Ace of Clubs

[Uhtred]

I'm running a high-level campaign that is, at the moment, taking place in Wonderland. The PC's are working with the underground White Queen resistance and are currently attempting to undermine Red Queen's forces by removing her generals, the Aces, from play. Up to now they have faced the Ace of Spades (An enlarged Nimblewright who focused on intelligent battlefield control and critical hits) the Ace of Diamonds (A Doppelgänger Chameleon who mimicked their powers) and now the Ace of Clubs is their next target. I've decided that obviously he ought to be a bit of a brute, and since their own Melee warrior is a high-strength Greathammer-wielding Goliath, and since the party now boasts a Stormcaster, a Shadowcraft Mage, a Pyromancer, a Cleric, and a Mystic Theurge (Favored Soul and Sorcerer, so the build is less MAD) I want this guy to be a serious brute with an answer to casting.
The answer, of course, is to have his weapon radiate an anti-magic field. And the Brute comes from being an Anthropomorphic Baleen Whale (I waived their RHD, so I waived his, and he's got no LA, so he's...) a Lion Totem Barbarian 4/Fighter 1/Hulking Hurler 3/War Hulk 10. His strategy is going to be to lob things at the crowd of casters and then engage their Goliath up close.
The question is his weapon. Obviously I want to go two-handed to get the most out of this build, and he's the Ace of Clubs, which fairly screams "Greatclub." But is there a better weapon that still maintains the clubbishness theme? I hate the low crit on the Greatclub, and Impact only barely helps. I thought of the Kanabo, the Samurai sunder-machine, but Oriental Adventures doesn't have stats. I could reflavor the Greatclub as a Kanabo, but with better crit and a bonus to sunder and pay the feat? Thoughts? I might settle for a mace of some type, but I'd like to avoid the hammer type weapons so as not to step on the Goliath's toes.

[Talya]

... I love it.

I have no advice, I just love the concept of your campaign.

[Blueiji]

Anthropomorphic Baleen Whale

This alone is amazing, my mouth instantly dropped.

In response to your request, here's (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=14286547&postcount=22) a nifty guide to homebrewing new weapons, which could be helpful for designing the Kanabo.

[A_S]

CW has a weapon called a Maul. 1d10 damage, x3 critical, bludgeoning, martial if used 2H or exotic 1H. It's supposed to be a giant hammer rather than a giant club, but fluff is fluffy.

[Invader]

There's the favorite minotaur great hammer. 1d12 19-20x4 although I think there's errata for it that just makes it x4.

[Uhtred]

... I love it.

I have no advice, I just love the concept of your campaign.

I'll probably post again when they get to Oz for statting out the magical cleavage tattoos that will become the Sorceress Queen's flying monkey minions. Things will get super-amped up, then.


This alone is amazing, my mouth instantly dropped.
In response to your request, here's (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=14286547&postcount=22) a nifty guide to homebrewing new weapons, which could be helpful for designing the Kanabo.

Yeah, I was originally going I make the Ace an Anthropomorphic Rhino, but saw the Baleen whale and definitely had the same reaction you did. Knew right then what race he had to be. The Orca and Sperm Whales both had LA, or he'd be one of those. As it is, I like the thought of an anthropomorphic humpback decked out in black and white with Club insignias. :) Also, the weapon builder is a fantastic tool! If there are no better suggestions, I may just use it to build the Kanabo.


CW has a weapon called a Maul. 1d10 damage, x3 critical, bludgeoning, martial if used 2H or exotic 1H. It's supposed to be a giant hammer rather than a giant club, but fluff is fluffy.

Fluff is indeed fluffy! I like the maul, the crit and damage are right where they're supposed to be. Well spotted!

[limejuicepowder]

There's the favorite minotaur great hammer. 1d12 19-20x4 although I think there's errata for it that just makes it x4.

Grrr I wanted to say that.

This must be a high-OP group, 'cause from my vantage point it looks like the first round is going to result in some squashed flat casters.

Anyways, for a BBEG like this I'd use something crazier as his weapon, since he's a whale and all. Like a preserved Great White Shark: bludgeoning and piercing damage. Or the mast of a boat.

Oh and the whale should be white, and there's a man in sailor's garb stuck to his side. He looks dead. But once combat start, the man's eyes open and he starts blasting with psionic powers.

[sumptesh]

I don't know how opposed you are to third party d20 stuff, but I did see a listing for a two handed mace. It's listing for a medium character was 1d10 19-20/x2. So you could certainly increase the damage to reflect the size increase in the weapon for the size of your villain.

[Morphie]

The concept is amazing, and I just loved limejuicepowder's suggestion of it using a ship's mast as its weapon of choice.

Or, y'know, he could just use a big sandwich :smalltongue:

[Uhtred]

Grrr I wanted to say that.

This must be a high-OP group, 'cause from my vantage point it looks like the first round is going to result in some squashed flat casters.

Anyways, for a BBEG like this I'd use something crazier as his weapon, since he's a whale and all. Like a preserved Great White Shark: bludgeoning and piercing damage. Or the mast of a boat.

Oh and the whale should be white, and there's a man in sailor's garb stuck to his side. He looks dead. But once combat start, the man's eyes open and he starts blasting with psionic powers.

The Goliath Barbarian wields a Minotaur Greathammer, wouldn't want to step on her toes or be accused of criticizing/mimicking her build. I caught enough flak when the Doppelgänger used Martial Focus and Arcane Focus at the same time and blasted her with magic while cleaving and cleaving and cleaving...
It's certainly a high-op group, all very experienced players, with the Cleric in particular knowing the power of his Tier 1 and constantly boasting about it. The Ace of Clubs is meant to send a message: that in an anti-magic field a dwarf in a tin can is just a dwarf in a tin can. But an anthropomorphic whale with a massive club gets to keep his 40+ Strength. :) I love the thought of his club being a ship's mast; with Monkey Grip and already being Large size, he can certainly pull it off. :) Also I believe Moby **** was a sperm whale, not a baleen whale, but I see where you're going and I like the cut of your jib. :)


I don't know how opposed you are to third party d20 stuff, but I did see a listing for a two handed mace. It's listing for a medium character was 1d10 19-20/x2. So you could certainly increase the damage to reflect the size increase in the weapon for the size of your villain.

The 19-20/x2 is the saving factor of this weapon, but I find I prefer the Maul's x3, if that's how I want to play it. And yes, size increases all around. :)

[Morphie]

Oh, make it a ghost ship's mast that's cursed with an dead magic field (or antimagic - potatoe, potato) and can only be used by the whale, because he is the sole survivor of the shipwreck :smallsmile:

[Slipperychicken]

The concept is amazing, and I just loved limejuicepowder's suggestion of it using a ship's mast as its weapon of choice.

Or, y'know, he could just use a big sandwich :smalltongue:

An Anthro-Whale could use a giant metal anchor too, as a club. Or use the attached chain to make it an improvised spiked chain of sorts.

[Uhtred]

An Anthro-Whale could use a giant metal anchor too, as a club. Or use the attached chain to make it an improvised spiked chain of sorts.

I like that. I like it a lot! Because, obviously, what a lvl 10 War Hulk needs is an additional 15 feet of reach while maintaining the ability to attack adjacent opponents. That makes War Hulk's capstone ability even more pertinent, while maintaining the integrity of the build. Fifteen points to the Hogwarts house of your choice!


Oh, make it a ghost ship's mast that's cursed with an dead magic field (or antimagic - potatoe, potato) and can only be used by the whale, because he is the sole survivor of the shipwreck :smallsmile:

This, though. I've been looking for a way to make this work, and work it does. I was totally prepared to tell my players that "He wields an anti-magic field because I'm the DM and I say so," but this, this is SO much more flavorful, and gives them an easy way out of the encounter, should they be smart enough to see it. Sunder the weapon, break the curse, bring down the field, blast him with magic. Easy peasy. They won't see it, though. They never do. :)

[Talya]

normally I absolutely hate anthropomorphic animal character concepts.

In Wonderland, it's oddly fine. :smallbiggrin:

[BrokenChord]

I like that. I like it a lot! Because, obviously, what a lvl 10 War Hulk needs is an additional 15 feet of reach while maintaining the ability to attack adjacent opponents. That makes War Hulk's capstone ability even more pertinent, while maintaining the integrity of the build. Fifteen points to the Hogwarts house of your choice!



This, though. I've been looking for a way to make this work, and work it does. I was totally prepared to tell my players that "He wields an anti-magic field because I'm the DM and I say so," but this, this is SO much more flavorful, and gives them an easy way out of the encounter, should they be smart enough to see it. Sunder the weapon, break the curse, bring down the field, blast him with magic. Easy peasy. They won't see it, though. They never do. :)

Now just remember, every ghost ship should have a partially-incorporeal adamantine +4 adventurer-bane anchor immune to its own Dead Magic effect...

[Uhtred]

normally I absolutely hate anthropomorphic animal character concepts.

In Wonderland, it's oddly fine. :smallbiggrin:

It just seems like the next step in the parade of bizarre they've had ever since they arrived. After Jabberwocky and Bandersnatches and JubJub Birds and Card Soldiers, caterpillar oracles and Cheshire Cat ninjas an anthrowhale will barely register. Until it murders the absolute patootles out of them.


Now just remember, every ghost ship should have a partially-incorporeal adamantine +4 adventurer-bane anchor immune to its own Dead Magic effect...

Quite right! I've already Statted out Davy Jones and the Dutchman for mysterious, possibly nefarious purposes, now I know what the whole thing was missing!

[Slipperychicken]

This, though. I've been looking for a way to make this work, and work it does. I was totally prepared to tell my players that "He wields an anti-magic field because I'm the DM and I say so," but this, this is SO much more flavorful, and gives them an easy way out of the encounter, should they be smart enough to see it. Sunder the weapon, break the curse, bring down the field, blast him with magic. Easy peasy. They won't see it, though. They never do. :)

The whale might have been harpooned and stuck to the mast/anchor long ago.

Or someone intentionally enchanted the anchor with antimagic to ward off Aboleths and other nasty magical beasts :smallbiggrin: