because there IS some use for Sickening Grasp, but sadly I could have seen a nod to better undead minions over here.

Score: 4.75 (the build flows well and is well explained, with the most controversial choices carefully indicated. At first the lay-out seems confusing, but it eventually has everything in its place. The only thing I didn’t like was the lack of options for build variety, particularly one to make your undead minions even MORE dangerous…)

Use of Secret Ingredient
With a nice build and a nice flavor, how does the Secret Ingredient flare? Well…truth be told, I see very little advantage from it, aside from following the trend of another build that had it as a necessary part of its fluff. As I said to that competitor, the PrC is making you no justice in that regard.

Let’s start with the things you take advantage of. The skin, of course, is the first thing I can peg off: you have darkvision twice as long (first from AotS, then from Pale Master), a boost to Dex and Con (which eventually blends with a boost to Dex), natural armor bonus (making your skin tougher), and a source of DR that’s much better than the DR you have (although bypassed by good-aligned weapons, you still nudge a bit of them from your Dread Necro’s DR). Fiendish Glare also sees some use, because you’re a charismatic person who has ways to extend that fear effect WITHOUT using Imperious Command. I should salute you for that.

However, the rest…doesn’t see too much use. Poison, as you mention, is only one more of your bag of tricks, but you don’t do something amazing with it: you could have at least mentioned that Sickening Grasp and your fear spells made it harder for the target to succeed on their save, then add Spirit Worm for a massive loss of Con. Twice per day, you could make one creature die a sorry death; if it had some awesome resistances and whatnot, you could end up with a brutal undead minion! I see this as a lost opportunity. Glare of the Pit is another ability you pay no attention to, which is bad because it gives the idea that you really paid no attention to the class abilities other than the skin and perhaps the summoned creature. Sure, you mention that you break the damage “cap”, but only if you do it 1/day and only if you aim both beams at the same creature, shortly before getting the even more powerful Harm and Greater Harm spells.

Which leads us to the summoned fiend ability. I didn’t knew that Chain Devils were so hard to beat, but I do know that it’s no Babau, so that’s at least nice. It’s twice as nice that the theme of your build, and the fiend you took the skin from, is actually a relative of a Chain Devil, so bonus points for that thematic link. However, aside from that, the Chain Devil will feel like a mook to your best undead minions, particularly once Vile Death comes on-line at 20th level. Given that you have a few summoning spells, you could have found a way to boost summoning in such a way that you could end up with a menacing Kyton as a pal, plus make those summoned creatures even stronger. I speak, of course, of Augment Summoning.

In the end, while it’s thematically appropriate (for the shock factor of guy + fiend + undead = fiendishly undead-ish guy but still not entirely fiendish or undead), the amount of feats you get betray you. With so many options at your disposal, trying to make them all useful would have been mad. This isn’t something to harshly punish you, but I feel that you could do something with, at least, Poison.

Score: 4.25 (thematically, it’s necessary for you to enter AotS. Mechanically, it offers some nice perks but the core of your build doesn’t need it. You do a lot with what you get from the PrC, but I see some lost opportunities that could have made Poison a very deadly weapon at your disposal. Then there’s Glare of the Pit which sees only a modicum of utility when you have far more dangerous spells at your disposal.)

Overall: 18.5 (4.625)
This build is really creative in many ways, taking an already awesome class and adding it some punch. While it has a great deal of power within, it is the fluff that really takes the award here. Right from the start, I saw this combo would have been a great winner, and while it was short from the goal, it ended up as a nice, strong build nonetheless. It didn’t betray, but delivered what I expected. There were times where I felt that the PrC didn’t offered you what you truly needed, but you managed to rescue some of the PrC’s features from the slump.

[T.G. Oskar]

Mother Morrigna
Originality
Very well, let’s see where this build will…UR PRIEST!?

Quick, hand me the lansoprazole! No, you dolt, not omeprazole; that gives me the heebie jeebies!

…seriously speaking, it’s obvious you aimed for power while using Ur-Priest. I mean, the name says it all: it’s the ur-priest…erm, that needs more explanation. You know how the term “ur-example” has entered the English lexicon, as in “the first example”. However, it is often misinterpreted as “THE definitive example that has to be given” (which is not wrong; the first example is the one that MUST be given so that something makes sense). The Ur-Priest is not the first priest, but it is THE definitive example…of a prestige class that has great flavor but it’s never used for it, rather being used for power and power alone. What really kicks it in is when you mix the second ingredient of the damned: Mystic Theurge. As you may know, if you’re trying to pull off a proper dual-casting build, one of the classes has to progress faster than the other, and thus Ur-Priest follows that example. I wish Apostle of Peace had the same love, but they have to swear a vow of peace, so…

Generally, the third and fourth legs of the journey (Bard and Sublime Chord) are expected, so it’s natural to cringe at seeing one-fourth of the expected build (Bard, but as its savage incarnation) also making its appearance. By all means, this is a Ur-Priest/Sublime Chord/Mystic Theurge build without Sublime Chord. That’s as least original as you can get. Now, I would have understood if you had a good class and went with Apostle of Peace for 9th level spells, but unfortunately the theme of the class is evil, so it’s more than expected that you want that quick path to power.

That could be fixed depending on how well the story is developed, which is where I can see a glimpse of hope. The backstory is filled with..erm, midwifery connotations (phew, that was close), but having a distinct style hearkening to…say, La Celestina (hooray for Spanish Golden Age classics being pretty spicy but also distinctively brutal!), where the character brokers a deal that eventually goes wrong (the “deal with the devil” trope) but specialized towards a single trait (midwifery). However, the story somehow has nothing to deal with the build at all, because we don’t see any idea of how she does combat (other that she leads a group of “wolf-warriors” and that she chants using drums (which would suggest a performing act but also a ritual act that doesn’t require a specific form of performance), much less how that ends up with Ur-Priest or Mystic Theurge. It feels like the story and the build are divorced from each other and need a…well, cupid…to bind back.

Score: 1.5 (it’s a Ur-Priest/Sublime Chord/Mystic Theurge build without the Sublime Chord. It’s obvious what you’re gunning for, but it’s predictable nonetheless. The story could have rescued it, but didn’t. It’s great on its own, and it has a lot of stuff I like, but it doesn’t feel like it explains the build at all.)

Power
Anything that gets 9th level spells (and a decent amount of them) is automatically powerful. Just getting 10 effective levels of Ur-Priest should lead to an automatic 5 to the category, because getting Miracle is as close as getting anything. Adding Mystic Theurge to it means you get even MORE spells, and a whole different variety of them.

That said…compared to the typical build (Ur-Priest/Sublime Chord/Mystic Theurge), it manages to be weaker. For starters, you sacrifice bard spells to become a Savage Bard, which gets a fraction of ranger and druid spells in replacement of a fraction of the bard’s arcane spells (particularly those that deal with written language, minor tricks, emotional control and detection) for natural spells related to traps, animals and movement. How that is supposed to help the build…well, I believe it’s more the flavor than anything else. I don’t see how summon nature’s ally is better in your case than summon monster, particularly when you don’t care about summoning spells in either case.

Then we get into how Acolyte of the Skin fits in, and while there’s a strong thematic link to the PrC, there is no instance of power flowing through it. The SLA/SuAs and abilities you get don’t help your build or your story (or perhaps they help your build, but that’s best left for UoSI).

As another competitor, you went for the “embrace” of an Elder Evil for more (vile) feats, this time with Ragnorra (instead of Pandorym), and what you got…quite frankly, what scares me of all them is Dark Speech, because it’s quite varied and fits the bardic theme nicely. The others are mostly defensive in nature (bonus on saving throws against divine spells, against good spells, and a mini-Death Knell effect if you coup-de-grace the enemy), but aren’t really all that hot (useful if you meet a good divine spellcaster, not so good otherwise) aside from the mini-Death Knell one.

Score: 4.5 (all I can say is: it gets 9th level spells. That alone makes it supremely powerful. On the other hand, compared to the sheer power of a Ur-Priest/Sublime Chord/Mystic Theurge build, I find it lacking, and the servitude to Ragnorra really doesn’t seem to aid that much.)

Elegance
After seeing so many blunders with early entry, it’s good to see the last few actually work. This one is a great example, having enough Enchantment spells to really matter. At the same time, in case I were another, much more unflinging judge, you offer the alternative of how it should be handled, hurting your build a bit more, but ensuring you get to enter the class nonetheless.

While there are some entries that are compact and some that are descriptive, and some that claim both, yours happens to be a pretty compact and descriptive one; succinct is the term I’d use, a word whose root happens to resemble (but not equate) that of the succubus that the build’s essence binds with.

That last comment offers a slight example of the problem I see: being an alteration of a cookie-cutter build, there’s little to remark regarding Elegance. I could speak about how you used Acolyte of the Skin to eventually enter Ur-Priest, or how most of the chosen feats follow a theme, but the build feels very vanilla, nothing that deserves a proper mention. That’s not bad, but it’s not good either.

Score: 3.5 (it’s a vanilla build, and might seem a tad boring, but it’s succinct where it’s needed. There’s little in where the build can really show off, something that could become exemplary of build-making. Maybe the way you use one PrC to enter another and boost it, maybe…)

Use of Secret Ingredient
So Morrigna has made a pact with Malcanthet but really follows Ragnorra…how does this work with Acolyte of the Skin? Is there something that can be drawn from this class?

For some reason, I think not. I really don’t see the PrC offers anything.

The first thing that comes to mind as expertly used is how you apply a fast-improving class such as Ur-Priest to advance based on half-casting. That was creative, if I may say so myself, because that means you don’t need classes with all those levels, and you can take advantage of what truly matters without sacrificing spellpower: the class features.

However, a cursory look reveals that…well, it’s not really the class that would fit the build. For starters, the build starts with poor Dexterity and Constitution, and those boosts really feel as minor. The natural armor also feels minor, and even the DR and ability to turn into an outsider through Alter Self feel minor. Wonder why…? Oh yeah, because Ur-Priest really seems to make that redundant (the DR/good comes MUCH earlier through Righteous Might, for example, and judicious use of Practiced Spellcaster makes it reach the top much earlier).

The offensive features? Glare of the Pit really doesn’t seem like that powerful compared to others (even if by itself it’s hilariously weak), and Poison/Fiendish Glare doesn’t seem like they are any powerful either…but one thing changes everything. I mean, you’re yet another individual who uses Imperious Command (and nothing else…), but what really chilled me to the bone was Doomspeak. I mean, WHAT IN HEATHENLY TARNATION THEY WERE THINKING OF!? The DC for the ability is based on FULL character level! That’s basically a DC 20 at 10th level! Then, you get a -10 to a lot of things, including saving throws…which both Poison and Fiendish Glare depend on. Sure, it’s a 2-round thing, but if done correctly, you can end up making the class features actually work better, which is a plus. What’s NOT a plus, though, is that it’s not clearly mentioned. That trick would have gotten nice points in Elegance, mind you.

Oh, yeah, and the Babau that doesn’t work as intended. Though you’re VERY fortunate you can buff that Babau, the fact that you get Planar Ally which essentially invalidates the Babau’s power sorta ruins it (not to mention you get all Summon Monster spells, even though the Babau counts as a 7th level summon…yeah, right). No focus on boosting these summoned entities, either, which could have helped the Babau even more.

However, the biggest offense is how the build doesn’t seem to need Acolyte of the Skin in any case. The build really felt like it could use another PrC, but the book was not allowed. The way Morrigna works, it reeks of having stuff drawn from the Book of Erotic Fantasy, but of course that’s not allowed. The story could have saved it (particularly how and why Malcanthet agreed to make a pact with Morrigna when the latter doesn’t give a darn because she follows someone else, and even wears the skin of her daughters/servants but doesn’t care about her appearance), but the way the story was written, I could have seen some other PrC (and the wealth of options in that book) take the levels Acolyte of the Skin occupy.

Score: 1.5 (really, of all the builds, this is the one that least feels like needing Acolyte of the Skin. You made a good effort to address some of the options, but the build could have gone better with some levels in another PrC. The story saved the choices of other builds, but in your case, that event didn’t happen)

Overall: 11 (2.75)
I won’t lie; the build showed some promise before I got deep into it. However, between just redressing a well-known build and forcing fluff without making that much sense, the build faltered. The name and the image are quite impressive in first place, but I wasn’t truly satisfied with the end result. It is quite probably one of the most powerful builds in the entire competition; it didn’t made the proper use of the secret ingredient, though, and relied on a well-known build to focus on power without providing enough twists to make it original enough or explain why such a difficult ingredient was necessary. Show it to me again after you read the BoEF and tell me whether Acolyte of the Skin was a good choice compared to the wealth of content the book offers a midwife character.

--

Alright, for the final pointers:
I really felt disappointed that there were some attempts to make a martial Acolyte, but all of them, IMO, failed dismally. The best entry points were those who used spellcasting classes, but as you may see, not all of them have to be sorcerers, wizards or warlocks (one WAS a Sorcerer, but darned I'll be if I didn't prized going into Malconvoker!). I really felt disappointed because those who attempted a warrior-type sometimes had the right idea, but for some reason they couldn't take much advantage.

Another thing I saw a LOT was the plague of Imperious Command. It's evident that Imperious Command, with its "cower 1st round, shaken next few rounds" blends well with Fiendish Glare. I feel other judges will either prize or punish the proliferation of builds with that feat, but I tried my best to judge each by the merits they achieve with the feat. It's obvious that Fiendish Glare is the best ability by far of the PrC, even better than the capstone.

What really disappointed me was that few people paid attention and tried to boost Glare of the Pit. I'm especially disappointed that one build had the perfect trick for this ability and, IMO, just blew it. It's essentially a poor nova blast ability, but some builds showed that only one or two bits of extra effort could make it a nice damage option or even (despite me having to point that out), a brutal debuff ability. I mean, if Reykja and Wyrmbeard were to tag out, the combo of Slow Breath + Oil + double Glare of the Pit + Pyrotechnics would be frickin' hilarious!

Now, for my final bit...here's how everything ended up in Word. Sorry if I burst your bubble, Fiddler, but the results were much lower than expected...
Pages: 36
Words: 23,344
Characters (no spaces): 109,051
Characters (with spaces): 132,118
Paragraphs: 271
Lines: 1,683

...alright, you can speak now. Was I too full of vitriol, or was it a fun read? Hehe, fun read...

[Venger]

However, you get Draconic Polymorph. The ability to turn into a frickin’ dragon.

Draconic polymorph doesn't work that way. polymorph (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/polymorph.htm) already lets you turn into a dragon. Draconic polymorph just gives you a +8 to str and +2 to con for your polymorphed form.

[GreenSerpent]

Perhaps you should tone down the vitrol a bit, not all of us prepared Resist Energy this morning (or have Rings of Acid Immunity).

[ThiagoMartell]

Really wish we won't have so much fear stacking in the next ingredient. It has become so very frequent in IC it's almost boring.

[Venger]

Really wish we won't have so much fear stacking in the next ingredient. It has become so very frequent in IC it's almost boring.

While I do agree with you, I believe that chefs this time around gravitated towards it to take care that one of acolyte's few class features didn't seem neglected or ignored. I don't think it's particularly likely to change in general, but if the next IC doesn't have a fear ability or intimidate as a class skill, it's unlikely to see much use.

[Amphetryon]

Responses to the first judge:

1.

It’s twice as nice that the theme of your build, and the fiend you took the skin from, is actually a relative of a Chain Devil, so bonus points for that thematic link. However, aside from that, the Chain Devil will feel like a mook to your best undead minions, particularly once Vile Death comes on-line at 20th level. Given that you have a few summoning spells, you could have found a way to boost summoning in such a way that you could end up with a menacing Kyton as a pal

I noted specifically in the table for my build (and in the backstory) that the Rag and Bone Man's skin came from a chain devil.

From this and the rest of the write-up on the rag and bone man, it seems as though there is some confusion over "kyton" and "chain devil" being two monsters instead different names for the same creature (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/devil.htm)

So the suggestion of "ending up with a menacing kyton as a pal" is exactly what acolyte does for the rag and bone man, since it enables summoning a chain devil (kyton) as a SLA.

Dread necromancer's planar binding spell, which he did take notice of, also allows calling a chain devil (along with other bigger, more powerful monsters) getting him as a "pal" since he's under the spell's 12HD cap, only possessing 8HD.

2. For Ash'okk Larr, T.G. Oskar notes that Skarn are "by definition, Lawful" when this definition does not match the wording in Magic of Incarnum, where they are noted as "usually lawful. . . Chaotic Skarns are nevertheless tolerated and even welcomed in Skarn society"(p.16). The Originality deduction here appears based on a faulty premise and on a qualm with Elegance; the Chairman asks that the score be re-evaluated on that basis.

3. I'd like to ask judges to refrain from comments like "If I could, I'd make a better Acolyte of the Skin for you" (quoting a comment under Eshpaunsuud Zhirvaush's judgment); regardless of intent, it reads as "I could have done a better job than you did," which is contrary to the spirit the competition is trying to engender.

4. Next competition won't have a fear-stacking component built into the SI.

[GreenSerpent]

Thank goodness! Can we have a SI that makes people happy instead?

[DemonRoach]

Thank goodness! Can we have a SI that makes people happy instead?

Let us be realistic.

There is no perfect ingredient.

Irrespective of what is selected, *someone* will not be 100% happy.

Thankfully the chairman's make good selections anyway, even if they aren't to everyone's taste.

[Venger]

Thank goodness! Can we have a SI that makes people happy instead?

What would you like to play next round? I'm just tickled pink that we finally got acolyte. thanks again, amph, you're the best.

how about bloodhound? that one is pretty cool in a western type game. I'd ask for justiciar, but I think its hogtie ability makes it a little too useful for iron chef.

I'd love urban soul, that's a class that I always thought had great potential but was too weird to use very effectively

I honestly have no idea what the next SI will be. if I had to guess, I'd say primeval (I'd be jazzed for that) since there was talk of it earlier.

any hints? if so, that's cool. if not, it makes speculating more challenging.

[Amphetryon]

any hints? if so, that's cool. if not, it makes speculating more challenging. It has no casting level whatsoever.

[Venger]

It has no casting level whatsoever.

oh ho! that narrows it down considerably. it also means bloodhound, urban soul, and primeval are all still on the table!

also means more variety from contestants, honestly, and that's pretty exciting.

[GreenSerpent]

Let us be realistic.

There is no perfect ingredient.

Irrespective of what is selected, *someone* will not be 100% happy.

Thankfully the chairman's make good selections anyway, even if they aren't to everyone's taste.

No, I meant happy as in "makes people IC happy". Also, no casting level... that will make it a touch easier on me for IC no. 2!

[Venger]

No, I meant happy as in "makes people IC happy". Also, no casting level... that will make it a touch easier on me for IC no. 2!

oh great, was this your first one? congrats! i remember I had a lot of fun back in shadowdancer. I hope you do well this time and next time.

what're you hoping for? do you have a specific ingredient you'd like to see? it never hurts to ask, it was how we got acolyte, after all. :smalltongue:

[OMG PONIES]

Tallies After One Judge

{table=head]Entry|Place|Total|Average
The Sacred Demon|Gold|19|4.75
The Rag and Bone Man|Silver|18.5|4.625
Captain Wyrmbeard|Bronze|17.75|4.4375
Luc|Fourth|14.5|3.625
Eshpaunsuud Zhirvaush|Fifth|13|3.25
Reykja Skjar|Sixth|11.5|2.875
Mother Morrigna|Seventh|11|2.75
Baby the Bearbarian|Eighth|9.25|2.3125
Bloody Hands Butcher|Ninth|9|2.25
Ash'okk Lar|Tenth|7|1.75[/table]

Thanks, TG! You've given us plenty to read while waiting for any other judges. Speaking of, do we have any other judges with scores in the works?


Really wish we won't have so much fear stacking in the next ingredient. It has become so very frequent in IC it's almost boring.

I second that emotion.


Next competition won't have a fear-stacking component built into the SI.

Excellent news!


Thank goodness! Can we have a SI that makes people happy instead?

:goes to the splatbooks looking for 10-level PrCs that summons puppies and rainbows:


It has no casting level whatsoever.

Hmm, so it's not obscure (I'm guessing Core or Core + Completes, doesn't have any fear abilities (but does it have Intimidate as a class skill?), and has no casting progression...I feel like this is the most hints we've been given about a Secret Ingredient.

[Piggy Knowles]

Hmm... there's a lot of cool prestige classes that could fit the bill, but what about Horizon Walker? Not obscure at all, although certainly not an optimized PrC, and it has no fear elements. It does technically have a caster level for the Shifting terrain mastery, though, so probably not.

It could also be a psionic class, since it doesn't have any CASTER levels. That could be a lot of fun.

But personally? It's specific enough that I doubt we'll ever see it, but I'd like to push for Eye of Gruumsh. I don't know why - I don't have any great ideas to go along with it or anything. It's just such a mess, I can't help but want to see it get some IC love.

[Venger]

Hmm... there's a lot of cool prestige classes that could fit the bill, but what about Horizon Walker? Not obscure at all, although certainly not an optimized PrC, and it has no fear elements. It does technically have a caster level for the Shifting terrain mastery, though, so probably not.

It could also be a psionic class, since it doesn't have any CASTER levels. That could be a lot of fun.

But personally? It's specific enough that I doubt we'll ever see it, but I'd like to push for Eye of Gruumsh. I don't know why - I don't have any great ideas to go along with it or anything. It's just such a mess, I can't help but want to see it get some IC love.

I like eye of gruumsh.

zerth cenobite sucks in just the right way for IC, but still mind severely limits entry

[123456789blaaa]

I'm thinking kensai. Very unique with 2 different shticks and multiple ways to make use of those shticks. It would be a welcome break after the bunch of 1/day SLA Prc's that amph has been giving us.

[Venger]

I'm thinking kensai. Very unique with 2 different shticks and multiple ways to make use of those shticks. It would be a welcome break after the bunch of 1/day SLA Prc's that amph has been giving us.

that would be cool! I know what I'd do for that. that would be quite the challenge. their bonus to str with concentration thing seems like there'd be a lot of cool tricks to optimize it

[ThiagoMartell]

Kensai has intimidate shenanigans, doesn't it?

[Venger]

Kensai has intimidate shenanigans, doesn't it?

sure does. I don't really know if a bonus to the skill check qualifies as "fear stacking" though.

I'd never noticed the "withstand" ability before. that seems pretty handy, if not exactly game-breaking. Why on earth is this class not full BA?

[Dusk Eclipse]

Early 3.5, Designers thought Full BAB was equal or at least comparable to Magic, so it makes some sense they would limit the BAB of a class that could emulate a bit of magic.

[Venger]

Early 3.5, Designers thought Full BAB was equal or at least comparable to Magic, so it makes some sense they would limit the BAB of a class that could emulate a bit of magic.

My reaction upon hearing this. (http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/0/77/1163661-haha_oh_wow.jpg)

[Kelb_Panthera]

I'd guess the decision behind kensai being an average BAB class has something to do with the fact that it gets an in-class str boosting option with no usage limit beyond a player's ability to optimize concentrate, and the ability to get what would otherwise be a weapon of epic monetary cost before level 15 essentially for free.

I honestly think it was a solid design choice, but that's just my opinion.

[Venger]

I'd guess the decision behind kensai being an average BAB class has something to do with the fact that it gets an in-class str boosting option with no usage limit beyond a player's ability to optimize concentrate, and the ability to get what would otherwise be a weapon of epic monetary cost before level 15 essentially for free.

I honestly think it was a solid design choice, but that's just my opinion.

while your statements are all true, your BA is limited by the amount of numerical base attack points you have, regardless of strength or weapon bonus. between the fact that kensai only gives you 7 points of BA, along with the fact that you're supposed to have combat expertise somehow (passive way monk 1 seems the most straightforward, but it loses another precious point of BA) and that you have to multiclass to fighter or something for ride means you're kinda expected to lose at least 4 points of BA. you're barely getting your 4th iterative at all at that point, and that seems like it's against the intent for a melee centric class like kensai.

the str boosting thing doesn't stack with itself since stuff from the same source doesn't stack. it is nice that it's untyped, but since it takes a move action to activate and lasts for class lvl/2, I'd hardly call it game-breaking.

and I wouldn't say the weapon's "free," the way you pay for it is with 10 levels of kensai in your build, same as dread necro's "free" lich apotheosis. well, yeah, it's free if all 20 levels of your build are a 0 cost to you. :smalltongue:

[T.G. Oskar]

Responses to the first judge:

1. I noted specifically in the table for my build (and in the backstory) that the Rag and Bone Man's skin came from a chain devil.

From this and the rest of the write-up on the rag and bone man, it seems as though there is some confusion over "kyton" and "chain devil" being two monsters instead different names for the same creature

So the suggestion of "ending up with a menacing kyton as a pal" is exactly what acolyte does for the rag and bone man, since it enables summoning a chain devil (kyton) as a SLA.

Dread necromancer's planar binding spell, which he did take notice of, also allows calling a chain devil (along with other bigger, more powerful monsters) getting him as a "pal" since he's under the spell's 12HD cap, only possessing 8HD.

For starters, I know that a chain devil IS a kyton. Otherwise, you'd have pointed out that there's no difference between a bone devil and an osyluth, which are exactly the same thing. One is a different name for the other.

The "menacing" part is as follows. You have a 8 HD creature at 15th level. That 8 HD creature is considered a CR 6 creature. Disregarding the thing with CR, in theory, that means a 6th level party of four can fight a kyton/chain devil and win, so as long as they consume at least 25% of its resources (to fulfill the 4 encounters/day thing). You are a 15th level character, am I correct? By the time you get Summon Fiend, you are.

Now, as I mentioned with other builds, I like the choice of the chain devil over the babau. Notice how I somewhat glee'd over Reykja's choice of kyton, what with its regeneration, teleportation and other tricks. In fact, this is what I said regarding the Chain Devil/Kyton:
Unlike the Babau, the Chain Devil is surprisingly resilient (Regeneration!),
plus it has a nasty set of attacks (the chains, which act as if they were spiked chains. That said, the Chain Devil unfortunately isn’t as strong at the level you get it, so you need something to boost it…which you don’t have. Even then, you have to beat its spell resistance, which is pretty high if you come to think about it.

Note the italicized part. The problem Reykja had was that he couldn't boost the Kyton pal to be menacing, as in capable of, through buffs, contribute enough for a battle close enough to your actual HD, or at least the typical CR/encounter level you tend to face. That's what I meant with "not menacing".

Let's go with you, and with...say, the Sacred Demon. Note how I praised that his Babau was stronger than others, because as a Malconvoker and as a summon/calling specialist, that's his bread and bones. Had he chosen a Chain Devil, that Augment Summoning would have granted him a +4 to Strength and Constitution (with the concurrent +2 to attack rolls, damage rolls, and 2 HP/HD), even if only an enhancement bonus.

As for why I went for a "relative"...well, when I hear of "razor", here's what I believe it's a razor:

http://www.executive-shaving.co.uk/images/selection-razor-logo.jpg

The description for the Chain Devil's chains goes as follows: A chain devil’s most awesome attack is its ability to control up to four chains within 20 feet as a standard action, making the chains dance or move as it wishes. In addition, a chain devil can increase these chains’ length by up to 15 feet and cause them to sprout razor-edged barbs. IMO, a "razor-sharp barb" isn't necessarily a razor. What was exactly the Rag and Bones' offering to the Chain Devil?


A pristine box of silver razors and knives lay before him, an offer of submission to the monster that would come before him to do as he wished.

What did the fiend do?


A chain slithered down from the devil's neck and wound its way down his leg, picking up one of the razors that lay in the circle with him.

Unless I missed something (maybe it's the "these chains attack as effectively as the devil itself"), the chain isn't capable of grabbing things (aka, fine handling). So the chain devil was a mutant, or it's something I learned now.

That said, is my sister a relative? Is my cousin a relative? Last I know, both my sister and my cousin are humans. Perhaps it's the way it's worded that elicits confusion, but when I saw how the chain grabbed a few razors, I figured that it had to be a unique fiend, and not your vanilla chain devil. If it is...well, my apologies, but take for granted that I don't think a kyton and a chain devil are any different. Perhaps I was too absorbed on the Cenobite feel that a Freudian slip escaped from my mind?

That said: is the kyton menacing against a 12-HD creature? Is a kyton more menacing than an erinyes (CR 8, 9 HD, flight, more SR, ability to summon other fiends [something that can't be done if summoned, but can be done if called upon], the entangling rope, true seeing), or a bone devil (with the fear aura, poison, more SR, more HD, more CR...notice why I pointed you for osyluth instead of kyton?), or even a barbed devil? In comparison to those, aside from the regeneration effect (which I admit, it's VERY good), the kyton/chain devil is nothing more than a mook. If you had something to boost the Kyton/Chain Devil, it would have been a bit more menacing. However, you're not a buffer; you're a debuffer, and what little buffs you get you have to share with your better undead creatures (the shadows, the 10-headed fiendish hydra skeletons). The kyton doesn't feel like useful as a combatant if you think about it.


2. For Ash'okk Larr, T.G. Oskar notes that Skarn are "by definition, Lawful" when this definition does not match the wording in Magic of Incarnum, where they are noted as "usually lawful. . . Chaotic Skarns are nevertheless tolerated and even welcomed in Skarn society"(p.16). The Originality deduction here appears based on a faulty premise and on a qualm with Elegance; the Chairman asks that the score be re-evaluated on that basis.

Very well, I'll go with the crux of the problem in excruciating detail.

What makes a Skarn so extremely important to as to merit being THE choice for the build, in comparison to a different but likely original choice? Is it the boost to Strength at the expense of Dexterity? Is it the spines that can be boosted if you have the ability to bind a chakra to your arms? Is it the bonus to Intimidate and Climb? Perhaps the reptilian subtype?

Well, I see that he chose a class that went for good Strength, and no penalties to Wisdom OR Charisma, so perhaps that disregards Half-Orc. However, fluff-wise, would half-orc fit? Let's see.

Ash'okk's brief mention of Skarn is as follows:

A somewhat “loose cannon” mercenary, Ash’okk was born a Skarn amongst a village of humans. Growing up he quickly took to the sword, slaughtering three bandits when his village was attacked at the age of 18.

Let's see what happens if I change "Skarn" with "Half-Orc"

A somewhat “loose cannon” mercenary, Ash’okk was born a Half-Orc amongst a village of humans. Growing up he quickly took to the sword, slaughtering three bandits when his village was attacked at the age of 18.

Is there any difference? Thematically, there's none: the Half-Orc was raised by its human parent, but grew up to be a loose cannon, took a way to the sword, slaughtered three bandits when his village was attacked at the age of 18...nothing that makes a Half-Orc any different from a Skarn. Except, perhaps, for two things: one, you expect a Half-Orc in a human society (though they're not upstanding, but rather down-trodden), and second, it has penalties to Charisma.

Let's find a better race that has no LA, no penalties to Wisdom or Charisma, and doesn't work with humans...how about Darfellan?

A somewhat “loose cannon” mercenary, Ash’okk was born a Darfellan amongst a village of humans. Growing up he quickly took to the sword, slaughtering three bandits when his village was attacked at the age of 18.

Darfellan have the same bonus to Strength and Dexterity, and a racial hatred for the Sahuagin. What about if we spice things up a bit?

A somewhat “loose cannon” mercenary, Ash’okk was born a Darfellan amongst a village of humans. Growing up he quickly took to the sword, slaughtering Sahuagin bandits when his village was attacked at the age of 18.

Notice the trend? I could go with Neanderthal, if you want. If you don't care that much about LA, you could go Hobgoblin, or Catfolk, or...well, just about anything.

If Ash'okk went with Skarn, it had to be because of something. If he wanted to follow the Skarn lore, he should have inclined towards law and perhaps sought to find perfection (the aspiration of a typical Skarn) as destined to a descendant of the Mishtai. If he wanted to go against the flow, he could have mentioned it. As it stands, the only claim to his originality is "I'm a Skarn, and I chose to be chaotic". Anyone could have claimed that.

The reason I was so down-trodden, Mr. Chairman, by Ash'okk's entry in terms of Originality was because his claim towards originality was, IMO, too bland. I think I showed that already. It's so bland, no attempt to spice it up could remove that blandness. I don't intend for a master story, able to explain everything: however, there was nothing that really made me believe it was necessary that a Skarn was part of the build, or why, thematically, there was a need for a Fighter there (being a "loose cannon", explaining how he became a Barbarian would have made it unique). I was looking at two expertly done build in terms of originality, so maybe going from a very original build to a very bland build did it in.

Now, does the choice of Fighter, Paladin of Slaughter and Thrall of Juiblex make it stand up a bit higher in Originality? Perhaps, but IMO, any point I add feels like I'm somehow prizing the Skarn choice and a bland explanation of each choice. There IS a thematic link that's not usual by making a paladin of a demon prince and then becoming its thrall, but where does Fighter and Acolyte of the Skin fit in? Why does Ash'okk became an Acolyte? Oh yes, there is one sentence explaining that:


He was learning how to bind the skin of a demon over his own to allow him to service his Lord better.

One. Sentence. Is that fair to the other people who at least took the bother to explain a bit further why Acolyte of the Skin was necessary for their build? Perhaps this may seem as a trifle with Elegance, but I feel that this is just as much a part of Originality as it is Elegance because, if I were to remove that sentence and gave the build more levels of Paladin of Slaughter and Thrall of Juiblex, it would have given it a bit more power and fit the theme of the build better. Is this a qualm of Power then, combined with Elegance, but also with Use of Secret Ingredient, therefore having to do nothing with Originality? It is a problem with all, because for the fluff to be original and unique, it has to make sense. Can a take on Star Wars be original if it lacks the Force, the blasters, the hyperdrive and hyperspace, the rich history of the Old Republic, the Galactic Empire or the New Republic...in essence, can you do a take on Star Wars if you take EVERYTHING that could ever link it to Star Wars? On the other hand, can you make an original take on Star Wars if you take a Star Trek episode but replace all phasers with blasters and Captain Kirk (or Picard) with Han Solo, but the rest remains as Mr. Roddenberry once wrote or imagined it? That's not a claim to originality, that's missing the point, and I feel that's the second thing that led me to such an abyssal score. Oh wait, that's exactly what I said; Ash'okk missed the point of being original by making a backstory that made no sense, using elements that had no proper hold and could easily be replaced by something else.

It may sound a bit demeaning, but bear with me on this. It's probably the frustration speaking than anything else. I would have loved to see a martial-inclined build enter the class and rack up nice points in Originality, Power, Elegance and Use of Secret Ingredient. Really. One martial-inclined class that felt like it NEEDED to enter the Acolyte class would have probably reached an instant 5. I was already a bit frustrated with the Butcher (and he got a 3.5 on Originality, which is above average), and quite surprised with Wyrmbeard (I mean, he chose an invocation using class, but he went with a curve that was un-hittable; a sure strike if I may say so), then I see yours and...well...the story doesn't help you in any case.

Now, if that is enough explanation to justify why Ash'okk got a 1 on its score when it probably should have been higher, I rest my case. If it doesn't, then perhaps the Chairman may elaborate on Ash'okk's defense: perhaps he may offer a valid point, after my dissertation, that leads me to add perhaps one whole point. However, I refuse to give anything higher than a 2.25 because I feel I would be supporting bland, unoriginal entries where the shock factor matters more than making sense.

If it makes Ash happy: he got a higher score than Morrigna, whom I claimed was the one that needed the Secret Ingredient the least. You can quote me on that, even if I mentioned that the backstory didn't really justify Ash'okk entering AotS either. Ash'okk was at least a bit more devoted to Juiblex than Morrigna was devoted to Malcanthet, and she had this "wear the skins of things" story that could have easily made her meet that goal.


3. I'd like to ask judges to refrain from comments like "If I could, I'd make a better Acolyte of the Skin for you" (quoting a comment under Eshpaunsuud Zhirvaush's judgment); regardless of intent, it reads as "I could have done a better job than you did," which is contrary to the spirit the competition is trying to engender.

Is there a way I could explain this without sounding like an excuse? I'll go with what many people say, and I'll do my darndest best to explain why.

It's a misunderstanding.

Let's go bit by bit. The claim for "making a better Acolyte of the Skin for you" wasn't meant as a threat or a challenge of "I could do a better job than yours"; if that was a challenge, I would have entered the competition instead of judging.

And yes, I am well aware I mentioned something like this:

Well, since you're freely speaking of builds...as I mentioned, I didn't made a build for this one because it's not my plate, but you know what I missed seeing?

Nar Demonbinder. Really, the fluff just fits so nicely (though you'd get very late, 8th level at most, but you get 7 levels of the PrC), and the only thing you'd have lost would be the Baleful Energy capstone. Something like Binder 1/wizard or wu jen class 3/Anima Mage 4/Nar Demonbinder 2/AotS 10. That nets 8th level spells, manipulation of vestiges as a 5th level binder but using 4th level vestiges, a fiendish familiar and fiendish qualities.

How many of you guys thought of that? I'm terrible at spellcasters, but that idea dropped up recently and fits quite well: Binder 1, Improved Binding lets you bind 2nd level vestiges so one prereq is met, Intimidate and Knowledge (the planes) are class skills for the Binder, three levels in Wizard or Wu Jen nets you 2nd level spells (another prereq met), enough levels for Imp. Binding and a metamagic feat, so Anima Mage prereqs are met. From there, all you need is play with the cards so that you delay entry into Nar Demonbinder using 6th and 9th levels for Iron Will and Greater Spell Focus (conjuration), and finally dipping into Nar Demonbinder, saving all remaining levels for fulfillment of 8th level spells. I believe it could be done without using human, even.

That's a bona-fide attempt for an entry if I ever have seen one. Yet, I did mention something like this:


But again, I thought of this right now, and it wasn't my plate.

I suppose this is yet another misunderstanding of my part, but this one is a bit more obvious. This could easily be misinterpreted as "I thought of this in five minutes and I wasn't even trying". That was during judging, actually. In fact, it was two or three days before I began judging Esh.

But, what I meant with Esh was another thing entirely. Much like what happened with Morrigna: the PrC fit thematically (one was aiming to improve itself with each ritual, the other was more of a skinwalker). Of both, Esh had that problem a bit more with Morrigna (the theme fit, but the class definitely wasn't meant for her as the abilities it offered didn't fit the overarching theme, which was "midwive of aberrations").

What I really meant was "if I could 'brew a better PrC for you to use, I'd let you to". One that really made justice to the build. The reason is because the ability bonuses didn't really grant a noticeable improvement to Esh, and the abilities granted required quite a bit of effort to improve, one that Esh couldn't do because he was already limited. That's why I felt Acolyte of the Skin made no justice to Esh, because it required far more than he could deliver in order to fully take all advantages of the class. I praised his attempts (Mortalbane as an improvement to Poison, the fact that Dexterity is his main attack method) to improve the class' abilities, but he was already growing thin with his feats and spells to really do anything else. And the abilities he got really don't fit him: he was going for charms, illusions and others, and all of a sudden he gets three extremely limited abilities such as a gaze of fear, a gaze of spontaneous combustion and a poisonous touch. Every time I looked between what he had and the class, it felt that the PrC did no justice mechanically to what he wanted to get. I know that's the gist of the competition (you don't get what you want), but he made such a nice effort that I felt inclined to say "I have to make a better PrC to make you justice".

Speaking of which, I WILL. In fact, I was already working on it. If I may, I'd like to see how Esh works replacing all the levels in the Acolyte from Complete Arcane and how he'd go with the homebrewed version. I extend the same invitation to Morrigna. The chefs may attempt to do that on their own, if they wish. Is that the right olive leaf to offer, or is it still the wrong answer?

[Kelb_Panthera]

while your statements are all true, your BA is limited by the amount of numerical base attack points you have, regardless of strength or weapon bonus. between the fact that kensai only gives you 7 points of BA, along with the fact that you're supposed to have combat expertise somehow (passive way monk 1 seems the most straightforward, but it loses another precious point of BA) and that you have to multiclass to fighter or something for ride means you're kinda expected to lose at least 4 points of BA. you're barely getting your 4th iterative at all at that point, and that seems like it's against the intent for a melee centric class like kensai.

the str boosting thing doesn't stack with itself since stuff from the same source doesn't stack. it is nice that it's untyped, but since it takes a move action to activate and lasts for class lvl/2, I'd hardly call it game-breaking.

and I wouldn't say the weapon's "free," the way you pay for it is with 10 levels of kensai in your build, same as dread necro's "free" lich apotheosis. well, yeah, it's free if all 20 levels of your build are a 0 cost to you. :smalltongue:

I was referring to monetary cost, and I thougt the same source rule only applied to spells.

[GreenSerpent]

But... essentially what you're saying is that you're judging it based on backstory, rather than actually on the build - aka if the backstory was more eloquent then it would have recieved a higher score.

That seems entirely fair and balanced. After all, this contest was made to determine who can write the best story!

[Amphetryon]

sure does. I don't really know if a bonus to the skill check qualifies as "fear stacking" though.No, I do not consider "Has Intimidate as a Class skill, and/or a bonus to Intimidate" as "fear stacking," without an additional Class ability related to the Shaken condition or one of its derivative conditions. Otherwise, I'd have been specifying a PrC with neither Intimidate as a Class skill OR any casting levels - of which there are scant few.


But... essentially what you're saying is that you're judging it based on backstory, rather than actually on the build - aka if the backstory was more eloquent then it would have recieved a higher score.

That seems entirely fair and balanced. After all, this contest was made to determine who can write the best story!
That was, indeed, what I (thought I) indicated.


Is there a way I could explain this without sounding like an excuse? I'll go with what many people say, and I'll do my darndest best to explain why.

It's a misunderstanding.

Let's go bit by bit. The claim for "making a better Acolyte of the Skin for you" wasn't meant as a threat or a challenge of "I could do a better job than yours"; if that was a challenge, I would have entered the competition instead of judging.Given that I specified "regardless of intent," I'm not sure what you're getting at here. I've asked that judges take a tone with less built-in confrontational baggage, regardless of whether the intent is confrontational. Responding with some variation of "you just didn't understand" - which this reads as - is contrary to the point.

[ThiagoMartell]

IMHO, discussions about a judge's work don't really help. TG did a fine, detailed judging. It took a lot of his time and nowadays judges don't even get badges anymore. Does he need to be bothered further yet because people didn't like his judging?

[RFLS]

I have to ask...did anyone else look at this PrC and think "You know, Truenamer fits right in here?"

[Amphetryon]

I have to ask...did anyone else look at this PrC and think "You know, Truenamer fits right in here?"

Yup, it's a decent fit.

[Venger]

No, I do not consider "Has Intimidate as a Class skill, and/or a bonus to Intimidate" as "fear stacking," without an additional Class ability related to the Shaken condition or one of its derivative conditions. Otherwise, I'd have been specifying a PrC with neither Intimidate as a Class skill OR any casting levels - of which there are scant few.

sounds like it's kensai next time around!

excellent.

[ThiagoMartell]

sounds like it's kensai next time around!

excellent.

Sounds like more fear stacking next time around! Not excellent.

[Kazyan]

Now that you've said it's Kensai, it won't be. :smalltongue:

[Amphetryon]

Sounds like more fear stacking next time around! Not excellent.

I'm fascinated to know where this supposition - or the preceding one that presumes to know which PrC is selected - comes from.

[Venger]

I'm fascinated to know where this supposition - or the preceding one that presumes to know which PrC is selected - comes from.

oh, I'm far from sure. I thought it was clear from the context that I was joking, but I guess not. a 10 level prestige class with no casting and intimidate as a class skill doesn't exactly narrow it down much in my mind either. it could be anything from exemplar to twisted lord, I don't really have a way of narrowing it down.

[eggs]

Now that you've said it's Kensai, it won't be. :smalltongue:
Is that how it works?

Then the next one is definitely Streetfighter. Calling it now. :smalltongue:

[ThiagoMartell]

I'm fascinated to know where this supposition - or the preceding one that presumes to know which PrC is selected - comes from.

From guessing, of course. Isn't that common?

[Amphetryon]

From guessing, of course. Isn't that common?

Guessing? Common. The tone of some responses in this thread? Not so common.

[123456789blaaa]

Guessing? Common. The tone of some responses in this thread? Not so common.

Is there a problem with them? Besides a few criticisms of T.G Oskars judging, I don't really see anything that could be construed as bad.

[The Dark Fiddler]

Now, for my final bit...here's how everything ended up in Word. Sorry if I burst your bubble, Fiddler, but the results were much lower than expected...
Pages: 36
Words: 23,344
Characters (no spaces): 109,051
Characters (with spaces): 132,118
Paragraphs: 271
Lines: 1,683


No need to apologize to me, I used math! Apologize to math if you're going to apologize to anybody!

Except you totally don't need to apologize at all because the estimates were pretty spot-on.


With these new numbers you've given us, the new estimate is: 36.25 pages, nearly 24,000 words, and 111,130 characters without spaces.

So yeah, insanely close to what I estimated, especially considering the fact that I rounded a bit.

Anyway, I enjoyed reading your critiques, though I can't say I had the patience to sit through more than half of the ones that weren't for my build... that's a lot of reading, you know?

[Kelb_Panthera]

Sounds like more fear stacking next time around! Not excellent.

Where do you get the notion that kensai = fear stacking?

Kensai gets intimidate as a class skill and, IIRC, a couple of small, situational bonuses to cha related skill checks, but that doesn't really seem to me like it demands fear stacking. You could even use signature weapon to pick up a few fear effect causing/boosting enhancements onto him in-class, but I still don't see it as automatic.

[OMG PONIES]

Less than 36 hours until the judging deadline--are any others weighing in, or will this be a one-judge round?

[Venger]

Less than 36 hours until the judging deadline--are any others weighing in, or will this be a one-judge round?

looks like a one-judger from where I'm standing. it was hard enough to find someone who wanted to scrutinize one acolyte in the form of building it for a week, but looking at 10? I'm not surprised there aren't more judges. I think gbprime mentioned he was halfway through judgings last week, but I don't believe he's commented since. I can't say I blame him, I'd be a little daunted by judging all the entries this time around as well. if none of the other judges are going to have it finished by saturday, will the chairman call it early?

[Thurbane]

Hmm, judges penalising people for taking poetic license with fluff, snarky comments towards people for guessing at the next SI...kind of glad I've been away for a coupe of weeks. :smallfrown:

[Kelb_Panthera]

Maybe it has something to do with the upcoming change of seasons?

People get irratable toward the end of winter and a little anxious toward the beggining of fall.

[Venger]

Maybe it has something to do with the upcoming change of seasons?

People get irratable toward the end of winter and a little anxious toward the beggining of fall.

he's probably right (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasonal_affective_disorder)

[T.G. Oskar]

Alright, gentlemen.

After a while trying to quell that combative spirit of mine, I've made a decision, but that decision is strongly influenced by the current state of events.

I am willing to re-evaluate Ash'okk's Originality rating from the ground up, as per the Chairman's wishes. That should solve the problem. I've noticed that a part of the spectators (and the Chairman, mostly) aren't happy with my decision, so it's for the best that I solve that. I can't do it now, but I might take some time at night to solve it. I think I explained my reasons why I made my choice (and expanded upon them), but the silence and the way the Chairman agreed with a subsequent comment have led me to think he's unhappy with the answer.

However, I've seen two comments that I find a bit unsettling. I can't demand an apology. I can't help, though, to see them as anything but snark (particularly one that's outright sarcasm). I'd hope to see that was, just as my "passionate" answer ("passionate" in the sense that it was driven by the emotions at the moment), a "passionate" response, and not anything else.

Is that alright with everybody?

[OMG PONIES]

Amen. Please, let's try to keep the emotions aside. I know that, whether as contestants or judges, we pour hours of our time into these posts. However, at the end of it all, we're talking about a game. Let's still try to have some fun along the way :smallbiggrin:.

[ThiagoMartell]

I think less snark would be greatly appreciated. by everyone

[Kelb_Panthera]

I don't mind snark so much, at least not until it starts to get hostile.

[Piggy Knowles]

Less than 36 hours until the judging deadline--are any others weighing in, or will this be a one-judge round?

Seems like most contests recently have all been either one or two judges... It's a shame. I wish I knew a way to encourage more judges. I will say this - barring major life/work interference, I will make it a priority to judge for the next contest I don't enter. I've entered 8 contests and only judged once, so I definitely owe it.

[Kuulvheysoon]

I'd have loved to judge, but between life and trying to see if I can drum up some trophies (going... alright. Nothing yet that I'd be willing to post, but getting there), I've been far too slammed.

As a consolation prize, I may have some trophies for y'all by the end of (next) week.

[Amphetryon]

I'd have loved to judge, but between life and trying to see if I can drum up some trophies (going... alright. Nothing yet that I'd be willing to post, but getting there), I've been far too slammed.

As a consolation prize, I may have some trophies for y'all by the end of (next) week.

w00t. :smallbiggrin:

[ThiagoMartell]

Seems like most contests recently have all been either one or two judges... It's a shame. I wish I knew a way to encourage more judges. I will say this - barring major life/work interference, I will make it a priority to judge for the next contest I don't enter. I've entered 8 contests and only judged once, so I definitely owe it.

Judge badges might work, or giving the judges more freedom.

[Amphetryon]

Judge badges might work, or giving the judges more freedom.

More freedom?

[ThreeDSix]

I'd love to contribute. IC is one of the highlights of the month for me.
Don't know if I have the necessary experience for judging though... :smallredface:

[ThiagoMartell]

More freedom?

Like extra time and/or not interfering with judgings.

[Kuulvheysoon]

Judge badges might work, or giving the judges more freedom.

What did the judging badges typically look like?


I'd love to contribute. IC is one of the highlights of the month for me.
Don't know if I have the necessary experience for judging though... :smallredface:

It doesn't matter your relative experience - what matters is that you apply your criteria to each contestant consistently.

[Amphetryon]

Like extra time and/or not interfering with judgings.

Extra time was removed in the interest of keeping the process from dragging on, a good while ago. If there's sufficient support for it, I'm willing to revisit the issue, but the time per contest is a potential concern.

What, precisely, is meant by "interfering with judgings?" Does that mean contestants' concerns should not be posted at all, or. . .?

[ThiagoMartell]

What did the judging badges typically look like?
I think only two or three contests actually had badges.
It was something like the judge's avatar using a judge wig. On a medal. It had the IC number on it. I'll see if I can find it.
EDIT: Found some (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9771319&postcount=161).

[Dusk Eclipse]

Amphetryon has a badge on his Sig and IIRC Assassin IC also gave medals to the judges.

[OMG PONIES]

I'd love to contribute. IC is one of the highlights of the month for me.
Don't know if I have the necessary experience for judging though... :smallredface:

Like others have said, experience isn't necessary. However, you may find your experience easier if you have access to the text containing the Secret Ingredient. Any other questions about rules or feats can be answered legally by things beside sourcebooks.


Like extra time and/or not interfering with judgings.

Previous rounds dragged on, so it's always a quest for finding the perfect duration. In terms of interfering with judging, I don't see much of that on these boards. But perhaps that's because my job involves a lot of heavily monitored and second-guessed quality review. Come to think of it, that might be why I like judging so much...do I secretly like my job so much I continue it unprovoked in my free time?