Build request: Flying mounted Duskblade

[yougi]

So as my campaign is coming to an end, I've asked my players to start thinking of the characters they'd like to play in the next game. I've done it mostly so one of them would put more thought in his character building, because as of right now, he goes through characters rather quickly, and complains that they're poorly built (which, quite honestly, they are). And so, I've told him we'd get together and discuss his build.

More info about the game: the next game is set in Dragonlance and will be centered on leading a revolution against the evil Dragonarmies. The system is a slightly homebrewed 3.5, with a few classes taken from PF (Fighter and Paladin, mostly), and most racial bonuses too. It will start at lv1 and probably cap around 16ish.

So the player's pretty psyched to play a Duskblade: he likes melee, he wants to do some magic, so it's a pretty natural choice. He also wants to have him ride a flying mount (well, it IS Dragonlance, so it makes sense).

Now, we're not playing particularly high-op (the guys just learned, after a year, that Fireball isn't THE BEST 3rd level spell), but still. His latest attempt at a build was: Duskblade 6/Barbarian 2/Rage Mage 2/Skylord 5/Abjurant Champion 5. I personally think that this build misses most advantages from each class, and so offered, if he wanted to keep these classes, Duskblade 13/Barb 2/Rage Mage 1/Abjurant Champion 2/Skylord 2, which would at least net him the Full-Round Channel most Duskblades need, and only miss 4 CLs.

So here's my request, and it's not what these boards usually have:
- Optimized for FUN/versatility rather than power
- Fun from 1st level
- Centered on Duskblade
- Get the ability to ride a flying mount rather early (lv7 is his goal)
- Race is Half-Elf (with PF bonuses, so +2 to stat of choice), but that's pretty much set in stone.

Allowed books:
- Core (but not Psionics)
- Complete Series
- BoED (for Skylord mainly)
- Dragonlance setting

And, as a wise man once said, as a DM, "I like my coffee like I like my builds: strong, and with no cheese in it".

[Randomguy]

Rage mage is kind of useless. You don't get full BAB, you don't get full casting, most of the class features aren't that great. With only 1 or 2 levels of barbarian you've only got rage 1/day, it would probably be better to just live with not casting any spells for one combat.

Abjurant champion also doesn't seem worth it for duskblades. You barely have any abjuration spells on your spell list, and a lot of the ones you do have are either immediate action cast, lasts 1 round or long duration buffs, so no benefit from quicken, not much benefit from extend. The only exceptions are dispels and energy resistance/protection from energy.

To get a flying mount: Obtain familiar feat at level 3, Improved familiar feat at level 6, use it to get a hippogriff familiar at level 7. This means that the earliest you can go into barbarian is level 8, though.

[Snowbluff]

To get a flying mount: Obtain familiar feat at level 3, Improved familiar feat at level 6, use it to get a hippogriff familiar at level 7. This means that the earliest you can go into barbarian is level 8, though.

Pretty much what I was thinking. Mount that scales with you. Kthxbai.

Rage is pointless. Not being able to cast, or losing CL, you might as well have chosen Hexblade (barf).

[juicycaboose]

Abjurant champion also doesn't seem worth it for duskblades. You barely have any abjuration spells on your spell list, and a lot of the ones you do have are either immediate action cast, lasts 1 round or long duration buffs, so no benefit from quicken, not much benefit from extend. The only exceptions are dispels and energy resistance/protection from energy.


this is somewhat true, but after level 13 duskblade kinda peters out in terms of class abilities, all you get after full channelling are a couple more bonuses to quick cast/spell power
and besides, the duskblade automatically qualifies for Abj Champ

[Coidzor]

As an alternative to going the familiar route, Wild Cohort (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a) will get you a Dire Bat by level 7 or so. Though, with a duskblade, the familiar's probably the beefier route.


this is somewhat true, but after level 13 duskblade kinda peters out in terms of class abilities, all you get after full channelling are a couple more bonuses to quick cast/spell power
and besides, the duskblade automatically qualifies for Abj Champ

Now if only it had any actually decent abjuration spells it'd be perfect. Even just shield would be nice.

[Namfuak]

If he doesn't want to burn two feats for his mount, he could also use wild cohort (it's online, so technically not in the allowed sources, but you're the DM, http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a). Skylord seems to have some steep feat requirements, so this might be helpful. For the exalted feat, Nymph's Kiss would be helpful for the extra skill point per level, none of the other ones are really compelling anyway. I must agree with the others that I don't see what the character really gets from barbarian/rage mage.

Also, no matter what the player is not getting a flying mount before level 6, so it may not even be worth the feat investment when he could get it at level 8.
Duskblade 7/Skylord 1/Duskblade 8-13/Skylord 2-3 gets you as much duskblade casting as possible, a flying mount at 8 (Skylord calling class feature). Feats would be
1: Nymph's Kiss
3: Mounted Combat
6: Ride-by Attack
Then whatever you want

[animewatcha]

There is a way somewhere on this board or elsewhere to get a rust monster as a mount/pet thinger. There a way to adapt it to have 24/7 or so wings ( unless duskblade uses spell slots ) to have flying mounted rust monster duskblade?

[Chilingsworth]

There is a way somewhere on this board or elsewhere to get a rust monster as a mount/pet thinger. There a way to adapt it to have 24/7 or so wings ( unless duskblade uses spell slots ) to have flying mounted rust monster duskblade?

Ok, first off your grammar confuses me. If I understand you correctly, you're asking something like "Is there a way to get a rust monster as a pet or a mount, to give it wings, and become a duskblade riding a flying rust monster?"

On that basis:

Rust monsters are medium-sized, so you'd have to be small size or smaller to ride one.

Since a rust monster (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/rustMonster.htm) has an intelligence of 2, you can use handle animal (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/handleAnimal.htm) to train one as a pet or mount. Since it's not an animal, you'd have a -5 to the check, though.

Another option would be to get a druid cohort with the abberant wildshape feat (Lords of Madness) such a cohort could assume the form of a rust monster.

As for giving it the ability to fly, you could give it a magic item that allows flight, or if you go the druid route, and that druid is also an arcane hierophant (Races of the Wild,) have him/her cast overland flight on themselves.

Of course, if as you actually said, you want a "flying mounted rustmonster duskblade," you could be an arcane heirophant yourself and multiclass into duskblade. That wouldn't be a particularly effective character, though. Oh, and ride something that can bear a rustmonster as a rider. Not sure any such creatures exist, though.