Goblin Blightlord help!!!!

[suvasam]

Hi there, I'm relatively new to GitP but I've been roleplaying both as a player and a GM for several years now.

I want to make a goblin talontar blightlord and I know the rest of the party are fairly twinked.
As a newcomer to the party I want to make this character competent despite the fact that he's going to be laughed at (he's a custom race, grey goblins, think gnoblars from warhammer fantasy).

I'm not that great with any classes that aren't remotely necrotic related (all my other characters have been arcane casters)
So I could really use build advice.

Level 15 so any advice would be handy.

[Yora]

Do you want to be druid or cleric?

Either way, a level 15 druid or cleric are both no laughing matter and the characters should easily be made to pack quite a punch.

[Fouredged Sword]

Well, you could DMM persist from a base of cleric. That is always fun.

Feats: Extend spell, persist spell, and divine metamagic (persist spell)

It lets you spend turn attempts to fuel metamagic for one particular metamagic. You can get your best buffs to last all day.

[Madara]

Cancer Mage is the only prestige class that really deals with disease, so you could work toward that, otherwise, there's some plague domain stuff for Clerics.

[suvasam]

Do you want to be druid or cleric?

Either way, a level 15 druid or cleric are both no laughing matter and the characters should easily be made to pack quite a punch.

I haven't quite decided yet, though I really want to take the Talontar Blightlord prestige class (Unapproachable East) and the GM gave me the go ahead, so was ideally looking for thoughts on how best to branch into it

[Yora]

The Prerequisites are pretty easy. You need to be a divine spellcaster who knows 4th level spells, but also proficiency with glaives. That means either taking the Martial Weapon Proficency [glaive] feat or a level in fighter, ranger, or barbarian. Personally, I would go with the feat, so you don't lag behind in spellcasting anymore than you already do from the Prestige Class.

If you go druid, you miss out on druid class features but get a blighted animal companion. As a cleric, you don't get a companion, but you don't lose out on class features (because the cleric has none).

You also have to consider how many levels of blightlord you want. Winterheart is a really good ability, but that means lagging behind in spellcasting by two levels.

Overall, it's a class played for fun, but not really that much of a good one otherwise.
If you are a cleric and only take 5 levels of blightlord, you don't really use much. Except having to take Great Fortitude and Weapon Proficiency, which you otherwise probably wouldn't want.

[suvasam]

The Prerequisites are pretty easy. You need to be a divine spellcaster who knows 4th level spells, but also proficiency with glaives. That means either taking the Martial Weapon Proficency [glaive] feat or a level in fighter, ranger, or barbarian. Personally, I would go with the feat, so you don't lag behind in spellcasting anymore than you already do from the Prestige Class.

If you go druid, you miss out on druid class features but get a blighted animal companion. As a cleric, you don't get a companion, but you don't lose out on class features (because the cleric has none).

You also have to consider how many levels of blightlord you want. Winterheart is a really good ability, but that means lagging behind in spellcasting by two levels.

Overall, it's a class played for fun, but not really that much of a good one otherwise.
If you are a cleric and only take 5 levels of blightlord, you don't really use much. Except having to take Great Fortitude and Weapon Proficiency, which you otherwise probably wouldn't want.


Well Blightlord just looked interesting due to the flavour and such.
At the moment the role I need Gub(characters name) to fill is that of a divine caster that's combat competent. So clerics are viable but I've never built a good cleric to date. If you could give me some pointers It'd really help. The GM is giving me a heavy flail because he's given each of the party a weapon.

[Yora]

Since you need 4th level spells, you have to be a 7th level cleric before taking the class.

As a cleric, the first five levels of blightlord are not really a problem and can be taken without hesitation.

That puts you at 13th level, with two more levels to assign.

If you take 6th level of blightlord, you get the Black Glaive, but don't advance spellcasting.
Technically, you need to be proficient with a glaive, but don't have to use it. If you don't want to use a two-handed reach weapon anyway, you should take only 5 levels of blightlord. If you want to have a really sweet glaive, I'd say keep advancing in the class.

Clerics can be made rediculously overpowered, but can be made very strong character with moderate levels of optimization as well. It depends mostly on how optimized you want it.

[suvasam]

Since you need 4th level spells, you have to be a 7th level cleric before taking the class.

As a cleric, the first five levels of blightlord are not really a problem and can be taken without hesitation.

That puts you at 13th level, with two more levels to assign.

If you take 6th level of blightlord, you get the Black Glaive, but don't advance spellcasting.
Technically, you need to be proficient with a glaive, but don't have to use it. If you don't want to use a two-handed reach weapon anyway, you should take only 5 levels of blightlord. If you want to have a really sweet glaive, I'd say keep advancing in the class.

Clerics can be made rediculously overpowered, but can be made very strong character with moderate levels of optimization as well. It depends mostly on how optimized you want it.

I have a choice of what the weapon type is, the GM just has a fixed set of what is on the weapon (its how my gobo joined the party) So a glaive could be done.
I sat in on a session of their DND and the rest of the party were clearly optimised cheesebeards. The thing is I'm awful at optimising so any help would be grand. The thought of a grey goblin in magic armour amuses me, and I'd like him to be as effective as possible.

[Yora]

Since blightlord doesn't change anything drastically, I think all the advice that goes for clerics in general should work for your character as well. There is a lot of that around.

[Raendyn]

Druids lose bot the animal companion and wild shape progression. If u pick them you got to ask yourself whether you want to thake the 5 last lvls of the prestige. You lose 2 spellcasting lvls and gain a decent glaive, but if u decide to use it you cant do it while wildshaped. Its always possible to take Natural bond from CAdv so you can pump the pet up a bit. Then you also must think about your role, "the divine caster" u said, that includes healing so its your job to buy a few wands of lesser vigor and such. and dont forget druids get most healing spells a lvl later. In case u pick druid u can at least use the glaive before the PrC as in FR druids can do that without problem, still u r not proficient. Your best option here is to opt in Summoning and back up some utility spells and summon-buffs. Since goblins arent that different from orcs, try to convince your DM to get for your race a copy of the half-orc druid substitution lvl (Races of destiny p159). Get SF Conjuration and augment summoning and proficency with glaive, if u take them in this order then you will enter the PrC at lvl 7 instead of 5 but your background wont be like " I sucked big time till lvl 6" then take rapid metamagic. Buy summoner's totem, ring of beast and Incense of Meditation and have fun. See this (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=1354.0) or this (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19868802/Druid_Handbook_revived) and read carefully the spellcasting and summoning parts.

Cleric obviously loses less than the druid, consider about taking the 5 last lvls fo the PrC again. this time u can take advantage of the glaive in a better way if u choose all 10 lvls. The persist seems even better here as you will suck at turning undeads since TBL doesnt progress that, So u can be a nice frontliner. with 3 feats effort (extend-persist-DMM persist) u can pick 1-2 buffs and persist them, These (http://www.brilliantgameologists.com/boards/?topic=420.0) should Help (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=7543.0;wap2) u decide. The downside, safe the 2 spellcasting lvls lost is that you cant spontaneous cure, so u should prepare a few, wands of lesser vigor are again your friends. Also a spellstoring weapon is nice, as is a greater dispelling.