War Troll (MMF) and Weapon Choice

[Turk Mannion]

Current character is a Druid9/MMF2. Current feats are alertness, endurance, natural spell, fast wild shape and quicken wild shape. He is the bruiser of the party, complete front line in combat in cave troll form, and this is how I want to keep him.

My goal with this character since inception was to get to MMF3 for war troll, then continue leveling in druid. I will have two feats available at Level 12 (retraining one and standard level 12 feat).

However, I am running into a quandary over weapon selection when I reach war troll form:


Option 1: Use one feat for exotic weapon proficiency and grab a goliath great hammer. Use strong arm bracers and make it huge size for 4d6 + strength damage. Feels very troll-like, but does use a feat for a pretty blah bonus.


Option 2: Enhance goliath great hammer with “Skilled” enhancement (+2 bonus, CA). Same idea with strongarm bracers. Saves me a feat and also gains me a +1 to BAB until level 13, but the cost of +2 is a lot and makes any additional enhancements really, really expensive.


Option 3: Use a quarter staff, cast spikes (SPC) on it for added bonuses, use feats to grab two-handed weapon fighting feats. Same strongarm bracers. This seems very un-troll-like and uses up both level 12 feats for max benefit.


Option 4: Use a club, cast spikes on it and use feats for something else. Strongarm bracers again.


Option 5: Use the war troll’s natural weapons, which are a big step down from the cave troll’s.


I am leaning toward option 1 at this time, but want to get some thoughts from others.

Thanks.

[Monticularis]

Personally, I don't think spending a feat for the goliath greathammer is worth it. A Huge greathammer does 4d6 damage as you noted. In comparision, a huge quarterstaff deals 2d6 damage, so your averaging +7 damage for a feat. However, you can cast Shillelagh on the quarterstaff (it lasts 1 min per level, which is significantly better than the 1 round per level of spikes if you get a chance to buff before fights) which increases its size category by two more, giving it the same base damage as the greathammer. Remember, you don't have to use a quarterstaff's two weapon fighting feature if you don't want to, just wield it as any other two handed weapon.

As for being "troll-like", a quarterstaff is essentially a glorified stick you pick off the ground (which is why it has no gp cost). So what would a glorified stick be for a huge sized creature? How about a whole tree trunk:smalltongue:. I don't see anything else that can fit a massive bruiser troll better.

[The Insanity]

Option 5. Girallon's Blessing, Charge of The Triceratops, Superior Magic Fang, Enhance Wild Shape.

[Tvtyrant]

Personally, I don't think spending a feat for the goliath greathammer is worth it. A Huge greathammer does 4d6 damage as you noted. In comparision, a huge quarterstaff deals 2d6 damage, so your averaging +7 damage for a feat. However, you can cast Shillelagh on the quarterstaff (it lasts 1 min per level, which is significantly better than the 1 round per level of spikes if you get a chance to buff before fights) which increases its size category by two more, giving it the same base damage as the greathammer. Remember, you don't have to use a quarterstaff's two weapon fighting feature if you don't want to, just wield it as any other two handed weapon.

As for being "troll-like", a quarterstaff is essentially a glorified stick you pick off the ground (which is why it has no gp cost). So what would a glorified stick be for a huge sized creature? How about a whole tree trunk:smalltongue:. I don't see anything else that can fit a massive bruiser troll better.

Nah, you are missing the quadruple damage on a crit. It comes out closer to +10 average damage a hit for a feat, which is pretty good honestly.

[GoodbyeSoberDay]

Option 5. Girallon's Blessing, Charge of The Triceratops, Superior Magic Fang, Enhance Wild Shape.Bite of the Weretiger...

Do you have a wizard in your group? If so, buy him a scroll of greater mighty wallop (RotD), a pearl of power 3, some extra GP for ink, and maybe 1/3 of a lesser extend rod. He scribes the scroll into his spellbook, uses one of his level 3 slots to cast (extended) GMWallop on your weapon. That way you don't need strongarm bracers; you'll just have a colossal [whatever you end up using]. However because of quarterstaff's base damage it's probably better to start with something bigger, like the greathammer. That way you end up with either 8d6 or 6d8.

[Rabble]

I'm partial to option 4 as well. If you want to stick to a simpler weapon you can always two-hand a gargantuan club using strongarm bracers and cast shillelagh on it to get to 6d6 base damage (Assuming you can go colossal+). You'll take a -2 to hit from size, but your higher base damage will partially compensate for the lower crit damage. Your call if the feat is worth +2 to hit and a 2 higher crit mod.

If you can't go colossal+ spikes out damages it (3d6+9 19-20 x2 v 4d6+1 x2)

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

If you're going to use an exotic weapon, use either a Greathorn Minotaur Greathammer from MM4 (19-20/x4 critical) or a Kaorti Resin (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031014a) Falchion (18-20/x4 critical).

If you just want high base weapon damage, use a large size quarterstaff or club with Unguent of Timelessness (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#unguentofTimelessness) and Shillelagh which will last 365 times longer, or about six hours per caster level. The unguent will also make Brambles or Spikes last 36.5 minutes per caster level on it, or about five and a half hours at caster level 9, or 7.3 hours at caster level 12 if you have Practiced Spellcaster, 14.6 hours (Lesser Rod of) Extended.