Help me make my DM cry.

[Perpetr8r]

Ok I want to build a Thor-esque character or maybe the correct theme is Lightning God or Skyfather design.
A guy who wields heavy armor, a cool weapon and lightning and elemental power. Thor kind of but I did see the Stormlord ideas posted before and the idea of launching lightning bolts (Electricity enhanced Javelins) is just badass.

So does anyone have a build for me to get the Sky father God of Thunder feel?
Rules for the build are 32 point Buy, All Core and Supplement books including the dragon mags.
The Limit is a ECL of 3 before class levels. So templates or races need to be less then 4 in total.

[Phelix-Mu]

Hmm. On first blush, I'd probably opt for a combat-focused cleric with a touch of Battlesmith for awesome hammer-wielding (if dwarf is acceptable) or the aforementioned Stormlord. As this is mainly a combat build, you can probably sacrifice late access to the most powerful spell levels, but you can't go far wrong by just adding more cleric casting. Pick up the Storm Bolt reserve feat from Complete Mage and throw a bit of lightning whenever you feel like it.

Also of note are Storm Disciple (Complete Psionic), Stormcaster (Stormwrack, really only good for the first couple levels), and Master of the Unseen Hand (if you can finagle telekinesis access...throw stuff around with your mind....maybe not dovetailing so well with above build:smallsmile:).

[Perpetr8r]

Storm Bolt was a definite consideration.
Cleric was also almost a given for combat.

Saw that other guys Monster of Legend post, wish it was useful Strength. War, and Protection Domains free, considered a lvl 5 Cleric for the purposes of spell casting is just awesome.

Any other suggestions guys and gals?

[Perpetr8r]

Does anyone one have any idea what race I should take? Or templates?
I am also curious for other builds, I just read VoP and while it seems really nice I don't think it works here so anything good out there?

[ShneekeyTheLost]

It's a shame there isn't a lightning-based invocation, because Warlock sounds about perfect for what you are wanting to do.

* Flight. It's a Lesser Invocation, check.
* Unlimited blasting. Check.
* Chaining to multiple targets. Check.
* 3/4 BAB so you are still as relevant in combat. Check.

[Perpetr8r]

As far as the At will flight and the like I agree but those can be altered with magical items.

Any other race and other ideas?

[Killer Angel]

I fail to see why this character should make your DM cry... :smallconfused:

[Devronq]

Ya I was about to bash you and say that you should never try and piss off your dm its very ride and disrespectful and alot of the time the community will not support that behavior that being said that doesn't seem to be your goal and I don't understand the title ether :p

[Xerlith]

How about a hammer-throwing lightning-wielding badass? It can be yours with just the Aptitude weapon property. Also, Bloodstorm Blade will make your weapon always return while thrown. Order your Tome of Battle today and get one cookie FOR FREE. And/or dip Warblade, maybe you'll be able to say that you can Aptitude your Stormlord class features with it. Maybe.

No, but seriously:

Human
Warblade 1
Druid 5 (Druidic Avenger, simple druid variants)
Stormlord10
Bloodstorm Blade2
Druid+2

17th Caster Level, 15 BAB, you can treat your thrown weapons as melee attacks. This guy runs in light armor though.

Although I'd rather drop the Stormlord and use a different build altogether.

[Gavinfoxx]

I just read VoP and while it seems really nice

It's not. It really, really, really isn't. It's actually absolute crap. Never take it, ever.

[nedz]

Whilst you could do this with Sorcerer, Druid would be an better option.

They have lots of lightning and storm spells already.

The Druidic Avenger (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#druidVariantDruidicAve nger) ACF gives you Rage which is good for combat.

[Perpetr8r]

Sort of a joke but it was also a comment on how powerful the build could be, I didn't mind some powerful options.

What's wrong with Stormlord? It fits the idea of the character down to almost perfection.

the Druid idea is good it fits with the myths of zeus as a shapeshifter as well and Thor's battle rage.

[Tim Proctor]

I made a build like this one time, it was fun, Warblade 6, Fighter 1, Divine Crusader 3, Stormcaster 8, Bloodstorm Blade 3.

You get 9th level Storm domain spells, good martial ability, a returning hammer, etc.

[Perpetr8r]

The Druid idea is curious but it doesn't let me wear Metal armor, so how could he be that great in martial combat, except maybe for shapeshifting all the time. Which kind of negates the need for the hammer or lightning bolts as you can't use those with it.

Any way to bump up the AC issues when not shapeshifted into something with a large number of Natural Armor?

[Brookshw]

Without shape shifting? Smiley of Nat ac.

Another thing to add might be dragon scale full plate with half weight property. I could see it working roughly in theme for your character, Thor wearing armor made from dragon scales seems apt.

Also there are a few good druid spells to help with Nat armor.

[Blackjackg]

If you go the Stormlord route, the Neanderthal from Frostburn might be an appropriate race. It gets a boost to strength and +1 to javelin attacks.

Useful magic items to consider are the Gloves of Endless Javelins from the Magic Item Compendium or a javelin version of the Quiver of Plenty from Dragon #328. Either one of them provides unlimited javelins to throw. If your DM can't be counted on to provide them, you can take Craft Wondrous Item and create either one (as a cleric, you would need either the Creation domain (for Quiver) or the Force domain (for the Gloves)).

[Anxe]

I did it in my own campaign quite well with the Champion class that The Giant made. Linky (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=9623431#post9623431)

[nedz]

The Druid idea is curious but it doesn't let me wear Metal armor, so how could he be that great in martial combat, except maybe for shapeshifting all the time. Which kind of negates the need for the hammer or lightning bolts as you can't use those with it.

Any way to bump up the AC issues when not shapeshifted into something with a large number of Natural Armor?

There are lots of non metallic armours, and bumping dex through Wildshape is easy — which works well with light armour.

Take the Natural Spell feat and stay wildshaped all day.

[Perpetr8r]

But again if I am in Wildshape all day I can't really use the weapons like the javelins or the hammer or whatever.

This campaign is a little bit early level 6ish currently but we go till the DM runs out of ideas.

The Neanderthal is interesting I will give him a look.
I don't mind shapeshifting now and then but I kinda loose the flavor of the character if he is just in shapeshift all day every day. Kinda make its pointless ya know?

What is a smiley of Nat Ac? Do you mean Amulet of Natural Armor?
I was considering the glove build as those are force and that can hit spirits and incorporeal creatures right?

[Vortenger]

If you go the Stormlord route, the Neanderthal from Frostburn might be an appropriate race. It gets a boost to strength and +1 to javelin attacks.

Useful magic items to consider are the Gloves of Endless Javelins from the Magic Item Compendium or a javelin version of the Quiver of Plenty from Dragon #328. Either one of them provides unlimited javelins to throw. If your DM can't be counted on to provide them, you can take Craft Wondrous Item and create either one (as a cleric, you would need either the Creation domain (for Quiver) or the Force domain (for the Gloves)).

This. For the rest, be a DMM persist melee cleric and you ARE Thor in his younger days.

Edit: Forgot to add Brutal Throw if you can swing it, just to be moar Thor-like.

[Perpetr8r]

Ok here is the rough idea.
Thor-Like character
Carries an Item Familiar Warhammer (Mjolnir)
Wears a Glove of Endless Javelins
Cleric 5/Stormlord10/?
So I need to invest Three Feats for Stormlord(Weapon focus, Great Fortitude, Endurance) which is kinda feat heavy. As a human I could get one of those off with the bonus, War Domain gets me a second so a 1 feat investment is meh but ok.
Other then Item Familiar at lvl 6 what should I get for my 3rd feat to help me better with this build?
If I go Cleric I can wear metal armor so what armor would fit best?
Storm Bolt is a cool feat for sure a 20 ft line of lightning is nice but is there anything else I could use better?

[Eldonauran]

Wait, wait, wait ... Wait.

No one mentioned Duskblade yet? :smallconfused:

[Feint's End]

It's not. It really, really, really isn't. It's actually absolute crap. Never take it, ever.

That's a bit of an extreme reaction. It actually is pretty decent to great on some builds. On Incarnate/Druid Gestalt it's downright broken.

[LordConcrete]

Just a bit of addendum:

VoP is really bad on pretty much anything.

It's a viable feat on, yes, Incarnates and Druids, but it still loses the versatility of WBL. Psions, apparently, are good with it too.

Lots of classes can use VoP, if they Chaos Shuffle it, but that's way too cheesy for most games.

[Feint's End]

Just a bit of addendum:

VoP is really bad on pretty much anything.

It's a viable feat on, yes, Incarnates and Druids, but it still loses the versatility of WBL. Psions, apparently, are good with it too.

Lots of classes can use VoP, if they Chaos Shuffle it, but that's way too cheesy for most games.

Actually I disagree on it being good for psions. Pretty much all the benefits you get you can get by powers and there are some really nice items for them (Torc of Power Preservation for once). Psions don't really share the benefits Incarnates and Druids have namely fighting in other shapes and filling up the slots with their classfeatures.

[Perpetr8r]

Ok well back to my build question.
I do like the Druidic Avenger due to the rage aspect but not sure its worth the no domain spells, the restriction on armor type (Dragonhide is nice and all but expensive and hard to justify for a level 6 character to be wearing.)

I have 11000 GP to spend on gear and such and the gloves of endless javelins cost 7,000 gp on its on leaving me with 4,000 GP on Armor and Mjolnir (Has to be a 2000 cost, so two +1 enhancements)

Leaves me with 2,000 for armor and starting gear.

As for feats like I said Human Bonus feat gets me Endurance or Great Fortitude and War Domain gets me the Weapon Focus.

I looked over cleric and where does it say specifically that a Cleric gets proficiency in their god's favored weapon in 3.5?

Domains will be War and Storm domains
My 1rst feat will be either or of the first two mentioned, but what about 3rd feat and 6th feat?

Do you all think Stormlord really needs Great Fortitude as a requirement feat? I mean it asks for that and then a +4 Fortitude which its Great Fortitude Requirement means you could take at 1rst level for a cleric, if not for the 3rd level divine casting requirement. So did they add that just for those who tried to take this for a class that is not good on fortitude? Seem like a wasted feat for those who have good fortitude saves.

[Icewraith]

What's a real shame is some of the ideal spells for this concept are Sor/Wiz spells last I checked.

Lightning Leap (5th, spell compendium)- as a standard action, move up to 80ish feet in a straight line, don't provoke, turn into a lightning bolt and damage everyone in your path (ref half). Not a teleport effect, so effectively it's shapable line-of sight tactical teleportation that's not messed up by delay/anticipate teleport or dimensional anchor/lock and gives you free damage. Oh and your turn doesn't end after moving, unlike Dimension Door. Great for quickening for DMM or high-level.

Stored Lightning Bolt (7th, Secrets of Sarlonna) If you get your DM to allow FR material this is one of the better lightning-themed blasting spells. You shoot a classic lightning bolt at a point on the ground (line, ref half, special damage). After a period of time specified by the caster (up to 5 rounds) or when something touches that surface the bolt bursts in a large radius aoe that does double damage to the creature that triggered the effect and normal damage to everyone else in the radius (ref half, special damage). You have CL d6 (max 20) to assign between the initial lightning bolt damage and the stored eruption- generally speaking you're best off dropping everything into the detonate effect to deal double damage to whatever it is that's in contact with the surface you target (your dm may need to determine what an acceptable surface is), but you have the option to use it as a line for blasting versatility. The delay effect is compatible with Time Stop.

There's a high-level spell (probably spell compendium) that creates a storm cloud that gives you a number of benefits, the most significant of which is that anyone casting lightning damage spells (possibly sonic too) while standing in the area of the cloud gets empower spell (+50% damage) for free. Not sure if this one's arcane or divine.

Any cleric going for the whole "thunder god" schtick should make an effort to see if he can get these spells Dm fiated onto his spell list. As part of the spell effect you can even throw your hammer along the line (for no extra damage, just fluff) and have it immediately return to you, or see if you can get your DM to homebrew something that lets you also make an attack roll as part of the spell and apply your normal weapon damage +str to anything along the line that you hit, and apply a penatly to the reflex save.

[Brookshw]

What is a smiley of Nat Ac? Do you mean Amulet of Natural Armor?
I was considering the glove build as those are force and that can hit spirits and incorporeal creatures right?

Yeah, autocorrect got me on that one. The downside of posting from phones.

[Perpetr8r]

Is there no way for a Cleric or whatever to get sorcerer/wizard spells?
hmm how about an StP Magic Mantle or Favored Discipline Magic Erudite? I thought they could learn every spell in the game? Their psionic and even energy ray can be made into lightning elemental right?

I thought maybe Wu Jen but they dont have any lightning spells but Shocking Grasp on their list.

[Icewraith]

If it doesn't already exist, you can come up with the "Lightning domain" to pair with the Storm domain and see if your DM will approve it.

[Perpetr8r]

What levels are the spells you mentioned?
So I can come up with it.

EDIT: Nevermind I see it now.
Any suggestions for low level spells?

[Perpetr8r]

Is there any way to enchant a Item Familiar with a 2nd level spell?
The Hurl ability basically acts like swift flight it returns the thrown weapon to owner.

THUNDER DOMAIN
Granted Power:
1. Orb of Electricity, Lesser: Ranged touch attack
deals 1d8 electricity damage + 1d8/2 levels
beyond 1st (max 5d8).
2.Electric Loop: Deals 1d6/2 levels electricity
damage plus stunning to a single creature.
3.Great Thunderclap: Loud noise causes stunning,
deafness, and knocks prone in a large area.
4.Eye of the Hurricane: Storm pushes creatures, calm at
center.
5.Lightning Leap: Transform into bolt of lightning,
damaging foes and transporting yourself.
6.Control Weather: Changes weather in local area.
7.Stored Lightning Bolt: A bolt of lightning (1d6/level damage) that can be stored in a 5-foot-square
metal or stone surface within range.
8.Stormrage: You can fly and fire lightning from your eyes.
9.Storm of Vengeance: Storm rains acid, lightning, and
hail.

Tell me what you think of the Domain list