Weirdest Builds?

[malonkey1]

What's the most bizarre but functional build you've ever encountered. When I say "Bizarre", I don't mean "OMG Pun-Pun so weird and cheesy," I mean "What? What is this I don't even?" While the thread says 3rd ed, I think this thread is broad enough to apply to Pathfinder as well.

[VariSami]

Being functional is questionable but... the Assplomancer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?238255-New-amp-Improved-Assplomancer).

[Jeff the Green]

I managed to make a build where Soulborn is one of the more important parts: CE tibbit Soulborn 2/Stone Blessed 3/Goliath Barbarian 1/Totemist 2/Warshaper 5/Totem Rager 7. Since the decrease in Strength in cat form is explicitly a penalty, as opposed to a replacement, and CE Soulborns are immune to Strength penalties, you keep your normal Strength. Goliath barbarian makes you go from Tiny to Large when you rage. And Warshaper and Totem Rager give you a bunch of natural attacks to go with your pounce.

[Gemini476]

I'm particular to anything involving the Hairy Spider, really. The hoops you need to jump through to make it playable are amazing.

So it's LA+0, right? But it has INT -, and is thus unplayable. But the Skitterhaunt template makes it into an Ooze and Sentry Ooze gives it INT 2, so all you need to get a playable character of fine size is some template that gives +1 INT.
I'm partial to the Deep template, from the same Dragon issue as Arctic and Magic-Blooded. +2 INT for LA+1.

And now you're playing a fine goo-filled spider with INT 4 and WIS and CHA 11. Probably a Dragonfire Adept, since you get a CON bonus. So then you're a Fine Ooze breathing lines of fire that are eight times wider than you are.

[Kazudo]

For the most recent Iron Chef, I had a character put together that I deem strange. It's a 20 level build.

Imagine if you will adventuring in the underdark. You and your group are following the trail of some aberrations. Mind Flayers. Those evil, brain-eating jerks. While you trek through the tunnels, you spot one in the dark at the end of a particular crag. He appears to be walking his illithid dog. How cute. He won't know what hits him. You all begin drawing weapons, readying spells, and sneaking towards him to get the first blow.

THEN OUT OF NOWHERE A GIANT GREAT WHITE SHARK COMES BARRELING THROUGH ONE WALL OF THE TUNNEL, EATS THE ILLITHID, AND TUNNELS OUT THE OTHER SIDE.

The creature leaves no tunnels, and no trace. The illithid dog is left behind yipping and slurping curiously.

I am that shark.

No one expects the Tunnel Shark.

[Renen]

I saw a spider with Orglash template. Gives im 10 int.

[malonkey1]

For the most recent Iron Chef, I had a character put together that I deem strange. It's a 20 level build.

Imagine if you will adventuring in the underdark. You and your group are following the trail of some aberrations. Mind Flayers. Those evil, brain-eating jerks. While you trek through the tunnels, you spot one in the dark at the end of a particular crag. He appears to be walking his illithid dog. How cute. He won't know what hits him. You all begin drawing weapons, readying spells, and sneaking towards him to get the first blow.

THEN OUT OF NOWHERE A GIANT GREAT WHITE SHARK COMES BARRELING THROUGH ONE WALL OF THE TUNNEL, EATS THE ILLITHID, AND TUNNELS OUT THE OTHER SIDE.

The creature leaves no tunnels, and no trace. The illithid dog is left behind yipping and slurping curiously.

I am that shark.

No one expects the Tunnel Shark.

Dude...you need to give me a link to that.

[Kazudo]

I never actually posted it, since I couldn't get it off the ground.

I wanted to do a Lycanthrope Darkrunner. So I figured that I'd need +2 LA for the Acquired Lycanthrope template and 10 RHD for Huge Shark. The problem became that I'd still have the Aquatic subtype and need to breathe water, which doesn't facilitate a tunnel shark. Plus, I'd have to be large to be able to size up to huge as a Lycanthrope. So I took Half-Ogre, which is a Giant type creature and can have Lycanthrope put on it. Nice. Then I found what I THOUGHT was a solution: The Amphibious template from Stormwrack would work incredibly well. The only problem is that Amphibious only works on Humanoid and Monstrous Humanoid, not Giant. So I couldn't figure my way around an Inherited template that would make a Half-Ogre Humanoid in order to give it Amphibious so that the Were-shark would be able to breathe in land. But, then I had a breakthrough: If I gave it the Dragonborn Acquired Template after giving it Lycanthrope, then I'd be Humanoid AND Aquatic which, by raw, would mean that I could breathe either way, I'd just have to hold my breath while in shark mode and only do it for a few rounds at a time. One or two swipes at someone, for example. I considered changing the fluff to be a Were Shark who lives in a popular underground lake where illithids gather to have some underground beach fun. The Were Shark then proceeds to...well, shark someone FROM INSIDE THE BEACH and then pop back underground to a lower tunnel in which he lives.

...It didn't work, and I really wanted Huge Shark and not Large Shark. But it would work with Large Shark.

[Raimun]

Tunnel shark?

That's even better than a regular land shark!

[Necroticplague]

ghost4/eidolon2/Marhsal 1/generic warrior 2/MOTUH 4/Dragon Aspirant 1/Siren 6.

One of those things where you have to cludge a bunch of stuff with little relation in order to do one or two things. Basic focus is being a ghost with really hard to resist abilities. Taking TK and Malevolence as your ghost abilities (online template class). Pick up Baleful Moan using a feat from Libris Mortis to qualify for Siren. Assuming starting CHA 18,you end up with CHA 28 from classes alone (can easily add +6 item for 34, and +4 from level ups to go to 38, though Tome of Leadership wouldn't stack with siren bonus)). TK turns all your combat maneuvers into CHA checks, and marshal's Motivate Charisma can make them even more ridiculously hard to resist (make opposed saves against, not make saves against). MOTUH+extraordinary concentration would allow you to keep two instances of TK running as a move and swift action (which, thanks to ghost giving CHA to concentration, marshal doubling up, and ranks required for Extraordinary Concentration, you can auto-succeed relevant checks to do so.), while leaving standard open to either use siren abilities, or activate malevolence, or keep a third TK running. Anything without a really good WILL is just putty in your hand to play with, while things without really high STR is yours to push around with ranged combat maneuvers. Eidolon+generic warrior can give you some backup tricks, like a negative level touch and ability to redistribute STR (which you usually won't need) to DEX (for more AC, help land said touch attack).

[Thrice Dead Cat]

The original 'Hood build had a crazy assortment of levels, jumping from Scout to a cleric dip to some weird OA prestige class and a few other things.

[Ikeren]

Psionic sandwhich.

[malonkey1]

Psionic sandwhich.

Gonna have to be more specific, buddy.

[nedz]

Gonna have to be more specific, buddy.

It's a well known build, which can be found here (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=1187.0)

[HunterOfJello]

I never actually posted it, since I couldn't get it off the ground.

...It didn't work, and I really wanted Huge Shark and not Large Shark. But it would work with Large Shark.

The methods I've seen for things like this before is to use Warforged Druid wildshaped into a shark with one of several forms of constant flying on it. The burrowing is a very nice touch though. I like that a lot.

[Kuulvheysoon]

The methods I've seen for things like this before is to use Warforged Druid wildshaped into a shark with one of several forms of constant flying on it. The burrowing is a very nice touch though. I like that a lot.

It's actually Earth Glide, not Burrow. Which is technically better, anyways.

[Ikeren]

I had a "Let me google that for you" link here, but that seemed spiteful, especially given that someone already went and did the legwork for you.

Psionic sandwhich. That is sufficiently specific.

[sideswipe]

CAVE WHALE!

not a player character build. but since whales breath air, and although they live in water they do not need it, they can live on land.

second part. whales have huge strength. and the skill climb runs of strength. RAW they are great climbers.

so... a whale lives in a cave. it climbs up the wall and onto the ceiling. it then waits there for some adventurers to come along. then drops down. crushing them and suffocating survivors until they die. it then climbs up and repeats...

great way to build an encounter :smallbiggrin:

[Togo]

Ballerina bard.

Brought to a competitive tournament, at a convention. Where people were taking the hobby very seriously.

Most of the low level spell choices and the first round or two of combat were spent doing an anime-style magical girl transformation sequence, complete with magical lights, theme music, and costume change.

Which wouldn't have been so bad, except that it was a highly optimised bard.

Out of the four rounds, two ended with the big bad succumbing to a suggestion to 'join with me and express your inner pain through the medium of dance.'

Thrown DM screens are surprisingly heavy.

[asnys]

Ballerina bard.

Brought to a competitive tournament, at a convention. Where people were taking the hobby very seriously.

Most of the low level spell choices and the first round or two of combat were spent doing an anime-style magical girl transformation sequence, complete with magical lights, theme music, and costume change.

Which wouldn't have been so bad, except that it was a highly optimised bard.

Out of the four rounds, two ended with the big bad succumbing to a suggestion to 'join with me and express your inner pain through the medium of dance.'

Thrown DM screens are surprisingly heavy.

Okay, that is seriously awesome. :smallsmile:

[Xerlith]

Ballerina bard.

Brought to a competitive tournament, at a convention. Where people were taking the hobby very seriously.

Most of the low level spell choices and the first round or two of combat were spent doing an anime-style magical girl transformation sequence, complete with magical lights, theme music, and costume change.

Which wouldn't have been so bad, except that it was a highly optimised bard.

Out of the four rounds, two ended with the big bad succumbing to a suggestion to 'join with me and express your inner pain through the medium of dance.'

Thrown DM screens are surprisingly heavy.

I want the build. I want it to be my next BBEG. GIVE IT TO ME.

Please.

[PsyBomb]

I had one build that was made to illustrate why Fractional BAB/Saves are a good idea.

Need to go dig up the specifics of it, but I called it The Indecisive. It ended up being a LG Hellbred Pal2/Monk1/Warlock1 that went into as many 1-level dips as I could get away with, mostly caster PrCs that give +1 CL at level 1. My base saves all ended up 22+, with my will BASE at around 35 before stats added to it. My BAB was, I believe, 3 or 4. Wasn't a great build, but it got the point across.

[Darrin]

Famous Optimized Character Builds (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?258580-Famous-optimized-character-builds) has a few, such as the already-mentioned Psionic Sandwich (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=16939527&postcount=27).

Also:

Trouserfang Dwarf (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19860262/The_Trouserfang_Dwarf:_A_Rebirth)
Fistbeard Beardfist (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?116838-Fistbeard-Beardfist)

[Necroticplague]

I had one build that was made to illustrate why Fractional BAB/Saves are a good idea.

Need to go dig up the specifics of it, but I called it The Indecisive. It ended up being a LG Hellbred Pal2/Monk1/Warlock1 that went into as many 1-level dips as I could get away with, mostly caster PrCs that give +1 CL at level 1. My base saves all ended up 22+, with my will BASE at around 35 before stats added to it. My BAB was, I believe, 3 or 4. Wasn't a great build, but it got the point across.

The default fractional save rules still give you the +2 for every dip. So actually, it would have made it worse, since every dip for saves would have increased it by 2.5, instead of just 2.