Classes for a King

[Morof Stonehands]

I'm creating an NPC, a King of the Forest esque character, a champion of nature. I found an item from a 3rd party book that I think is quite nifty, and worthy of this kind of person. It gives:

+7 full plate (earth and stone material)
No need for food, sleep, and rest
immunity to sleep, paralysis, and slow spells/spell-like abilities, and disease
fast healing 3
+6 enhancement to Str and Con
can concentrate and remain motionless for a number of rounds, each round he increases the enhancement bonus to Str by +2 to a total bonus of +20
full round action to cast create water as a 20th level caster
Can wild shape and rage as a 15th level druid and barbarian, respectively. These stack with wild shape and rage abilities already possessed by the wearer

So obviously a barbarian/druid multiclass is the best option, but what kind of split, and also are there any prestige classes that would be beneficial to use?

I'm looking to make full use out of the armor's abilities.

20 ish levels is what I'm thinking for him.

[Thrice Dead Cat]

Straight druid is probably you're best bet. Get a winding clap and an amulet of speech and be the Bear King of the Ages.

[Shining Wrath]

Just because the armor gives him abilities of a druid & barbarian (and stacks) doesn't mean you must make him a druid / barbarian multiclass. I can see a cleric of a deity with Earth / Nature domains, or a ranger, or a fey-based warlock.

How long does that enhancement bonus to STR last once he stops concentrating? + 20 to STR is pretty sweet for any martial class.

But really, for maximum power it's hard to beat 20 levels of druid with some barbarian features thrown in. You summon bears to accompany the bear you're riding, morph into a bear, and then trigger Level 15 barbarian rage. With fast healing 3. And +20 to strength from meditating prior to combat.

And then cast level 20 druid magic while wild shaped.

That seems ... formidable.

EDIT: Not barbarian LEVELS, barbarian FEATURES. From the armor.

[Coidzor]

Master of Many Forms (http://community.wizards.com/forum/previous-editions-general/threads/1060931) springs to mind. Or if 3.0 the Shifter PrC.

Wildshaping Ranger might be good. Nature's Warrior and Warshaper would both be helpful combined with Master of Many Forms. A level of Barbarian for the Spirit Lion Totem(or was it Lion Spirit Totem?) ACF to get Pounce in all forms would be good, too.

Depends upon what level you want to start counting the item as in his possession, really. With 2 feats that you'd get from having an Urban Companion(gives Alertness as a familiar, IIRC) and being a 3rd level ranger, you'd be able to get into Master of Many Forms. Of course, if you want to add the item on later, then you could use Divine Minion to get the wildshape ability to qualify for MOMF.

So let's say 5 levels of Wildshaping Ranger, 7 of MOMF, 3 of Nature's Warrior, 5 of Warshaper, and you'd have ~30 levels as far as wildshaping is concerned, more with a few more items, which should be enough HD to get a lot of forms from the various Types you have available to wildshape into.

Or Barbarian 1 for Whirling Frenzy & Pounce & Urban Brawler(City Brawler) to get Improved Unarmed Strike, a second form of rage(maybe?), and pounce in all wildshape forms along with levels to fill up until you can get into Master of Many Forms/Warshaper.

[Mcdt2]

Hey, I recognize that artifact. Gave that to a player in one of my (epic) campaigns. He was a Master of Many Forms, and he was a fan of wildshaping into the Tarrasque. Probably harder to do without him being epic leveled, but something to keep in mind. Definitely suggest MoMF in any case.

[Telonius]

Hmm. King, Barbarian, Druid...

This is clearly the Armor of the Earth King. :smallbiggrin:

The King during his rule...
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LpF1Escpszc/TDvAILwVIxI/AAAAAAAAB5M/jBz8QsQRCtc/s1600/EarthKing.jpg

And, after his Barbarianization
http://stage.30ninjas.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/avatar-kuei-bear.jpg

You could go into any Tome of Battle class for some Stone Dragon maneuvers (for Earthbending), or go full Bear Warrior.

[Coidzor]

A little bit of Totemist (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?287304-danzibr-s-Totemist-Handbook)can go quite nicely with wildshaping, especially if they're not competing that much for levels.

[Totema]

Where's this artifact from? I'd like to do science to it.

[Morof Stonehands]

Hmm, good suggestions.

Just to make sure I understand, if I made him a Druid 10/ Master of Many Forms 10 with the armor, he could wild shape at least 16 times per day, each one would last up to 25 hours, and he could be either an animal, elemental, giant, fey, ooze, aberration, monstrous humanoid, dragon, vermin, or plant, from Diminutive size all the way up to Gargantuan? What would be the HD limit? 10? 25? 35?

How would the 15 "levels" of barbarian raging abilities work if he was a Drudic Avenger (ACF, Unearthed Arcana)?

Also the item is the Armor of the Living Earth, from AEG's book Relics, for those of you who were looking.

[Coidzor]

Just to make sure I understand, if I made him a Druid 10/ Master of Many Forms 10 with the armor, he could wild shape at least 16 times per day, each one would last up to 25 hours, and he could be either an animal, elemental, giant, fey, ooze, aberration, monstrous humanoid, dragon, vermin, or plant, from Diminutive size all the way up to Gargantuan? What would be the HD limit? 10? 25? 35?

How would the 15 "levels" of barbarian raging abilities work if he was a Drudic Avenger (ACF, Unearthed Arcana)?

Should be 35. 15 from the armor + 10 from Druid + 10 from MOMF. I believe there's an amulet which can get you 5 more levels on top of that for 40 HD all told, provided it stacks with the armor.


Rage (Ex)

An avenger can enter a furious rage, identical to that of a barbarian. An avenger can use this ability once per day at 1st level, and one additional time per day for every five levels above 1st.

An avenger does not gain the greater rage, indomitable will, or mighty rage abilities.

So, my take is that it'd have Greater Rage 4/day & any other stuff from the armor + 2 more uses of rage from Druidic Avenger 1 and Druidic Avenger 6. And because they already have greater rage from the armor, they can use their Druid rage uses to benefit from Greater Rage and all the other rage benefits.

[Yogibear41]

King of the wild from Masters of the Wild? :smallsmile: