Tweak My Build!

[Ionbound]

Alright. So, I'm playing in a 3.5 High Level Gestalt, and I'm feeling a little underpowered with a Vampire 8/Lifedrinker 7//Cleric 15 Con-Drain Grapple build. So, Playground, please help me lift it up out of the dregs. The Sheet (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=852151): It's missing it's spells, and armor enchants, but otherwise is in it's final-ish.

Ground Rules: This is PO. I want something that would actually be playable with a sane GM

I want it to stay true to the concept: Specifically, using Vampiric Con-Drain and some form of Divine Casting. I realize these might not be the most optimal things, but I do like the flavor and backstory I've written for the character, and I'd like to not have to make a ton of fluff changes.

I don't want to outshine anyone else, just be competitive with people who are a couple notches higher on the OP scale than me.

[JeminiZero]

This build seems to be missing the Summon Elemental reserve feat. I highly recommend that on setup like this.

Why? Elementals living creatures, you can summon one for free, and then Slam/Energy Drain it to fill out your lifewell. That effectively gives you limitless lifewell points. Use that to fuel all your abilities. Sadly, Invigorate is limited to lifedrinker levels. But Blood Servant is not. So you can start each day with an army of demons.

[Ionbound]

Is there anything else?

[JeminiZero]

From the gloves of the titan, you are presumably focusing on Grappling?

How much gold do you have left?

Necrotic Focus Weapons [MiC 39] lets a weapon channel your energy drain. This lets you use iteratives to make multiple attacks so that hopefully at least 1 will hit (although Energy Drain can only be used 1/round). With Divine Power, you could even use the 2-hander power attack setup to dish out damage.

Look up Libris Mortis for some feats useful to undead. Lifesense is probably very useful (detect invisible living, and even overcomes Darkstalker). Improved Toughness gives more HP. Necrotic Reserve prevents you from immediate destruction on hitting 0 HP. Endure Sunlight, lets you... well, endure sunlight. As an evil Cleric, you can also go down the whole army of the dead route, and take the Corpse Crafter line of feats.

Libris Mortis also has some useful items: Cloak of Turn Resistance does exactly what its says on the tin. Goggles of Day provide limited sunlight resistance as well.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Say you became a vampire in the area of a Fell Energy (http://dndtools.eu/feats/dragon-compendium--109/fell-energy-spell--3357/) Desecrate (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/desecrate.htm) spell with an evil altar present. That gives you +6 HP per level, since Fell Energy changes the normal +1 of Desecrate to +3, then it gets doubled for the evil altar.

Grappling is not something you can really count on at your current level, since opponents should have access to effects that generate Freedom of Movement, such as (but not limited to) Psionic Freedom of Movement, Heart of Water, Third Eye Freedom, Vest of Free Movement, Ring of Freedom of Movement, Freedom armor property, Cowl of Warding, Periapt of the Sullen Sea, etc. A 2,600 gp Third Eye Freedom is an immediate-action you-don't-grapple-me-this-round, which will completely waste your entire action, plus the face slot is typically not a crucial item space so they don't really give up anything to have that. Plus some opponents are just too big to grapple. Furthermore, you're extremely vulnerable when grappling, nearby enemies can just full-attack your flat-footed AC. It's going to be useful most of the time, but it's almost guaranteed to not work against any important opponents.

Why have you paid twice as much as you need to for a +6 Wis item? Putting a property on a nonstandard space is only a 50% cost increase, and you can put an Enhancement bonus to Wisdom on any existing head or neck slot item for the same price as a Periapt of Wisdom of that bonus per MIC p234. Get a Reliquary Holy Symbol (MIC) and add +6 Wis to it for just 36,000 gp.

You have DMM: Persistent, so use Cloistered Cleric (www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#clericVariantCloistere dCleric) and have Divine Power up all day. The lower HD won't matter with undead hit dice, and you'll get a base six skill points/level. Trade the free Knowledge domain for Knowledge Devotion (CC) to get an extra bonus to attack and damage.

Be sure to cover all the necessary item effects (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?187851-3-5-Lists-of-Necessary-Magic-Items) that your spells and undead type don't cover. Get a Monk's Belt to add your Wis bonus to AC if you're not going to wear armor, or opt for Bracers of Armor or a domain that gets Mage Armor. Get Lesser Metamagic Rods of Extend for hour/level buffs like Magic Vestment. Get a standard Strand of Prayer Beads with the Bead of Smiting removed, DMG pricing puts it at just 9,000 gp and you can get +4 caster level when casting your daily buffs.

Get a 6th level Pearl of Power and a standard Metamagic Rod of Extend. Every other day prepare Energy Immunity twice and cast it three times using the pearl, with the Rod of Extend on each so they last 48 hours. On the days in between, prepare and cast Energy Immunity once and Superior Resistance once, using the pearl to cast Energy Immunity a second time, again using the Rod of Extend on each so they last 48 hours. This gives you constant immunity to all five energy types and a +6 Resistance bonus to your saving throws, for the cost of two 6th level spells/day and those two items.

[Ionbound]

From the gloves of the titan, you are presumably focusing on Grappling?

How much gold do you have left?

Necrotic Focus Weapons [MiC 39] lets a weapon channel your energy drain. This lets you use iteratives to make multiple attacks so that hopefully at least 1 will hit (although Energy Drain can only be used 1/round). With Divine Power, you could even use the 2-hander power attack setup to dish out damage.

Look up Libris Mortis for some feats useful to undead. Lifesense is probably very useful (detect invisible living, and even overcomes Darkstalker). Improved Toughness gives more HP. Necrotic Reserve prevents you from immediate destruction on hitting 0 HP. Endure Sunlight, lets you... well, endure sunlight. As an evil Cleric, you can also go down the whole army of the dead route, and take the Corpse Crafter line of feats.

Libris Mortis also has some useful items: Cloak of Turn Resistance does exactly what its says on the tin. Goggles of Day provide limited sunlight resistance as well.

Thanks for the stuff. I have about 36K GP left, and I can sell my Ring of Freedom of Movement if I desperately need a GP infusion


Say you became a vampire in the area of a Fell Energy (http://dndtools.eu/feats/dragon-compendium--109/fell-energy-spell--3357/) Desecrate (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/desecrate.htm) spell with an evil altar present. That gives you +6 HP per level, since Fell Energy changes the normal +1 of Desecrate to +3, then it gets doubled for the evil altar.

Sadly, I can't get away with that. Said character's sire is another player, and I doubt he had anything like that set up.


Grappling is not something you can really count on at your current level, since opponents should have access to effects that generate Freedom of Movement, such as (but not limited to) Psionic Freedom of Movement, Heart of Water, Third Eye Freedom, Vest of Free Movement, Ring of Freedom of Movement, Freedom armor property, Cowl of Warding, Periapt of the Sullen Sea, etc. A 2,600 gp Third Eye Freedom is an immediate-action you-don't-grapple-me-this-round, which will completely waste your entire action, plus the face slot is typically not a crucial item space so they don't really give up anything to have that. Plus some opponents are just too big to grapple. Furthermore, you're extremely vulnerable when grappling, nearby enemies can just full-attack your flat-footed AC. It's going to be useful most of the time, but it's almost guaranteed to not work against any important opponents

Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence. I did say tweak not fix.


Why have you paid twice as much as you need to for a +6 Wis item? Putting a property on a nonstandard space is only a 50% cost increase, and you can put an Enhancement bonus to Wisdom on any existing head or neck slot item for the same price as a Periapt of Wisdom of that bonus per MIC p234. Get a Reliquary Holy Symbol (MIC) and add +6 Wis to it for just 36,000 gp.

It's a +6 Str and +6 Wis item. Need the extra strength for grappling.


You have DMM: Persistent, so use Cloistered Cleric (www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#clericVariantCloistere dCleric) and have Divine Power up all day. The lower HD won't matter with undead hit dice, and you'll get a base six skill points/level. Trade the free Knowledge domain for Knowledge Devotion (CC) to get an extra bonus to attack and damage.

Alright, I'll look into that.


Be sure to cover all the necessary item effects (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?187851-3-5-Lists-of-Necessary-Magic-Items) that your spells and undead type don't cover. Get a Monk's Belt to add your Wis bonus to AC if you're not going to wear armor, or opt for Bracers of Armor or a domain that gets Mage Armor. Get Lesser Metamagic Rods of Extend for hour/level buffs like Magic Vestment. Get a standard Strand of Prayer Beads with the Bead of Smiting removed, DMG pricing puts it at just 9,000 gp and you can get +4 caster level when casting your daily buffs.

Did the Necessary Magic Item List, thanks for suggesting the Monk's Belt and buff boosting stuff, though


Get a 6th level Pearl of Power and a standard Metamagic Rod of Extend. Every other day prepare Energy Immunity twice and cast it three times using the pearl, with the Rod of Extend on each so they last 48 hours. On the days in between, prepare and cast Energy Immunity once and Superior Resistance once, using the pearl to cast Energy Immunity a second time, again using the Rod of Extend on each so they last 48 hours. This gives you constant immunity to all five energy types and a +6 Resistance bonus to your saving throws, for the cost of two 6th level spells/day and those two items.

HAHAHA! That...is frankly beautiful. Not sure if I can get away with it, but I'll definitely have to try.