I need some build help.

[Metahuman1]

I've got a game I'm looking at applying for on another website, starting at 15th lvl.

I'm considering a Totemist since I've never run one before with a touch of Tome of Battle sprinkled on. (Like, a level or two of swordsage with a few feats spent to get Foe Hammer, Martial Spirit Stance and Iron Heart Surge. Beyond that I'd probably use a lot of Tiger Claw maneuvers for the most part and a couple of diamond mind/setting sun stances and counters for defense. )

Amyway, I need some input on Race's, and on good combo's to use for soulmelds to give me a lot of power in combat and reasonable versatility outside of it.

Races I'm kinda torn. Rikikan come with some spiffy boons to Knowledge skills which would help with the out of combat utility thing, and knowledge devotion would be a hugh help since it's bonus damage on a lot of attacks and bonus to hit to help offset not being a Full BAB character and taking multy-attack penalties. And if I remember right, bones Essence.

On the other hand, a halfling has small size, which opens up a lot of nice Swordsage strikes from Tiger Claw and some extra use of the Giant Killing Style Stance from Setting Sun. And I do kinda like playing either massive engines of brute force destruction or Rather petite characters who will absolutely destroy you if you try them. :smallwink:



So, anyone have any advice, input, ideas on Races/Soulmelds/feats?

[Galvin]

I have a story: once my friend really overpowered an incarnate, and here's how: the DM was a first time to 3.5, so we took it easy on her. We play with a homebrew 7th attribute called comeliness which is physical attractiveness. The DM allowed any number of flaws and allowed flaws to be taken to comeliness, which we normally do not allow. He flawed his comeliness down to 2, then took all the incarnum feats in the book he qualified for, including one that gave 1 essentia point per incarnum feat you have. He had a very large essentia pool for 4th level... maybe you could do something like that but on a much smaller scale. He was a duskling at the time, I don't know if they're any good or not.

[Nightraiderx]

I've got a game I'm looking at applying for on another website, starting at 15th lvl.

I'm considering a Totemist since I've never run one before with a touch of Tome of Battle sprinkled on. (Like, a level or two of swordsage with a few feats spent to get Foe Hammer, Martial Spirit Stance and Iron Heart Surge. Beyond that I'd probably use a lot of Tiger Claw maneuvers for the most part and a couple of diamond mind/setting sun stances and counters for defense. )

Amyway, I need some input on Race's, and on good combo's to use for soulmelds to give me a lot of power in combat and reasonable versatility outside of it.

Races I'm kinda torn. Rikikan come with some spiffy boons to Knowledge skills which would help with the out of combat utility thing, and knowledge devotion would be a hugh help since it's bonus damage on a lot of attacks and bonus to hit to help offset not being a Full BAB character and taking multy-attack penalties. And if I remember right, bones Essence.

On the other hand, a halfling has small size, which opens up a lot of nice Swordsage strikes from Tiger Claw and some extra use of the Giant Killing Style Stance from Setting Sun. And I do kinda like playing either massive engines of brute force destruction or Rather petite characters who will absolutely destroy you if you try them. :smallwink:



So, anyone have any advice, input, ideas on Races/Soulmelds/feats?

Azurin are the standard human build, with an extra feat and an point of incarnum on the top. a swordsage/totemist should have focuses on str/con/wis you want to have tigerclaw manuever's that's for sure, I'm not sure why you want foe hammer. If you want to play a small character that can change into a brute/take down bigger foes, look at some of the feats in races of the wild and complete warrior, I believe there are tactical feats for a smaller creature to get an advantage on a larger one. I wouldn't waste a feat on knowledge devotion because you don't have all the knowledges as class skills, so it wouldn't fit as well and you'd be trying to pump int, which that and your cha are competing to be the lowest. Although if you want to try sometime interesting try the dragon soulmelds in dragon magic, you can use a dragonblooded race to get access to them. If you wanted to use a small race. Tiger claw is alot better at handling larger foes and specifically gives manuevers that give more/target larger enemies

As far as incarnum feats, you will want feats that increase your pool just for your soulmelds.

I don't see why totemist 13/swordsage 2 would be a bad combination. you can get 6 manuevers at lvl 4, which can give you the pounce manuever from tiger claw I believe, although binding certain claws gives you pounce with natural weapons.
Battle Jump feat, get it and combine that with the 3rd lvl tiger claw stance and now you can pounce as a move action.

Here's a list of incarnum binds and effects-

Soulmeld List (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=217064)

[Darrin]

Race: Warforged Scout, small living construct
Totemist 15
Feats:
1) Jaws of Death
3) Improved Unarmed Strike
6) Leap Attack
9) Snap Kick
12) Double Chakra
15) Second Slam (via Mighty Arms Graft + Battlefist)

You get 13 attacks:
3 unarmed strikes (iteratives)
1 unarmed strike (Snap Kick)
1 bite (Jaws of Death)
2 slams (Second Slam)
4 claws (Girallon Arms)
2 claws (Lamia Belt)

Binds (4):
Sphynx Claws (Hands) = Pounce with natural weapons
Girallon Arms (Totem) = 4 claws + attack/damage bonus on claws
Lamia Belt (Totem) = 2 claws
Urskan Greeves (Feet) = +1d4 damage/essentia on charge attacks

If you can squeeze Shape Soulmeld: Thunderstep Boots in there somewhere (dip Fighter 1, Feat Rogue 1, or Battle Dancer 1 for IUS), you can get +1d4 sonic damage/essentia and a save vs. stun on charge attacks. Shape Soulmeld: Mauling Guantlets would also get you IUS and +2 damage/essentia on your unarmed strikes.

You could also put some "buttons" on your chest: Mince, Dice, Chop, Blend Puree, Luiqify.

[Metahuman1]

Well, for knowledge devotion, I was just thinking of buying Items that boost Knowledge checks for the relevant knowledge skills and burning some cash on a feat granting magic location + some retraining to get that DFA invocation that gives you +6 to knowledge checks, and some master work tools and have 1 rank in each of the relevant skills. Probably use some restrictions like Race or Alignment limitations on use of the items to offset the cost.


As for the Incarnum feats idea, what if I used some restrictions to reduce the cost of The Frog God's Fain, and kept retraining the assorted feats to get that feat that gives you extra Essence for every Incarnum feat you have, Dip a level of Incarnate (Which also makes the knowledge devotion use Easier.), and then used that trick to get double Bind + Open Chakura + that feat for being able to wear a magic Item over a Chakura and still use it to full effect?

How powerful would that be? Im serious, It seems fairly strong to me, but I just flat don't have enough experience with this sub system of these classes to know what that would really be capable of.


And Foehammer is just for those occasions were you really, really need to get around somethings DR, but you can't stand on solid ground to mountain hammer it. Just like Iron Heart Surge is for when you really, really need a get out of jail free card in order to not die.