I will survive!

[Gwazi Magnum]

Just looking for what people of know or can suggest for making a character who can basically take any hit thrown at him. This can be anything such as getting good DR or SR, high AC and HP, temporary health, health regeneration, miss chance etc.

[Scumbaggery]

If you're large, pick up Hulking Hurler. Enjoy your immunity to anything ranged.

[Segev]

It takes being particularly high level, but stacking Contingent Indomitabilities effectively makes you immune to HP damage for at least as many hits as you have Contingent Indomitabilities. Note that this is "Craft Contingent Spell," not the 5th level "Contingency" spell. Indomitability is in the Spell Compendium and states that the next hit within the next round/level that would reduce you to less than 1 hp instead reduces you only to 1 hp. Stacking the contingencies so they trigger "in order" on each new "death blow" hit means you get knocked to 1 hp and then stay there for a few more hits.

Death Ward will protect you from insta-kills, and Neutralize Poison from poison-kills. Better still if you can be undead or something for immunity to stat drain, poison, etc.

You probably want a contingent "teleport me out of this crazy mess!" for if all your other defenses are exhausted and you're about to be hit by...well, anything.

[Eldonauran]

Just looking for what people of know or can suggest for making a character who can basically take any hit thrown at him. This can be anything such as getting good DR or SR, high AC and HP, temporary health, health regeneration, miss chance etc.

Five levels of Hellreaver and Shape Soumeld: Strongheart Vest (plus having at least 1 essentia to invest), or binding a particular vestige, will give you unlimited healing (20hp as a swift action every turn, more if you spend a move/standard to use the ability again).

You can take 2 Con Damage to replenish your Fury points (used by hellreaver). Infinite Fury Points = infinite times to spend 1 fury to heal yourself 20hp (limited by swift action). Strongheart vest reduces ability damage you take by 1 (2 with 1 essentia invested).

Hellreaver is from Fiendish Codex II
Shape Souldmeld is from Magic of Incarnum

EDIT: Forgot to mention, Hellreaver gives Mettle as well.

[ArqArturo]

Gnome wizard, specialized in illusion, and a penchant for drama.

[Fax Celestis]

Don't forget to pick up evasion and mettle from somewhere (I like rogue 2/witchslayer 2), and then get a ring of improved evasion and improved mettle. This actually does a surprising amount of defense.

[Gwazi Magnum]

If you're large, pick up Hulking Hurler. Enjoy your immunity to anything ranged.

Interesting, but it seems like it just applies to arrows and thrown weapons.


It takes being particularly high level, but stacking Contingent Indomitabilities effectively makes you immune to HP damage for at least as many hits as you have Contingent Indomitabilities. Note that this is "Craft Contingent Spell," not the 5th level "Contingency" spell. Indomitability is in the Spell Compendium and states that the next hit within the next round/level that would reduce you to less than 1 hp instead reduces you only to 1 hp. Stacking the contingencies so they trigger "in order" on each new "death blow" hit means you get knocked to 1 hp and then stay there for a few more hits.

Death Ward will protect you from insta-kills, and Neutralize Poison from poison-kills. Better still if you can be undead or something for immunity to stat drain, poison, etc.

You probably want a contingent "teleport me out of this crazy mess!" for if all your other defenses are exhausted and you're about to be hit by...well, anything.

So I have a limited amount of 'Save from death' moments?
Interesting, but how much would I need to sacrifice from the rest of my build in order to get this?


Five levels of Hellreaver and Shape Soumeld: Strongheart Vest (plus having at least 1 essentia to invest), or binding a particular vestige, will give you unlimited healing (20hp as a swift action every turn, more if you spend a move/standard to use the ability again).

You can take 2 Con Damage to replenish your Fury points (used by hellreaver). Infinite Fury Points = infinite times to spend 1 fury to heal yourself 20hp (limited by swift action). Strongheart vest reduces ability damage you take by 1 (2 with 1 essentia invested).

Hellreaver is from Fiendish Codex II
Shape Souldmeld is from Magic of Incarnum

So basically, I make the con damage 0 so I get infinite uses of fury to regen health?


Gnome wizard, specialized in illusion, and a penchant for drama.

That's more diverting an attack to something else than being able to survive a hit yourself.


Don't forget to pick up evasion and mettle from somewhere (I like rogue 2/witchslayer 2), and then get a ring of improved evasion and improved mettle. This actually does a surprising amount of defense.

Would getting a typical ring of evasion and ring of mettle work for this too?

[Fax Celestis]

Depends on your DM's views on items fulfilling prereqs.

[Ruethgar]

Pugilist Fighter 4 can take their Con mod less damage and all damage taken in non-lethal(there are a few ways to become immune to non-lethal there-after but that is pushing it). You also get endurance free which helps survive in the wild. Be an arctic mongrel dragonborn with 18 base Con and you take 8 less damage from each source at level 4 which is decent.

From there 16 Crusader is a good bet to get Mettle and Steely Resolve 25 and reduce damage taken by an additional 8 per round. You really only need 13 though and could grab Martial Chaos Monk 2 for evasion and Dashing Step City Brawler Spirit Lion Totem Barbarian 1 for pounce, no AC loss in a charge, free two-weapon fighting with unarmed and rage(a useful feature with that much constitution to extend it by). If you could do without barbarian or monk, Fist of the Forest is nice for a dip and some armor from your Con. If you are allowed third party, make it a Dragon Pugilist Fighter 3 instead of 4 and take barbarian, monk, and fist of the forest(dragon fighters from AEG's Dragons get bonus feats for 5 levels and despite obvious RAI, RAW any race can be one).

[Story]

Troll Blooded Warforged Juggernaut with Mantle of the Firey Spirit + the acid subtype ritual (or Saint) seems like a good place to start.

This won't make you invincible, but it does block many common attacks. Maybe add some save boosters plus mettle and evasion, and Diamond Spirit.


Persisted Friendly Fire is a cheesy way to get near immunity to attacks, but it's still dispellable or bypassable if you try hard enough.

[ArqArturo]

That's more diverting an attack to something else than being able to survive a hit yourself.

Yes, but then the gnome, creating an illusion of himself getting hit, would say:

Oooohhh, ohhhhhh, I say! You... Have... Killed me... *exaggerated coughing* I... I see Garl Glittergold... Calling me, and my mom... And Dad... And... And... EMPOWERED FIREBALL! BWAHAHAHAHAHHAHA!!!!

:smallbiggrin:

[Lanson]

Warforged Wildshape Ranger 5/ Master of many forms 7/ Warforged Juggernaut 2

Take form of a War Troll MM3 only acid can deal lethal damage to you, and you are immune to nonlethal damage. Get a ring of resist acid 30, and you're set. Or be a Half Black dragon (or the metallic one) but then you're treading into epic levels unless buyoff is allowed.

The entire build above takes a long time to come online, but it still playable all throughout 1-20 decently well

Edit: Many DM's won't allow a half black dragon warforged.

Or just be a half black dragon anything that's a Wildshape ranger 5, MMF 7 war troll form, you will only take nonlethal damage. Comes online quicker, but can still be knocked unconscious, unlike the warforged version

[Eldonauran]

So basically, I make the con damage 0 so I get infinite uses of fury to regen health?

Correct, amoung other things. The prestige class is really focused around smiting evil (bonuses to hit, damage, increasing saving throws, etc). Requires a good alignment and power attack

Getting the one point of essentia for the vest is easy. If you are taking Dodge at any time in your build, taking Midnight Dodge from Magic of Incarnum. If strictly counts as the Dodge feat for anything that requires Dodge, and it gives you that one essentia.

[Story]

I've got a better idea

Race Symbiote Incarnate Construct Warforged//Dread Blossom Swarm
Class X 5/ Warforged Juggernaut 2
Mantle of the Fiery Spirit + Cold subtype ritual (or ideally the Frostburn spell if you aren't playing with SpC)

Noteable defences:

* Immunity to nonlethal damage
* Regen 5/fire or cold
* Immunity to fire and cold (together this means immunity to all damage except Searing Spell)
* Immunity to critical hits (including immunity to Deathstrike bracers and Vinestrike)
* Immunity to mind-effecting, flanking, poison, sleep effects, paralysis, polymorph, and stunning
* Can't be targeted by any spell effect that targets a specific number of creatures, including single target spells
* Any other swarm and plant traits I've forgotten

Best of all, this is all nonmagical and hence works in an AMF and can't be dispelled. And all for the low, low price of +2 LA.

Note: Incarnate Construct is required to change the Warforged type to humanoid so it qualifies for Symbiote.

[Harrow]

Incarnates are great for this kind of thing. At lower levels, you're looking at concealment, Dr/magic, retributive damage, spell resistance, and hit points. At higher levels you get more of that and also a bunch of nice immunities.

There's also, IIRC, at least one prestige class that gives you Earth Glide. You can't be hit if nothing can target you!

[Slipperychicken]

Pugilist Fighter 4 can take their Con mod less damage and all damage taken in non-lethal(there are a few ways to become immune to non-lethal there-after but that is pushing it). You also get endurance free which helps survive in the wild. Be an arctic mongrel dragonborn with 18 base Con and you take 8 less damage from each source at level 4 which is decent.


Source on that? The only pugilist I found was dandwiki, which is homebrew.

[Ortesk]

Become the emerald legion

[Lord Haart]

Source on that? The only pugilist I found was dandwiki, which is homebrew.
Dragon №310.

[Waddacku]

Pugilist Fighter 4 can take their Con mod less damage and all damage taken in non-lethal(there are a few ways to become immune to non-lethal there-after but that is pushing it).

That feature was misprinted and corrected on the letters page of one of the subsequent issues of Dragon. It's supposed to give them resistance to non-lethal, not turn all damage into non-lethal.

[Person_Man]

Incarnate. It is, hands down, the most difficult to kill class out of the box, within the exception of heavily buffed Tier 1-2 classes (which can be much harder to kill for as long as they don't run out of spells).

It features:

Necrocarnum Circlet: You can animate any corpse with hit dice equal up to your meldshaper level into a necrocarnum zombie (much more useful then a normal zombie), with a range of 30 ft (unlike Animate Dead, which has a range of touch), at-will, at no cost. You're limited to one necrocarnum zombie at a time, but when it dies, you can replace it with any other corpse. It basically gives you a second Tier 4 character to control, which you can use as a tackle dummy, mount, door opener/"trap finder," etc.
Theraputic Mantle: Increases the effectiveness of any "spell or effect that heals hit point damage" on you. Fast Healing 1 becomes Fast Healing 1 + essentia invested, an investment in the Divine Spirit stance would mean that every melee attack you make would heal you 2 + essentia invested, a Vampiric Weapon enhancement would heal 1d6 + essentia on each attack, and so on. Stack 3-4 different sources of healing on yourself, throw a couple other defensive soulmelds, and you'll often be at full hit points at the end of every turn.
Vitality Belt: Bonus hit points = to your Meldshaper level times your essentia invested.
Spellward Shirt: Spell Resistance = 5 + (4 * essentia invested)
Wind Cloak: DR 2 + (2 * esssentia)/- vs ranged, Tiny or smaller creatures attempting to enter square must succeed on Fort Save to do so, and (when bound) you can Deflect Arrows 1 + essentia invested times per round (basically making you immune to most ranged attacks) without needing a free hand.
Apparition Ribbon: Incorporeal subtype for meldshaper rounds per day (and Crystal Helm gives your attacks the Force descriptor).
Astral Vembraces: DR 2 + (2 * essentia)/magic.
Mantle of Flame: 1d6 + (1d6 * essentia) retributive fire damage whenever an enemy hits you.
Magic: Easy access to UMD and several ways to improve certain types of spells.
Infinite healing: Several overly convoluted combos grant you infinite out of combat healing at mid levels.
Energy Resistance: Multiple sources of different types and amounts.
Impulse Boots grant Uncanny Dodge, a bonus to Reflex Saves, and (when bound) Evasion. Other soulmelds grant bonuses to various other Saves.
More bonus hit points: Take at least 1 level of Necrocarnate PrC. Now whenever you come across a recently dead creature (like the ones your party kills) you gain +1 essentia per corpse for 24 hours. The extra essentia stacks. Heart of Incarnum Feat grants you +1 hit point for every every point of essentia you possess.
Fellmist Robe: Up to 50% miss chance vs non-adjacent enemies. (Or against everyone, if bound to soul).


And that's just off my "most useful soulmelds" list. If you're looking for other defensive bonuses, the Incarnate probably has it.

[Emperor Tippy]

Hide Life makes you immune to death by HP damage and any other save or die.

Instantaneous Duration and it has this little line "Once the spell takes effect, you can no longer be killed by ordinary means: If damage or a spell effect would normally render you disabled, dying, or dead, you ignore the usual effects."

Use it as a Psionic Power (spell to power Erudite, combine with the Soul Crystal power from MoI so that anyone can use it) to remove the material component and it becomes impossible to remove the spell. Do the same thing with Kissed By the Ages and old age also won't kill you.

Get a Deity to Alter Reality a Selective Antimagic Field and Lesser Ironguard onto you and you become totally immune to all metal weapons.

Get an Epic Caster to cast an Epic spell with the Ward and Energy seeds to give you an instantaneous ward against all non epic magic. Have it done by a Cosmic Descryer who pushes his CL to a hundred trillion or so via Cosmic Connection and it will block any epic spell that isn't cast by another Cosmic Descryer using Cosmic Connection as well.

At a lower level, have the Wild Talent feat and cast a Persistent Selective Dweomer of Transference. You are now totally immune to all magic not cast by you. Including Wish and Mircale.

Mantle of the Fiery Soul is Instantaneous and will give you the Fire subtype so you become immune to Fire. Use the Frostburn version of Mantle of the Icy soul to do the same thing to gain the Cold Subtype so that you are immune to Cold as well.

Be a Necropolitan or cast Mindblank on a daily basis to throw on immunity to all mind affecting effects.

Throw on Bracers of Armor with the Protection From Transfiguration and Soulfire abilities to become immune to transfiguration attacks and energy drain and negative energy effects.

Create an Ice Assassin of an Aleax of you and then have it use Fusion on you before handing over control, using Astral Seed, dying, and coming back. You are now immune to pretty much everything.

---
You can be an Illithid Savant and brain rip Charon to gain his Immortality ability. It becomes impossible to ever permanently kill you.

[Segev]

So I have a limited amount of 'Save from death' moments?
Interesting, but how much would I need to sacrifice from the rest of my build in order to get this?

While a caster would probably go ahead and spend the feat on Craft Contingent Spell, the bulk of it is, well, contingent spells as magic items. So you're pretty much just spending WBL on it.

[Raezeman]

soldier of light prestige class from deities and demigods.

needs bab +5, know religion +4 and a specific deity and alignment.

gives fast healing 1 at 7th level and fast healing 2 at 10th level.
Also has d10 hit die, good fortitude, full bab and some restoration spells.

[Flame of Anor]

Hide Life makes you immune to death by HP damage and any other save or die.

Instantaneous Duration and it has this little line "Once the spell takes effect, you can no longer be killed by ordinary means: If damage or a spell effect would normally render you disabled, dying, or dead, you ignore the usual effects."

Just looked this up...wow! An actually useful 9th level spell!

[Captnq]

Ah. Immune to death. How quaint.

Become Immune to:
Critical hits (including sneak attacks), death from massive damage, death spells and effects, Level drain, and ability drain and penalties.

The conditions: Bleeding, blindness, confusion, cowering, dazed, dazzled, deafness, exhaustion, fascination, fatigue, fear, feeblemind, frightened, insanity, nausea, panic, paralyzation, petrifaction, shaken, sickened, slow, staggered, stunned, and wounded

Figure out to stop aging, needing to eat, sleep, breathe.

Survive any planar condition.

Immunity to the following damage types: Acid, City, Cold, Dehydration, Electrical, Evil (might also be profane), Force, Non-lethal, Sacred, Sonic, and Vile.

Immunity to time stop and anti-magic fields.


Figure that out without going pun-pun and I'll be a bit more impressed.

[Emperor Tippy]

Ah. Immune to death. How quaint.

Become Immune to:
Critical hits (including sneak attacks),
Heavy Fortitude, Necropolitan, the Heart of X line, Shapechange into a construct, true mind switch with a construct, a number of classes.


death from massive damage, death spells and effects, Level drain,
Hide Life and Soul Fire combined will take care of all of that. Necropolitan or construct as well.

and ability drain and penalties.
Necropolitan handles that, as does construct body.


The conditions: Bleeding, blindness, confusion, cowering, dazed, dazzled, deafness, exhaustion, fascination, fatigue, fear, feeblemind, frightened, insanity, nausea, panic, paralyzation, petrifaction, shaken, sickened, slow, staggered, stunned, and wounded
Most are taken care of by being a construct.


Figure out to stop aging, needing to eat, sleep, breathe.
Crystal Master 10+ Kissed by the Ages spell solves all of that. Although again Necropolitan and Construct take care of that.


Survive any planar condition.
Permanent Emanation: Planar Bubble. Now you are always on the material plane in regards to planar conditions.


Immunity to the following damage types: Acid, City, Cold, Dehydration, Electrical, Evil (might also be profane), Force, Non-lethal, Sacred, Sonic, and Vile.


Immunity to time stop
Permanent Emanation: Temporal Repair

and anti-magic fields.
Epic Ward seed.


Figure that out without going pun-pun and I'll be a bit more impressed.
Not that hard. Really, like 80 percent of it is done by using True Mind Switch with a Shadesteel Golem that has been temporarily turned human (by a Skin of Proteus, for example).

[JaronK]

Another option: Be a Learnean Lumi. ECL 10, but you can't die except due to disintegration. Everything else just fails and IIRC you can't even take damage. You also get pretty nice two weapon fighting abilities and immunity to blindness and light based effects. You're not immune to status debuffs, but take Warblade so you can get Iron Heart Surge. Now just IHS away anything problematic.

JaronK

[Vedhin]

My favorite simple indestructable build is Warforged Ranger 5/Warforged Juggernaut 5/Landforged Walker 5. I suggest Dragon Magazine's Mystic Ranger if it's available, along with the Sword of the Arcane Order and Shooting Star sub levels.

That covers most everything important. Simple damage you don't have immunity against, but a casting of Hide Life solves that. Immunity to antimagic is unneeded, as the only thing it would hinder is Landforged Walker's immunity to polymoprh, which is redundant in antimagic areas. Time Stop is irritating, but doesn't really hurt you. The only planes I can think of that would hurt are the Positive and Negative Energy Planes. I'd take Steadfast Determination, which gives Con to Will and allows you to succeed on Fort saves even on a 1. You have Endurance from Ranger, so the pre-reqs aren't hard.

[Zombulian]

Obligatory: Knight 20

[Killer Angel]

So I have a limited amount of 'Save from death' moments?
Interesting, but how much would I need to sacrifice from the rest of my build in order to get this?

Just some skill points in UMD, then contingency and something ala Revify.


Obligatory: Knight 20

Risen martyr 10 should solve the problem of surviving... somehow. :smalltongue:

[Ortesk]

Ah. Immune to death. How quaint.

Become Immune to:
Critical hits (including sneak attacks), death from massive damage, death spells and effects, Level drain, and ability drain and penalties.

The conditions: Bleeding, blindness, confusion, cowering, dazed, dazzled, deafness, exhaustion, fascination, fatigue, fear, feeblemind, frightened, insanity, nausea, panic, paralyzation, petrifaction, shaken, sickened, slow, staggered, stunned, and wounded

Figure out to stop aging, needing to eat, sleep, breathe.

Survive any planar condition.

Immunity to the following damage types: Acid, City, Cold, Dehydration, Electrical, Evil (might also be profane), Force, Non-lethal, Sacred, Sonic, and Vile.

Immunity to time stop and anti-magic fields.


Figure that out without going pun-pun and I'll be a bit more impressed.

You challenged tippy and expected him not to win?

[Zombulian]

Risen martyr 10 should solve the problem of surviving... somehow. :smalltongue:

By... dying as the capstone?

[unseenmage]

If you can figure a way or beg your DM enough you could ply as a humanoid chnk of Hardened, Augment Objected (SBG), Matter manipulated Dwarvencrafted Obdurium.

Hardness literally through the roof. And Hardness is the superest DR evar, stoping both normal and energy damage. And I think I forgot a couple steps in there somewhere.

[Emperor Tippy]

If you can figure a way or beg your DM enough you could ply as a humanoid chnk of Hardened, Augment Objected (SBG), Matter manipulated Dwarvencrafted Obdurium.

Hardness literally through the roof. And Hardness is the superest DR evar, stoping both normal and energy damage. And I think I forgot a couple steps in there somewhere.

Nah, you make such a statue(which you can do without a problem), cast Animate Object on it, and then have it use a Skin of Proteus to take human form before True Mind Switching with it and returning to the statue form.

True Mind Switch keeps Ex abilities of the new form, and Hardness is an Ex ability of animated objects.

Depending upon your DM you should probably do this with an Animated Object that has been made permanent by a Solar with the feat Tenacious Magic: Permanency. Wouldn't want to get dispelled and die or the like.

[Story]

Just some skill points in UMD, then contingency and something ala Revify.


Contingent Revivify won't save you from Infallible Servant. Or being killed inside an AMF for that matter.

[Killer Angel]

By... dying as the capstone?

:smallbiggrin:


Contingent Revivify won't save you from Infallible Servant. Or being killed inside an AMF for that matter.

It's far from perfect, but it's relatively cheap. You don't have to invest resources as feats, PRC classes and so on... and you should have UMD anyway. :smallwink:
See it as a starting point, and increase it on the base of the level of danger in the campaign.

[asnys]

There are, I'm sure, better ways to do this, but I find the "living in a flying box" idea from the old WotC forums deeply entertaining. (For those who haven't seen it: use the Stronghold Builder's Guide to build the smallest possible mobile flying stronghold, without any entrances or exits, and with some kind of anti-teleportation defenses. Stock it with lyres of building and live inside it - each lyre gives the stronghold 30 minutes of invulnerability to attack 1/day, so with 50 you're good for the whole day. For extra fun, use the polymorph any object + true mindswitch trick to upload your brain into your invincible stronghold. Can be defeated by mage's disjunction or methods that get around anti-teleport defenses, though.)

[Story]

Reminds me of The Cube. Unfortunately, the full build was never publicly posted.

[Zombulian]

Has someone already mentioned being a Pugilist Fighter with a continous Beastland Ferocity spell on him?

[unseenmage]

Reminds me of The Cube. Unfortunately, the full build was never publicly posted.

I keep seeing this and yet no one in the Playground has built an "unofficial" version of their own? Not even just for links sake?

[Vedhin]

Has someone already mentioned being a Pugilist Fighter with a continous Beastland Ferocity spell on him?

For simple things, Warforged Pugilist 1 with the Improved Resiliencey feat is full-stop immunity to damage. Needs pre-errata Pugilist.

[Zombulian]

For simple things, Warforged Pugilist 1 with the Improved Resiliencey feat is full-stop immunity to damage. Needs pre-errata Pugilist.

Was it errata'd? Lame.

[Vedhin]

Was it errata'd? Lame.


That feature was misprinted and corrected on the letters page of one of the subsequent issues of Dragon. It's supposed to give them resistance to non-lethal, not turn all damage into non-lethal.

Of course, the letters page of Dragon is about as unofficial as you can get.

[Astral Avenger]

cant hurt to be a lich on top of everything else already suggested, its like a 'ha, you managed to kill me? more like temporarily inconvenience me' button with the phylactery, which you should still use shenanigans to hide & protect

[Story]

Except that at really high OP like this, becoming Undead simply gives you another weakness, and one that's pretty hard to completely defend against.

[Zombulian]

Except that at really high OP like this, becoming Undead simply gives you another weakness, and one that's pretty hard to completely defend against.

This is true. Finding a way to be a construct would probably work fairly well yes?

[Flame of Anor]

To be fair, the original text for the Pugilist says that he "develops nonlethal damage only", which doesn't really mean the same thing as "converts all damage taken to nonlethal damage". In fact, I'm not sure it means anything at all, as written.

[Guyver87]

If You are allowed to use 3rd party books, look into Book of Templates - Deluxe Edition (http://www.rpgnow.com/product/2765/Book-of-Templates---Deluxe-Edition-35?it=1&filters=0_0_0_0_0&manufacturers_id=74), by Silverthorne Games.

It introduces several Templates, that can make characters very hard to kill.

For example Dreadnaught gives character DR equal to his Hit Dice, Energy Resistance 10 for every 4HD it has, and Spell Resistance 10+HD.

Siphon is able to absorb energy and spells, to turn them against his enemies, and gets Strength increase every time he's damaged by nonmagical attacks.

And finally, we have Relentless, who gets DR equal to 1+1/3 of his HD, regeneration of 1+1/2 of HD, is immune to ability damage and ability drain, death effects, diseases, poisons, fatigue, fear, and one chosen form of energy. And regeneration of such character can be only overcame by one, specific thing (Critical Weakness), like weapons made from Deva bones, tears of Archdevil or something like that. Other than that it is totally immortal.

Bear in mind however, that those Templates are quite overpowered, even with the high LA their are given, so even if Your DM allows them, they might seriously unbalance a game...

[Gwazi Magnum]

@Puglist

All I can find on this class is this: http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Pugilist_(3.5e_Class)

Which mentions nothing about only taking non-lethal damage.
But the Con to DR still seems really powerful.

@Hide Life

So basically if I get creative in hiding my left pinky I have infinite HP?
I can have some fun with this :P

Though I'd only use this for an end game gimmick build, not something I'd make a legitimate character centered around.


Incarnate. It is, hands down, the most difficult to kill class out of the box, within the exception of heavily buffed Tier 1-2 classes (which can be much harder to kill for as long as they don't run out of spells).

It features:

Necrocarnum Circlet: You can animate any corpse with hit dice equal up to your meldshaper level into a necrocarnum zombie (much more useful then a normal zombie), with a range of 30 ft (unlike Animate Dead, which has a range of touch), at-will, at no cost. You're limited to one necrocarnum zombie at a time, but when it dies, you can replace it with any other corpse. It basically gives you a second Tier 4 character to control, which you can use as a tackle dummy, mount, door opener/"trap finder," etc.
Theraputic Mantle: Increases the effectiveness of any "spell or effect that heals hit point damage" on you. Fast Healing 1 becomes Fast Healing 1 + essentia invested, an investment in the Divine Spirit stance would mean that every melee attack you make would heal you 2 + essentia invested, a Vampiric Weapon enhancement would heal 1d6 + essentia on each attack, and so on. Stack 3-4 different sources of healing on yourself, throw a couple other defensive soulmelds, and you'll often be at full hit points at the end of every turn.
Vitality Belt: Bonus hit points = to your Meldshaper level times your essentia invested.
Spellward Shirt: Spell Resistance = 5 + (4 * essentia invested)
Wind Cloak: DR 2 + (2 * esssentia)/- vs ranged, Tiny or smaller creatures attempting to enter square must succeed on Fort Save to do so, and (when bound) you can Deflect Arrows 1 + essentia invested times per round (basically making you immune to most ranged attacks) without needing a free hand.
Apparition Ribbon: Incorporeal subtype for meldshaper rounds per day (and Crystal Helm gives your attacks the Force descriptor).
Astral Vembraces: DR 2 + (2 * essentia)/magic.
Mantle of Flame: 1d6 + (1d6 * essentia) retributive fire damage whenever an enemy hits you.
Magic: Easy access to UMD and several ways to improve certain types of spells.
Infinite healing: Several overly convoluted combos grant you infinite out of combat healing at mid levels.
Energy Resistance: Multiple sources of different types and amounts.
Impulse Boots grant Uncanny Dodge, a bonus to Reflex Saves, and (when bound) Evasion. Other soulmelds grant bonuses to various other Saves.
More bonus hit points: Take at least 1 level of Necrocarnate PrC. Now whenever you come across a recently dead creature (like the ones your party kills) you gain +1 essentia per corpse for 24 hours. The extra essentia stacks. Heart of Incarnum Feat grants you +1 hit point for every every point of essentia you possess.
Fellmist Robe: Up to 50% miss chance vs non-adjacent enemies. (Or against everyone, if bound to soul).


And that's just off my "most useful soulmelds" list. If you're looking for other defensive bonuses, the Incarnate probably has it.

Looks pretty awesome. :)

Though I'm a bit unfamiliar with essentia, can I invest as much as I want into any of these or are there limits to how much essentia can be invested into each thing? If the former, what are reasonable limits to stop investing essentia into these features so others can also have some?



If You are allowed to use 3rd party books, look into Book of Templates - Deluxe Edition (http://www.rpgnow.com/product/2765/Book-of-Templates---Deluxe-Edition-35?it=1&filters=0_0_0_0_0&manufacturers_id=74), by Silverthorne Games.

It introduces several Templates, that can make characters very hard to kill.

For example Dreadnaught gives character DR equal to his Hit Dice, Energy Resistance 10 for every 4HD it has, and Spell Resistance 10+HD.

Siphon is able to absorb energy and spells, to turn them against his enemies, and gets Strength increase every time he's damaged by nonmagical attacks.

And finally, we have Relentless, who gets DR equal to 1+1/3 of his HD, regeneration of 1+1/2 of HD, is immune to ability damage and ability drain, death effects, diseases, poisons, fatigue, fear, and one chosen form of energy. And regeneration of such character can be only overcame by one, specific thing (Critical Weakness), like weapons made from Deva bones, tears of Archdevil or something like that. Other than that it is totally immortal.

Bear in mind however, that those Templates are quite overpowered, even with the high LA their are given, so even if Your DM allows them, they might seriously unbalance a game...

Unless if it's done by D20 (and even then I'd rather avoid it if not necessary) I'd rather stick with wizard of the coast only materials.

[Story]

There is a limit to essentia invested in any one thing. It's based on your character level with bonuses from Incarnate and Totemist features and feats.

[Zombulian]

Pugilist is from Dragon Magazine #310.

[Ace Nex]

A fun combo is monstrous regeneration/turn into a creature with regen with Favor of the Martyr. Suddenly all damage except fire and acid is subdual, which you're immune to. Make yourself immune via spells and for good measure get Delay Death permanized or through an item and diehard feat. Favor of the martyr makes you immune to A LOT of status effects and anything left over can be covered by what else you see in the guide.

[Magesmiley]

At the lower level end of things... try this for a 1st-level character:

Dwarf Fighter (substitution level from Races of Stone for the d12).
18 Con (might be hard to get depending on character generation) + 2 racial bonus = 20 Con.

Take 2 flaws (from Unearthed Arcana or one of the ones in Dragon)

Feats:
Toughness (yeah, sucks, but it is a prerequisite for the other two feats), plus Roll With It (from Savage Species) x2.

You end up with a 20 hp and 4/- DR for a first-level character.

[Slipperychicken]

If you can figure a way or beg your DM enough you could ply as a humanoid chnk of Hardened, Augment Objected (SBG), Matter manipulated Dwarvencrafted Obdurium.

Hardness literally through the roof. And Hardness is the superest DR evar, stoping both normal and energy damage. And I think I forgot a couple steps in there somewhere.

If you want to play as a material, why not Riverine? Being made of sculpted walls of force makes you pretty much indestructable. Just grab a spellblade(disintegrate) gauntlet and/or AMF (or the tenacious magic thing Tippy mentioned), then you're pretty much set against everything except Disjunction.

This makes me wonder whether Disintegrate would work at all against a Riverine creature (and whether defenses against it are strictly necessary), since Riverine simply lists things which destroy items made of Riverine, but (understandably) doesn't mention creatures made of it.