Building a villain's bodyguard

[WesleyVos]

Playgrounders, I have a build challenge for you. I want to build a legitimately threatening gish bodyguard for one of the main villains in a campaign I'm running. For those who have read Matthew Stover's Shatterpoint, he should simulate Kar Vastor as nearly as is possible in 3.5. For those who haven't, here are the requirements:

High Strength and Con.
Dual Wielding homebrew light edged shields that can deal either slashing or bludgeoning damage or, as a fighting defensive or total defense action, stack shield bonuses.
Be unable to speak except in grunts, growls, and other animal noises.
Cast as a spontaneous caster.

ECL is negotiable, since I can introduce him into the campaign at any point once the players get to a certain level. Keep it as low as possible.

Cheese is acceptable, but don't make it too stinky. No Pun-Pun stuff. Psionics don't exist in the setting, so they're out, too. Eberron and Dragonlance stuff I don't use much if at all, so try to limit that stuff. No magazines, homebrew (except regarding the shields, where homebrew is negotiable), or third party stuff.

My initial thought was Warblade (using Tiger Claw maneuvers) with some levels of Sorcerer. Thoughts?

EDIT: I forgot to add - since he'll be a recurring main villain, 32-point buy for stats.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

TWF Gish, cheese acceptable..... Lightning Warrior! It's a satirical homebrew base class originally from the WotC boards, luckily it was archived by google. Give him EWP: Dwarven Buckler-Axe from RoS, though it's a light weapon so he can't power attack with it. TWF is extremely suboptimal for a gish build, but if you're trading power for flavor.....
Class Skills
The Lightning Warrior’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points at 1st Level
(6 + Int modifier) ×4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level
6 + Int modifier.


Lightning Warrior Hit Die: d20
{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special

1st|
+1|
+2|
+2|
+2|Bonus feat, Two-Weapon Mastery

2nd|
+2|
+3|
+3|
+3|

3rd|
+3|
+3|
+3|
+3|

4th|
+4|
+4|
+4|
+4|

5th|
+5|
+4|
+4|
+4|Bonus feat

6th|
+6|
+5|
+5|
+5|Improved Two-Weapon Mastery

7th|
+7|
+5|
+5|
+5|

8th|
+8|
+6|
+6|
+6|

9th|
+9|
+6|
+6|
+6|

10th|
+10|
+7|
+7|
+7|Bonus feat

11th|
+11|
+7|
+7|
+7|Greater Two-Weapon Mastery

12th|
+12|
+8|
+8|
+8|

13th|
+13|
+8|
+8|
+8|

14th|
+14|
+9|
+9|
+9|

15th|
+15|
+9|
+9|
+9|Bonus feat

16th|
+16|
+10|
+10|
+10|Perfect Two-Weapon Mastery

17th|
+17|
+10|
+10|
+10|

18th|
+18|
+11|
+11|
+11|

19th|
+19|
+11|
+11|
+11|

20th|
+20|
+12|
+12|
+12|Bonus feat[/table]



Spells Per Day
Level 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1st 5 3 — — — — — — — —
2nd 6 4 — — — — — — — —
3rd 6 4 3 — — — — — — —
4th 6 5 4 — — — — — — —
5th 6 5 4 3 — — — — — —
6th 6 5 5 4 — — — — — —
7th 6 6 5 4 3 — — — — —
8th 6 6 5 5 4 — — — — —
9th 6 6 6 5 4 3 — — — —
10th 6 6 6 5 5 4 — — — —
11th 6 6 6 6 5 4 3 — — —
12th 6 6 6 6 5 5 4 — — —
13th 6 6 6 6 6 5 4 3 — —
14th 6 6 6 6 6 5 5 4 — —
15th 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 4 3 —
16th 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 5 4 —
17th 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 4 3
18th 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 5 4
19th 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 5
20th 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6


Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Lightning Warrior.


Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Lightning Warriors are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, and with light armor.

A Lightning Warrior can cast spells while wearing light armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. However, like any other arcane spellcaster, a Lightning Warrior wearing medium or heavy armor or using a shield incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component (most do). A Lightning Warrior still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.

In addition, the Lightning Warrior may perform a spell with a somatic and/or material component even while holding a weapon in each hand. Casting a spell in this way still provokes an attack of opportunity. The Lightning Warrior can deliver a touch spell through a weapon attack (either a melee touch attack or a normal melee attack).

Spells
A lightning warrior casts arcane spells which are drawn from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. A lightning warrior must choose and prepare her spells ahead of time (see below).

To learn, prepare, or cast a spell, the lightning warrior must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a lightning warrior’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the lightning warrior’s Intelligence modifier.

Like other spellcasters, a lightning warrior can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on Table: The Lightning warrior. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Intelligence score.

Unlike a bard or sorcerer, a lightning warrior may know any number of spells. He must choose and prepare her spells ahead of time by getting a good night’s sleep and spending 1 hour studying. While studying, the lightning warrior decides which spells to prepare.

A lightning warrior begins play with all 0-level lightning warrior spells plus six 1st-level spells of your choice. For each point of Intelligence bonus the Lightning warrior has, he receives two additional 1st-level spells of your choice. At each new lightning warrior level, he gains four new spells of any spell level or levels that he can cast.

Unlike the wizard, the Lightning Warrior does not need to use a spellbook, he simply memorizes his spells. The Lightning Warrior can learn spells from scrolls in the same manner wizards do, but do not need to spend money copying the scroll, as he simply looks at it and memorizes it.


Bonus Feats
At 1st, 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th level, a Lightning Warrior gains a bonus feat. At each such opportunity, he can choose a metamagic feat, an item creation feat, or a fighter feat. The lightning warrior must still meet all prerequisites for a bonus feat, including caster level minimums.
These bonus feats are in addition to the feat that a character of any class gets from advancing levels. The lightning warrior is not limited to the categories of item creation feats, metamagic feats, or fighter feats when choosing these feats.

Two-Weapon Mastery
A Lightning Warrior receives the Two-Weapon Fighting and Two-Weapon Defense feats as bonus feats at 1st level, even if he doesn’t meet the prerequisites for them.

Improved Two-Weapon Mastery
A Lightning Warrior receives the Improved Two-Weapon Fighting and Improved Two-Weapon Defense (Complete Warrior) feats as bonus feats 6th level, even if he doesn’t meet the prerequisites for them.

Greater Two-Weapon Mastery
A Lightning Warrior receives the Greater Two-Weapon Fighting and Greater Two-Weapon Defense (Complete Warrior) feats as bonus feats at 11th level, even if he doesn’t meet the prerequisites for it.

Perfect Two-Weapon Mastery
A Lightning Warrior receives the Perfect Two-Weapon Fighting feat (complete warrior) as a bonus feat at 16th level, even if he doesn’t meet the prerequisites for it.


At first glance, the lightning warrior looks like a weaker version of the wizard, due to the fact that it lacks a familiar and can’t specialize in a school like most wizards can. However, the special abilities and increased stats of the class help it catch up to the wizard somewhat, though it will probably continue to lag behind it. Trained in the arts of war, the Lightning Warrior has a bit more hp than a normal wizard, and can fight with two swords in order to offset his loss of his familiar. He gets a couple more spells to offset his lack of ability to specialize in a school of magic.

This is a class which truly sacrifices power for flavor.

[DMVerdandi]

I'd use a spell-caster from the Unlimited Arcana supplement.
Spell point variant for his casting. Make it divine so he can wear armor.
Since they can learn spells from wiz/cler/dru lists that means he can buff with the best of them (divine power anyone), and cherry-pick all of the best spells for it.

Give him a legendary weapon (Those twin shields) and have the powers bestow two weapon fighting(Improved and greater), as well as nullifying the - to hit on each attack to 0. If you really want to crank it up, also have them bestow the smiting spell metamagic feat.

So Spellcaster 10/Legacy champion 10 at the end of things.

[herrhauptmann]

Warblade and/or crusader.
Take Devoted Defender from Sword and Fist.


Is he defending a caster? Another melee type? An archer? Maybe he's defending a noncombatant evil king.
Some of this will change his tactics/build.

For instance, if the person he protects is a melee fighter, he might want to take feats which also maximize the effectiveness of the boss. Vexing/adaptable flanker to name two. That style would benefit from a Chain Wielding Maniac build.
I'm not sure he can cast just by growling at people, not unless he takes (sudden) silent spell.

[WesleyVos]

He'd be defending either a non-combatant or, more likely, a divine caster.

I'll either give him silent spell or fiat that he's been without speech long enough to learn how to turn his growls into spells.

I like the legendary weapon idea. Definitely something to keep in mind.

[WesleyVos]

No other ideas?

[Runestar]

A crusader would make an excellent shield fighter, but no spell casting.

Here is some info on building a shield fighter.

http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=10232.0;wap2

Though at first glance, the most viable route would simply be to go straight cleric. :smalltongue: