Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XL [Archive]

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Amphetryon

2012-12-01, 07:28 PM

Welcome, contestants, judges, and guests to Iron Chef XL. 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, December 15th, 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, January 5th, 2013 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 Adventurer's Nightsong Infiltrator!
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)
Iron Chef XXXVI: Acolyte of the Skin (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=252923)
Iron Chef XXXVII: Justiciar (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13865473)
Iron Chef XXXVIII: Hand of the Winged Master (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=257723)
Iron Chef XXXIX: Renegade Mastermaker (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=260333)

Amphetryon

2012-12-01, 07:34 PM

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). 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.

I can't help but notice the extra time the judges get this round. What gives? With the holiday season and end of the semester and year upon us, it's often been difficult to have judges find the time to finish in 2 weeks in December. By contrast, feedback from contestants on the nature of their creative process is that it's often a single, massive outpouring of inspiration, which extra time may not benefit and (in some cases) may hinder due to the pernicious nature of hindsight. That said, if folks would prefer the extra time be split evenly between contest deadline and judging deadline, I'll take it under advisement.

Venger

2012-12-01, 08:57 PM

this class is amazingly lackluster. I'm in to cook

RFLS

2012-12-01, 11:50 PM

What's the ruling on LA adjustment? Normal deduction for elegance, or disallowed?

Draz74

2012-12-02, 12:02 AM

Aww, I was kind of hoping for the ingredient this time to be something that made a pun with the Roman numeral "XL" = "extra-large."

Piggy Knowles

2012-12-02, 12:11 AM

Hmm... Nightsong Infiltrator... I'd like to say I'm entering to cook, although I said that about Tactical Soldier, too, without ever managing to come up with something worthwhile.

If I don't come up with anything decent, I'll judge this round, though.

What's the ruling on LA adjustment? Normal deduction for elegance, or disallowed?

I don't recall ever seeing a judge penalize LA in elegance, unless it's something particularly cheesy. Quite a few top builds have had level adjustments.

LA buyoff, on the other hand, is kind of hit or miss. My experience is that most judges will penalize you in elegance for assuming it, but every now and then you'll get a judge who will penalize you in power for NOT using it. My typical approach is to not use LA buyoff in the build itself, but include an "adaptations" section or something similar where I mention that if it's allowed, the build should instead go this way.

Dusk Eclipse

2012-12-02, 12:46 AM

In my experience the LA level is a bitch to work in the table...

Macabaret

2012-12-02, 02:17 AM

Whoo-hoo! I have this book.

And, I think I have an apron around here somewhere. I'll cook up a build this round.

Venger

2012-12-02, 02:44 AM

Amphetryon

2012-12-02, 07:34 AM

what is the ruling on our HiPS?

it's cited against ranger hips, but since we're supposed to be urban thieves skulking around cities and the like, I don't see much opportunity to use it. are we using the RAW by natural terrain, or shadow?

It specifies natural terrain, and says to see the Ranger Class feature. That seems the clear reading.

Amphetryon

2012-12-02, 09:30 AM

I'd like to get some clarification on Teamwork Sneak Attack but I wasn't sure if this counted as speculation.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nightsong Infiltrator

Any ally of the infiltrator who is also flanking the infiltrator's opponent deals this extra damage as well. [...] If a nightsong infiltrator or her ally gets a sneak attack bonus from another source (such as levels of rogue), the bonuses on damage stack.
Player A is a Rogue 10/Nightsong Infiltrator 10 with Craven, Crippling Strike, and a Deadly Precision Weapon. Total Sneak Attack damage would be:

5d6 (Rogue levels)
2d6 (Nightsong Infiltrator)
1d6 (Deadly Precision)
+20 (Craven)
2 Str damage (Crippling Strike)

Player A is flanking a target with Player B. How much Sneak Attack damage does this ability give to Player B?

I can see in the second bolded part what I think the intent was (Player B only gets the 2d6 from Nightsong Infiltrator, plus any sneak attack Player B may have already)... however, the wording is ambiguous. Does Player B get *all* the bonus damage from Player A and Player B combined? If so, doesn't Player A get all of Player B's extra sneak attack damage as well?
Player B only gets the 2d6 from Nightsong Infiltrator, plus any sneak attack Player B may have already. Any other reading appears deliberately degenerate to gain an advantage beyond the scope of the apparent design intent.

The Dark Fiddler

2012-12-02, 12:16 PM

Aww, I was kind of hoping for the ingredient this time to be something that made a pun with the Roman numeral "XL" = "extra-large."

That would have been pretty awesome, but what ingredients would have worked with that? War Hulk? Is there something from BoVD that uses the Deformity: Obesity flaw?

Anyway, I'm quite happy to see something from a book I own. Brainstorming, let's see if I can't enter this time around... if I can't, suppose I wouldn't mind judging again.

Kazyan

2012-12-02, 12:18 PM

I have a hare-brained idea. Maybe it will actually pan out.

rockdeworld

2012-12-02, 12:33 PM

That would have been pretty awesome, but what ingredients would have worked with that? War Hulk? Is there something from BoVD that uses the Deformity: Obesity flaw?

Anyway, I'm quite happy to see something from a book I own. Brainstorming, let's see if I can't enter this time around... if I can't, suppose I wouldn't mind judging again.
I once saw a TO build that got something like Colossal+++++++ size with the Obesity flaw, and I think was a Ninja, but I can't remember where atm.

On a side note, I may have an idea.

TroubleBrewing

2012-12-02, 07:52 PM

I've spent pretty much all day building, only to realize that the feature I was attempting to exploit just isn't worth the amount of potential power I was sacrificing to get it.

I'll post my ideas at the end, but for now I think I'm going to stick to observing, maybe judging.

Dusk Eclipse

2012-12-03, 03:03 PM

My idea is coming along quite nicely. :smalltongue:

RFLS

2012-12-03, 03:37 PM

I have a hare-brained idea. Maybe it will actually pan out.

Bonus points if it it's an anthropomorphic rabbit (this isn't real speculation, I just can't help a good pun).

Amphetryon

2012-12-03, 03:40 PM

Bonus points if it it's an anthropomorphic rabbit (this isn't real speculation, I just can't help a good pun).

Let us know if you ever come across one. :smalltongue:

ThiagoMartell

2012-12-03, 10:44 PM

Let us know if you ever come across one. :smalltongue:

Oh snap! :smallsmile:

I'll judge this one, I think.

Macabaret

2012-12-04, 04:32 AM

Let us know if you ever come across one. :smalltongue:

Ha!

(And apparently that message is too short so...here's me lengthening it.)

GreenSerpent

2012-12-04, 08:32 AM

Ironically enough Dark Lantern from Five Nations gives pretty much the same bonuses, and is a LOT easier to get into.

Dusk Eclipse

2012-12-04, 10:17 AM

Almost done with my entry, just need to finish polishing a few things and type the backstory:smallbiggrin:

OMG PONIES

2012-12-04, 05:51 PM

Ironically enough Dark Lantern from Five Nations gives pretty much the same bonuses, and is a LOT easier to get into.

Hence why it's not our Secret Ingredient this round :smalltongue:.

DangerDanger

2012-12-05, 11:28 AM

I'd like to join in. I'm a bit new, do I just post here that I'm in and get the build to Amphetryon before time's up?

Amphetryon

2012-12-05, 11:37 AM

I'd like to join in. I'm a bit new, do I just post here that I'm in and get the build to Amphetryon before time's up?

Pretty much, yep. We've even had unannounced competitors surprise the Chairman's inbox.

Hunter Killer

2012-12-05, 10:54 PM

I'm back for this one. I have an idea that I think I can make horribly, horribly broken.

Dusk Eclipse

2012-12-06, 08:36 PM

I'm back for this one. I have an idea that I think I can make horribly, horribly broken.

This I have to see, Nightsong Infiltrator isn't a bad class per se; and there are some nifty things you can do with it; but it becoming broken? I certainly have my doubts.

DangerDanger

2012-12-06, 08:57 PM

Group Sneak Attack. Is the ally bonus granted only when NI is flanking?

Amphetryon

2012-12-06, 09:18 PM

Group Sneak Attack. Is the ally bonus granted only when NI is flanking?

I'm sorry, I didn't parse that. Rephrase?

Piggy Knowles

2012-12-06, 09:31 PM

I had a pretty cool idea, but just couldn't get it to come together properly. But, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, this led to a related idea that is way cooler, and seems to be coming together perfectly! I definitely think I'll be submitting an entry this round...

Dusk Eclipse

2012-12-06, 09:31 PM

I think he means if Teamwork Sneak attack only triggers when the Nightsong Infiltrator is the one flanking or if it is a more passive ability like Teamwork infiltration.

DangerDanger

2012-12-07, 12:19 AM

I'm back for this one. I have an idea that I think I can make horribly, horribly broken.I think I may have broke it as well. Let's hope we arn't serving up the same cheese with our dish ;P

Amphetryon

2012-12-07, 01:03 AM

I think he means if Teamwork Sneak attack only triggers when the Nightsong Infiltrator is the one flanking or if it is a more passive ability like Teamwork infiltration.

A plain language reading of Teamwork Sneak Attack - specifically the phrase "who is also flanking" - indicates the Nightsong Infiltrator must be one of the party members involved in creating the flanking situation.

Hunter Killer

2012-12-07, 09:13 PM

This I have to see, Nightsong Infiltrator isn't a bad class per se; and there are some nifty things you can do with it; but it becoming broken? I certainly have my doubts.
Come to think of it, the cheese toppings are what break the build, not this class. I think it works pretty well with what I have planned, but I almost think that another prestige might be better.

Hrmpf. Not the first time Iron Chef has thwarted my first efforts. :smallmad:

Piggy Knowles

2012-12-07, 09:37 PM

My main problem now is that I have two nearly identical versions of the same build, each with its own pros and cons, and I can't decide which one to go with. Decisions, decisions...

Venger

2012-12-07, 11:51 PM

Come to think of it, the cheese toppings are what break the build, not this class. I think it works pretty well with what I have planned, but I almost think that another prestige might be better.

Hrmpf. Not the first time Iron Chef has thwarted my first efforts. :smallmad:

We're not... cooking the same thing, are we?

urgh.

GreenSerpent

2012-12-08, 01:20 PM

I'm worried. I think a lot of people have the same idea as me now.

Venger

2012-12-08, 02:46 PM

sent in my first dish. with all this talk of people fearing they've done the same thing, I'm going to try to cook something completely different.

Hunter Killer

2012-12-08, 04:59 PM

Dusk Eclipse

2012-12-08, 05:20 PM

I still need to finish write-up.

Venger

2012-12-08, 06:58 PM

You guys infer a lot of things from posts that contain mostly no information. :smalltongue:

I think you should just complete whatever you have because the "I thought this was too obvious so I didn't do it" mentality leads to a lot of missed opportunities.

I already submitted mine under that rationale

after shadow sentinel, where another chef and I built the exact same thing, down to the class level, I'm always a little worried.

that's why I'm making another dish. I'm certain no one else will do what I'm cooking up this time.

Amphetryon

2012-12-08, 07:18 PM

I already submitted mine under that rationale

after shadow sentinel, where another chef and I built the exact same thing, down to the class level, I'm always a little worried.

that's why I'm making another dish. I'm certain no one else will do what I'm cooking up this time.

Is it a [REDACTED] with an infusion of [OPTION] that abuses [CLASS FEATURE] of [ASPECT OF BUILD]? Because someone already submitted that. :smallamused:

Venger

2012-12-08, 09:40 PM

Is it a [REDACTED] with an infusion of [OPTION] that abuses [CLASS FEATURE] of [ASPECT OF BUILD]? Because someone already submitted that. :smallamused:

aw, man! how'd you guess?

now I definitely need to send in a second dish :smallwink:

Hunter Killer

2012-12-09, 01:28 AM

Venger

2012-12-09, 01:40 AM

I finally figured this one out. It uses elements of my first idea but comes out much better. I have a second one in the works, but it's going to be hard to put together without Elegance hits. :smalleek:

I always do best when I pick 1 category to try to do really well in, so I'd say go for it! you might do really well

ThiagoMartell

2012-12-09, 06:21 AM

As a judge I tend to favor bold entries that make me think "man, it sure took guts to do THAT", so I say go for it!

Piggy Knowles

2012-12-09, 01:23 PM

DangerDanger

2012-12-09, 01:57 PM

My build is near complete, mostly story time now.
Probably enter it in tonight.
Hope this hasn't been done already.

Venger

2012-12-13, 02:34 PM

My entry is in, and I'm pretty happy with it. I have another build that's all mapped out and isn't half bad, and I even have my tables formatted, but I'm not sure I have the energy to write a story behind it. I guess whether I submit one entry or two will be contingent upon whether I get any bursts of inspiration on the creative writing front.

you can do it!

my personal strategy is to think of a concept first, then do the backstory (after picking classes) and then to do all the horrible html coding. even if you've just got a build and can only bring yourself to half-ass it with the backstory, you may still place.

I had personal stuff going on during drow judicator and still snagged bronze by writing a couple of limericks about anansi in like an hour. I'm sure with 2 and a half days before the deadline you can do better than that.

best of luck to you and both your builds. my dirty pair of builds will also be vying for dominance. I too am struggling with backstory, but it's only coming from time, not inspiration. finals, man

Kazyan

2012-12-13, 03:00 PM

Yeah, I'm not getting through this. It's not an impressive idea and I have a different contest to flounder in.

Hunter Killer

2012-12-13, 03:58 PM

OMG PONIES

2012-12-14, 12:50 PM

Yeesh, I'm coming up empty with a lot of these recent ingredients. I'll blame the holidays for this one, but I really need to get back in the kitchen. This round, I'll be judging using my new criteria from Hand of the Winged Master. They made the process relatively painless, so I'd like to see if they hold up again.

My Criteria

Each entry will start at a base score of 12 (3 in each category), with deductions or bonuses awarded based on the following questions:

Originality:
Does the entry present a compelling backstory/concept?
Does the entry enter the Secret Ingredient through a method unique from the sample character in the source as well as other entries in this round?
Does the entry make use of any unique mechanical tricks/feat chains?
Does the entry avoid known cheese and overused optimization suggestions?
Power:
Does the entry surpass a hypothetical build that continues in the base class used for qualification (e.g. additional rogue or scout levels)?
Does the entry function at the same power level throughout an entire adventuring day, rather than relying on "nova" powers?
Does the entry thrive without an undue emphasis on items, templates, or other "add-ons" for its power?
Does the entry contribute significantly in terms of offense, defense, and utility?
Elegance:
Does the entry qualify for all classes taken?
Does the entry qualify for all feats taken?
Does the entry avoid reliance on any questionable rules interpretations, cross-setting material, or material specifically disallowed from this competition?
Does the entry avoid multi-class penalties and excessive base class dipping*?
UoSI:
Does the entry qualify for the Secret Ingredient and make use of entry requirements?
Does the entry complete the Secret Ingredient or present a compelling reason why not doing so is actually a better use of the Secret Ingredient?
Does the entry synergize the mechanical unique abilities of the Secret Ingredient with the rest of the build?
Does the entry complement the concept of its chassis through use of the Secret Ingredient?

*Where "dipping" is defined as taking two or fewer levels in a base class and "excessive" is defined as three or more instances of dipping.
Each of the questions above can be answered in one of three ways. A straight "yes" will earn a +0.5 bonus to the category in question. A straight "no" will suffer a -0.5 penalty to the category, and an ambivalent "yes and no" will wash out with no adjustment to the category. If there are any questions about the clarity of my criteria in general, please post them openly so I can address. If there are any disagreements with particular scores, please PM the chairman as part of the regular dispute process.

Venger

2012-12-14, 12:58 PM

Venger, it is not HTML used to format the tables and stuff for the boards. It's BBC, which is far worse. HTML is an elegant, clean language that can be used to write wonderfully semantic code. BBC is an abomination. :smallyuk:

I have my build together with a few good finds that I was not aware of prior to the contest (which is surprising, because I have been doing 3rd Ed since 2003), but I'm staring down massive Elegance hits due to cheese and build choices. :smallannoyed:

whoops! I thought that since it was on the internet, and it had brackets and tags and stuff that it was html. my bad. I've just made so many of these dishes, the brackets are sort of second nature. I wouldn't say it's intuitive though.

huh. wonder what you're cooking. good luck!

IdleMuse

2012-12-15, 12:07 AM

I submitted a build. I'm not terribly experienced with this, although I have competed before. Not so sure how well I've done, but the backstory kinda ended up a bit wall-of-text-y. Who knows, I'm just happy to have finally finished a build for this competition, rather than just leaving two-thirds finished ideas in my folder :smallamused:

Hunter Killer

2012-12-15, 11:45 AM

Hopefully I can finish on time, but it is getting down to the wire. I'm still formatting stupid BBC tables. :smallmad:

Venger

2012-12-15, 11:55 AM

Hopefully I can finish on time, but it is getting down to the wire. I'm still formatting stupid BBC tables. :smallmad:

there's another 7 hours.

are you using the forum to put spoilers and bold and such? that saves a lot of time if you have trouble just typing up the brackets and stuff in wordpad or wherever.

Dusk Eclipse

2012-12-15, 05:59 PM

Entry Submitted.... woot, I was fearing I wouldn't be able to finish in time; but it seems I did it with an hour to spare.

Piggy Knowles

2012-12-15, 06:06 PM

Eek! Have my second entry 95% done, sitting in an open (and unsent) PM to Amph on my home computer and only missing proof reading, a couple of BBCode tags and sources, but I just had to run out to help my wife move a few things for an event! Fingers are crossed that I get back in time....

Venger

2012-12-15, 06:52 PM

Amphetryon

2012-12-15, 07:02 PM

And now it's time for the reveal! Please avoid posting in this thread until after I've given the all-clear, thanks.

Amphetryon

2012-12-15, 07:05 PM

Putting the sting to the opposition.

Erin Blackhand, Leader of the Iron Tridents

CG Strongheart Halfling worshipper of Shaundakul
Cityscape Ranger 4/Fighter 1/Master Thrower [Complete Warrior] 2/Nightsong Infiltrator 10/Scorpion Wraith [Secrets of Xendrik] 3

http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/056/2/8/28eccbe847f8238ee29cdbaebcffa7df-d4qyaz8.jpg
Background
When she was less than five years old, Erin Songfeather's parents packed up their farm tools, sold most of their possessions, and loaded the rest, including little Erin, onto the back of a cart, hitching up their donkey, and setting off to make a fortune in the big city of Smokeheart, ever the glorious opportunity on the horizon for that small halfling family.

When they got there, they found it to be far gloomier and depressing, as big cities are wont to be. Erin's father took a job a local factory, packing crates, while Erin's mother attempted to make a little bit more money by baking bread. Erin was only seven when the factory shut down, pushing Leopold Songfeather and his family out onto the street. The first night, they huddled up in an alleyway together, wrapped in blankets, and Erin cried herself to sleep. Little did she know then that that was the beginning of her tears. After a week or so of being hounded by city guards and street thugs alike, the small pile of coins they had for food running out rapidly, Mama Songfeather heard a rumour that the local cathedral, dedicated to the cruel god Bane, took in beggars and put them to work, in exchange for spartan amenities. So that's how they found themself on the stone steps leading up to the towering edifice, staring at the great iron gauntlet raised above the intimidating building. The Songfeathers had always revered Shaundakul, the wandering god of the winds, but in their situation, what other options did they have? That's what Erin's father kept telling himself, anyway.

It turns out the 'work' they put Erin's parents to in the great Baneite cathedral was looking after the monster pens they kept, deep below the earth. Every day, her parents would be taken from her, leaving her alone in the tiny stone cell they were afforded, for hours and hours, and when they were returned, they'd be near-unconscious, bruised, sometimes with odd wounds and haunted expressions. One day, when Mama Songfeather was too ill to go to work, they just took Leopold instead. And when he didn't come back that night, Erin and her mother clung to one another desperately, expecting the worst. When the brutes came again in the morning to take Erin's mother to work, and her father hadn't been returned yet, she demanded to know where he was, what they'd done to him, but they just ignored her, forcing her out into the corridor. Crying and screaming, she beat them with her hands, scratching the face of the rough half-orc who was manhandling her. Erin watched as he shouted in pain, shoving her mother against the stone wall. The other man, a swarthy gnome, dropped the long, metal trident he was holding, and pinned her to the floor with his knee, as the half-orc kicked her in the face.

Erin's vision turned red. She could see her mother losing consciousness, and blood was gushing out of old wounds that had opened up, barely healed in the first place. Erin moved slowly out of the cell, the men far more interested in their cruel punishment to notice, and picked up the trident. Bunching her muscles together, like she used to do when handling her father's farming tools, she swung out with it, catching the half-orc on the leg, by the knee. Squealing in pain, he collapsed to the floor. Turning around, the gnone snarled at her; "Why, you little..", and started towards her. Holding the trident out in fear, Erin closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she realised the sound she'd heard was the gnome running straight onto the prongs of his own trident. His eyes now deadened, he slipped sideways to the floor. The half-orc was trying to get back up, half-limping towards her, so she pulled the trident out of the body of the gnome, turned, and ran. And so, fleeing the temple at the tender age of eight, Erin Songfeather cast aside her painful name, and began the life of a street urchin.

At some point over the next couple of years, Erin grows first to level 1, then to around level 4, as she remembers the prayers to Shaundakul her father taught her. She chooses the trident as her weapon of choice, and learns to throw it, to take advantage of her race's natural talents in that area, as well as to overcome her natural disadvantage with height. She also learns to climb, mostly to get out of trouble, and the roofs and walls of the city become her home. She names herself Blackhand; her hands are always stained black from climbing the soot-dusted walls of the city.

Around the time Erin is fourteen, she reaches level 5, and it's around then that she starts gathering other street scum around her. Mostly rogues of varying colours, they start learning to work together to ambush wealthy merchants or nobles, Erin using her skills with the thrown trident to offbalance guards or pin the mark to the ground so they can't escape while her gang picks off bodyguards. At the same time, she works on her lock-picking skills, stealing food and money to get by. By the time she's advanced level 8, she's approaching twenty years of age, and is beginning to forget her past. She forms together the core members of her little group, meets with other similar gangs, and together, they form a guild, which they call: the Nightsong Guild. With their pooled riches, they rent out a basement at first, and then later, a proper hall. Together, Erin and the higher level guildmasters work together to develop tactics and infiltration methods. At some point, the guild begins attracting people from outside the city, and a mysterious Drow stranger quickly moves up the ranks and begins teaching Erin poison use, better ambush skills, and his mystical Shadow Hand martial technique.
Build Details
Ranger Alternative Class Features used:

Rival Organisation (get social skill and AC bonuses against members of an organisation: replaces Favoured Enemy) [CS web enhancement]
Trap Expert (replaces Track with Trapfinding and Disable Device class skill) [Dungeonscape]
Shadow Sword substitution level (replaces Endurance with Walk in Silence: temporary bonus to Move Silently) [Champions of Valor]
Champion of the Wild (replaces spells with a bonus feat) [Complete Champion]
Distracting Attack (replaces animal companion with the ability to make people who've been struck by your attacks count as flanked) [PHB2]

Skill Tricks in Italics [Complete Scoundrel]{table=head]Level|Class|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Ranger 1|
+1|
+2|
+2|
+0|Sleight of Hand 2, Open Lock 2 (both crossclass), Climb 4, Disable Device 4, Knowledge(Nature) 4, Search 4|Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot|Rival Organisation (Church of Bane), Wild Empathy, Trapfinding

2nd|Ranger 2|
+2|
+3|
+3|
+0|Sleight of Hand 2.5, Open Lock 2.5, Climb 5, Disable Device 5, Move Silently 1, Search 5|Rapid Shot|Combat Style (Archery)

3rd|(Shadow Sword) Ranger 3|
+3|
+3|
+3|
+1|Sleight of Hand 3, Open Lock 3, Climb 6, Disable Device 6, Move Silently 2, Search 6|Alertness|Walk in Silence [Champions of Valor]

4th|Fighter 1|
+4|
+5|
+3|
+1|Sleight of Hand 3.5, Climb 7|Weapon Focus (Trident)|

5th|Ranger 4|
+5|
+6|
+4|
+1|Sleight of Hand 4, Open Lock 4, Climb 8, Disable Device 7, Move Silently 3|Ranged Pin [Complete Warrior]|Distracting Attack [PHB2]

6th|Master Thrower 1|
+6/+1|
+6|
+6|
+1|Tumble 2, Climb 9, Open Lock 4.5|Quick Draw, Improved Initiative|Sneaky Shot

7th|Master Thrower 2|
+7/+2|
+6|
+7|
+1|Tumble 4, Climb 10, Open Lock 5||Evasion

8th|Nightsong Infiltrator 1|
+7/+2|
+6|
+9|
+1|Tumble 5, Climb 11, Move Silently 4, Hide 3, Corner Perch||Teamwork Trap Sense +1

9th|Nightsong Infiltrator 2|
+8/+3|
+6|
+10|
+1|Sleight of Hand 5, Climb 12, Move Silently 5, Hide 6, Walk the Walls|Blind-fight|Steady Stance, Teamwork Infiltration +2

10th|Nightsong Infiltrator 3|
+9/+4|
+7|
+10|
+2|Sleight of Hand 6, Tumble 6, Move Silently 7, Hide 8, Speedy Ascent||Break Away, Trackless Step (self)

11th|Nightsong Infiltrator 4|
+10/+5|
+7|
+11|
+2|Sleight of Hand 7, Tumble 8, Move Silently 8, Disable Device 8, Open Lock 6, Clever Improvisor||Detect Magic, Teamwork Sneak Attack +1d6, Teamwork Trap Sense +2

12th|Scorpion Wraith 1|
+11/+6+/+1|
+7|
+13|
+2|Tumble 9, Move Silently 10, Hide 10|Martial Study (Shadow Garrote) [Tome of Battle]|Poison Use, Sudden Strike +1d6, Wild Empathy (vermin)

13th|Nightsong Infiltrator 5|
+11/+6/+1|
+7|
+13|
+2|Sleight of Hand 8, Tumble 10, Open Lock 8, Jump 2, Sudden Draw||Defensive Roll, Grant Move Action 1/day

14th|Nightsong Infiltrator 6|
+12/+7/+2|
+8|
+14|
+3|Jump 4, Tumble 12, Disable Device 9, Open Lock 9, Back on your Feet||Improved Evasion, Skill Mastery, Specialised Tools

15th|Scorpion Wraith 2|
+13/+8/+3|
+8|
+15|
+3|Move Silently 13, Hide 13|Martial Stance (Assassin's Stance) [Tome of Battle]|Darkness, Unexpected Assault

16th|Nightsong Infiltrator 7|
+14/+9/+4|
+8|
+15|
+3|Jump 5, Disable Device 11, Open Lock 11, Search 7, Wall Jumper||Teamwork Trap Sense +3, Trackless Step (allies)

17th|Nightsong Infiltrator 8|
+15/+10/+5|
+8|
+16|
+3|Disable Device 14, Open Lock 14, Opening Tap||Teamwork Infiltration +4, Teamwork Sneak Attack +2d6

18th|Scorpion Wraith 3|
+16/+11/+6/+1|
+9|
+16|
+4|Move Silently 16, Hide 16|Travel Devotion [Complete Champion]|Sudden Strike +2d6, Veil of Shadow

19th|Nightsong Infiltrator 9|
+16/+11/+6/+1|
+10|
+16|
+5|Disable Device 16, Open Lock 16, Search 9, Hidden Blade||Grant Move Action 2/day

20th|Nightsong Infiltrator 10|
+17/+12/+7/+2|
+10|
+17|
+5|Search 10, Use Rope 5, Acrobatic Backstab||Hide in Plain Sight, Teamwork Trap Sense +4[/table]

Final Skill Ranks
Climb 12
Disable Device 16
Hide 16
Jump 5
Knowledge (Nature) 4
Move Silently 16
Open Lock 16
Search 10
Sleight of Hand 8
Tumble 12
Use Rope 5
Starting Abilities (32pt buy)
Strength 10 (12, -2 racial)
Dexterity 18 (16, +2 racial)
Constitution 8
Intelligence 10
Wisdom 18
Charisma 8

Level-ups and cash should be put into Constitution, then maybe Dexterity some more. Depending on the kind of campaign, switching out some points of Wisdom would allow a higher Charisma. The reason for the high Wisdom is the generally poor Will Save of the build, as well as providing important bonuses to Spot and Listen.

EquipmentMost of the character's wealth by level should be saved towards better weapons. A good trident with Returning should be obtained as soon as possible, followed by Deadly Precision. Shoring up the weak saves is also a must. A Monk's Belt would be very useful, too, given her high wisdom. Other than that, items to help breaking into places or escaping if situations go bad can't hurt. Magic armour is less important, if you've managed to put some point into Constitution or obtain an Amulet of Health. Early on in the build, items that boost Sleight of Hand checks would be useful.

Build Notes and StrategyThe build really gets started at lvl5 or 6, where it more or less functions as a Rogue with full BAB instead of Sneak Attack. Designed to work better as part of a team even from this early, Sneaky Shot from Master Thrower lets you use your Sleight of Hand check to good effect to get a good first 'shot' in, maximising your chance of heitting even armoured opponents, preferably using your thrown trident with Ranged Pin to lock the target down, but even if not, Distracting Attack lets allies Sneak Attack in for bonus damage, if they have it. Quick Draw is obtained the same level as BAB+6, and by then you already have Rapid Shot, so you can actually make three iterative attacks (at +8/+8/+3) at level 6, although by that point you're probably stil using mundane weapons for some of those, depending on cash flow. The Trident was chosen to take advantage of the Ranger's Martial Weapon proficiency; while the damage is the same as a Spear (the other high-damage thrown weapon in core), you only need one hand to throw a trident, leaving the other free for hanging onto walls etc. until you get Corner Perch. Climbing, and attacking from height, is really the core battle strategy of this build.

The next major point comes at lvl11, when you first get Teamwork Sneak Attack. Now, everyone can benefit from your Distracting attack, even if they aren't rogues or similar. Around these levels you're also getting a lot of useful 'survival' abilities, like skill tricks which aid your movement, Blind-Fight to help out in situations where it's needed, while also raising your rogue skills to help with breaking into places unseen. At lvl12 you obtain Shadow Garrote, another useful way of making people flat-footed if you want to hold onto your weapon (or are disarmed). The Scorpion Wraith levels 1 and 3 are also placed just so in order to get the extra iterative attack one level earlier, before the 'dead' BAB levels in Nightsong Infiltrator.

Lvl15 I feel is the high point of this build. Assassin's Stance has just come online, providing some much-needed additional damage on each of your iterative attacks, and by now you should have multiple returning tridents. Skill Mastery gives you a lot of confidence in your rogue skills, and Defensive Roll and Darkness give you a measure of defensive options.

Beyond that, lvl16-20 is really just filling out the rest of the class, capping with the impressive Hide in Plain Sight. The last feat, Travel Devotion, could be a number of other things depending on playstyle, really. In general, I feel the strength of this build is the high BAB, which is rarer in rogue-like builds, ensuring that the combat maneuvers used do come off when needed to. The selection of skill tricks I've chosen are, combined with the urban focus of the Ranger ACFs, designed to emphasise the character's reliance on a cityscape to generate an advantage. With low hp, breaking into secure locations could lead to being trapped in awkward situations, so being able to quickly climb out of the way, knock open locks, and defend yourself while doing so is a valuable ability.

Going EpicBeyond Lvl20, the primary direction for this build I feel is to finish off Scorpion Wraith and start looking towards more supernatural PrCs to increase the shadow theme, increase the advanced movement options, and the hidden-attacker possibilities, hopefully continuing the sneak attack progression in some sense.
Thoughts on Nightsong Infiltrator
I think, in retrospect, there are two main problems with Nightsong Infiltrator. One, is the relatively late entry compared to the power level of its abilities. The Climb 10 requirement means that things like Skill Mastery, Defensive Roll, Improved Evasion are all coming several levels 'late' compared to base classes that get them. In exchange, you are getting some nice ally-boosting powers, chiefly among which is Team Sneak Attack. But even that is largely outclassed by a relatively easy-to-obtain Bard Feat (Dragonfire Inspiration). I decided not to go Bard with my build simply because I was worried about making the cool part of the Secret Ingredient redundant.

That brings me on to my other worry with this class; it really wants to be a good rogue PrC, but doesn't really progress Sneak Attack enough! 2d6 over 8 levels is hardly groundbreaking. I've obviously done my best in this build to mitigate that with Tome of Battle and another PrC, but it doesn't help the fact that the core rogue is probably better off staying where he is than changing to this PrC.

Lastly, I do wonder whether there'll be any kind of Scrying-based builds which use magic to scout locations beforehand for Teamwork Infiltration and Specialised Tools, focussing more on that aspect rather than the combat side. Lack of casting progression really hurts that route, I guess. Either way, looking beyond the rules of Iron Chef, Gestalt really helps this class out majorly, giving it more reasonable combat powers, or the casting side of things mentioned above. Additionally, use of Leadership or other minion-granting powers would allow much better optimisation of the Grant Move Action ability, and so on. The main problem with using minions or summons for that kind of thing, I guess, is that the minor skill bonuses this class can give them are pretty much just gonna be overshadowed by the follower's natural abilities!

Anyway, musings over. Good luck Judges, and thank you!

Amphetryon

2012-12-15, 07:07 PM

It's a bug, get it!. . . Good luck with that.

The Cockroach

CN Dark Skulk Factotum/Rogue/Nightsong Inflitrator/Hellbreaker

Stat Array:
Str 10; Con 10; Dex 17; Int 17; Wis 10; Cha 8
(Total racial bonus: Dex +4, Wis -2, Cha -4)
(Level increases in order: Int, Int, Int, Dex)
Final total: Str 10; Con 10; Dex 22; Int 20; Wis 8; Cha 4

The Story:
Armand dePlouffe cut off the sentence on his lips when he heard the door open. He glanced off to the side and watched as the rest of the Guild elders came in. With a nod to Doctor Wistorff, he moved to the table and took his seat at the head.

“Nightsong Guild meeting #1543, call to order. Guildmaster dePlouffe overseeing.” He smacked the small gavel in front of him against the table top and turned to his itinerary. “To open with, we’d all like to offer congratulations to Frederick Byman for his forty year anniversary with the Guild. Cake has been provided in celebration.”

The Guildmaster nodded appreciation as a plate with a slice of cake came his way and settled on the table at his elbow. He flipped through his files. “The first order of business is, in fact, business. We have an offer from the Mercenaries of Moonlight to acquire an artifact – a crystal dagger, pommel as thorns, hilt as a rose, the whole of the crystal blackened from within. They are offering a sizable payment. Also, the Children of Pelor has shown interest in the same dagger. We have been informed that the dagger is, in fact, the phylactery of a dracolich named Anphilious the Black.”

Armand glanced around the room, judging the reactions of the elders gathered. There were a few looks of stoic resolve, a few looks of mild concern. Doctor Wistorff’s face was pale. Madam Whisp made to reply, addressing the council. But the Guildmaster had just noticed something that drew his attention from her.

His cake was missing. His plate, untouched, had vanished from the table. All of the elders’ plates were still in front of each of them, most partially nibbled. But his own plate was nowhere to be seen.

Madame Whisp had finished her thought; everyone’s attentions turned back to him. Armand cleared his throat. “Yes, well, let’s all keep the project in mind and we’ll have a special session to devise a plan of action.” He glanced to his right, wondering at the space where his plate had been. “For the next order of business, new applications for guildship.” He shuffled the papers in front of him. “Just…uhm…one?”

He glanced left to right around the table. Many of the elders looked surprised. Madam Whisp’s eyebrows were crinkled in wonder; Doctor Wistorff’s eyes bulged; Frederick Byman rifled through his papers trying to confirm that there was, actually, only one applicant. Sitting immediately to Armand’s right, Winmore Henders sat slack-jawed. Armand, himself, was confused by the lack of applicants, but he had just noticed something he found far more confusing.

Sitting on the table, near his right elbow, sat his plate. There were a few crumbs scattered across it, surrounding the frosting-smeared fork. But of his slice of cake, there were no other signs.

DePlouffe turned back to the file in front of him. “The applicant is…” He scanned the page in front of him. “…someone by the name of ‘The Cockroach’.” The elders broke into chatter.

“Didn’t he break into the Iron Worn Vault a few years ago?”

“It would be more impressive if we could verify that.”

“Actually, I’d be less impressed if we could.”

“Rumor has it that a man by that name stole the seat-pillow of King Peltus II right off of his throne. Left all the jewels behind.”

The chatter continued, the room abuzz with rumor and speculation of wild and unusual exploits. Armand ignored it all. He looked over the application in front of him -- an application that was, mostly blank. Nothing definitive except that this ‘Cockroach’ had served no time incarcerated. Either he hadn’t done much, or he was good enough to not get caught.

The chatter around the room had devolved from a group-wide discussion to myriad conversations all happening around the table at the once. Armand reached for his gavel – but found it missing! He let out a sigh and reached for his fork instead. He banged the tines against his plate (thoughts of his missing cake bringing sorrow to his stomach) and called for order.

“I call for the vote,” he called out to the assembled. “You all know the drill – hold up your green card to accept the new initiate, or your red card to deny him entry.” Armand had his fingers curled around the red card in front of him when the vote was interrupted before it could begin.

With a whoosh and a soft thud, a blur fell from the ceiling and landed on the table top in front of them. The man standing, now, in the center of the table swept low in a bow. He was hard to describe; difficult, actually, to see clearly. Armand did note, however, that this man had cake crumbs around his mouth and a smear of frosting across his lip.

The Guildmaster took an instant disliking to him.

“If I may just interject something before you vote on me,” the intruder said as he reached into his pocket. His hand drew free with a flick of the wrist – and there, planted into the table in front of Armand, was a quivering dagger, blade tip buried in the wood.

It was a crystalline dagger with a hilt shaped like thorns, the pommel crafted to resemble a rosebud just beginning to bloom. The whole of it seemed to be filled with a swirling, smoky residue that blackened it from within.

Armand glanced around the table. Each elder gathered was dropping their red card in favor of the green. The Guildmaster sighed. “It would appear that the elders have voted ‘the Cockroach’ into the guild.”

The Build:
The Cockroach
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills Points spent this level (Total ranks)|Feats|Class Features

1st|Dark Template (LA+1)|
--|
--|
--|
--|Racial Mods: Hide +8, Move Silently +6|--|Darkvision 60', +10' movement, HiPs (in darkness), Resist cold 10, Superior low-light vision

2nd|Skulk Racial Level|
+0|
+0|
+2|
+0|Hide 4(4), Move Silently 4(4), Climb 4(2), P:Dance 4(2), Spot 2(1), Speak Language: Drow Sign Language 2(Learned)|1st:Darkstalker|Racial bonus: +5 Hide, +4 Move Silently

3rd|Skulk 2|
+1|
+0|
+3|
+0|Hide 1(5), Move Silently 1(5), Spot 2(2), Autohypnosis 1(.5) |--|Trackless path; Racial bonus: Hide +5, Move Silently +2

4th|Skulk 3|
+1|
+0|
+3|
+0|--|--|Innate Non-detection, Peerless camoflauge, Racial bonus: Hide +5, Move Silently +2

5th|Factotum|
+1|
+0|
+5|
+0|K:Planes 2(2), Open Locks 5(5), Climb 1(3), Speak Language: Infernal 1(Learned)|2nd:Combat Expertise|Inspiration, Cunning insight, Cunning knowledge, Trapfinding

6th|Factotum 2|
+2|
+0|
+6|
+0|Hide 2(7), K:Planes 2(4), P: Dance 3(5), Disable Device 3(3)|--|Arcane dilettante

7th|Factotum 3|
+3|
+1|
+6|
+1|Hide 1(8), Move Silently 1(6), Spot 3(5), Listen 1(1), Climb 2(5), Skill Trick: Shrouded Dance|--|Brains over brawn, Cunning defense

8th|Rogue|
+3|
+1|
+8|
+1|Sense Motive 8(8), Disable Device 2(5), Climb 2(7)|3rd:Alertness|Trapfinding, Sneak attack

9th|Rogue 2|
+4|
+1|
+9|
+1|Hide 1(9), Move Silently 1(7), Climb 3(10), Search 1(1), Spot 2(7), Listen 2(3), Skill Trick: Speedy Ascent|--|Evasion

10th|Nightsong Infiltrator|
+4|
+1|
+11|
+1|Hide 1(10), Move Silently 1(8), Disable Device 2(7), Open Locks 2(7), Spot 2(9), Listen 2(5), Search 2(3)|--|Teamwork trapsense +1, Trapfinding

11th|Nightsong Infiltrator 2|
+5|
+1|
+12|
+1|Hide 2(12), Move Silently 2(10), Disable Device 2(9), Open Locks 2(9), Spot 2(11), Search 2(5)|4th:Undo Resistance|Steady stance, Teamwork infiltration

12th|Nightsong Infiltrator 3|
+6/1|
+2|
+12|
+2|Hide 1(13), Move Silently 1(11), Disable Device 2(11), Open Locks 2(11), Spot 2(13), Listen 2(7), Search 2(7)|--|Break away, Trackless step (self)

13th|Nightsong Infiltrator 4|
+7/2|
+2|
+13|
+2|Hide 1(14), Move Silently 2(13), Disable Device 2(13), Open Locks 2(13), Spot 1(14), Listen 1(8), Search 3(10)|--|Detect Magic, Teamwork sneak attack, Teamwork trapsense +2

14th|Nightsong Infiltrator 5|
+7/2|
+2|
+13|
+2|Bluff 8(8), Hide 1(15), Move Silently 1(14), Disable Device 1(14), Open Locks 1(14), Listen 1(9)|5th:Improved Feint|Defensive roll, Grant move action 1/day

15th|Hellbreaker 1|
+7/2|
+2|
+15|
+4|Hide 1(16), Move Silently 2(16), Listen 3(12), Search 3(13), Spot 2(16)|--|Mantle of Darkness, Telepathic static

16th|Nightsong Infiltrator 6|
+8/3|
+3|
+16|
+5|Hide 1(17), Move Silently 1(17), Listen 5(17), Search 4(17), Spot 1(17), Open Locks 1(15)|--|Improved Evasion, Skill mastery, Specialized tools

17th|Nightsong Infiltrator 7|
+9/4|
+3|
+16|
+5|Hide 1(18), Move Silently 1(18), Listen 1(18), Search 1(18), Spot 1(18), Open Locks 3(18), Tumble 5(5)|6th:Quick Reconnoiter|Teamwork trapsense +3, Trackless step (allies)

18th|Nightsong Infiltrator 8|
+9/4|
+3|
+17|
+5|Hide 1(19), Move Silently 1(19), Listen 1(19), Search 1(19), Spot 1(19), Open Locks 1(19), Decipher Script 7(7)|--|Teamwork infiltration +4, Teamwork sneak attack

19th|Nightsong Infiltrator 9|
+9/4|
+4|
+18|
+6|Hide 1(20), Move Silently 1(20), Listen 1(20), Search 1(20), Spot 1(20), Open Locks 1(20), Slight of Hand 7(7)|--|Grant move action 2/day

20th|Nightsong Infiltrator 10|
+10/5|
+4|
+19|
+6|Hide 1(21), Move Silently 1(21), Listen 1(21), Search 1(21), Spot 1(21), Open Locks 1(21), Escape Artist 6(6), Autohypnosis 1(1)|7th:Martial Study (Shadow Stride)|HiPS (nature), Teamwork trapsense +4[/table]

Life as 'The Cockroach':

ECL 5:

Hide (5ranks +5Dex +8Dark +15Skulk) = 33
Move Silently (5ranks +5Dex +6Dark +8Skulk) = 24
HiPS except in natural light or daylight spell
Darkstalker feat
Innate Non-detection
Peerless Camoflauge
Trackless Path

The job here is to stay in the shadows. Scout ahead, pick a lock or two, and try to keep your blood inside your body.

Darkvision is your enemy as it takes away concealment in shadows. Hide behind a bush or a tree or a rock or, preferably, the BSF. "Borrow" a ring of the darkhidden if/when you can find one. Or carry a Dark Lantern (ToM). Or hope your party caster is willing to cast Darkness now and then to help you out.

When it comes to combat, hide somewhere and fling a dagger or a dart around. Snipe, snipe, snipe! It'll be slow, but effective. (Assuming, of course, that the BSF isn't big and stupid enough to get in the way.) If you can maintain concealment against your enemy, draw your dagger and snipe from ten feet away, stay hidden, then get a grip on your long spear. Even though your enemy can't find you, you still flank with a reach weapon. (And using that reach weapon keeps you out of the range of the Blind-Fight feat.) According to the rules for using the Hide skill, you can continue to hide while attacking (at -20 to the check). Stay in a flanking position and take those AoOs while you're hidden. Otherwise, just maintain your flanking position to give the BSF an easier time. You're not there to clean up in combat, but you can still help out.

ECL 10:

Hide (10ranks + 5Dex +4Int +8Dark +15Skulk) = 42
Move Silently (8ranks +5Dex +4Int +6Dark +8Skulk) = 31
HiPS except in natural light or daylight spell
Darkstalker feat
Innate Non-detection (is losing some value by this point)
Peerless Camoflauge
Trackless Path
Skill Trick: Shrouded Dance

You've joined the Nightsong Guild! Which means you're a member of a team. And you know what that means? Yup, Teamwork Benefits!! You qualify to lead a Climbing Squad (DMGII) and (if a Nightsong Enforcer on your team can lead) you can be a member of teams using Superior Flank (DMGII), Search (Dungeonscape), Circle of Blades (PHBII), Scouting (HoB), Awareness (PHBII), Door Procedures (DMGII).... Also of interest would be a Spirit Companion (DMGII). I'd suggest Transference and Lens, but of course, your party may vary. (Though, with your stealth and sign language, the 3rd and 5th tiers of Lens look very attractive!)

Your job in this group is, of course, to stay in the shadows. Your ability to climb (a Brains Over Brawn skill) using Speedy Ascent gives you another option for scouting. Stick to the darkness as you literally climb the walls (you OCD freak, you!) and eavesdrop on all sorts of conversations. (No one ever looks up! You'd think they'd learn by now.) Pick a lock or twelve. Find and disable a trap or two.

Darkvision is still your enemy and the same tricks apply. When in trouble, use your Shrouded Dance to gain concealment, HiPS to disappear, and Peerless Camoflauge to move quickly to safety!

As for combat, the drill remains the same. Stay hidden and keep a flanking position (something that becomes all the more valuble if your team has the Superior Flank benefit!) A companion spirit with transference will allow you to take a penalty to attack to give a bonus to another team member. Be the guy to take the penalty! Any help you can give the team is appreciated, of course, but do remember two important things: 1.stay in the shadows and 2. keep your blood inside your body!

ECL 15:

Hide (16ranks + 5Dex +5Int +8Dark +15Skulk) = 49
Move Silently (16ranks +5Dex +5Int +6Dark +8Skulk) = 40
HiPS except in natural light or daylight spell
Darkstalker feat
Innate Non-detection (has lost most of its value by this point, still...if someone's using a wand or scroll to scry on you, it could be handy.)
Peerless Camoflauge
Trackless Path
Skill Trick: Shrouded Dance
Trackless Step (self)
Mantle of Darkness
Telepathic Static

Your role hasn't changed, you're just getting better at doing it! With Detect Magic at will, you'll find those magical traps with ease. Combine that with three sources of trapfinding (yes, three!) and your search and disable device skills (with your bonuses), and you'll be laughing as you dismantle those traps. (Well, you would be laughing, anyway, if your move silently skill wasn't so good.) Locks tend to fall apart when you look at them. (Or, they would, if they could see you through the shadows.) You are the party scout, the sneak, the infiltrator, the...dare I say it?...skulk!

Darkvision can kiss Mantle of Darkness's ass! With MoD and HiPS, you no longer need fear those who can see in the dark. Scent, tremorsense, blindsense, blindsight, darkvision, seeing in magical darkness, mindsight (within 20')...pfff! All worthless against you! Hahahahahaha.... Just stay away from necropolitan psions and you should be just fine. (And even then, lifesight creates normal light, so a darkness spell from your friendly neighborhood caster should stop that...and touchsight need line of effect, so hide behind something solid -- like the BSF.)

Combat is still not your thing. Never was, never was meant to be, never gonna be. Live with it. (And you can, in the shadows. Keep your blood in your body and things should be just fine!) You're using cold iron weapons now to undo a bit of your enemies' SR (if you hit). But you're still doing the same things -- hide in the shadows, snipe from ten feet away, threaten with a reach weapon. If someone on the team leads Superior Flank (probably, by now), your teammates love that you're standing there providing the flanking bonuses to everyone -- especially now that you're granting them teamwork sneak attack damage.

ECL 20:

Hide (21ranks + 6Dex +5Int +8Dark +15Skulk) = 55
Move Silently (21ranks +6Dex +5Int +6Dark +8Skulk) = 46
HiPS except in natural light or daylight spell
Darkstalker feat
Innate Non-detection (practically worthless by this point, still...if someone's using a wand or scroll to scry on you, it could be handy.)
Peerless Camoflauge
Trackless Path
Skill Trick: Shrouded Dance
Trackless Step (self)
Mantle of Darkness
Telepathic Static
Trackless Step (allies)
HiPS (nature)

You know what you do now? You go wherever you want to go (dragons' lairs, kings' treasure rooms, women's showers) and you take anything that you want to take (the shiniest bauble in the hoard, last month's taxes, a long leering look). Added to your list of where you can go undetected (sewers, castle dungeons, the Underdark, Hell...) is now the wide world of the natural realm. Spy on nymphs bathing in a mountain stream a daybreak, run unseen with a pack of unicorns through a forest glade at noon, dance through an orgy of delights with sprites and satres in a garden field. And if a drunken goat-boy doesn't notice that his pan-pipes are missing, who's to say it was you that took them?

You have become quite the scout and sneak. When there's a mission to undertake, you get the group in quietly and safely, and find the mcguffin. Let the BSF carry it back out.

Combat is as it always was. Hide where you can (just about anywhere, now), fling a sharp object when you've got a clear shot, poke 'em with a long stick if you don't.
Just keep that blood of yours on the inside of that body you have, and you'll be able to retire at a ripe old age.

Notes:
It should be noted that, with the exception of Telepathic Static (only needed agains telepathy, which tends to be (Su)) and Innate Non-detection (only needed against magic, which is (Su)), all the abilities here are (Ex). This character operates perfectly well in anti-magic areas and dead magic zones. If you can comission an anti-magic item to be made, take it and don't look back. Otherwise, there are several magic items that can be of use to increase skills (Hide and Move Silently, certainly) and stats (which will help to increase skills) -- feel free to add them in.

If LA buy-off is allowed at your table, use it. The Dark template adjusted by one level and Skulks give another +1LA. The two levels could be used for dips into Exemplar, Tactical Soldier, Dread Commando, Nightsong Enforcer.... Feats and skill point allotment may have to be adjusted accordingly.

Sources:
Dark Template -- Tome of Magic
Skulk -- Races of Destiny
Darkstalker feat -- Lords of Madness
Factotum -- Dungeonscape
Skill Tricks -- Complete Scoundrel
Undo Resistance feat -- Fiendish Codex II
Hellbreaker -- Fiendish Codex II
Quick Reconnoiter feat -- Complete Adventurer
Shadow Stride -- Tome of Battle (Bo9S)

Amphetryon

2012-12-15, 07:11 PM

No jokes or riddles.

Matthew Mara
a.k.a.
Detective Comic #27
Infiltrator Azrael
Sharn: The City of Towers

class level breakdown
human ranger 1/cobra strike monk 2/ master inquisitive 2/ watch detective 3/nightsong infiltrator 10/vigilante 1/urban soul 1

Build
abilities str 10 dex 14 con 14 int 18 (increases here) wis 10 cha 8
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Ranger 1|
+1|
+2|
+2|
+0|climb 4, gather info 4, hide 4,know (dungeoneering), know (local) 4, listen 4, move silently 4, search 4,sense motive 4, spot 4, tumble 4|Combat Reflexes, EWP:spiked chain|Favored Enemy (Organization: Nightsong Guild), Track, Voice of the City

2nd|Cobra Strike Monk 1|
+1|
+4|
+4|
+2|climb 1 (5), gather info 1 (5), hide 1 (5), listen 1 (5), move silently 1 (5), sense motive 1 (5),spot 1 (5), tumble 1 (5)||Dodge, flurry of blows, unarmed strike

3rd|Cobra Strike Monk 2|
+2|
+5|
+5|
+3|climb 1 (6), gather info 1 (6), hide 1 (6), listen 1 (6), move silently 1 (6), sense motive 1 (6),spot 1 (6), tumble 1 (6)|Investigate|Mobility, evasion

4th|Master Inquisitive 1|
+2|
+5|
+7|
+3|bluff 5, listen 1 (7), search 3 (7), sense motive 1 (7), spot 1 (7)||zone of truth

5th|Master Inquisitive 2|
+3|
+5|
+8|
+3|bluff 3 (8), know (local) 4 (8), listen 1 (8), search 1 (8), sense motive 1 (8), spot 1 (8)||Alertness, contact (3rd lvl)

6th|Watch Detective 1|
+3|
+5|
+10|
+5|climb 4 (10), disable device 5, open lock 2| Vexing flanker|City watch training

7th|Watch Detective 2|
+4|
+5|
+11|
+6|hide 2 (8), know (engineering) 2, listen 1 (9), move silently 2 (8), open lock 3 (5), spot 1 (9)||combat expertise, obsessive specialty (know: local), profile

8th|Watch Detective 3|
+5|
+6|
+11|
+6|disguise 1 (3), hide 2 (10), know (engineering) 3 (5), know (local) 2 (10), listen 1 (10), move silently 2 (10), spot 1 (10)||cooperative interrogation, superior disarming

9th|Nightsong Infiltrator 1|
+5|
+6|
+13|
+6|disguise 1 (4), hide 2 (12), listen 2 (12), move silently 2 (12), spot 2 (12), UMD 5 | Improved Trip|Teamwork trap sense +1, trapfinding

10th|Nightsong Infiltrator 2|
+6/+1|
+6|
+14|
+6|disguise 5 (9), hide 1 (13), listen 1 (13), move silently 1 (13), spot 1 (13), UMD 5 (10||Steady stance, teamwork infiltration +2

11th|Nightsong Infiltrator 3|
+7/+2|
+7|
+14|
+7|bluff 1 (9), disguise 5 (14), hide 1 (14), listen 1 (14), move silently 1 (14), spot 1 (14), UMD 4 (14)||Break away, trackless step (self)

12th|Nightsong Infiltrator 4|
+8/+3|
+7|
+15|
+7|bluff 4 (13), disguise 1 (15), forgery 4, hide 1 (15), listen 1 (15), move silently 1 (15), spot 1 (15) UMD 1 (15)| Spring Attack|Detect magic, teamwork sneak attack +1d6, teamwork trap sense +2

13th|Nightsong Infiltrator 5|
+9/+4|
+7|
+15|
+7|bluff 1 (14), disguise 1 (16), hide 1 (16), listen 1 (16), move silently 1 (16), sleight of hand 7, spot 1 (16), UMD 1 (16)||Defensive roll, grant move action 1/day

14th|Nightsong Infiltrator 6|
+10/+5|
+8|
+16|
+8|bluff 1 (15), disguise 1 (17), hide 1 (17), listen 1 (17), move silently 1 (17), sleight of hand 7 (14), spot 1 (17), UMD 1 (17)||Improved evasion, skill mastery, specialized tools

15th|Nightsong Infiltrator 7|
+11/+6/+1|
+8|
+16|
+8|disguise 1 (18), gather info 2 (8), hide 1 (18), intimidate 4, listen 1 (18), move silently 1 (18), sleight of hand 3 (17), spot 1 (18), | Wolf Pack|Teamwork trap sense +3, trackless step (allies)

16th|Nightsong Infiltrator 8|
+12/+7/+2|
+8|
+17|
+8|disguise 1 (19), forgery 10 (14), hide 1 (19), listen 1 (19), move silently 1 (19), spot 1 (19)||Teamwork infiltration +4, teamwork sneak attack +2d6

17th|Nightsong Infiltrator 9|
+12/+7/+2|
+9|
+17|
+9|disguise 1 (20), forgery 6 (20), hide 1 (20), listen 1 (20), move silently 1 (20), spot 1 (20), tumble 4 (10)||Grant move action 2/day

18th|Nightsong Infiltrator 10|
+13/+8/+3|
+9|
+18|
+9|disguise 1 (21), hide 1 (21), listen 1 (21), move silently 1 (21), spot 1 (21), tumble 10 (20)| Adaptable Flanker|Hide in plain sight, teamwork trap sense +4

19th|Vigilante 1|
+13/+8/+3|
+9|
+20|
+11|disguise 1 (22), hide 1 (22), listen 1 (22), move silently 1 (22), sense motive 8 (16), spot 1 (22)||Detect evil, streetwise +2

20th|Urban Soul 1|
+13/+8/+3|
+11|
+22|
+11|disguise 1 (23), hide 1 (23), listen 1 (23), move silently 1 (23), sense motive 7 (23) spot 1 (23), tumble 1 (21)||urban sustenance, City ramparts 1/day[/table]

Backstory

Detective Comic #27

Like many things in his life, the next important decision in Mara's life came down to a roll of the dice.

A great bell went off above his head and he stood in front of the tired secretary on his dais. He shuffled into the circle like all those before him, the gown he was wearing for graduation still feeling a little long on him.

"Name?" the secretary asked him.

"Mara comma Matthew," he said.

"All right, Mara, best of luck."

The dice above him rolled round in their crystalline holder, great lumps of ivory fabled to be carved from a mammoth's tusk back before it was illegal to hunt them.

"27!" the secretary said once the dice had come to a stop.

Mara blanched.

The secretary handed him a sheepskin with a seal around it. It had a grinning comedy mask on it. Mara felt sick to his stomach.

"Congratulations, Mara. They'll be waiting for you down the hall."

"There must be some mistake," he said quietly, "I'm not-."

"Dice don't lie, kid. Come on, you're holding up the line."

Mara scuttled off down the hall until he found a room with a few murmuring voices coming out of it.

"Hey, Mara's here, looks like he's with us, guys!" shouted Golden.

He rounded the corner and saw a sizable number of his graduating class from the police academy surrounding him. There were many faces he had expected to see fleshing out the rank and file of the department's clowns. Golden was always setting off stink bombs in the mess, even if no one could prove it was him.

Though the rules of good conduct prevented Mara or anyone else from saying otherwise, he suspected Golden's gnomish heritage may be partially to blame.

He certainly didn't expect to see some of the others relegated to the comedy corps, though. Mara smelled coffee, and felt he could use a cup. He hadn't had anything to eat before catching the lightning rail to the academy this morning, he'd been too nervous, dreading this day.

An urn sat on the table, an appetizing tail of steam wafting from it. Mara reached for a cup but found a clawed hand on his shoulder. He swallowed and froze in his steps.

"Leatherwing?" he asked, but knew he didn't have to.

"Very astute, human. Outta my way."

Leatherwing elbowed him with his bony arms and clasped his fingers awkwardly around a cup. He drank it black and steaming, just as Mara expected he would.

"But… you can't be here," he said, feeling as though he'd made a mistake when Leatherwing's eyes reddened in anger.

"Oh, yeah?" Leatherwing said, punctuating it with a high pitched screech that made Mara's teeth rattle. "And why's that? Tell me, I'm just dyin' to know."

Leatherwing loomed over Mara now. The excitement had made the shifter live up to his name. The folds of skin shut up in his armpits had spread out in crude approximations of wings. The ragged legs of the pants that he wore under his gown lifted off the floor as his feet grew an extra joint. He was a good foot taller than Mara now, and the shade he was casting made it all too clear that he was at a disadvantage should it come to blows.

The crowd smelled blood in the water and started to circle up around the pair. Someone, somewhere started the all-too-familiar chant.

"Fight. Fight. Fight."

If it were allowed to build steam, there was no stopping it. Mara had to use his training and defuse a hostile situation. He could do this. He was an officer of the law. He had the diploma to prove it.

"N-now, look, Leatherwing, I didn't mean anything by it, just I didn't figure you'd wind up here is all."

Leatherwing's face was impossible for him to read now. He could never tell how a shifter felt when it was in its animal form. The bat snout that poked out from Leatherwing's face showed no wrinkles of aggression as a human's would. He couldn't see any comprehension in his amber eyes, but he couldn't see where their pupils began either.

Leatherwing's clawed hand lashed out and grabbed his throat. His wing fanned out and knocked a stack of cups to the floor with a crash that made the shifter wince as his giant ears picked up the noise. Had Mara been a braver man, it would have been the perfect chance to perform an incapacitating strike to the center of his sensitive snout, but he wanted to stop the fight, not make it worse.

"Why not?" Leatherwing screeched, his words barely discernible through his mouthful of fangs.

"Because," Mara gasped for air, "you're not funny."

Leatherwing gave a small noise of satisfaction and pulled his hand away, letting Mara choke. He shrank back down to his normal size and gave his vestigial wing flaps a beat. He hopped up onto the table where the coffee cups were and took advantage of the crowd's attention.

"No, I'm not! You think there are a lot of shifter cops? No! We're the ones filling the cells and prowling the streets. My mother didn't groom me to go to the police academy, she groomed me for lice, because she was a werebat. I didn't come to this to get applause, I came here to do my duty. That's the reason I deserve to be over in tragedy and you don't. My parents are dead!"

The crowd, who had been eager for a fight, was captivated by Leatherwing's performance. Some invisible member of the crowd began a slow clap. Before long, everyone else had joined in, even Mara. Such timing, such flair. Mara even forgot for a moment that Leatherwing was adopted and raised from birth by a nice dwarven couple.

Mara found an unbroken coffee cup and filled it. He tried to gulp it down like he'd seen Leatherwing do, but it was too hot.

The door to the room shut with a bang. The crowd turned to see the stern-faced dwarf standing before them, his beard as immaculate as the dress uniform he was wearing.

He focused in on the damage over towards the coffee table.

"We can't leave you clowns alone for five minutes, can we?"

He waved his hand and made the dishes whole again, stacked neatly on the table.

"Anyway, gimme your attention a few minutes, and we'll assign you your partners. But first, I gotta explain the noble tradition of the comedy corps."

Mara could hear the irritation in the lieutenant's voice and could tell he didn't believe that nonsense in their textbooks about this half of the force being important either. Nonetheless, with the way his luck was going, the best option was to pay attention.

"Way back when, cops were allowed to just take their tests, get assigned a partner, and if they didn't like him, they requisitioned a new one. But then some of the geniuses in brass decided that the department was having problems in PR, that folks thought of us as too grim."

There were grumbles throughout the crowd.

"I know, I know. Anyway, suicide rates among staff were too high, so they figured making half of us into clowns'd cheer folks up a bit. Make our partners happier, make the public happier, make us happier."

"Did it work?" shouted someone in the room. A few chuckles followed it.

The lieutenant tried to pinpoint the source of the noise, but it became clear someone was using ventriloquism when he determined it was from his own breast pocket.

"Well, smart guy, would I have to give this talk to new meat every year if it did? I know this ain't where most of you guys wanted to be. There's nothing I can do about it. Just try to make the best of it, and you'll get through all right."

"Like you?" chirped the lieutenant's breast pocket again. He said nothing, just turned and exited the room.

"Send 'em in!" Mara heard the lieutenant shout.

The room was packed even fuller than it had been as the number of cops-to-be in it doubled.

The chief took the color and cleared his throat. He gave a speech similar to the one Mara had just heard, about how it was his duty to keep the darkness in his partner-to-be's soul at bay, and show him the sunny side of life while his partner would keep his cheery optimism this side of bearable with occasional tough-love talks and remonstrations.

Honestly, Mara wasn't sure who this was supposed to be helping. He knew better than to say anything, though.

Eventually, the chief finished and began reading off a long scroll.

"Golden, you're with Silver."

"Figures," Golden said, making a face. He hopped up to the front of the room and shook hands with his new partner, a hulking warforged, scarred and pitted from battle. The instant the joy buzzer in Golden's hand touched his partner's metal palm, he experienced a short and kicked Golden under the chin, sending his tiny body flying across the room like a football.

He landed on a pile of folding chairs, but staggered out a few moments later.

"I'm all right!" he said. Everyone laughed, even the chief.

"Moving on," he said, and got back to the list. It was a while before Mara knew he was coming close to his name.

"Mara, you're with Wilson."

Mara walked up and shook his partner's hand. He was really a rather normal-looking guy. Mara couldn't think of a single way at all that he was his comically mismatched opposite.

They stood off to the side with all the others who'd already been paired up.

"Hey," Mara muttered.

"Yeah?"

"Is Wilson short for anything?"

"Nah. Sometimes the names just don't end up meaning anything, that's all."

Mara nodded and for some reason felt very disappointed.

The rest of the ceremony wasn't particularly eventful, and Mara and his partner began their patrol in what seemed like no time at all.

"So," Mara said to break the silence in the pair's cruiser, "what made you join the academy?"

Wilson shrugged. "Just a job, really. You?"

Mara sighed. "Yeah, just a job," he lied. It appeared he and Wilson really were mismatched after all, just not in any way that made him want to laugh.

Their radio crackled and told them of a B&E not too far from their present location. Mara told them they'd be on the way soon and they started toward the storefront.

They got out and Mara had to suppress an urge to cover his nose when the approached the corner shop. He knew they weren't in the richest part of town, but he wasn't expecting… whatever it was currently beating the inside of his nose into submission.

"It's sad, isn't it?" Mara said.

"Huh?"

"This place."

"Oh. I guess. Isn't it my job to be sad?"

Mara held the door open for his partner and blinked back a tear when he saw crutches for sale in the window far too small for anyone grown to use them.

"Yeah," Mara said.

"Hello?" Wilson said. "Anyone home?"

There wasn't any sound from inside the shop, and there wasn't anyone standing behind the counter.

Mara gestured to Wilson in Police Sign Language and asked what he was doing. Wilson signed back for him to play along and asked him to crouch behind the counter.

Mara hopped the counter and crouched down behind it.

"Marco!" Wilson yelled.

"Polo! Oh, dammit!" yelled someone else from the upper floor of the shop.

Wilson pulled a wand from his sleeve and hissed a magic word as a coating of something thin and slippery-looking coated the bottom stair. He drew his cloak around himself with a dramatic flourish and disappeared from Mara's view.

Mara saw a changeling with a stocking pulled over his face bolting down the stairs, taking them two at a time. The instant his foot landed on the bottom stair, it flew immediately out from under him. The robber's fell backward and landed against the stairs with a wet-sounding crack.

Mara popped his head up and looked out at the perp. He wasn't moving.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Mara shouted. He hopped over the counter and ran over to the changeling.

"Sir? Sir, can you hear me?" Mara said.

A wisp of fabric reappeared in the air. Mara gave it a tug and unwrapped his partner.

"Why did you do that?"

Wilson bit his lip and looked nervous.

"I just- I thought it would be funny."

Mara swallowed nervously and pulled up the changeling's mask.

He saw a telltale red rash around the changeling's mouth and rolled up his sleeve to find the track marks he suspected may be lurking there.

"Did you notice he was buzzing on agony?" Mara asked.

"Yeah, that's why he didn't change."

The changeling made a little groaning noise. Mara rested his ear against his chest to check for breathing.

"Sir? If you can hear me, blink twice." Mara said. The changeling blinked twice. Mara clapped a pair of handcuffs around his jittering wrists.

"Healing will be made available to you as soon as we're back at the precinct house. As soon as you're detoxed and capable of standing trial, you will do so. If you can't afford a barrister, the city will provide one to you. You don't have to say anything to me, though it may help you to do so."

They were able to load him into the car without any further incident.

"You're not gonna tell on me, are you?" Wilson asked, sounding very small.

"What, for miscasting a lousy spell? It could happen to anyone," Mara said, feeling a little sick to his stomach as he did.

"No," Wilson said, "for playing outside of my role. For making a joke."

Mara couldn't think of anything to say, so just shook his head.

It was going to be a very long trek up the ladder.
Eberron's Greatest Detective
The last few months passed quickly for Mara. He had been unhappy in his role as a glorified clown, but he'd done his part to make the witnesses smile when they told him details of the brutal crime du jour. Wilson tried his hand at dramatic monologues about a fictitious tragic past, but never got past the first sentence or so before the audience lost interest. He simply lacked the gravitas.

The time came for new recruits to be eligible for the detective's exam. Mara was first in line. He would be up for reassignment with a new partner with a detective's badge, and he'd heard rumors of a prize offered to the officer who scored highest in the class. Mara was going to do his best.

He sat for the test and did his part to swat away arcane eyes and curious furry creatures trying to peek at his answers. It was part of the test, as the whole point was to test how good each candidate was at gathering information. Mara did his part in his own subtle way. He had little skill for theft personally, but was adept in exposing it in others. Mara squeezed off a zone of truth in the last few minutes of the test, masking his verbal component under the flutter of a familiar's wings.

The proctor called out the prospective detective the parrot landed on.

"You there, are you cheating?"

"Yes, quite flagrantly!"

"Out!" The proctor pointed to the door, and the would-be test-taker shuffled out to sulk in the hallway with the others.

The proctor called time eventually, and Mara and the others left the room without speaking a word. Golden, of course, eventually broke the silence.

"I sat next to Silver. The goofball polished himself this morning. I could see everything in his breastplate. How about you?" Golden said.

"I just studied," Mara said meekly. Golden snickered.

"Good one! And you said you didn't belong here. Who you think's gonna win?"

Mara shrugged. "Probably one of the bots. They're natural when it comes to tests."

Golden sighed and lit a comically undersized cigarette. "Yeah, figures. Silver's an ok guy, I guess, I just gotta wonder what the rest of us are missing."

"Yeah."

The proctor came out with the last batch of applicants, including Leatherwing. Some small, mean-spirited part of Mara wanted to make a crack about his literacy, but he decided against it.

"All right, guys, get outta here. You win, you'll know about it. Don't call us, we'll call you."

There were a few scattered laughs, but not many.

Mara wandered home in a daze. His eyes were burning from taking the test. All he wanted was rest.

He rode the rail back to his apartment. The car was full of other bleary-eyed officers, dreaming the same dreams Mara was. He hoped fate was kind to them. Sometimes it seemed like all he could hope for, even if his track record was far from stellar.

Mara opened the door to his one-room apartment and felt something amiss. The coat he'd worn to the examination was thin out of habit, not necessity. It was protocol not to dress too warmly when on active duty, so an officer's senses could pick up on subtle changes in the atmospheric temperature. It had caught them more than one wayward frost mage in the past. He felt it was a touch too warm in the cramped space. Someone else was there.

He took a step towards the high-backed chair in the center of the room. It always faced toward the door specifically so no one could hide in it. Mara reached for his weapon and kept talking.

"How'd you get in?"

The chair spun around to reveal a figure striking in its nondescript nature. It was dressed in a form-fitting but somehow still androgynous black unitard. Its hands were wrapped in long, black gloves, and its head was concealed in a roughly oval mask. Mara didn't see any holes for eyes or a mouth, but didn't hear any breathing. The room was eerily silent. The figure drew itself up to its full height, well over six feet, and took a step towards Mara, making no sound on the squeaky floorboards of his apartment.

"Identify yourself now, or I am well within my legal rights as a citizen of Stormreach to use deadly force. I'm a cop. Just get out the way you came in, and no one has to get hurt."

Mara took a step back as he heard a grating, unnatural noise come from the creature's direction. He saw a black choker around its neck, doubtless a tool to distort its voice. He was proved correct after it stopped what he realized was laughter and began to speak.

"Is that any way to address your superior, Officer Mara? Or should I say, Detective Mara?"

Mara backed towards the wall and reached for a wand to turn on the lights. While the room lit up, the figure's features were no clearer to him. It seemed surrounded in some kind of shadow or haze. He could see neither breadth nor slenderness of shoulder, not bulge of muscle or breast, or the slightest hint of hair under the mask. It must be some kind of glamor, and an expensive one, too.

"Let's see some ID."

The thing in front of him laughed again, a noise like a mouthful of broken glass.

"I'm sure that someone of your perceptive qualities has ascertained by now my wish to remain anonymous."

"What's your rank then, if you're allowed to come here in the middle of the night without telling anybody?"

The figure shook its head.

"At our echelon, we have no more use for your petty ranks, much less names. You do remember that you were told you'd know if you won the prize."

Mara lowered his weapon.

"You mean I got the highest score?"

"Yes, Detective. Congratulations."

Mara let out a nervous giggle and holstered his weapon.

"I'm sorry sir, or, uh, ma'am?"

It laughed again, and Mara wished it wouldn't.

"As I said, I have no more use for such monikers. You are a funny one, Detective. "

"That's what you pay me for."

The figure extended an arm and beckoned for Mara to sit. He did so.

"If it's so important, you can call me Rothbart. I'm here to tell you the truth about the schism in the police department."

"The what?"

Rothbart gave what Mara supposed was intended to be a knowing chuckle, but didn't sound much like one when the filter was finished with it.

"You see, despite popular knowledge to the contrary, the division of recruits into two houses had nothing to do with public opinion or suicide rates. Both remained perfectly static after the change."

Mara was confused. "But the statistics, they back it up."

"All falsified."

"What's the point?"

"The point, Detective, is why I am here. You see, the department's aware of the discrepancy between certain officers' dispositions and their placement. It's deliberate."

"Why?"

"Because only the most determined can perform under that kind of stress."

Mara shook his head. "But why the pretense?"

Rothbart gestured with a hand, the first time Mara had seen it demonstrate any overt body language.

"It's like the criminal gangs say, what's the best kind of spy?"

Mara responded at once, "one who doesn't know he's a spy." It had been on the exam.

"Precisely. You see, those of you who wind up mismatched are being forced to develop traits you don't have, just as you would in the field."

He wasn't sure he liked where this was going, but found it fraught with tragic potential.

"What are you saying?"

"How do you think we select men for our undercover operations, Detective? In your time thus far on the force, do you know anyone who has been selected for such operations?"

Mara shook his head.

"Well, we obviously haven't been sitting on our hands all this time. We appoint our men secretly. They carry on with most of their normal duties to avoid any opportunity for coworkers to find out, in case they're playing for the other team. We make our pitches in conversations just like this."

"Is that why the," Mara said, gesturing vaguely at Rothbart's face. It nodded.

"What is it you want me to do?"

Though he couldn't know for sure, his detective's instinct told him Rothbart was smiling.

"That's the spirit."

A Cowardly and Superstitious Lot

"You're going to be undercover in the Nightsong Guild. Given your performance on departmental evaluations, you'd be more well-suited to their covert operations division, the Nightsong Infiltrators," Rothbart said.

He supposed that would make him a Nightsong Infiltrator Infiltrator, but hadn't wanted to spoil the mood, so hadn't said anything. It was all so wonderfully serious.

"Do you remember that changeling burglar you arrested with Wilson a few months back?" Rothbart asked

"I do," Mara said.

"He was merely a symptom of a much more serious social disease. The Nightsong Guild has been smuggling agony in for months, but only recently wiped out the last remnants of a rival distributor. They now have an effective monopoly, and are planning to increase the price."

Pricier agony meant a lot of desperate addicts roaming the streets, and a lot more money in the Guilds' pockets.

Mara had asked the inevitable: "How did this happen?"

"Narcotics division is receiving a share of the profits. They would have more if the Guild were spending all of its money producing more product instead of settling turf wars."

Mara was shocked, but listened on.

"Part of your role is gather information from the Guild to learn who is controlling the local trade."

"How will I do that? Doesn't the Guild check out its recruits?"

"The department's contacts took care of it."

Mara said he would take the job, and extended his hand. When its glove touched his skin, he felt a chill that had nothing to do with the temperature of the room.

Rothbart produced a small, nondescript ring, and told him to put it on.

Mara did, and Rothbart told him the command word. He spoke it, though it wasn't in any of the registered magical languages. By this point, he knew better than to ask if Rothbart had a permit for it.

A tiny, hinged compartment on the ring opened up, and a great length of black fabric leapt from it and enveloped Mara's body. The barest slice of his skin was still open to the air.

Rothbart gestured, produced a pair of visor sunglasses from the air, and set them carefully over Mara's face, rendering him entirely covered. They radiated magic, which explained why he didn't find his vision hampered, nor did he find any difficulty breathing through the cloth that wrapped around his nose and mouth.

"Your new identity has already been talked up to the Guild. You're a transfer from a branch in Regalport."

Since teleportation was strictly regulated and monitored, he had supposedly come into Sharn by land. This explained the delay in his arrival, favoring stealth over speed, as the Nightsong Infiltrators were trained to do.

When Mara broached the subject of training, Rothbart produced a glass vial that looked to be full of a black, smoky substance.

Though he'd never seen it in person before, he knew from his studies at the academy that it was fog, a highly illegal substance made of an individual's condensed memories. Extraction of these memories was a delicate procedure, like removing the venom sacs from a puffer fish, and if done improperly could kill the victim or leave him a blank slate.

He didn't bother to ask at this point, knowing he would simply get a response about desperate times and measures or the like. Rothbart crushed the capsule under Mara's nose and the vapor drifted up into his nostrils.

Before him, he found memories of his hands dancing through dozens of locks, his feet finding just the right spots to step in to avoid leaving footprints, subtle motions with his body to avoid letting his scent blow on the wind.

The training of the Nightsong Guild now reverberated in Mara's mind. He knew exactly how to implement his training for the Guild's goals, or at least how to make a very convincing imitation of it.

His first mission was to shadow a shipment of agony and make sure that there weren't any witnesses. Rothbart explained the lack of any other narcotics officers on hand as the department wanting to trace the supply back to its source in the hopes of finding who was in charge.

The aim was to cut off the Nightsong Guild's head that its body might wither and die.

The duty itself was uneventful. He gave the attendant the name Rothbart had assigned him, Azrael, and gave his classification as Infiltrator, first-class. After a moment of scrutiny checking the unfamiliar agent with a wand for police paraphernalia, he told Mara that his story checked out.

He sat in the corner where people couldn't see him, or at least pretended not to, and watched sad-eyed workers open the crates and dole out the agony into tiny, glass vials.

Once they had finished their shift, the foreman showed Mara the door, and he began his real mission.

The driver that had smuggled the agony into the warehouse was in the back office warming up with a cup of hot cocoa, leaving Mara the chance to slip into the hidey-hole where the agony had been smuggled, a little false-bottom in the bed of the truck.

Mara's breath was hot and close around him on the ride back to HQ. He waited until the engine stopped idling and the driver's footsteps grew too faint for even his Guild-trained ears to perceive any longer.

Mara slithered out of the truck and surveyed his surroundings. He was surrounded by a bevy of identical trucks, presumably having returned earlier from similar missions.

He saw the name of the moving company, "Three Guys and a Truck," and searched around for the office.

The driver was making a report to a large, bearded man sitting in a chair, cradling a snifter of brandy. The art on the walls looked uncharacteristically expensive for a moving company.

Mara memorized his face and went out the door to report back to Rothbart.

He waited at his apartment for Rothbart to return. He sucked Azrael back into his ring and found his street clothes a welcome comfort. He didn't like playing robber for any longer than he had to.

Rothbart slithered in through his chimney, somehow not upsetting any of the soot caked on the inside.

"You could use the door."

"It's against protocol. You should know that if the fog did its job."

Mara nodded. "Right. I just mean, oh, never mind. I found the kingpin. But what good does it do? I need some kind of hard evidence."

Rothbart glided over to him, his steps eerily silent on the floor. He reached behind Mara's ear and with a flourish, produced a small, gold chain he hadn't realized he was wearing.

"Part of the perks of being an Infiltrator," Rothbart said as he raised the necklace. "This recorded everything you saw and heard. It's got the kingpin talking about the shipments if that was what you saw. All you need do is deliver it to the head of narcotics."

Mara swallowed.

"Can't I give it to someone else? So I don't blow my cover if he asks how I got it? I wasn't acting as an officer of the law, I could get into serious trouble with IA."

Rothbart shook his head. "It has to be you. We don't know how rotten narc's core is. Anyone you gave it to would be at risk of destroying it. You have to give it to the head, and you have to walk with him down to evidence yourself if it's needed. We've come too far to go back now."

Mara didn't see a way around it. "What's the activation code?"

Rothbart snarled another word in the cruel, illegal language that he had used to activate the ring.

"What if he asks me where I found the recording device?"

"It's on a need to know basis. If he asks, he isn't in our circle. If not, then it's moot. You had better hurry. Evening shift finishes soon."

Mara contemplated the necklace and took it from Rothbart's hand. He looked at it and glanced up, but Rothbart was gone.

He turned up for work when he wasn't scheduled and got some odd looks. The head of narcotics, Willoughby was filling out a sea of forms, sipping from a flask of Hasty-Tasty to speed up his pen strokes.

Mara opened the door to his office and went in.

"Mara? How are you, son? Take a seat. Did you leave something behind? Lost and found's not my department. Unless of course someone loses some illegal substances, that is, ha ha!"

His words were an absolute flurry as he rapidly shuffled papers to and fro.

"Well, sir, I brought you this." Mara took off the necklace and set it somberly on the desk.

"I'm afraid you're not really my type, Mara. You know I only date other elves."

"No, sir, it's evidence."

"In what case?"

"The case against the Nightsong Guild, sir. About the agony they're smuggling."

The avuncular smile left his face and he gestured towards the door. With an ozone tang of magic in the air, it shut itself, drowning out the buzz of the busy police station behind them.

"Mara, I'm going to have to ask how you know about that. You aren't assigned to the case."

Mara picked up the necklace and rested it in the palm of his hand in what he hoped was a suitably dramatic way.

"Well, sir, I have been assigned to the case," he paused for dramatic effect, "by von Rothbart."

Willoughby bolted straight up, his reflexes enhanced by the energy drink that lay half-full on his desk.

"How do you know that name? You're in very deep trouble, son, very deep trouble indeed."

He grabbed the can and quaffed the rest of it. Willoughby let out a mighty belch through his nose as he finished the last remnants. At least now Mara knew the reason a comic was in charge of narc, even if it didn't seem exactly productive.

Willoughby balled his hands into fists, leaving a flesh-colored blur behind his fingers as he moved. Mara had to act fast, or he knew Willoughby would have subdued him in no time.

"I have something to change your mind, sir, just look at this!" Mara spoke the command word and held the necklace in front of him like a protective amulet keeping Willoughby at bay as though he were a vampire.

The necklace exploded in a ball of flames.

I Am the Night
Mara awoke handcuffed to a hospital bed in the infirmary.

"You're up," said the medic attending to his wounds. "I wish I could say it was good news."

"What… you mean?" Mara croaked, every word dragging a file across his throat.

"Your terrorist attack. I suppose it would please you greatly to know that you were successful. Willoughby is no longer with us. You didn't get off unscathed though. Either your protective ward failed, or the Guild didn't see fit to outfit you with one, but either way, you sustained significant damage."

Mara squinted at his reflection in the medic's glasses and let out a shrill scream. His face was grotesquely burned, and his face and neck were peppered with shrapnel. He recognized a piece in his cheek as part of Willoughby's soda can.

The medic yanked it out with a gesture of his hand, the shard landing in a small metal pan.

"I'd ask you why you did it, but that's not my job. I'd wish you a speedy recovery, but there's a zone of truth cast on your bed." With that, he departed.

Mara recognized the footsteps he heard coming towards his room. They belonged to his partner. It seemed like someone else's life.

Wilson sat down in the chair next to his bed a respectable distance away, like he thought Mara would claw at him.

"I got this questionnaire I gotta ask you, Matt, but I'm just gonna put it away. Why?"

Mara choked out a halting response.

"Rothbart told me narc was dirty. Working with the Guild. I gathered intel and reported back to Willoughby to show him the guy in charge, the one at the moving company. Did we get him?"

Wilson let out a long, slow breath. He laughed a little, but then couldn't stop himself from crying. Mara did his part to pretend not to notice.

"Narc isn't dirty. They were trying to crack the Guild's stint dealing agony too, but it didn't have anything to do with Rothbart. And he ain't a cop," Wilson said.

Mara felt a deep sinking in his chest that he couldn't attribute to the painkillers swimming through his blood.

"We got a call from a moving company. Guy running it owed a couple months' rent, so we went to talk to him. Property crimes brought a sniffer if he had any violent thoughts and they found he's a changeling. Same one we caught way back when. They tell him the game's over and he comes quiet. We got him back at the station in a holding cell."

Mara's head was spinning.

"But the-the workers, and the agony-"

"An illusion. Programmed image. Rothbart or whoever he is said it went off when you gave the activation phrase. Only other person there besides you was the driver. He took you back to Rothbart's company and they staged the conversation for you. He planted the bomb on you when he got back to your apartment and told you it was evidence. Maybe if we'd got you before it'd gone off, we could play it like you didn't know better, but you killed someone, Matt."

Mara took a deep, painful breath.

"What he said about the force, about the divisions, how it's used to pick spies, none of it's true?"

Wilson shut his notepad and pushed his chair back.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I figure the junk's kicking in. I'll come back when you're lucid."

Wilson left and for a moment, Mara let what he'd done sink in.

There wasn't time to pity himself. He reached to the side table and picked up the shard of Willoughby's Hasty-Tasty can. He got a good, firm grip on it and the edge bit his finger. He watched the blood well up on his thumb and gingerly dripped it into the keyhole on his handcuffs. Without oil, some substitutions had to be made, his memory told him. After a bit of finagling, he sprung it open. He was still feeling woozy from the drugs, but was steady enough on his feet to stand.

There was a roll of gauze nearby, and he was able to cover the worst of his face with it. The man next to him was fast asleep, and had a hat and coat on the chair next to him.

Mara wasn't proud, but he had something he needed to do. He donned the hat and shrugged on the coat. A few minutes later, he was out the window and beating a path to the jail.

He knew where the holding cell was in relation to the rest of the building and how long Rothbart would be there. Before he could pay him a visit, there was one thing he needed back. The necklace. His hand burned with painful chunks of metal, and his memory supplied the name of a mage who didn't ask questions.

Mara limped his way there, staying out of sight, and used the name Azrael one more time to secure a favor. The mage pulled the shrapnel from his skin and crushed them together again, making the necklace whole in his palm.

"Present?"

Mara growled through his shredded lips.

"Something like that."

At street level, the bars on the holding cell's window were accessible, but too small to fit through. Mara was able to see Rothbart in the cell, lounging on the bed in the shape of the bearded kingpin. He only had one throw, so had to make it count. The necklace landed on Rothbart's chest, and he had just enough time to turn around before Mara spoke the magic word that felt all too familiar to him by now and shut his eyes so shield them from the worst of the splatter.

He started running off down the alley as Rothbart's blood started to soak into his crusted bandages. Rothbart may have killed both of his names, but one way or another, he would find a way to use his skills to put things right. He and the city would be square again, even if it took the rest of his life.
Build highlights
Level 5
Your training at the academy enables you to track. You're being trained in the art of unarmed combat so you can incapacitate criminals non lethally in order to arrest them.

You're moving up the ranks and have your levels in master inquisitive. Investigate lets you learn all kinds of cool things about crime scenes, and it works really well in tandem with your Track feat. You can follow criminals' tracks and discern the importance of the materials you find as early as level 5.

If the assailant's still there when you arrive, you've got zone of truth as a SLA, and if you're playing with action dice (since it's an eberron prc) you can use it a little more often.

You've even got an informant now, or whatever your contact is. Master inquisitive even gives alertness as a bonus feat for the SI so you don't have to pay for it.

Combatwise, you've got evasion, combat reflexes, and EWP spiked chain. You can now make a bunch of AoOs within 10 feet.

I'm not going to pretend dodge/mobility do anything. It's there for spring attack later. But in circumstances where you do run away from enemies, the +4 from mobility does stack with the +4 from the SI's breakaway ability, so that's something.

Level 10
You've passed your detective's exam and are in watch detective prestige. City watch training gives a +2 insight bonus on listen, search, sense motive, and spot checks. You also gain combat expertise.

As with dodge/mobility, I'm not going to pretend that you're going to use combat expertise but it opens certain doors for you at level 9 with improved trip.

Spiked chain lets you trip, imp trip lets you get a free melee attack right afterwards. Combine this with your 10 foot reach and enjoy.

Obsessive specialty lets you pick a knowledge skill (local here) and gain your class lvl as an untyped bonus to it, so that's pretty cool. The class gives all knowledges as a class skill, so pick what you like.

Profile is a weird little ability that works well with track and investigate. While talking to witnesses, you can form a clear picture of the assailant in your mind, and draw it. Very useful for making wanted posters.

Cooperative interrogation is essentially "good cop bad cop", and allows you to give an ally a +4 to an intimidate/bluff in any round right after you do the opposite. you can even buddy up with another detective and buff yourselves indefinitely.

superior disarming's handy if you get caught without your weapon, but you have a little monk, so you don't mind too too much. you probably won't be disarming that much, but it's nice to have the option available. spiked chain allows you to have a small bonus on the disarm check and not be adjacent to an enemy when you make the attempt too.

You've begun the SI and your career as a nightsong infiltrator infiltrator. What's it given you so far?

You can find traps now. Steady stance and teamwork infiltration are also up and running. With the groundwork laid with your earlier class levels, the SI will be able to have a much strong effect later on

Vexing flanker is up, bumping your flanking bonus from 2 to 4, making you more likely to hit with your attacks from teamwork SA and opening the door for adaptable flanker later.

Level 15 sweet spot
As mentioned earlier, mobility helps a little with your AC when avoiding AoOs when stacked on top of breakaway and now you're able to enjoy that.

You've got trackless step now, so you're quite a formidable investigator. Detect magic is up now, in case you're separated from your wand collection, which you've certainly been making use of, since the SI's kind enough to give UMD. it can also provide a nice boost against magical traps. even if you fail the check to find the trap, you'll still be able to find the magic.

Spring attack's up now, making all those taxes you've been paying worth it. You can move attack and move, which is admittedly lackluster, but why you really want it is wolf pack. wolf pack requires a dex of 15, but I'm not going to pretend that you don't have a dex boosting item of some kind this late in the game.

It's a tactical feat, and gives you one good maneuver:

Distract foe. when you flank with an ally, after the first round, you can roll a melee attack as a full-round action. If it works, roll bluff+damage dealt versus target's sense motive +BA. if you win, every ally who's flanking with you can immediately make an AoO.

Normally, this is kinda okay. With your team sneak attack, it becomes a little more attractive, especially if you have melee focused precision damage based characters in your party (especially if they have ambush feats)

Imp evasion's up, and with your save, you shouldn't worry about reflex effects anymore. Your allies can share trackless step now.

Level 20
Adaptable flanker is up, and merges with your spiked chain, vexing flanker, combat reflexes, team SA, and wolf pack abilities. This lets you occupy any square you threaten for the purposes of flanking when adjacent to an opponent.Your spiked chain gives you a 10 foot reach, you can actually count as being behind your enemy (if medium/small) as well, so your friends can be on the same side as you.

While the ability this is keyed off of, tactical soldier and elocator's "flanker" specifies you can occupy normally impossible to occupy squares (such as walls, other characters' spaces, etc) and this lacks such language, you can still threaten those squares (if a ghost came out of the wall you were threatening, you could attack it) so it seems not to change the end effect. As always, ask your DM.

Your level after the SI is completed represents your disillusionment with both the law and crime. With your reputation gone, you have to fight crime on your own terms.

Vigilante gives a boost to gather info and know (local) checks, which you use fairly often, in addition to detect evil as a SLA at-will, paladin style. While it is admittedly late in the game, and you probably had a wand already, it never hurts.

Urban soul is your transformative level. After you find you have to fight crime on your own, you form an unbreakable bond with the city, and become part of it. You no longer eat, drink, or sleep and heal 2x the normal rate. You also get a rage like ability that's stronger the larger your city.

Amphetryon

2012-12-15, 07:12 PM

Source list for Matthew Mara.

Sources
core-ranger, combat reflexes, EWP, monk, alertness, imp trip, spring attack
eberron campaign setting-master inquisitive, investigate
masters of the wild-watch detective
PHB2-vexing flanker, adaptable flanker,
Races of the wild-wolfpack
complete adventurer-nightsong infiltrator, vigilante
races of destiny-urban soul
Cityscape web enhancement (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a)

Amphetryon

2012-12-15, 07:14 PM

Also, Semper Ubi Sub Ubi.

E. Pluribus

While there is a lower class, I am in it,
while there is a criminal element, I am of it,
and while there is a soul in prison, I am not free.

The individual cannot exist without the society, and they are no better then its weakest point. E Pluribus uses his abilities to try and reinforce the weakest among his group, so that the whole may become strong. While this often seems to take the form of selfish criminal behavior, the actions and motivations of changelings can be hard to discern. When E. is traveling with a group, they move with stealth, yet are constantly aware and ready for ambush. When he travels, his fellows avoid the snares and pitfalls strewn across the path. When he travels, they learn to work as one. Yet, like his patron Traveler, he does not always reveal himself or his motives. If you do not know people at their worst, you cannot make them better.

The Record of Union

E. Plurabus, CG Changeling Team Member
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Savant 1 Level|
+0|
+0|
+0|
+2|Hide 4, MS 4, Spot 4, Bluff 4, Disguise 4, Sense Motive 4, Spellcraft 4, Climb 4, Disable 4|Able Learner|Academic Lore, Skill Assistance Spot, Trapfinding

2nd|Savant 2 Level|
+1|
+0|
+0|
+3|Hide 5, MS 5, Spot 5, Bluff 5, Disguise 5, Climb 5, Disable 5, Open 2||Talent Lore: Alertness

3rd|Savant 3 Level|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+3|Hide 6, MS 6, Spot 6, Bluff 6, Disguise 6, Climb 6, Listen 1, Open 4|Darkstalker?|Sneak Attack +1d6

4th|Savant 4 Level|
+3|
+1|
+1|
+4|Hide 7, MS 7, Spot 7, Bluff 7, Disguise 7, Climb 7, Listen 2, Open 5, Search 1||Skill Assistance Hide

5th|Changeling Rogue 1|
+3|
+1|
+3|
+4|Hide 8, MS 8, Spot 8, Bluff 8, Disguise 8, Climb 8, Listen 5, Search 5||Sneak Attack +1d6, Social Intuition

6th|Changeling Rogue 2|
+4|
+1|
+4|
+4|Hide 9, MS 9, Spot 9, Bluff 9, Disguise 9, Climb 9, Listen 8|Craven|Evasion

7th|Chameleon 1|
+4|
+1|
+4|
+4|Hide 10, MS 10, Spot 10, Bluff 10, Disguise 10, Climb 10, Search 6, Disable 6||Aptitude Focus 1/Day

8th|Nightsong Infiltrator 1|
+4|
+1|
+4|
+4|Hide 11, MS 11, Spot 11, Bluff 11, Disguise 11, Climb 11, Search 11, Disable 6||Teamwork Trap Sense +1, Trapfinding, Teamwork Ability: Scouting, Teamwork Ability: Search Team

9th|Nightsong Infiltrator 2|
+5|
+1|
+5|
+4|Hide 12, MS 12, Spot 12, Bluff 12, Disguise 12, Climb 12, Search 12, Disable 10|Improved Diversion|Steady Stance, Team Infiltration+2

10th|Nightsong Infiltrator 3|
+6|
+2|
+5|
+5|Hide 13, MS 13, Spot 13, Bluff 13, Disguise 13, Climb 13, Search 13, Disable 13, Spellcraft 5||Break Away, Trackless Step (Self)

11th|Nightsong Infiltrator 4|
+7|
+2|
+6|
+5|Hide 14, MS 14, Spot 14, Bluff 14, Disguise 14, Climb 14, Search 14, Disable 14, Spellcraft 8||Detect Magic, Team Sneak Attack +1d6, Team Trap Sense +2

12th|Nightsong Infiltrator 5|
+7|
+2|
+6|
+5|Hide 15, MS 15, Spot 15, Bluff 15, Disguise 15, Climb 15, Search 15, Disable 15, Spellcraft 11|Quick Reconnoiter|Defensive Roll, Grant Move Action 1/Day

13th|Nightsong Infiltrator 6|
+8|
+3|
+7|
+6|Hide 16, MS 16, Spot 16, Bluff 16, Disguise 16, Climb 16, Search 16, Disable 16, Spellcraft 14l||Improved Evasion, Skill Mastery, Special Tools

14th|Nightsong Infiltrator 7|
+9|
+3|
+7|
+6|Hide 17, MS 17, Spot 17, Bluff 17, Disguise 17, Climb 17, Spellcraft 17, Craft Blacksmithing 2||Team Trap Sense +3, Trackless Step (allies)

15th|Nightsong Infiltrator 8|
+10|
+3|
+8|
+6|Hide 18, MS 18, Spot 18, Bluff 18, Disguise 18, Climb 18, Spellcraft 18, 4 Gather Infol|Practiced Spellcaster: Chameleon|Team Infiltration +4, Team Sneak Attack +2d6, Teamwork Ability:Superior Flank

16th|Nightsong Infiltrator 9|
+10|
+4|
+8|
+7|Hide 19, MS 19, Spot 19, Bluff 19, Disguise 19, Climb 19 Spellcraft 19, 8 Gather Info||Grant Move Action 2/Day, Teamwork Ability: Friendly Fire Evasion

17th|Nightsong Infiltrator 10|
+11|
+4|
+9|
+7|Hide 20, MS 20, Spot 20, Bluff 20, Disguise 20, Climb 20, Spellcraft 20, 12 Gather Info||Hide in Plain Sight, Team Trap Sense +4

18th|Chameleon 2|
+12|
+4|
+9|
+7|Hide 21, MS 21, Spot 21, Bluff 21, Disguise 21, Climb 21,|Trickery Devotion|Rotating Bonus Feat

19th|Chameleon 3|
+13|
+5|
+10|
+8|Hide 22, MS 22, Spot 22, Bluff 22, Disguise 22, Climb 22,||Mimic Class Feature 1/Day

20th|Chameleon 4|
+14|
+5|
+10|
+8|Hide 23, MS 23, Spot 23, Bluff 23, Disguise 23, Climb 23,||Ability Boon +2, Teamwork Ability: Improved Friendly Fire Evasion[/table]

Spells of the Community

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

7th|4|3|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

8th|4|3|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

9th|4|3|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

10th|4|3|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

11th|4|3|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

12th|4|3|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

13th|4|3|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

14th|4|3|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

15th|4|3|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

16th|4|3|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

17th|4|3|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

18th|4|4|2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

19th|4|4|3|1|-|-|-|-|-|-

20th|4|5|4|2|-|-|-|-|-|-[/table]

For his Chameleon Spellcasting, he usually uses the arcane spell of the Trapsmith from Dungeonscape, which notably gives him 1st level Clairvoyance, Gaseous Form, and Haste, and Second level Dimension Door and Stone Shape. While he doesn’t take enough levels of Savant to get any spellcasting, he has taken levels in a spellcasting class, and can use wands from the spells on the Savant Arcane and Divine Lists without having to use UMD.

Out of Many, One

E Pluribus is focused on increasing the abilities of his team as much as possible. While some characters do this through spells or bard songs, E Pluribus instead tries to work at covering for the gaps in other peoples skills. From early levels he is able to use his own skill ranks for the hide and spot checks of his party members. He doesn’t bother with move silently as this can be easily covered for with the silence spell or other abilities. Trackless Step also helps protect them from any tracking.

His spotting abilities are later enhanced by the Teamwork ability, Scouting. This gives the party as a whole a free listen and spot check at the end of the round, using the lowest modifier in the party, but with +1 for each party member. E Pluribus lets the party member with the lowest modifier use his own skill rank instead, in the end allowing the team to spot even better then he can on his own. In case the free spot check a round isn’t enough E Pluribus learns Quick Reconoiter to give himself an additional free spot check each round. Between the two free spot checks, and a focus on spot, he should be able to see and detect anything, including scrying sensors and invisible creatures. If something is really hard to see, he can give his entire party a move action, to then make spot checks using his spot skill.

Another Teamwork ability that works well with the trapfinding abilities of the Infiltrator is the Search Team. The Search Team lets his search check apply to searches made by other party members. This speeds up the normally slow process of searching 5 foot squares once at a time. You might have noticed that after a while he stops taking ranks in search and disable device, that is because after a certain point he no longer needs them. The Infiltrator gives him the ability to take 10 on search and disable checks. He has 16 skill ranks in Search and disable, he starts with 16 int. Team Infiltration gives him +4 Competence on Search and Disable checks. Specialized Tools gives him a +4 Circumstance bonus on the same, giving him a 37 on Search and Disable Checks. The highest magical trap only has a dc of 34.

Superior Flank is combined with Team Sneak Attack to increase damage dealt, by making the flanking of enemies easier than it would be normally. E Pluribus can move in through stealth, making use of his Hide in Plain sight, Darkstalker, and his ability to make a distraction to hide with a bluff check.

One of his most powerful abilities though is Detect Magic. Combined with his high spellcraft modifier he can identify all spells that have already been cast, all spells as they are being cast, and furthermore, most spells that are cast on him in secret that force him to make a saving throw. If using even a +3 skill boosting item, he can identify all spells cast on him in that way.

One of his most surprising abilities is that E Pluribus is actually a spellcaster. From level 7 he is able to access most of the Trapsmith spell list, which is one of the most powerful spell lists in the game. 1st level Clairvoyance and 2nd level Dimension Door are especially useful when bypassing dungeon obstacles. He also can also use magic items with spells on the Savant Arcane or Divine Lists without having to make UMD checks. There are many great spells on that list including True Strike and Divine Power. Should he need to, he can switch away from Trapsmith casting to the spell lists of any other arcane or divine caster. In addition to swapping around caster lists, he can also swap around his Chameleon feat, adapting day by day, with it he can pick up familiars (He is a CL 3 Savant filling the requirements), magic item creation feats, Maneuvers, and more.

On top of everything else he is a changeling who can quickly gather information, and disguise himself as others. Craven adds a little extra punch, and Darkstalker makes him especially hard to detect. When necessary trickery Devotion gives him a semi-illusionary double.

Sources:
Changeling: Eberron Campaign Setting
Savant: Dragon Magazine Compendium
Able Learner: Races of Destiny, see Chameleon Prestige Class Adaptation Section
Darkstalker: Lords of Madness
Changeling Rogue: Races of Eberron
Craven: Champions of Ruin
Chameleon: Races of Destiny
Scouting Teamwork Ability: Heroes of Battle
Search Team Teamwork Ability: Dungeonscape
Improved Diversion: Complete Adventurer
Quick Reconnoiter: Complete Adventurer
Practiced Spellcaster: Complete Arcane
Superior Flanker Teamwork Ability: Heroes of Battle
Trickery Devotion: Complete Champion
Trapsmith: Dungeonscape

Amphetryon

2012-12-15, 07:16 PM

Staying revenant, er, relevant.

Aredhel Melwasul, Lioness’s Song
Wood Elf rogue 1/Ranger 2/Rogue +2/ Barbarian 1/Revenant Blade 1/ Nightsong Infiltrator 4/Revenant Blade +4/ Nightsong Infiltrator +5
Stats 32 point buy
Pre-racial Str 14, Dex 14.,Con 14, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 8
Post-Racial Str 16, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 8
Level up Bonus 3->Dex (at least 1 before level 11) 2-> Str.
Backstory

Deep within the bowels of Sharn, in a dark room protected from prying eyes (and scrying and other divinations), the heads of the Nightsong guild has gathered to discuss who will join their ranks.
“Our next candidate is… Aredhel Melwasu, she has proven herself to be resourceful and skillful enough to join our ranks, definitely as an Infiltrator.”
“No, just no, have you forgotten all the troubles that her kind has brought us?” yelled a human as he smacked his fist against the wooden table.
“Calm down Swift, when you joined the Nightsong you left all your ties, what the Valenar did against Cyre is irrelevant, besides she is young enough, she didn’t participate in the Great War” was the response from an aged elf.

“…. Fine; but I still think she is not fit to become an infiltrator, she is too reckless and doesn’t seems to understand the concept of subterfuge, I accept that her stealth abilities are incredible; but no matter what she will find a way to start a fight. With that in mind she should be an Enforcer not an infiltrator,” was the reply from the man known as Swift.

“Yes; but lately we have seen a lot of works being botched because our infiltrators haven’t been able to fight of the guard, I believe it is time to broader their skill set”.

“True… so you think she is ready to face the trials?”

“She is going through them right now? Then why did you summon me if you have already decided that?”

“Because protocol demanded I did so”

“…”

Meanwhile in a higher level of the guild complex, unbeknown to her the elven warrior was fighting for a place in the guild; but more importantly for her life, the construct fighters doing their best and then some more to protect the secrets of the guild. Her twin bladed scimitar danced through the air as she slashed, parried and stabbed, trying to find an opening to incapacitate her foes; but her attacks bounced off the plating that covered them. Finally when she was cornered she unleashed the fury of her namesake and with new strength and drive she defeated the automatons.

Once she calmed down, she proceeded to study the door those construct were so hell-bent on protecting, her finely tuned senses telling her that somewhat was amiss, what? She did not know, at least at the moment. Going through the motions with the ease of years of practice she managed to discover and dissemble the traps hidden not in the door as someone might expect; but in the frame of it, another empty corridor like so many she had found, yet the fact that those “golems” had protected the door told Aredhel to go deeper. Following her instincts she kept going avoiding traps and even patrols (despite her upbringing and her own instincts, she knew she couldn't keep fighting against everything). Finally she reached another door; but this time she knew it was the door as the rapier surrounded by a cloth engraving told her. Taking out her tools she started working on the locks that stood between her and her price. After some tense minutes were her senses worked in overdrive taking everything in, she opened the door.

Two men were waiting her on the other side of the door, before she could react the older looking one spoke:
“Welcome Aredhel Melwasul, welcome to the Nightsong guild”.

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

1st|Rogue|
+0|
+0|
+2|
+0|Balance 4, Climb 4, Craft (Wood working) 3, Disable Device 4, Hide 4, K: History 2 (4 cc), Listen 4, Move Silently, Open Lock 2, Search 4 , Spot 1, Spellcraft 1 (2 cc)|Alertness |Trapfinding, Sneak Attack +1d6

2nd|Elven Ranger|
+1|
+2|
+4|
+0|Climb 5 (+1), Disable Device 5 (+1), Handle Animal 1 (+1), Hide 5 (+1), Listen 5 (+1), Move Silently 5 (+1), Search 5 (+1), Spot 4 (+3) || Trap Finding, Elf Favored Enemy Giants* +2, Spiritual Connection, Teamwork Benefit: Group Trance, Elven Ranger Substitution Level

3rd|Ranger|
+2|
+3|
+5|
+0|Climb 6 (+1), Disable Device 6 (+1), Hide 6 (+1), Listen 6 (+1), Move Silently (+1) Search 6 (+1), Spot 5 (+1) |Bladebearer of the Valenar, Two-weapon Fighting| Combat Style (Two-weapon fighting)

4th|Rogue|
+3|
+2|
+7|
+0|Balance 5 (+1) Climb 7 (+1), Disable Device 7(+1), Hide 7(+1), Listen 7 (+1), Move Silently 7(+1), Open Lock 3 (+1), Search 7 (+1), Spot 7 (+2)|| Evasion

5th|Rogue|
+4|
+3|
+7|
+1|Climb 8 (+1), Disable Device 8 (+1), Hide 8 (+1), Listen 8 (+1), Move Silently 8 (+1), Open Lock 5 (+2), Search 8 (+1), Spot 8 (+1), Use Magic Device 1 (+1)||Sneak Attack +2d6, Penetrating Strike, Teamwork Benefit: Cunning Ambush

6th|Barbarian|
+5|
+5|
+7|
+1|Climb 9 (+1), Hide 9 (+2 cc), Move Silently 9 (+2 cc), Listen 9 (+1)|Weapon Focus (Valenar Double Scimitar)|Spirit Lion Totem (Pounce), Whirling Frenzy (1/day)

7th|Revenant Blade |
+6+/1|
+5|
+7|
+3|Climb 10 (+1), Handle Animal 1 (+1), Hide 10 (+1), Listen 10 (+1), Move Silently 10 (+1), Search 10 (+1), Spot 10 (+1)| |Ancestral Guidance (Power Attack or Weapon Specialization (Valenar Double Scimitar), Hero of the Valaes Tairn, Ranger Class features

8th|Nightsong Infiltrator|
+6/+1|
+5|
+9|
+3|Disable Device 11 (+1),Handle Animal 2 (+1), Hide 11 (+1), Listen 11 (+1), Move Silently 11 (+1), Search 11 (+1), Spot 11 (+1), Use Magic Device 2 (+1) Skill Trick (2) ||Teamwork Trapsense +1, Trapfinding, Nimble Charge

9th|Nightsong Infiltrator|
+7/+2|
+5|
+11|
+3|Disable Device 12 (+1), Handle Animal 3 (+1), Hide 12(+1), Listen 12 (+1), Move Silently 12 (+1), Search 12 (+1), Spot 12 (+1), Use Magic Device 5 (+3)|Wild Cohort: Leopard| Steady Stance, Teamwork Infiltration +2, Teamwork Benefit: Massed Charge
10th|Nightsong Infiltrator|
+8/+3|
+6|
+11|
+4|Disable Device 13 (+1), Handle Animal 4 (+1), Hide 13 (+1), Listen 13 (+1), Move Silently 13 (+1), Search 13 (+1), Spot 13 (+1), Use Magic Device 8 (+3) ||Breakaway, Trackless step (Self), Teamwork Benefit: Awareness.

11th|Nightsong Infiltrator|
+9/+4|
+6|
+12|
+4|Disable Device 14 (+1), Handle Animal 5 (+1), Hide 14 (+1), Listen 14(+1), Move Silently 14 (+1), Search 14 (+1), Spot 14 (+1), Use Magic Device 11 (+3)||Detect Magic, Teamwork Trapsense +2, Teamwork Sneak Attack +1d6.

12th|Revenant Blade|
+10/+5|
+6|
+12|
+7|Hide 15 (+1), Listen 15 (+1), Move Silently 15 (+1), Search 15 (+1), Spot 15 (+1), Use Magic Device 11.5 (+1 cc)|Darkstalker| Shadows of the Past

13th|Revenant Blade|
+11/+6/+1|
+6|
+12|
+7|Hide 16 (+1), Listen 16 (+1), Move Silently 16 (+1), Spot 16 (+1), Use Magic Device 12 (+1 cc)||Ancestral Guidance (Improved Critical)

14th|Revenant Blade|
+12/+7+/+2|
+6|
+12|
+8|Hide 17 (+1), Listen 17 (+1), Move Silently 17 (+1), Spot 17 (+1), Use Magic Device 12.5 (+1 cc)||Giant Slayer

15th|Revenant Blade|
+13/+8/+3|
+6|
+12|
+9|Hide 18 (+1), Listen 18 (+1), Move Silently 18 (+1), Spot 18(+1), Use Magic Device 13 (+1 cc) |Staggering Strike| Ancestral Guidance (Blind-Fight), Legendary Force

16th|Nightsong Infiltrator|
+13/+8/+3|
+6|
+12|
+9|Disable Device 19 (+1), Hide 19 (+1), Move Silently 19 (+1), Spot 19 (+1), Use Magic Device 17 (+4), Tumble 2 (+2)||Defensive Roll, Grant Move Action 1/day

17th|Nightsong Infiltrator|
+14/+9/+4|
+7|
+13|
+10|Disable Device 20 (+1). Hide 20 (+1), Listen 20 (+1), Spot 20 (+1), Use Magic Device 20 (+3), Tumble 5 (+3)||Improved Evasion, Skill Mastery, Specialized Tools
18th|Nightsong Infiltrator|
+15/+10/+5|
+7|
+13|
+10|Disable Device 21 (+1), Hide 21 (+1), Listen 21 (+1), Move Silently 21 (+1), Search 21 (+1), Spot 21 (+1), Use Magic Device 21 (+1), Tumble 8 (+3)|Improved Two Weapon Fighting**|Teamwork Trapsense+3, Trackless Step (Allies).

19th|Nightsong Infiltrator|
+16/+11/+6/+1|
+7|
+14|
+10|Disable Device 22 (+1), Hide 22 (+1), Listen 22 (+1), Move Silently 22 (+1), Search 22 (+1), Spot 22 (+1), Use Magic Device 22 (+1), Tumble 11 (+3)||Teamwork Infiltration +4, Teamwork Sneak Attack +2d6.

20th|Nightsong Infiltrator|
+16/+11/+6/+1|
+8|
+14|
+11|Disable Device 23 (+1), Hide 23 (+1), Listen 23 (+1), Move Silently 23 (+1), Search 23 (+1), Spot 23 (+1), Use Magic Device 23 (+1), Tumble 14 (+3) ||Grant Move Action 2/day[/table]

On Teamwork Benefits
Teamwork benefits are a sadly underutilized maneuvers that have an amazing synergy with the playstyle that Nightsong infiltrator encourages. In addition to that they don’t consume any type of resources except time. Their requirements is having a team leader with certain amount of ranks in a skill related to the benefit and the other members simply having a low amount of ranks in the skill for some benefits that can be quite substantial. Each Benefit needs two weeks of training to be developed and this be able to get the benefits, I suggest taking the usual downtime between level ups to train with the party to get the following benefits:

Awareness: Everyone gets +2 circumstance bonus to Listen and spot if any other team member is within 30 feet of each other. Spot and Listen are probably the most rolled skill so every little bonus helps.

Cunning Ambush: The team leader can hide other team members using his own modifiers, though the check uses the team member dex modifier and armor check penalty. Considering you will most likely have a huge Hide modifier this will help a lot in laying ambushes.

Improved Cunning Ambush: This is pretty awesome, any character that had been hidden with the benefit of the above teamwork benefit gets a full round worth of actions in the surprise round if they aren’t surprised themselves. One of the few completely mundane ways to mess with action economy.

Group Trance: You can share your trance with your whole party and get 8 hours of rest in 4 hours, Spellcaster still need their normal rest time to prepare spells; but this reduces the time you spent being vulnerable.
Massed Charge:The leader makes a special charge and all team members charge at the same time toward the same target each getting a bonus to their attack rolls equal to the number of members charging in addition to the normal charge bonus. Even though they move on your initiative count, there is nothing on the rules that prevents the other team member to act normally on their own initiatives.

Wild Cohort
One of the main damage sources is sneak attacking and the easiest way to enable it is via flanking, for Aredhel this is even better as thanks to Teamwork Sneak attack your flanking partner also get a little sneak attack. Now while flanking is a pretty sound strategy regardless of playstyle; not all groups enable easy flanking, either due party composition or playstyle. In order to fix this the Wild Cohort feat is selected, that gives you a constant flanking companion.

LeopardMountain Lion was selected primary due having 3 attacks and pounce which works as a force multiplier thanks to teamwork benefits and they also automatically qualify for all the teamwork benefits (except Group Trance) described above, the main one being Massed charge, which gets you and him a +2 attack bonus.
Due the way the feat is worded, even though you have an effective Druid level to select your companion, it doesn’t affect it bonus HD and advancement, which means by the time you first get the feat your leopard has 5 extra HD, +5 natural armor, +2 Str/Dex and some extra tricks.

Those extra feats help you customize your cohort to make him a threat. Your first priority should be getting the Island of Blade stance on the leopard so you can flank your enemy even if you are adjacent to each other, the earliest you can get it is at ECL 10 when your cohort will have 7 extra HD and thus 2 extra feats. At higher levels you could opt for a tiger companion or even a Magebred Ghostiger (level 11); but personally I feel a large white tiger would draw too much attention which is counterproductive when stealth is one of your primary strengths. .

Build Snapshots
A very important note about Aredhel and the Nightsong Infiltrator class in general, is that it encourages a proactive style of play. Many of its class abilities require some downtime to lay an ambush so you should try to go and look for encounters instead of waiting for them to find you.
Level 1: You are a squishy rogue with good stealth and perception abilities, use them accordingly. In combat you should use a longspear to maintain enemies at bay and sneak attack when possible (1d8+1d6+4 averaging 11 points of damage is perfectly fine at this level).

Level 5: At this point of the game you are less squisher and can go toe to toe with enemies more comfortably, you also change your longspear for your ancestral weapon, the Valenar Double scimitar. In combat you should flank as much as possible and full attack to make the most of your Sneak attack, remember that you also have Penetrating Strike to deal with those pesky undead, construct, elementals, etc. Out of combat you are one of the beast scouts available with good sneaking skills, even better perception skills and the ability to deal with traps. Your spiritual connection allows you to talk with animals to get a better idea on any surprised that might await you.

Sweetspot Level 9: Here is when your main stichk comes online, Using the benefit of Massed Charge with your LeopardMountain Lion cohort you can full attack (power attack optional) on each charge and almost assuredly get sneak attack flanking with your feline friend, who thanks to his own pounce and Teamwork sneak attack adds 5d6 sneak attack damage (if you have other melee friends this number increases)in addition your spiritual connection should allow you to command your cohort as a free action since you can speak with him. If possibly try to lay down ambushes and charge from your hiding spot along with your furry friend. As always your scouting skills improve and thanks to Teamwork Infiltrator you can share the love with your party.

Level 10: Pretty much the same as last level with slightly higher numbers.

Level 15: Legendary Force comes online at this level! This means that now you treat both ends of your Valenar Double Scimitar as two handed weapons, meaning you have 1.5 str bonus and 1:2 Power Attack ratio on all your attacks, this coupled with your sneak attack makes for a very high Staggering Strike DC.
Level 20: You can now grant move actions to your allies; but since you do it as a standard action it is next to worthless; but on the upside all of your main tricks continue to improve, anything vulnerable to sneak attack (and with penetrating strike it is almost everything) will become chunky salsa thanks to 6 attacks each with 1:4 Power attack ration and 4d6 dice of sneak attack, + whatever amount of attacks from your flanking partner each dealing 2d6 dice of sneak attack (your Leopard companion will have 5 attacks, so 10d6 extra damage). Improved Evasion and Defensive roll are pretty neat defensive abilities that can save your life.

Variants and rules clarification
This build can benefit from various variants that aren’t assumed in this challenge and may need some clarification on the rules:

*The Elven Ranger Substitution level has an ability that modify the normal favoured enemy which changes the skills the bonus apply to, in specific it keys the bonus to Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Spot, Survival and Weapon Damage Rolls. It also has an special option that makes the bonus +3 if the Favoured Enemy selected was Undead, Orcs or Servants of Loth (Drows, Monstrous Spiders and Driders) since in Eberron Lolth doesn’t exist and Drows aren't mortal enemies with “normal” elves you should ask your DM if he would let the special bonus to Giants of Xen’drik.

** This build doesn’t assumes that specific items will be easy to get; but if you can get a pair of Gloves of the Balanced Hand (MIC) you should take Greater Two weapon fighting at level 18 instead.

Revenant Blade’s class ability Guidance of the Ancestors gives you up to three “virtual” feats that don’t count for pre-requisites, there is a pretty cheap item (1800 gp) that allows you to select another feat in addition to a small bonus to hide and move silently, and if possible you should get your Zaelshin Tu as soon as you get into Revenant Blade.

On the subject of the bonus feats if your DM allows them to count as pre-requisites you should change your feat selection. Select Power Attack as your first level feat instead of Alertness and use your first Ancestral Guidance feat on Alertness to qualify for Nightsong Infiltrator, the rest of the feats could be Combat Expertise + Improved Trip for tripping goodness. For a more drastic change you can drop Staggering Strike and depending on what you want, more damage or a more defensive build change that feat. For more damage you should select Improved Sunder as your Ancestral Guidance feat and Combat Brute instead of Staggering Strike, for the more defensive build get Dodge+Mobility as your “virtual feats” and get Elusive Target as your 15th level feat.
Finally Revenant Blade levels stack with Ranger level to determine CL, since you don’t have ranger spells one could argue that this does nothing; but you could ask your DM to let them stack for the CL of your Spiritual Connection ability.

With Flaws in play there are other options that open up, you could focus on the charger aspect of the build by taking power attack and Improved Bullrush and substituting any normal feat (darkstalker or Staggering Strikes are the best candidates) for Shock Trooper (in addition with the variant up you could also get Combat Brute online by level 15 for pseudo-Ubercharging). For a more Stealthy/stabby option you could take Craven and move Darkstalker down to level 1 and getting Extra rage at level 12 to get more out of your Barbarian level. If you have a more generous point buy or awesome rolls and therefore can afford Cha 11+ you can take Hidden Talent (Dimension Hop) and visit the Psionic Node (detailed in CPsi) to get a swift action teleport and 7 PP/day.

If level adjustment buy off is in play, the Dark Template (ToM or Cormyr: The tearing of the weave) is a prime candidate to get, particularly the version from Cormyr since it gives you Su HiPS, which is strictly superior to the Ex version from the ToM template.
Items
As with all characters you can benefit a lot from diverse magic and mundane items, here is a list of some of the items which can help you.
Standard magic items: Save boosters, AC boosters, Stat enhancements, etc (try to priotize str then con and finally dex)
Zaelshin Tu(PgtE): Will give you another feat from your Ancestral Guidance class ability.
Mantle of Rage(Web) (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/files/MagicItems.pdf): Gives you an extra use of rage per day.
Maneuver Granting Items (ToB): Maneuvers are awesome and some of them are particularly useful to you. Distracting Ember (Desert Wind Cloak) Flanking partner 1/encounter? Yes please. Cloak of Deception (Shadow Hands) Greater Invisibility for one round, easy escape when fecal matter hits the fan and you must escape or as a Sneak Attack enabler. Mountain Hammer (Stone Dragon Belt) Dungeon opener, nough said. Now these items occupy some really important slots; but you should be able to add their effects to other items for a 1.5 increase in price and since they are so cheap it won’t cost you much.
Gloves of the Balanced Hand(MIC): Gives you improved two-weapon fighting, getting them should allow you to take Greater Two weapon fighting at level 18 (combine them with Shadow Hands for roughly 12500 GP)
Belt of Battle (MIC): Extra actions are awesome; therefore this item is also awesome.
Sneak Attack Boosters:
Deadly Percision (CAd): +2d6 SA.
Deadly Percision (MiC): +1d6 SA.
Assassination(Web) (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070314a): +1d6 SA, also enhancement bonus to poison save DCs.
Bracers of the Hunter (EB:SoX): +1d6 SA, +5 hide & +2 initiative.
Bracers of Murder (DotU): +2 profane to attack/damage vs flat-footed foes, reroll SA's 1s, +2 to Death Attack save DCs too.
Rogue's Vest (MiC): +1d6 SA, +2 hide/move/reflex.
Murderer's Gloves (?): 3/day swift action, one round invisibily after SAing.
Umbral Awn or Custom Legacy (ToB/WoL): +3d6 SA.
Full Mon's Trick or Custom Legacy (WoL): +4 to attack/damage while SAing.
Sword of Subtlety (Core): +1 short sword, +4 to attack/damage while SAing
Mantle of the Predator (MiC, item): +1d6 SS on melee only, +5 hide/move.
Shadow Veil (MiC, item): while in shadows, gain concealment against stuff that does not use light to find you.
Ring of DarkHidden (MiC, item): darkvision cannot see you.
Due your High Use Magic Device modifiers you can use most wands and scrolls.

Sources:
Player’s Handbook: Rogue, Ranger, Barbarian, feats, skills.
Monster Manual: Wood Elf, Leopard
Unearthed Arcana: Whirling Frenzy.
Complete Adventurer: Nightsong Infiltrator, feats.
Complete Champion: Spirit Lion Totem, Spiritual Connection Ranger.
Complete Scoundrel: Skill Tricks
Player’s Handbook II: Teamwork Benefits.
Player’s Guide to Eberron: Revenant Blade, feats.
Five Nations: Magebred Ghost tiger
Web Enhancements: Wild Cohort, Mantle of Rage
Magic Item Compedium: Misc. Items
ToB: Items, feats.
Lord of Madness: Feats

Amphetryon

2012-12-15, 07:17 PM

Seeing double?

The Twins
Take our loves, take our lands, take us to where we cannot stand. Burn the land, boil the sea. You can't take the sky we see...

The Twins were from a village that got attacked when they were young. They hid, being frail and scared, but made a vow when they emerged and saw the devastation: They would find those responsible and make them bleed... They figured out in their travels that their people were attacked by slavers, most of them being taken and sold. They vowed to eschew the comforts of a normal life until all were freed... Since they are frail, since they are scared, and since they are weak, then Twins have elected to use tactics that keep them in the shadows and allow them to strike without being seen...

The Build...

Neutral Good Dvati Females

Racial Features
Level Adjustment +1
Twins: A single Dvati is two creatures with the same level and classes. Hit points are divided among both, but both get get full Constitution Bonus.
Pair Link: Dvati flanking with each other gain a +3 bonus. They may use Aid Another to give +4 to Attack Roll or Armor Class.
Echo Attack: Flanking twins can spend a Move Action to force an opponent make a Will save. Failure gives +1 to Attack Roll or Armor Class against that creature.
Spell Conductor: Dvati can shift the effects of Touch Spells that are Harmless between themselves.

Ability Scores By Level
{table=head]Level|Str|Dex|Con|Int|Wis|Cha|Increase Amounts|From What

1st|
11|
15|
12|
13|
16|
10||32 Point Buy

4th|
11|
15|
12|
14|
16|
10|+1 Int|Level Increase

7th|
11|
15|
12|
14|
18|
10|+2 Wis|Vow of Poverty

8th|
12|
15|
12|
14|
18|
10|+1 Str|Level Increase

11th|
12|
17|
12|
14|
20|
10|+2 Wis, +2 Dex|Vow of Poverty

12th|
13|
17|
12|
14|
20|
10|+1 Str|Level Increase

15th|
13|
19|
12|
14|
22|
12|+2 Wis, +2 Dex, +2 Cha|Vow of Poverty

16th|
13|
20|
12|
14|
22|
12|+1 Dex|Level Increase

19th|
13|
22|
14|
14|
24|
14|+2 Wis, +2 Dex, +2 Cha, +2 Con|Vow of Poverty[/table]

If Level Adjustment Buy Off is in effect, there is another increase at 20th that would got to Str [14].

The Build Proper
Note that bonuses to saves for Resistance granted by the Vow of Poverty Feat are added into saves. This is because they are static 'always on' bonuses.
Also included are the bonuses from the Crusader's ability, Indomitable Soul.
The 20th Level is included for campaigns using Level Adjustment Buy Off. If that rule is not allowed, just ignore it.

Alternate Class Features
Invisible Fist, Exemplars of Evil -- Page 21; Passive Way Monk, Unearthed Arcana -- Page 52
Decisive Strike, Player's Handbook II -- Page 51; Hit and Run Fighter, Drow of the Underdark -- Page 58
Penetrating Strike, Dungeonscape -- Page 13

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

1st|
2|Rogue|
+0|
+0|
+2|
+0|Balance 4, Climb 4, Diplomacy 4, Disable Device 4, Hide 4, Move Silently 4, Open Lock 4, Perform (Dance) 4, Search 4, Tumble 4|Sacred Vow (Level Feat), Craven (Flaw Feat), Darkstalker (Flaw Feat), Shaky (Flaw), Frail (Flaw)|Sneak Attack +1d6, Trapfinding

2nd|
3|Rogue|
+1|
+0|
+3|
+0|Balance +1 [5], Climb +1 [5], Disable Device +1 [5], Hide +1 [5], Move Silently +1 [5], Open Lock +1 [5], Perform (Dance) +1 [5], Search +1 [5], Tumble +1 [5]||Evasion

3rd|
4|Passive Way Monk|
+1|
+2|
+5|
+2|Climb +1 [6], Hide +1 [6], Move Silently +1 [6], Tumble +1 [6], Search +1CC [5.5]|Combat Expertise (Bonus Feat), Improved Unarmed Strike (Bonus Feat), Vow of Poverty (Level Feat)|Bonus Feats, Decisive Strike, Wisdom to Armor Class, Unarmed Damage

4th|
5|Monk|
+2|
+3|
+6|
+3|Climb +1 [7], Hide +1 [7], Move Silently +1 [7], Search +2CC [6.5], Tumble +1 [7]|Combat Reflexes (Bonus Feat), Intuitive Strike (Exalted Feat)|Bonus Feat, Invisible Fist

5th|
6|Crusader|
+3|
+5|
+6|
+3|Climb +2CC [8], Hide +2CC [8], Move Silently +2CC [8]||Furious Counterstrike, Steely Resolve 5, Maneuvers/Stances

6th|
7|Hit-and-Run Fighter|
+4|
+7|
+6|
+3|Climb +1 [9], Hide +2CC [9], Move Silently +2CC [9]|Allied Defense (Level Feat), Deadly Defense (Bonus Feat), Nymph's Kiss (Exalted Feat)|Bonus Feat, Dexterity to Damage, Initiative +2

7th|
8|Hit-and-Run Fighter|
+5|
+9|
+7|
+4|Climb +1 [10], Hide +2CC [10], Move Silently +2CC [10]|Riposte (Bonus Feat)|Bonus Feat

8th|
9|Crusader|
+6/+1|
+10|
+7|
+4|Hide +2CC [11], Move Silently +2CC [11], Search +1CC [7], Skill Trick -- Shroud Dance|Sacred Strike (Exalted Feat)|Indomitable Soul

9th|
10|Rogue|
+7/+2|
+11|
+7|
+5|Hide +1 [12], Move Silently +1 [12], Tumble +4 [12], Skill Trick -- Nimble Charge|Alertness (Level Feat)|Sneak Attack +2d6, Penetrating Strike

10th|
11|Nightsong Infiltrator|
+7/+2|
+11|
+9|
+5|Hide +1 [13], Move Silently +1 [13], Tumble +1 [13], Search +4 [11], Skill Trick -- Acrobatic Backstab|Sanctify Natural Strike (Exalted Feat)|Teamwork Trapsense +1, Trapfinding

11th|
12|Nightsong Infiltrator|
+8/+3|
+11|
+10|
+5|Hide +1 [14], Move Silently +1 [14], Tumble +1 [14], Search +3 [14], Disable Device +3 [8]||Steady Stance, Teamwork Infiltration +2

12th|
13|Nightsong Infiltrator|
+9/+4|
+12|
+10|
+6|Hide +1 [15], Move Silently +1 [15], Tumble +1 [15], Search +1 [15], Disable Device +3 [11], Open Lock +2 [7]|Stand Still (Level Feat), Nimbus of Light (Exalted Feat)|Break Away, Trackless Step (Self)

13th|
14|Nightsong Infiltrator|
+10/+5|
+13|
+12|
+7|Hide +1 [16], Move Silently +1 [16], Tumble +1 [16], Search +1 [16], Disable Device +2 [13], Open Lock +3 [10]||Detect Magic, Teamwork Sneak Attack +1d6, Teamwork Trapsense +2

14th|
15|Nightsong Infiltrator|
+10/+5|
+13|
+12|
+7|Hide +1 [17], Move Silently +1 [17], Tumble +1 [17], Search +1 [17], Disable Device +2 [15], Open Lock +3 [13]|Vow of Obedience (Exalted Feat)|Defensive Roll, Grant Move Action 1/Day

15th|
16|Nightsong Infiltrator|
+11/+6/+1|
+14|
+13|
+9|Craft (Basket Weaving) +2 [2], Hide +1 [18], Move Silently +1 [18], Tumble +1 [18], Search +1 [18], Disable Device +1 [16], Open Lock +2 [15]|Precise Strike (Level Feat)|Improved Evasion, Skill Master, Special Tools

16th|
17|Nightsong Infiltrator|
+12/+7/+2|
+14|
+13|
+9|Craft (Basket Weaving) +3 [5], Hide +1 [19], Move Silently +1 [19], Tumble +1 [19], Search +1 [19], Disable Device +1 [17], Open Lock +1 [16]|Vow of Abstinence (Exalted Feat)|Teamwork Trapsense +3, Trackless Step (Allies)

17th|
18|Nightsong Infiltrator|
+13/+8/+3|
+15|
+15|
+10|Craft (Basket Weaving) +1 [6], Hide +1 [20], Move Silently +1 [20], Tumble +1 [20], Search +1 [20], Disable Device +2 [19], Open Lock +2 [18]||Teamwork Infiltration +4, Teamwork Sneak Attack +2d6

18th|
19|Nightsong Infiltrator|
+13/+8/+3|
+16|
+15|
+11|Craft (Basket Weaving) +1 [7], Hide +1 [21], Move Silently +1 [21], Tumble +1 [21], Search +1 [21], Disable Device +2 [21], Open Lock +2 [20]|Robilar's Gambit (Level Feat), Vow of Chastity (Exalted Feat)|Grant Move Action 2/Day

19th|
20|Nightsong Infiltrator|
+14/+9/+4|
+16|
+16|
+11|Craft (Basket Weaving) +3 [10], Hide +1 [22], Move Silently +1 [22], Tumble +1 [22], Search +1 [22], Disable Device +1 [22], Open Lock +1 [21]||Hide in Plain Sight, Teamwork Trapsense +4

20th|
LABO|Crusader|
+15/+10/+5|
+16|
+17|
+12|Craft (Basket Weaving) +1 [11], Hide +2CC [23], Move Silently +2CC [23], Tumble +2CC [23]|Knight of the Stars (Exalted Feat)|Zealous Surge[/table]

Vow of Poverty Math/Extras and Initiator Junk
(This does not include additional bonuses from the Exalted Feats that this character possesses. These are straight Vow of Poverty, Ability Scores, and any 'always on' Armor Class or To-Hit Feats and Abilities that they have.
I'm also throwing the Initiator Level/Maneuvers/Stances on this because I don't want to create yet another table.)

{table=head]Level|Armor Class|To-Hit|Vow Extras|
IL|New Maneuvers/Stances

3rd|20 (+2 Dex, +3 Wis, +5 Exalted)|+1 (+1 Base)|Endure Elements|
1|-

4th|20 (+2 Dex, +3 Wis, +5 Exalted)|+6 (+2 Base, +3 Wis, +1 Exalted)|Exalted Feat|
2|-

5th|20 (+2 Dex, +3 Wis, +5 Exalted)|+7 (+3 Base, +3 Wis, +1 Exalted)|Sustenance|
3|Leading the Attack (Strike Maneuver), Vanguard Strike (Strike Maneuver), Shield Block (Counter Maneuver), Tactical Strike (Strike Maneuver), Iron Guard's Glare (Stance)

6th|22 (+2 Dex, +3 Wis, +6 Exalted, +1 Deflection)|+8 (+4 Base, +3 Wis, +1 Exalted)|Exalted Feat|
3|-

7th|23 (+2 Dex, +4 Wis, +6 Exalted, +1 Deflection)|+10 (+5 Base, +4 Wis, +1 Exalted)|Resistance +1, Ability Score +2|
4|-

8th|24 (+2 Dex, +4 Wis, +6 Exalted, +1 Deflection, +1 Natural Armor)|+11/+6 (+6/+1 Base, +4 Wis, +1 Exalted)|Exalted Feat, Mind Shielding|
5|Thicket of Blades (Stance)

9th|25 (+2 Dex, +4 Wis, +7 Exalted, +1 Deflection, +1 Natural Armor)|+12/+7 (+7/+2 Base, +4 Wis, +1 Exalted)|-|
5|-

10th|25 (+2 Dex, +4 Wis, +7 Exalted, +1 Deflection, +1 Natural Armor)|+13/+8 (+7/+2 Base, +4 Wis, +2 Exalted)|Exalted Feat, Damage Reduction 5/Magic|
6|-

11th|27 (+3 Dex, +5 Wis, +7 Exalted, +1 Deflection, +1 Natural Armor)|+15/+10 (+8/+3 Base, +5 Wis, +2 Exalted)|Ability Scores +4/+2|
6|-

12th|29 (+3 Dex, +5 Wis, +8 Exalted, +2 Deflection, +1 Natural Armor)|+16/+11 (+9/+4 Base, +5 Wis, +2 Exalted)|Exalted Feat, Greater Sustenance|
7|-

13th|29 (+3 Dex, +5 Wis, +8 Exalted, +2 Deflection, +1 Natural Armor)|+17/+13 (+10/+5 Base, + 5 Wis, +2 Exalted)|Resistance +2, Energy Resistance 5|
7|-

14th|29 (+3 Dex, +5 Wis, +8 Exalted, +2 Deflection, +1 Natural Armor)|+17/+13 (+10/+5 Base, +5 Wis, +3 Exalted)|Exalted Feat, Freedom of Movement|
8|-

15th|32 (+4 Dex, +6 Wis, +9 Exalted, +2 Deflection, +1 Natural Armor)|+20/+15/+10 (+11/+6/+1 Base, +6 Wis, +3 Exalted)|Ability Scores +6/+4/+2, Damage Reduction 5/Evil|
8|-

16th|34 (+5 Dex, +6 Wis, +9 Exalted, +2 Deflection, +2 Natural Armor)|+21/+16/+11 (+12/+7/+2 Base, +6 Wis, +3 Exalted)|Exalted Feat|
9|-

17th|34 (+5 Dex, +6 Wis, +9 Exalted, +2 Deflection, +2 Natural Armor)|+23/+18/+13 (+13/+8/+3 Base, +6 Wis, +4 Exalted)|Resistance +3, Regeneration|
9|-

18th|36 (+5 Dex, +6 Wis, +10 Exalted, +3 Deflection, +2 Natural Armor)|+23/+18/+13 (+13/+8/+3 Base, +6 Wis, +4 Exalted)|Exalted Feat, True Seeing|
10|-

19th|38 (+6 Dex, +7 Wis, +10 Exalted, +3 Deflection, +2 Natural Armor)|+25/+20/+15 (+14/+9/+4 Base, +7 Wis, +4 Exalted)|Ability Scores +8/+6/+4/+2, Damage Reduction 10/Evil|
10|-

20th|38 (+6 Dex, +7 Wis, +10 Exalted, +3 Deflection, +2 Natural Armor)|+27/+22/+17 (+15/+10/+5 Base, +7 Wis, +5 Exalted)|Exalted Feat, Energy Resistance 15|
11|White Raven Tactics (Boost Maneuver)[/table]

The Tactics/Notes...
Keep in mind that this tactical guide assumes that the Dvati are, in fact, two separate creatures that do not share actions except for spell casting, which is specifically called out in the Dvati rules. This guide further assumes that the Dvati are treated as allies of one another and can take the advantages that being an ally gives with some abilities.

ECL 1-5
The first thing you'll notice about the first level of this character is that it does, indeed, have two Flaws. There's just no other way to fit everything this build needed in, and I figured massive deductions already for the dipping, so... :smallyuk:.

One thing to note is that the Flaws are flavorful without being an actual hindrance: Frail does not matter because we're always going to be taking middle on our Hit Dice, applying the flaw, then dividing the amount between two bodies. Since we would have had to round down on halving the Hit Points anyway, we lose nothing. Shaky should also never come into play because we will never be in ranged combat.

Through the first two levels, the tactics are very simple: We try to get into Flanking position with our two bodies as quickly as possible and Sneak Attack. This gives us a better bonus than a normal character, and we get two chances to hit because we're two different bodies. It is a dangerous proposition at first because of low Hit Points and Armor Class, but since we don't have Vow of Poverty yet we should wear some armor and wield a shield to supplement those (Yes, take the penalty for non-proficiency!). We're going to use Hide/Move Silently and Darkstalker to (hopefully) catch some foes Flat-Footed if we can't Flank.

We get higher Armor Class once we hit Monk and get Vow of Poverty at 3rd. We get Decisive Strike which synergies well with Craven, and we are going to use those to increase our damage as much as possible (hopefully we'll be Flanking when we do so). Invisible Fist is going to help us get Flat-Footed attacks every few rounds too, so we can pump our now relatively decent Armor with Combat Expertise if necessary.

As a final note: 4th Level her gives us Intuitive Strike which will give us Wisdom to Hit. That will make us hit a whooooole lot better.

ECL 6-10
Our first level in this range begins to open op tactical options. Vanguard Strike and Leading the Attack allow our Flanking buddy to hit better and use more Combat Expertise. Tactical Strike can help establish Flanking positions. Iron Guard's Glare and Shield Block (which does not actually require us to use a shield) allow us to increase our Flanking buddy's Armor Class. Both Dvati should permanently be in Iron Guard's Glare stance by the way, which is like a free +4 AC. The best part? We can burn through Maneuvers twice as quickly as a standard Crusader, which means they refresh a lot quicker.

When we get to Fighter, we get Dexterity to Damage against Flat-Footed foes, and Initiative Bonus. Those are great, but the best parts of these levels are Allied Defense, which allows the Dvati to double-dip on Combat Expertise, and Riposte, which allows an Attack of Opportunity every time an opponent misses us while we are using our Combat Expertise (I should point out that when Decisive Strike is used on your action, all of your Attacks of Opportunity also deal double damage). Since we're already doing Combat Expertise anyway, Deadly Defense is taken to get more damage.

Rounding out this stage of the character's development are another level of Crusader and Rogue. We get Thicket of Blades to provoke an Attack of Opportunity when an opponent takes a 5ft Step near us, more Sneak Attack damage, and Penetrating Strike. That last one allows us to get at least a little mileage out of Sneak Attack when we're facing immune things.

Sacred Strike is the last great thing I want to mention. The Sneak Attack dice we have become d8's when facing an Evil foe!

ECL 11-15 (Sweet Spot)
I assert that Teamwork Infiltration, when used by Dvati, allows for a double-dip. That means we're going to get +4 to Hide, and get a little more mileage out of that skill. Doesn't change our tactics much, but nice.

Stand Still is the first thing that really changes our tactics. We are now going to lock down threats on the battlefield. This is going to be made really, really hard to get around because of Decisive Strike + Craven + Thicket of Blades. Basically, if they move even in a 5ft Step or Withdraw, we get an Attack of Opportunity and we will then punish them with ultra high DC's. Since, ideally, we will be Flanking with two Dvati, we get two tries to stop them if the first fails.

The Nightsong Infiltrator does a lot of good for our concept here: Good defensive abilities, like Defensive Roll (in case we get hit hard) and Break Away (in case **** really hits the fan). Skill Points galore and Skills we want are also great, and tactical movement ability with Grant Move Action.

Continued Sneak Attack progression is also great. Just as with the Teamwork Infiltration, I assert that we can double-dip here seeing as we are Dvati and treated as two different creatures.

ECL 16-20 (Sweet Spot)
Increase progression of the things we already have is great, and we add some new abilities to boot:

Precise Strike allows us to get rid of extra Sneak Attack dice to get +2 to hit for each dropped die. This allows us to cover some Combat Expertise deductions so that we can get a higher Armor Class.

Robilar's Gambit allows us to get more mileage out of Decisive Strike and allows us to get more Attacks of Opportunity even when we aren't using that.

White Raven Tactics, which we get if there's Level Adjustment Buy Off, will allow us to keep chaining turn after turn of extra actions with the second Dvati to act lowering the first's Initiative. That being dependent on getting this Maneuver back when the Maneuvers refresh.

We also get even more mileage out of Hide, when we get the Hide in Plain Sight ability. Hopefully, we are scoping out the territory we are fighting in so that Teamwork Infiltration gives us more Hide bonus.

Amphetryon

2012-12-15, 07:22 PM

Paging Admiral Akbar. . . .

Class level breakdown: LE Changeling rogue 2/factotum 3/combat trapsmith 5/ nightsong infiltrator 10

Starting abilities
str 10 dex 12 con 14 int 18 (boosts go to int) wis 12 cha 8

Deron Betar

Nuts and Bolts
{table=head][b]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Changeling Rogue 1|
+0|
+0|
+2|
+0|bluff 4, climb 4, craft (trap making) 4, diplo 4, DD 4, hide 4, listen 4, open lock 4, search 4, sense motive 4, sleight of hand 4, spot 4, tumble 4, UMD 4|Quick Change|Sneak Attack +1d6, social intuition

2nd|Rogue 2|
+1|
+0|
+3|
+0|bluff 1 (5), climb 1 (5), craft (trapmaking) 1 (6), diplo 1 (5), DD 1 (5), hide 1 (5), listen 1 (5), ms 1 (5), open lock 1 (5), search 1 (5), spot 1 (5), tumble 1 (5)||Evasion

3rd|Factotum 1|
+1|
+0|
+5|
+0|bluff 1 (6), climb 1 (6), craft (alchemy) 1, craft (trapmaking) 1 (6), DD 1 (6), hide 1 (6), listen 1 (6), ms 1 (6), search 1 (6), spot 1 (6)|Darkstalker|Inspiration, cunning insight, cunning knowledge, trapfinding

4th|Factotum 2|
+2|
+0|
+6|
+0|bluff 1 (7), climb 1 (7), craft (alchemy) 1 (2), craft (trapmaking) 1 (7), DD 1 (7), hide 1 (7), listen 1 (7), ms 1 (7), search 1 (7), spot 1 (7)||Arcane dilettante

5th|Factotum 3|
+3|
+1|
+6|
+1|bluff 1 (8), climb 1 (8), craft (alchemy) 3, craft (trapmaking) 1 (8), DD 1 (8), hide 1 (8), listen 1 (8), ms 1 (8), search 1 (8), spot 1 (8)||Brains over brawn, cunning defense

6th|Combat Trapsmith 1|
+3|
+3|
+8|
+1|balance 2, climb 1 (9), craft (trapmaking) 1 (9), DD 1 (9), hide 1 (9), listen 1 (9), ms 1 (9), search 1 (9), spot 1 (9)|Skill Focus (craft: trapmaking)|Combat trapping, trap sense +1, 2 traps

7th|Combat Trapsmith 2|
+4|
+4|
+9|
+1|balance 2 (4), climb 1 (10), craft (trapmaking) 1 (10), DD 1 (10), hide 1 (10), listen 1 (10), ms 1 (10), search 1 (10), spot 1 (10)||Feat: (Trickery Devotion)| 3 traps

8th|Combat Trapsmith 3|
+5|
+4|
+9|
+2|balance 1 (5), craft (trapmaking) 1 (11), DD 1 (11), hide 1 (11), listen 1 (11), ms 1 (11), search 1 (11), spot 1 (11), tumble 3 (8)||Trap sense +2, 4 traps

9th|Combat Trapsmith 4|
+6|
+5|
+10|
+2|craft (alchemy) 2 (5), craft (trapmaking) 1 (12), DD 1 (12), hide 1 (12), listen 1 (12), ms 1 (12), search 1 (12), spot 1 (12), |Alertness|Improvised materials, 5 traps

10th|Combat Trapsmith 5|
+6/+1|
+5|
+10|
+2|craft (trap making) 1 (13), DD 1 (13), hide 1 (13), know (architecture and engineering) 3, listen 1 (13), ms 1 (13), search 1 (13), spot 1 (13) ||Expert trap setter, trap sense +3, 6 traps

11th|Nightsong Infiltrator 1|
+6/+1|
+5|
+12|
+2|craft (trapmaking) 1 (14), DD 1 (14), hide 1 (14), listen 1 (14), ms 1 (14), search 1 (14), spot 1 (14), UMD 6 (10)||Teamwork trap sense +1, trapfinding

12th|Nightsong Infiltrator 2|
+7/+2|
+5|
+13|
+2|craft (trapmaking) 1 (15), DD 1 (15), disguise 1, hide 1 (15), listen 1 (15), ms 1 (15), search 1 (15), spot 1 (15), UMD 5 (15)| Shadow Striker|Steady stance, teamwork infiltration +2

13th|Nightsong Infiltrator 3|
+8/+3|
+6|
+13|
+3|craft (trapmaking) 1 (16), DD 1 (16), disguise 6 (7), hide 1 (15), listen 1 (16), ms 1 (16), search 1 (16), spot 1 (16)||Break away, trackless step (self)

14th|Nightsong Infiltrator 4|
+9/+4|
+6|
+14|
+3|craft (trapmaking) 1 (17), DD 1 (17), disguise 6 (13), hide 1 (17), listen 1 (17), ms 1 (17), search 1 (17), spot 1 (17)||Detect magic, teamwork sneak attack +1d6, teamwork trap sense +2

15th|Nightsong Infiltrator 5|
+9/+4|
+6|
+14|
+3|DD 1 (18), disguise 5 (18),hide 1 (18), listen 1 (18), ms 1 (18), perform (dance) 2, search 1 (18), spot 1 (18)| Cloak Dance|Defensive roll, grant move action 1/day

16th|Nightsong Infiltrator 6|
+10/+5|
+7|
+14|
+4|DD 1 (19), disguise 1 (19), forgery 7, hide 1 (19), listen 1 (19), ms 1 (19), search 1 (19), spot 1 (19)||Improved evasion, skill mastery (climb, DD, open lock, search)

17th|Nightsong Infiltrator 7|
+11/+6/+1|
+7|
+14|
+4|DD 1 (20), disguise 1 (20), forgery 7 (14), hide 1 (20), listen 1 (20), ms 1 (20), search 1 (20), spot 1 (20)||Teamwork trap sense +3, trackless step (allies)

18th|Nightsong Infiltrator 8|
+12/+7/+2|
+7|
+15|
+4|bluff 5 (13), DD 1 (21), disguise 1 (21), forgery 2 (16), hide 1 (21), listen 1 (21), ms 1 (21), search 1 (21), spot 1 (21)| Cunning Evasion|Team work infiltration +4, teamwork sneak attack +2d6

19th|Nightsong Infiltrator 9|
+12/+7/+2|
+8|
+15|
+5|bluff 5 (18), DD 1 (22), disguise 1 (22), forgery 2 (18), hide 1 (22), listen 1 (22), ms 1 (22), search 1 (22), spot 1 (22)||Grant move action 2/day

20th|Nightsong Infiltrator 10|
+13/+8/+3|
+8|
+16|
+5|bluff 5 (23), DD 1 (23), disguise 1 (23), forgery 2 (20), hide 1 (23), listen 1 (23), ms 1 (23), search 1 (23), spot 1 (23)||Hide in plain sight, teamwork trap sense +4[/table]

Blueprints for a Backstory

Sins of the Father[spoiler]

Deron trudged through the snow to his father's. He wore a lumbering hulk of a body for the time being. His larger surface area helped him lose heat more slowly. It was all he could do to keep himself warm through the bitter winter wind that blew through the cold, miserable depths of Sharn. The towers loomed over the city like specters, casting a pair of evil shadows down on the poor working men like his father who toiled tirelessly to keep their infernal forges burning.

Small mercies being what they were, his father lived close to that forge. Close enough to the boiler that had consumed his life to feel its warmth through the thin walls that let in the worst of the street din and the howling of the wind.

Deron opened the door and quickly shut it after himself. The last thing his father needed was the chill of the wind rattling his old bones.

Deron banged a bottle onto the table and pulled out the cork with his teeth. Only the hardest of alcohol could remain liquid with the temperature outside, and the chill meant there were fewer and fewer people every day for him to steal it from. He poured it into his father's little tin cup and set it in the old man's trembling hands.

His father thanked him with a sleepy nod of his head and hunched beneath the blankets on his cot as a burst of wind sliced through the crack in the doorjamb. The frigid air had extinguished the fire, and Deron had to squint as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He shifted his pupils larger, like a cat's, and let his cheekbones sink lower onto his face, making his eyes as large as saucers to sponge up the dregs of light present. He got to his knees and felt around the floor for a wand. The markings along its grip told him it was what he needed.

The wand shot fire, and he had kept it in case the two had another break-in. The police didn't bother to respond to calls in this part of the city, and it wasn't as though he'd never killed before. But the wand was to keep his father alive, and that's just what it would do. Deron crouched in front of the fireplace and made himself as big as he could to block the wind from reaching the logs.

He counted the notches he'd marked on the wand with his pocketknife. This was indeed the last one. To hell with it. He couldn't sell it after this anyway. He snarled the magic word and fire dripped from the tip into the fireplace as the runes on its haft lit up one last time. He dropped the worthless stick of wood in afterwards. It would give his father a few more moments of comfort, at least.

"Deron," his father beckoned him over, his cup empty.

"What is it, father?"

"The man who stole from me, the man who put us here," he croaked. Deron knew his father's mind was going, that he didn't remember having told Deron this story every night for as long as he could remember. Still, he couldn't bring himself to interrupt, since some part of him knew this was the last thing his father would ever say to him.

"That death dealer from Cannith, Ovard Estarke. He stole my schemata. The suit, Deron, my beautiful, perfect little suit."

Deron was just reading from a script at this point, but knew it was his last performance. His swan song, and his father's as well. The tears in his eyes were as real this time as they had been the first time he'd heard it, and the last he'd had any genuine surprise.

"What do you want me to do, father?"

"It's too late for Ovard, he has fell to the reaper, as I know I will some day soon. But his son lives on." He put his hand on Deron's shoulder and gripped it tight. "Like you do, my son."

"What is his son's name?"

"Anton. You must break him for me, son. I have no strength left in me. Only when he has become… reduced to what I am now, only then must you end it. Only then must you kill him."

"I swear I will," Deron said, meaning it just as much as he always had.

His father reached for his ceremonial dagger, the one he had been awarded for bravery and honor back before the most recent revolution that had put him to work stoking the boiler. The dagger, like his father, was weathered with age, rust clinging to its edges as soot caked his father's lungs. He picked it up by the blade, balancing it between his fingers and prepared to throw it, as he did every night. Deron hung his head and waited for the thud in the wall, but it didn't come. His father dropped it to the floor and the blade rang with a quiet, tinny sound, drowning out the old man's last breath.

Deron grabbed the blade between two fingers, dwarfing it in his huge hand. He pulled it behind his shoulder and let it fly at the wall, the tip landing in a well-worn groove, in the center of a picture of Anton Estarke, right between his eyes.

The script was over. Deron was writing his own story now. He opened the small box under his father's bed and took the few pennies they'd been saving. He piled on his father's spare coat and threw open the door. He pulled the dagger out of the wall and headed out into the world, not turning around when the wind blew out the fire for the last time.

Deron lurked in the many shadows of the railroad crossing in a small, unobtrusive shape, his coat pooling on the ground beneath him. He waited until he heard the whistle of the lightning rail bellow and popped his head out from his hiding place. If he got a running start, he should be able to get onto one of the last cars. They never checked them as often as the ones up front.

Sure enough, he was able to hoist himself onto the edge of the second to last car, grabbing onto the handle on the door, though he felt it would rip his arms out of their sockets. He was glad he'd kept his body weight low.

Deron was able to unbolt the door and slither through a small crack, squishing his ribcage together as tight as it would go so he could close the door without more sound than necessary.

He collapsed onto the rusty floor of the train car, panting heavily and rubbing at his shoulder.

No sooner had he catalogued his injuries than he felt a meaty hand on his other shoulder, squeezing it painfully. He whipped his head around and popped a face onto the back of his head, his eyes and nose dissolving into a mass of hair. He faced his attacker as his back became his front. It was a good trick to unnerve normals and always gave him the first (and often last) blow in a fight.

"What the hell are you?" the bouncer yelled at him as he took a step back in disgust.

Deron looped an ankle behind his opponent's leg and tripped him. He hit the floor hard, his head hanging out the door.

"Looks like I'm the man who keeps bums from hopping on the train now."

Deron slammed the door shut hard with a piercing crack. He dragged the body back into the car by the ankles and bolted the door. He sat cross-legged and felt in the dead man's pocket's. He found a pack of cigarettes and a book of matches. He dragged one along the floor and held it up to the dead man's face so he could study his features. Once he was satisfied his own shape matched his new identity, he shrugged off his clothes and put on his new uniform. He dressed the corpse in his rags and kicked him off the train. The police wouldn't look too carefully at a bum thrown off the train. They never did.

The Railroad Plot

Deron had picked this train for a reason. He knew it was on its way to deliver parts to Estarke's forges. While his father had toiled in the boilers for the last years of his life, he had once been a tinker, a soldier, and a spy. He knew what they said about changelings, and despite its unsavory connotations, he admitted there was a great deal of truth to it. A man who could change his face as easily as a suit of clothes was predisposed to spy work. It wasn't his fault if he was well-suited to this line of work.

Before being dishonorably discharged for being part of the old regime, his father had been a maker of wonders. He hadn't known he would be on the losing side of the war, but no one ever did. Back in his more lucid days, he had taught Deron much about the art of craft. Deron knew the intricacies of the velvet glove and the iron fist that Estarke had built his pilfered empire on. He knew the intricacy his father had developed only to have Estarke coat his finesse in lead to use it as a club, to make it more marketable for Cannith to use as a cudgel rather than a scalpel. One of his father's precision tools could do the work of ten of Estarke's blunt instruments.

Each of the crates on this train had the components to build one of Estarke's suits. One was all he would need to reverse-engineer it back to its original elegance. He picked up a crowbar that lay on the floor and pried open the lid on one of the crates. He lifted a gauntlet from its bed of hay and blew off the stragglers. He slid his fist into it and opened and closed the crude mitten on his hand. Soon he would find the way to get back to the source.

He heard the train putting on its brakes, so he threw down to gauntlet back into its nest and banged the nail back in place. The yard detective was checking the cars. All he had to do was stay calm.

The door slid open and a mousy little man with a clipboard looked him up and down. He stepped up the ladder into the car and looked at the boxes. He saw the one Deron had inspected had been tampered with.

"Dmitri, what happened to that one?" he asked.

"Bum tried to open it. He thought there was oil in there or something he could carry, maybe," Deron said in his borrowed voice.

"You get rid of him?"

"Yes."

"Good man. Well, you go ahead and get rid of it then."

"Eh?"

The detective rolled his eyes. "Estarke doesn't want any damaged goods. Take it to the pawn shop and say it fell off the train, melt it down and sell it to a dentist, dump it in the lake, I don't care, just get it out of here."

Deron picked up the box, the bulk of Dmitri's arms making the task easier than it would have been.

"You bet. Time to knock off?"

"Yeah. Seeya tomorrow."

"See you," Deron lied.

More than Meets the Eye

It was a trivial matter to find a loft to work in. Dmitri had had money in his pockets, more than enough to find lodging and tools.

For days Deron labored in the cramped space, stripping away the armor plating Estarke's engineers had put on to make the lines of the suit smoother, reveling in the angles and sharp corners that he revealed beneath he outer shell, like a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis. The image was a ubiquitous in changeling culture. Unlike with the humans, he didn't think it effeminate: it was just a symbol of change. If what you were wasn't strong enough, make yourself better. If that wasn't manly, Deron didn't know what was.

Once he had the framework of the suit exposed, the extraneous pieces stripped away, he was an artist standing in front of a blank canvas. He had pared down the power grid to the minimum of functionality. He didn't need all the armor plating that Estarke's foot soldiers waddled around in. Primarily because his mission was one of stealth, of finesse, also because he didn't expect to survive it no matter what he did, so he may as well have agility on his side.

With the breastplate off of it, the dragonshard powering the armor glowed like a full moon, bathing the room in a cool, blue light. The energy from the dragonshard was the suit's original driving force, what made it a weapon, but it had been scrapped in favor of powering pistons to pound enemies into submissions. These clunky pistons lay on the cutting room floor, scattered around Deron's feet, his heavy work boots protecting his skin from the shower of sparks that dripped from his cutting torch.

His stained undershirt clung to his skin, the heat from his torch causing a fresh layer of sweat to bubble to the surface of his skin. The skin on his face was taut around his protective goggles. He shifted it to a leathery, reptilian hide, his sweat glands disappearing for the time being, the heat invigorating his now-cold blood and making him work faster as his forked tongue tasted the iron-tinged air.

He had done all the work on the suit that he could for the time being. Tomorrow was the day. Estarke was going to unveil a new "invention" of his tomorrow. Some kind of glorified go-cart that Anton or his father had no doubt stolen from another man like Deron's father. Even if Deron was not able to kill Anton tomorrow, he could at the very least break his new toy. A Day at the Races

Deron stood in the stands with the rest of the cheering fans. He had a hooded cloak draped around him. It wasn't as though they would recognize the generic lump of meat he was masquerading as today. It was more a security blanket. The hatred he felt burned in his belly like the very cheapest of vodka. He was sure if people could see his face, it would blind them like the light from an archangel's flaming sword of vengeance.

He stood at the final mile of the 10 mile race. He had gathered intel as a volunteer with the city, helping them map out concession stands, so he knew right here was where security checkpoints were thinnest.

His father had taught him of the doppler effect, and he heard the roar of a machine. He had researched Estarke's project so he would know the rumble that heralded its approach, and this was not it. It must be his opponent, Iust Einhammer.

The eccentric little gnome blew past the bend, reclining on his peculiar little luge, shocks placed all around his wheels, absorbing every bump in the road. He tapped a button and a blast of compressed air shot out from under the right wheels, flipping the car over 180 degrees. The padded chair Einhammer was reclining in flipped in perfect time with it, maintaining his equilibrium so perfectly, it didn't spill a drop of the martini he was sipping with one hand, the other lazily gripping the steering column.

Einhammer gave an ostentatious wink to the crowd before speeding off to complete the final mile.

Just as his engine was fading into the distance, Deron heard the approach of Estarke's gas-guzzler.

He smelled it before he saw it, an ill wind heralding the approach of his enemy. A cloud of black smoke trailed behind Estarke's car, its spoiler gleaming in the sun. Deron squinted. No wonder Estarke was lagging. He favored substance over style. He was probably waiting until the last mile to deploy his nitrous oxide. It would provide a brief speed boost that would overheat the hell out of his engine. Great for winning little publicity stunt drag races like this, but useless in any practical sense. For all Estarke's flaws though, he knew what the decadent people of Khorvaire wanted; that was why he was rich and Deron's was standing there in a stolen coat.

He took a deep breath and steeled himself. He'd run through this scenario a hundred times in his mind, but as much as he could change the meat and bones of his body, he could never quash his survival instinct. All he had to do was trust in his father's designs and all would be well.

Deron put his hand on the edge of the concrete barrier and hopped it in one fluid motion, his feet hitting the asphalt with a heavy, metallic thud.

A city guardsman clapped his hand over Deron's shoulder and yanked down his hood.

"Sir, please step behind the barrier."

Deron did his dirty trick and slipped his face where the back of his head was, facing the man who stood behind him.

"Hey, man," he said making the guardsman falter backwards in surprise.

The guardsman grabbed the whistle around his neck and blew it.

"Changeling! Everybody down!" He reached for the pistol on his belt, but Deron's hand was quicker. It darted out, a spiderweb of steel running along the tendons of his hand and grabbed the guardsman's wrist and crushed it. Deron rolled his arm down and popped his face out facing the front of his shirt again. He hoisted the guardsman up over his head, the cables running along his bulging biceps making the task trivially easy.

Estarke's car was bearing right down on him now. Just as he'd cleared the curve around the mountain and he was coming down a stretch of straight road, he'd hit the nitrous oxide, just like he was supposed to. He was going far too fast to stop or turn out of the way without giving himself a fatal case of whiplash.

Deron felt adrenaline running through his veins as the smell of magic wafted up from his suit's engine heart.

Estarke's vehicle was only a few hundred feet away from him. His timing had to be perfect. He had time for only a few words before his voice would be drowned out by the roar of Estarke's engine.

"Hey, Anton! Catch!" Deron exhaled the last word with great force as he heaved the guardsman straight forward, his body arcing in just the parabola he had planned, approximating the guardsman's weight, coming down right in front of where Estarke's windshield would be in a few seconds.

With a great sound like a clap of thunder, Estarke's cockpit blasted out of his car, rocketing straight into the air, the diesel fumes burning Deron's throat.

Estarke shouted the magic word at the top of his lungs to the cheers of the crowd and surrounded himself in a custom-made suit. It surrounded Estarke's soft, rich boy body in armor plates in the blink of an eye. The guardsman landed against the decorative abs Estarke had placed on his suit, reminiscent of the gladiators of old. Deron heard the guardsman's ribs crack. He was sure he wouldn't be thanking Estarke any time soon.

"What's your problem, face-changer? Couldn't you just wait in line for an autograph like everyone else?"

The crowd obediently laughed. Estarke plopped the guardsman down into the crowd behind the barriers. The car was still barreling straight for Deron, and he didn't take his eyes off it. Estarke was just showboating now, posing for the crowd and flexing his brushed steel muscles. As far as he was concerned, Deron would be a red smear on the pavement in a matter of moments.

Deron threw open his coat with a dramatic flourish and revealed his suit. Its steel spines engulfed his chest like the rings on a barrel, letting him shift to face back and forth as he often did in combat. His engine heart chugged steadily and glowed with white-hot power. He gestured with his wrist and a collapsible steel cable slithered out of the exoskeleton on his arm. It crackled with magic and burned so hot he could feel sweat beading on his brow.

Deron swung it straight in front of him as he heard the roar of Estarke's car grow deafening, the machine's smog-caked grill gleaming at him like the jaws of some slavering beast. The chain from his arm split it straight down the middle, the halves separating and parting in front of him just as he had calculated, the molten slag from the bisected halves of the car dripping behind it onto the road.

The cheers of the crowd turned to screams once more as the halves crashed into the barriers. Estarke turned around and faced Deron.

Deron flicked out his other arm and wound a cable around Estarke's ankle. He quirked his fingers and sent a jolt of magic into Estarke's suit. The iron in it started to become dark with soot. Deron smelled meat cooking from Estarke's direction. Estarke gave him a chin nod and the faceplate of his suit slid away, exposing his soft, red face underneath.

He gave the cable a yank with the strength his exoskeleton gave him and watched as the steel coiled around Estarke's suit, pinning his arms to his sides. Estarke was close enough for Deron to smell the alcohol on his breath. He lifted his free hand and spread it before his enemy's open visor. Poisonous gas blossomed out and found its way into Estarke's helmet. Deron head butted him in the bridge of the nose with a satisfying squelch. Estarke nodded his head forward as his head snapped down with the force, just like he was supposed to, and his faceplate came back down again, trapping the gas inside with him.

Deron extended his finger and a tiny blue flame sprung from it. He waved it across the gap between Estarke's faceplate and the rest of his helmet. The bridge wasn't strong enough to hold up against anything trying to cut it, but it should hold for the three and a half minutes it would take him to suffocate. Maybe less since he was probably breathing at an accelerated rate inside his iron coffin.

Estarke blasted the jets in his boots against the ground and propelled the pair of them forward, the force knocking Deron on his back, his opponent landing on top of him. Deron heard something glass shattering and felt a sharp pain in his chest. He tried to lift Estarke off of him, but found he had no strength.

His enemy's bulk had broken his dragonshard heart. His suit was without power.

Now that the danger had passed, a cluster of city guardsman ran over and kicked Deron in the head until he stopped moving.

I Told You That Story so I Could Tell You This One

The next time Deron awoke, he saw a familiar face looking at him through a set of iron bars. Einhammer gave him an insouciant smirk as he noticed he was awake.

"Up and at 'em, slugger!" he yelled in a booming voice that only a gnome could generate. It made Deron's head ring, his concussion still fresh at the forefront of his mind in every sense of the phrase. Einhammer pantomimed boxing an invisible assailant as Deron rose shakily to his feet.

"What do you want?" he croaked.

"Those were some real slick moves out there. You ever thought about goin' into mass production?"

Deron smirked. How his luck had changed.

"Depends. What're you going to give me?"

"Half?" Einhammer said nervously, taking a sheaf of papers from his breast pocket and pushing his thick-rimmed glasses up his broad nose.

"What do you want it for?"

"To destroy Estarke."

"We have a deal, then." Deron held out a hand for the papers and signed his name with a flourish.

"Splendid!" Einhammer clapped his hands and snapped his fingers.

"You can let him out now, constable."

A guardsman trudged over and unlocked his cell.

"What's the damage?" Einhammer said airily.

"The car, the barriers, the patrolman he hospitalized…"

Einhammer waved his hand. "No, no, no, how much money does he cost?"

The constable grit his teeth in visible disgust.

"You're bailing him out, Mr. Einhammer, not buying him. It's ten thousand gold pieces."

"Potayto, potahto," Einhammer said, beckoning for a war forged manservant who had been standing idly in the corner to present the constable with his money.

"This is platinum. What am I supposed to do with this?"

Einhammer took the key and unlocked Deron's cell.

"Sounds like a personal problem."

Deron could hear the guard muttering under his breath as Einhammer led the way out of the station and into his stretch limousine, his war forged locking himself into the driver's seat, his hands interfacing with the control panel.

Einhammer talked while Deron ate sandwiches out of the minibar.

"You see, Estarke has been my primary competitor for many years," he said, inspecting his fingernails.

"Uh huh," Deron grunted through a mouthful of ham and chicken.

"And I think you've got what it takes to knock his suits off the bestseller's list. If you could just refine your design, work in a proper lab-"

Deron narrowed his eyes at him.

"Not to say your current design is in any way flawed, of course, just that you may be able to reach your full potential with better resources. More funding."

Deron snorted, little crumbs of bread falling from his lips into the knotted snarls of his beard.

"Everyone in your city solves problems the same way. They drown them in gold."

Einhammer beamed with pride at what Deron thought was clearly an insult.

"It's funny you mention that, because I couldn't help but notice your cabling seemed to be made of iron."

Deron shrugged. "It's what I can afford."

"Wrong! It's what you used to be able to afford. It's nothing but the best for you now, buddy boy." Einhammer clapped his shoulder affectionately, but pulled his hand back when Deron made a low growling noise in the back of his throat.

"Uhh, anyway, my engineers have found that a special gold alloy is actually a much better conductor of the electricity your suit uses as its primary weapon. It would drastically reduce the amount of power each jolt uses, meaning a longer battery life."

Deron nodded. "I'll look at it."

"Your magnanimity knows no bounds, Mr. Betar."

"Deron. Mr. Betar was my father."

Einhammer nodded. "I'm sorry. What happened to him?"

"Estarke killed him."

"Well then, what say we kill him right back?"

Deron felt himself smile for the first time in a while.

"I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

The Forge of War

Deron was experimenting with electromagnetism. A thin coil of Einhammer's gold allow wrapped around the hand of his exoskeleton would turn his body into a powerful magnet when current was run through it. With proper control, his suits would be able to jerk Estarke's around like rag dolls.

He put on the gauntlet and turned on the switch. He fine-tuned a dial on the side and targeted a socket wrench lying across the room. With a few subtle gestures of his wrist, he had it sailing into his hand. He caught it with a ring of metal on metal.

Einhammer looked down on him from a catwalk at the top of the hangar serving as Deron's workshop.

"For Pete's sake, if you want someone to hand you a wrench, just tell them. What do you think I have all these lousy 'forged crawling around this place for?" Einhammer demanded.

"I'm experimenting with something," Deron said.

Einhammer rolled his eyes. "You! Junkpile!" he pointed at a warforged and beckoned it over. "If there's anything Deron needs, hand it to him, all right?"

It nodded. It got onto the elevator down to the ground floor and the wheels on the counterweight system started turning, slowly lowering its bulk.

Deron had an idea. He produced a fire trap from his gauntlet and tossed it onto the floor. He took cover behind a blast shield and held out his gauntlet.

He adjusted the settings and tried to make something more solid, extending his will just over the trap. A ghostly blue outline shimmered in the light and then grew into something of substance, an exact copy of Deron. He willed it to put out a foot on the trap. It detonated and the copy of him was blown to bits.

"Deron! Are you all right?" Einhammer yelled from above.

"Fine, boss! Just experimenting with something. It worked."

"Why do you keep screwing around with those traps? Estarke's made his money on suits. Why doesn't all this crap you're building look like a suit?"

"Trap's better."

Einhammer slid down a fireman's pole on the catwalk, landing on the floor with a little thud, his body given heft not from exercise, but from a thousand good dinners.

Einhammer picked up an unfinished knockout bomb, the metal bucket still empty, a pressure pad still waiting to be bolted onto the top.

"How'm I gonna get people to buy these things if I can't show 'em off on a model?" Einhammer snapped his fingers and pointed at the nearest warforged. "You! C'mere!" It trotted over.

He tossed it the half-finished trap.

"How do you get a head in there? Could you put your head in there?"

After a few clanks against the too-small bucket, the warforged shook its head. "No, sir."

"Help me understand you, Deron. I need to destroy Estarke's business. Estarke sells suits. These are not suits. Why're people gonna buy these instead'a his suits? You're not makin' any sense."

Deron rested an arm around Einhammer's shoulder, flaunting his height over the gnome.

"Hey, man, come over here, I got to show you something."

"Oh, all right," Einhammer groused.

Deron gestured to a spare gauntlet across the hangar and pulled it over. He used its fingers to dramatically whip off a sheet covering several force cages holding some of Estarke's suits.

He raised his hand and gestured towards the first. It powered up and turned on its invisibility spell.

"How did you do that?" Einhammer said in amazement.

Deron tossed a sparker from the gauntlet, made of the same energy as the clone he'd made earlier. It went off with a bang and covered the invisible suit in glitter.

"Turn off the suit's invisibility," he said as he moved to the next cage. He lobbed in a magnet and disrupted the suit's gyroscope, making it fall on its side, the next he threw in a handful of tentacles to bind its limbs, and the next he threw a gas bomb in to clog its air filter.

"Like I said: trap's better. Only reason I failed last time was because of me. Take out the man, take out the problem. All that's left is design, no more room for human error."

Einhammer quirked an eyebrow at the changeling.

"Just an expression."

Back in Black

Over the next few months, Estarke's profits began to dip dramatically. After asking Deron's advice, Einhammer distributed batches of the exosuits to the thieves' guilds, giving the gangs that prowled the streets the counter to Estarke's security guards, blinding lookouts with glitter and tripping pursuers with magnets.

Once the security contracts were lost, the rest of Estarke's empire was soon to follow. It wasn't long before Einhammer's company was once more comfortably in the black.

Every night, after he had endured Einhammer talking about how much money they had made, Deron recited his promise to his father. He did it in the privacy of his own room, right in Einhammer's headquarters, and knew eventually, the time would come.

One night it did. The alarms in the building were blaring, and Deron jolted awake.

"At last," he said to himself. He put on his glove and snapped his fingers. His exoskeleton wrapped itself around himself. It was time to finish things.

He ran into the hangar and saw Estarke throwing workbench after workbench aside.

"Betar!" he howled, his voice sounding alien through the filter in his helmet. "Come out and fight me like a man, changeling!"

Deron slid down Einhammer's fireman pole, glad for once for the gnome's eccentricities.

"Hey, man," Deron said with a rehearsed aloofness. He had learned it from Einhammer.

Estarke shrieked with fury and pitched a table at him. Deron sliced it in half with a burning tendril from his wrist.

Estarke's suit was showing signs of wear. Without its expensive maintenance, it was scarred and pitted, rust showing around the joints where he had sweated through it.

His hunch had been right. The suit was ferrous after all. Deron shrugged and threw an equalizer to trip him. Estarke was on the floor in a moment, but crushed the trap beneath his boot. He rose shakily to his feet and leapt at Deron.

Estarke's bulk was around him again, and again it broke the glass in his suit. Once more he was immobilized as Estarke crushed the air out of him, the suit's apelike arms squeezing him tight in a bear hug. Deron winced as his left arm snapped right in the middle.

His suit's power gone from him, Deron slithered his right hand out of Estarke's grip and brought it up over his head. His body was in agony as he shifted his bones to jelly and back again.

Deron spoke a single word of magic and called his father's dagger to him from under his pillow, where it had lain as he slept every night until tonight.

It was now in his hand.

Deron head butted Estarke's warped faceplate as hard as he could. He felt his own nose break, and his eyes clouded with tears. The motors within Estarke's helmet whined and groaned as his head bobbed a little from the impact, his faceplate reluctantly sliding up.

Beneath it, Estarke was unshaven, reeking of alcohol and shame. With the last of his strength, Deron drove the blade between his enemy's eyes, where he had seen it strike so many times, just over the half-healed lump of Estarke's broken nose.

Deron's back hit the floor, a section he'd prepared every night for this moment. There were enough explosives under it to bring the whole hangar down on top of them as soon as he hit the ground.

The building went up in flames.

And neither one of them got up.

User's Manual
lvl 5
You are a changeling rogue, and have social intuition in your hip pocket. Enjoy it now (and for the rest of your career, really) when the DC on social skills is on the low side. You have an absolutely ridiculous amount of skill points between changeling rogue's 10/lvl and your high intelligence.

With the ability to to fool enemies' magical senses with darkstalker, you should be able to attack your enemies unawares a fair portion of the time.

Speaking of sneaking around, the factotum's delicious brains over brawn ability gives you your int mod as an additional bonus to all str/dex checks, which includes two of your most important skills: hide and ms.

Changeling rogue loses your trap finding in exchange for social intuition, but factotum nabs it right back, so you can put your search and DD to good use against traps.

At this point, you're going to be skulking around and functioning as a stereotypical rogue: disabling traps, and being a sneak and a scout. However, the feats and ACFs you have make you better at it than you would normally be.

lvl 10
You're primarily using your traps (explained below) to damage and debuff your enemies remotely at this point, and from now on. Lay traps and get enemies to trip them or trigger them with your travel devotion clone.

You still sneak to get the drop on your enemies, and darkstalker + travel devotion let you bait foes into attacking the wrong thing.

You no longer pay for traps, and have alertness, the last thing you need to enter the SI.

lvl 15 (sweet spot)
You are now in the SI. Congratulations.
Shadow striker's 3 tactical maneuvers each complement the SI's teamwork-centered abilities.

Evade notice: if you and an ally flank 1 enemy, you can make a hide check vs his spot as long as you take no offensive actions. If successful, he can't attack you as long as he threatens someone else. great for making an escape without provoking AoOs

fade away: attack an enemy as a standard, move, then hide. if your attack hits, it gives you +5 on the hide check. very sneaky! especially good to help you hide out till you get hips.

ghost strike: when you and an ally threaten an enemy, you make an MS roll vs enemy's listen. next round, he loses his dex to AC against your 1st attack if your ally still threatens.

since the SI is very keen on you and an ally flanking opponents together, this feat and all three of the maneuvers in it are useful.

trackless step is online, meaning that you don't leave a trail, meshing well with darkstalker. Not only can't enemies see where you are, they can't see where you were either.

steady stance gives a bonus to balance/climb, which is also boosted by brains over brawn, so you shouldn't have a problem with either of those checks, which is why you're safe not putting any more points in after you meet the prereq for this class. your climb mod is very high.

teamwork trap sense can help if you and the party are bottlenecked, but you really shouldn't have them huddled around you when disarming a trap.

break away combines nicely with evade notice. You shouldn't provoke another AoO again.

detect magic can let you find magic traps without even rolling search, which can save you a lot of time.

teamwork sneak attack meshes with shadow stalker and gives your allies more reasons to want to gang up on opponents with you, especially if they have any ambush feats.

granting allies move actions is great, and can be used when you are flanking an enemy together with shadow striker. it gives you something to do when you're evading notice so your action's not wasted if your ally needs a move action.

the SI makes you better at what you already do: getting in, disabling enemy traps, and replacing them with your own undetected.
lvl 20
while when choosing from a list, improved evasion offers nothing over evasion and a good ref save, imp evasion isn't bad if it's free. Nice to have if you botch a DD roll or get knocked into one of your own traps with an enemy's awesome blow or something

skill mastery with climb can help when racing an enemy or fighting while climbing, and taking 10 on DD takes an awful lot of pressure off when disarming traps. open lock and search are literally given in the section of the PHB on taking 20, so skill mastery with them gives no real benefit. you're just going to use knock to open locks anyway, and by now your UMD check is high enough not to worry about failure. thanks for the skills, nightsong infiltrator!

specialized tools can help with planned break ins, but clearly won't be used much on the fly due to the time required. using alchemy is probably allowable (making acid to eat through locks or oil to grease hinges and the like) since it's not an exhaustive list. your trap making tools or thieves' tools would likely be fine for the purpose.

you can now aid your allies in moving without being tracked. your stealthiness is rubbing off on them.

your capstone, hips, finally comes online at the bitter end. unfortunately, it's the ranger version, so only works in "natural terrain." make sure you and your dm have a clear agreement on what exactly that means. it works nicely with cunning evasion, which is online now, and gives you extra chances to hide. the text says characters with hips don't need cover, but I assume you require natural terrain. nonetheless, this is a taste ability that provides this build with a pleasant aftertaste

Amphetryon

2012-12-15, 07:23 PM

Part 2:
It's a Trap!
Combat trap smith? What is that?

Glad you asked. Since the SI is so focused on infiltration and traps, I figured that would be a good element to accent with this side dish. This class is centered around building combat traps in the middle of combat. unlike normal traps, these only take 1 full round (provoking AoOs) to make (at lvl 10, a standard action w/o AoOs)

Your traps (with the exception of the scorcher/great scorcher) do not deal hp damage, but instead debuff adversaries with some rather ruinous conditions. Obviously, personal taste and the capabilities of the rest of the party will play into your trap selection a little (there are 12 choices, of which you can ultimately have 6) but here is the order I suggest for Deron:

1: scorcher, glitterburst
2: scorcher, glitterburst, equalizer
3: scorcher, (swap glitterburst for web), equalizer, flashbang
4: web, equalizer, flash bang, (swap scorcher for sleeper), stinkburst
5: web, equalizer, flashbang, sleeper, stinkburst, great scorcher

what do these traps do?

scorcher is ref vs 2d6 fireball
glitter burst is glitter dust (no save)
equalizer is ref vs fall prone
web is ref vs the web spell
flash bang is fort vs blind/deaf (dazzle on save)
sleeper is fort vs. sleep (fatigue on save!)
stink burst is fort vs stinking cloud (save every round you're in the square)
great scorcher is ref vs 5d6 fireball

the duration on the ones besides the scorchers (which are obviously instantaneous) is a number of rounds equal to your class level.

with the exception of great scorcher and web, which affect the square they're in and all adjacent squares, each of these traps only affect the square it is planted in.

you can plant a trap in any square adjacent to yourself on solid ground and can put as many traps as you like in the same square (though effects for the same trap do not stack, the target does have to make multiple saves for multiple traps, and you can put as many fire traps as you want in one square time providing)

traps are tripped by a tiny or bigger creature stepping on it (flying/incorporeal ones don't count, as usual) and each trap only works one time. the trap "lasts" for one hour or until triggered, whichever's sooner, after which point it doesn't work anymore.

presumably after this point, the trap is inert, though it still exists where you buried it in the ground. I am not sure whether this would mean that it'd detect through trap finding or similar techniques, or if it would just register as garbage. ask your dm for specifics. This is addressed under the dirty tricks section.

enemies can disable your traps normally with a search/DD check = 20+class lvl+int (so get that int high!) but first they need to see it with a spot check (same DC). your traps are easier to see because of reasons, so enemies don't need trap finding, but that's still a pretty high check, plus your traps are nonmagical, so won't ping on a detect magic.

if you can make a lowish craft (trap making) check. The highest check you have to make to successfully deploy a trap at each level is always lower than your minimum possible roll.

when you enter the class at 6, you take SF(trap making) to gain a +3 bonus to the check. the class gives this as a bonus feat the next level, but is one of the rare instances where if you have it already, you are allowed to take a different feat that you meet the prereqs for instead. The rationale for taking the feat early is to give you a bonus to trap making checks ASAP when you need it most.

You have a +5 from 20 int, +3 from skill focus, +9 from max ranks for a total of +17. Your traps' DCs at 1st lvl are only 15, so you can't fail!

This holds true until your very last level. Your bonus at 10 is +21, and your great scorcher trap requires a craft DC of 23, so you still succeed 95% of the time, which turns into 100% next level.

The reason you keep putting ranks in trap making for a few levels is combat transmith's "improvised materials" ability that will be Deron's best friend throughout his career.

From lvls 1-3, combat trap smith makes you use a kit to build traps. It costs 100gp and gives enough material for 10 traps, so it won't exactly bankrupt you.

However, at level 4, you no longer need to rely on your kit if you don't want to by boosting the DC of the trap making check by 5.

As demonstrated earlier, you really don't care all that much about the check since it's impossible for you to fail. When you gain the ability, you can auto-improvise your traps with minimal effort, and it soon becomes impossible for you to fail auto-improvisation.

I put ranks in trap making up through 14, for a total bonus of 25 (17 ranks + 3 skill focus +5 naked int) I am assuming by now that you have been able to get a +6 headband of intellect, since as a skill monkey, int is important to you. Combat trap smith also uses it to calculate the save DC for its traps, so it becomes of even greater importance that your int is as high as possible. If you're low on money in your game, just go ahead and put ranks in it for a few more levels until you can hit DC 28 without rolling to improvise your great scorcher.

As is plain to see, your traps can interact with one another to great effect:

Web + stink immobilizes an enemy and makes them lose actions
Web + fire deals extra damage when they break out of the web and step on the fire trap
Sleep + web makes the str check or escape artist DC harder

The combinations are numerous.

Clone Better Now that you're familiar with the rules about how your traps work, it's time to make things interesting:

Trickery devotion allows you to use a clone of yourself that gains powers as you level up:

1: unseen servant+silent image
5: unseen servant + major image + bluff to do-si-do
10: unseen servant + major image + remote viewing + skills/ability checks+ phantom equipment
15: unseen servant + major image + remote viewing + skills/ability checks + phantom equipment + str = yours/2, cast spells as though project image

your guy lasts 1 minute/character level and has 6+character lvl hp

Whew! that's a lot to handle! Let's take it one step at a time:

You obtain trickery devotion at level 7, since you already took SF(trap making) so get another feat you qualify for at level 2 of combat trap smith. Like all the domain feats, trickery devotion doesn't actually have any prerequisites except that it fit you thematically, and for a character centered around stealth and traps, deception is what you're all about.

Let's start with the basics: your clone can trigger traps (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/unseenServant.htm) and can't be targeted or harmed by any non AoE damage dealing things (so all the traps except your scorchers don't hurt it)

it can pass through difficult terrain and the like without difficulty, so can reach into a square and trigger a trap without difficulty. This can be used with traps that have a range of squares adjacent to itself, like the web (don't use it to trip scorchers, you'll blow up your clone, since he's never entitled to a save).

When the trap is actually in an opponent's square, your clone can also be used to trigger traps under enemies who levitate or hover, which is situational, but nonetheless very fun when it comes up.

Unlike a normal unseen servant, yours actually is visible, and looks exactly like you. Remember! you're a changeling! Take advantage of this. Between your racial bonus to disguise check, your plentiful ranks, synergy from bluff, and cunning knowledge (trickery devotion, used once/day is a good use of your cunning knowledge for disguise for the day) your disguise will be quite difficult to see through, so too will the disguise of your clone.

Domain feats specify that the save DC (if any) is listed in the text. Trickery devotion has no save DC, so unlike a normal major image, it cannot be will disbelieved!

So essentially, for 1 min/character level, you can have a clone of whoever you want at your beck and call! Sound, smell, and heat are included as well as visual appearance, and none of them can be disbelieved.

This, works very well in tandem with your darkstalker feat, which lets you hide from blind sense, blindsight, tremor sense, and scent. You essentially don't show up to your enemy, but your clone does! You can, in fact, use the clone to bait them and lure them over to some of your traps.

Once you hit 5 (so once you get the feat) you can also roll bluff w/ a +4 bonus vs an opponent's sense motive check to confuse them as to which of you is the real one. If they fail, they have it wrong and mix the two of you up. This will be complicated by them not being able to save vs. the clone's major image.

at 10, you can view the world through your clone's body and ignore terrain, fly, etc. Remember to keep it in range of yourself (close range, treat character lvl as caster lvl) or the effect ends.

This can be very useful when it comes to reconnaissance. Your clone does not weigh anything and has no material body, so can scout ahead for you and walk through doorways without springing tripwires, setting off pressure pads, or anything else you don't want him to do.

you can also use skills through your clone and he has versions of your tools, so he can not only find traps for you, he can also disable them.

at 15, you can cast spells through your clone as though via project image. you don't have any spells, but your arcane dilettante SLAs count, and it's nice to have the option there with wands, which can open up all sorts of crazy things. he can also gain 1/2 your str and can attack enemies with whatever equipment he's got (as long as it doesn't leave his grasp) Dirty Tricks
This is the catch-all section for anything this build could theoretically do that would require some judgement on the DM's part. Some of these are just theoretical exploits, others are things that didn't fit anyplace else.

Needle in a Haystack: What exactly happens to your inert traps once the hour is up? They're not made of magical force, so don't just dissolve. If a character sees a cavern or something with a whole bunch of traps, is there any way for them to tell which are live? Ask your DM.

Set us up the Bomb: You can put an arbitrary number of traps in a square, resources and time permitting. With proper time and inclination, you can deal essentially as much damage as you like to an enemy who is vulnerable to hit point and fire damage. They will have to make a lot of saves and will fail enough to kill them. This clearly falls under the umbrella of "gentleman's agreement not to do this" but it's nonetheless an interesting thought exercise

Now You See Me, Now You Don't Quick change makes minor shape shift a move action. Cloak dance is a move action to gain concealment. Conceal yourself and change your shape, and then pop back in a different shape the next round. Confuse everyone, especially in combination with any of the tricks under the trickery devotion section

Sources
complete champion: trickery devotion
complete scoundrel: combat trapsmith
core: skill focus, alertness, rogue
dungeonscape: factotum
lords of madness: darkstalker
PHB2: cunning evasion, shadow striker
Races of eberron: changeling rogue, quick change
XPH: cloak dance

complete adventurer: nightsong infiltrator(secret ingredient)

Amphetryon

2012-12-15, 07:25 PM

Imitation has more to it than flattery.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2389/2425617795_f07ff7732d.jpg

Lindsay hated guard duty.

He had fought hard for the Vicar of Mourning during the Blackwater Wars, had won every battle, proved himself enough to gain audience with the Vicar himself. The Vicar had promised him riches and a position within his own house. He had jumped at the chance, expecting higher wages and easy living. But the Vicar was demanding and intensely paranoid, requiring round the clock guarding, and as he neared the end of another twelve hour day, Lindsay found himself missing the bloody simplicity of the wars.

“Lindsay, I have need of you,” came the Vicar’s dusty voice from the door behind him. “Come in, quickly.”

Lindsay looked around at the other guards. They all shrugged. Lindsay turned and entered the crypt-like room.

The Vicar looked up at him, with surprise showing in his sunken eyes. He quickly covered the maps he was working on. “What are you doing here? How dare you enter without knocking?”

“I - I was called,” Lindsay stammered. “You asked -”

“I did nothing of the sort,” the Vicar said quietly, “and since you have so recklessly abandoned your post, perhaps you ought to stay on for a second shift.”

Lindsay was preparing to reply when he heard the sounds of a struggle from outside the room. He turned to speak, but the Vicar waved him away. “Go,” he commanded. “See what happens when you leave your post?”

Back in the antechamber, all was chaos. The guards were fanning out, preparing to face three men, all wearing mail and bearing swords. He paused a moment to wonder at how they managed to get in without an alarm being raised.

Suddenly he heard someone shout. “Guards, put down your weapons,” said the voice. “The Vicar’s orders! These men are here to see him!” Lindsay watched in awe as the guards all did, looking confused. He belatedly realized that the voice that spoke was his own.

“No!” He shouted, preparing to tell them it was all a trick, that he had not spoken, when he stepped forward. Something clicked under his foot. He felt a strange vapor puff up past his nose and suddenly fell forward, so drowsy he could no longer stand.

“That wasn’t me,” he muttered, but his voice was so low that the other guards could no longer hear him. With heavy, drooping eyes, he watched a strange bird-man step out of the shadows. And then, all he knew was sleep...

"Crow tool manufacture had three features new to tool use in free-living nonhumans... which indicates that crows have achieved a considerable technical capability in their tool manufacture and use."

Hunt, G. Manufacture and use of hook-tools by New Caledonian crows. Nature 379, 249 - 251 (18 January 1996).

Lycus Blackbeak
CG Kenku, Factotum 3/Totemist 2/Combat Trapsmith 5/Nightsong Infiltrator 10

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

1st|Factotum 1|
+0|
+0|
+2|
+0|Climb 4 ranks, disable device 4 ranks, balance 4 ranks, search 4 ranks, use magic device 4 ranks, bluff 4 ranks, craft (trapmaking) 4 ranks, craft (alchemy) 4 ranks, hide 4 ranks, move silently 4 ranks|Darkstalker|Inspiration, cunning insight, cunning knowledge, trapfinding

2nd|Totemist 1|
+0|
+2|
+4|
+0|Climb 4.5 ranks, disable device 4.5 ranks, search 4.5 ranks, use magic device 4.5 ranks, hide 4.5 ranks, move silently 4.5 ranks, craft (trapmaking) 5 ranks, craft (alchemy) 5 ranks||Wild empathy

3rd|Totemist 2|
+1|
+3|
+5|
+0|Climb 5 ranks, disable device 5 ranks, search 5 ranks, use magic device 5 ranks, hide 5 ranks, move silently 5 ranks, craft (trapmaking) 6 ranks, craft (alchemy) 6 ranks|Sacred Vow|Totem chakra bind (+1 capacity)

4th|Factotum 2|
+2|
+3|
+6|
+0|Climb 6 ranks, disable device 6 ranks, balance 5 ranks, search 6 ranks, use magic device 5 ranks, bluff 5 ranks, hide 6 ranks, move silently 6 ranks, craft (trapmaking) 7 ranks, craft (alchemy) 7 ranks||Arcane dilettante (1 spell)

5th|Factotum 3|
+3|
+4|
+6|
+1|Climb 7 ranks, disable device 7 ranks, search 7 ranks, use magic device 6 ranks, bluff 6 ranks, hide 7 ranks, move silently 7 ranks, craft (trapmaking) 8 ranks, craft (alchemy) 8 ranks, spot 1 rank||Brains over brawn, cunning defense

6th|Combat Trapsmith 1|
+3|
+6|
+8|
+1|Climb 8 ranks, craft (trapmaking) 9 ranks, craft (alchemy) 9 ranks, disable device 8 ranks, hide 8 ranks, move silently 8 ranks, open lock 1 rank, search 8 ranks, spot 2 ranks|Vow of Nonviolence|Combat trapping, trap sense +1, enfeebler trap, befuddler trap

7th|Combat Trapsmith 2|
+4|
+7|
+9|
+1|Climb 9 ranks, craft (trapmaking) 10 ranks, craft (alchemy) 10 ranks, disable device 9 ranks, hide 9 ranks, move silently 9 ranks, open lock 2 ranks, search 9 ranks, spot 3 ranks, bluff 6.5 ranks|Skill Focus (craft (trapmaking))|Entangler trap, equalizer trap (lose befuddler)

8th|Combat Trapsmith 3|
+5|
+7|
+9|
+2|Climb 10 ranks, craft (trapmaking) 11 ranks, craft (alchemy) 11 ranks, disable device 10 ranks, hide 10 ranks, move silently 10 ranks, open lock 3 ranks, search 10 ranks, spot 4 ranks, bluff 7 ranks||Trap sense +2, flashbang trap, spiderweb trap (lose enfeebler)

9th|Combat Trapsmith 4|
+6/+1|
+8|
+10|
+2|Craft (trapmaking) 12 ranks, craft (alchemy) 12 ranks, disable device 11 ranks, hide 12 ranks, move silently 11 ranks, open lock 5 ranks, search 11 ranks, spot 5 ranks|Alertness|Improvised materials, sleeper trap

10th|Nightsong Infiltrator 1|
+6/+1|
+8|
+12|
+2|Bluff 9 ranks, craft (alchemy) 13 ranks, disable device 12 ranks, hide 13 ranks, move silently 12 ranks, search 12 ranks, spot 6 ranks, use magic device 10 ranks||Teamwork trap sense +1

11th|Nightsong Infiltrator 2|
+7/+2|
+8|
+13|
+2|Bluff 12 ranks, craft (alchemy) 14 ranks, disable device 13 ranks, hide 14 ranks, move silently 14 ranks, search 13 ranks, spot 7 ranks, use magic device 12 ranks||Steady stance, teamwork infiltration +2

12th|Nightsong Infiltrator 3|
+8/+3|
+9|
+13|
+3|Bluff 15 ranks, craft (alchemy) 15 ranks, disable device 14 ranks, hide 15 ranks, move silently 15 ranks, search 14 ranks, spot 8 ranks, use magic device 15 ranks|Shadow Striker|Break away, trackless step (self)

13th|Nightsong Infiltrator 4|
+9/+4|
+9|
+14|
+3|Bluff 16 ranks, craft (alchemy) 16 ranks, disable device 15 ranks, hide 16 ranks, move silently 16 ranks, search 15 ranks, spot 13 ranks, use magic device 16 ranks||Detect magic, teamwork sneak attack +1d6, teamwork trap sense +2

14th|Nightsong Infiltrator 5|
+9/+4|
+9|
+14|
+3|Bluff 17 ranks, craft (alchemy) 17 ranks, disable device 16 ranks, hide 17 ranks, move silently 17 ranks, search 16 ranks, spot 16 ranks, use magic device 17 ranks, Skill Trick: Clarity of Vision||Defensive roll, grant move action 1/day

15th|Combat Trapsmith 5|
+9/+4|
+9|
+14|
+3|Bluff 18 ranks, craft (alchemy) 18 ranks, disable device 17 ranks, hide 18 ranks, move silently 18 ranks, search 18 ranks, spot 18 ranks, use magic device 18 ranks, Skill Trick: Corner Perch|Improved Diversion|Expert trapsetter, trap sense +3, stinkburst trap, glitterburst trap (lose entangler)

16th|Nightsong Infiltrator 6|
+10/+5|
+10|
+15|
+4|Bluff 19 ranks, climb 11 ranks, craft (alchemy) 19 ranks, disable device 19 ranks, hide 19 ranks, move silently 19 ranks, search 19 ranks, spot 19 ranks, use magic device 19 ranks, diplomacy 1 rank, forgery 1 rank||Improved evasion, skill mastery, specialized tools

17th|Nightsong Infiltrator 7|
+11/+6/+1|
+10|
+15|
+4|Bluff 20 ranks, climb 12 ranks, craft (alchemy) 20 ranks, disable device 20 ranks, hide 20 ranks, move silently 20 ranks, search 20 ranks, spot 20 ranks, use magic device 20 ranks, diplomacy 4 ranks||Teamwork trap sense +3, trackless step (allies)

18th|Nightsong Infiltrator 8|
+12/+7/+2|
+10|
+16|
+4|Bluff 21 ranks, craft (alchemy) 21 ranks, disable device 21 ranks, hide 21 ranks, move silently 21 ranks, search 21 ranks, spot 21 ranks, use magic device 21 ranks, diplomacy 8 ranks|Ability Focus (combat trapping)|Teamwork infiltration +4, teamwork sneak attack +2d6

19th|Nightsong Infiltrator 9|
+12/+7/+2|
+11|
+16|
+5|Bluff 22 ranks, craft (alchemy) 22 ranks, disable device 22 ranks, hide 22 ranks, move silently 22 ranks, search 22 ranks, spot 22 ranks, use magic device 22 ranks, diplomacy 12 ranks||Grant move action 2/day

20th|Nightsong Infiltrator 10|
+13/+8/+3|
+11|
+17|
+5|Bluff 23 ranks, craft (alchemy) 23 ranks, disable device 23 ranks, hide 23 ranks, move silently 23 ranks, search 23 ranks, spot 23 ranks, use magic device 23 ranks, diplomacy 16 ranks||Hide in plain sight, teamwork trap sense +4[/table]

FINAL SKILL RANKS:
Balance 5 ranks
Bluff 23 ranks
Climb 12 ranks
Craft (alchemy) 23 ranks
Craft (trapmaking) 12 ranks
Diplomacy 16 ranks
Disable device 23 ranks
Forgery 1 rank
Hide 23 ranks
Move silently 23 ranks
Open lock 5 ranks
Search 23 ranks
Use magic device 23 ranks
Clarity of Vision skill trick
Corner Perch skill trick

Ability Scores

Str 6/Dex 15/Con 13/Int 18/Wis 10/Cha 12 (includes racial mods)

Boost Intelligence at every level.

Suggested Items

Equip yourself like you would any thief. Intelligence is far and away your most important stat, so pick up items and tomes that boost that. Following that, boost Dexterity.

Weapons are unnecessary; your claws mean you can always flank without needing to carry a weapon in your hand, and you have vowed not to deal damage regardless. It wouldn’t hurt to keep a feycraft sap on you for when you need to deal nonlethal damage, or a few nets or bolas, but that’s about it.

You’ll want armor that restricts you as little as possible, and when you can afford the greater version of Shadow and Silent Moves enhancements, I would pick those up, which will free up a soulmeld for you. (Anything other than the greater versions is not worth it, however, as your Kruthik Claws grant you a +8 competence bonus on their own.) A Collar of Umbral Metamorphosis is also always nice on a stealth build.

A hat of disguise or a wand of alter self would not go amiss, combining well with your Mimicry ability to impersonate just about anyone. Wands are also great. A wand of glibness in particular would be nice, as would a wand of heroics. An eternal wand of open least chakra is also a very nice thing to have.

The Blackbeak's Code

Where the shadows fall, evil may grow. To attack evil in the light of day is a futile task; evil must be destroyed where its roots grow deepest.

Redemption exists in the souls of all men. I must always remember this.

The greatest form of evil is tyranny. One man with evil in his heart may cause mischief but little more, while an empire threatens the entire world.

Societies built on tyranny are like a stone wall with no mortar. An army may fling itself against the wall to no avail, while a clever bird picks at the cracks.

If I am to truly succeed, I must do this without the shedding of blood. Certainly evil blood must sometimes be spillt, but it must not be at my claws. This is not an abdication of guilt. This is my sacrifice.

Build Snapshots

LEVELS 1-5:
You begin play as a stealthy scout. Darkstalker comes online right from the get-go, because what kind of scout would you be if you couldn’t even sneak past a CR ⅓ guard dog?

Anyhow, like all factota, you are a jack of all trades. Combined with your racial bonuses, totemist soulmelds and your inspiration points, you should be putting out truly phenomenal skill bonuses in all the stealthy skills. This especially becomes true at level 5, when you are adding your Intelligence bonus to many of these skills.

With your two levels of totemist, you get three soulmelds and the ability to bind to your totem chakra. Feel free to switch these up as circumstances require, but you’ll pretty much always want the Kruthik Claws for the potential +8 bonus to your stealth skills. Other good ones include the Lammasu Mantle, for a nice bonus to saves and AC, the Blink Shirt for tactical movement, and the Great Raptor Mask, for Evasion and nice boosts to your spot checks.

LEVELS 6-10:
Well, that escalated quickly. Right at level 6, you pick up both Vow of Nonviolence and your first level in Combat Trapsmith, giving you a wide variety of new abilities.

Let’s look at those traps for a minute. Note that none of your chosen traps break your Vow of Nonviolence. Note also that the Vow of Nonviolence provides a hefty +4 bonus to their save DC, meaning that by level 9, you’re looking at a DC of 18+Int. To make matters worse, many of your chosen traps still inflict a debuff even on a successful save. Slink around the battlefield setting traps under the feet of your foes, allowing you to entangle them, knock them prone, put them to sleep, sicken them and more. Heck, by level 9 you don’t even need materials to do this anymore - you can create these traps at-will using whatever happens to be at hand.

It’s also worth taking a gander at that excellent craft (alchemy) skill. While your trapmaking tops out at DC 26 (enough to make a Sleeper or Stinkburst trap with improvised materials), the better you are at alchemical crafting, the faster you can churn out these items. So in addition to laying nasty traps all over the place, you’re also debuffing with tanglefoot bags, eggshell grenades, alchemical sleep gas and torch bug paste. You’re using noxious smokesticks and stinkpots to create battlefield control, or boosting allies with nerv, bloodspikes and antitoxins.

You should pretty much exclusively switch to the Great Raptor Mask as your totem bind from here on out, by the way. As a scout, the bonus to Spot checks is becoming very important (and soon you’ll have Clarity of Vision as well). The evasion is also essential, allowing you to pick up your first level of Nightsong Infiltrator. Right now that means a big boost to your skills and a passive boost to you and your allies, but over the next few levels, it’s about to become VERY important.

LEVELS 11-15:
Hey, let’s take a nice long look at what those Nightsong Infiltrator levels offer you. In addition to a ton of excellent defensive abilities (hello, break away and defensive roll!) and some nice scouting boosts (hi, trackless step and detect magic at will!), you also pick up a lot of nice teamwork benefits.

First of all, teamwork trap sense. It’s nice on its own, since it gives your party a reasonable boost against traps. It’s especially handy for you, just in case one of them stumbles into one of your traps. (No matter how many times you tell that fighter not to step there, he just never seems to learn...)

Oh, hey, your skills. Nightsong Infiltrator gets a hefty 8 skill points per level and every skill you need here as a class skill. Now you can catch up on both bluff and use magic device, right at the levels when those two skills become super important. You can also pick up the Clarity of Vision skill trick, letting you spot invisible enemies to target with your Glitterburst traps.

Now, see that maxed out bluff skill? You’ve got three very good reasons to take advantage of it. The first is the “Delivering a Secret Message” ability. You’re laying traps all over the place, and you want your party to know where they are without your enemies doing so. Using bluff, you can convey to them where not to walk without cluing in the baddies.

Also, as a kenku, you’ve got the Mimicry ability. You can mimic voices, sounds, etc., that you’ve heard. You’re going to be spending a lot of time hidden. Use this time to spread confusion as you mimic the voices of your foes, issuing contradictory orders or calling for help where none is needed. This is especially nice if vision is obscured by things like smokesticks and Stinkburst bombs.

But we were talking about Nightsong Infiltrator’s teamwork benefits. You’re lending some of your stealth ability to your party, which is always nice. Also, while you have sworn not to attack, by flanking enemies you can still lend your aid to your allies, granting them not only a flanking bonus, but sneak attack damage as well. Now let’s look at Shadow Striker. If you and an ally have an enemy flanked so that you both threaten, you can make a Hide check versus his Spot, and if you succeed, he can’t attack you as long as the other enemy still threatens. This means he can’t make attack of opportunities on you while you trap the square he’s standing in. In fact, you can lay trap after trap right under his feet and there’s not a darn thing he can do about it. Your ally, meanwhile, is free to attack, and dealing extra damage to boot.

Oh, hey, I said there were three reasons why bluff was so important to you. Take a look at that level 15 feat, Improved Diversion, which allows you to make a bluff check to create a diversion to hide as a move action instead of a standard action. Well, notice that at the same level, you get the ability to start setting traps as a standard action, including things like the Stinkburst trap. Ever seen a ninja disappear in a puff of smoke? That’s you, baby! Standard action to create a stinking cloud bomb, move action to call attention to create a diversion, and then take a five foot step and use that movement to hide. The net effect is that you toss down a bomb or smokestick, causing a big bang and smoke, and then... disappear.

LEVELS 16-20:
The good just keeps on getting better.

Right at level 16, you get three great boons - improved tools (essentially a +2 bonus to just about every useful skill you’ve got), skill mastery, and improved evasion. Failure just isn’t an option for you!

Nightsong Infiltrator’s huge number of skill points means you’ve long since hit the ceiling on most skills you care about, so with the extra points, you begin to branch out a bit. You can actually make a pretty passable diplomancer in these levels, assuming you can dodge the flying books. You also pick up forgery, a nice little skill that is only opposed by... forgery! With forger’s paper (which you can easily craft yourself) and an inspiration point, not to mention your massive Int bonus, you should be able to forge almost anything.

All of your other abilities improve as well. Once your party was a bunch of bumbling fools who couldn’t clunk down a hallway without alerting half the castle. Now they’re a crack team that can put Charlie and his roller-skating astral devas to shame. Your whole team moves everywhere without leaving a trace, quiet and deadly. You can even grant them extra movement to help reposition them into flanking positions and push them past the tougher parts.

That team sneak attack bonus gets better as well, so your little flanking Shadow Striker trick becomes even deadlier. You get a very nice Hide in Plain Sight ability for when you’re in natural terrain, and it combos well with your smoke bombs. Oh, and the DC of your traps is now 21+Int. With level appropriate gear, that means a whopping DC of 33, with the ability to target multiple saves.

Tips and Tricks

In addition to Lycus Blackbeak's hefty stealth bonuses, soulmeld use, factotum abilities and high-DC traps, Lycus has several particular tricks he uses to get the drop on his enemies.

Evasive Flanking
Find an ally and move into a flanking position. In addition to flanking bonuses, you’re also granting your ally sneak attack damage. Meanwhile, using Shadow Striker’s “Evade Notice” option, you can make a hide check to avoid being attacked, as long as you don’t directly attack your enemy. That’s OK, because your Vow of Nonviolence means you don’t really like directly attacking anyhow. One thing you CAN do? Set traps! So while you’re boosting your ally’s attacks, you’re also setting trap after trap on your enemy... and as long as you both threaten him, he can't attack you or take AoOs on you while you do it!

Disappearing in a Puff of Smoke
You can create small stinking clouds at will as a standard action via the stinkburst trap. You can also make a diversion to hide as a move action via Improved Diversion. The actual act of hiding itself isn’t an action at all, but rather is combined with movement, as long as you have some form of cover or concealment, and if you spend your move action on something other than movement (ie, making a diversion), you can follow it up with a 5-foot step.

So what happens when you combine that? Well, set off a stinkburst bomb as your standard, make a bluff check to distract everyone as a move action, then 5-foot step into hiding. The stinking cloud gives you the concealment you need to successfully hide. Yes, that’s right, you’ve just recreated the ninja disappearing smoke bomb trick.

Trapped!
Sometimes, no matter how cleverly you lay a trap, you just can’t convince an enemy to set it off. Good use of the bluff skill should help keep this problem to a minimum, but in a pinch, you can set traps off yourself to excellent effect.

Many of your traps create lasting battlefield control, or affect all adjacent squares in addition to their own square. Go ahead and set these off yourself, especially those requiring a reflex save. Despite the massive DC, you’ve got excellent Reflex saves, improved evasion, and a whopping +7 trap sense bonus to saves.

Your allies also share a good portion of these trap sense bonuses, meaning that if they've got decent saves, you can also include them in the radius of your traps without fear of harm. Just be prepared to buy them a mug of ale afterwards if things don’t go quite as planned...

Break Away and Make Them Pay
Mobility is important to you, and the Break Away ability is pretty sweet, offering a huge AC bonus if you do nothing but move. But... not ANYTHING else? That seems sad! Still, it comes in handy, especially since you’ll want to be constantly moving into flanking positions. You’re an EXCELLENT flanking partner, after all.

But hey, wait a minute, isn’t speaking a free action? And when it comes to speaking, your words are deadly. Thanks to your Mimicry ability, you can perfectly mimic other voices and sounds you've heard. Your goal is to completely confuse and confound your enemies, so while you dance around the battlefield granting flanking boosts and sneak attack damage, you can also shout commands in their leader’s voice, imitate the sounds of swordplay or arrows firing, convince enemies that there are traps where none exist, and more. You can simultaneously deliver a secret message to your own allies, completely under your enemy’s radar.

Sources

Combat Trapsmith, skill tricks: Comp Scoundrel
Darkstalker: Lords of Madness
Sacred Vow, Vow of Nonviolence: Book of Exalted Deeds
Shadow Striker: PHB2
Improved Diversion: Comp Adventurer
Factotum: Dungeonscape
Totemist: Magic of Incarnum
Ability Focus: MM/SRD

Amphetryon

2012-12-15, 07:28 PM

It's a Christmas miraculum! - C. M. Burns

http://imageshack.us/a/img7/6595/gifttop.png
http://imageshack.us/a/img809/9291/santaclausn.jpg

Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro' the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

This is a showcase for new TO build.

The Build
St. Nicholas
Gray Elf Artificer 4/Wizard 1/Artificer 1/Divine Oracle 1/Artificer 1/Divine Oracle 1/Abjurant Champion 1/Nightsong Infiltrator 10

ACFs:
Elf Wizard Racial Substitution Level
UA Wizard Variant: Trade Scribe Scroll for a Fighter Bonus feat

Stats:
Starting Stats (32-point buy):
Str 10/Dex 12/Con 14/Int 16/Wis 8/Cha 16
With Racial Modifiers:
Str 8/Dex 14/Con 12/Int 18/Wis 8/Cha 16

All boosts go to Cha.

Build:
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features
1st|Artificer 1|
+0|
+0|
+0|
+2|Disable Device 4 ranks, Hide 2 ranks, Know (religion) 2 ranks, Move Silently 2 ranks, Open Lock 4 ranks, Search 4 ranks, Spellcraft 4 ranks, Use Magic Device 4 ranks|Practiced Spellcaster, Scribe ScrollB|Artificer knowledge, Artisan Bonus, Disable trap, Item creation
2nd|Artificer 2|
+1|
+0|
+0|
+3|Disable Device 5 ranks, Hide 2.5 ranks, Know (arcana), Move Silently 2.5 ranks, Open Lock 5 ranks, Search 5 ranks, Spellcraft 5 ranks, Use Magic Device 5 ranks|Brew PotionB|
3rd|Artificer 3|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+3|Climb 1 rank, Disable Device 6 ranks, Hide 3 ranks, Know (the planes) 1 rank, Move Silently 3 ranks, Search 6 ranks, Use Magic Device 6 ranks|Skill Focus(Knowledge:Religion), Craft Wondrous ItemB|
4th|Artificer 4|
+3|
+1|
+1|
+4|Climb 2.5 ranks, Disable Device 7 ranks, Hide 3.5 ranks, Move Silently 3.5 ranks, Search 7 ranks, Use Magic Device 7 ranks|Exceptional ArtisanB, Craft Wondrous HomunculusB|
5th|Wizard 1|
+3|
+1|
+1|
+6|Know (religion) 8 ranks|Martial Study (Cloak of Deception)B|Summon familiar
6th|Artificer 5|
+3|
+1|
+1|
+6|Climb 3 ranks, Disable Device 8 ranks, Hide 4 ranks, Move Silently 4 ranks, Search 9 ranks, Use Magic Device 9 ranks|Skill Focus (Use Magic Device), Craft Magic Arms and ArmorB|Retain Essence
7th|Divine Oracle 1|
+3|
+1|
+1|
+8|Climb 4 ranks, Search 10 ranks, Use Magic Device 10 ranks| |Oracle domain, scry bonus
8th|Artificer 6|
+4|
+2|
+2|
+9|Disable Device 10 ranks, Hide 5 ranks, Move Silently 5 ranks, Search 11 ranks, Use Magic Device 11 ranks| |Metamagic Spell Trigger
9th|Divine Oracle 2|
+5|
+2|
+2|
+10|Climb 5 ranks, Disable Device 11 ranks, Search 11 ranks, Use Magic Device 12 ranks|Combat Casting|Prescient sense, trap sense +1
10th|Abjurant Champion 1|
+6|
+2|
+2|
+12|Climb 10 ranks, Corner Perch| |Abjurant Armor, Extended Abjuration
11th|Nightsong Infiltrator 1|
+6|
+2|
+4|
+12|Disable Device 14 ranks, Hide 7 ranks, Move Silently 7 ranks, Search 14 ranks, Use Magic Device 14 ranks| |Teamwork trap sense +1, trapfinding
12th|Nightsong Infiltrator 2|
+7|
+2|
+5|
+12|Disable Device 15 ranks, Hide 12 ranks, Move Silently 11 ranks, Search 15 ranks, Use Magic Device 15 ranks|Craft Staff|Steady stance, teamwork infiltration +2
13th|Nightsong Infiltrator 3|
+8|
+3|
+5|
+13|Disable Device 16 ranks, Hide 16 ranks, Move Silently 16 ranks, Search 16 ranks, Use Magic Device 16 ranks| |Break away, trackless step (self)
14th|Nightsong Infiltrator 4|
+9|
+3|
+6|
+13|Disable Device 17 ranks, Hide 17 ranks, Move Silently 17 ranks, Search 17 ranks, Tumble 7 ranks, Use Magic Device 17 ranks| |Detect magic, teamwork sneak attack +1d6, teamwork trap sense +2
15th|Nightsong Infiltrator 5|
+9|
+3|
+6|
+13|Disable Device 18 ranks, Hide 18 ranks, Move Silently 18 ranks, Search 18 ranks, Tumble 12 ranks, Use Magic Device 18 ranks, Acrobatic Backstab|Extend Spell|Defensive roll, grant move action 1/day
16th|Nightsong Infiltrator 6|
+10|
+4|
+7|
+14|Climb 12 ranks, Craft (woodworking) 1 rank, Disable Device 19 ranks, Hide 19 ranks, Move Silently 19 ranks, Search 19 ranks, Tumble 14 ranks, Use Magic Device 19 ranks, Walk the Walls| |Improved evasion, skill mastery, specialized tools
17th|Nightsong Infiltrator 7|
+10|
+4|
+7|
+14|Balance 5 ranks, Disable Device 20 ranks, Hide 20 ranks, Move Silently 20 ranks, Search 20 ranks, Use Magic Device 20 ranks, Back On Your Feet| |Teamwork trap sense +3, trackless step (allies)
18th|Nightsong Infiltrator 8|
+11|
+4|
+8|
+14|Balance 7 ranks, Disable Device 21 ranks, Hide 21 ranks, Move Silently 21 ranks, Search 21 ranks, Tumble 19 ranks, Use Magic Device 21 ranks|Persistent Spell|Teamwork infiltration +4, teamwork sneak attack +2d6
19th|Nightsong Infiltrator 9|
+11|
+5|
+8|
+15|Balance 12 ranks, Disable Device 22 ranks, Hide 22 ranks, Move Silently 22 ranks, Search 22 ranks, Tumble 21 ranks, Use Magic Device 22 ranks| |Grant move action 2/day
20th|Nightsong Infiltrator 10|
+12|
+5|
+9|
+15|Balance 14 ranks, Decipher Script 5 ranks, Disable Device 23 ranks, Hide 23 ranks, Move Silently 23 ranks, Search 23 ranks, Use Magic Device 23 ranks| |Hide in plain sight, teamwork trap sense +4[/table]

BBonus feat granted by class.

Spells
Artificer Infusions per day
{table=head]Level|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th
1st|2|-|-|-|-|-
2nd|3|-|-|-|-|-
3rd|3|1|-|-|-|-
4th|3|2|-|-|-|-
5th|3|2|-|-|-|-
6th|3|3|1|-|-|-
7th|3|3|2|-|-|-
8th|3|3|2|-|-|-
9th|3|3|3|1|-|-
10th|3|3|3|2|-|-
11th|3|3|3|2|-|-
12th|3|3|3|2|-|-
13th|3|3|3|2|-|-
14th|3|3|3|2|-|-
15th|3|3|3|2|-|-
16th|3|3|3|2|-|-
17th|3|3|3|2|-|-
18th|3|3|3|2|-|-
19th|3|3|3|2|-|-
20th|3|3|3|2|-|-[/table]

Wizard Spells per day
{table=head]Level|0lvl|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th|7th|8th|9th
1st|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
2nd|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
3rd|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
4th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
5th|3|1+1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
6th|3|1+1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
7th|3|1+1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
8th|3|1+1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
9th|3|1+1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
10th|3|1+1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
11th|3|1+1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
12th|3|1+1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
13th|3|1+1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
14th|3|1+1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
15th|3|1+1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
16th|3|1+1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
17th|3|1+1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
18th|3|1+1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
19th|3|1+1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
20th|3|1+1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-[/table]

Suggested Items
Thanks to starting as an Artificer, Nicholas can craft almost all the magical equipment he needs and supply the rest of his party too. That said, a pair of Magic Tattoos or Orange Ioun Stones at level 13, whether bought or cast/crafted, will help by boosting his Artificer CL high enough to make 9th level scrolls and staffs (note that thanks to Divine Oracle, he can craft 9th level Divination equipment without this). And of course, anything that boosts UMD, like Spellsight Spectacles, a Cloak of Charisma, or a Circlet of Persuasion, will help him craft the equipment he needs.

The Story of St. Nicholas
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

You know the story... Every Christmas Eve he flies from house to house, delivering presents to the nice boys and girls, and leaving coal for the bad. But there is another story. The one that came before.

You see, he was always a good soul, St. Nicholas. He loved helping others, tinkering, and adventuring. Yes, he was an adventurer. Perhaps Lord Starrin would not have feared him otherwise.

He started like any other artificer. He made useful things, and strengthened his friends in battle. He even opened a magic shop. He was interested in learning everything, and got pretty good at it, too. Give the man a few days in the back room and he would give you an answer to anything divination could find. Sometimes he would sneak around to find things out himself; could do it pretty well for an artificer. That was how he joined the Nightsong Guild. They magnified his abilities tenfold, combining his love of stealth with his natural teamwork. It made him very popular whenever a job turned up. He was just so easy to work with, and friendly.

Well, Lord Starrin heard of his growing influence, and feared the direction House Cannith might take if the Nightsong Guild got control of it. He didn't realize that Nicholas was a member out of convenience, not loyalty, that his real love was people. Our lord took it upon himself to send an assassination group after Nicholas. Make it look like a rival spy group wanted him taken out, you see? Well, no one saw the group or Nicholas after that. At least, not until a few years later, when Lord Starrin got a room full of coal, and someone thought they spotted Nicholas on the rooftop. It turned out Nicholas wasn't angry, just sad. I guess he realized that Eberron wasn't his home anymore, and left. I don't know where to. Maybe Starrin does; he certainly changed his mind about Nicholas after that. I heard he even got Nicholas sainted.

At any rate, that's when children started getting toys every year. Some say St. Nicholas does it because he genuinely loves people, others say that he's driven by the remorse of killing his beloved, who was in the group Lord Starrin sent after him. I only know this: if you stay up late Christmas Eve and keep an eye open, then maybe, just maybe, you'll see a plump figure slide down the chimney, leave some presents beneath the tree, and scurry away. And gods bless him.

St. Nicholas and His Elves, a.k.a. How Does He Do It? (Build Explanation)
A bundle of toys was flung on his back,
And he look'd like a peddler just opening his pack:

First, the factory. Feeling he was no longer welcome in Eberron, Nicholas went to the Ethereal Plane. He spent some time crafting two Orange Ioun stones for himself, then created and cast a scroll of Genesis to create a flowing time demiplane with 20 rounds per 1 round on the Material Plane. Then he used his craft homunculus ability as an artificer to create a slew of dedicated wrights. They can't craft more magic items, but they can create mundane items, so they spend each year putting together toys (and sacks of coal).

Second, the reindeer. Nicholas needed 69,120 scrolls of Simulacrum (for an ECL3 clone), which require 78,624,000gp, 27,025,920xp, 20,736,000gp worth of powdered ruby, and 69,120 days to create. He had a few ways of getting all the materials:
The gp:
1. Crafting and selling magic items. Artificers have the ability to generate nigh-infinite wealth simply buy turning raw materials into magic items, and Nicholas was no exception.
2. Selling Walls of Iron/Salt.
3. Crafting a scroll of Wish and cast it to wish for 99,360,000gp. This was dangerous, but possible.
4. Using Planar Binding to compel an Efreeti to give Nicholas its wishes, and wishing for a scroll of Gate and two of Simulacrum. Repeating the process with Gate rather than Planar Binding 34,560 times would give him the scrolls he needs (note these are well within the bounds of a safe wish).
5. As 4, except Wishing for a Ring of Infinite Wishes. Then using 69,120 of those wishes for a scroll of Simulacrum each.
Nicholas settled on #1 as his first option because he believes in actual work (and not crashing the economy), and got the cash. He bought the powdered ruby, and was set.

The xp:
1. Ordinary adventuring. Having a Dedicated Wright means never having to spend time crafting again, so Nicholas could spend all his time earning xp if he wanted to. 212 levels would give Nicholas enough xp to craft his scrolls, and 232 levels * 13.3 encounters/level * 4 encounters/day = 772 days to get his xp.
2. More Simulacrums. A simulacrum of Nicholas costs 1,137.5gp, 1,091xp, and 1,000gp worth of powdered ruby. Ignoring money, which he could use the above tricks to obtain, that's 1091xp. Being level 10 means a simulacrum has 55,000xp. Nicholas could then order it to create scrolls of Transference (costing 1xp each) and give it to him, which he would then cast to get the required xp for crafting. 55000 - 1091 - (55000 - 1091)/(391 + 1) > 53771xp gained per simulacrum, meaning Nicholas needed 503 simulacrums to replace the xp loss.
3. Awaken Cheese. In case you aren't familiar with it, Nicholas could create scrolls of Awaken and Polymorph. He would then get a random druid/friend/simulacrum of himself (with a Limited Wish to make their next save) to start casting Awaken targetting him, and before the spell finished use Polymorph to turn into an animal. He would gain 2 HD worth of xp (43,000), randomize his Int (which he could repeat with more Awakenings until it was >= his original score), and get a +1d3 to Cha per casting. If the DM rules Nicholas has to be polymorphed the whole time, he could simply cast Persisted Polymorph from a staff. The result is that 116 castings of Awaken give Nicholas enough xp to craft his scrolls (and enough Cha to turn the gods into his fanatical followers and simply Alter Reality so that he has them).
Nicholas again chose #1, and 2 years later he was ready.

Then Nicholas used Magic Circle Against Evil, Dimensional Anchor, and Lesser Planar Binding to call a Nightmare. He compelled the creature to give him 69,120 hairs, then let it go. He used his scrolls of Simulacrum to create the 69,120 Nightmare clones, and ordered them to go frolick on the Astral Plane until needed on Christmas Eve. Then he took a day off.

Third, the sleighs and bags. 8 Nightmares can carry 2,400lbs as a light load, so either the sleigh or the present bags or both ought to be magical. A bag of holding type IV holds 250 cu. ft. of material. Assuming for the moment that each clone delivers a single toy to each of 11,576 children, that means 250 ft/bag / 11,576 toys/bag = 0.0216 ft/toy = 0.25 in/toy. So the only gifts Nicholas would be able to deliver are those little toys you get from the quarter-insert vending machines, and that's not good enough. 24 bags/sleigh would weigh 1,440 lbs and allow Nicholas to deliver gifts up to 6 cu. in. (which includes most toys, due to being skinnier). So Nicholas creates 207,360 bags of holding type IV using the same tricks to get money and xp as above. Then his elves/Dedicated Wrights create lightweight sleighs that are under 600lbs (allowing for a hefty Santa).

Finally, the clones. Rather than create a slew of simulacrums for this job, Nicholas recognizes the need for a skilled infiltrator to deliver presents and escape unnoticed. So he decides to create equal-level clones. He decides on Body Outside Body to do the job. A Staff of Persisted Body Outside Body, with each spell placed into the staff at 1/2 cost, CL20, costs 26,250gp, 2,100xp, and 20 days to create (thanks to Exceptional Artisan). 20 days to create means 18 staffs/year. But Nicholas gets 20 years on his demiplane for every 1 in Eberron, so he actually has time to create 360 staffs, using the same tricks for money and experience as above (although perhaps a different method, like getting Simulacrums to work for him). He creates a new batch of clones for each Christmas.

On Christmas Eve, Nicholas starts activating his staffs. Each activation costs 8 charges, meaning 6 activations @ 4 clones/cast = 24 clones/staff. 360 * 24 = 8,640 clones to fly out and deliver presents on Christmas Eve, with 8 Nightmares, 1 nonmagical sleigh, and 24 bags of holding filled to the brim with presents. Nicholas's elves give the clones instructions and maps for their routes. Then the Nightmares, who have already started casting Astral Projection while waiting for their simulacrum passenger to be summoned, complete their castings, begin their routes, and spend the entire night helping their Nicholas clone deliver presents. The next morning, after the BOB duration has expired, they return to the demiplane and are freed from their restraints. Then they return to the Astral Plane until next December.

Based on this source (http://desip.igc.org/populationmaps.html), the population of the world in 1350 was about 300 million people. Since D&D is based roughly around that time period, we'll use that as the population of Eberron.
According to this source (http://historyofmedicineandsurgery.blogspot.com/2011/05/life-expectancy-in-1350s.html), the life expectancy for people around this time was age 30, so we'll use that too and guess that about 10/30 = 1/3 of the population was under the age of 10 (in reality, it was probably more). Note that doesn't contradict the maximum ages listed in the SRD, it only says most people didn't reach them.
This source (http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Soc/soc.genealogy.medieval/2011-08/msg00239.html) reports that most homes held a nuclear family of 2 parents and 2 children.
Finally, note that on a globe, it takes 24 hours for Christmas morning to travel around the world. So we'll assume we have 24 hours to visit every house. Now we have everything we need for our calculations.
300 million people/3 (children under 10) = 100 million
100 million children/2 (children per household) = 50 million
50 million/8640 clones = 5,788 houses/clone
14,400 rounds/day * 1 day / 5,788 houses/clone = 2 rounds/house for each clone.

That's just enough.

Round 1: The nightmares fly to the next house on their path and land. The Nicholas-clone uses a full-round action to grab the item at the top of the next bag in order, which happens to be a pair of toys tied together with string and made specifically for the house he's at because the elves stacked the bags exactly that way for exactly that purpose.
Round 2: The nightmares begin to fly away. The clone uses a move action to drop down the chimney, a free action to drop the gifts under the Christmas tree, and a move action to dart back up the chimney (which he can do thanks to Walk the Walls) and into the sleigh.

At the end of the night, as he disappears, he gives a cheer for another year's work completed.

http://imageshack.us/a/img21/5589/santaandhissleigh.jpg

Of course, Nicholas won't live forever (he's not an Elan), which leaves the question of who will run his operation after he's gone. He has several plans for this eventuality:
1. Use Awaken cheese to gain 20 extra HD and create an ECL 20 Simulacrum of himself.
2. Raise a child or apprentice to take up the mantle once he's gone.
3. Work some custom magic into his clothes so that anyone who puts them on will be suitably empowered to perform the job. Include instructions and clauses on a business card with writing so small that several high-powered microscopes are required to read it all.

Presents For Everybody - How St. Nicholas Is A Team Player
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laugh'd when I saw him in spite of myself;

The Nightsong Infiltrator may be one of the most breakable rogue PrCs in the game. Most of its abilities stack with everything, including themselves, and in his adventuring days, St. Nicholas exploited this to its full effect. Nicholas's preferred method of group-work is with Extended Persisted Body Outside Body*. There are 113 5' squares in a sphere with 30' diameter, so that's how many clones fly in a pack. This synergizes perfectly with many of his class features, detailed below.

*None of these tricks actually require Body-Outside-Body clones, anyone with the same class abilities as Nicholas will work just as well. They're just used to show that Nicholas can pull these off by himself.

Trap-proof (Teamwork Trap Sense + clones)
Each group member gives all of the others +4 AC vs. traps, meaning Nicholas and each of his clones has AC 465 vs traps. They can literally walk through a dungeon without worrying about being attacked by traps. Of course, they'll still want to dodge.

Recycle Trap (Retain Essence + Detect Magic)
This one doesn't use clones. Detect Magic allows Nicholas to spot magical traps, which he can then disable with the Artificer's Retain Essence ability (if your DM allows it).

Breaking the Sound Barrier (Grant Move Action + clones + Break Away)
Grant Move Action provides a lot of potentially awesome abilities, including everything from "grab that thing and run for it!" to giving allies psuedo-pounce to pull off the next trick in 1 turn. Perhaps the most singly-powerful, though, is when Nicholas really wants to get somewhere. This time, Nicholas has a pack of 904 clones, a sphere with 30' radius, everyone has Fly active, and they just remembered they need to be 1/2 a mile away. Now. So the first person in iniative order grants everyone else a move action, which they immediately use to fly 60' away. Then he uses his move action to join them. The second person does the same thing, as does the third, and so on. Unfortunately, not everyone makes it there, as each time a clone in the shell between the 15' radius sphere and the 30' radius sphere uses Grant Move Action, a group of other clones in the sphere have to use it as well, just to keep up, resulting in only members of the original 113-person group actually reaching the goal with about 9 extra Move Action boosts on top of the ones they give each other.

The upshot of this is that St. Nicholas and a bunch of his clones are able to fly 7320' in one round. That's equivalent to 1220 ft/s, and since the speed of sound is only 1126 ft/s, the group creates a sonic boom. As far as I know, this makes St. Nicholas the second fastest build currently on record. To top it all off, since no one in the group does anything but move in that round, they all grant each other +4 dodge bonuses on top of their own +4 dodge bonuses, so that everyone in the group gets +8 AC against everything, like that pidgeon that came out of nowhere.

Murderfest (Teamwork Sneak Attack + clones)
This is Nicholas's signature ability, the reason people would have been terrified of him if he had gone evil (and some were anyway). At level 14, Nicholas gives each ally flanking the same enemy +1d6 Sneak Attack damage, and it specifically says it stacks with every other source, including other Nightsong Infiltrators' Teamwork Sneak Attack bonuses. This means if Nicholas and 7 clones surround an enemy, they all get +8d6 Sneak Attack. But Nicholas is also an artificer, and he can create staffs of Fly and Xorn Movement. That means his clones can also flank their enemy in the 9 spaces above and below it, for a total of 26 flankers, all granting each other +25d6 Sneak Attack damage on top of their class's 1d6. And at level 17, that rises to 2d6, meaning each individual flanker attacks for 52d6 Sneak Attack damage per hit. That's 1352d6 from sneak attack damage per group attack. Throw in Divine Power for 4 attacks per round (and remember that all these spells can be persisted once he hits level 18), and you've got 5408d6 damage from Sneak Attack alone. That's the minimum damage by creature size; Nicholas deals more against large or bigger creatures because they have more spaces to be flanked by. That's enough to drop any creature in the ELH you care to name, DR and all.

http://imageshack.us/a/img812/9929/candycanesnotecard.jpg
Playing Santa Claus (St. Nicholas In Your Campaign)
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And fill'd all the stockings; then turn'd with a jerk,

You may be curious, justifiably, why this section is in a TO showcase. First, in case you want to use St. Nicholas as an NPC. Second, as with most TO abilities, a DM can restrict them to prevent him from breaking the campaign.

As a high-level scout, information gatherer, and arcanist, St. Nicholas makes an excellent NPC for high-to-Epic-level campaigns, where he'll be ripe for abducting by the BBEG. And while the role of Santa would seem to be incompatible with being an adventurous PC, his life before taking on that role could include any number of interesting adventures or campaigns. While the TO tricks Nicholas pulls off probably won't be welcome in most campaigns, he is nevertheless a competent party member.

Nicholas's power scales up or down similar to a regular artificer's, but his scouting abilities/classes have to be factored in. If Nicholas gets all the benefits accorded to crafters (all item/spell sources, experience is a river, lots of crafting time, etc), then they make him slightly less powerful than a straight artificer. If, on the other hand, his crafting abilities are restricted, his mundane scouting abilities become more valuable.

Nicholas is primarily a scout, filling the role of the rogue with his ranks in Search and Disable Device, and secondarily a buffer, diviner, and secondary arcanist. He can find and disable traps with a straight 37 Search and 35 Disable Device. He can craft or infuse items and equipment to boost his allies' abilities. And he can create scrolls/staffs of any spell up to 8th level, or 9th with the right equipment (see Suggested Items above). That means at level 18 he can cast Persisted 9th-level spells from any spell list, and at level 20 boasts +32 to UMD, requiring only a Circlet of Persuasion and Cloak of Charisma +2 to auto-succeed on crafting 9th level scrolls/staffs, which he should have long-since crafted. With better equipment, he gets the same result earlier.

A note on prerequisites: Nicholas's Wizard level grants him alertness via a familiar, access to the wizard spell list, and the ability to activate arcane spell items without a UMD check. 0-level divinations and Shield are enough to qualify him for Divine Oracle and Abjurant Champion. Luckily for him, Nicholas is an elf, so he automatically has the required martial proficiency for Abjurant Champion. Then he uses the spellcasting features of both those classes to advance not his Wizard casting, but his Artificer CL and infusions. This gives him CL12 for crafting magic items at level 10, which increases to CL15 at level 13. Lastly, he meets the Evasion prerequisite of Nightsong Infiltrator via Divine Oracle's Prescient Sense (unless your DM doesn't allow that, in which case see Adaptations below).

Sweet-spot Snapshot*

Level 15: Artificer 4/Wizard 1/Artificer 1/Divine Oracle 1/Artificer 1/Divine Oracle 1/Abjurant Champion 1/Nightsong Infiltrator 5

Immediately upon entering the Nightsong Infiltrator class, Nicholas makes rapid improvements in his Hide and Move Silently skills, turning him into a fully-fledged scout. He also has auto-success for most tumble checks, and picks up Acrobatic Backstab for when a bit of extra flair is needed. By now, Nicholas has access to all of the tricks described in the previous section, and can craft items of 9th level spells on top of it. With the right preparation (which he gets thanks to his divinations), he can break into any place in Eberron. And thanks to Trackless Step, he can't be followed on the way out, which is good because some people don't like receiving coal for Christmas. In the cases where they catch Nicholas (which should be few and far between) Defensive Roll helps him as much as any other rogue, since he can more easily craft items that boost his Reflex save to keep it in step with a regular rogue's.

*I had written snapshots for levels 5, 10 and 20 as well, but after seeing how much text they took up I removed them out of pity for the judges.

Adaptations

What do you do if your DM doesn't allow Prescient Sense to be used to fulfill the Evasion for Nightsong Infiltrator? By RAW, Prescient Sense is a "form of evasion," so it should qualify. Nevertheless, if your DM still doesn't allow it, Nicholas has a few other options.
1. If your DM doesn't use multiclass penalties, rearrange the first 10 levels as Artificer 1/Cloistered Cleric 1/Artificer 3/Combat Medic 4/Abjurant Champion 1. This requires reallocating some skill points, but Nicholas has a few extra since he don't need Know(religion). Then rearrange his level 1-9 feats as: Combat Casting, Dodge, Practiced Spellcaster, Shape Soulmeld (Mage's Spectacles).
2. If your DM insists on multiclass penalties, Nicholas has to drop being a Gray Elf in favor of a race that has Favored Class: Cleric or Favored Soul. Then continue as 1.
3. Grab a Ring of Evasion.
4. Apply the Shadow template, which synergizes well with the build as a whole, despite losing 2 caster levels.

Also, using the Fractional BAB/Saves variant gives +2 BAB, +1 Fort, +1 Ref, +1 Will.

Build Sources
And laying his finger aside of his nose
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose.

Complete Adventurer:
Nightsong Infiltrator

Complete Arcane:
Persistent Spell
Practiced Spellcaster

Complete Divine:
Divine Oracle

Complete Mage:
Abjurant Champion

Complete Scoundrel:
Acrobatic Backstab
Back On Your Feet
Corner Perch
Walk the Walls

Eberron Campaign Setting:
Extraordinary Artisan

Magic of Incarnum:
Shape Soulmeld

Tome of Battle: The Book Of Nine Swords:
Martial Study

All spells can be found in the PHB with the following three exceptions: Body Outside Body (Complete Arcane), Genesis (ELH), and Transference (PHBII).

He sprung to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew, like the down of a thistle:
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight —
Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

http://imageshack.us/a/img560/9981/giftbottom.png

Amphetryon

2012-12-15, 07:29 PM

I believe that's the last of them. Judges, I wish you good luck.

Piggy Knowles

2012-12-15, 07:34 PM

Missed my mark by about six minutes on my second entry... ah, well. I won't post it here until after judging is done because it's got a little overlap with another entry, and I don't want to inadvertently reveal which build isn't mine. Still, I've only scanned the entries thus far, but this looks like an awesome round!

Kesnit

2012-12-15, 08:00 PM

Is Santa eligible for Honorable Mention? If so, that one gets my vote!

Amphetryon

2012-12-15, 08:12 PM

Is Santa eligible for Honorable Mention? If so, that one gets my vote!

All builds are eligible for HM. I generally make it a practice to give HM to a build that doesn't win another medal, so Santa may or may not qualify on that basis, as the judges see fit.

Amechra

2012-12-15, 08:19 PM

I'm kinda sad that I wasn't able to wrangle my Knight 5/Nightsong Infiltrator 10/Dread Commando 5 build; that would have been awesome.

Piggy Knowles

2012-12-15, 08:30 PM

I'm kinda sad that I wasn't able to wrangle my Knight 5/Nightsong Infiltrator 10/Dread Commando 5 build; that would have been awesome.

I'm actually surprised we didn't see at least one Dread Commando. It just screams synergy with Nightsong Infiltrator. Maybe it's another case of everyone dodging the obvious (although if so it was futile - we have some pretty funny and unexpected overlap this competition!). Although I'm curious; with your build, how do you pick up evasion? Impulse Boots?

I began a write-up on a Survivor entry into the SI, and while it was fun, it couldn't actually do much without a lot of heavy cheese, so I scrapped it :P

Amechra

2012-12-15, 08:36 PM

I think I dropped a few levels in something, and grabbed the Shadow Creature template.

It was a mechanical mess that would have gotten a negative amount in power, and I didn't have enough time to build...

DangerDanger

2012-12-15, 08:44 PM

The awkward moment when you realize game time is about 6 hours a head of your time.

Ah well, I don't need any trophies. Since it's after the reveal, I can blab about my crazy strategy?

Amphetryon

2012-12-15, 08:58 PM

The awkward moment when you realize game time is about 6 hours a head of your time.

Ah well, I don't need any trophies. Since it's after the reveal, I can blab about my crazy strategy?

General strategy? Yup. As Piggy Knowles noted above, it's probably best to avoid posting a complete build, to avoid undue influence on the judges.

DangerDanger

2012-12-15, 09:24 PM

I didn't end up entering, time zone fail. It looks like someone did something sort've similar.

General idea: Trickery Devotion + Turning. From there on, throwing in auras and/or maneuvers (white raven tactics).

I think you get the idea.

DangerDanger

2012-12-15, 09:48 PM

I think the math ended up like, the amount of "yous" you could make would be 2^(2+CHA/3+[extraturning feat and/or nightsticks bonus]/3)

more simply, 2^X, X being how many times you can actually make a clone

If X reaches 4, it's noticed.
Once X reaches 6, it's pretty broke.
Anything beyond 6 and your DM flips the table.

Hunter Killer

2012-12-15, 09:55 PM

DangerDanger

2012-12-15, 10:14 PM

I submitted a build I am not happy with because formatting took waaaay too long. I should have gone with my first idea:

Cleric 3/Walker in the Waste 8/Nightsong Infiltrator 9. Apply the Shadow Creature Template to get the Evasion requirement, and use LA Buy Off to get the class levels I needed.

The idea was to have the Sand Golem to create cover for me, and use the Salt Mummy/Golem as teammates for flanking. Walker would have given me Desiccating Touch in addition to Sneak Attack, which would have been nice.

Now imagine [I]f the Mummies were you giving your bonuses to you as you [give] your bonuses to you as you flank anything with [you] while you flank everything with you, getting bonus hits from you as you get bonus hits from you, all while walking around in [a] perpetual circle slapping your opponents around until the cycle ends only to be re-initiated by you standing a few feet away from you eating a [hamburger].

OMG PONIES

2012-12-15, 10:21 PM

Does the class require the entry get evasion from a class feature, or can any soulmelds, items, etc. that refer back to the class feature count?

Also, amusingly I was trying to put together a Santa Claus build of my own. Since it didn't work out, here I am in the judge's seat. I'm going to start reviewing the builds now, but we'll start here...

For ease of reference

Erin Blackhand: Strongheart Halfling Ranger 4/Fighter 1/Master Thrower 2/Nightsong Infiltrator 10/Scorpion Wraith 3
The Cockroach: Dark Skulk Factotum 3/Rogue 2/Nightsong Infiltrator 10/Hellbreaker 1
Matthew Mara: Human Ranger 1/Monk 2/Master Inquisitive 2/Watch Detective 3/Nightsong Infiltrator 10/Vigilante 1/Urban Soul 1
E Pluribus: Changeling Savant 4/Rogue 2/Chameleon 4/Nightsong Infiltrator 10
Aredhel Melwasul: Wood Elf Rogue 3/Ranger 2/Barbarian 1/Revenant Blade 5/Nightsong Infiltrator 9
The Twins: Dvati Rogue 3/Monk 2/Crusader 3/Fighter 2/Nightsong Infiltrator 10
Deron Batar: Changeling Rogue 2/Factotum 3/Combat Trapsmith 5/Nightsong Infiltrator 10
Lycus Blackbeak: Kenku Factotum 3/Totemist 2/Combat Trapsmith 5/Nightsong Infiltrator 10
Santa: Gray Elf Artificer 6/Wizard 1/Divine Oracle 2/Abjurant Champion 1/Nightsong Infiltrator 10

Amechra

2012-12-15, 10:29 PM

Sadly, it's from class.

Which is why I dropped my build.

Piggy Knowles

2012-12-15, 10:36 PM

Does the class require the entry get evasion from a class feature, or can any soulmelds, items, etc. that refer back to the class feature count?

Tough to say. Some of those abilities say that you gain evasion "as the rogue class feature." Not sure if that counts or not. Might end up being a judge/DM call, unless there's been an official ruling somewhere that I don't know about.

IdleMuse

2012-12-15, 10:46 PM

Edited for Anonymity

Amphetryon

2012-12-15, 10:50 PM

IdleMuse, please edit your response so as not to give away which build may be yours. Thank you.

Piggy Knowles

2012-12-15, 10:50 PM

Idle, I'd edit your post so that you don't reveal which build is yours.

EDIT: Ninja'd by the chairman.

IdleMuse

2012-12-15, 10:56 PM

Ack! Sorry, totally forgot that rule.

rockdeworld

2012-12-16, 03:04 AM

There's some really interesting and flavorful builds here! Also, did anyone else have to resist typing out "Nightsong Enforcer" thirty times? I know I did :smallbiggrin:

And as I am reading through these, I realize one of the best things about this PrC is that we could put all these characters in a group together, and it would actually work. The entries I've read so far are all about teamwork and boosting teammates' abilities. All are good at sneaking, some are good at combat, some have spellcasting. The only thing I haven't seen yet is recovery (although at least 2 access divine spells).

Hunter Killer

2012-12-16, 03:59 PM

Now imagine [I]f the Mummies were you giving your bonuses to you as you [give] your bonuses to you as you flank anything with [you] while you flank everything with you, getting bonus hits from you as you get bonus hits from you, all while walking around in [a] perpetual circle slapping your opponents around until the cycle ends only to be re-initiated by you standing a few feet away from you eating a [hamburger].
I did not notice the Trickery Devotion cheese. It doesn't really kick in until 15th, when your dudes can finally perform combat actions. Still, if it was on a Walker build Cleric casting and Sand Golems/Salt Mummies would cover you until then.

Good find, homie. :smallbiggrin:

Amechra

2012-12-16, 04:20 PM

Venger

2012-12-16, 07:53 PM

I was actually thinking of doing something with Summons, but couldn't get the spell-levels in.

Why?

Despana School allows me to make an attack, and then have all my summoned creatures get a +2 to attack and damage on attacks after that attack. Wolfpack Tactics would allow me to make a single attack that would cause the enemy to provoke an AoO from every single creature that threatened them.

what is despana school?

I too was considering using dread commando. I was going to toss in a few levels of tactical soldier for its flanker ability, so that all my allies would gain a bunch of benefits for standing next to me. I'd considered a marshal chassis, but there were too many feats involved, so I ended up doing something else.

Amechra

2012-12-16, 10:36 PM

Despana School is a feat from one of those Drow books (the 3.5 one) that makes it so that you and all creatures that you summon are treated as if you were Flanking anyone that you all threaten.

It also lets you, 1/round, make an attack that gives your summoned creatures a +2 to attack and damage rolls against the creature you attacked for one round.

Venger

2012-12-17, 12:11 AM

Dusk Eclipse

2012-12-17, 09:59 PM

So I know December is a pretty intense and busy month for most (if not all) of us; but any update from the judges?

Darrin

2012-12-18, 01:59 PM

So I know December is a pretty intense and busy month for most (if not all) of us; but any update from the judges?

I've got 3 out of 9 done, but I'm not-so-fast at this.

Amphetryon

2012-12-18, 05:49 PM

I've got 3 out of 9 done, but I'm not-so-fast at this.

It's the old saying "You can have it done quickly, cheaply, or well: Choose two." Since 'cheaply' is a given, we will generally choose 'well' to complement it around here, given the option.

Thanks for the update.

OMG PONIES

2012-12-18, 06:16 PM

So I know December is a pretty intense and busy month for most (if not all) of us; but any update from the judges?

I've completed review on 2 builds.

I've got 3 out of 9 done, but I'm not-so-fast at this.

I guess that makes me not-so-faster?

It's the old saying "You can have it done quickly, cheaply, or well: Choose two." Since 'cheaply' is a given, we will generally choose 'well' to complement it around here, given the option.

I prefer quickly and well. PM me for the address to which checks can be sent :smalltongue:.

Hunter Killer

2012-12-18, 07:24 PM

Does the class require the entry get evasion from a class feature, or can any soulmelds, items, etc. that refer back to the class feature count?
I contest that anything that says as the [X] class feature counts, but I do not think there is an official ruling on that. Like a lot of things in GitPICOC, I think it comes down the the judges' feelings.

Amphetryon

2012-12-18, 11:06 PM

I contest that anything that says as the [X] class feature counts, but I do not think there is an official ruling on that. Like a lot of things in GitPICOC, I think it comes down the the judges' feelings.
I believe you mean "contend," unless you're arguing against "anything that says as the [X] Class feature counts" stance.

For our purposes, alternate means of getting Evasion count, but a judge may consider such entrance as slightly inElegant due to the often fragile nature of such entry methods (Losing a Ring of Evasion is easier than losing a level of Rogue, in a default campaign assumption).

DemonRoach

2012-12-22, 11:42 AM

Bump (Lost to page 5...)

Any judgingd?

Hunter Killer

2012-12-22, 03:20 PM

I believe you mean "contend," unless you're arguing against "anything that says as the [X] Class feature counts" stance.

For our purposes, alternate means of getting Evasion count, but a judge may consider such entrance as slightly inElegant due to the often fragile nature of such entry methods (Losing a Ring of Evasion is easier than losing a level of Rogue, in a default campaign assumption).
I did mean "contend".

What about getting something like Evasion from a template? Would that be inelegant, because it's nowhere near as fragile as the Ring of Evasion method or Incarnum Soulmelds?

Amphetryon

2012-12-22, 03:40 PM

I did mean "contend".

What about getting something like Evasion from a template? Would that be inelegant, because it's nowhere near as fragile as the Ring of Evasion method or Incarnum Soulmelds?

Judges' discretion. Most (not all) templates have LA, which some judges have disliked in the past.

OMG PONIES

2012-12-22, 05:02 PM

What about getting something like Evasion from a template? Would that be inelegant, because it's nowhere near as fragile as the Ring of Evasion method or Incarnum Soulmelds?

Does the entry avoid reliance on any questionable rules interpretations, cross-setting material, or material specifically disallowed from this competition?

In trying to fulfill a class feature requirement with something but (even if it refers back to a class feature), you have not avoided questionable rules interpretations. Instead, you hinge qualification on a method that some (myself included) would allow while others would disallow.

On a semi-related note, I am still progressing on my judging but have been waylaid a bit by the holidays.

EDIT: Judging update...four down, five to go.

Amphetryon

2012-12-25, 09:24 PM

Hopefully the worst of the holiday delays are behind us with the morning light. How goes the process, judges?

Piggy Knowles

2012-12-27, 10:05 AM

Wow, things are quiet here...

Any hints as to the next SI?

The Viscount

2012-12-27, 10:39 AM

I'm hoping for Fleet Runner of Elhonna.

Amphetryon

2012-12-27, 11:42 AM

Wow, things are quiet here...

Any hints as to the next SI?

10/10 casting.

Dusk Eclipse

2012-12-27, 11:54 AM

Class with it's own casting I am sure of it.

OMG PONIES

2012-12-27, 02:15 PM

Five down, four more to go. Slow and steady wins the race, right?

10/10 casting.

But...but...

Venger

2012-12-27, 03:11 PM

10/10 casting.

uhhhhh....

verdant lord?

Piggy Knowles

2012-12-27, 06:15 PM

Just hoping it's not Blighter...

Venger

2012-12-27, 10:46 PM

Just hoping it's not Blighter...

Hm. You know, I think that back in RM that amph said there was a difference between full casting (10/10) and unique casting progression (like assassin or something)

I got nothing. church inquisitor? see how many different flavors of witchsmeller pursuivant we can cook?

Amphetryon

2012-12-27, 11:01 PM

Hm. You know, I think that back in RM that amph said there was a difference between full casting (10/10) and unique casting progression (like assassin or something)

I got nothing. church inquisitor? see how many different flavors of witchsmeller pursuivant we can cook?

I described it as neither full casting nor unique casting. :smallwink:

Venger

2012-12-27, 11:21 PM

I described it as neither full casting nor unique casting. :smallwink:

mfw (http://www.marriedtothesea.com/031911/)

I- what?

Hunter Killer

2012-12-27, 11:49 PM

Hmm. 10/10 casting? A duel progression class, or perhaps the mighty Chameleon (10 Divine/10 Arcane using Dual Focus)? :smallamused:

Venger

2012-12-27, 11:57 PM

Hmm. 10/10 casting? A duel progression class, or perhaps the mighty Chameleon (10 Divine/10 Arcane using Dual Focus)? :smallamused:

chameleon is the best class ever. I consider it unlikely at best that it would be picked as an SI

maybe geomancer?

Piggy Knowles

2012-12-29, 01:59 PM

About 5 hours left... Darrin, Ponies, any updates? The holidays make this a rough time for judges, sadly.

Venger

2012-12-29, 02:16 PM

About 5 hours left... Darrin, Ponies, any updates? The holidays make this a rough time for judges, sadly.

judgings aren't due until next saturday, the 5th. they've still got a week.

Piggy Knowles

2012-12-29, 02:52 PM

Huh... I just assumed two weeks. Well never mind then :smalltongue:

Darrin

2012-12-31, 03:18 PM

About 5 hours left... Darrin, Ponies, any updates? The holidays make this a rough time for judges, sadly.

7 out of 9 done, 2 left... so maybe Wednesdayish/Thursdayish?

Amphetryon

2012-12-31, 03:22 PM

7 out of 9 done, 2 left... so maybe Wednesdayish/Thursdayish?

That will be wonderfulish.

OMG PONIES

2012-12-31, 04:32 PM

Blame the holidays, I've made no progress and still have 4 builds left to review.

Amphetryon

2013-01-04, 08:43 AM

Hopefully the judges have been able to take advantage of the extra time and will post today or tomorrow. . . right? :smalleek:

Darrin

2013-01-04, 08:53 AM

Hopefully the judges have been able to take advantage of the extra time and will post today or tomorrow. . . right? :smalleek:

Yes. Thank you for the extra week.

Erin Blackhand 13

Originality: 4
Hmm... kinda unusual not leading in with any sneak attack going into Nightsong Infiltrator, but using Ranger 4 to get Distracting Attack... nice. I didn't expect going through Master Thrower to pick up Evasion (+0.5). Not only that, but a trident-based thrower build... the trident doesn't get enough love (+0.5). Kinda wish you'd worked in Net-and-Trident style, though.

Power: 2.5
When you finally do get some precision damage for yourself, it's Sudden Strike, which doesn't always work well with Distracting Attack or with Teamwork Sneak Attack (-0.5) The reasons for going into Scorpion Wraith aren't explained, particularly given your setting (a Xen'Drik specific PrC intended for drow on a predominately Forgotten Realms-specific character). Presumably, you wanted poison use, but that can be obtained via other means (Jungle Halfling, Poison Master feat, Assassin/Avenger, etc.). I'm bothered by the selection of Ranged Pin: it seems redundant with Distracting Attack, you give up damage for that attack, and it's dependent on your enemies standing in front of pin-friendly terrain. Even worse, you're giving up Ranger spells for it, which admittedly would only be a single level of casting, but I would consider the utility from Ranger-based wands/scrolls to be a lot more important than Ranged Pin (-0.5). You mention climbing and attacking from above as an important combat strategy, but didn't take Plunging Shot (Races of Stone). You put a lot of emphasis on keeping a high BAB, which is very nice (+0.5), but damage output appears to be on the underwhelming side... you're relying on tridents as your primary weapon, but they're small-sized, and not doing any precision damage outside of 30'... I'm tempted to dock a half-point here, but the 6d6 precision damage, your number of attacks, and the variety of ways you have to render an opponent flat-footed/deny his Dex bonus is still pretty decent. On the plus side, you've got utilities, skills, and skill tricks in spades, giving the character flexibility and a variety of useful noncombat abilities (+0.5). On the not-so-plus side... why is Wis so darned high, particularly at the expense of Con (-0.5)? Did I miss a Monk-style AC bonus somewhere?

Elegance: 3
Backstory is decent and ties in well with the build (+0.5). Scorpion Wraith continues to be the arthropod in the ointment for me... no explanation on how this fits into the FRCS (-0.5). If you needed a full BAB PrC with Sneak Attack, Nightsong Enforcer might have worked (you're already a Nightsong member, so it's not like entry would be much of a problem).

Use of the Secret Ingredient: 3.5
You have several methods to render an opponent vulnerable to sneak attack at range, which is an interesting way to let your allies take advantage of Teamwork Sneak Attack (+0.5). You mention Defensive Roll, and then mention Grant Move Action in the "Thoughts" section when you bring up the issue of Minions, but I would have liked to see you give a little more detail on your minions. Presumably, "Iron Tridents" is the name of your guild, but you also call it the Nightsong Guild...(confusicled)? Overall, you make decent use of the SI's class abilities, but I'm not quite sold on "Why Nightsong Infiltrator over any other PrC?" Then again, if that were easy to answer, this wouldn't be a good Secret Ingredient.

The Cockroach 17

Originality: 4
I had forgotten the Skulk even existed as a race (+0.5). Rogue for evasion is kind of obvious, Factotum not so much. Adding the Dark template on top of two racial HD and LA +1 is a bit risky, but well done: you're definitely swinging for the fences (+0.5).

Power: 4.5
You're fragile in combat, your damage output is weak, and your BAB stinks like a wizard vs. housecat (-0.5). But this is a stealth-based build, and you rightly point out (frequently!) that damage isn't really your concern. In the Stealth department, can he Hide? With a +23 racial bonus, Holy F*** Yeah! Even with -20 on his Hide check, there's no reason Cockroach shouldn't be hiding after every attack. HiPS lets him do that near darkness, and Peerless Camouflage lets him do this at full speed (+1.0). Darkstalker: check. But then with the dip into Hellbreaker, you even shut down Darkvision and Mindsight (+0.5). The problem with many stealth-based builds is they often isolate the character, separating him from the group and removing him from what the rest of the party is doing. This is not a problem here, as you can hide nearly anywhere close enough to help the party, and are an absolute nightmare of harassment: AoOs with the longspear, granting sneak attack and move actions to your allies, and you're nearly impossible to detect (+0.5). I have a minor gripe that it's only one AoO a round (no Combat Reflexes, unless I missed something), but I'll let it slide.

Elegance: 3.5
The backstory was delightfully amusing (+0.5). I keep looking at the non-Infiltrator classes and thinking "Boy, I wish this had just one more level of that: Rogue 3 for +1d6 sneak attack, Factotum 4 for Cunning Strike, or Hellbreaker 2 for Steal SLA." LA Buyoff may allow you to pick up a couple of these, but you mentioned Exemplar, Tactical Soldier, Dread Commando, or Nightsong Enforcer in your notes. Hellbreaker kinda sticks out as a not-so-elegant dip, but given what it does for you, I can't quite bring myself to give you a penalty.

Use of Secret Ingredient: 5
Not only do you use most of the class abilities, they are central to your build (+0.5). You brought up Team Benefits, which I hadn't really looked at before, but this class absolutely screams "Use 'Em!" (+0.5). Because of the Team Benefits, not only do you make a compelling reason for why you would want this SI, you show how to make the SI's class abilities work even better (+0.5). And finally, this build feels like it would be so much fun to play, I actually *want* to play it (+0.5).

Mathew Mara 9.5

Originality: 2.5
Your entry looks more like a Cobb salad: Are you a ranger? A monk? A detective? A superhero? A vigilante? I can't tell (-0.5). You introduced in the idea of a "clown detective" (+0.5), but then completely failed to do anything funny or creepy with it (-0.5).

Power: 2.0
I'm confused about what you're trying to do in combat. Looks like a spiked chain lockdown tripper, but no Stand Still or Thicket of Blades (-0.5). Your signature combat ability seems to be built around Wolfpack, but it's pretty typical for a tactical feat: difficult to qualify for, and more annoying to use than beneficial. The distract foe tactic doesn't seem worth the feat investment, and depends a great deal on your allies being in position to make AoOs. You can get the same effect with a Crusader 11 or Warblade 11 (Flanking Maneuver), which doesn't have to wait a round. I wasn't entirely sure who this build was supposed to be flanking with... another detective/partner/clown, or other Nightsong guild members? Later on, you bring in the Lone Vigilante concept, but this works against all the teamwork-based abilities you've spent your entire career developing. Another lost opportunity, you take all those feats in the Spring Attack line, but then don't take Whirlwind Attack (-0.5). BAB is surprisingly almost decent, considering how much dipping you do, but damage-wise you're not adding anything to the spiked chain except +2d6 sneak attack and maybe the prone condition (-0.5). Outside of combat, your skill set is very impressive (+0.5), but a great deal of the Master Inquisitive/Watch Detective stuff requires a lot of effort on the part of the DM to provide suitable clues and useful information to discover. In a straight-up dungeon crawl, many of these investigative skills would probably go to waste.

Elegance: 1.5
Your backstory is way, way too long and not particularly interesting (-0.5). Introducing Rothbart might have worked as a better starting point, but even after that there's a lot of meandering that I'm not sure adds anything relevant. The one idea I found interesting ("clown detectives") apparently has nothing to do with the build. I didn't think of myself as someone who could deduct points for excessive dipping (because I love dipping myself), but it's pretty excessive here (-0.5). Adding Vigilante and Urban Soul at the end doesn't quite fit the rest of the build... I can see that you're trying to build on the whole "Batman" archetype, but I think it just confuses the build: are we a detective infiltrating a criminal organization, are we a Nightsong Infiltrator leveraging our "Teamwork" class abilities to improve each other, or are we a solitary vigilante defending some idealized concept of "justice" or "soul of the city"? While I can see you're trying to weave those three concepts onto a Batman-esque spine, ultimately I just don't see it coming together, I see it pulling apart (-0.5).

Use of Secret Ingredient 3.5
As mentioned earlier, I didn't quite get how working as part of a Nightsong Infiltrator Team was supposed to mesh with being a Watch Detective or a Lone Vigilante. Despite that, however, you do a good job of using most of the SI class abilities. You do devote a lot of resources to set up flanking and take advantage of Teamwork Sneak Attack, you mention Break Away, Detect Magic, etc. Overall, I'll give you half a point (+0.5).

E. Pluribus 12.5

Originality: 3.5
Changeling rogue was a bit predictable (-0.5), but Savant was definitely not, great find there (+0.5). Adding a Chameleon/Many Faces thing to the flavor is a solid idea (+0.5), although I kinda wish there was more Chameleon early on in the build.

Power: 3.5
Your BAB starts off slow but eventually gets up to +14, and your damage output is decent: 4d6 sneak attack + Craven (+0.5). You have an impressive selection of skills, and you're leveraging teamwork benefits (+0.5). You've mixed in some spellcasting from Chameleon and UMD'ing wands from the Savant spell list, but you spend most of your career with only a single Chameleon level, which, even with 1st and 2nd level Trapsmith spells, leaves you underpowered as a spellcaster (-0.5). I was excited to see the Trickery devotion (an idea I had myself, but didn't submit), but it also comes in late, and you mention it in passing but I wanted to see this developed a little more.

Elegance: 1.5
Not much of a backstory (-0.5). Chameleon 2-4 and Trickery Devotion come in very late, I'd like to see those moved up earlier (-0.5). You mention an Int of 16, but unless I missed it I'm not sure you included your entire stat array, so it's difficult to judge some things. Also, no "Sweet Spot" snapshot, which is required by the IC rules (-0.5).

Use of the Secret Ingredient: 4.5
You make good use of flanking and teamwork benefits (+0.5). I like your idea of using grant move action to give the rest of the party extra Spot checks (+0.5), although I'm not sure how often this would come up in actual play. Having the entire party search for traps is an interesting idea, but unfortunately not so useful: while they get Teamwork Trapsense and can use your skill ranks in Search, they still don't have the Trapfinding ability, and can't find complex or magical traps with a search DC higher than 20. Your take on Detect Magic seems a bit oversold... most of the effects you mention are just Spellcraft checks that don't really have anything to do with Detect Magic, which still takes 3 rounds to get any useful information. Otherwise, you mention nearly every class ability: trackless step, specialized tools, etc. (+0.5).

Aredhel Melwasul 16.5

Originality: 4
Rogue/Ranger entry is pretty standard, but you've spiced it up with several ACFs, and adding Revenant Blade adds some unique flavor (+0.5). Wild Cohort gives you a natural flanking buddy and an upgrade from the Ranger's typical bloody smear of an animal companion (+0.5). I'm a little puzzled why you took Trapfinding twice, via I think Trap Expert (Dungeonscape), although it's not listed in your sources... there doesn't seem to be any reason for that except to save a couple skill points.

Power: 5
High BAB (+16), TWF + Pounce + Whirling Frenzy + Power Attack multipliers, and a pouncing wild cohort makes for dishing out some pretty potent whoopass (+1.0). I would have liked to see Travel Devotion in there somewhere but... yeah, didn't quite fit. You also worked in Penetrating Strike for dealing with enemies immune to sneak attack damage (+0.5), which are now also vulnerable to Staggering Strike. Like other builds, you work in several Teamwork Benefits, but they're actually *different* than the ones mentioned in other builds (+0.5). However, I'm not sold on Massed Charge giving the rest of the team two turns on the same round. This feels more like the designer didn't describe it or playtest it adequately rather than intending to give everyone a free full-round charge in addition to their normal set of actions.

Elegance: 4.5
The Barbarian dip feels a little out of place, but it's something I would do, so no penalty here (although I'll ding your for not finishing the SI later). Putting Martial Study/Stance on a Wild Cohort is also a bit dodgy, although not explicitly against the rules. You've got a very nice blend here (+1.0): Ranger 2/Rogue 3 (just enough to get what you need), Revenant Blade 5 (all of it), and Nightsong Infiltrator 9 (almost all of it). And... I'll throw in another half-point for Most Obscure Source: Mantle of Rage (+0.5).

Use of Secret Ingredient: 3
You mention most of the SI class abilities (+0.5), although most of what you're focused on are the combat benefits, which isn't too surprising. You took the Barbarian dip instead of staying in for all 10 levels (-0.5), missing out on HiPS (although you do mention the Dark template/LA buyoff in the Variants section). Overall, I'm not quite sure you've completely sold me on why 10 levels of this PrC would be better than 10 levels of something else.

The Twins 14.5

Originality: 5
Dvati! Yes! Big fan! (+0.5) I was working on a Dvati/Martial Adept build, but didn't submit it. My idea was Unarmed Swordsage/Totemist, though... you've done something very different here with Crusader (+0.5). Vow of Poverty... risky move, but a bit ballsy, and definitely unexpected (+0.5). At first glance, I thought Rogue 2/Monk 2 was redundant (you only need evasion once), but I see you've picked up Invisible Fist instead, which pairs up nicely with Hit-And-Run Fighter, which was also a surprise (+0.5).

Power: 4.5
You take a hit for VoP (-0.5), and both twins are literally on the frail side (-0.5). While Decisive Strike is probably preferable to Flurry here, it's not compatible with Crusader strikes. However, Crusader works really well here (+0.5). You don't really discuss the mechanics of the Dvati's action economy or how they share their maneuvers, but if I understand the implications correctly, the Crusader recovery mechanic is even better with Dvati: two characters lets you cycle through your maneuvers even faster, so you're more likely to have the one you need granted and ready to go. Doubling up on Iron Guard's Glare is pure genius (+0.5), although I might quibble a bit on your selection of strikes. You picked up Penetrating Strike to make sure sneak attack works on most crit-immune targets, and you've got Invisible Fist to make sure you can use it (+0.5). BAB is on par with a rogue, but even better you've got a variety of ways to boost your attack bonus (+0.5). Weaving together Allied Defense, Combat Expertise, Riposte, Decisive Strike, and Deadly Defense together is masterful, doubling up some weaker combat abilities into much stronger abilities (+0.5).

Elegance: 1.0
You used two flaws, which docks you two points per the IC rules (-2.0). A more detailed backstory might have helped here, but you didn't even give them proper names.

Use of the Secret Ingredient: 4.0
You use most of the class abilities (+0.5), and even better you've got a natural ally to use them all on (+0.5).

Deron Betar 16.5

Originality: 3.5
Rogue/Factotum wasn't all that surprising, and although Combat Trapsmith was an unusual choice, another contestant came up with almost the same idea. Still, I don't think it's fair to deduct points for something you have no control over (what another contestant chooses), and combining Combat Trapsmith and Factotum with Nightsong Infiltrator is still a very good idea even if someone else thought of it (+0.5).

Power: 4.5
Trickery Devotion! This is exactly what I wanted to see, although the really nasty tricks don't come online until ECL 15 (+0.5). You give a lot of details on combat traps and how to use them to best effect, which is lots of good awesomesauce (+0.5). Shadow Striker and Cloak Dance are also great finds (+0.5). Even though your BAB is a bit behind a rogue's, you've got a lot of interesting and effective things to do in combat that don't involve attack rolls. Lots of good skillmonkey stuff (+0.5). My only complaint is Teamwork Sneak Attack seems a little under-utilized (what with setting up all those combat traps), and no provisions made for crit-immune enemies (Penetrating Strike) or boosting damage (Craven, etc.), so maybe just a half-point deduction there (-0.5).

Elegance: 4
Backstory was too long, although here instead of cribbing from Batman we're cribbing mostly from Iron Man 2... but I'm not entirely sure why, because none of the backstory really involves or requires the teamwork-related abilities of Nightsong Infiltrator. You kind of run the risk of drawing a penalty for TL:DR, but thankfully the writing is clean, tight, and focused, so I'll let it slide. The build progression is very straight-forward, well-organized, and has a nice flow and logical class progression (+0.5). I very much like your Dirty Tricks section, as I like to see people pushing the envelope on the rules, and your Dirty Tricks section does exactly this, with some cautionary words about bending them past the breaking point (+0.5).

Use of the Secret Ingredient: 4.5
You use or mention *everything* in the class description (+1.0). Even better, you combine the class abilities with Combat Trapsmith, Shadow Striker, and Trickery Devotion to do even more interesting things with the secret ingredient (+0.5). My only complaint is there may be more of an emphasis on Combat Trapsmith than Nightsong Infiltrator, but rather than assess a penalty I think you do justice to both PrCs.

Lycus Blackbeak 16.5

Originality: 4
Your concept is very similar to Deron Betar, but with two major differences: you used Totemist to get Evasion, which I applaud (+0.5), and you went with Kenku, a very unusual choice for race (+0.5). And on top of that you added Vow of Nonviolence, over which I am puzzled and conflicted... a very ballsy move, which I appreciate, but at the expense of invalidating some of your racial/class abilities (claws, sneak attack).

Power: 4
Due to the Vow of Nonviolence, your build can't attack anyone directly (-1.0), but you're deliberately circumventing that Vow via combat traps, as well as providing flanking and extra damage (Teamwork Sneak Attack) to your allies. As I already mentioned, this is ballsy, a somewhat flagrant abuse of the Vow rules, and yet... so alluringly devious (+0.5). I dinged some other builds for low BAB, no Penetrating Strike, no Craven... but you *DON'T* *CARE*! (+0.5). Swiss-Army Skillmonky Stuff, plus Forgery shenanigans (+0.5). The majority of your combat effectiveness appears to come from combat traps, but with your Vow and Ability Focus, you have some surprisingly high save DCs (+0.5). I think you may be overselling the potency of using mimicry and various ventriloquist tactics to distract opponents, but that's probably more of a "play style" thing, and without seeing the player in action, I can't quite nail down a point value for that.

Elegance: 4
I keep coming back to something I mentioned already... "alluringly devious", and I think that sums up this build very well. I should have hammered your Power score for the Vow, because you're deliberately nerfing yourself in combat, but on the other hand... this is not a character that sits around while combat is going on with nothing to do and no way to influence the outcome. This is actually a character with a lot of very interesting things to do in combat, so much so that this would be a very, very interesting character to play. I'm not entirely sure how to quantify that, but let's call it 4 points (+1.0).

Use of the Secret Ingredient: 4.5
You use or mention nearly every class ability, even trackless step and specialized tools (+1.0). As with Derun Betar, you've added Combat Trapsmith, Shadow Striker, and some other abilities to do some interesting and unusual things with the secret ingredient (+0.5). And likewise, I feel like this is more of a Combat Trapsmith build than a Nightsong Infiltrator build (but again, no penalty).

Santa 15

Originality: 4
I definitely did not expect Santa re-imagined as a Benevolent Criminal Overlord (+0.5). Divine Oracle is a very unusual way to get evasion (+0.5).

Power: 5
If Santa vs. the Martians, Sluggy Freelance, and Rankin/Bass have taught me anything, it's that you never go up against the Fat Man when Christmas is on the line (+1.0). If that weren't compelling enough, 904 clones and 5408d6 sneak attack damage kind of seals the deal (+1.0).
I should probably rip into you for runestaff abuse, money cheats, wish loops, and a half-dozen other optimization tricks than no same DM would ever allow, but you identify from the beginning that this is Theoretical Optimization (TO), so I'll just give you a late Christmas present here and be done with it.

Elegance: 2
Divine Oracle to snag evasion, eh? Well, the text identifies Prescient Sense as a "form of evasion", so... works for me. Wizard familiar to get Alertness I'm not so happy with, since it goes away if the familiar is any farther away than arm's reach (-0.5). No mention of how the clones function without the familiar within arm's reach (I suspect it would involve cloning the familiar), and no discussion of how this critical weakness could imperil Christmas! (If the familiar gets killed, Santa has to wait a year and a day to replace it and get back his SI powers.) My other chief complaint is the bulk of your spellcasting relies on breaking various "infinite money" tricks. The downtime required to create many of these resources would be several grades above "substantial". You do identify this is TO and have notes on how this can be used as an NPC, but I find the runestaff casting to be a somewhat inelegant way to do what would much more be easily done with Artificer 20 (-0.5). I commend your diligence on calculating the average number of children per household (+0.5), but must fault you for assuming an entirely human population to calculate the age of a "child": even Santa himself is an elf, which isn't considered an "adult" until at least 110 years old (-0.5).

Use of Secret Ingredient: 4
Not only do you use or mention most of the class abilities, you abuse them mercilessly (+1.0). You even break the sound barrier (+0.5). My only real complaint is, you jump through a lot of hoops to do some very astounding things with the secret ingredient, but by taking 10 levels of Nightsong Infiltrator, you essentially screwed up a stupendously awesome Artificer 20 build (-0.5).

Piggy Knowles

2013-01-04, 10:45 AM

Darrin

2013-01-04, 11:00 AM

Awesome! I don't mind waiting for judging when it comes out this complete and detailed.

I'll try to put together a scores table later today, when I'm at a real computer. Quick math check on Lycus - in power, there was one deduction (-1) and four .5 bonuses (+2), but the final total was 3.5. Is this correct, or a typo?

Well, typo or bad math. Yes, Lycus' Power should be a 4, not a 3.5. Should be fixed now.

That creates a three-way tie for silver, which makes me feel like I dropped the ball as a judge. Too... many... good... builds...!

Amphetryon

2013-01-04, 12:06 PM

Thank you, Darrin.

One minor quibble on your scores vs the posted rules:

Use of flaws is an automatic loss of one point per flaw in this category.

Darrin

2013-01-04, 12:33 PM

Use of flaws is an automatic loss of one point per flaw in this category.

Thanks. Fixed. Elegance was adjusted to the minimum of 1.

Piggy Knowles

2013-01-04, 05:52 PM

OK, as promised, here are the tallies... hopefully OMG (or a surprise judge?) can help break up that three-way tie!

Final(?) Tallies after One Judge Before Disputes
{table=head]Entry|Place|Total|Average
The Cockroach|GOLD|17|4.25
Aredhel Melwasul|SILVER|16.5|4.13
Deron Betar|SILVER|16.5|4.13
Lycus Blackbeak|SILVER|16.5|4.13
Santa|Fifth|15|3.75
The Twins|Sixth|14.5|3.63
Erin Blackhand|Seventh|13|3.25
E. Pluribus|Eighth|12.5|3.13
Matthew Mara|Ninth|9.5|2.38[/table]

Dusk Eclipse

2013-01-04, 06:13 PM

Woot! Scores! Double Woot!! I did better than I expected (I started figuring out how to fix some problems with my entry after they were revealed :smallredface:).

Thanks Darrin for the exhaustive and thorough judging it is much appreciated.

IdleMuse

2013-01-04, 06:15 PM

I have to say, I'm really enjoying this :smallsmile: I feel the quality of the judging has really improved since the last time I took part, or maybe I'm just more into it this time around. Might try and do the next one too, or judge if it's not inspiring me, especially since it definitly looks like more judges would be appreciated. Or is this just a fluke because of the holidays?

OMG PONIES

2013-01-04, 06:19 PM

Note: to avoid double-dipping for deductions, the first point under Elegance has been redefined to ask "Does the entry qualify for all classes entered (aside from the Secret Ingredient)?" This is because entry into the Secret Ingredient is already covered under Use of Secret Ingredient.

Erin Blackhand 13.5 (3.375 average)
Originality: 4.5
It was heartbreaking to see a story of an oppressed family, and provided a great insight into the origins of the character. However, the
mix of metagame level information with backstory was detrimental to the immersion you had going in your origin tale (0).
Though ranger and fighter were used elsewhere in this round, they were used in different amounts...and I'm glad to see someone used Master
Thrower's evasion to qualify (+0.5).
It was nice to see a trident used with ranged pin, and it provided an interesting twist on the Master Thrower abilities (+0.5).
The entry steers clear of known cheese (+0.5).
Power: 3.5
Your bonus damage keeps up with the bonus damage that a ranger/fighter chassis could muster. You get the important fourth iterative attack,
but the power in Master Thrower builds comes from the sheer number of attacks and throwing tricks, which seem lacking here so I have to call it a
wash (0).
Your splashes of martial initiation are great because they aren't simply nova powers, and the only thing in this build that's not available a
decent number of times per day is Travel Devotion. However, your build doesn't focus on it, so you keep up your main schtick throughout the day
(+0.5).
Aside from a magic weapon (which is practically a requirement for a non-caster), you're not relying on too much in the way of weaponry. Besides
that, your magic weapon is tasteful and doesn't rely on splitting cheese or anything like that (+0.5).
You contribute offensively with getting enemies flat-footed and handing out decent sneak attack damage, but that's where the build begins and
ends. Aside from the required evasion, there's not much that will save your butt from danger. Also, while you dabble in a few areas of utility, the
usefulness of that dabbling trickles off as you level (-0.5).
Elegance: 3
The entry qualifies for all classes taken (+0.5)
The entry qualifies for all feats taken (+0.5).
Unfortunately, the entry relies on cross-setting material because of the inclusion of Champions of Valor alongside Secrets of Xen'drik (-0.5).
Since Rogue is the strongheart halfling's favored class, you'll suffer multiclass XP penalties if your DM uses them (-0.5).
UoSI: 2.5
The entry qualifies for the Secret Ingredient, but does not make maximize any of the entry requirements (0).
All ten levels of the Secret Ingredient were taken (+0.5).
Your idea to use Teamwork Sneak Attack w/ Distracting Attack was a great start, but all of the other class features provided by the Secret
Ingredient were basically ignored, except to say why you didn't use them (-0.5).
Conceptually, I'm not seeing why this character would become a master of infiltration (-0.5).
The Cockroach 14.5 (3.625 average)
Originality: 4.5
Your backstory reminds me of why I love playing sneaky characters for all the right reasons (+0.5).
Factotum and rogue are common fare in this round, but your unique choice of race, template, and PrC make this a wash (0).
It's not a trick per se, but I'm SO glad that such a teamwork-focused Secret Ingredient made use of teamwork benefits that you get style
points here (+0.5). Darkstalker is a requirement for stealthy builds, rather than known cheese, so we'll give full points here for avoiding the
usual suspects (+0.5).
Power: 2.5
The problem with a factotum chassis is that there are so many reasons to take it to level 8. Level 3 is also a good breakpoint, but it's
not as powerful as Cunning Surge by a longshot (-0.5).
The great thing about a factotum entry is that your inspiration points refresh per encounter. Aside from that, most of your other abilities are
always on so you can keep sneaking around all day (+0.5).
The Dark template and Skulk don't usually do much heavy lifting unless you're planning on doing a whole lot of hiding, at which point they start
benchpressing like madmen. Without the heavy LA you swallow from these add-ons, you become a whole lot less sneaky (-0.5).
In terms of utility, you've got all the sneaky scouting skills down pat. When it comes to defense, your primary schtick is not being seen but you
do have a few options if they do spot you. Offensively, though, you admit yourself that it's not your thing. Two out of three ain't bad, though
(0).
Elegance: 4.5
The entry qualifies for all classes entered aside from the Secret Ingredient (+0.5).
You qualify for all feats taken, but I'm highly confused by the inclusion of Improved Feint with only 8 ranks in Bluff over the life of the
character. Because of that, I can't bring myself to give this anything more than a wash (0).
The entry avoids reliance on any questionable rules interpretations, cross-setting material, or material specifically disallowed from this
competition (+0.5).
The entry avoids multi-class penalties and excessive base class dipping (+0.5).
UoSI: 3
Since you don't have 5 ranks of Search before taking your first level of Nightsong Infiltrator, you don't qualify for the class (-0.5).
All ten levels of the Secret Ingredient were taken (+0.5).
Most of the class features gained elsewhere make features of the Secret Ingredient redundant. For instance, Dark Creature's Hide in Plain Sight
completely replaces the capstone of the Secret Ingredient. Also, the three sources of trapfinding this class gained don't receive any benefit from
the inclusion of each other; instead, you basically receive the same class feature three times over (-0.5).
Your build absolutely SCREAMS infiltration, so I can't fault you conceptually for the inclusion of Nightsong Infiltrator (+0.5).
Matthew Mara 15.5 (3.875 average)
Originality: 4.5
The Batman nods were subtle and nicely done, as was the double-cross plot. Brevity is also important, as a reminder for the future.
However, your web of intrigue had me caught up so you'll get full credit (+0.5).
Monk 2 was a popular choice for meeting the evasion requirement, but your detective theme and unique PrC class selections made this a wash (0).
Vexing/Adaptable Flanker were nice touches, and Wolfpack really complimented the Secret Ingredient (+0.5)
Known cheese is avoided (+0.5).
Power: 4
Pretty much anything can surpass a monk chassis in power, but we've also got a bit of ranger chassis in there as well. Urban ranger's
solid, but that's because it's hard to surpass in terms of combat prowess and out-of-combat utility. We'll call this one a wash (0).
Though you have a few SLAs and spells that won't last all day, they're far from nova powers. The bulk of your build functions throughout the day
(+0.5).
No undue emphasis is placed on items, templates, or other add-ons (+0.5).
I love the breadth, depth, and uniqueness of the utility abilities available to Mr. Mara. Defensively, good job pointing out that Mobility stacks
with Break Away. Offensively, I can't give you full points here. You excel at granting your allies bonuses via your flanking enhancements and the
inclusion of Wolfpack for some extra attacks, but if you've got to go toe-to-toe with someone on your own you'll come up short. Because of this, it
stays a wash (0).
Elegance: 3
The entry qualifies for all classes taken (+0.5).
With a 14 DEX, you miss qualifying for Wolfpack by 1 DEX. It's easy to correct, but the build as presented doesn't qualify (-0.5).
Some folks may raise an eyebrow at dipping into a 3.0 book, but the rules of the competition allow it as long as there hasn't been a 3.5 update
(+0.5).
I know my criteria here said I'd only penalize base class dipping, but you dipped three separate prestige classes in addition to two base
classes. I appreciate the story-based reasons for doing so, but I'd consider that excessive (-0.5).
UoSI: 4
The Secret Ingredient is qualified for, and I appreciate that you not only snagged Alertness without spending a regular feat slot but also
used it for qualification for another prestige class. However, the required skills are not maxed or used to any great effect, so I have to call this
a wash (0).
The entry takes all ten levels of the Secret Ingredient (+0.5).
You mention plenty of the Secret Ingredient's class features, but only a few are synergized in any meaningful way. What you started was classy,
but I would have liked to see more of it (0).
The twist you put on the guild in your backstory was nice, and complemented the concept with the whole "undercover" vibe (+0.5).
E Pluribus 14 (3.5 average)
Originality: 2.5
It was nice to get a glimpse into E Pluribus' philosophy, but I don't really get an idea of the entry's concept besides "he helps his
teammates" (-0.5).
Changeling and rogue 2 are a familiar combo in this round of competition, but Chameleon and the ever-unexpected Savant classed this up to a wash
(0).
Another entry uses teamwork benefits, but they're so under-utilized that it's still original here (+0.5).
Between Craven, Trickery Devotion for a flanking buddy, and using Chameleon to snag the Trapsmith's poorly-balanced spell levels is all safely in
the territory of known cheese (-0.5).
Power: 3.5
The nice thing about the Savant is that, unlike the factotum, it focuses on doing a lot of things without doing them well. There's no
standout feature of the class, and entry into chameleon is faster progression than the spellcasting you would have received from the class. Because
of this, you manage to pick up more power than a straight savant or changeling rogue (+0.5).
Your chameleon levels give you a decent spellcasting progression, but you'll burn through those spells fairly quickly. Even with them gone, your
ability to boost the skill checks of your allies remains along with the Secret Ingredient's class features, so we'll call this one a wash (0).
There's no undue emphasis on any add-ons for power (+0.5).
You've got a bit of utility power with your stealth skills and spellcasting, and Craven boosts your offensive capability by a small amount.
However, without any way to get additional attacks and only three iteratives, the bonus damage becomes much less impressive. Couple this with a lack
of real defensive options aside from hiding, and sneaky utility is really all we have going for us (-0.5).
Elegance: 4
The entry qualifies for all classes entered (+0.5).
The entry qualifies for all feats taken. Luckily you stay away from feats with an ability score requirement, as I can't see where your ability
scores are indicated (+0.5).
By bringing Champions of Ruin into the mix, we introduce a Forgotten Realms sourcebook to an otherwise Eberron character, which may not fly with
some DMs (-0.5).
Since rogue is the changeling's favored class, you avoid multiclass penalties (+0.5).
UoSI: 4
The entry qualifies for the Secret Ingredient, and I appreciate your mention of why Search and Disable Device weren't maxed. Open Lock
wasn't maxed, but you can always cast Knock, and I appreciate that you picked up Alertness without burning a feat slot (+0.5).
All ten levels of the Secret Ingredient are taken (+0.5).
A few of the Secret Ingredient's class features receive passing mention, but none are really synergized or optimized (-0.5).
While I couldn't really grab your concept, the bit of philosophy made sense for an Infiltrator--especially one with a Savant base
(+0.5).
Aredhel Melwasul 14 (3.5 average)
Originality: 3
While your backstory provides a nice glimpse into Aredhel's test to join the Nightsong Guild, it doesn't tell us much of your character's
concept aside from the fact that she fights and sneaks around (0).
Rogue 3 was a repeated chassis, but you've got to love any appearance of Revenant Blade. We've got a wash on our hands (0).
Staggering Strike is one of my favorite ambush feats, and even more so on a build that starts climbing the TWF feat tree to gain extra attacks.
Plus, we've got another entry who actually used teamwork benefits (+0.5).
Spirit Lion Totem, Wild Cohort, plus a laundry list of "always awesome" items dip our toes into known cheese (-0.5).
Power: 4
A ranger-rogue thrives on number of attacks and amount of extra damage. We snag 1/day Whirling Frenzy, the fourth iterative and Improved
TWF (with possible adaptation for Greater TWF). The limited bonus damage is accounted for via the inclusion of Power Attack and Revenant Blade's
effect on the feat (+0.5).
Though Whirling Frenzy is only available 1/day without items, it's not relied upon for this build to function. Pretty much everything else
continues to function equally well throughout the day (+0.5).
There's a laundry list of items (like the Belt of Battle) that are simply a good idea for any character, but I don't know how much your entry
depends on them. More troubling is the reliance on the Wild Cohort, which is still an "add-on" in my book. I don't know if there's enough reliance
upon it to merit a deduction, but the best we'll get here is a wash (0).
Offensively, your bonus damage pairs nicely with your sheer number of attacks and the ability to dish out an underused and powerful status effect.
Defensively, I don't see much going on. When it comes to utility, you've got skills which I hear can ensure none of your bills go unpaid
(0).
Elegance: 4
The entry qualifies for all classes entered (+0.5).
Luckily for you, you forgot to list your post-racial DEX as 16 so you actually do qualify for Two-Weapon Fighting at third level. Because of
this, the entry qualifies for all feats taken (+0.5).
Items of questionable elegance were generally avoided (+0.5).
Since ranger is the wood elf's favored class, you'll incur some multiclass penalties from the inclusion of rogue 3/barbarian 1 if your DM uses
that rule (-0.5).
UoSI: 3
The entry qualifies for the Secret Ingredient, maxes two of the skills required for entry, and presents an adaptation in order to pick up
Alertness without burning a regular feat slot (+0.5).
The entry does not complete the Secret Ingredient or present a compelling reason why not doing so is actually a better use of the Secret
Ingredient (-0.5).
Teamwork sneak attack gets a nice treatment here, but it's really the only class feature that gets a considerable mention (0).
Since I had a hard time getting a feel for the character's concept, it's hard to tell if this fits it. However, "someone who fights and sneaks"
is describing an Infiltrator, so I guess it's not a complete loss (0).
The Twins 11.5 (2.875 average)
Originality: 3
The idea of twins that narrowly escaped the destruction of slavers isn't necessarily novel, but it was a nice little morsel. If there had
been a little more, it might have warranted a bonus. I told another competitor that brevity was important, but so is depth (0).
Rogue 3 AND Monk 2 give this pair of twins a pair of unoriginal entry classes. However, dvati is always a nice twist and it was great to see a
martial initiator in the mix, so it's a wash (0).
The inclusion of dvati is nice from a mechanical perspective, as it really buffs up a lot of the teamwork-focused abilities of the Secret
Ingredient (+0.5).
All the usuals are here, from the flaws suggested to the exalted feats crammed in that require them. Between your feats and maneuvers, this seems
like a collage cut from the pages of a few various charop handbooks (-0.5).
Power: 2.5
The build surpasses a straight monk entry (again, what doesn't) but lags behind a rogue or crusader. If the crusader levels could have been
spaced out a little more, higher level maneuvers may have been preserved (-0.5).
Here's where I can't fault you; Vow of Poverty provides a slew of "always on" powers, as does the rest of the build (+0.5).
However, those "always on" powers come at a price, as much of the power lifting in this class is done by your vows (-0.5).
Vow of Poverty wins you back some points in defense (feel like we're playing tennis yet?). You've got the usual trapmonkey skills, even despite
the ranks in Basketmaking. In terms of offense, though, you're a little lacking even with the dvati tricks. We're not making many attacks, and
they're not coming at an exceptionally high bonus. While we've got Invisible Fist for flatfooting enemies, we don't have that much sneak attack
damage to apply. Still, two out of three ain't bad, so this is a wash (0).
Elegance: 2
The entry qualifies for all classes entered (+0.5).
The entry qualifies for all feats taken (+0.5).
Flaws are specifically disallowed from the competition, and by contest rules will receive a deduction of a point apiece. In addition, a
revenge-driven exalted character will raise a lot of DMly eyebrows, so I think it would fall squarely in the terrain of "questionable rules
interpretations" (-2.5).
You keep your class levels even enough to avoid multiclass penalties, and you barely skirt by my definition of dipping, so you'll earn full points
on this one (+0.5).
UoSI: 4
The entry qualifies for the Secret Ingredient, and most of the entry requirements are maxed (+0.5).
All ten levels are taken (+0.5).
The teamwork-focused abilities get a nice quick doubling from your use of dvati, but most of the other abilities receive only a passing mention.
It was a great start, but I would have liked more (0).
Since your concept was a bit sparse, it's a bit tough to see why the Secret Ingredient was taken aside from the fact that the twins are weak and
like to strike from shadows. The conceptual tie is there, but just barely (0).
Deron Batar 12.5 (3.125 average)
Originality: 2
I once again echo my sentiments that a compelling backstory balances depth and brevity. This story was very long and involved, and it took
me a few attempts to be sure I didn't skim. However, once I brought myself to the end of your story, it felt more like I had just read the backstory
of a Renegade Mastermaker than a Nightsong Infiltrator (-0.5).
Unfortunately Changeling, factotum 3, rogue 2, and Combat Trapsmith 5 all made appearances elsewhere in this round of competition. Without
anything particularly unique to redeem you, this warrants a deduction (-0.5).
There are no unique mechanical tricks or feat chains at play here. Shadow Striker was an unexpected direction, but nothing is really done with
the tactical options it provides, and they seem to favor moving in and out of combat instead of maintaining flanking position with allies to reap the
benefits of Teamwork Sneak Attack (-0.5).
Known cheese is avoided (+0.5).
Power: 2 3
EDIT: I apologize, I missed that your traps become dirt cheap and didn't provoke AoOs as it wasn't explicitly stated in your build (as it was in Lycus'). I should have caught it after reading over Complete Scoundrel and Blackbeak. This changes your -0.5 to a +0.5 for a change of +1 in Power.

This build lacks the offensive and utility punch of more levels of changeling rogue, and the problem with taking three levels of factotum is
that you might as well stick in the class for eight levels (-0.5).
Trickery Devtion is only 1/day, and you devote a whole section to this nova power. Luckily, everything else is usable as long as you've got the
right gear (0).
The problem with a crafter is that you are always reliant on time and WBL to make your items. Combat Trapsmith makes this less of an issue, but
you're still burning standard actions at best and provoking attacks of opportunity (0).
The entry contributes a ton of skill points and traps on the utility side, but offense is lacking and there's not much in the way of defense
besides hiding (-0.5).
Elegance: 5
The entry qualifies for all classes entered (+0.5).
The entry qualifies for all feats taken (+0.5).
The entry avoids reliance on any questionable rules interpretations, cross-setting material, or material specifically disallowed from this
competition (+0.5).
The entry avoids multi-class penalties and excessive base class dipping (+0.5).
UoSI: 2.5
The entry qualifies for the Secret Ingredient, but only some of the entry requirements were maximized (0).
All ten levels of the Secret Ingredient were taken (+0.5).
Though a handful of the Secret Ingredient's class features were mentioned, none were synergized (-0.5).
Again, I feel like the concept of this entry was more Renegade Mastermaker and less Nightsong Infiltrator (-0.5).
Lycus Blackbeak 16 (4 average)
Originality: 4.5
The backstory was a unique and interesting spin on infiltration, engaging the unique abilities of the kenku along with stealth and traps in
service to the story (+0.5).
Factotum 3 and Combat Trapsmith 5 made an appearance in another entry, but everything else you used was classy to the core. Sprucing up the entry
with a bit of meldshaping was an angle unexplored by others, and kenku is one of my favorite unused rogue races. I wish that I could give this a
bonus, but the class and PrC duplication make this a wash (0).
I'm surprised others didn't attempt entry to the Secret Ingredient via items/soulmelds/etc. that grant evasion, but see Elegance below. Though
another build chose Shadow Striker, you provided a compelling case for its use in conjunction with Combat Trapsmith. And Vow of Nonviolence in
conjunction with traps to boost their DC? Classy (+0.5).
We steer clear of cheese here (+0.5).
Power: 3
The tough thing about including Factotum 3 in a build is that there's not really a good reason not to stretch it to Factotum 8--especially
here, where it could mean extra traps. Additionally, your incarnum is just splashed about but could have used a little more meat behind it (-0.5).
Though there's only a few, soulmelds and factotum abilities provide a decent source of recharging power. Combat Traps become at will at later
levels, so we're truly avoiding the novas here (+0.5).
There are some items that are just always good. Feycraft weapons to avoid burning a feat on Weapon Finesse, Collar of Umbral Metamorphosis, wands
of strong spells like Alter Self...I'm not disagreeing that they're good, but their suggestion takes away a bit from the build's raw power. Items
are like garlic; the right amount can add the perfect touch, while too much can drown out other flavors (-0.5).
The entry definitely provides a source of utility power, and you've presented the defensive aspects of your build in a more compelling way than
others that used the same things so I'm confident in your defensive abilities. Lastly, you made such a strong case for planting traps right beneath
the feet of your enemies without provoking AoOs that I just have to award you full points here (+0.5).
Elegance: 4.5
The entry qualifies for all classes entered aside from the Secret Ingredient (+0.5)
Assuming that combat trapping qualifies as a special attack (see the next bullet), the entry qualifies for all feats taken (+0.5).
I couldn't really find any treatment of whether combat trapping (or any class feature) counts as a special attack, a special quality, or something
else entirely. However, that's not why we're here. Instead, we're here to discuss Vow of Nonviolence. It's not a questionable interpretation in
and of itself, but makes a headache both for the DM and other players at the table. You very cleverly discuss how you avoid dealing HP damage, but
your allies still are. Even still, I'm trying not to be Grinchy, so we'll call it a wash because it's more of a questionable reaction to the rules
than a questionable interpretation of them (0).
Dipping and multiclass penalties are both avoided (+0.5).
UoSI: 4
Here's where I may spark some discussion, but the entry doesn't qualify for the Secret Ingredient. The Great Raptor Mask gives evasion, but
does not grant evasion as a class feature. I checked the text to see if the soulmeld refers back to the class feature at all, but it does not.
Because the Secret Ingredient specifically requires evasion as a class feature, this merits a deduction (-0.5).
All ten levels of the Secret Ingredient are taken (+0.5).
Awarding points here for actually pointing out a relevant use of Teamwork Trap Sense so allies can avoid the nasty traps you sprinkle everywhere.
Bonus points for making use of the Secret Ingredient's Bluff skill and your racial Mimicry ability in a hilariously unique, yet practical way. Extra
bonus points for teamwork sneak attack being coupled with Vow of Nonviolence and Combat Trapsmith for risk-free trapsetting. I was going to say
something about some of the abilities that just get passing mention, but...now you're setting off your own traps and ignoring the harmful effects
thanks to Evasion/Improved Evasion? All the points--just take them (+0.5).
A sneak who not only conceals their presence, but their voice? A birdman who disappears from right in front of his foes, supporting his sneaky
allies all the while? The concept fits as snug as a glove (+0.5).
Santa 14.5 (3.625 average)
Originality: 4.5
You made Santa Claus. Now granted, I was thinking of doing the same for our Christmastime Iron Chef, but mine was simply focused on knowing
when you're sleeping and detecting whether you're naughty or nice while he creeps into your chimney and grants his reindeer sneak attack. You made a
man who can actually fly around the world giving children presents in one night within the ruleset of D&D. Hats off (+0.5).
I was planning on submitting a Santa-themed build myself with some levels of artificer, but it would have looked nothing like yours. The other
things you use to spruce it up are unique to this competition as well, so you definitely earn some originality (+0.5).
Mechanically speaking, the build is a bit dry on anything aside the usual artificer tricks, but I appreciate that you were able to snag alertness
and evasion both from unusual sources, so we'll call it a wash (0).
You're probably expecting this with a TO build, but boosting CLs to create items of 9th-level spells inside a demiplane with a different flow of
time and an army of dedicated wrights and Body Outside Body clones is purest artificer cheese (+0.5).
Power: 1.5
You make a compelling case for how to churn out the XP required, so I'm not sad to see the artificer's craft reserve go away. However, you
miss out on a crapton of bonus feats (including Craft Staff, which you burn a feat slot on later) as well as some decent class features. On the
wizard/divine oracle, abjurant champion side you miss out on quite a bit, but to be fair you're only using them to advance your infusions. Still,
we're lagging behind a pure artificer (-0.5).
As a TO build, the showcase is really once we have our items built and we're buffed with all our persistent spell effects. However, before that
we're burning through charges like nobody's business. Given enough downtime (or our wrights at later levels) we can account for that, but at the
earlier levels you'd better find something to do once you burn through your cash (-0.5).
You're an artificer. A reliance on items is a class feature. Even beyond that, though, you're counting on multiple ioun stones to boost your
caster level high enough for the 9th-level stuff, and I'm not sure that bonuses from the same source stack. Without them, you lose your demiplane
and thus your battery for churning out presents/XP/GP (-0.5).
Offensively, a horde of Santas would make me wet myself while being stabbed to death. Defensively, though, Santa seems a bit lacking--not to
mention the fact that all of your Body Outside Body clones deal you damage when destroyed. With that many clones, you can instakill a lot of things,
but you're setting yourself up to be gibbed as well. When it comes to utility, you've got max ranks in a lot of useful skills and the ability to
build anything your party needs, so two out of three ain't bad (0).
Elegance: 4
The entry qualifies for all classes entered aside from the Secret Ingredient (+0.5).
The entry qualifies for all feats taken (+0.5).
The artificer's infusions and caster level are advanced only by PrCs that stipulate "+1 level of existing spellcasting class" as per Magic of Eberron page 53, and gains no benefit from classes that stipulate "+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class" like the Abjurant Champion. While this doesn't dampen the power of your build too much, it's still an incorrect interpretation of the rules. Add in questions of stacking multiple versions of the same item like ioun stones, and there are more questionable rules interpretations (-0.5).
The entry avoids multiclass penalties thanks to the gray elf's favored class, and excessive dipping is avoided (+0.5)
UoSI: 4.5
Since Prescient Sense is not evasion, you do not qualify for the Secret Ingredient. Yes, it's close. Yes, it's better. No, it's not "evasion class feature." However, I appreciate your treatment of other ways to qualify, but a DM that doesn't allow Prescient Sense may be no sweeter on a Ring of Evasion or the Shadow template either. Even still, the adaptation section showed presence of thought (0).
All ten levels of the Secret Ingredient were taken (+0.5).
As much as it relies on existing theoretical cheese, the class features were synergized well. I'm not sure if I agree with your "clone stacking" tricks, as the Infiltrator's class features specify they stack with other class features (trap sense and sneak attack, for instance) without specifying if they stack with another instance of the Teamwork Trap Sense or Teamwork Sneak Attack. But you also find unique uses for Detect Magic, Grant Move Action (Nightsong Infiltrator Rail Gun?!), and doubled Break Away bonuses. While I shake my head at some of your suggestions, I golf clap while doing so (+0.5).
Though one originally looks at this and think "Santa Claus is shoehorned in because this is a holiday contest!" eventually you start squinting and unfocusing your eyes which causes you to see all the infiltration and teamwork stuff is perfect for Santa (+0.5).

I've got some weird spacing issues going on up there, but blame Notepad. I'll clean them up sometime soon, along with adding a table that accounts for both judges' scores (unless someone else ninjas me). As for now, I'm leaving work!

rockdeworld

2013-01-04, 09:31 PM

Ninja'ing Piggy and OMG :smallbiggrin:

Final(?) Tallies after Two Judges Before Disputes
{table=head]Entry|Place|Total|Average
Lycus Blackbeak|GOLD|32.5|4.0625
The Cockroach|SILVER|31.5|3.9375
Aredhel Melwasul|BRONZE|30.5|3.8125
Santa|Fourth|29.5|3.6875
Deron Betar|Fifth|28|3.5
Erin Blackhand|Sixth|26.5|3.3125
E. Pluribus|Sixth|26.5|3.3125
The Twins|Eighth|26|3.25
Matthew Mara|Ninth|25|3.125[/table]

If I got the bronze color wrong, let me know.

Piggy Knowles

2013-01-04, 10:12 PM

Ninja'ing Piggy and OMG :smallbiggrin:

Ha, I just turned on my computer to update the table and someone had beaten me to it :smalltongue:

Amphetryon

2013-01-05, 12:19 PM

Questions, I gotcher questions for the judges (or OMG, at least) right here! Get 'em while they're fresh!

I wasn't sure if I should post this straight to the boards, or go through here for anonymity, so I'll err (if I am) on the side of caution.
If you could post for me, please:

I'm confused and hoping for some clarification. OMG Ponies's judgement of The Cockroach states, under Power (third bullet):

The Dark template and Skulk don't usually do much heavy lifting unless you're planning on doing a whole lot of hiding, at which point they start
benchpressing like madmen. Without the heavy LA you swallow from these add-ons, you become a whole lot less sneaky (-0.5).

My interpretation of this is that the Dark template and Skulk usually aren't very good. But they are for a sneaky character. Since I am a sneaky character and planning to hide a LOT, they offer plenty to be desired. The LA is a bitter pill to swallow, but, in this case, worth it, since not having it would result in a character far less sneaky.
My confusion, then, is in why a sneaky character gets a deduction in Power for getting a whole lot more sneaky.

Am I misreading something? Or misinterpreting something here? Or is there a typo? Or...?

Thanks in advance for any clarification.

WBL is mentioned as being a problem for deron regarding his combat trapsmith traps, but not for blackbeak. However, each trap only costs 10gp to make, and once improvised materials is online, even that disappears.

Setting traps is implied to provoke AoOs throughout, but expert trapsetter makes planting traps not provoke AoOs.

EDIT: FYI, we're waiting to see if/how OMG wishes to respond to the above comments before moving on. I haven't forgotten you folks.

OMG PONIES

2013-01-05, 11:17 PM

Cockroach: the deduction wasn't for the fact that you took something to make you sneakier. The problem was that this increased stealth came at the cost of an LA template and a race that chewed up a few levels as well. Yes, it makes you bounds sneakier, but it's not the best thing to use those levels on as it contributes little outside of stealth. Also, some DMs disallow LA entirely or limit it to levels that would prevent The Cockroach from seeing play. This is the problem I have with reliance on templates or races with LA/RHD: they're often great for a niche, but the investment is too steep for me. Scoring stands.

Deron: I apologize, I missed that your traps become dirt cheap and didn't provoke AoOs as it wasn't explicitly stated in your build (as it was in Lycus'). I should have caught it after reading over Complete Scoundrel and Blackbeak. This changes your -0.5 to a +0.5 for a change of +1 in Power.

I'll go back and update my judging post later...posting from an iPod now but didn't want to hold up the Reveal any longer.

Amphetryon

2013-01-06, 07:48 AM

Final tallies are in! Congratulations to all contestants on a job well done, and on surviving an extra week of nail-biting for the long judging period.

Final Tallies
{table=head]Entry|Place|Total|Average
Lycus Blackbeak, by Piggy Knowles|GOLD|32.5|4.0625
The Cockroach, by Macabaret|SILVER|31.5|3.9375
Aredhel Melwasul, by Dusk Eclipse|BRONZE|30.5|3.8125
Santa, by rockdeworld|Fourth(HM)|29.5|3.6875
Deron Betar, by Venger|Fifth|28.5|3.5
Erin Blackhand, by IdleMuse|Sixth|26.5|3.3125
E. Pluribus, by The Gilded Duke|Sixth|26.5|3.3125
The Twins, by Hunter Killer|Eighth|26|3.25
Matthew Mara, by Venger|Ninth|25|3.125[/table]

Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XLI will be posted shortly.

rockdeworld

2013-01-06, 08:58 AM

Congratz Piggy! The hook for Lycus was an interesting take on some probably common usages of cantrips in the D&D-verse.

:smallredface: Thanks for honorable mention. I thought Amph set the stage for a Santa build, since we got an infiltrating prestige class in December. Of course, I mentally kicked myself after I saw that Practiced Spellcaster doesn't work with artificer in the RAW thread, which was a huge oversight on my part since Santa needs it to craft 8th level spell items (and be only 2 stones away from 9th). And, of course, I forgot to average the ages of the different races for children in Eberron :smallsigh:

Venger, Mara's backstory was amazing. It drew me in and made me want to keep reading more when it was over. You don't need to be doing this for free, you should be writing professionally. Your stories would be worth buying.

Piggy Knowles

2013-01-06, 11:02 AM

Hurrah! Congrats, Macabaret, Dusk Eclipse & rockdeworld! A lot of good stuff. But everything was hugely well done across the board! (Although I'll admit, when I saw Venger's entry I just about fainted...)

And rockdeworld, Santa blew me away. It had some minor issues, sure (I was the person who asked on the Simple Questions thread about Practiced Spellcaster for an artificer build I'm working on, so that one stuck out to me), but I'll admit to being more or less flabbergasted that you didn't make top 3. As soon as I saw it, I thought, "Welp, there goes any chance of Gold."

And thanks as always to Darrin and OMG for judging! I was a little worried for a while, but then we had two excellent judges show up within hours of each other. Can't ask for more than that.

The other idea I had was similar to Erin Blackhand, in that it took advantage of the ranger's Distracting Attack feature to flank at range. My build was a ranger/marshal/master thrower, who focused on the talenta boomerang and master thrower tricks to hit dozens of enemies at once. Then they were all considered flanked, dealing sneak attack damage and bonus Charisma damage from the marshal's Master of Tactics aura.

I actually had the build completed and was just doing some editing, and I lost track of time - it was 6:54 PM, and I thought, "I can do this, I've still got time"... then the next thing I knew, it was 7:06 PM and Amph was already starting the reveal, and I hadn't sent mine off yet!

Of course, after seeing the Blackbeak/Deron Betar overlap, I'm sort of glad I didn't - imagine doing two entries, a factotum/combat trapsmith and a distracting attack ranger/master thrower, and finding that BOTH of them were done by other contestants!

Here's the entry, if anyone is interested:

Saul Sargasso, Strike Force Leader

http://www.comicsrecommended.com/images/artsamples/spider-man-spec-067-boomerang.jpg

From the journal of Saul Sargasso, Eb997

First real day with the new team. I've tried to tell them that training can only go so far... today, we get the real test. Pretty simple mission to start with, in and out, only two targets.

I left camp at dawn for a preliminary scouting. Looks like a basic shift of four guards, two crossbowmen and two spearmen. They rotate them out one at a time, so no chance to catch them during shift change. A couple of camp dogs, but none of them are trained guard dogs. I spoke to one, but he couldn't tell me much...

...strike starts at sundown. I'll lead the charge in, see if I can take out those crossbowmen quickly and keep all four guards distracted. If the rest of the team can take them out quickly, the first target's tent is only thirty yards away...

Saul Sargasso, Strike Force Leader

NG Human, Ranger 4/Marshal 3/Master Thrower 3/Nightsong Infiltrator 10
Starting Stats: Str 10/Dex 16/Con 12/Int 12/Wis 10/Cha 16
Level 4: Dex +1
Level 8: Dex +1
Level 12: Cha +1
Level 16: Cha +1
Level 20: Dex +1

ACFs: Arcane Hunter, Champion of the Wild, Distracting Attack, Spiritual Connection

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

1st|Ranger 1|
+1|
+2|
+2|
+0|Climb 4 ranks, disable device 2 ranks, hide 4 ranks, move silently 4 ranks, open lock 2 ranks, search 4 ranks, sleight of hand 2 ranks, spot 4 ranks|Point Blank Shot, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Talenta Boomerang), Track|Favored enemy: arcanists, spiritual connection

2nd|Ranger 2|
+2|
+3|
+3|
+0|Climb 5 ranks, disable device 2.5 ranks, hide 5 ranks, move silently 5 ranks, open lock 2.5 ranks, search 5 ranks, sleight of hand 2.5 ranks, spot 5 ranks|Rapid Shot|

3rd|Ranger 3|
+3|
+3|
+3|
+1|Climb 6 ranks, disable device 3 ranks, hide 6 ranks, move silently 6 ranks, open lock 3 ranks, search 6 ranks, sleight of hand 3 ranks, spot 6 ranks|Endurance, Weapon Focus (talenta boomerang)|

4th|Ranger 4|
+4|
+4|
+4|
+1|Climb 7 ranks, disable device 3.5 ranks, hide 7 ranks, move silently 7 ranks, open lock 3.5 ranks, search 7 ranks, sleight of hand 3.5 ranks, spot 7 ranks|Precise Shot|Distracting Attack

5th|Marshal 1|
+4|
+6|
+4|
+3|Climb 7.5 ranks, disable device 4 ranks, open lock 4 ranks, sleight of hand 4 ranks, diplomacy 2 ranks|Skill Focus (diplomacy)|Minor aura (master of tactics)

6th|Marshal 2|
+5|
+7|
+4|
+4|Climb 8 ranks, diplomacy 7 ranks|Alertness|Major aura +1 (motivate urgency)

7th|Master Thrower 1|
+6/+1|
+7|
+6|
+4|Climb 9 ranks, disable device 4.5 ranks, open lock 4.5 ranks, sleight of hand 5 ranks, spot 9 ranks|Quick Draw|Thrown weapon trick (palm throw)

8th|Master Thrower 2|
+7/+2|
+7|
+7|
+4|Climb 10 ranks, disable device 5 ranks, open lock 5 ranks, sleight of hand 6 ranks, spot 10 ranks||Evasion

9th|Nightsong Infiltrator 1|
+7/+2|
+7|
+9|
+4|Bluff 2 ranks, disable device 6 ranks, diplomacy 8 ranks, hide 8 ranks, move silently 8 ranks, open lock 6 ranks, search 8 ranks, sleight of hand 7 ranks, spot 11 ranks|Boomerang Ricochet|Teamwork trap sense +1, trapfinding

10th|Nightsong Infiltrator 2|
+8/+3|
+7|
+10|
+4|Bluff 4 ranks, disable device 7 ranks, diplomacy 9 ranks, hide 9 ranks, move silently 9 ranks, open lock 7 ranks, search 9 ranks, sleight of hand 8 ranks, spot 12 ranks||Steady stance, teamwork infiltration +2

11th|Nightsong Infiltrator 3|
+9/+4|
+8|
+10|
+5|Bluff 5 ranks, disable device 9 ranks, diplomacy 10 ranks, hide 10 ranks, move silently 10 ranks, open lock 8 ranks, search 10 ranks, sleight of hand 9 ranks, spot 12 ranks||Break away, trackless step (self)

12th|Nightsong Infiltrator 4|
+10/+5|
+8|
+11|
+5|Disable device 11 ranks, diplomacy 11 ranks, hide 11 ranks, move silently 11 ranks, open lock 9 ranks, search 11 ranks, sleight of hand 10 ranks, spot 13 ranks|Boomerang Daze|Detect magic, teamwork sneak attack +1d6, teamwork trap sense +2

13th|Master Thrower 3|
+11/+6/+1|
+9|
+11|
+6|Sleight of hand 13 ranks, spot 16 ranks||Thrown weapon trick (doubletoss)

14th|Nightsong Infiltrator 5|
11/+6/+1|
+9|
+11|
+6|Disable device 12 ranks, diplomacy 12 ranks, hide 13 ranks, move silently 13 ranks, open lock 10 ranks, search 12 ranks, sleight of hand 14 ranks, spot 17 ranks||Defensive roll, grant move action 1/day

15th|Nightsong Infiltrator 6|
+12/+7/+2|
+10|
+12|
+7|Disable device 13 ranks, diplomacy 13 ranks, hide 15 ranks, move silently 15 ranks, search 14 ranks, sleight of hand 15 ranks, spot 18 ranks|Darkstalker|Improved evasion, skill mastery, specialized tools

16th|Nightsong Infiltrator 7|
+13/+8/+3|
+10|
+12|
+7|Disable device 15 ranks, diplomacy 14 ranks, hide 17 ranks, move silently 17 ranks, search 15 ranks, sleight of hand 16 ranks, spot 19 ranks||Teamwork trap sense +3, trackless step (allies)

17th|Nightsong Infiltrator 8|
+14/+9/+4|
+10|
+13|
+7|Disable device 16 ranks, diplomacy 15 ranks, hide 19 ranks, move silently 19 ranks, search 17 ranks, sleight of hand 17 ranks, spot 20 ranks||Teamwork infiltration +4, teamwork sneak attack +2d6

18th|Nightsong Infiltrator 9|
+14/+9/+4|
+11|
+13|
+8|Disable device 18 ranks, diplomacy 16 ranks, hide 21 ranks, move silently 21 ranks, search 18 ranks, sleight of hand 18 ranks, spot 21 ranks|Improved Precise Shot|Grant move action 2/day

19th|Nightsong Infiltrator 10|
+15/+10/+5|
+11|
+14|
+8|Disable device 19 ranks, diplomacy 17 ranks, hide 22 ranks, move silently 22 ranks, search 19 ranks, sleight of hand 19 ranks, spot 22 ranks||Hide in plain sight, teamwork trap sense +4

20th|Marshal 3|
+16/+11/+6/+1|
+11|
+15|
+8|Diplomacy 18 ranks, hide 23 ranks, move silently 23 ranks, spot 23 ranks||Minor aura (motivate dexterity)[/table]

DOSSIER: Saul Sargasso

DOSSIER ENTRY: Post-Training Evalutation (ECL 5)

PFC. Saul Sargasso is showing promise, especially in areas of stealth and infiltration, as well as his ability to communicate with animals. Central recommends placing him in small groups where he can take advantage of these traits. However, he has begun to display some tendencies toward grandiosity, and will bear close watching.

PFC Sargasso's sergeant initially disapproved of his choice of weapon, calling it pointlessly flashy. However, PFC Sargasso has greatly applied himself to its use, and Central has overruled the sergeant on this matter. He has learned to use the flashiness of the boomerang to his team's advantage, using them to distract enemies to help improve the capabilities of the rest of his team.

His mastery of tactics ties into this as well. In mock battles, he has proven talented at striking multiple enemies with his boomerang, then directing the rest of his team on where to strike, increasing the entire team's accuracy and damage.

Ranger 4/Marshal 1
Feats: Track, Point Blank Shot, EWP (Talenta Boomerang), Rapid Shot, WF (Talenta Boomerang), Endurance, Precise Shot, Skill Focus (Diplomacy)

Class Features: Favored enemy (arcanists), spiritual connection, distracting attack, Master of Tactics aura

Notes: Distracting Attack + Master of Tactics. With Rapid Shot, strike multiple enemies. They are all considered flanked, providing a +2 bonus to attack and +3 bonus to damage for all allies.

DOSSIER ENTRY: Field Notes (ECL 10)

Corporal Sargasso has proven himself quite effective in the field. Under Central's instruction, he has applied himself primarily to stealth, and we have put him in temporary command of several small strike forces, where he has consistently done well.

CPL Sargasso has shown surprising patience and aptitude in teaching and directing his team, assisting them both in tactics and also in stealth. In fact, every team we have placed CPL Sargasso into has shown marked improvement in both speed and infiltration.

He continues to excel in the use of the talenta boomerang, and off-site training in the talenta plains proved to be a wise investment. The trick shots CPL Sargasso learned have been surprisingly effective, as he throws multiple boomerangs at once and even bounces them off multiple targets. Central assumed that such tricks would have little use in actual combat, but by directing on his team to take advantage of the distraction such shots provided, CPL Sargasso has developed a signature fighting style that is surprisingly effective.

As CPL Sargasso frequently scouts alone as a precursor to raids and strikes, we have begun more intensive diplomatic training. He has taken to it quickly, and twice in actual combat he managed to talk his way out of capture.

Ranger 4/Marshal 2/Master Thrower 2/Nightsong Infiltrator 2

Feats: Track, Point Blank Shot, EWP (Talenta Boomerang), Rapid Shot, WF (Talenta Boomerang), Endurance, Precise Shot, Skill Focus (Diplomacy), Alertness, Quick Draw, Boomerang Ricochet

Class Features: Favored enemy (arcanists), spiritual connection, distracting attack, Master of Tactics aura, Motivate Urgency aura, thrown weapon trick (palm throw), evasion, teamwork trap sense +1, trapfinding, teamwork infiltration +2

Notes: The same distracting attack + Master of Tactics strategy applies, except now with palm throw, higher BAB and Boomerang Ricochet, Saul is hitting several enemies at once, essentially flanking the entire field of combat. His motivate urgency aura allows his allies to move into position to best take advantage of this.

DOSSIER ENTRY: (Classified) (ECL 15)

Central has given Saul Sargasso the nominal rank of Chief Warrant Officer. This is a payscale upgrade rather than a description of duties, as he is still primarily acting as Command Sergeant Major while in the field.

CWO Sargasso has been placed on multiple [redacted] missions, which Central required for [redacted]. Intelligence has taken a hand in this, and both departments have been working together to combine missions. This has led to [redacted].

CWO Sargasso's teams are among the deadliest available, and we have begun using them primarily for [redacted] missions. His MO has been to enter

Ranger 4/Marshal 2/Master Thrower 3/Nightsong Infiltrator 6

Feats: Track, Point Blank Shot, EWP (Talenta Boomerang), Rapid Shot, WF (Talenta Boomerang), Endurance, Precise Shot, Skill Focus (Diplomacy), Alertness, Quick Draw, Boomerang Ricochet, Boomerang Daze, Darkstalker

Class Features: Favored enemy (arcanists), spiritual connection, distracting attack, Master of Tactics aura, Motivate Urgency aura, thrown weapon trick (palm throw), evasion, teamwork trap sense +2, trapfinding, teamwork infiltration +2, break away, trackless step (self), teamwork sneak attack +1d6, thrown weapon trick (doubletoss), defensive roll, grant move action 1/day, improved evasion, skill mastery, specialized tools

Notes: Now, not only does the distracting attack combo mean that Saul's Charisma bonus is applied to all his allies' attacks, it also means that his allies are picking up sneak attack as well. Saul also has Boomerang Daze, which means that he can attack the entire field of combat (hitting some enemies multiple times), force them to save versus being dazed, and have everybody on the field count as flanked (activating both teamwork sneak attack and Master of Tactics). Even if he cannot get off a full attack, doubletoss means that as a standard action he can throw multiple boomerangs (which then ricochet to new targets).

DOSSIER ENTRY: Wanted for Treason - Saul Sargasso (ECL 20)

Central is instructing ALL AGENTS to watch out for Saul Sargasso (former Captain for Central and often runner for Intelligence). If sighted, please report to Central immediately.

Saul Sargasso is to be detained and tried for treason. Use extreme caution when approaching him. He is incredibly dangerous, and usually surrounded by armed men that follow him fanatically.

Saul Sargasso is very difficult to catch, and always armed. He can attack large groups at once, and his attacks have been known to daze and confuse, leaving his victims open to strong attacks from his allies. He has extensive experience in infiltration (including trapfinding, scouting and assassination), as well as guerrilla tactics, and has been known to instruct his allies along similar lines.

Unless prepared to deal with rogue Intelligence agents, DO NOT ENGAGE - contact both Central and Intelligence and await instructions.

Ranger 4/Marshal 3/Master Thrower 3/Nightsong Infiltrator 10

Feats: Track, Point Blank Shot, EWP (Talenta Boomerang), Rapid Shot, WF (Talenta Boomerang), Endurance, Precise Shot, Skill Focus (Diplomacy), Alertness, Quick Draw, Boomerang Ricochet, Boomerang Daze, Darkstalker, Improved Precise Shot

Class Features: Favored enemy (arcanists), spiritual connection, distracting attack, Master of Tactics aura, Motivate Urgency aura, thrown weapon trick (palm throw), evasion, teamwork trap sense +4, trapfinding, teamwork infiltration +4, break away, trackless step (self), teamwork sneak attack +2d6, thrown weapon trick (doubletoss), defensive roll, grant move action 2/day, improved evasion, skill mastery, specialized tools, trackless step (allies), Motivate Dexterity aura

Notes: By level 20, between a +16 BAB, Rapid Shot, palm throw and Boomerang Ricochet, Saul expects to be hitting the entire field of combat with his boomerangs at least once and probably multiple times, causing dazes, granting +2d6 sneak to all his allies, and more. In addition to Master of Tactics, he has picked up Motivate Dexterity to further boost the stealth of his allies - alongside his Teamwork Infiltration boost, with level-appropriate gear this gives a +12 boost to most stealth skills. It also gives a pretty significant Initiative boost as well, for getting off that all-important first round.

Suggested Items, Adaptations and Sources

For items, Saul Sargasso always seeks first and foremost to boost his Dexterity and Charisma. He of course needs a large number of talenta boomerangs, although these need not be magical - the damage dealt by them is not what makes him strong. Items that boost his skills, particularly his stealth, perception skills and diplomacy skills. For example, a Collar of Umbral Metamorphosis, Scout's Headband and Raptor Mask would go a long way for him, while a Circlet of Persuasion could be donned for diplomatic missions.

As far as adaptations go, if Strongheart Halfling is allowed, it is a superior choice to human here. The reduced movement hurts, but halflings are eligible for the Talenta Warrior feat in place of Exotic Weapon Proficiency, which is clearly superior, and the boosts to your stealth skills and dexterity will be a great boon. However, that requires a mixing of settings, and as such is not assumed here. For a more offensive-minded build, drop Master Thrower and Marshal as well as the last two levels in Nightsong Infiltrator, dip into Warblade, and take levels in Bloodstorm Blade for the ability to throw at everyone within range. This will require a Ring of Evasion to qualify for Nightsong Infiltrator, and you give up several teamwork benefits and skills for more direct offense.

From the journal of Saul Sargasso, Eb999

It still amazes me that one action can change my life so completely.

Oh, I have bucked orders before. I know that Central received complaint after complaint throughout my training. But I have never refused a mission, because ultimately, Central has always been on the right side of this war. Even when they began sending my team to neutralize civilians, I obeyed - until now.

Murder. I am no longer part of Central. I can't keep hiding behind the words they use, neutralize instead of murder, infiltrate instead of burglarize. I killed, in cold blood, and I did it because in the end, I believed that by killing, I was making the world a better place.

Well, let me not shy away from blood now. Certainly there is much more blood in my future, as I know both Central and Intelligence will be after me. Let them come. They will not find me so easy to "neutralize." I have learned much these past few years, and the war has forged me into a stronger man.

Let them come. My team has deserted with me, and together we will fight not because we are told, but because it is right. Together, we will put an end to this war.

IdleMuse

2013-01-06, 12:25 PM

Congrats to all! There were a lot of great builds here. I've definitely learned a lot, definitely going to be taking part more frequently from now on, time permitting.

I loved the idea of the Dvati, that seems like a really cool way of turning on the bonuses NSI gives you, really nice there. And Piggy Knowles, boomerangs are a much awesomer way of using the Master Thrower entry than tridents, I have to say :smallamused:

I think the biggest mistake I made was using Scorpion Wraith... for a filler class that more or less could have been a number of different things, I lost a fair few points for the mixed-setting penalty, which could have easily been avoided. I'll remember that, next time.

I guess the biggest problem I had was in making a build that a) didn't rely on minions to be effective (in the spirit of the no-leadership rule), but b) used NSI to full effect, in a way that other classes couldn't.

Many thanks to the judges!

Venger

2013-01-06, 04:46 PM

Venger, Mara's backstory was amazing. It drew me in and made me want to keep reading more when it was over. You don't need to be doing this for free, you should be writing professionally. Your stories would be worth buying.

Thank you very much! I had a lot of fun writing it. That's exactly what I do in my free time. It's very rewarding to know my efforts are appreciated. Writing backstories is always my favorite part of iron chef. I'll make sure to let you know when I've got something for sale :)

santa was great! I was sure that he would get gold

Hurrah! Congrats, Macabaret, Dusk Eclipse & rockdeworld! A lot of good stuff. But everything was hugely well done across the board! (Although I'll admit, when I saw Venger's entry I just about fainted...)

I experienced a similar reaction, but maybe a little stronger, especially given your track record.

OMG PONIES

2013-01-07, 09:12 AM

Of course, I mentally kicked myself after I saw that Practiced Spellcaster doesn't work with artificer in the RAW thread, which was a huge oversight on my part since Santa needs it to craft 8th level spell items (and be only 2 stones away from 9th).

You know, after submitting my judging I wondered about that. Rats!

rockdeworld

2013-01-09, 08:38 PM

You know, after submitting my judging I wondered about that. Rats!
The only saving grace is that it still works, just not the way I described. Instead, Santa goes to Dal Quor (and I finally get to use the "he lives in our dreams" joke!), spends more time preparing, creates 1 extra simulacrum Nightmare, and then each Christmas hops on the Nightmare with his bag of staffs, uses Astral Projection to create a duplicate of himself, mount, and bag on the Material Plane, and then uses all the staff duplicates, so that his original stock never runs out. Over the next few years he can create more staffs, so that by the end of his natural life (say ~400 years later), he has created ~5600 staffs. I checked the Age table in the DMG, and it looks like the average age of adulthood is ~1/2 that of middle age, so allowing that I missed some before and that there are actually 75 million houses to visit, that would give each clone 12 rounds/house.

And one custom suit of Santa's magic, for the inevitable fall.

Savannah

2013-01-17, 05:41 PM

Trophy time! :smallbiggrin: I had the hardest time coming up with something that fit Nightsong Infiltrator, so I finally opted to use their 10 ranks of Climb prerequisite as inspiration:

http://imageshack.us/a/img853/2290/40first.pnghttp://imageshack.us/a/img842/1054/40second.pnghttp://imageshack.us/a/img545/1996/40third.pnghttp://imageshack.us/a/img405/8097/40honmen.png

And, of course, the judges and chair:

http://imageshack.us/a/img9/2034/40judge1.pnghttp://imageshack.us/a/img202/7048/40judge2.pnghttp://imageshack.us/a/img854/1203/40chair.png

Also, I have the trophies for Renegade Mastermaker, but the thread is just over six weeks inactive so I'm waiting on moderator approval before posting.

Dusk Eclipse

2013-01-17, 05:54 PM

Trophy time! :smallbiggrin: I had the hardest time coming up with something that fit Nightsong Infiltrator, so I finally opted to use their 10 ranks of Climb prerequisite as inspiration:
<snip>

http://imageshack.us/a/img545/1996/40third.png

<snip>

Also, I have the trophies for Renegade Mastermaker, but the thread is just over six weeks inactive so I'm waiting on moderator approval before posting.

Trophy:smallbiggrin:!!! That is definitely going to my Sig, thanks a lot Savannah.

OMG PONIES

2013-01-17, 06:02 PM

Also, I have the trophies for Renegade Mastermaker, but the thread is just over six weeks inactive so I'm waiting on moderator approval before posting.

Creative, diligent, AND courteous? You're good people, Sav.