Coup De Grace

[falloutimperial]

Is it possible to build a character who specializes in the coup de grace while being as successful as other average characters? It is an interesting challenge to me, as the character's primary goal seems to be to leave enemies uniformly helpless for long enough to give them what-for.
Surely the "Death Blow" feat helps here, but how else can one more surely deliver foes to their makers, sans head.

[Piggy Knowles]

You'll need a reliable way to make enemies helpless, which is easier said than done.

OMG PONIES once mentioned the idea of a factotum/justiciar. Initiate a grapple, use improved hog tie to hog tie your enemy and make him helpless, Cunning Surge for an extra standard action, use death blow to CDG as a standard. It's a neat concept, and I might try to turn it into a build one day.

[ZamielVanWeber]

Dex and Str poison both leave people help (and thus in coup de grace range). The Sleep line of spells (while they are still relevant) are also applicable. Dragon Bile and Purple Worm poison will help out a lot there, as will either some levels of assassin or ninja for poison use (if you really care). Put points into Craft (poison making) to cut the price down.

[Kazy]

Get a Druid in your party. Buy 10 Anklets of teleportation.

From the Druid Handbook: (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19868802/Druid_Handbook_revived)


Warhound Impaler (Lesser Battlebriar) (MM3) - Grapple check: +10 - This isn't the hardest-hitting or strongest grappler, but it can impale (Medium-sized or smaller) grappled foes on its thorns with a free-action grapple check, rendering them helpless. Not pinned, not grappled, but helpless. Plus, it has an AOE attack and tramples! Plant.

Ready actions until your druid grapples him.
Use the Anklet, Coup the grace.

[shaikujin]

Not a very good option due to the huge cost, but I'll mention it anyway for ideas:

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/items/weapons.htm#coupdeGrace

[Lightlawbliss]

I find a crowd control or disabling focused wizard makes a lot of Coup de Grace chances. the disabling more so then the crowd control.

[Ravens_cry]

Give anyone damage dealer a scythe or other x4 weapon, and have someone else put them to sleep or other helpless state. Making the Fort save is going to be tough, even for baddies with hefty fort saves.

[Fouredged Sword]

A psion keneticist with control body and solicit psicrystal.

Control body yourself and hand the concentration over to your psicrystal.

Now you can attempt to control body another target and concentrate while your psicrystal uses your body to CDG them.

[NeoPhoenix0]

I think the best way is to get a sorcerer/wizard who wields a scythe. At low levels your spell of choice will be color spray. I haven't looked at higher levels because i haven't built a dedicated coup de grace character but my sorcerer was very effective at it for the first 4 levels.

Remember, Death loves rainbows. :smallcool:

[Piggy Knowles]

Stunned is not helpless, so color spray won't do the trick. Sleep will, though.

[Venger]

You'll need a reliable way to make enemies helpless, which is easier said than done.

OMG PONIES once mentioned the idea of a factotum/justiciar. Initiate a grapple, use improved hog tie to hog tie your enemy and make him helpless, Cunning Surge for an extra standard action, use death blow to CDG as a standard. It's a neat concept, and I might try to turn it into a build one day.

gravetouched ghoul is pretty good for a CDG focused build if you can swallow the LA (not playing in a high op game, etc) and the ability bonuses it gives are pretty good too.

deathblow's quite the boon. warblade's generally a good chassis for this type.

if you're building an NPC or just want to really specialize, ability focus (paralysis) boosts your dc by 2, improved paralysis (prereq abiltiy focus) bumps it by an additional 4, and contagious paralysis makes anyone who touches your victims also paralyzed.

[NeoPhoenix0]

Stunned is not helpless, so color spray won't do the trick. Sleep will, though.

Sleep affects 4 HD of creature while color spray affects a 15 ft cone, it's a choice really. Color spray does knock 2 or lower HD creatures unconscious. Does wonders against kobolds, assuming they aren't jumping around in trees. (Really happened to me with that scythe wielding sorcerer.)

[Piggy Knowles]

Sleep affects 4 HD of creature while color spray affects a 15 ft cone, it's a choice really. Color spray does knock 2 or lower HD creatures unconscious. Does wonders against kobolds, assuming they aren't jumping around in trees. (Really happened to me with that scythe wielding sorcerer.)

That's true, forgot about the unconscious effect. Been a while since I've played below level 3.

[Andion Isurand]

There's a pathfinder feat that allows you to coup de grace targets that are stunned or cowering. Requires 5d6 sneak attack.

[Ravens_cry]

There's a pathfinder feat that allows you to coup de grace targets that are stunned or cowering. Requires 5d6 sneak attack.
If we are going Pathfinder, Witch's Slumber hex is great for opening up Coup De Grace opportunity.

[Andion Isurand]

It just that I like borrowing feats and abilties from pathfinder when playing 3.5... especially for non-casters.

[Ravens_cry]

It just that I like borrowing feats and abilties from pathfinder when playing 3.5... especially for non-casters.
There is some neat ones. Jawbreaker is a nice and flavourful way to literally say 'Shut-up' to a caster.

[ericgrau]

The full round action makes it tricky. Ideally you need to paralyze or similar, get to the foe and coup de grace in the same turn. Paralysis immune foes are another problem, meaning you need a backup tactic.

A belt of battle could overcome action issues but for only 1 round. Getting a quickened hold monster and/or swift movement (anklets of translocation) somehow could help too. You only have 1 swift so doing both is tricky. Coordination with a cohort, summon or ally could help overcome action economy issues too.

[Urpriest]

Black Blood Cultists can Coup de Grace as a Move Action.

[NEO|Phyte]

A psion keneticist with control body and solicit psicrystal.

Control body yourself and hand the concentration over to your psicrystal.

Now you can attempt to control body another target and concentrate while your psicrystal uses your body to CDG them.

Wouldn't it be slightly simpler to Control Body your target, hand the concentration over to your crystal, then CdG the target directly?

[ericgrau]

Black Blood Cultists can Coup de Grace as a Move Action.
Wow. So ideally swift translocate, standard hold monster (or similar), move coup de grace.

For immune foes there are spells like halt undead, and you also carry a x4 crit weapon with burst enchantments. Even if the foe is crit immune you get the extra damage. Spells like gravestrike may help too, again only for the x4 base damage not an auto-kill.

[Venger]

Wow. So ideally swift translocate, standard hold monster (or similar), move coup de grace.

For immune foes there are spells like halt undead, and you also carry a x4 crit weapon with burst enchantments. Even if the foe is crit immune you get the extra damage. Spells like gravestrike may help too, again only for the x4 base damage not an auto-kill.

bone chill is better. targets fort and requires them to waste a full-round to escape from it.

[Andion Isurand]

A greater Truedeath weapon crystal (MIC 66) can allow you to make critical hits (and sneak attacks) on undead as if they were living creatures.

[falloutimperial]

Wow. So ideally swift translocate, standard hold monster (or similar), move coup de grace.

For immune foes there are spells like halt undead, and you also carry a x4 crit weapon with burst enchantments. Even if the foe is crit immune you get the extra damage. Spells like gravestrike may help too, again only for the x4 base damage not an auto-kill.

Cunning. But Black Blood Cultists can only perform a move action coup de grace with their bite attacks, so x4 crit weapons with burst enchantments don't mesh as well as I'd hope.

[ericgrau]

That's too bad. The great bite feat increases the crit multiplier of a bite and an amulet of natural attacks allows burst enchantments. Weapon master allows an increased critical multiplier. Thayan Gladiator is easier to get into and your crit multiplier increase isn't limited per day, but you must be evil.

Great bite seems like the easiest option.

[Rastapopolos]

If you have a headsmans axe and rank(s) in profession (executioner) you can make a skill check to instantly slay any pinned (via grapple) creature. Theres some ambiguity about whether this works as it specifies that when used in melee it canot slay someone instantly. Some argue that this refers to making an attack roll with it so it works, others say you cant use it around any type of combat... Not that it matters because on a failed check it defaults to a CdG anyway! Put one rank in it and fail all your checks!

[Venger]

If you have a headsmans axe and rank(s) in profession (executioner) you can make a skill check to instantly slay any pinned (via grapple) creature. Theres some ambiguity about whether this works as it specifies that when used in melee it canot slay someone instantly. Some argue that this refers to making an attack roll with it so it works, others say you cant use it around any type of combat... Not that it matters because on a failed check it defaults to a CdG anyway! Put one rank in it and fail all your checks!

headsman's axe isn't a specific weapon. it suggests a greataxe or greatsword.

you can be grappled, but being "restrained" (as per use rope) works too.

there actually isn't any RAW ambiguity to this. the profession check is pretty low at an 18, too. however, you raise a good point. failed checks being cdg is pretty good too. this is going straight in dysfunctional rules

[Darrin]

Hmmm. I'd probably try something with Wildshape Ranger + Aberrant Wildshape + Choker + Assume Supernatural Ability for two standard actions. Two ranged touch attacks with a Mister (Drow of the Underdark) + Kammarth (Lords of Darkness) = Overdose, target automatically paralyzed for 2d4 minutes. Mushroom Powder (BoVD) could also work, but that takes four attacks to trigger an overdose.

Not quite sure how to get rid of the AoO, though... arrow mind doesn't work for misters, and the mister isn't technically an exotic weapon, so Exotic Weapon Master doesn't exactly work (although it probably should?).

There are a few White Raven strikes that prevent a target from using AoOs... Covering Strike might be ideal, and it doesn't specifically mention melee attacks. Or, well, Cloak of Deception works if they can't see invis. Hmm. In the same vein, Invisible Fist or Ghost Step might work just as well.

Then again, Sprayer (A&EG) has no attack roll and no AoO. Servant horde + multiple sprayers = an awful lot of mushroom powder.