The legendary Halfling with a Rock

[Guisherry]

There's a bit in OOTS which involves (in brief, so as to not spoil the moment for those who haven't read it/should reread it) Belkar picking up a rock, and terror ensuing. It got me thinking that, perhaps, there should be a legend of sorts behind this seemingly global view of halfling + rock = fear/shock/awe. Naturally, this led to wanting to create a feasible character build for this little fellow.

A glance at most throwing builds (ones involving rocks, in particular) will reveal that it's (by and large) all about strength - big rocks, heavy rocks, rolling rocks off cliffs/dropping rocks while flying. Hulking Hurler and War Hulk leap to the fore, leading the way with both size and muscles.

The image in my mind, however, was of a simple looking halfling - small, speedy, but not unusually bulked up; one that could, with basically just a pouch and the clothes on his (or perhaps her) back, pick up a few small pebbles and match toe to toe (if not exceed) any solid martial character. This wouldn't be a sneaky fellow (I explored that path a bit), as it doesn't seem to be quite as effective, but also doesn't fit a character of such blatantly acknowledged legend.

Other restrictions I placed on this include:
- No magical items needed (while they most certainly could improve the build, it shouldn't be at all reliant on them - I'd be open to suggestions, though)
- No spell casting included in the build (again, they might be useful, but reliance on them wasn't what I had in mind)
- Has to be a continuous build - one that works from level 1, all the way up (levels 6-9 are points of vast improvement, finishing at a level 12 capstone, but 1-5 is decent)
- Info sourced from relatively core books (currently using 3.5e's PH1, PH2, CAdventurer, and CWarrior, and possibly CScoundrel), although I'm open to suggestions from a wider range of books. While I'm keen to keep it within said restrictions, things like the Skiprock (RotW) are examples of improvements for the build that I haven't really gone into (but feel free to go to town if anyone thinks of something). I also seem to remember a decent (homebrew) throwing prestige class appearing on these forums, somewhere.

Anyway! To the settle build details:

The Halfling with a Rock:

Ends up with Fighter 4/Swashbuckler 3/Master Thrower 5

Level Progression: Fighter 2/Swashbuckler 3/Master Thrower 1/Fighter 2/Master Thrower 4

4d6 rolled stats (minus lowest die): 12, 13, 14, 16, 13, 18 (second set of rolls used)

Str: 10 (12-2=10) OR
Dex: 20 (18+2=20)
Con: 14
Int: 18 (first 2 extra points go into this - 16+2 = 18)
Wis: 13
Cha: 13
Probably able to reconstruct these stats with a 25-point buy, or close to it.

Racial:
- +1 to ac/hit/all saves
- +4 to hide
- 20ft movement speed
- +1 to thrown weapons/slings
- +2 to listen/climb/jump/move silently

N.B - the group I've played with for some time has used the Pathfinder feat progression (one every odd level), and this build relies upon that) Suggestions for a feasible 3.5e feat progression build would be most welcome!

Feats (by level):
1) Point-blank Shot/Rapid Shot (Fighter Bonus Feat - FBF)
2) Precise Shot (FBF)
3) Two-weapon Fighting
5) Weapon Focus (rock)
7) Improved Two-weapon fighting
8) Weapon Specialisation (rock) (FBF)
9) Ranged Weapon Mastery (bludgeoning) (besides the +2 bonus, the +20ft to range is the key feature here, raising range from 10ft to 30ft)
11) Greater Two-weapon fighting

Maybe switch to rocks (from a small longbow) at level 5

Class Features (by level):
3) Weapon Finesse
4) Grace (+1 to Reflex)
5) Insightful Strike (add Intel mod to damage (not precision damage) with light weapons or finesse-able weapons).
6) Quick Draw,
Palm Throw (2 rocks thrown each attack, but with no strength mod bonus - OH NOES - damage resolved separately)
9) Evasion
10) Trip Shot - ranged trip (not within 5ft) - HWaR makes a dex check (with a +4) Vs their dex/str (which ever is higher). No stacking with Imp. Trip. (Maybe, instead, two with one blow - hit adjacent enemy at a -4 to both attacks… A little meh)
11) Snatch Arrows
12) Weak Spot (Ranged touch attack for attacks - doesn't apply Str bonus, though, ALAS:smallsmile:),
Critical Throw (Imp. Crit for Weapon Focus weapons (i.e. rock)).

Assuming, say, a 1d2 damage pebble, one's damage output (aside from a lovely array of skills/spare points) looks a little like this:
- Full attack (without extra feat attacks): +23/+18/+13 (all range touch attacks, which throw 2 stones for each attack)
- Full attack (including extra feat attacks): +19/+19/+19/+14/+14/+9/+9 (again, all ranged touch attacks with 2 stone hits per successful attack, damage resolved separately)
- Damage per attack (assuming intel damage applied, and 1d2 rocks used - damage is applied twice per attack, remember): 2d2+18. None too shabby - that's a ranged touch attack, damage from 20-22 per hit.
- Potential damage over the round (assuming all hit): 140-154 damage.

At level 11, with no magic items (just imagine a couple of +1 Collision rocks), it's a decent start for a racial legend. Can we do better?

[Nagukuk]

IN second ed i had a halfling whistler who could throw stones "through" people via buffing with psionics; metabolics and probably kinetics.


He looked all the part of the little normal halfling dude while he quietly prepared to unleash hell.

Perhaps some magic or psi to impart more damage on the rocks (im not sure if mighty wallop / greater would work stones are blunt but i dont know have the spell listing on hand, but they would add damage with out increasing the actual size of the rock)

I remember seeing halfling skip rocks around somewhere also (Drag mag at first), tho i am not sure again if they were reprinted beyond that. But they allowed a two with one throw attack.

EDIT: I seem to have missed you did reference the skiprock in RoTW.

[Sith_Happens]

Don't forget the Halfling Rock-Skipping Champion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9623050&postcount=6) PrC created by a certain Playground-dwelling Giant.:smallwink:

[Guisherry]

That's the one! Thanks Sith :) Although, while fun, the standard action requirement does clash with the above build - interestingly enough, though, if you went via Rogue for sneak attack, there's a Master Thrower feat that allows you, as a move action, to render a foe flat-footed (then another one that stacks damage on a standard action - can't remember the details), which could mesh very nicely indeed with the Skipping Master

[Jak]

I really like this character concept. Perhaps he could be known as "The Halfling with Rocks in?"

[Socratov]

I'd just call him Goliath, I mean, david woudl be too obvious wouldn't it :smallwink:

[TuggyNE]

I say Daoud. :smalltongue:

[JellyPooga]

Doesn't Insightful Strike only apply to melee attacks? I could be wrong (I'm AFB, right now).

I'd be sorely tempted to use the Halfling Racial Substitution Level for Rogue. One level of Rogue for +2d6 Sneak Attack on thrown attacks. What's not to like?

[Fouredged Sword]

For pathfinder fans

Halfling Magus Myrmidarch

Those stones pack some serious magic.

[Seharvepernfan]

I think a halfling rogue with the halfling rogue substitution levels, flick of the wrist feat, pbs/rapid shot/precise shot/quick draw, twf/imp/greater, imp init, and maxed dexterity would really do the trick. A high-level halfling rogue can literally kill a tiger with a baseball sized rock, just by throwing it. That's pretty terrifying, especially if you consider that he can kill like 9 people a round doing that.

[Nettlekid]

A build I think might be amusing yet capable of striking fear into the hearts of armies with skipping stones is Fighter 2/Psychic Warrior 2/Warblade 1/Bloodstorm Blade 5/Master Thrower 5/Warmind 5. Buy Aptitude Halfling Skiprocks, and take the Boomerang Ricochet feat (and Boomerang Daze, while you're at it.) Now, Warmind 5 gives you an ability have your melee attacks hit two adjacent squares, and thanks to Bloodstorm Blade your thrown weapons count as melee. Master Thrower also lets you strike two adjacent, as well as letting you throw two small objects (skiprocks should definitely count) with a single attack. Boomerang Ricochet will make the skiprocks jump to an adjacent target after one hit. And of course, the skiprock itself will jump once because that's what it does. So with a single attack roll, you throw two skiprocks. Each skiprock hits one target, and then an adjacent one (Master Thrower), then two more targets adjacent to each of the first two hit targets (Warmind) and then all four hits will have a Ricochet to them (Boomerang Ricochet) and of course, the skiprock bounces when it hits someone, so all eight are bounced off to adjacent targets. That's 16 shots with one stone, and you get two stones per throw. If you're clever about angling, you could probably bounce the free shots off of only 2-4 adjacent enemies, swapping between them, but being able to nab 32 individual minions in formation with a single attack action is pretty cool. Now there needs to be some way to get Power Attack onto a Skiprock so you can Shock Trooper with it...

[Fouredged Sword]

It's already counting as a melee attack, so just take power attack and shock trooper. Charge forward 10ft and loose.

[Nettlekid]

But unless making it a melee attack with Bloodstorm Blade makes it count as a bigger weapon than it is, Power Attack can't be applied to it because it's light. Unless a thrown weapon doesn't count as a light/heavy weapon?

[Fouredged Sword]

Then make the skiprock sized for a medium creature. It looses the light modifier for a small creature and you take a -2 size penalty to your arbitrarily high attack roll.

[Guisherry]

Btw, @Jellytroopa, the intel bonus applies to weapon-finesse-able weapons, and light weapons - rock is very much a light weapon, much in the same way that a dagger is (both a melee and a thrown weapon at the same time) - at least, that's my take on it, which seems relatively logical.

[JellyPooga]

Btw, @Jellytroopa, the intel bonus applies to weapon-finesse-able weapons, and light weapons - rock is very much a light weapon, much in the same way that a dagger is (both a melee and a thrown weapon at the same time) - at least, that's my take on it, which seems relatively logical.

It's possible that a rock could actually qualify as Ammunition rather than as a Weapon at all! But that's just semantics. No, I'm not arguing what the rocks counts as, but rather questioning the wording of the Insightful Strike rule. I thought it only applied to melee attacks. If it does, then whether the rock can be used as a melee weapon, ranged weapon or ammo is irrelevant because the ability only applies when the rock is being used as a melee weapon. If, on the other hand, the ability states that it applies to "attacks made with light and finesse weapons", or similar, then it will apply.

[Guisherry]

Fair enough - the text in the CW on Insightful Strike says nothing about melee or ranged attacks - just says to apply int mod to damage on any attacks made with light weapons or weapons that can be used with Weapon Finesse.
The only other restrictions are that this damage doesn't apply to targets who would be immune to crits or sneak attack, and also can't be used if wearing medium/heavy armour or carrying a medium/heavy load. One could argue that there is an implied aspect that says it's only for when one is using Weapon Finesse, but it's certainly not explicit in the text.