[3.5] +3 la race / template

[Vash9177]

My dm wants to start a second campaign that's a high powered game and is allowing 3 level adjustment between race and template for free.

Can't be evil and must not be campaign setting specific unless it comes from eberron.

So I'm building a wizard and wanted to see what the best race and template I could use together, looking for a good int bonus or something that helps out an initiate of the sevenfold veil.

Also my other friend wanted to be a soulbow and was thinking thri-kreen as the race unless there is a better option.

Any suggestions?

[Talya]

Does it need to be wizard? With +3 level adjustment I'd make a magic-blooded half-fey aasimar (-2 con, +2 dex, +2 wis, +8 cha, giant pile of spell-like abilities) sorcerer or bard/sublime chord.

[sleepyphoenixx]

Phrenic (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/monsters/phrenicCreature.htm) is pretty good for almost any spellcaster if you get it for free.
There's a few LA +1 races that get an int bonus. Tiefling and one or two of the genasi iirc.

[Hurnn]

Does it need to be wizard? With +3 level adjustment I'd make a magic-blooded half-fey aasimar (-2 con, +2 dex, +2 wis, +8 cha, giant pile of spell-like abilities) sorcerer or bard/sublime chord.

That is silly good, "oh my sorcerer has a 26 cha at lvl 1". lol. Nothing saves ever.

[Vash9177]

Does it need to be wizard? With +3 level adjustment I'd make a magic-blooded half-fey aasimar (-2 con, +2 dex, +2 wis, +8 cha, giant pile of spell-like abilities) sorcerer or bard/sublime chord.

Wow that's a pretty good bonus :smalleek:

I was looking to do Abjurer 3 / master specialist 10 / Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil. The MS seems really fun for an Abjurer, so I'd like to keep it wizard for that.

@sleepyphoenixx

Phrenic does give a lot of nice stuff. It would let me take psionic feats, any fun way to break that with a wizard?

[sleepyphoenixx]

See if you can get your hand on Nimblestep (LEoF). It's a short sword that lets you focus as a move action and gives Up the Walls as a bonus feat along with some other stuff. Costs about 20000 iirc.

Other than that i wouldn't spend anything on it. The ability to take 15 on a critical concentration check is nice though.

If your DM allows web content you should try to get your hands on a few permanent psionic tattoos (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20031225a).
They are dirt cheap and you can get awesome powers like Schism, Touchsight or Steadfast Perception. Build in the option to recharge them from your own pp reserve and you can recharge them with Mental Pinnacle (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/spells/mentalPinnacle.htm).
For example, 4700g gets you quickened Schism 1/day and rechargable if you need it more often.

[dspeyer]

There's a shortage of +int races and templates.

To throw something weird out there: how about a venerable werebadger dwarf? -8/+1/+1/+3/+5/+1 plus scent, track, burrow speed, natural armor and some not-completely-useless melee abilities. You can swap out badger for dog and get more strength but lose the burrow speed. Usually the con penalty from venerable is a killer, but lycanthropy mostly offsets it. This is 2la+1rhd, so make sure that's ok.

Also consider Pixie. It gets +6 int, bonuses to everything else, flight, good slas... Normally +4 la is too much for a caster, but at +1 it might be worth it.

[Azoth]

For +1LA after your free +3 Phrenic Half Fey lesser Whisper Gnome with Magic in the blood is always hilarious. I think 26-30 SLAs useable 3/day each. You will always have something to do and make any sorcerer cry. If you can't find a way to be useful 24/7 then you aren't fit to play a caster at all.

For an INT caster, you could gish it up with a Phrenic Primordial Half Giant.

[dspeyer]

Phrenic Primordial Half Giant.

Half-giants are already psionic, so they can't be phrenic. Unless primordial removes the subtype.

[dspeyer]

I started poking at templates, and Spellwarped (http://www.realmshelps.net/monsters/templates/spellwarped.shtml) may be of interest.

[Averis Vol]

a Phrenic Aleithian dwarf (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psb/20030926a) is one LA for +2 con, +4 int +2 wis. That's a good base atleast, unfortunately I'm not the best with casters, so I cant tell what else would be a good addition for the last 2 LA.

EDIT: the winged template gives you +4 dex and +2 wis as well as a fly speed equal to twice your base land speed. If you have atleast a 17 dex after the dex boost your flight is at perfect maneuverability, AND it turns you into a monsterous humanoid, so that opens up some decent Alter self forms as well.

[Vash9177]

@sleepyphoenixx
I will look into the Nimblestep seems cool and the tattoo seems really fun.

@dspeyer
:smallbiggrin: That's awesome but the were dwarf was shot down and the Pixie is pretty good but he is also saying 3 is max, we can't take la beyond the 3.

@Azoth
Phrenic Half Fey lesser Whisper Gnome seems pretty good but I can't use the Magic in the blood to make it super crazy, it's from Faerûn.

I'm looking into the half giant now.

[Vash9177]

I really like the Spellwarped template, seems fun with a Gray elf
+2 str, + 4 Dex, +2 Con, +6 int

[Talya]

That is silly good, "oh my sorcerer has a 26 cha at lvl 1". lol. Nothing saves ever.

Yeah, that charm person at will Spell-Like has a DC of 19.

Int based stuff is less my forté, i'm normally looking for charisma bonuses.

[Particle_Man]

I was going to suggest grey elf half-dragon for +4 int, +2 dex (and incidentally +2 cha and +6 str), +4 natural armour, darkvision, lowlight vision and some immunities (sleep, paralysis, and your favourite energy type) (and incidentally a breath weapon, and some natural attacks, in case the worst happens).

There are better suggestions, but this one is mine. :smallbiggrin: There are some pretty funky half-dragons out there, if you want to go shopping for something unusual.

[Xervous]

Insert obligatory questionable dragonwrought kobold nonsense... (if dragon mag is available)


kobold (preferably desert to avoid CON hit)
dragonwrought
greater draconic rite
loredrake
spellhoarding
and riddled if you please...

Int bonus of +11, or +5 without riddled if you don't care for its downsides. Though in the case of the +11 int bonus you are looking at a -3 wis penalty, +1 bonus in the case of the +5 int bonus.

So yeah, you cast as a wizard of +3 levels with a ludicrous INT score to boot, on top of that, the spellhoard ability lets you turn GP into XP to be used for spellcasting in addition to a few other useful things.


Oh wait, you wanted +3 LA worth of stuff right? That amounts to +0...

[DrKerosene]

If you can get the "Half-Dragon" from MM1 you get +3LA, +8STR, +2CON/INT/CHA, +4 improvement to natural armor, 6d8 breath weapon 1/day, some claw+bite attacks, and some of the basic dragon immunities.
But that's more for monster-classes

I'd say +2LA half-troll for fast healing, natural attacks+Rend, but I think that's a setting one.

Ooh, Ghul from a Dragon Magazine (usually evil), you are a half ghoul I think, lots of stuff, +3LA, +2STR/CHA, +4DEX/WIS, some undead immunities and bonuses. Slow aging at adulthood, darkvision and a paralysis bite. I like the bite, incase they grab you.

[The Viscount]

I was going to suggest grey elf half-dragon for +4 int, +2 dex (and incidentally +2 cha and +6 str), +4 natural armour, darkvision, lowlight vision and some immunities (sleep, paralysis, and your favourite energy type) (and incidentally a breath weapon, and some natural attacks, in case the worst happens).

There are better suggestions, but this one is mine. :smallbiggrin: There are some pretty funky half-dragons out there, if you want to go shopping for something unusual.

If you're going the half-dragon route, shadow half-dragon will get you a breath weapon that inflicts a negative level, and the dragon breath feat will allow you to use it every 1d4 rounds instead of 3/day/

On the phrenic primordial half-giant route, since you need to avoid applying the template to a psionic creature, consider the eneko from secrets of sarlona instead. They are quite similar to half-giant, the only major changes are trading the PLA for 2 SLAs and free longbow proficiency and having half-giants stats in addition to -2 cha, which primordial giant will cancel out with.

[Ansem]

That is silly good, "oh my sorcerer has a 26 cha at lvl 1". lol. Nothing saves ever.

My Kobold Wizard has 29 intelligence at lvl 1 with LA+3 :P
At that point I realized how disappointing a high casting score is for bonus spells...

[ExcessiveFarce]

As some of the other posters have mentioned, both Phrenic (+2) and SHadow (+1) are really cool. I'm also a big fan of the Voidmind both thematically and functionally. (It can be found on page 187 of the monster manual iii.)

"Oh hello there! You folk look like adventurers; may I join your party? Why yes, those four holes on my head are leaking green ectoplasm but it is of no concern. Yes, I know it cannot be healthy to splatter my brains all over my enemies just to stun them, but it's so damn cool. No, I don't see a problem with having a natural weapon tentacle that has reach, constrict, and improved grab."

They have a lot of good immunities like ability damage/drain, mind affecting, and energy drain. They also get a trio of bonus feats; while they may not be incredible you can always chaos shuffle them away if it's to your taste. The ability modifiers aren't as crazy-stacked as some of the other suggestions though, so if you just want something that boosts your spellcasting you can safely avoid the voidmind.

It isn't the "best" template by any means, but voidminds have amusing party interactions written all over them. Just be certain to make it clear to your DM that you're a freed voidmind. (It's kind of implied, since if you couldn't control your character he'd be an NPC and the LA +3 entry is meant for players, but some DMs like to be ***** about things like that.)

[Coidzor]

Are you starting at level 1 with 3 free LA?

Because if you're starting at a higher level, this is your opportunity to play a dragon (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=303204). A Spellhoarding, Loredrake Dragon. Or a Tome Dragon, even.

edit: As for your friend wanting to be a soulbow... Multiweapon Fighting from Thri-kreen can work with that, or so I've heard. If the non-psionic thri-kreen detailed in MM2/Shining South loses the psionic subtype, then the LA+1 from non-psi Thri-Kreen and the LA+2 from Phrenic or Half-Fey adds up to LA+3....