Building a Stormlord, advice?

[alchmst1259]

So we're talking about starting a very casual campaign that would involve each character being "beyond mere mortals." Such characters would be semi-deific beings, planeswalkers, vampire lords, things along those lines. It would almost be like rolling up Hercules or Thor and playing as one of them... Which is a fine parallel, considering I'm looking at rolling a Stormlord, the son of an air god and a water goddess.

With that in mind, I submit to the playground: how would you go about it? I know it's a really weird and less than optimal class. But it seems fun to me. I'm just struggling on ideas for feats, race (probably human?), spells, etc. I feel like I want to be fairly balanced, where I can use my spells and still not waste all that spear/javelin power provided by the class. I was also figuring to go druid 5 into it, swapping out animal companion for an air elemental. Campaign is looking like running level 10-18. Any suggestions?

Edit: We have a ton of books. Almost anything will go here, as long as it isn't *too* weird. I'm open to an LA of 1-2 as well.

[Grod_The_Giant]

It may not be optimal, but nothing that gives you 10/10 casting advancement is bad.

I wouldn't go in as a Druid, though-- they don't get proficiency with javelins. Cleric with the War domain and an appropriate deity can get you the Weapon Focus for free, reducing the cost of getting into the class.

[GreenETC]

Magic Item Compendium, pg 194, Gloves of Endless Javelins.

Get a pair and never look back as you slowly become able to fling invisible bolts of +3 Shocking Burst Javelins of force.

If at all possible, I'd recommend a Master Thrower/Stormlord build, but it would be very feat intensive, and the 3rd level divine casting would essentially be wasted by not following up in any way.

[Andezzar]

Cleric with the War domain and an appropriate deity can get you the Weapon Focus for free, reducing the cost of getting into the class.That will be difficult. The Stormlord must worship Talos. Talos does not grant the War Domain.

[Grod_The_Giant]

That will be difficult. The Stormlord must worship Talos. Talos does not grant the War Domain.
The guy all the barbarians worship? That's goofy.

[nedz]

Favoured Soul gives you Weapon Focus with your Deities favoured weapon; which for Talos is Longspear or Shortspear.

[Andezzar]

The guy all the barbarians worship? That's goofy.Talos represents destruction through storms, not warfare. Not all barbarians worship Talos.


Favoured Soul gives you Weapon Focus with your Deities favoured weapon; which for Talos is Longspear or Shortspear.This also makes you a Favored Soul and not a Cleric. You'll probably be better of taking the feat instead of another class. The main drawbacks of the Favored soul are: limited spell selection, MADness (WIS for spells per day, CHA for DCs), not Turn Undead (i.e. no DMM/other cool stuff)

Since you will most likely be throwing javelins, think about the Zen Archery Feat.

[golem1972]

I went with gestalt druid (spirit shaman casting subbed in) // ranger / stormlord. Add in endless javelins (splitting) and a custum heart of winter.

I had to laugh maniacaly a lot (in character), the other players said it was necessary.

[Andezzar]

Why would you want to have spirit shaman casting instead of druid casting? It is worse in almost every way AFAIK.

What's a custom heart of winter?

You cannot add Splitting to the Gloves of Endless Javelins. The gloves are not magic weapons and the javelins created by the wondrous items are thrown weapons, not ammunition. So even if you could add the splitting property the javelins would not benefit from it.

For your convenience:
Activation: The splitting ability of a ranged weapon (must be a bow, crossbow, arrow, or bolt) only functions if its wielder has the Precise Shot feat.
Effect: Any arrow or bolt fired from a splitting weapon magically splits into two missiles in mid-flight.the gloves do not fire any projectile, much less an arrow or bolt.

[golem1972]

No, you could not normally add splitting. We did allow a custom version enchanted as a weapon and allowed the splitting enchantment even though the javelins weren't really ammunition since they go away after being used (like ammunition). IIRC we also added in the effects of bracers of archery and shocking and thundering. Rules were bent to fit a theme.

Spirit Shaman casting was used as a nerf. It let the dm know what spells to expect from a smaller (day to day) list. One of the players in our group decided not to play a paladin gestalt because it would be "to powerful". A lot of my characters have self nerfs. Sometimes I just have to sit there in disbelief as I'm told my monk is to powerful or that maybe my wizard would be better if we gave him a bigger hd orbab. Sometimes I'm not sure if we really play the same games.

Heart of winter is a misnamed "Iceheart, Major". Basically it's a 140,000 gp magic item that changes the weather around you drastically in a huge area every day. Sub out winter/blizzards for storms and you have the "heart of the tempest".

Sorry, should have been clearer on what was house rules.

[alchmst1259]

I wouldn't go in as a Druid, though-- they don't get proficiency with javelins.
This I might be able to work around, actually, because I do kind of have my heart set on druid. With DM finagling I might be allowed to throw javelin on the Druid list, solely on the logic that Druids get spears, and if you can throw a spear, why not a javelin? If not that way, well, our campaign house rules extra feats (to make up for a lower WBL) and while it would still count as using up a feat, I wouldn't feel as hurt by it.


Magic Item Compendium, pg 194, Gloves of Endless Javelins.
Now we're talkin. I like it!


I'd recommend a Master Thrower/Stormlord build
I might actually have to look into that. As mentioned before, some house ruled bonus feats would make the feat intensity of such a build a little more feasible, and it might capture the flavor I'm going for.


Since you will most likely be throwing javelins, think about the Zen Archery Feat.
Also a great idea.

Found the Storm Magic feat in Frostburn/Stormwrack, seemed like a no-brainer.


All spells you cast while you are affected by a storm (either natural or magical) manifest at +1 caster level

I kind of wonder how it interacts with Storm Walk, though. In fact, now I'm kind of wondering a lot of things about Storm Walk. Like, does it literally only deal with movement speed? It had originally stuck me as "Stormlord now gives zero craps about storms," but now I wonder/doubt if it affects, say, one's ability to cast spells in stormy weather?


Beginning at 3rd level, a stormlord
(and his mount, if any) can walk or ride through storms (natural
or magical) at his regular movement rate, completely
unaffected by high winds (including gust of wind), pounding
precipitation or waves, objects driven by the wind (which
always seem to miss him), great claps of thunder, natural
bolts of lightning, or any other natural symptom of Talos’s
fury.

"Can walk... through storms at his regular rate, completely unaffected..."
How completely? Completely enough to cast and not worry about it? Can he stand in storms completely unaffected? Or is this literally just the storm version of Woodland Stride?

[alchmst1259]

Also, those gloves activate as a free action, so does that make Quick Draw irrelevant?

[Andezzar]

Found the Storm Magic feat in Frostburn/Stormwrack, seemed like a no-brainer.As soon as you can make your own storms, sure. Unless you have something better to do with your feats. Since DMM is out, you probably don't.




I kind of wonder how it interacts with Storm Walk, though. In fact, now I'm kind of wondering a lot of things about Storm Walk. Like, does it literally only deal with movement speed? It had originally stuck me as "Stormlord now gives zero craps about storms," but now I wonder/doubt if it affects, say, one's ability to cast spells in stormy weather?



"Can walk... through storms at his regular rate, completely unaffected..."
How completely? Completely enough to cast and not worry about it? Can he stand in storms completely unaffected? Or is this literally just the storm version of Woodland Stride?Completely unaffected means completely unaffected. Yes, you can move, cast, attack or take any other action normally.


Also, those gloves activate as a free action, so does that make Quick Draw irrelevant?Yup.