Plane hopping lawyer man!

[Xintas]

So I found the rules for contesting your eternal damnation in the Fiendish Codex II and now need to build the perfect defense lawyer. I am not going to skill optimize too heavily (still going to use an item familiar and exemplar) but I need to find a way to work in a Plane Shift ability without disrupting the build too much.

I have 10 levels and would prefer to have no casting. Other than going Cleric -> Defiant, is there a way to get a plane shift like ability (even if it is just to Baator) every day without casting the spell?

[Gildedragon]

Jaunter from expedition to the demonweb pits. It is feat intensive though (dodge, mobility, spring attack)

Take it levels 7-10
Before that Bard or Factotum diplomancer
Or binder (1 dip at least)

[Telonius]

A custom Wondrous Item (Plane Shift 1/day) would probably be your best bet.

I sincerely hope the item familiar is going to be a giant boot (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0280.html). :smallcool:

[Darrin]

So I found the rules for contesting your eternal damnation in the Fiendish Codex II and now need to build the perfect defense lawyer.


Any chance you can make the race = neanderthal?

[Gildedragon]

So it is the sum of three checks
Perform (act)
Kn (planes)
Diplomacy

I do think factotum is the best choice as you add your factotum level 3 times to these checks.

If pathfinder traits are allowed:
Clever Wordplay for Perform or Diplomacy to get Int rather than Cha for that skill
There is another one that lets you get Int to Diplomacy when convincing folks, but it is [social] as is Clever Wordplay...

OR if going the charisma route:
Planar Savant (cha instead of Int to kn. the planes checks)

[Falcon X]

I can't tell you how great of an idea I think this is!

Personally, my favorite option is having some type of Devil-blooded creature (Lesser Tiefling?) who starts as a Factotum, Beguiler, or Archivist, and prestiges into Sensate (Dragon 287), and give him some levels in Fiend of Corruption (Fiend Folio).
I'm thinking Factotum 7/Fiend of Corruption 3/Sensate 10

Here are some other good ideas:
Possibly Temptation classes like in Fiend Folio? They know how to get into people's heads and make them talk, or draw out the truth. Likely some torture spells too from BoVD and Dragon 300.

BoVD has some decent Prestige classes too. A Disciple of Asmodeus would be entirely appropriate, as would a Disciple of Mammon.
Gatecrasher from Manual of Planes has some nice stuff

From Dragon Magazine:
- Dreadmaster (Dragon 287) is all about a dominance aura, insight, leadership, and spellcasting. Take a Beguiler into this, ftw.
- Sensate (Dragon 287) is a planescape faction class. He can do dramatic recounts, sense links, and lots of detection stuff.
- Oppressor (Dragon 310) Great grappler and intimidation.
- Jester (Dragon 330)

[Xintas]

I am actually trying to keep him from being devilish at all. I have this backstory where he actually sells his soul to a devil in exchange for devils protecting him and his belongings while he is alive. Exemplar 10 makes that indefinite. He rules lawyers the devils into being his personal bodyguards all while stealing souls from them.

I know that factotum 10 exemplar 10 would be ideal, but is there a way to work planar travel in without an item or a weird book (no offense, the jaunter suggestion was great; it just won't fly in my group)?

[Falcon X]

How about taking Factotum into Ardent Dilettante (Planar Handbook).

It would give you vast skills for your lawyering, the ability to enthrall people and even do mind links to help them visualize situations. Arcane Dilettante would also give you just enough spellcasting to pull off planar hops.

[Gildedragon]

I'd say give that class a shot,

Now things get harder if that one does not cut it:

There is the Jann class, you need 5 levels in it to planeshift (and it is only 4hd) I would ask your DM to waive the "must complete the monster class" and let you take it as 4 levels and +1 LA, rather than 5 levels. You buy it off at 3rd and you're in the clear.

There is also The Amulet of The Planes (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#amuletofthePlanes)
24kgp if it is good only once a day

Or the Obsidian Steed (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#obsidianSteed) which costs 28.5kgp. 10% likely to turn on you and take you to hell, but that is where you were headed. if the price of the other abilities got removed it should drop to about a third (ish), which is 9.5kgp

[Gildedragon]

How about taking Factotum into Ardent Dilettante (Planar Handbook).

It would give you vast skills for your lawyering, the ability to enthrall people and even do mind links to help them visualize situations. Arcane Dilettante would also give you just enough spellcasting to pull off planar hops.

Factotum doesn't get their Arcane Dilettante augmented by Ardent Dilettante, the spellcasting would have to come from elsewhere.

[the_archduke]

Rather than plane shift, how about the psionic power Astral Caravan?

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/astralCaravan.htm

You can get that with 5 levels of Nomad or 7 levels of any other full manifester and the expanded knowledge feat.

Later you can go with psionic plane shift

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/planeShiftPsionic.htm

or dream travel

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/dreamTravel.htm


Unless no casting means no manifesting too... in which case never mind

[Falcon X]

Factotum doesn't get their Arcane Dilettante augmented by Ardent Dilettante, the spellcasting would have to come from elsewhere.
Ah, I think you are right. Though, it's not perfectly RAW that it can't a nice DM could make an allowance...

Still, I like Ardent Dilettante (Or it's Dragon Magazine 287 original, The Sensate)

[Gildedragon]

astral caravan is a rather good idea, you need to buff Kn the planes already, and by spending 7 pp it takes you... 6 days to get there
12 if you spend the minimum 5

If you went Athasian Human, and the DM allowed you to pick from outside the wilder/psion list, you could have that power by 10th level and not worry about having much more spellcasting

[the_archduke]

Actually, the minimum time on a 7 pp augment would be 3 days (6 successful Know Planes checks, one every 12 hours)

[Gildedragon]

Actually, the minimum time on a 7 pp augment would be 3 days (6 successful Know Planes checks, one every 12 hours)

Oh yeah! Not a s bad. Still slow, but not bad.
And if you ain't making DC 20 Kn planes checks, you got no biz debating balors

[the_archduke]

Something like Telepath 7/Factotum 3/Exemplar 10

You would have to take astral caravan with a feat: expanded knowledge, but there are several nice telepath powers like false sensory input and read thought, and telepath has all the social skills as class skills.

[Gildedragon]

Why exemplar 10 though?
Gaining the Outsider template? Best to go for Mulhorandi Divine Minion gives you outsider at the cost of fewer 'levels'
Nepthys fits nicely (by Faiths and Pantheons: Nepthys is a CG Protector of the Dead). Worming your way out of contracts that bind the dead fits with her portfolio methinks. That you get immunity to fear (intimidation tactics will not work on you) and some neat extra shapes is the icing on the immortality cake (if the outsider type grants it)

the Naturalized Denizen feat might be good to prevent you being dismissed or banished by a hostile spellcaster

Note: The clothes make the man
You will probably want an Ornate (Dr 358) Clebdecher Glammerweave (S:CoT) suit for a +4 to diplomacy