[3.5] So many options! What should I choose for my group?

[ranger557]

Hi all, I am making a new character for my group, after my warblade character bit the dust last game. So the rules to create is 48 point buy and all books are available with permission of DM and the level is 7. So my question is what should I choose to be? We have now a warblade, a rogue, and a sorcerer. They are pretty high in the optimization level, so I think I would want to be as well. I was thinking of going RKV with human or warforged as race or......a mineral warrior whisper gnome swordsage or.........some factotum build......or maybe another arcane caster going into JPM. What do you guys think would best fit? Thanks :smallsmile:

[Kelb_Panthera]

Not that it's necessary, but if you picked a divine class you'd have a party with the 4 classic archetypes.

Archivist is the optimizer's choice, cleric being right on its heels.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Strongheart Water Halfling Druid 7. Stay single-classed Druid your whole career.
Feats should include Natural Bond at 1st or 3rd and Natural Spell at 6th. Your other two feats can be whatever you think would be useful.

Your animal companion should be either a Fleshraker dinosaur (MM3) or a Dire Eagle (RoS), and you'll get to count your full Druid level toward the Animal Companion benefits for either of those thanks to Natural Bond.

Standard wealth for a 7th level character should be 19,000 gp. Get a standard Strand of Prayer Beads with the Bead of Smiting removed, per DMG pricing it will be 9,000 gp. Also get two Lesser Rods of Extend (3,000 gp each), a Healing Belt (MIC, 750 gp), and a Wand of Lesser Vigor with 40 charges (600 gp). Wear Dragonhide Breastplate (1,000 gp) with a Restful Crystal (MIC, 500 gp), and use a masterwork Heavy Darkwood Shield (209 gp) with a Least Crystal of Arrow Deflection (MIC, 500 gp). You should also start with two Unguent of Timelessness (200 gp each), and you'll have 41 gp remaining.

Use the Bead of Karma from that Strand of Prayer Beads when casting your buffs for the day, which you can also use a Lesser Rod of Extend with so any hour/level buffs will last 22 hours. Those buffs should include Longstrider, Greater Magic Fang (+1 all), Cloud Wings (SC) or Heart of Air (CM), and Heart of Water (CM). Note that all of those should be shared with your animal companion. If you want to get books thrown at you, use the spells Snowsight and Obscuring Snow from Frostburn.

Use the Unguent of Timelessness to coat sixteen Bone Talisman (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mb/20040721a) (turning) spell foci. That will make it last 365 times longer than normal, or a little over 60 hours per caster level, and they can be reused indefinitely. Any time you cast it should be with the Bead of Karma active, which lets you use one to Turn Undead as though you were a Cleric 11. You can cast that with a Lesser Rod of Extend to make it last twice as long, but that won't even be necessary since they'll each last almost 28 days at caster level 11. Each of those bones should be threaded onto a loop of leather, and each one colored or numbered so your character can keep track of them. Hanging from the loop they should be organized from longest remaining duration to least remaining duration, if you ever need to use one you'll use it from the least duration side.

Cast Bone Talisman once each day on one you've used or on the one with the least duration remaining, and then move that one around the loop to the longest duration end of the row. At caster level 11 you can have up to 27 of them available at any given time spending only one 2nd level spell per day, or up to 55 of them available if you always cast it with a Lesser Rod of Extend. Unguent of Timelssness is cheap, and with the Bead of Karma it makes a Druid just as good at turning undead as a single-classed Cleric of four levels higher, and with nearly limitless daily uses.

[Nohwl]

you should play as a bard. i just saw a real nice build for one recently. here's a link to it. (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=6655.msg100720#msg100720)

[ranger557]

Thank you all for the advice, I think the bard would be fun.....but I could never get the hang of RPing a bard right lol. Also I think druids are great flavor wise and mechanically, but I don't think I really would want to play and RP one this time.

I have actually been thinking and I think I want to go the Ruby Knight Vindicator route. However what race would be good? Human or Warforged? I have a concept for both. Also what domains would be good to get as a cleric and what feats would be good as well? Thanks for the help :smallsmile:

[juicycaboose]

Thank you all for the advice, I think the bard would be fun.....but I could never get the hang of RPing a bard right lol. Also I think druids are great flavor wise and mechanically, but I don't think I really would want to play and RP one this time.

I have actually been thinking and I think I want to go the Ruby Knight Vindicator route. However what race would be good? Human or Warforged? I have a concept for both. Also what domains would be good to get as a cleric and what feats would be good as well? Thanks for the help :smallsmile:


i love warforged as a race for both the fluff and crunch of the race, but a warforged might not be a great choice here due to the negative stats associated with the race (i don't think i'm allowed to say them here due to OGL or whatever)

[Kelb_Panthera]

Thank you all for the advice, I think the bard would be fun.....but I could never get the hang of RPing a bard right lol. Also I think druids are great flavor wise and mechanically, but I don't think I really would want to play and RP one this time.

I have actually been thinking and I think I want to go the Ruby Knight Vindicator route. However what race would be good? Human or Warforged? I have a concept for both. Also what domains would be good to get as a cleric and what feats would be good as well? Thanks for the help :smallsmile:

Before I answer, will you be focusing more on the maneuvers or the spells and what divine class are you mixing with your (presumeable) crusader?

[ranger557]

I am thinking of going the Cleric4/Crusader1/RKV route. So i will be focusing on spells more then. I was thinking, is the clositer cleric good to use or should i stick with normal cleric? Also what feats would be good to have in a RKV build? Should i go the DMM route or go with devotion feats? Thanks for any help because im lost in build this type of class lol :smallbiggrin:

[Kelb_Panthera]

The optimizer's choice is DMM persist clericzilla with RKV used to splash on some maneuvers.

Since divine power is a thing, cloistered cleric is fine if you have some use for the knowledge domain, but otherwise you're probably better off sticking with standard cleric.

If your DM is making you stick with RKV's default fluff, you're stuck with the domains offered by Wee Jas though. I can't remember if undeath was added to her list, but I'm pretty sure planning wasn't so you're going to lose a couple of feats to picking up extend and persistent spell before DMM. Nightsticks (libris mortis) are your friends, providing the DM hasn't fixed or nixed them.

[ranger557]

The optimizer's choice is DMM persist clericzilla with RKV used to splash on some maneuvers.

Since divine power is a thing, cloistered cleric is fine if you have some use for the knowledge domain, but otherwise you're probably better off sticking with standard cleric.

If your DM is making you stick with RKV's default fluff, you're stuck with the domains offered by Wee Jas though. I can't remember if undeath was added to her list, but I'm pretty sure planning wasn't so you're going to lose a couple of feats to picking up extend and persistent spell before DMM. Nightsticks (libris mortis) are your friends, providing the DM hasn't fixed or nixed them.

That is what I am thinking as well, to go the heavy casting build because our group already has an arcanist, a melee warrior, and a rogue type characters. However, I will be the other melee character as well but I am not sure how to spread my score across the board. Should I rely more on Wis than Str or vice versa?

This is what I have at first, but I could change it. I was thinking I am the only divine caster so thats why the High Wisdom but I could go Higher Strength because I will focus on melee......obvious from the RKV right?

Level 7 Cleric4/Crus1/RKV2

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

Also I am still debating the Cloister cleric because it gives better skills and I can get the knowledge devotion feat in exchange. Is it worth it to lose one less average 1hp and 1 less BAB? Thanks, I feel like this build is complicated lol

[gallagher]

That is what I am thinking as well, to go the heavy casting build because our group already has an arcanist, a melee warrior, and a rogue type characters. However, I will be the other melee character as well but I am not sure how to spread my score across the board. Should I rely more on Wis than Str or vice versa?

This is what I have at first, but I could change it. I was thinking I am the only divine caster so thats why the High Wisdom but I could go Higher Strength because I will focus on melee......obvious from the RKV right?

Level 7 Cleric4/Crus1/RKV2

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

Also I am still debating the Cloister cleric because it gives better skills and I can get the knowledge devotion feat in exchange. Is it worth it to lose one less average 1hp and 1 less BAB? Thanks, I feel like this build is complicated lolit actually isnt complicated at all. Take the cloistered cleric, and once you have the ability to use divine power, the difference will be moot.