Using Broken things for unbroken purposes?

[INoKnowNames]

Have you guys ever taken something that was completely, utterly broken, and used it only for benign purposes? Doing so is considered one of the best ways to play some of the more powerful classes, as it helps keep them from overshadowing anyone too hard in a party.

For example, the Lucid Dreaming Skill? The one people like because it has the potential to insta-kill anyone in a campaign setting and little way for them to defend against? I want to convince a Dm to let me use it and nix the lethal part of it entirely, merely as a way to communicate to others through dreams. Because that just sounds like fun. (Hell, that's the kind of thing I should use as a DM: What more classic way for the Mysterious Waif to communicate to the heroes that she wants them to save the world than to appear to them through their dreams?)

I may or may not have also found a way to completely eliminate all metamagic costs to a spell entirely through some nebulous reading and abuse of abilities that makes Divine Metamagic seem tame in comparison. I intend to use it to make a better healer: I'm looking to figure out how many types of metamagic I can stack on a Cure spell. I'm up to TwinMaxipoweredReaChained CureCritical.

What devious tricks have you ever wanted or tried to employ for less than frightening purposes?

[Sir Chuckles]

Well, an Ubercharger isn't quite broken, but I built one and, by role play, made him the "set them up" part of the "Set them up, knock 'em down" phrase.

It's really a matter of self-control.

[Sith_Happens]

Playing a War Weaver I found it extremely annoying that your highest tapestry-able spell level doesn't catch up with your highest castable spell level until 4/5 of the way into the class, so I used Sanctum Spell to get around it.

[Killer Angel]

I burned a Candle of invocation as Gate, simpy to call a monster to help us in combat (the way our relatively inexperienced DM intended, when he gave the object without knowing its possible implications)

[weckar]

One of my players once used a broken metal cup as a makeshift dagger.

[Bickerstaff]

One of my players once used a broken metal cup as a makeshift dagger.

Death by teacup?

[The Trickster]

Have you guys ever taken something that was completely, utterly broken, and used it only for benign purposes?

Yes, I have played a wizard before.

[JaronK]

I used a Planar Binding endless Wish loop to create a really really nice carriage to take my party around in once. That was kinda fun. It had beautiful trimmings and, due to Haunt Shift, could swim or walk if needed.

JaronK

[Sith_Happens]

I burned a Candle of invocation as Gate, simpy to call a monster to help us in combat (the way our relatively inexperienced DM intended, when he gave the object without knowing its possible implications)

Your DM "intended" you to have 34 HD worth of monster in your back pocket?:smallconfused:

[NichG]

Well, I had broken stuff that I used for broken purposes and occasionally an unbroken purpose, does that count?

I was playing in a Slayers d20 campaign that crossed over into Planescape. The thing you have to know about Slayers d20 casting is that there are no spell slots - instead, spells you cast deal 'sticky' non-lethal damage to you that has to heal naturally. And everyone casts like a sorceror. Also, there are no XP/material/etc costs - they just make the spell harder to cast. The downside is, you only have so many spells you get to know, and they all take from the same pool (e.g. if I learn Sleep now that means I don't get to learn Gate later on). And of course the Planescape-native casters didn't have any of this cheese.

My character had Limited Wish at will for essentially free (5-10hp of nonlethal per casting or something like that). So of course, when he had to secretly communicate with a high-up Red Wizard across the room, he used it to emulate Message. The contents of the communication were completely lost in the outrage of someone apparently burning away parts of their soul (e.g. the xp cost) to cast a Lv0 spell.

[HaikenEdge]

Death by teacup?

No, he's going to kill you with his soup cup.

[Rejusu]

I'm using a venerable dragonwrought kobold as a character but I'll be playing it as a support focused Dragonfire Adept. And I'm not taking cheese such as epic feats at level one or any of the silly dragon only feats that scale with your age category. Although that last bit is all the dragon feats require a prohibitive 13 strength.

[Jormengand]

Item Familiar's one of my favourites. Completely overpowered as feats go... except when the only reason you're doing it is to bump your truespeak check.

[Killer Angel]

Your DM "intended" you to have 34 HD worth of monster in your back pocket?:smallconfused:

We were 14-15° lev. and in his mind it was a "one-shot life saver"

[PraxisVetli]

Death by teacup?


No, he's going to kill you with his soup cup.

I find this pleasing.

[Kennisiou]

One of my favorite games ever I played as a Druid in a party that was otherwise super low-op (we had a guy going 20 levels fighter, a rogue going shadowdancer, and a monk as our other team-members). I knew I could basically overshadow all of them at everything with proper spell selection and wildshape, but instead decided that I would mostly just prepare support and battlefield control effects (and even then, not obvious huge overpowering ones), and instead of going Bear riding a bear summoning bears I made my animal companion a hawk who would help the rogue scout. I mostly used my wildshape to help with side objectives. The rogue and I formed a sneaky team where the rogue would go ahead and I'd turn into a dog/cat/rat/bird (depending on sizes available to me) and basically play lookout with the rogue. I wound up taking the jack of all trades feat and making liberal use of aid another checks with toe rogue to basically follow him around giving him a +2 to every skill check he needed to make. Pretty fun way to take a class that can do everything and retool them to just a class that helps with everything.

[Lycar]

^ Congratulations, Kennisiou, you just won at D&D.

[weckar]

Kennisiou, playing Druids like Ascent Mages. I like it.

[Mr Adventurer]

I've got a character with the Siberys Mark of Making - True Creation 1/day, no XP cost.

I use it for impressing people by creating things from nothing, and spontaneously bribing people with gold or gems.

I don't use it to create black holes or break the economy.