[3.5] Arseplomancer version 2.0

[Gimur]

The long, long time ago, I came across the concept of the Arseplomancer. If you haven't heard of him before, the basic idea is centered around the ability granted at the 5th level of Exemplar. Replacing Diplomacy with Escape Artist.
http://bit.ly/1eQQbNY is where I first saw mention of it.

What I wondered, was just how high a devoted character can reasonably boost their skill before even entering Exemplar. Seeing as the minimum level I saw entering Exemplar was at 11th level, I set the limit at level 10 and scrounged up what I could manage. I neglected leaving space to be proficient at much anything else, however.

Important note: This is not utilizing any unique +skill items (unless you count creating a Masterwork tool {ie. Grease}), just what I was able to find on the srd. However, an item familiar was put to use.

Base build:

Halfling
3 Cleric/7 Factotum
Dex 26 (18 Base, +2 Halfling, +2 Level increases, +4 Item)
Int 20 (16 Base, +4 Item or Spell)

Skills:
Max Escape Artist
5 Use Rope (for +2 synergy)

Traits: Slippery, Skinny (+2 combined to Escape Artist)
Feats: Skill Focus (Escape Artist)
Aberrant Blood (Slimy Skin) (+4 Escape Artist)
Agile (+2 Escape Artist)

Items:
Item Familiar (Invest 13 skill points into Escape Artist. Item Familiar gives +4 bonus to any one skill because of the # of skill ranks, apply to Escape Artist)
Armlets of Escaping (+6)
Any +4 Dex Item

By my math, +13 from Ability Scores (Brain over Brawn), +13 ranks, +2 synergy, +11 feats, +6 Armlets, +17 Item Familiar, +7 Factotum (Cunning Knowledge), +2 Masterwork Tool, Divine Insight (Cleric spell) +8.

Which would total to +79 1/day. +72 for the remainder of the day. If you could get one more feat, Practiced Spell caster would bring you to +83, +76.

Seeing as the target DC to pull off the goal of the Arseplomancer is a DC 80, because our target is an "extremely tight space"

this can be as small as 2 inches square for Medium-size creatures.
Since Halfling, that is reduced to 1 inch square.

So at level 10, the chance of failing to squeeze into such a small space is 0% 1/day, and only 20% as long as you have Divine Insight. Even without Divine Insight, 60% chance to fail is not too shabby, considering that chance to fail is gone for good by the time you acquire Exemplar 5. And I'm willing to bet I've missed something or another that'd boost this even further.

Happy arse diving. :smallamused:

[the_david]

What, Bigby's F-ing Fist wasn't bad enough for you?

Edit: Or Evan's Spiked Tentacles of Forced Intrusion...

[TroubleBrewing]

Add that one RoS feat that allows you to share space with someone a size category larger than you, and an Anklet of Translocation to the equation. Swift action teleport into their square, standard action Arseplomance. :smalltongue:

EDIT: You may want to consider bringing a Bottle of Air or similar device. Breathing may become an issue, depending on how sadistic your DM is.

[Keneth]

Ah, another mancer. This one divines by going spelunking? Not sure what they're expecting to find in there. :smalltongue:

[Devronq]

Add that one RoS feat that allows you to share space with someone a size category larger than you, and an Anklet of Translocation to the equation. Swift action teleport into their square, standard action Arseplomance. :smalltongue:

EDIT: You may want to consider bringing a Bottle of Air or similar device. Breathing may become an issue, depending on how sadistic your DM is.

About the bottle of air, you only intend to be there long enough to explode out so breathing isn't really an issue and if they make it so nothing states you cant simply back in and leave just your head poking out right? (picture that :P)

[molten_dragon]

The long, long time ago, I came across the concept of the Arseplomancer. If you haven't heard of him before, the basic idea is centered around the ability granted at the 5th level of Exemplar. Replacing Diplomacy with Escape Artist.
http://bit.ly/1eQQbNY is where I first saw mention of it.

What I wondered, was just how high a devoted character can reasonably boost their skill before even entering Exemplar. Seeing as the minimum level I saw entering Exemplar was at 11th level, I set the limit at level 10 and scrounged up what I could manage. I neglected leaving space to be proficient at much anything else, however.

Important note: This is not utilizing any unique +skill items (unless you count creating a Masterwork tool {ie. Grease}), just what I was able to find on the srd. However, an item familiar was put to use.

Base build:

Halfling
3 Cleric/7 Factotum
Dex 26 (18 Base, +2 Halfling, +2 Level increases, +4 Item)
Int 20 (16 Base, +4 Item or Spell)

Skills:
Max Escape Artist
5 Use Rope (for +2 synergy)

Traits: Slippery, Skinny (+2 combined to Escape Artist)
Feats: Skill Focus (Escape Artist)
Aberrant Blood (Slimy Skin) (+4 Escape Artist)
Agile (+2 Escape Artist)

Items:
Item Familiar (Invest 13 skill points into Escape Artist. Item Familiar gives +4 bonus to any one skill because of the # of skill ranks, apply to Escape Artist)
Armlets of Escaping (+6)
Any +4 Dex Item

By my math, +13 from Ability Scores (Brain over Brawn), +13 ranks, +2 synergy, +11 feats, +6 Armlets, +17 Item Familiar, +7 Factotum (Cunning Knowledge), +2 Masterwork Tool, Divine Insight (Cleric spell) +8.

Which would total to +79 1/day. +72 for the remainder of the day. If you could get one more feat, Practiced Spell caster would bring you to +83, +76.

Seeing as the target DC to pull off the goal of the Arseplomancer is a DC 80, because our target is an "extremely tight space"

Since Halfling, that is reduced to 1 inch square.

So at level 10, the chance of failing to squeeze into such a small space is 0% 1/day, and only 20% as long as you have Divine Insight. Even without Divine Insight, 60% chance to fail is not too shabby, considering that chance to fail is gone for good by the time you acquire Exemplar 5. And I'm willing to bet I've missed something or another that'd boost this even further.

Happy arse diving. :smallamused:

I came in here expecting a thread about exploding asses. I was disappointed when it was some weird trick about substituting diplomacy for escape artist.

But you came through for me in the end.

[Azernak0]

Okay, sweet holy moley. I was just about to try to get some sleep with this massive headache I have had all day. But nope! Can't sleep anymore because I just got a mental image of Frodo going butt spelunking.

Mount Doom, indeed.

I may never sleep again.

[Vaz]

A Cleric 3 with Guidance of the Avatar and Divine Insight gains +28 to checks, +32 with Practised Spellcaster, and only requires Wis 12. That leaves 7 levels free. Factotum 3 gets you the Brains Over Brawn ability; and leaves 4 other levels free for you to get some usage; an additional 4 levels from some form of Cleric Casting Progression nets you +4 from Divine Insight, and 13 from Skill Ranks gets you 56, even before you add in ability score bonuses.

You're required to have Skill Focus, so that's +3, then add in Brains Over Brawn, and we've got +8 from Dex, and +5 from Int, for 16; or 72.

Synergy from Use rope gets you 74, and +6 Armlets nets you the requisite 80, and you're not even requiring to burn 4 or more useless feats on it.

[Chronos]

Use kobold for your race instead of halfling, and you get Slight Build, which lets you count as tiny.

[Axinian]

About the bottle of air, you only intend to be there long enough to explode out so breathing isn't really an issue and if they make it so nothing states you cant simply back in and leave just your head poking out right? (picture that :P)

Dear gods, this is a thing that's happening. There's a name for it. There's a freakin' BUILD for this!

I... I need to go lie down.

[SoraWolf7]

I think this gives a new meaning to a few unsavory terms.

[Gimur]

A Cleric 3 with Guidance of the Avatar and Divine Insight gains +28 to checks, +32 with Practised Spellcaster, and only requires Wis 12. That leaves 7 levels free. Factotum 3 gets you the Brains Over Brawn ability; and leaves 4 other levels free for you to get some usage; an additional 4 levels from some form of Cleric Casting Progression nets you +4 from Divine Insight, and 13 from Skill Ranks gets you 56, even before you add in ability score bonuses.

Thanks Vaz, I knew there had to be some easier way to do it. I was unaware of Guidance of the Avatar. This also gets around Item Familiar, as I see. Excellent.
However, by my maths on your thing, it should be 1 less. Since you're going to be Cleric 7/Factotum 3, you only get +3 from Practiced Spellcaster, not +4. Minor point, but I thought I'd at least mention it. :smalltongue:

[FearlessGnome]

Yeah, but what if they are hiding in a fortress made of Walls of Force and Antimagic Sigils? (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=238255)

[Rubik]

You can get into exemplar up to 3 levels earlier than what you have it. The Primary Contact feat from Cityscape gets you +1 skill rank above your maximum in one skill. The Laborious Training feat from Ravenloft's Legacy of the Blood gets you +2 skill ranks in all knowledge skills above your maximum.

This should get you into exemplar at or about level 9, should you choose a Knowledge skill to boost.

[ElectricMadman]

This was inspired by that infamous thread on /tg/ , isn't it?

[TrollCapAmerica]

This was inspired by that infamous thread on /tg/ , isn't it?

Of course

I have to fight every neuron in my brain to keep from using this [and anything from t/g] everytime I play D&D now too

[Morgarion]

Wouldn't a square inch be pretty big for an anus?

[Rubik]

Wouldn't a square inch be pretty big for an anus?Can we even talk about this without breaking the rules here?

And no. No it isn't.

[Keld Denar]

Wouldn't a square inch be pretty big for an anus?

FATAL has rules for that...

[TroubleBrewing]

What if you made some kind of custom item of Glitterdust that you'd fire off every time you performed this particular "stunt", basically turning you into the FATAL version of David Copperfield?

[Chronos]

As a good general guideline for DMs, if FATAL has rules for something, your answer should usually be "No. Just, no.".

[Morgarion]

Can we even talk about this without breaking the rules here?

And no. No it isn't.

I seriously think that it is. One square inch is an area greater than the face of three American quarters. It's about one and two thirds the size of a standard postage stamp. I think it would take more than an Escape Artist check to do this.

[Rubik]

I seriously think that it is. One square inch is an area greater than the face of three American quarters. It's about one and two thirds the size of a standard postage stamp. I think it would take more than an Escape Artist check to do this.One square inch is a square that's an inch on each side. That's not very big at all. Take a quarter and draw a box around it such that the circle touches each side of the square. That's about one square inch.

A square three quarters wide would be nine square inches (which would be rather large, yes, though I've actually seen worse). A rectangle three quarters wide and one quarter high would be three square inches.

One square inch isn't much at all.