Making new char help! plz

[Lexie]

I need help in making a new character for my friends campaign 3.5e. He came to me a few days ago saying hes going to make a desert campaign, and i though to my self what a good opportunity to make an undead slayer as he said there would be quite a few undead in his campaign. i told him about it and he was happy with the idea, but with what i wanted exactly he could think of a way i could do it so i wondered if anyone could help. I wanted my character to be a Van Helsing, Hansel and Gretel witch hunters, the classic vampire slayer kind of thing but with undead i.e. mummies. preferably fast movement, ranged weapons (preferably crossbow of a sort) but also ok in close combat. I wondered if this was possible in any way, or at least something close to it. i will be grateful for any support. thanks.

[Samalpetey]

Just to say, the campaign starts at ecl 10 (I'm the aforementioned dm)

[Namfuak]

Assuming Undead Slayer isn't a particular prestige class or feat and just a concept, a rogue with the Lighbringer ACF from Expedition to Castle Ravenloft does half sneak attack damage to undead. Doing a crossbow sniper rogue with this ACF would make an easy chassis to do the kind of character you are looking for. Alternatively (or better yet in conjunction), you could grab ranks in UMD and wands of gravestrike (and any other useful spells you could use against undead, like hide from undead) so that you could deal full SA damage when it would count.

[Zombulian]

Could always be a wasteland ranger/psychic warrior with favored enemy (undead) and go into the Slayer (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/prestigeClasses/slayer.htm) PrC.

Doh! Of course this is assuming you can work past the bit about it being a Psionic creature to be your favored enemy.

[Lexie]

Im liking the sound of these ideas. Thanks! keep em coming:smallsmile:

[Waker]

Ranger/Scout with Swift Hunter. Would let you apply skirmish damage to Undead.
Foe Hunter (MotW)- Old PrC, but has some decentish stuff, like dealing extra damage and DR.
You could mix Ranger/Paladin with Devoted Tracker, Elf Paladin acf to grab Ranged Smite.
Barbarian with Whirling Frenzy variant to get more ranged attacks.
Totemist using Manticore Belt.

[Lexie]

after a chat with my dm, i cant get around the psyonic creature thing :L. but thanks for the suggestion

[Gildedragon]

What about Druid with the deadly hunter variant from the srd:

Gain:
Bonus to Armor Class when unarmored (as monk, including Wisdom bonus to AC), fast movement (as monk), favored enemy (as ranger), swift tracker (as ranger), Track feat (as ranger).
Lose:
Armor and shield proficiency, wild shape (all versions).
Favored Enemy: Undead
Pick up a couple archery feats and go to town.
Dip in fighter for feats and armor proficiency.

[SciChronic]

If you go into melee with at least 4 levels in rogue, you can sacrifice gaining trap sense to deal half damage sneak attacks against enemies who would otherwise be immune, the caveat being that they have to be flanked.

Also i see some obvious levels in ranger for favored enemy

[Sactheminions]

Why are we even considering builds that don't involved Turn Undead? Because Turning Undead is incredibly easy to optimize and is - by far - the simplest and easiest method to kill undead.

Also, it happens to come on two of the best overall chassis in the game, Cleric and Paladin (Paladin on the assumption that you aren't going to stay one.)

ECL 10 options include:

1. Cleric 10 (Based on what you've said, I would think a Zen Archer build would work great for you. Check out the X stat to Y ability thread for how to get your Wisdom working for you in melee, although of course the real reason you will be awesome in melee is Cleric Spells.)
2. Paladin 10.
3. Sorcadin. (Probably Pal4/Sor1 into a gish PrC)
4. Sacred Exorcist/Church Inquisitor stuff.

I don't know why you would take levels in anything with precision damage to fight undead.

[SciChronic]

Why are we even considering builds that don't involved Turn Undead? Because Turning Undead is incredibly easy to optimize and is - by far - the simplest and easiest method to kill undead.


Because if he wants to be like Van Helsing he isnt going to call upon the power of the gods to kill things, he's going to kill it himself.

[Gildedragon]

If going pally route, the prestige paladin is a better option overall.

Turning for destruction:
Cleric + Sacred Purifier + Radiant Servant
Domains: Sun & Glory

And need not be gods ya worship, but the concept of destroying undead

[Piggy Knowles]

You want a Van Helsing style fighter of the dead, with a crossbow and also mixing it up in melee?

I guess the first thing that comes to mind is maybe an unarmed swordsage with an aptitude crossbow... not really sure why, just seems like a nice way to represent a good mix of styles.

Alternatively, Chameleons are always a good choice. They can pick up turning if they need to, they get spells for things like hide from undead and command undead (neither of which allow saves versus mindless undead), and they can easily switch between melee and range.

[Lexie]

All your ideas are helping massively thanks!, also yes id prefer if there wasn't the whole godly, turn undead stuff as said by SciChronic. Rightly said by Guigarci about worshiping the concept of destroying undead all the same i have mixed feeling on it. Finally Waker i was told to ask where about does the elf paladin acf come from?

[Zombulian]

Races of the Wild I think.

[Devils_Advocate]

The Cleric class exists because someone in Dave Arneson's campaign wanted to be a vampire slayer. (http://shamsgrog.blogspot.com/2008/06/thank-you-sir-fang.html) There are certainly other classes that can fight undead, Paladin and Ranger being two obvious choices, but Cleric is the class that was designed for it. (This is probably the reason why healing spells are harmful to undead, come to think of it.)

A crossbow is also a standard Cleric's ranged weapon of choice (possibly also because that's the more "vampire hunter" weapon). The more martial classes lend themselves more to the use of bow and arrow. High mobility is admittedly not really a Cleric thing, though.

Projectile weapons may be at a disadvantage for an undead hunter, actually, because they do piercing damage and zombies and skeletons are vulnerable to slashing and bludgeoning respectively. Mummies, on the other hand, are vulnerable to fire, so a flaming bow or crossbow might be good against them.

It's worth bearing in mind the nature of the game and the setting you're playing in. In a different sort of story, one might expect spellcasters to be sinister occultists in league with the forces of darkness, but in D&D they make up half of the protagonists who fight the forces of darkness as often as not. Spellcasters aren't a separate archetype from undead-fighter in D&D, as one of the central classes represents a merging of these two roles.

Of course, you could want an undead slayer who isn't religious, but that's a bit of an odd concept for the standard sort of setting. Why wouldn't the character want to be affiliated with an organization devoted to fighting undead, which in all likelihood would be a church of Pelor or a similar god?

[Raendyn]

Unfortunatelly this type of player isnt supported very much from dnd 3.5. Alsp I think that van helsing wont mix well with the rest of the party in a desert but I have a couple of builds that fit.

I think that you should mention what books are allowed, so there wont be more ideas that cant be used:smallconfused:.

Considering that van helsing had low magic powers, if any. Only a few Rituals AFAIK so this one has low magic powers.



Race: Human.
1: Rogue SA1d6 Feat:Sacred Strike Human Bonus: Craven (From Champions of Ruin)

2: =||=

3: =||= SA2d6 Feat: Weapon Focus (Crossbow)

4: Cleric Turn undead, Domains: Travel & anyone else (I dont know your gods since I dont know your setting)+Knowledge if Coilstered cleric.

5: Wizard Conjurer with immediate magic ACF from Player's Handbook 2 for Abrupt Jaunt. If You can take Combat Wizard ACF u can trade Scribe Scroll for A frighter bons feat which should be an Improved Initiative.

6: Skull Clan Hunter: Feat: Point Blank Shot

7: =||=

8: =||=

9: =||= Feat: Crossbow Sniper (PHB2)

10: =||=
Personally I'd continue SKH until his lvl 8th but all 10 isnt bad at all. You can then takefighter lvls if u have already gotten 2, and then maybe unseen seer.

You need at least 12 int because u must fill 4 ranks at each cleric lvl to knowledge religion, but u can always put crossclass while rogue.
Also theoritically as Complete Warrior suggests you can meet Prestige Classes pre-reqs with magic items but I've not used it here as most DM's ban it unless u cant meet the prereqs in anyother way.
If Sneak attack fighter is on the table, take him at lvl2 and barbarian at lvl 3 instead of more rogue lvls.
If cloistered Cleric is available take him and after you allocate skill points[6+1human+int] trade the Granted power for Knowledge devotion if u want, its a feat from Complete Champion, but that's optional.
If DM allows you to meet prereqs with magic items buy a rogue's vest (MIC) and take lvls 2-3 as regular fighter, or take an extra cleric lvl in case you dont wanna trade travel domain power for travel devotion.

Feats You can add if u find the abovementioned fighter lvls: Rapid Shot, Improved initiative, Two Weapon Fighting, Far shot, Combat Reflexes.



This Build has everything it needs to fight undeads, with travel devotion you can move a s a swift action and can fuel it with turn undead attempts, then full attack. You you have Abrupt jaunt as an immediate action for reposition AND for dodging bad attacks. You can throw holywater vials at undead as melee touch attacks and add your sneak attack dmg. You SA dice is d8 versus evil opponents, with your crossbow you have 60ft range sneak attack and add half your Dex as well. You have nerveskitter AND sign as 1st lvl spells and you have a massive initiative boost even without imp inititiative.

Also check Skullclan hunter and its awesomeness VS undead and continuous-undispelable protection from evil.

The abovementioned build works assuming that you have the most bad@ss DM who doesnt allow any Alternative Class Features (ACF). In case he is a more cooperative you can earn at least 3 more fighter feats, thats why I put a list there.


I am too bored to make a new build SO I ;ll jsut throw some Ideas.


Cleric into Radian Servant, possibly with some Morninglord thrown in there. A Greater Turning with a Phylactery of Undead Turning, Circlet/Mask of Persuasion, Rod of Defiance, Scepter of the Netherworld, Ephod of Authority, and the Glory domain is almost guaranteed to outright destroy any undead opponents that aren't strong enough to cause an outright TPK.adding Hunter of the Dead,Knight of the Raven from the Ravenloft book, HellReaver, Occult Slayer.

Also Take a look at libris mortis, that book has to do with undeads.

[SciChronic]

There's always factotum from Dungeonscape.

they are THE jack-of-all-trades that most heroes are. and are called the iconic professional adventurer. They can make decent crossbow combatants and with ECL 10 you can get Precise shot, rapid shot, weapon focus, and crossbow sniper by level 9 allowing for 2 attacks per round with a quickloading crossobw. If flaws are allowed, you can get knowledge devotion and start working towards getting your Font of Inspiration ball rolling.

you get access to a the wizard/sorcerer spell list, but at a limited capacity (4 spells up to 4th level @factotum 10). You can turn without being explicitly religious, or you can just deal 2xfactotum level + int modifier of positive energy.

[Wings of Peace]

Ranger/Scout with Swift Hunter.

I like this idea a lot personally because it's largely non-magical which is a bit more in keeping with your character being a badass normal in the vein of Van Helsing and the others you mentioned. The other reason I like it is because if you meet non-undead things you're still useful.

[Namfuak]

I like this idea a lot personally because it's largely non-magical which is a bit more in keeping with your character being a badass normal in the vein of Van Helsing and the others you mentioned. The other reason I like it is because if you meet non-undead things you're still useful.

If the OP is really against having any innate spellcasting, he could take Champion of the Wild to get some bonus feats in exchange. Thematically, using the ACF of Sandstorm to trade Endurance for Heat Endurance might be good in terms of a desert campaign. Spell-less ranger from CW would give the fast movement the OP wants, but is a really awful trade, so if he could convince his DM to allow him to take both Champion of the Wild and Spell-Less it might be worth it.

[Wings of Peace]

If the OP is really against having any innate spellcasting, he could take Champion of the Wild to get some bonus feats in exchange. Thematically, using the ACF of Sandstorm to trade Endurance for Heat Endurance might be good in terms of a desert campaign. Spell-less ranger from CW would give the fast movement the OP wants, but is a really awful trade, so if he could convince his DM to allow him to take both Champion of the Wild and Spell-Less it might be worth it.

That could work. The main reason I mentioned liking the low magic nature of the character is because the characters mentioned by the op are mostly low or no magic people (who might happen to have consecrated/enchanted weapons depending on the creature being hunted).

Total abandonment of magic probably wouldn't be necessary to fit that concept but something like the usual anti-undead persistent spell cleric would be a bit off message.

[Darrin]

Here's a Crossbow Sniper build that gets up to 10d6 Skirmish damage. Swift Hunter allows us to deal precision damage to Undead, and Crossbow Sniper allows us to do that up to 60' away. It trades away Ranger spells, but picks up some Sorcerer casting along the way. If 9d6 Skirmish works fine, you can replace the two Highland Stalker levels with Fighter 1 (to pick up Precise Shot), Barbarian 1 (Whirling Frenzy ACF/Dragon Totem for Blind-Fight), or Soldier of Light 1 (Deities & Demigods, Turn Undead to fuel Travel Devotion).


Race: Human, Azurin, Strongheart Halfing, or Frostblood Orc/Half-Orc
1) Ranger 1. Feat: Travel Devotion (Complete Champion), Human: PB Shot, Bonus: Track. Wild Empathy -> Spiritual Connection ACF (Complete Champion). Favored Enemy: Undead.
2) Ranger 2. Bonus: Rapid Shot.
3) Scout 1. Feat: Rapid Reload. Skirmish 1d6
4) Fighter 1. Bonus: Weapon Focus: Light Crossbow.
5) Scout 2. Skirmish 1d6.
6) Scout 3. Feat: Crossbow Sniper (PHBII). Skirmish 1d6AC+1.
7) Scout 4. Bonus: Swift Hunter. Skirmish 2d6AC+1.
8) Ranger 3. Bonus: Endurance -> Head Endurance (Sandstorm ACF). Skirmish 2d6AC+2.
9) Ranger 4. Champion of the Wild ACF -> Bonus: Manyshot (Complete Champion), Feat: Improved Rapid Shot. Animal Companion -> Distracting Attack ACF (PHBII) or Spiritual Guide ACF (Complete Champion).
10) Ranger 5. Favored Enemy: Undead again or Constructs. Skirmish 3d6AC+2.
11) Dragon Devotee 1.
12) Dragon Devotee 2. Feat: Improved Skirmish. Skirmish 4d6AC+2/6d6AC+4.
13) Dragon Devotee 3. 1st level Sorcerer casting (pick at least 2 divination spells, such as true strike and detect undead).
14) Dragon Devotee 4. Skirmish 5d6AC+2/7d6AC+4
15) Unseen Seer 1. Feat: Travel Devotion (x2). Skirmish 6d6AC+2/8d6AC+4
16) Unseen Seer 2. Advanced Learning: hunter's eye (PHBII spell)
17) Unseen Seer 3.
18) Unseen Seer 4. Feat: Travel Devotion (x3). Skirmish 7d6AC+2/9d6AC+4
19) Highland Stalker 1.
20) Highland Stalker 2. Skirmish 8d6AC+2/10d6AC+4


I also like the Sorcadin idea... if you use the Simple Paladin from Unearthed Arcana/SRD, you can pick up Favored Enemy: Undead instead of Lay on Hands/Turn Undead. I've been fiddling with that, trying to see if I can do something with Zen Archery or Charming the Arrow. How about this:


Race: Killoren
1) Paladin 1. Feat: Charming the Arrow (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fey/20030815a). Simple variant -> Favored Enemy: Undead.
2) Paladin 2. (no lay on hands)
3) Sorcerer 1. Feat: Rapid Reload.
4) Sorcerer 2.
5) Sorcerer 3.
6) Sorcerer 4. Feat: Combat Casting.
7) Spellsword 1.
8) Abjurant Champion 1.
9) Abjurant Champion 2. Feat: Vampire Hunter (Libris Mortis).
10) Abjurant Champion 3.
11) Abjurant Champion 4.
12) Abjurant Champion 5. Feat: Improved Favored Enemy (Complete Warrior).
13) Sacred Exorcist 1.
14) Sacred Exorcist 2.
15) Sacred Exorcist 3. Feat: Sacred Vitality (Libris Mortis).
16) Sacred Exorcist 4.
17) Sacred Exorcist 5.
18) Sacred Exorcist 6. Feat: Sacred Vengeance (Libris Mortis).
19) Sacred Exorcist 7.
20) Sacred Exorcist 8.


Smite normally doesn't work on ranged attacks, but ask your DM if you can swap Smite for Ranged Smite (normally, this is an Elf Paladin Substitution level, but Killoren... they're kinda elf-ish?). Another ACF to consider, Stalwart Sorcerer ACF (Complete Mage), which gives you extra HP and Martial Proficiency/Weapon Focus with a melee weapon, maybe you can switch that to a Light Crossbow?

Note: You need Int 12 to get the skill points necessary to qualify for Sacred Exorcist, which requires Knowledge: the Planes 10 and Knowledge: Religion 7. Unfortunately, there are no easy substitution levels in Paladin 2/Sorcerer 4 that can add Knowledge: the Planes as a class skill.